Non issue, IMO. This coming from a PS3 guy.

That is pretty lame of them... especially since, if end users can buy an HDMI cable online for about $5, then Microsoft can certainly obtain them for cheaper in bulk. Is it really worth it to leave it out of the package and upset new customers?

They could have kept it in there, it can't cost them that much to keep it in. Shame really but I would rather leave out the HDMI cable and see some other accessories drop in price too.

Unfortunately there will be salespeople at some electronics stores pushing Monster Cable HDMI to go with your new Xbox Elite.

They are counting on those stupid people who will shell out $20-50+ for a HDMI cable that's Microsoft branded or those "Gold plated" ones.
$150 HDMI cable any one?
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspag [...] 8317793970

Not a big deal, PS3 slim still won't even have component cables.

no biggie... prefer my matched cables anyway...

Those HDMI's cost a bundle for nothing. The cable cost price for Future Shop is 5$ and they sell it for 30-40$. Best bet is to go online. Anyone who pays over 10$ for a cable like that (it's twisted pair like Cat5 inside) is a fool!

$100 price cut and no hdmi cable, is worth it.
I pay $400 for my elite box.

It's not a big deal to me , I don't use HDMI. It would be nice of em' to include a HDMI cable though.
It's like buying a new motherboard and the package doesn't come with a sata cable. Big deal, just buy one
My opinion

lame

i guess that's how you end up a billionaire, penny penching your customers...

This is really not big news to get all sad about. HDMI cables can be found cheap, theres no need for crying. If you have an HDTV it is possible that you have enough money to buy a cheap cable. Besides, the PS3 still only brings A/V cables and makes people think they can enjoy HD gaming right out of the box!

True-that.

I hope people realize that HDMI is a digital signal, meaning its immune to noise. As long as the signal arrives strong enough to still be decoded, you will get a clear picture. Don't listen to those pushy salespeople, the cheapest HDMI cable will suffice, assuming you have a high-def TV with HDMI input to begin with.

This is stupid. Most Xbox 360 owners also own a high definition TV which requires an HDMI cable to get a real high definition picture. Anyone who does not own an HDTV and still spends $300-$400 to have the ability to play games that are in high definition is a complete moron.

gold plated DVI cables are the cheapest ones on newegg

big deal...

hdmi cables are dime a dozen...

It won't matter because the crapbox 360 owners will be seeing the Red Ring of Death before they know it, LOL.

Gold plated plugs of any type are always good because they will not oxidize. So if you have a choice between gold plated and not, go for the gold. Maybe in today's world, it doesn't matter as you'll break the wires/plug before it starts oxidizing anyway, but it really doesn't cost much more if at all.

Its a pretty lame move by microsoft, I mean its the top end model it should have all the high end features of a digital home theater. That being said, I have I think three of said cables and not one hdmi tv, game console, video card or movie player that has hdmi outputs.

By the time you have any oxidation on your cables significant enough to be a problem, we will all be using the new Xbox 3600 4D Special Edition, with Direct Neural Interface and full sensory feedback.

...and what to justify the cost? First bullet point under product features:

"Designed to work with your HDMI components"

It's lame but it's no biggy.

Sony hasnt included any HD cables since launch.

Ok, first off you say most 360 owners have an HDTV, an HDTV that most likely accepts component.

Second, HDMI is not "required" to get a real HD picture. The 360 supports 1080p over component and VGA cables as well, many older TV's require HDMI for 1080p but that is not and MS issue now is it?

Third, so because my neighbor does not have and HDTV he is stupid for buying a 360 to play games with me? I think it would be far more stupid to buy an older console just because your running an SD television. That comment was extremely elitist.

Not a huge deal but it's nice to include it in the package. Most HD owners already have 1 or two HDMI's lying around, but someone's going to end up getting the shaft on this. As some people pointed out a sales person is going to sell them an overpriced cable and I know a few will pick up a 1.1 or 1.2 cable.

Still I'm not going to fault MS. Sony doesn't do it and the Wii owners only wish they COULD buy a HDMI cable for their console. Hell they'd be happy with DVD playback.

very true but all the sudden at the same price point as the 360 elite the ps3 slim offers a blueray and wifi!

Well, since an HDMI cable doesn't cost $100, this is only a minor setback for the price improvement.

It also underlies just how bad a deal you got when going from Pro to Elite. $100 for a bigger HDD and a $5 cable?

No one was buying Elites before, but they wanted them (just not for the price). So basically the Elite is being phased out and the Elite becomes the new Pro. The main benefit is you can buy the $300 model in black now, and with a 120GB Hdd.

This is good, obviously. Now there isn't an overpriced, undesirable product out there, and the Pro just got a bit better. This isn't much of a price drop, though, since no one was buying the version that got the price dropped. It's just some nice upgrades to the Pro. That would be true whether or not the HDMI cable was bundled or now.

-Dan

Get a 6 foot HDMI v1.3 cable here for only $5.50 + shipping. I always buy cables here; they are nice quality!

http://www.cablewholesale.com/buy/ [...] -cable.htm

Providing component/svideo connections with your equipment is all you can expect of a manufacturer. If they included hdmi, great. If not, go buy your own. I paid about $25 for one at radshack. After spending $1800 on a sony tv and $600 for a ps3 buying a cable was not a problem. Although, I do admit that it was a minor annoyance having to drive back out for a cable when I found out it was not provide.

Let’s face it; we spent 2-3 years bashing PS3 because of the price... Now that PS3 is the clear better buy (referring to hardware) people are still going to try and say 360 is better than PS3?

Since ps3's inception there has been nothing that ps3 owners could gloat about except blueray... With these new price points, the 360 has only one benefit over ps3... game selection. Perhaps the sales of PS3 will climb thus resulting in more developers developing ps3 games, time will tell.

Unfortunately, Sony was two years too late on this price drop…. The race is already over, Wii wins

I will conclude my rant with this… Cheap ass Microsoft ripping their customers off a $5 cord, should we have expected anything less?