I don't usually keep track of the console news, but the following item might be of interest to those who look forward to Dark Messiah: Elements, which comes out in a couple of months. From Ars Technica:

"The price drop for 360 hardware has been the worst-kept secret in gaming for a while now. It's been rumored for a long time, and leaked fliers from Circuit City seemed to confirm it would eventually happen. Now Microsoft has sent official word that as of August 8, the Premium will fall $50 to $350, the Core will fall $20 to $280, and the Elite will see a $30 price reduction to an even $450. While it may not be the price drop everyone was hoping for, at least now we know what we'll be paying for our hardware as we go into the holiday season."

$280-$450 is still a bargain compared to a decent gaming PC. Too bad its HD-DVD player, a cheap way to watch high-definition movies on your HDTV, supports a format that might be obsolete in a few years only.