X360 Oblivion benefits from HDD

However much Microsoft says about the way Xbox 360 works, there always seems to be some lingering confusion - such is life as consoles become more complex pieces of kit, we suppose. Fortunately, some developers are keen to keep their fans up to speed, and one such dev is Bethesda Softworks, whose exec producer on Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion revealed this week that the game won't require a hard disk, but may benefit from the addition of one to the X360 Core System.

"We've known since day one that there would be versions of the 360 without a hard drive, so Oblivion will still work on every 360," he confirmed. "That being said, Oblivion takes full advantage of the hard drive and uses it extensively, so we'd certainly recommend that everyone gets one."

As announced earlier this week, Xbox 360 will be made available in two flavours - the main version, featuring various peripherals including the 20GB hard disk, will cost £279.99 / EUR399.99 at launch, while a Core System package without the hard disk and just a wired controller for company will cost £209.99 / EUR299.99.

Whether or not Oblivion buyers have a hard disk, one thing they will benefit from is the voice acting talent of Lynda Carter - best known for her TV role as Wonder Woman. Earlier this week, Bethesda announced her involvement. She's honoured to participate, apparently, as it "represents another major step forward in the evolution of videogames". Patrick Stewart is already on the voice-acting cast as the game's Emperor.