Video Games

Microsoft will likely release one of the most anticlimactic press releases in the history of the games industry next month to unveil the "Elite" version of the Xbox 360 console.

After months (years, really) of rumors, several game blogs and magazines have received buckets of off-the-record confirmations from retailers and Microsoft insiders that a supercharged version of the 360 will hit store shelves in April.

The Elite model with a black plastic shell will include a digital HDMI output jack for high-end HD televisions, a 120-gigabyte hard drive (compared with the 20-gig model currently available) and cost $479.

Hmm.

If true, that doesn't sound like a great deal, and it's certainly nothing that current 360 owners should bother upgrading to.

Here's why:

•The bigger hard drive will apparently be available as a separate purchase, likely for $199 but possibly (a little bit) less.

•Not all HD televisions have HDMI inputs. Among those that do, picture quality through the HDMI connection might be a little better than through the 360's current component or VGA cables but will probably only be noticeable to a handful of gamers.

•Wi-Fi access apparently is not included in the system and will still be sold as a separate, $100 accessory. That's highway robbery.

•The Elite system will not include an HD-DVD drive, which could play regular DVD games as well as the new HD-DVD movie discs.

The Elite model would make a lot more sense if Microsoft had built in the Wi-Fi adapter and-or HD-DVD drive, or if Microsoft had kept the price tag the same as the current premium system ($399).

Instead, gamers are being squeezed for an extra 80 bucks for a slightly larger hard drive and a digital video connection that a lot of people won't be able to use and with only marginal benefit for those who can.

Apparently, the Elite model will eventually become the new premium system, and the current premium model will displace the hated "Core" console, which doesn't include a hard drive.

So who should buy the Elite?

Well, if you don't own a 360 and plan to get one in the next few months and you have a high-def television with an HDMI input, then sure, the extra cost might be worth it.

But if you just want the bigger hard drive, get that. According to the reports, the new drive will come with a cable that will let you transfer data off your old drive to the new one.

Then again, maybe Microsoft will surprise us all and include some other cool features in the Elite unit that we haven't heard about yet.

The Guildhall video-game-design program at Southern Methodist University has joined the Army.

Students and faculty in the program recently launched their add-on for the America's Army game, dubbed America's Army: Special Forces (Overmatch).

The free download is available at the game's official Web site: www.americasarmy.com.