In sync with the release of the Xbox 360 Elite console, Microsoft announced the availability of a $179 USD 120GB hard drive for the original Xbox 360, which allows users to replace their current 20GB. Those unwilling to upgrade to the Elite are probably equally unwilling to pay the ridiculously expensive price to gain a six-fold increase in capacity. Microsoft"s Aaron Greenberg is of a different opinion: "I know it sounds expensive to a lot of consumers but we are comparable to those types of drives and also we have to go through a lot more testing and security. When we buy from suppliers we require a lot more spec reports and tests because that drive has to be able to perform at specific speeds all the time in order to support our environment and our gameplay experiences. Those are not the same specs that they are able to deliver to with off-the-shelf drives."
It looks like Xbox 360 owners have another way to get 120GB of storage on their consoles. Those wishing to perform the mod must purchase a Western Digital SATA BEVS-LAT hard drive (no other hard drives will work). Using the Hddhacker v0.90 tool provided by TheSpecialist, the user needs then to dump their hddss.bin firmware file from the original our 20GB HDD onto a floppy and then flash their new 120GB hard drive with the firmware. Sony PlayStation 3 owners are probably giddy with laughter by now, seeing as the PS3 allows users to add any 2.5" hard drive they like to their console without the fear of voiding the console"s warranty.