E3 '07: 360 Elite and Video Marketplace coming to Europe

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--Jeff Bell, Microsoft corporate vice president, has revealed at the company's E3 Media and Business Summit press conference that the souped-up version of the Xbox 360, the Xbox 360 Elite, has finally been confirmed for Europe.

The Elite version of the console, which is black and includes a 120GB hard drive and built-in HDMI connections, was released in the US on April 29, and was recently announced for Japan on October 11. However, at the time Microsoft would not be drawn on a date for the European release, or indeed whether the console would even be coming to Europe.

So, no doubt, European gamers drew a collective sigh of relief at the news that the Elite model would finally be crossing the Atlantic. It will be available in Europe on August 24. A price point was not given.

Microsoft also confirmed that the Xbox Live's Video Marketplace would be coming to the region before the end of the year. The service has been available in the US since November 2006, and allows gamers to buy and download a variety of TV shows, music videos, and movies.