The Black Xbox 360 Rumour Is Back With A Veng...

The Black Xbox 360 Rumour Is Back With A Vengeance

We managed to dodge this rumour a few times over the past weeks, but since it keeps returning time and again with such perseverance, and with such veridicity lately, we'll stop the press for a bit to check it out. So, last week it was a German gaming website claiming (via Joystiq) that a black Xbox 360 model was in fact coming, and this week we have the more esteemed Game Informer magazine (via Kotaku) claiming the same thing. But with a few differences where it counts the most: the price.

Going a bit further back in time, last month we mentioned about a black Xbox 360 photoed at TGS (Taipei Games Show). At that time, rumour had it that the new model would cost around $580, while last week's rumour - albeit confusing in this regard - seemed to indicate a price point situated between $466 - $600. According to the latest rumour report from Game Informer, the final price will actually be closer to the lower end of that interval, at $479.

For that kind of money, the black Xbox 360 will pack a larger 120 GB hard drive, HDMI output and an HDMI cable - all as previously speculated - and there also seems to be room for a 360 with support for the IPTV announced at CES earlier this year. No built-in HD-DVD drive, though.

Finally, another crucial piece of information confirmed by Game Informer is that Microsoft are planning to launch the black Xbox 360 at some point during April. An official press release is also expected only next month, once things cool down a bit after the imminent launch of the PlayStation 3 in Europe & co. And I have a feeling that won't take too long.

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)