A new, fuller-featured Xbox 360 is coming to America and Canada next month. But gamers who already own Microsoft's system need not worry that their young gaming console will be obsolete.

On Wednesday (March 28), Microsoft announced that the new Xbox 360 Elite will launch April 29 in the United States and Canada. The Elite is a black version of the console and comes packaged with a 120GB hard drive, an HDMI cable for high-definition sets and a wired headset and wireless controller. The setup will sell for $479, an $80 jump from the most popular version of the Xbox 360, a white model that comes with a 20GB hard drive, a wireless controller and no jack for an HDMI connection. Games will play the same on Elite as they did on the other models of the 360.

"With tongue firmly planted in cheek, we can confirm one of the worst-kept secrets in modern time," Xbox 360 Group Product Manager John Rodman told MTV News in an advance briefing about the Elite system on Tuesday afternoon. News about the Elite had gradually been leaking on sites around the Web after recent copies of Game Informer magazine reported the unit was coming.

"We're trying to create a scenario where a customer who has never had a 360 before walks into a store and can walk out, with one purchase, and feel like they got everything the club already has and can get in a way that makes sense," said Rodman, noting that one of the biggest requests gamers have made of Microsoft is to offer more storage capacity.

The 120GB hard drive will hold double the data of Sony's high-end $600 model of the PlayStation 3, though there are other bullet-point comparisons prospective console-buyers will have to make. The PS3's $500 and $600 models play high-definition Blu-Ray discs; any version of the 360 will only play high-def movies through a separate HD-DVD add-on or via download through Xbox Live's movie-rental digital shop. That HDMI cable needs to be purchased separately for people buying a PS3.

Rodman made clear that the Elite is a package for people who don't own a 360 yet. What about existing consumers? People who already own an Xbox 360 and have a 20GB hard drive with game saves, movies and other fun stuff saved on it can purchase the 120 GB model for $179. The drive will come bundled with a cable that lets users transfer data from the old drive to the new. Given that 360 owners who bought the system with the hard drive already paid $400 with the console, their grand total once they shop for the bigger drive will near the cost of the top PS3, which has built-in WiFi. The Xbox 360 supports WiFi via a separately purchased adapter.

On leaving WiFi as an optional purchase, Rodman said: "We found in our research that a lot of people had their own secret sauce in their home networks and the way they set up their WiFi, and we just felt it was best to leave it the way it is so people can do their own thing.

Microsoft didn't spring for WiFi, but it did spring for a black paint job. Does that mean that, since white has been the new black, that black is the new white? "We wanted to celebrate our history and give a nod to our founding console," Rodman said, in reference to the original black Xbox. In addition, he said customers who really like the highest-end electronics have a lot of black devices in their entertainment center. The Elite is designed to fit right in.

One of Microsoft's hype advantages over Sony's PS3 until now has been that the best version of a console that runs cutting-edge titles such as "Gears of War" and, soon, "Halo 3" costs $100 less than even the cheaper model of the PS3. With the new unit, Microsoft would seem to be forgoing that talking point. "That's an excellent point, but I'd reintroduce my friends Mr. Pro and Mr. Core to the argument," Rodman said, referring to the $400 and $300 versions of the Xbox 360 (the latter does lack a hard drive and comes with a wired controller). "I feel the debate is where it was before this announcement. We have price points that are considerably lower than theirs, and with this [version] we are offering twice as much storage space as they are. ... The sum of the parts is greater than the whole."

Gamers have asked for bigger storage, which the Elite now delivers. Others have asked for a quieter 360. The console's disc drive is noticeably louder when a game disc is spinning in it than the PS3 and previous Xbox were. Rodman said the Elite would not be addressing that issue. "There's nothing in this one that is noticeable or any different."

Besides announcing Elite, Microsoft revealed Wednesday a list of new partners that will begin providing content to the Xbox Live movie and TV digital store. Soon supplementing the studios already onboard since last year will be A&E, ADV Films, National Geographic, New Line Cinema and extreme-sports provider Total Vid.