The New Xbox 360 couldn’t come soon enough. Our ageing Xbox 360 Elite had begun to look like a tech antiquity next to the latest Freeview HD boxes, media streamers and Blu-ray players, but despite sounding like a hovering harrier jump jet, as suffering more red rings than a diuretic monkey, we loved Microsoft’s console. And the new version? It’s kicked off our romance all over again. Read our new Xbox 360 review to see how smitten we’ve become.
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New Xbox 360 review: Worth the upgrade?
The new Xbox 360 is, aesthetically at least, a gigantic leap forward from the original. Its glossy black shell means Microsoft’s console no longer sits shamefully alongside our PS3 Slim. It’s a certified looker, with shiny skin and chrome accents.
The new Xbox 360 is slimmer too, and shorter, with a more angular exterior. Xbox fans are already calling it the Stealthbox, and it’s not hard to see why. Switch on the new Xbox and it’s new moniker is even more appropriate. Compared to its predecessor, the new Xbox 360 is almost silent.
Microsoft has listened to the howls of displeasure gamers have been venting for years, and finally silenced the Xbox’s fans, although the new Xbox actually has more cooling than previous versions, with a tiny fan operating quietly inside the power supply brick itself.
Slip in a DVD, and there’s a familiar whir, but overall this is a very subtle machine, whether you’re using the new Xbox to spin a DVD or play Alan Wake.
Less subtle are the new Xbox’s buttons. Ejecting a disk or switching the console on and off is taken care of with touch-sensitive keys. They ‘ping’ nicely when stroked, with sounds emanating from the bowels of the new Xbox, although they are absurdly over-sensitive. While the PS3 often requires a press-and-hold technique to activate its touchy controls, the new Xbox leaps into life as soon as your finger makes the lightest contact. As a result, it’s incredibly easy to switch the console off by accident, or make it spit discs without intending to.
The included wireless joypad has had its controls tweaked too. Gone are the grey buttons, replaced with sleeker black versions and a newly chromed Xbox logo. It’s a nice touch, and one that makes the new Xbox’s controller seem less dated.
The included headset has had a minor upgrade too, with a new connector, volume and mute button. The headset itself is just as lightweight and comfy as it always was.
Under the skin of the new Xbox, there are additions too. Wireless networking is now built in, with N-standard Wi-Fi impressing us with its abilities right out of the box. While our PS3 often struggles to hook up to our wimpy wireless network, the Xbox hopped right aboard, instantly offering to pull down our details at the entry of a gamertag and password.
Around the back there’re plenty of ports too, with three USB sockets and optical audio out alongside the standard Xbox A/V connector and HDMI socket. Wired ethernet is included too (although networking sticklers take note, this is base 100, rather than gigabit ethernet, which might hamper HD streaming should you be so inclined). For security conscious gamers, there’s also a new Kensington security slot to tether your new Xbox to immovable objects.
Most intriguing however, is the new Xbox 360’s spanking new Aux socket. Looking a little like a USB port with the corner lopped off, it’s the socket into which Microsoft Kinect will slot when it’s released later this year. The new Xbox 360 has enough grunt to power the Kinect controller without an extra plug socket being gobbled up.
And to use? Frankly, and unsurprisingly, the new Xbox 360 offers exactly the same experience existing Xbox owners will know and love.
There’re no graphical upgrades, load times are roughly similar, even with games installed to the built in 250GB drive, and aside from simpler set-up afforded by the built-in wireless chips, this is exactly the Xbox we’ve adored since Microsoft first ushered it into our living rooms over five years ago.
This time, however, it’s a quieter, better mannered living room dweller, that doesn’t sit looking ugly in the corner and now can be displayed with pride next to our TV… alongside a space for Kinect in a few short months. We couldn’t be happier.
Read the rest of our New Xbox 360 review
New Xbox 360 review: Worth the upgrade?
