Report: Microsoft Confirms HDMI For Premium Xbox 360s

Officials from Microsoft have appeared to confirm that the Premium version of the Xbox 360 console will feature a HDMI port in the future and not just the Xbox 360 Elite. Although the support of HD television resolutions has been one of the core features of Microsoft’s marketing campaign for the Xbox 360, the original Core and Premium versions of the console did not feature a HDMI port. Instead the feature was added to the Xbox 360 Elite and will also be included in the forthcoming Halo 3 special edition version of the console. Now though, according to an e-mail statement made to website Shacknews, Microsoft has confirmed that all Premium consoles going forward will include the port. "Yes, we are offering an HDMI port for Xbox 360 simply as another choice in Xbox 360 owners' games and entertainment experience," said an unnamed Microsoft spokesperson. "Retailers are gradually introducing HDMI-enabled Xbox 360s into the channel to meet demand." Since the recently announced price cut Microsoft has begun to refer to the Premium console, which includes a 20GB hard drive, merely as an Xbox 360, with no other qualifications. However, the same spokesperson refused to confirm that Core versions of the console will also include the port, saying: “We have not announced any plans to add HDMI to the Xbox 360 Core System.” The question of when new Xbox 360s would be released featuring the new 65 nanometer chip manufacturing process, which is rumored to be much more reliable than the oft criticized current hardware, also went unanswered. "We are constantly updating the console's more than 1700 internal components and therefore will not comment on details of specific components or manufacturing processes," said the spokesperson. Many online websites already have images purporting to show that Premium Xbox 360s with the HDMI port have already been released in the U.S. However, many sites in PAL territories are reporting that the changes will not be seen there until much later. UK consumer website Computer & Video Games suggest that the new models will not appear until next spring, while blog site Kotaku reports that Australia will not see the new iteration of the hardware “for some time yet”.