Shortly before I left for the Tokyo Game Show, my "fixed" Xbox 360 crapped out (right after I got it back from repairs). And when I returned from TGS, there was an Xbox 360 Elite waiting for me. Microsoft sent me a "loaner," while my console is getting a fix it. I put my 20GB HDD on it and am not using the HDMI cable. The machine does seem to run quieter than my first gen Xbox 360. But man, the Elite sure can get hot. Here's the pickle, though: It's an American Elite, and I live in Japan. Not sure if that makes life easier or not. Wouldn't it be nice if Microsoft sent everyone whose console broke an Elite to hold them over during the repair wait? Expensive, too!

Contact information for this author is not available.