James Delahunty
14 Jun 2010 15:37
Microsoft Corp. unveiled a new slim Xbox 360 console at the E3 press conference which also saw the launch date for Kinect and other goodies revealed. The new Xbox 360 console comes with a 250GB hard disk drive and built in wireless capabilities, including 802.11n support, the "fastest WiFi in any console."
The new Xbox 360 console does not come with a new price tag (remains at $299), and for the lucky audience who watched the event, Microsoft generously gave away one free to each. The console ships today and will be available later this week in stores.
You do not need the new Xbox 360 console to use "Kinect for Xbox 360" as has been speculated, and the add-on will launch in every country that the Xbox 360 console is currently sold in.
Among other announcements made alongside the launch of the new slimmer Xbox 360, it was also revealed that all add-ons and map packs for Call Of Duty will become available first on Xbox 360 up until 2012. An exclusive deal between Microsoft and ESPN to bring 3,500 live sports events (mostly in HD) to Xbox Live was also announced, including NBA, MLB and soccer content.
Viewers will be able to access ESPN.com content for highlights, stats, game scores and other content while viewing the sports events. The ESPN content will be available at no extra charge for Xbox Live Gold members.
The new Xbox 360 console uses a lot less power, according to Microsoft, and attendees at E3 who have used the console note that it is very quiet operating, compared to the normal Xbox 360 console which can be quite loud in operation. It features 3 USB ports on the back and two hidden under the flap at the front. The console also uses a new smaller power supply unit, so say goodbye to the old brick units if you are going to upgrade.
The Kinect motion sensing system can be connected and powered by the slim 360, but users of the older 360 will need to plug Kinect into a separate power outlet.
Some pictures below that you can click to resize.