Is their truly anything that can be called a "rumor" any longer in the gaming world? The worst kept secret of the last several months was the inevitable release of the Xbox Elite (code named "Zephyr").

On Tuesday, March 27th after an excessively long Maintenance update to Xbox Live, Microsoft finally acknowledged the existence of the Xbox Elite by officially announcing it to the public. Slated for a April 29h release, the Elite will retail for $479.99 and offer up several major changes from its cheaper siblings.

The biggest change will be the color, as Microsoft went with a black on chrome look for the chassis, eschewing the white of the current Xbox 360's (Core and Premium) and the green of the original Xbox. The included controller and Headset will both also be black.

In addition, an larger 120 GB hard-drive and a HDMI port will come standard with the unit. Also included (unlike the competition) will be an HDMI cable.

To prevent a color clash, Microsoft also announced a lineup of accessories that will match the new color scheme. Included will be a black Play and Charge kit ($19.99), black wireless Controller ($49.99) and a black rechargeable battery ($11.99). The new 120 GB drive will also be sold separately for $179.99, but will feature the standard gray color and will work on the Core, Premium or Elite units. No word on whether any pre-loaded software will be included (like Hexic HD was on the Pro console).


The full rundown of what is included with the Xbox 360 Elite:
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