To be fair, migration wasn't at the top of everyone's wish list. That spot was reserved for the plea to dampen the original's near-Scramjet noise levels. Well, MS somehow heard the clamour over the noise, and markets the new console as 'whisper quiet'.
No obvious differences in gaming performance, but integrated Wi-Fi and Kinect's promise, add to its appeal
This unfortunately isn't strictly true. When powering up or at the dashboard the console is indeed whisper quiet, but run a game off a DVD and it’s as noisy as ever. Fortunately, the 250GB drive and fast instal times (are you reading, Sony?), means games won't often be run off DVD, so it's not the issue it could have been.
Talking of install times, there's no noticeable difference between the old and new consoles when booting up menus, or installing or loading from DVD. And it goes without saying that all other features, such as graphical power, remain the same.
Verdict
The new Xbox 360 has the looks, features and price point to make it an essential purchase. You could, however, opt for a real bargain over the coming weeks, as retailers sell off discontinued Xbox models. These offers will be tempting for those unmoved by integrated Wi-Fi and one fewer plug for Kinect. But I'd personally pay the money and pick up a new one; or at least wait for the cheaper model, due sometime in August at around £130, which is expected to come with a smaller HDD and without Wi-Fi. ®
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COMMENTS
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)
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.
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.
Fanbois Alert
You wouldn't happen to have a PS3 sat under your tv would you?
* 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.
