Xbox Gaming in South Africa

The new Xbox 360 "slim" (or Xbox 360 S, as it's unofficially known) was unveiled at E3 last week, and is turning up at retail all over the planet around about now, so we decided to take an in-depth look at just what makes up this new "stealthbox".

Firstly, it's smaller! It's not much smaller, admittedly, and can't be passed off as a real "slim" version, but it's smaller in both height and weight. The current version has a black glossy finish (i.e. fingerprint magnet), along with touch sensitive buttons. It also runs quieter than previous iterations, with Gizmodo recording the new Xbox 360 at 51dB(A) when spinning discs, compared to 54dB(A) from older Xboxes. Idling, the new console runs at around 45dB(A), roughly equivalent - it's not just marketing, people - to a whisper.

The new power brick is significantly smaller than previous versions, while also consuming far less power - just 0.6W at idle, compared with the Jasper's 2.0W. Overall, the Xbox 360 S uses up around 20% less power than previously.

[Thanks Gizmodo for the chart]

Much like its more recent predecessors, the new Xbox 360 includes built-in HDMI connectivity, as well as an optical audio output - so no need for dongles. The now obsolete Memory Unit slots have been chucked entirely, and replaced with an additional two USB ports, bringing the total to five. The new console is also "Kinect Ready", which means it doesn't require an additional power adapter - the special connection at the back supplies the power. Older Xbox 360s will require an additional power point for Kinect.

On the networking side, it's packing a first for the Xbox, with built in 802.11n Wi-Fi, pushing up to 600Mbits of data every second. No more of those revolting, last century cables. The network port is still there for those who need it, though.

Xbox 360 S introduces a new propriety hard drive, with the first wave offering a 250GB version, which slides into a built-in hard drive bay. It's not as "portable" as older models, being hidden behind a vent, but with the Xbox 360 now supporting USB memory storage, it shouldn't be a problem for most.

Getting technical, then, and the Xbox 360 S is an entirely new beast inside the plastic, with a single, integrated 45nm GPU/CPU. Accordingly, the two system fans have been replaced with one large fan, which is partly responsible for the running noise reduction, as well as - presumably - improved ventilation.

Finally, the new Xbox 360 can't Red Ring. Actually, it could still die a horrible death, but it won't look the same because Microsoft has replaced the glowing red ring with a red dot. Microsoft has also introduced a new mechanism to automatically shutdown your Xbox if it's getting too hot, preventing overheating which is the primary cause of earlier Xbox deaths. Hopefully these improvements mean we won't see anymore Red Rings of Death Red Dots of Death.

Overall, it looks like Microsoft has done enough to give the Xbox 360 a fresh new look and feel, just like Sony did with their slim versions. It may not be as small as everyone had hoped, but it certainly packs a wide range of improvements, making it an enticing option for casual gamers in the impending motion control wars.

Check out the below video from IGN which has a quick look Old vs New Xbox 360 comparison.

The new Xbox 360 250GB will retail for the same price as the current Elite, which in South Africa is around R3,200. A local launch date is still to be announced.