Hasta La Gadget!

A couple of flyers and an in-the-wild shot (not to mention some discounted Pro models) not enough to convince you of Microsoft’s apparent dual-SKU strategy? Then how about a fresh new listing of a white-boxed Xbox 360 Elite on Amazon? Unfortunately, the console is still listed at the usual $399.99, but it is clearly designated as the “newest version,” and it’s in stock right now. Of course, it may not be the worst idea to wait a bit longer for the seemingly inevitable price cut, or at least consider the also-in-stock Spring 2009 bundle with Halo 3 and Fable II for the same price if you just can’t hold out another day.

[Thanks, Billy Bono]

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Xbox 360 Elite in white box turns up on Amazon, still $399 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yes, we can hardly believe it ourselves, but Sony came a-knockin’ at our door today, and we were more than willing to answer. The PlayStation 3 Slim is now official in-house, and it’s a matte-laden beaut. Enough chitchat — live vicariously through our unboxing and hands-on pics below!

Update: Some details for clarification. The buttons in the front are now physical and actually “click” in to function. The PS logo above the disc drive does not rotate for vertical use, and yes, the hard drive is swappable — as you can see from the pictures, there’s a screw on the bottom, hidden by a panel, that lets you take off part of the front for access. We’ve also lined it up against our standard, fatty PS3, and we gotta say, it’s noticeably lighter.

Update 2: Here’s a more thorough comparison between the slim, the original, and the Xbox 360. Some people were asking about the texture of the matte finish, and compared to Microsoft’s console, it’s just a teensy bit rougher (and on that note, about the same weight, too). It’s still just as glossy as the original on the sides, however. We still gotta compare the noise of the slim, stay tuned!

Update 3: While our tests were far from thorough, the initial results from our quick-and-dirty decibel ratings show some promise. With a baseline of 49 decibels, the Slim averaged 53 to 56 db when in use / playing a game / installing data (in this case, Metal Gear Solid 4), compared to the 55 to 58 db of the original. Blu-ray movie playback is where it becomes noticeable, as the slim peaked for us at 60 db when the original was doing 70 db running the same disc.

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PlayStation 3 Slim unboxing and hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to Micro Saturday at Engadget! In the absence of hard hitting stories and shocking exposés, we thought we’d turn to the lighter — and thinner — side of the news. Enter the Xbox Micro, a 1-inch thick celebration of all that is good and holy about the world of DIY mods. It took six months to make, with a few clever design decisions along the way, but it looks good enough to make even the ninja-black Wii suck its gut in. Comparison pics with the original behemoth are after the break, and hit the read link to see the exposed guts of this little beauty.

[Thanks, Matt and Jesse]

Continue reading Xbox Micro makes the Wii look overweight

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Xbox Micro makes the Wii look overweight originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Aug 2009 16:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you know anything about European retailer Fnac, you know it’s not the go-to place for bargains. However, it’s this very outlet that’s now selling an 80GB PlayStation 3 bundle (which includes the console, a single controller and inFamous) for €100 less than its “everyday low price” as of yesterday. Of course, one major French retailer slashing the price on a system that’s long overdue for a break isn’t reason in and of itself reason to believe anything’s on the horizon, but pair this up with everything else we’ve heard over the past few weeks, and we’d say all the vague omens are pointing to a leaner, cheaper and altogether more dashing PS3 on August 18th. In our magical fantasy land, anyway.

Update: Our friends at Engadget Spanish just let us know that there’s been a price drop in Spain as well. Getting warmer…

[Thanks, Nelson]

Filed under: Gaming

European retailer hacks €100 from PlayStation 3 in run-up to gamescom originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Whoa, Nelly! No sooner than we hear that Sony is informing Japanese retailers that the 80GB PS3 model won’t be shipping any longer after August 8th, along comes this to stoke the raging rumor fires once more. In a one-two punch that just can’t be coincidental, Sony has also hacked $50 off of its 160GB PlayStation 3 bundle from Amazon. But really, it’s the report from RTLinfo that has us most excited. According to it, the Sony elite are informing European retailers of an impending €100 price slashing on the 80GB console, which will dovetail nicely into the sudden and not-at-all unexpected debut of the PS3 Slim at the gamescom expo in Cologne, Germany. Reportedly, the willowy unit — which shouldn’t differ much in terms of specifications and features — will be properly introduced to the world during Sony’s pre-event press conference on August 18th. Obviously we’ve no way to confirm or deny just yet, but given everything else that has transpired over the past few months, we’d say an official reveal is definitely due. What say you, rumormongers?

Read – Sony PS3 Slim to be revealed at gamescom [Thanks, Dominic]
Read – 160GB PS3 price cut [Via GamesIndustry]

Filed under: Gaming

Sony’s PlayStation 3 Slim to debut August 18th at Cologne gamescom? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Aug 2009 06:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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