Xbox 360 Premium confirmed shipping with HDMI

It looks like after all the rumor-mongering and speculation, the bomb is in fact dropping on Xbox 360 Premium hopefuls: the game systems are shipping with HDMI. At least one lucky customer who purchased a Premium system at a Target in Atlanta is currently enjoying the spoils of Microsoft's not-so-secret addition, so hot out of tips and direct to your eyes, we present the first of many you'll be seeing with the much-discussed, built-in HDMI port (and obviously perhaps the cooler 65nm chips onboard). You can stop saving and start buying -- as long as your Xbox was built on or around July 4th, a date which will now be remembered for two reasons.

Update - Apparently, there's nothing "obvious" about that 65nm chip situation. Right now it looks like some may have it, and some may not.

[Via Shacknews, thanks Tim]

[Penguin Warlord @ Aug 8th 2007 6:10PM]

This is why I bought the two year extended warranty from futureshop. Come september I am returning my 360 for a brand new HDMI one.

[Andrew @ Aug 8th 2007 6:31PM]

I got the same 2yr extended warranty from FS but I don't see how does that qualify you for getting the new one. Unless your old one dies at least 3 times. Mine is on my first repair trip right now and I'm 10 months into warranty.

I hope you're not suggesting doing willful damage to the unit. You have a more legitimate way of getting one anyway - the one you have WILL die eventually (just like my did) and by that time you could be receiving the new revision. If you want to speed up the process, turn off the air conditioning and put HD-DVD playback on a loop. Mine RROD'd while playing a movie while it was 30C in my apartment (which is nothing special).

[Penguin Warlord @ Aug 9th 2007 1:42AM]

Actually mine scratched my GoW disk. It hasn't scratched a disk since and I suspect that my sister may have picked it up while the disk was in it but that's beside the point.

[dave @ Aug 8th 2007 5:40PM]

So this means that the price for the Elite will drop?

btw, first.

[AndrewNeo @ Aug 8th 2007 6:12PM]

No, because the hard drive is what is making up most of that cost.

[Josh Warner @ Aug 8th 2007 6:32PM]

@ AndrewNeo

Right, because $180 for a 120GB 2.5" drive is completely reasonable. I can browse over to NewEgg right now and pick up an identical drive for all of $67, and that's single unit consumer pricing - nowhere near what MS is certainly getting discounted in bulk.

There is additional cost in moving up to 120 from 20, but MS is charging a serious premium here. dave has a point.

[ssuk @ Aug 8th 2007 6:47PM]

At least you HAVE the Elite. Europe's still waiting for ours to be bloody well priced. Not your fault, but this is just getting silly now. =/

[Namarrgon @ Aug 8th 2007 7:30PM]

Less than a whisper here in Australia, too.

Admittedly, you can't get an *external* 120GB 2.5" drive for that price, and the case would add to the cost. But not that much. Looks like it's HDHackr to the rescue...

[pork_musket @ Aug 8th 2007 5:43PM]

How can I tell if I'm getting HDMI/65nm? Is there something on the box stating it has HDMI?

[Adil @ Aug 9th 2007 1:55AM]

From some of the earlier discussions, I believe it is supposed to say if it has hdmi or not.

[Iain @ Aug 8th 2007 5:46PM]

Buy. Open. Check. Keep or return.

[Degenerate @ Aug 8th 2007 5:50PM]

You can look at the box and tell.

http://www.shacknews.com/screenshots.x?gallery=8063&id=103385

[Ant @ Aug 8th 2007 5:53PM]

also there is usually a difference in the back of the box with the games shown, the newer the games shown the newer the model is.but lains suggestion is the only 100% way to be sure.

[Chris @ Aug 8th 2007 5:57PM]

on second look that picture may be from the manual and not the actual box. :(

[Jagster @ Aug 8th 2007 6:29PM]

There is supposed to be a small "call out" on the box so you know you're getting a system with the HDMI connection. Perhaps someone with the new build can take a pic of the "call out" or describe where it's at.

[BassTek @ Aug 8th 2007 6:36PM]

I believe you can lift up a flap on the box and check the serial number and manufacture date. Or just buy and return like someone mentioned.

[Printice @ Aug 9th 2007 2:19PM]

the box says hdmi on it

[stranger @ Aug 8th 2007 5:49PM]

so is it HDMI 1.2 @ 1.3? and the new system wont brick and overheat too?

[Segarsj @ Aug 8th 2007 6:13PM]

Yes, please tell me that it has the new HDMI spec, 1.3a.

Does anyone know if it is installed?

[humpty @ Aug 8th 2007 6:19PM]

The only benefit to HDMI1.3 is for movies.. even then, you need a TV that can take advantage of the extra colour depth. So, if you're just gaming, regular HDMI (which is what i suspect it is) is a-ok.

[brett.chandler @ Aug 8th 2007 6:32PM]

And if this question isn't goofy enough, is the Xbox 360 compliant with the HDMI-CEC spec?

[Jason @ Aug 8th 2007 6:44PM]

I believe it's 1.2

[Namarrgon @ Aug 8th 2007 7:47PM]

HDMI 1.3's greater colour depth is useless with consoles, as they all use gfx chips with 8-bit framebuffers and 8-bit DACs. Neither the 360 nor the PS3 are capable of deep colour output.

HDMI 1.3 is pointless in the console space, for video and audio, Sony notwithstanding.

[g.Park @ Aug 8th 2007 5:45PM]

Thanks MS, thanks a bundle.

[MrGam3r @ Aug 8th 2007 5:55PM]

It sucks to be an early adopter....

[Billy Bob @ Aug 8th 2007 6:22PM]

I mean, god forbid a company actually improves their product or lowers the price, right?
What are you complaining about? Some people wait for HDMI, but they have a longer time without their xbox. You paid more to have an xbox sooner. You can never please some people...

[Zeus the God @ Aug 8th 2007 6:24PM]

Sucks to be an early adopter? No, more like, sucks for you. We've been playing all the amazing games you've been missing out on this entire time.

[mcarroll @ Aug 8th 2007 6:52PM]

@dave: the price on the elites wont drop, you're still getting black and a bigger hard drive.

smart move on ms's part, but im kinda disappointed that i dropped the xtra money on the elite...even though 120gb is nice...

the end is near for the ps3

[Phil @ Aug 9th 2007 5:51AM]

Oh dear.....you really think the end is near for the PS3? We'll see a year from now. And I predict that the Playstation brand will get stronger and stronger.

We shall see.......you do realise that the 360 has shipped 11 million units, not 110 million right? And don't forget, it was the only 'next-gen' console on the market for some time.

Furthermore, the extremely bad press Microsoft has had recently will hurt them. Probably already is.

[Zeus the God @ Aug 10th 2007 4:34AM]

No, we won't see a year from now, because things are going down hill for Sony and their PS3- and from Sony's decisions, they aren't going to fix them.

Good bye PS3- we barely knew ya'.

[jman315 @ Aug 8th 2007 5:52PM]

wtf microsoft is pissin me off with all the freakin changes

[Watership @ Aug 8th 2007 7:05PM]

There were over 12 hardware changes to the PS2. Hardware revisions are common.

[James McPhail @ Aug 8th 2007 5:49PM]

Awesome, just what I needed to finally pull the trigger. Next payday it will be mine. Though I must admit I am a bit torn between getting it now and waiting for a couple of months when there will probably be better game bundles than Forza 2 (I'm not so into car games).

[Phil @ Aug 8th 2007 7:01PM]

Why don't you wait a little longer and get a PS3? It won't break.

Plus, there are many fantastic games coming out covering many different genres.

[Bill306 @ Aug 8th 2007 7:09PM]

I agree Phil. I been doing the 360 to long it near cost me everything with its faulty guts and buring plastic. What are these people pushin on us. I'm goin PS3, you've decided me Phil, I've seen the light and think it was blue. Black is back dood, I'm on a roll. Now if I could get the black marks of my wallpaper and change the melted sockets I'm in business my friend.

[dramamoose @ Aug 11th 2007 1:25AM]

@Bill306: Maybe if you hadn't been "doing" your 360, it wouldn't have overheated. I'm trying to interpret what you said into English, but I assume that you were trying to say that your 360 almost burned down your house. I have no idea how this might have happened, but I'd recommend the following: get your 360 out of any confined spaces, and don't leave it on for no reason.
BTW: There's a black 360 ;-)

[Taylor @ Aug 18th 2007 2:08AM]

does this raise the price of premium?
If not, why is the Halo Xbox 50 bucks more

[York @ Aug 8th 2007 5:48PM]

Engadget you're awesome! Time to check my local store for HDMI premiums.

[Grant @ Aug 8th 2007 5:48PM]

you would think this kind of addition to a system with not only no price increase, but a price drop, would have warranted some sort of announcement from MS....
but i guess not.

[potato @ Aug 8th 2007 7:12PM]

I suspect one reason is that Sony may be inclined to fire back at MS for not including HDMI in the first place. MS was the first one out saying that HDMI was frivolous and unneeded, and 1080p support was totally not necessary. Both of these have been added from competitive pressures, and I doubt MS really wants to admit they were wrong on those counts.

[Retrosteve @ Aug 13th 2007 8:38AM]

Not only would it start a pissing war with Sony as mentioned above, and force Microsoft to recant.

The Xbox is pretty much an embarrassment to Microsoft right now. It loses money, it generates huge support issues, and it's getting its ass kicked by 20-to-1 by Nintendo in Japan.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070803.wgtwiisony03/BNStory/Technology/home

[humpty @ Aug 8th 2007 5:48PM]

How do you know that it has the 65nm cpu? Its only been a rumor.. someone needs to void their warranty and crack open their 360.

[deusfaux @ Aug 9th 2007 3:38AM]

Yeah um, what's with the speculation? It has to be cracked open and seen first.

[Phreakin @ Aug 8th 2007 5:49PM]

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/48351

The original story from Shacknews

[stranger @ Aug 8th 2007 5:50PM]

how bout the price?

[bob cobb @ Aug 8th 2007 5:55PM]

Damn, I just got a new one back from warranty and it doesnt have HDMI :(

[Jonathus @ Aug 8th 2007 5:57PM]

That's my 360, just bought it this afternoon at Target. Total, random luck. I changed the info on that album, so you'll have to goto Shacknews.com to get the pics.

[Jeremy @ Aug 8th 2007 6:16PM]

Would you mind telling us the lot # on the box? Would it happen to be 0728?

[Jonathus @ Aug 8th 2007 6:27PM]

Sure thing, Lot number is 0726

[Jason @ Aug 8th 2007 6:44PM]

Are the rumours that the DVD drive would be quieter true as well?