New Xbox 360 shipping with 250GB HDD, Wi-Fi for $299, Kinect due Nov. 4 for $150

[Matthew DeCarlo]

Microsoft today ended its E3 keynote with a bang, unveiling a leaner, meaner Xbox 360. The redesigned model occupies less space, runs "whisper-quiet," and gets some heavily upgraded accessories. We haven't spotted a specific name for the new iteration, but it's supposedly already shipping out to retailers and it should be on store shelves near you by next week.

Pricing will be the same as the old 120GB Elite model ($299), but the revamped unit has a built-in 250GB hard drive as well as 802.11n connectivity. Microsoft reportedly plans to keep selling the existing Elite Xbox 360 at a reduced fee of $199, while the basic Arcade system will sell for $149. It's unclear whether this pricing is permanent or if the company is just trying to gut remaining stock.

Additionally, Redmond has slapped a price tag and ship date on its motion controller. Kinect (formerly Project Natal) will hit stores on November 4 with a stand-alone cost of $150, which is in tune with previous rumors. It will be accompanied by at least 15 games when it launches, and you can take a look at that list after the break.

Some games expected to launch with Microsoft's Kinect motion controller:

• Game Party in Motion
• Motion Sports
• Kinect Adventures!
• The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Workout
• Kinect Joy Ride
• Adrenalin Misfts
• Dance Central
• Sonic FreeRiders
• active2
• Your Shape: Fitness Evolved
• Kinect Sports
• Dance Masters

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https://www.techspot.com/news/39294-new-xbox-360-shipping-with-250gb-hdd-wi-fi-for-299-kinect-due-nov-4-for-150.html

 

[kakarot27]

150 for regular arcade????? WOW

 

[Kibaruk]

They are comming cheap! Though if you think about it... they are more than a couple years old, so they better should! =P

 

[UT66]

300? overpriced MUCH JA- JA_JA what a nerve. compared to ANY pc this crap is OBSOLETE. hell it was obsolete 5 years ago ! ( i always lol at this memory > remember playing prey/ quake4 / hl2 ep one at full 60fps + 4xAA with a measly 6600gt + amd64 3000, and my dumb friend crying because the exact games cdent even hit 25fps on his (now broken) xbox 360... and the also looked like crap. that was like 5 years ago. now with my current pc, well the difference is not even worth mentioning. laughable.

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

You're not necessarily just paying for the hardware, you're paying for the software platform and everything else that comes with a gaming console.

 

[Chazz]

I've never played a console game that didn't run fine. 30 fps is fine... and anything greater is overrated. I like to see bigger number on my pc just like the next guy.. but theres nothing wrong with the console's framerates.

Now, if you QQ'd about the controller vs keyboard/mouse than I could understand that argument.

 

[Tekkaraiden]

I'm impressed to see they've decided to go with a internal power supply. Anyone care to guess what the port above the Ethernet port is supposed to be? Would that be a proprietary Natal/Kinect port?

 

[Guest]

Dammit Microsoft! You just missed the opportunity to produce a greater console, but instead turned the overrated 360 into a more energy-efficient-stupidly-overpriced-and-yet-still-defective device. So it seems PS3 is still superior.

And hey, no PS3 fanboy here; I'm a PC gamer.

 

[Guest]

Think this new slim version will have overheating problems?

 

[Relic]

Overall I have mixed feelings about Microsoft's press conference. No big surprises this year imo, they pretty much played it safe with exclusives like Reach & GoW3. And the new name for Natal is a bit underwhelming (Kinect really?), I was hoping for a better presentation too. They didn't even take any risks with the game line-up and pretty much went the Wii route of only casual family titles. I am a bit disappointed and wished they'd take some risk and launch something for the "hardcore" gamer. /shrug

 

[Richy2k9]

hello ...

maybe will repeat what i already said on another site ...

nice MOVE MS ... LOL ... but too late for the reputation.

this 1 do look better & the bigger upgradeable hard-disk is the best feature added.

it has wireless-n - making it necessary to get new routers for the usual 'boxes' that we get from our ISPs aren't compliant, hope it is backward compatible with wireless-g & still has an Ethernet port.

Oh GOD, if it is quieter that's also a big MOVE

with Kinetic, MS want to push more, but i'm sure the technology will be much adopted by actual owners than push new systems. with more than 50% fail rate on the old system, the new Xbox 'slim' would definitely have some sale & I just hope this time MS have better consideration for game developers by making it harder to hack/MOD (my main reason why i didn't like the Xbox)

OT:
Now to those comparing PC gaming to console, it's pointless, i believe the PC remain the best platform for everything but i don't feel like any platform is better than another because it also depends on the software.

the PC has indeed better hardware but few games take advantage of this & quite soon we have upgrades that are underutilized.

I'm a PC & PS3 gamer, so you'd better think of all console owners of being mostly a two-platform gamer.

I have God of War, Uncharted, soon GT5 & a lot of great exclusive to the PS3 titles that makes it worth it, while i also play Diablo series & a few other more games on the PC so i hope you get the point.

The Xbox too has some cool exclusive that make their owners happy.

I just hate the console fanboys for they give us a bad face, i stated why i didn't like the Xbox360 much because of its unreliability & MS lack of consideration of developers, but if wasn't so i would have owned 1 also just for the exclusive.

Multiplatform games are better on PC where they are not flagrant bad ports. The mouse & Keyboard pretext has never been an issue, i don't know for Xbox, but the PS3 uses the devices for normal stuffs & if you want it in an FPS, we can use the different mappers around & play games with.

BOT:

Good luck to the xbox360 'slim', but still not so much to get me interested in, i shall check in the future though .. will depend on reviews & stability, for now i still believe that we get the best of gaming with a PC + PS3!

cheers!

 

[Puiu]

It looks much better, but i'm very curios about those "heavily upgraded accessories". Except for more quite and wifi, what else? Too little details.

 

[Guest]

I like the bigger hard drive, built-in wifi and apparently "whisper quiet" operation but it looks a bit too shiny and pretentious. Like an Alienware PC.

 

[AfricanTech]

Blu-Ray??

 

[windmill007]

Bigger Hard Drive...LOL... I have the original 40GB hard drive in my PS3 and there is barely anything on it...(I Play lots of games and stream videos) I like how they keep putting bigger hard drives in and charge a premium when a small hard drive would work perfectly fine for most people.....People just think its better somehow when in reality it gives them nothing besides an empty wallet

 

[Burty117]

windmill007 said:
Bigger Hard Drive...LOL... I have the original 40GB hard drive in my PS3 and there is barely anything on it...(I Play lots of games and stream videos) I like how they keep putting bigger hard drives in and charge a premium when a small hard drive would work perfectly fine for most people.....People just think its better somehow when in reality it gives them nothing besides an empty wallet

Thats not true at all for the xbox 360. Its too easy to download trailers, demos and full games plus you can install games to make them load quicker or so the CD drive isn't making any noise.

In the Xbox 60GB just about cuts it but my friend has a 120GB and filled it with a few months with Music, Demos, Games etc...

I can see him buying this as soon as it comes out! I have told him time and time again, PC FTW!!

 

[mattfrompa]

For me, here are the Good and bad parts to the new 360:

Good:
*Descent Price-I paid $400 for my Xbox 360 Elite with a 120 GB HDD, and still had to shell out an additional $100 for a wireless G antennae

*Bigger HDD-Depending on how many features you utilize, the HDD can fill up quickly. I install almost every game I buy because then there is usually improved performance as well as the added benefit of reducing the possibility that my discs will stop working if scratched, or UGH...laser burned. Also if you want custom soundtracks for your games it is nice to be able to rip a few cds. Then you don't have to take up a precious usb port for an mp3 player (God help you if yours isn't supported).

*Connectivity- 5 usb ports!! Thank GOD! I can't tell you how much it annoyed me that the 360, until now had only 3 usb ports. And with a separate custom port for Kinect is a good idea, though I'm assuming for owners of the fat 360 it will also work via usb? Optical audio and HDMI are just common sense, and I'm glad they didn't nix the ethernet port just because it has N either.

*Quieter- Since I started installing games, noise has not been an issue for me, although it wasn't too bad before either since I tend to play games with ample volume. But just so long as heat does not become an issue, reduced noise is good.

*Attractive design-Another subject for debate, but I personally do like the design, and even the gloss. I don't move my 360 around much, and I tend to clean often as well, so fingerprints would not be an issue for me. Especially when I see the fat, white 360 next the the new slim 360, I find the new one much more appealing.

BAD!!!!:
*Late to the game-I'll bet marketers LOVED the idea of having a "new" console to ship in the same year as the " very original" peripheral. Even if this came out a few weeks after Sony's slim did, I personally would not complain, but this is a bit lame. And of course there will likely be Kinect bundles at least by the holidays...

*No slot loader- I can see arguments for and against this, but it's something I would have liked to see, especially with a slim design.

*Unable to use other 360 HDD- It's great that you can transfer your data, and that the HDD is user replaceable, (with a tab on the bottom) and I can definitely see how it would be hard make the console slimmer but still allow the same old HDD with the fat enclosure to connect, although I have to site it as a seam in its integration with the rest of its brethren.

As for the Kinect itself, I can't see myself even considering it unless it were half price lol...maybe a bit lower actually : P

 

[Vrmithrax]

The look is new, it's kinda cool, going for that "proud to be easily seen in the living room" effect, I wager. I guess it's easier to just reboot the current tech and add a few little features to drive up sales without having to actually develop the next gen. But I have to love the fumbling MS approach to the hard drive - it's reportedly removable, but non-standard, and not the same as previous 360 drives. Way to muddy up the waters, guys! That couldn't possibly lead to consumer confusion or current customer grief when wanting to upgrade...

@Tekkaraiden - from other articles I've seen, that port is indeed intended for the Kinect - which begs the question, do you have to buy an additional interface module to use the new Kinect with older 360s?

 

[Richy2k9]

wait wait wait ... i need a confirmation here .. it isn't using a standard laptop 2.5 or 1.8" SATA or PATA hdd !? ...

250 Gb isn't enough, for when you do download games & demos & videos & music & themes, & etc .. etc .. LOL! I know what it is with my console had a 20 Gb 1st, so good it supports laptop hard-disk, i upgraded once to 160 Gb, i'm feeling like i need a new one or maybe take some time & backup all the data & remove the videos/music & pix/wallpapers + themes, but don't want to delete my games & demos ...

like i said, this time MS got it right, yet i feel a bit too late & sure hope it is unMOD-able

cheers!

 

[Guest]

What makes me laugh is your horrible spelling and how dumb you are! JA JA JA

 

[Miyasashi]

@Richy2k9:
I paid around 300 euros two months ago for my Xbox 360 elite with 4 games and never felt sorry I did, also why did you buy the antenna, you should've looked for alternative methods like what I did:

My pc uses a wireless usb adaptor and I placed a internet cable in between the PC and my Xbox and I configured a bridge, so now I can play online without having to pay 80 euros for a network card.

Although I agree getting it for the bigger HD is a good idea but still 120GB should be sufficient, just remove games you don't play that much. On average you should be able to install 20 games.

Three usb ports is enough for me, what do you hook up to your xbox?

It seems the downside to the xboxes and I think most consoles is that the Disc-reader is too loud, by installing you take out the noise and benefit from better performance.

I have the PS3 with the gloss and it gets dirty pretty quick, even though I clean my room daily and dust off everything it seems my PS3 catches dirt / fingerprints like a swiffer.

You can buy loose hard-drives, they're expensive but if that's not an option for you.. delete some games after finishing them.

I have around 30GB left but if I finish some games such as Dragon Age I will remove the "installed discs" (except for games that I play again or do multiplayer).

 

[Guest]

y is the new one better then my elite? i have 250G.... somone tell me?

 

[Guest]

I got the New XBOX 360 S (Slim) [I Don't particularly like the idea Microsoft imitating or using user coined jargon or nicknamed their new system 360 S or BKA as 360 Slim when PS3 introduced their newer slimmer model a long time before 360S They and plenty of PS3 fans in unison coined the new ps3 "SLIM" 120gig (White box) and 250gig (Silver Box)... and now Micro$soft is using a common name thats been etched in all gamer minds and society itself that PS3 Slim is the original nickname and M$ copied the Slim name, but thats no biggie because i basically bought the PS3 for a simple 100 bucks cause most named brand Blu--Ray player at the time were all 180 or more, so for just a bit more for the added feature to play the occasional game, my current PS3 library is about 5 lol and my X360 is over 40 not including G O Demand Downloads... MY first love is:

X360 Elite (KFP+IJ Games and HMDI Cable) and then the NEW 360 S Elite with no HDMI Cable (July 3, 2010) :-( but ill talk the DRAWBACK or P & C's after!! of the new XBOX 360 S (USA RETAIL CONSOLE VERSION) and i'm from Canada cause we sold out LMAO so i went a little south west and Two retailers Wal-Mart and K-Mart had'em K-Mart had 1 and Wal-Mart had 2, so since both stores were selling at 300 I stuck with Wally World. Technically I do not pay tax because of special privileges here in CANADA but in USA 300+ 5% tax is 315$ Duty was about 16$ Considering CDN tax is horrible i still saved roughly 45$ total above my duties and taxes at the border.... otherwise a the STUPID F-KN grocery store has 15% off everything electronic.... they had the new X360 S but when i went there they were sold out and it would just been 300$ FLAT... n the CDN WM sold out... so was hardheaded and donated to the US Economy cuz I LOVE THE USA.. PRICES are excellent!

NOW THE GOODIES ON MY Relatively 8 day Usage of the new X360 S 250GIG with Wifi "N"::

PROS (console and hardware: (Opinion * Scale out of 6)

1- Size (5*)
[so what if it could fit in the original 360 big deal.. you seen a removable laptop dvd drive, they are thin thin... a 2.5inch hard drive is thin also. my NetTower by Emachines if compacted could be smaller than the 360 S and since X decided on a Dual purpose 45nm Proc ?Unit/GPU combined in one, maybe the fan attached is what makes it as wide as it is and the placement of the hard drive at the bottom) I for one seeing the 360 120G elite, they could have shrunk that cause a lot of wasted space prolly to disperse heat through rear inadequate fans and bad chip selection considered RROD's but looking at that design, they really could possible have made the XBOX 360 M 250Gig (M for Mini) but maybe they could have went smaller.. (IF SSD were not so expensive this could have been the most suitable choice for a solid state physical memory drive cause most are small and nearly impossible to damage due to hard falls and they are SOLID) but considering like rite now we have 32 gig memory keys.... imagine incorporating the next 120gig key or 2 or 3 since they are so small and place an excellent module/chip for superior transfer rates then were talking.. like imagining the new 360 like the size of a 30 dollar cheap DVD player but at least more elegant looking than the 30 dollar dvd player] (just my opinion feel free to respond)

2- Super Quiet (6*) ( 6 feet away don't hear anything)

3- Larger Hard Drive (4*) (could have been at least 500GIG or upgradeable like PS3 without voiding warranty)

4- Touch Sensitive Buttons (5*) (need some getting used to but less wear like old ones)

5- 5 USB 2.0 (4*) (Could have been USB 3 no biggie but maybe the Kinext or AUX port is USB 3)

6- 1 AUX USB for Kinect (0*) (Cant Rate kinect not out yet but provides own power to kinect)

7- Ethernet (6*) (most prefer to be hard wired for optimal ping times and no sudden discnct)

8- Wi-Fi N (4*)

(Excellent Addition but some have opinionated that adding their existing N Adapter works better because the antennas are external but the drawbacks of any wireless connection is being disconnect abruptly and also the ISSUE of DOUBLE HOPPING Wireless Connects EXAMPLE: Xbox/ Windows Media Center / Wirelss Router needs to Dbl Hop to gain access to a wireless computers data or music and video to stream on the Xbox from the Xbox to the Router and then from the Router to the Xbox and then from Xbox to the router and then to the Xbox sound like Quad Hopping and no fiber optic or 25Gbit cable connection will fix this nor will Dual N or Gigabit N or whatever better way to stream is hardwired and no wireless even if its N) I am using everything Dual N and Media Center connects and afterwards all connections shut down, too much for the router to handle wirelessly but the wired computers are ok... Some of you Bridge a wireless laptop to the X with the provided wire, this is the same problem.

7- HDMI (5*)

(Excellent Crisp Clear Video/Audio output but each console should have had the HDMI wire included considered here in CANADA they sell a 6 v1.3 foot ONN Wire for 10 bucks.)

8- Overheating/System Failures Safeguards (4*)

(System is designed to detect overheating which automatically shows an error message on screen and a possible red dot on the power button and once the system is or has reached a desirable system temperature it will restart the system after a while or shortly so no permanent damage can happen as of yet to be reported so M$ does not have to deal with the previous MASS RROD problems)

9- Wireless Remote (5*) Could be better but SATISFIED

(Just got thinking even though it may sound ridiculous... how come they didn't put a proprietary microphone on the controller for wireless voice and mono speaker) instead of using that ugly wireless headset lmao.

CONS CONS CONS: NO RATING REQUIRED CAUSE ITS A CON RITE?

1- Power Supply Unit

(behind us for now is the Red Rind of Death but the past few days i have experienced mild RED DOT OF DEATH on the PSU.. nothing online explains my problem as of yet but its easy to work around but some are experience more extreme issues with the red light on the PSU. for myself i could be browsing the Game on D or chatting or simply installed a game disc to the hard drive id go away come back and the power supply using light is red tv is on screen saver mode and Xbox is completely off and nothing i do works unless i unplug for a few and plug it back in and i'm back in business and keeping some considerations on the PSU, it is less than warm to the touch and you can feel the fans blowing the heat out the vents)

2- INSTALLED GAMES FROM DISK

(MICROSOFT COULD HAVE PLACED SOME SORT OF REDEMPTION CODE RETRIEVAL FOR PRIMARY DISK OWNERS THAT COME FROM RETAIL STORE LIKE HOW A PIN COMES OUT FOR CELL PHONES ON NEW-RETAIL GAMES AND NOT USED OR RENTED/GOING OUT OF BUSINESS RENTAL PLACES SO AFTER INSTALLING THE GAME TO THE HARD DRIVE YOU HAVE THE OPTION TO INPUT THE CODE SO NO DISK IS REQUIRED AND THE CODE IS STRICTLY FOR THAT CONSOLE ONLY UNLESS MIGRATED TO AN UPGRADED HARD DRIVE OR CONSOLE. [SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD IDEA EH? HELL I'D EVEN PAY 10 BUCK TO GET A CODE FOR A USED GAMES AT LEAST THEY WOULD STILL MAKE MONEY)

[ CALL IT LIKE DVD OR BLU-RAY DIGITAL COPY BUT IN THIS CASE INSIDE THE PAID BRAND NEW RETAIL CASE IS A PIN CODE TO REDEEM ON ONE CONSOLE ONLY AND CAN ONLY BE MIGRATED SO WE NO LONGER NEED THE DISC AND WHEN YOU SEE YOUR FRIEND PLAYING MW2 AND YOU HAVE GEAR OF WAR IN AND YOU WANT TO PLAY YOU DONT HAVE TO GO LOOKING AND PUTTING A DISK IN, JUST A SIMPLE LEAVE CURRENT GAME PRESS A BUTTON AND ISNTANTLY YOUR PLAYING SOOOONER!] AND IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN 1 CONSOLE BUY MORE THAN ONE GAME LMAO.