back to article Microsoft Xbox 360 250GB

Five years after its original release, the Xbox 360 finally receives its long expected 'slim' overhaul. Just don't tell Microsoft I called it that. The company’s reluctance to use the 's' word is understandable. Sony used it to distinguish versions of its PS2 and PS3 consoles. Xbox 360 250GB Fighting fit: Microsoft's Xbox …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Sir Runcible Spoon

    Sir

    I'm a bit out of touch, does it do Blu-Ray yet?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Blu ray

      Don't be silly. That would be far too easy.

  2. JamesR87
    Paris Hilton

    Still Noisy

    It's a real shame that it's still "as noisy as ever" when the drive is spinning... Asides from the obvious defects from the Xbox 360 all I really wanted to see resolved was the damn noisy drive. It is literally the loudest thing in the house that doesn't have built in speakers.

    Still, I'll probably get one in a few months... The hard drive space will be a welcome bonus.

    1. johnnytruant

      I agree

      Although, on reflection, I think my washing machine (just) might be louder than an Xbox in full flow. But at least that's not in the same room as my TV and sofa.

      Noise is the reason our Xbox is unplugged and gathering dust on a shelf, and why the near-silent PS3 is used all the time. It's much less fun to play games when it sounds like someone is hovering a Harrier jet just under the TV.

    2. Haku

      Noise

      Yeah whenever I have a go on my brother's 360 I do notice just how noisy the thing can get, a shame MS haven't done a special edition water cooled xbox, but that doesn't stop you voiding your warranty and installing a kit yourself.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Same ol story

    same old song and dance my friend...

    Slim RROD still exists:

    http://www.geekosystem.com/xbox-360-slim-overheats-red-dot/

    Slim still scratches disks:

    http://www.destructoid.com/e3-10-do-not-do-this-with-your-new-xbox-360-176508.phtml

    Try harder Microsoft, MUCH harder.. Some decent Xbox exclusives wouldn't go amiss either...

    1. Chris Harrison
      WTF?

      Fanbois Alert

      You wouldn't happen to have a PS3 sat under your tv would you?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      mod?

      At time of this post, someone has modded you down?

      If you are correct and the new model is still doing those things, then what sort or pea-brained moron would mod you down.

      On the other hand - are those problems still really going on?

      Can ms still not actually build a console that doesnt have these problems?

    3. Dan Price
      Stop

      What, really?

      You vigorously shake a device that's spinning a flimsy plastic disc at 500+ RPM and you expect it to magically *not* scratch the disc? Move along, nothing to see here.

      1. tony

        scratching problem

        Probably a bit silly not fixing that when you're expecting the userbase to dance around like loons infront of the telly when the xbox-wii update emerges

      2. Anonymous Coward
        FAIL

        Fail

        Take a look at the video. They don't " vigorously shake a device"... You can do exactly what they do in the video to ANY consumer device including the PS3 and Wii without ANY problems whatsoever.

        It's only the Xbox and it's abysmally cheap manufacture that suffers.

        Sometimes words fail me to how dumb (or blind) the Xbox fanboys are, they are being sold overpriced and under-spec crap, and being told what to believe. They even believe it has the best games and that Xbox Live is worth paying for and that Blu-Ray doesn't matter...

        1. Steven Raith

          Idiots

          "Take a look at the video. They don't " vigorously shake a device"... You can do exactly what they do in the video to ANY consumer device including the PS3 and Wii without ANY problems whatsoever."

          Er, yeah, but it's still a fucking stupid idea to even gently move *any* device that uses optical discs when they are in operation, you plum - if you move your PC/console/DVD player/etc while it's playing, you deserve to have your disc scratched and have to fork out for another one, it's the only way you'll learn.

          If it scratched it while the console was static, that'd be a concern.

          Nothing to see here, move along.

          Steven R

    4. JamesR87
      Flame

      Doubtful

      So you're saying if I pick up a PS3 and shake it while it spins the disc at thousands of revolutions per minute the disc won't scratch? Nor if I were to wrap one in a towel and have it work hard in a hot room for three days it won't burn out?

      Really, it's about time people found genuine problems to complain about... Technology overheats and Discs get ruined if you knock the machine while reading. Ask and PC owner who has made the mistake of using his PC as a footrest.

    5. Gareth 18

      Oh my word.

      It staggers me people still use these links with any sort of credibility. Have you actually read the articles? Really?

      Can you please point me in the direction of someone who shakes their console around vigerously while they wait for their game to load?

      People will strive for any excuse to denounce a piece of tech they, for some irrational reason, decide to dislike.

    6. The Original Steve
      FAIL

      Non-story

      Think you'll find that this single example (the same day it was released in the US) is dubious at best. Apart from the lack of multiple other examples, you can clearly see that the chap has the console in an enclosed space, and the 360 didn't break - it powered off as it would break if you leave the console where it is....:

      http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/21/new-xbox-360-has-red-dot-of-death-instead-not-quite/

      And yeah - don't move your console / PC / DVD player / Blu-Ray when the disc is spinning.

      Though to be honest if you don't know that already then it's the only way your going to learn.

    7. thomas newton
      FAIL

      * looks at 360 he's had for two and a half years *

      * looks at disc library *

      * fails to see any scratched ones *

      * wonders why *

      oh, yeah, thats because I dont pick my 360 up and shake the bloody thing when it's reading a disc. Same with my cd player, my pc, and my br player. it's very simple.

  4. Michael 82
    Stop

    good but...

    DOES IT DO BLU-RAY?

    1. Gareth 18

      Nope

      Afraid not. The 360 uses DVDs.

    2. dogged
      Grenade

      No.

      It doesn't need to do BluRay, and in any case if it DID do BluRay you'd just bitch about the noise it made while doing so.

      1. Giles Jones Gold badge

        Bluray should be quieter

        Bluray packs more data in the same space, so the discs don't need to be spun as fast. Hence should be quieter.

    3. The Original Steve

      Nope...

      Although the Zune market place for full HD films (you stream if you want rather than download - still at 1080p), full retail games, and shortly music has a great deal more content than the PSN.

      Digital download aside, you can buy one a new Xbox and buy a Blu-Ray player plus still have change compared to buying a PS3. (Not to mention the better online content, better wifi and marketplace compared to the PS3)

      1. Anonymous Coward
        FAIL

        @The Original Steve

        You talk utter crap.

        PSN Movie store has over 3x the content of he XBL/Zune store (I have a link from somwhere that counted them), OK it's because Sony own alot of the movie studios, so content arrives much earlier too.

        You clearly can't buy a new Xbox and a Blu-Ray player for the same price as a PS3. There is only £40 difference between the price of the Xbotch Slim and the PS3 Slim. Of course that £40 price difference instantly evaporates if you want to play online or use ANY of the Xbox's media services. It also evaporates EVERY subsequent year too...

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    i am going...

    to get an old one cheap...

  6. chuBb.
    FAIL

    Toslink

    Ummmm my elite has toslink, and im pretty sure all xboxes have had the connector built into the AV lead, its not a new thing for the slim60....

    1. Rob Beard
      Thumb Up

      TOS Link

      Nope, if you want TOS Link on an older style XBOX 360 and you don't buy the Elite bundle then you don't get the funny adaptor they chuck in with the Elite. In fact I'm pretty certain that late last year they stopped supplying the adaptor at all.

      I used this as an excuse to get the XBOX 360 Elite rather than the Premium when I got mine (I explained to the wifey that the extra adaptor and HDMI cable would cost more than if I bought an Elite).

      My component AV cable which I got with the Elite doesn't have TOS Link, neither does the composite AV cable I looked at when I was looking into getting an XBOX 360.

      I guess for some people it wouldn't matter (if they didn't have a surround sound system, or had a system with HDMI inputs).

      So I guess if you're in the market for an XBOX 360 and aren't fussed about getting a quieter console then it's probably the best time to pick up one of the bargain consoles (I've seen the Elite for £150, not sure how much a new Arcade or 60GB Premium is, the pre-owned ones I've seen have been under £100).

      Rob

  7. Avatar of They
    Thumb Down

    Ohhh shiny shiny

    ...but still MS, still have to pay for online via the gold account.

    If it had a wonderful new OS or more power, more juice, better graphics etc etc etc. I MIGHT be interested, but no. It is the same OS in a prettier box and loud as ever?

    250GB and an intention to install games. How many exactly are gonna fit on the 250GB. My experienec is not many.

    I will stick with my £50 second hand one that I don't care about.

    1. Mr Brush
      Gates Halo

      No new stuff?

      It does seem like a cosmetic upgrade, but then again MS couldn't change the GFX/CPU/etc, or they'd be releasing a new console. They have to maintain compatibility with existing systems (apart from the new HDD mount).

      I too will be sticking with my old beige box until it blows up, a 120Gb HDD get 10/12 games installed quite happily and keeps the noise down.

    2. Filippo Silver badge

      more power?

      You can't release a more powerful version of a console. The whole point of consoles is consistant hardware. Otherwise, might as well use a PC.

  8. John Sanders
    Alert

    The question is...

    Will it blend?

    I mean... Is it still hackeable?, There's much more to it than meets the eye.

  9. pctechxp

    @AC Re: Same ol story

    Do you move your PC or notebook while there's a disk spinning at high speed in the drive or put it somewhere where the ventilation slots are blocked.

    No? well why would you do that with what is effectively powerful computer hardware in a small form factor case with a custom OS that dedicates it to being a game console.

    Or how about your audio CD player?

    I sincerely hope you don't work in an IT department as your knowledge of how to treat hardware is non existent just like the operators of that website and I suspect you'd probably write off hardware and software on a regular basis

  10. David Lawrence
    Thumb Up

    I'll bet them red rings......

    .....will look well cool against that lovely shiny black exterior!

    I wonder if they have still got the DVD drive sitting on top of some chippery that gets all hot and stuff, or whether it finally dawned on them that it was a bad idea.

    I'm not bitter - I've made a good few quid doing the RROD fix on dead consoles, so I just need to wait until some kind person publishes a step-by-step guide with photos and I'm sorted.

    Fair play to MS though - they seem to have addressed the major gripes and come up with a nice machine at a keen price. Shame I only fix them and don't play the games.....

  11. Alex Connor
    Thumb Up

    pfft

    Xbox's rock, they play some great games. Live is really good, sure you have to pay for it, but it's definately worth it if you play a lot of multiplayer. I usually go with silver, unless a game i really want to play online is out and i'll get a month or 3 for £5 or £12 or so.

    ps3's also rock, i don't own one, but playing on friends they also have some good games, blu-ray is an added bonus. Not really used PSN so can't comment on that, but since they're doing a pay version also, i can see that it'll end up being like Live in the future.

    if i had to choose, i'd go xbox again, mainly due to the fact i prefer the controller.

    If either one was really bad, then it'd not keep selling or have people developing games for it (i'm looking at you, atari jaguar, sega cd et al) So, pointless 'bashing' of either console is pointless, it really doesn't matter!

    Oh, and you can have TOSlink on any xbox, there is a port for it on the component cable, so if you're running a HDMI cable for the picture, take off the side of the plastic casing on the component cable (which blocks the HDMI port) and plug in your HDMI cable and component cable with TOSlink cable.

    The xbox defaults to using the HDMI cable for the picture and puts out the sound via the component, so you can still have surround sound etc. works a charm!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      @Alex Connor

      The PS3 chargable version (PS+) is not like Live at all. You still get to play online for free on ALL Playstation accounts, free and paid.

      The paid one is about CONTENT. For your £40 a year (or £35 if you buy your PSN credit online from play or 7dayshop), you get 4 games a month - 48 games a year - 12 PSN, 12 PS1, 24 Minis. You also get discounts of upto 50% on store content, other free stuff, themes avatats etc, early access to demos and betas, and a system/game auto updater which updates all your installed games overnight so they don't need patching when you come to play them.

      Well worth the £40, considering the same price, Xbox Live delivers nothing but a laggy P2P gaming network and some silly party chat thing.

      You can read about PlaystationPlus and see what a proper chargable service is all about here here. http://uk.playstation.com/playstationplus/

      Of course the most important thing is, it does not exclude people, nobody is forced to take PS+ as it's still free to play on PS3, wheras Microsoft have made it so that your XBox is pretty much useless unless you pay them £40 a year to play online.

  12. Witty username
    Gates Horns

    Conundrum

    i have a dead 360 elite, if i got a new one, how would i transfer the data between the 2 hard drives? (aside from borrowing another xbox)

  13. Ben Rosenthal

    smells like

    testosterone and unwashed socks in here

  14. savant
    Gates Halo

    No need for a transfer cable

    You don't need a transfer cable to take your old content to the new box - just use a USB thumb drive, which is fully supported. You can even transfer stuff over in batches or use a USB hard drive if it isn't big enough.

    The DVD drive in the new box is much quieter than the old Xbox and the fan is, too. See reviews elsewhere for some actual measurements.

    I'm surprised to see so many negative remarks. As far as I'm concerned you're getting a quieter, higher capacity, smaller machine with built in high speed WiFi for the same money :)

    1. M Gale

      USB Thumb Drive?

      Last time I tried saving a game onto a USB flash device, the 360 wouldn't even spot it. Fine if you have a .wmv on the drive that you want to play, less fine if you want to spend half the price on a shitload more storage than the official game save cartridges.

      I'm writing negative comments because this (and the PS3 Slim) remind me so much of the Sega Megadrive 2 - a device that was smaller, slimmer, cost a whole lot less to manufacture but was otherwise no different (if anything, less capable thanks to the removal of the headphone socket) to the original Megadrive. To many people at the time it was a true indication that Sega had jumped the shark. It was rightly derided. And yet Sony and Microsoft can do the same thing and get nothing but praise? Methinks not.

      For Americans, s/Megadrive/Genesis/;

      1. savant

        reality check

        But they haven't removed anything from the new Xbox model. They've added a larger hard drive, wireless and given you a smaller, quieter box that will hopefully be much more reliable and less power-hungry. The only thing they've taken away is the memory card ports, but you can just buy USB keys now at a fraction of the cost of the original cards and use them instead - you can even install games to USB devices now.

        PS3 removed the Linux option, backwards compatibility etc. in their later updates, so it's probably fair to criticise Sony on that score, but Microsoft has actually increased the value with the new box.

  15. M Gale

    Oh joy.

    New HDD form factor, so you get to buy a whole new one. Need to buy data transfer cable, because of the different form factor. Probably need the new Xbox to be able to buy a camera that sits under the telly and lets you wave your hands about while pretending to fight someone.

    And Microsoft weren't making enough money already? Oh well. I'll stick with my DS, ta thanks. At least I don't have to buy a DSi XL Super Mega Edition or whatever it is this week, and the old shit still works with it if I do.

    Also, Sony and Microsoft both: installing gigabytes of shit onto an overpriced hard disk drive, for a GAMES CONSOLE? You're doing it wrong. Insert disk. Play. It's a toy, so stop pretending it isn't.

    Or are you saying I can install the game and then not need the disk? No? Oh.

    1. savant

      /sigh

      You don't need a transfer cable. See the instructions here:

      http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/transfer/default.htm

      If you've got an issue, then it may be your USB device. Have you tried reformatting it?

      You don't need the new Xbox model to use Kinect. It's just got a powered port on the back so you don't have to plug the camera into the mains, too - you'll have to do that with the older Xbox 360 models because the USB ports on their own don't draw enough power to be able to run the motorised tilt/pan system.

      Finally, of course you still need the game disc to be in the drive to play a previously-installed game! Otherwise, what's to stop you renting a load of games or borrowing your mates', installing them, then playing them after returning them? You need your own copy :)

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    So many posts about the PS3

    and there was me thinking this was an article about XBox no?

    Amazing how many folk who think the XBox sux (sic) still choose to read every article ever posted about them.

    And before anyone starts I've got both... PS3 great media player and occasional gamer (still don't hugely like the controllers, online sucks and the why when BR is so great do games take FOREVER to load and man those constant forced patches are tiresome) and XBox great games console, pretty poor media device.

    The 360 is a GAMES console, GAMES don't need BR... that is all. Seriously, the PS3 is ok as BR player but its still to noisy when watching a quiet film, I bought a dedicated player for exactly that reason.

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like