Microsoft Announces the all new Xbox 360

[Hedon]

Well, what we all were anticipating after seeing those leaked shots of the motherboard, it's here. And it's looking to be pretty bad ass.

I found some good hands on description of the new coating at Eurogamer's hands on:

My link

Bolded are my emphasis

Don't call it the Xbox 360 Slim - although it is about 15 percent smaller than the launch model. The complete console redesign Microsoft unveiled at its E3 press conference today isn't about weight loss, it's about refining and repositioning. Microsoft says it's listened to its customers and this is the box they want: smaller, yes, but more importantly quieter, and with built in Wi-Fi.

At a special staged unboxing ceremony in the upstairs meeting rooms of an LA hotel, I got to take a bit of time with the redesign: to prod, poke, and listen for the sound of the drive spinning and the fans humming.

The first thing worth mentioning is that it's an odd looking beast. If the original 360, with its famous "inhale" shape, looked a bit like an oblong holding its belly in, perhaps to impress a pretty passing rhomboid, the new model resembles a custom PC casing given the plasticised equivalent of a Manga haircut. The inhale is still there, but it's drawn in sharp, slanting lines, and the overall impression is that the console is trying to look like several different shapes at once.

The plastic is nice, though: glossy black that doesn't look too cheap, and there's chrome trim on the tops and bottoms. There's vents on the top and on one of the sides, too: the top is where the machine sucks in cold air, apparently, and that small slatted section on the side is where it blows it out again, using one large fan rather than two this time, for the delight of your cat.

And, yes, it's quiet. Really quiet. In a relatively muted conference room, I couldn't even hear the machine turning on, and even when there was a disk spinning, you felt it through the table more than you heard it actually humming to itself. The drive's still 12x, and the fans are still turning, but the development team has apparently spent a fair bit of time thinking about acoustics, and the result seems pretty successful - at least over short periods of time.

The hard drive is now hidden beneath a slot in the bottom of the machine - you pull on a ribbon to unclip it - and it's tiny - only slightly bigger than an old cassette tape case. (Ask your parents.) It's redesigned, so you won't be able to clip your old HD onto your new 360, but the old transfer cable will still work, and you can use a USB stick to move stuff across too.

The power brick is still present, but much smaller, and there's all the ports you might have expected. USB slots have been upped to five with three in the back and two in the front, and there's HDMI, optical audio, Ethernet, and all the other ports on the original that I've forgotten about. You'll still be getting a component rather than an HDMI cable in the box, though.

There's one final new port: a bespoke slot for the Kinect peripheral. If you've got an old 360, you'll still be able to plug Kinect in, of course, but you're going to need to run a separate plug to a wall socket to power it. The new 360 manages to power and run the device through a single port.

The in-built Wi-Fi didn't get tested, but it's 802.11n if that means anything to you, and the controller remains the same in shape, but has a glossy strip of black along the bottom and shiny rather than brushed metal on the Guide button.

My personal favourite parts of the new console are the new touch-sensitive buttons for turning the unit on and opening or closing the disk drawer. The latter comes with a delightful microwave-style Ping! too, possibly to please that expanded audience the new device is going to bring to the videogames party.

What there's no way of telling, of course, is whether Microsoft's wizards have put the insides together properly this time. Spokesmen at today's event admitted, a little sheepishly, that they'd learned a lot about building consoles from the RROD years, so there's every reason to hope for the best. Either way, this is an interesting update: a refinement, certainly, but with a little of that charming homeliness which defines the Xbox brand.

[Spookie]

Was considering it. But nay, buying a telly this month! Then saving up for a new rig since the sheer amount of shooters coming out this year.

Wouldn't mind a new 360 with a warranty though.

[Jimmy0]

If I can find a job this summer then I may finally be tempted to get a 360, and of course if I did it would be one of the newer models.

[Jonny_ Rockafella]

I won't get it the day it's out, but it's a definite for me.

[AbandonedTrolley]

Looks nice :) Good redesign from MS on this one and if it's as quiet as they say I could look into getting one I think.

[George P Global Moderator]

The part about the noise should make lots of people happy I'd say. I know i'd like one just for that reason as well.

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

Yes, once Kinect releases.

[Hedon]

Here is the unboxing from Microsoft and an E3 interviewer:

http://e3.gamespot.com/video/6265513/?hd=1

Can't ship to stores soon enough!

[spenser.d]

You know, I've never believed in trading in my console for a new one when mine's working fine and taking the loss on money, but **** me this thing is sexy as hell and spec'd ftw. I want to say I'll wait and see what kind of Kinect/Slim bundles there'll be, but I'm not sure I'll be able to hold out (I just started a new job last week and will finally have extra money to play around with fairly soon).

[Razorwing]

can we actually do that? trade consoles in??? :blink:

[smiff]

I'm totally not getting the sexiness everyone has been geeking out about, since this was shown the other day.

It just looks like a shiny version of the original xbox, to me.

[Growled Member]

That's cool and all but I just bought an XBox a year or so ago. I think I'll wait a bit.

[Shadrack]

Nah. If I currently didn't have a 360 I would be more interested.

[Tech Star]

http://video.destructoid.com/#165121

Don't move it when the disk is in motion. :p

[Saint Shiv]

http://video.destructoid.com/#165121

Don't move it when the disk is in motion. :p

Uh, the original says DONT DO THAT EITHER...

Hilarious, either way, that they filmed him being stupid.

[Xerxes]

Yep I'm getting it :) I thought about it for ages and decided the AUD$150 extra (over the Arcade) was worth it, will be picking it up next month when it releases here to replace my dead launch 360 Pro :happy:

[Aeikus]

I've always been pro 360 but it finally went out a while back. I got the cash to buy a new console and wanted to try something different so I purchased a PS3 slim. What drew me to it was the integrated wi-fi and free online play on top of the fact that PS3 consoles seem to be more reliable. But looking at the new Xbox, I may return it and pick this up instead.

[DigitalE]

I'm getting one as soon as they hit store shelves.

[George P Global Moderator]

Doesn't all the system say NOT to move it when the disc is in and spinning? I just figured it's common sense not to move them when they're spinning a disc.

[P!P]

Doesn't all the system say NOT to move it when the disc is in and spinning? I just figured it's common sense not to move them when they're spinning a disc.

Yeah, I've always thought the same thing. Some people make should a huge deal out of that problem. First off, I didn't think I've moved my Xbox an inch in about a year. Secondly, if I were to move it, I wouldn't do it while the 360 is on and I'm playing a game. 360s use standard DVD-ROMs, people would experience the same problem if they moved their desktops but obviously they don't.

Has their been any teardowns of the new 360? I'd like to see the insides.

[George P Global Moderator]

Nothing yet but once people get home from E3 with them then for sure they'll open one up. It should be interesting.

[iamwhoiam]

I'm getting one as soon as they hit store shelves.

Me too, but I won't be getting the Kinect add-on.

[MR_Candyman]

I can't justify it. My falcon 3 is still running strong, is quiet (seriously, I can't hear it unless I'm installing a game to hard drive), and I just got a wireless n adapter for it. I would like the new hard drive though...I wish they would just let external hard drives work fully

[Hani]

Expected price?

[red.]

Unfortunately not. I'm not one of those people that can justify buying a new console just because there's a new design.

(still has a phat PS3)