X-Box360-'S' Review:

Well, I gave in and traded in my 20GB X-Box360 model for the new X-Box360-S 250GB model. So, I'll go ahead and give a quick review of my impressions.

First, I owe my father big time. He went and traded in my old system at Gamestop and picked up the new one for me while I was at work. The location he went to only got six systems, and they were sold out before the UPS guy was back out the door. I wouldn't have one to review if not for that favor. 

Ok, I got home from work and proceeded to open up the box. I was rewarded with the shiny black finish of the new system. While not as tiny as other 'slim' systems, it is noticeably smaller than the original 360 models. The system also boosts a more angular hourglass shape as opposed to the original curves. A large vent is now present on the Side/top of the unit, giving ventilation to a 4" Fan. The buttons on the front of the counsel have been replaced by touch-sensitive units. They're silver, sexy, and very sensitive. I think that I accidentally opened the DVD tray 10 times while hooking up the system. That's what I get for hooking up the power before anything else though I guess.

As I went through the box, I found a black wireless controller, a black headset, a power brick (also much smaller than the original generation of power bricks), and a set of SD Component Cables...

That's right, only SD cables were included. This was a severe drawback for me right away. I have an older stereo and can only get sound to it if I use component. I also didn't have an extra HDMI cable, so I literally couldn't hook up to my HDTV out of the box. Seems Microsoft didn't think that anyone still used the HD Component cables, and had all upgraded to HDMI. Fortunately the interface for the components on the back of the box is still the same, so I was able to acquire a set of the HD cables from Gamestop and get everything up and running.

The 250GB hard drive is still swappable even though it is now stored inside the counsel. Half of the vent on the counsel's base/side (depending on whether you set it vertical/horizontal) pops off, and the drive bay is revealed. The drive then slides in or out using a friction fit to stay put.

While the system claims no major stat upgrades (still just 512MB of RAM and such) it does have a new combination CPU/GPU. This seems to have produced a better processor, as the system booted up much faster than my old unit. The new fan and DVD drive are VERY quiet. In face, I can't even hear it when it's idling. The new fan also moves much more air than the old units. I can actually feel the hot air venting from the system, which I could not do on my old system.


The Built in WiFi-N works like a charm. I got great connection and speeds through my router. I'll continue to use my Ethernet when available, but the WiFi will come in very handy in places where that isn't an option, like my living room, or many of the apartments at college.


The system comes with the NXE dashboard preinstalled. 


As far as the rest of the system goes, it runs just the same as the older models (which is no surprise considering that the new models are all hardware upgrades...). So, I'm fairly impressed for what I was expecting. However, the fact is that while the hardware is nice and new and convenient, it is still an X-Box360.

One last note, this box has a dedicated Kinect port for the Kinect motion control system coming out on Nov. 4. This port will allow you to plug you Kinect unit into the box and go, as opposed to smaller systems, which cannot supply enough power via USB to run Kinect. They will have to use an adapter to run on older models. That's all I'll say on this though, as I'm still not sure I'll ever invest in a Kinect unit.


So, in summary, the new X-Box360-S is a sleek upgrade to the Xbox family, and certainly promises to counter some the 360s notorious hardware issues. However, if your current system is working, your Hard Drive isn't full, and you won't ever need WiFi, then it's really not worth the upgrade. However, if you're planning to buy a WiFi adapter, or upgrade your Hard Drive, then it might be worth your consideration to upgrade to the new 'S' model.  

For example, my system had given the red ring twice this year (I got it to come back after letting it cool off), my Hard Drive was full (I had go delete some stuff to make room for the Reach beta in May), and there is a good chance that I'll not have Ethernet access at my apartment at college; WiFi only available. So, Hard Drive upgrade (only to 120GB) = $120, WiFi adapter = $100, and my system will still probably die within the year. However, if I take advantage of Gamestop's trade-up offer, I get $130 store credit by trading in my old system, and then spend $170 to complete the purchase of the 'S' model. So, I save $50 and get a unit that should be much more reliable. That was a win for me.


Like I said though, the wisdom in upgrading to an 'S' model will depend greatly on your circumstances. I won't call the 'S' model a must have upgrade, but I won't call it a rip-off either. 


So, Pros:
-WiFi-N
-250GB HDD
-Kinect Port
-Smaller, Sexier Looks
-Better cooling system
-Quiet... Very Quiet.


Cons:
-No real noticeable performance upgrade.
-Shiny finish shows off all my finger prints.
-Only SD cables included.

Nerdgasm

Today at E3, Bungie and Microsoft released a new trailer for Halo: Reach.

I'm a major Halo fan, and was looking forward to this game for addition to the story line alone. However, I admit that my excitement this time around wasn't nearly what it was for say, Halo 2, or Halo 3. In this case, the lack of excitement was compounded by my participation in the Beta test for Reach's multiplayer back in May. Don't get me wrong, the Beta was awesome, and confirmed that it will be a game worth playing, but it took away a bit from the anticipation of new gameplay. 

This trailer totally restored all of that anticipation however. SPOILER WARNING! Watch the Trailer before reading the rest of this post! Here is the trailer for your viewing pleasure:



Did you see it? If your not a Halo fan, you probably didn't notice, but the fans probably did. For the first time in a Halo game, we'll be able to explore space combat in the Halo universe! Space combat in Halo has been well established in the fiction (IE the game dialog, and in the novels and comics), however, it hasn't really been shown on screen before (the view from Cairo Station's windows in Halo 2 didn't really cut for me...), let alone been playable. Reach is going to remedy that situation, and it looks awesome. This trailer has defiantly rekindled my excitement for this game.

So, in summary: Space Combat is coming to Halo. Nerds everywhere rejoice. /Spoilers

In other X-Box360 news from the first day of E3: Project Natal is officially the Kinect Motion/Voice controller, and will be available this November. Still no word on the price, but we can guess it will probably be in the $100 range. 


Also available this year, a new 'Slim' X-box360. It will feature a more angular shape, more powerful and quieter fans, built in Wi-Fi (no more $100 adapters), 5 USB ports as well as a dedicated Kinect port, and an internal 250GB Hard Drive (looks like MS is dumping the funny externals used by the current counsels, though this one is supposed to still be swappable... not sure how that's going to work). It looks slick enough that I may trade in my current 20GB model towards one of these new ones when they become available. Here's a pic:

Well, that's it for my longest update in months. Enjoy.

23

Today is my Birthday. I'm 23. Yippee!

Actually, it's made me feel kinda old for no reason at all.

Oh well. I still get shrimp for dinner. Mmmm.....