Microsoft: New Xbox 360 In Development for Two Years

pcworld.com -
It's smaller, shinier, and back in black: Microsoft's new Xbox 360 took many by surprise at last month's E3, though some of us had speculated for months that a 'slim' model was in the works.

More than just a component and size shrink, Microsoft added 802.11n wireless (previously a $100 external USB adapter) and packed in its premier 250GB hard drive without adjusting the standard system's $300 price tag.

What were they thinking?

I spoke with Microsoft's Senior Director of Xbox Product Management, Albert Penello, to find out.

[MGRogue2017]

2+ Years late aswell... Better late than never.. I guess though, right? =/

[IRetrouk]

still waiting to see how reliable they are before buying one.

[DelbertGrady]

Apparently it withstands heat better than the PS3 Slim. Sounds pretty reliable to me.

[table]

It heats up less than the ps3 because it has an external power block. Whether or not it withstands heat better remains to be seen. We have already experienced videos of it overheating remember.

[IRetrouk]

yeah i seen the comparison but they tested older ps3 models, the only reason i havnt preordered is because i own the elite and dont actually need one, i had a big prob with the first model, had to have it replaced 5 times, and i also had to sell my red one due to it having probs reading disks so you can see my hesitation in getting one. but overall i like the new model.

@ dissagre, what cant tell me you know better than me about what i have experianced with the xbox lmao at the fanboys.

[user858621]

im waiting for my elite to RROD to they replace it with 1 :P

[0oAngeluso0]

So it's a nice deal. With this prolonged Console cycle the 360 needed a lift and the 360s is really great. It's quiet, runs cool, lots of HDD space and Wireless N is a nice add on. Plus, we get all this stuff for the same price as the older ones. So it's an actual upgrade.
I love mine, and with the arcade version coming out soon, even more people will be able to jump in to gaming with the 360.

[Convas]

Ay-Men. My 360 60GB Pro has been going strong for 28 months, and I'm almost saddened by that (LMAO) because the new Xbox 360 Slim is so damn sexy.

And I'm saving for a PS3. Can't make up my mind which I want more.

[0oAngeluso0]

To get a new 360s like weeks ago. I Couldn't be happier to be honest. I already have a PS3 slim as well, which is nice. However I prefer to play the 360 online and I used the PS3 more for media and some quality offline titles, but in all honesty I haven't touched my PS3 since I got my 360s.
I guess I was a lucky one with the Launch 360 that still worked fine, however it didn't have HDMI ports or anything, so I'm loving 360 games in full 1080 now.

[Cold 2000]

Yeah this will help them keep it on the market for a couple more years.

[Bluemaster77]

Though a tad bit late its good to see that they put some work into improving it

[Convas]

And hopefully, they've learned their lesson's from RROD. R&D, R&D, R&D, R AND FRICKING D!

They can't afford to have this same mess up next gen, or they may not be able to recover.

[Trroy]

In any case, the "two years" they are referring to is the development time on the Valhalla 45nm combo CPU/GPU chip -- not the rest of the box. That's a perfectly reasonable timeframe for such a chip, given the relatively small team likely assigned to it.

I know its relatively unrelated, but for some reason, this makes me wonder if the XBox 720 will just ship with a Kinect as an input device, and you'll have to buy a "classic" controller for an extra $60? This would certainly be a good money-making strategy, and if Kinect really takes off, we may very well see the next XBox based around it as the primary input device.

[MorganX]

Production yields, not design most likely.

[Spenok]

My god that would suck. If they forced you to use Kinect as a primary controller in there next system, and forced you to buy a "classic" controller as a $60 add-on. I would never buy another Xbox again.

[hi2]

and really don't care about the 2 years part but the new design certainly looks awesome

[ForROME]

Yep, the power brick and the disc tray still give a semi dated feeling, they need to eliminate that.

[MorganX]

The brick more than the tray. But given it's heat problems, no way they can get the power inside. Maybe 720.

[xtremeimport]

2 years to figure out a redesign?
lol

[Convas]

Not much else can be said.

[Spenok]

Lol good pic.

[xtremeimport]

lol nice.
dont you love people who disagree with a pretty much true statement?
its not a new system, they didnt add anything..soo what els were they doing in those 2 years?