After the Elite, Core, Premium, and Halo 3 Xbox 360's that have launched already, prepare for yet another.

This sucker is set to replace the Core...

(at this time this is just a rumor, but several industry pundits and leaks have pointed towards its existence)



------------------------------------------------

Xbox 360 Arcade Edition (Almost) Confirmed
by IGN Staff

October 12, 2007 - The news has been all but officially confirmed for the past few weeks, but today various online outlets have gotten their hands on leaked pictures of the forthcoming Xbox 360 Arcade edition console's packaging, which would appear to be more or less proof positive that we'll be seeing it at retail soon. The new Xbox 360 package will replace the Core edition in the product lineup, assuming the lowest rung below the Premium, Halo 3, and Elite edition consoles.

Unless numerous inside sources and leaks have it all wrong, the Xbox 360 Arcade edition will launch on October 23rd for $279.99. Like the Core, the Arcade will lack an HDD of any sort. It will, however, include a 256-MB memory card, composite cables, and a wireless controller. At least two free Xbox Live Arcade games are supposedly confirmed (Pac-Man and Uno), though some rumors suggest a total of five XBL Arcade games will be included.

Though the lack of an HDD is something of a hassle, the $279.99 price point will look pretty strong against the Wii's $250. Nintendo is not expected to adjust the Wii's price this year.


--------------------------------------------------

Summarize...yet another 360 model is hitting stores next week with a slightly lower price. No hard drive will be included with this one, but there WILL be a 256MB memory card packed in. The Core was a complete ripoff in that its packaging forced consumers to buy additional accessories in order to get just about any use out of the 360. Ive always thought that MS's discluding of the HD was just plain stupid, since it cornered developers into creating their games without assuming that the HD would be in every player's possession. Either way, it causes money saving, so of course some will look at the money saved as a benefit regardless of what they arent getting.

Also, some XBLA games will be included as well (rumored) What I dont understand is how the 360 will be able to store those games. Without an HD, its not possible. Then perhaps its possible they are stored on the memory card, which then raises the question of how much space will actually be available on said card that will be usable for saving games. I'm sure these questions will have answers later this week.

http://gear.ign.com/articles/826/826962p1.html

___________________