Pardon the ignorance, but has xbox360 release date and price been finalized?

[Argo]

I keep hearing different things from different people. Even on this forum, there are several threads with different information. Is it going to be under $300 for a hard drive model?

 

[swatX]

non HDD model - 299$
hdd model w/ wireless controller - 399$

release date : either nov 2nd or nov 28th

 

[Wingznut]

Date... Not officially announced, but the Nov 15th rumor seems to have the most substance.

Price is official.... $299 for the Core version (no HDD), and $399 for the Premium version.

August 17, 2005 - Confirming long-standing rumors of two different Xbox 360 set-ups, Microsoft today officially announced two differently-priced SKUs for the North American and European markets. The Redmond, WA company will offer a premium system for $399.99 and a core set-up for $299.99.

The Core 360 System is stripped down in comparison. It includes an Xbox 360, one standard wired controller, a faceplate, and a standard AV cable. The $399 package is designed for the high-definition gaming era; the other is designed for a no-frills, current-gen set-up. Presumably both systems come with power cords, though Microsoft's press releases didn't actually include them.

Taking into account that a memory card for $39.99 (?34.99/£22.99) is required for saving games, a headset for $19.99 (?19.99/£14.99) is necessary for Xbox Live play, a second controller sells for $39.99 (?34.99/£24.99), and a remote goes for $29.99 (?29.99/£19.99), totaling $130, the premium price appears the better deal. The above tally doesn't include a hard drive, which costs an additional $99 (totaling $229).

IGN.com's article on the different priced packages

 

[Argo]

Bah, a bit pricey but I guess that's to be expected from a new console.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Note that the cheaper version will not play Xbox1 games because (a) they need the HD and (b) the emulation profiles for the games are stored on the HD.

It's a laptop drive in a special caddy and probably is specially marked/formatted, so you can't just grab a 3.5" HD out of your parts bin. Even a 2.5" laptop HD probably won't work without a caddy and mod chip.