This Sunday, the Xbox 360 Elite makes its official debut in stores. We were critical of the Elite's value at its introductory price of $479 in our recent Vs. Mode exchange with San Jose Mercury News technology columnist Dean Takahashi. Yet the folks at Microsoft, every gracious, still sent one of the brawny black boxes our way. The unboxing, alas, will have to wait for another day, as other real-life obligations prevent us from getting to it right now. In its place, we have an email Q&A with Albert Penello, Xbox 360 Group Marketing Manager about how the Elite works; what consumers can expect from the data transfer process; and why people who switch from an existing Xbox 360 to an Elite will have to be online connected to access the downloadable content they've already purchased.

The majority of gamers have purchased an Xbox 360 Premium. If they buy the 120 gigabyte hard drive, what is the process for moving the games, TV shows and movies stored on their 20 gigabyte hard drive over to the 120 gigabyte hard drive?

It is a one time process and is very easy. We will provide a Hard Drive Migration Kit with each standalone 120 gigabyte hard drive, whereby customers can use a migration cable to transfer data from their old hard drive to their new one. Each standalone 120 gigabyte hard drive will include step-by-step directions for this process, which is pretty straightforward. First, you will need to disconnect all accessories from the controller ports and turn off your console with your existing hard drive attached. Then you will simply connect one end of the transfer cable to your 120 gigabyte hard drive, connecting the other end of the transfer cable to a USB port on your console. Finally, after turning on your console, you will connect and turn on a controller, insert the Hard Drive Transfer Disc, and follow the on-screen instructions. When done with this process a user will have all their information, game save data, Marketplace content, etc on the 120 gigabyte hard drive, while their 20 gigabyte hard drive will be wiped clean and free for use on another console, or to be sold or traded-in.

Let's say a gamer who buys the 120 gigabyte hard drive wants even more capacity. In the above scenario, can that gamer choose to transfer some content onto the 120 gigabyte hard drive (e.g. movies) while leaving other content (e.g. games) on their existing 20 gigabyte hard drive, and swap the two hard drives depending on whether they want to watch a movie or play a game?