Review: New Xbox 360 250GB

Xbox 360 250GB: Overview

The new Xbox 360 250GB (also known as the Xbox 360 S) is the highly anticipated redesign of the five year old Microsoft console. What's more, it's out in UK stores now.

And what a transformation, eh?

If it wasn't for the prominent Xbox 360 insignia and that distinctive circular power button it would never guess that this is the younger brother of the round, matte white, Tomy-looking console that released almost five years ago.

It's certainly quite a change of image for Microsoft's HD console, but its arrival also finally turns over a new leaf for Microsoft's hardware and its woeful history of unreliability and clunky design. The earliest 360 adopters will know what we're talking about.

That's what makes this update more significant than most.

The Xbox 360 may be the most popular HD console on the market (and deservedly so given its incredible library of games) but its domination was certainly not down to its hardware design. On the contrary, early purchasers found themselves at the mercy of one of the most widely touted and controversial hardware faults in videogame history.

Launch-era console suffered a widespread fault that would see the hardware unexpectedly die – a fault that the hardware would make you aware of by making three of the four usually green lights surrounding the power button glow red. And so the feared and fabled Red Ring of Death was born.

Admittedly, that issue was mostly resolved in the original models thanks to a series of smaller internal changes over the years, and most significantly with the release of the overhauled Xbox 360 Elite SKU, but its reputation is more spit-and-polished than bleach clean.

Let the arrival of this new hardware wipe that slate completely clean. This is by far the best Xbox ever made and from its new quieter internals to its shiny, aggressive-looking outer case, Microsoft has certainly redeemed itself.

Xbox 360 250GB: Features

You'd think that the most significant change for the new widely touted 'Xbox 360 Slim' would be its size, but surprisingly, it's not.

At 270mm in height, it's sufficiently shorter than the 310mm tall old 360. But it's only a measly half-a-centimeter slimmer (and fatter than the PS3 Slim) and, would you believe, it's actually slightly deeper than the old 360, too.

Just to make it easier at a glance, here are its dimensions beside the older model, and the PS3 slim just for some extra comparison:

Console: Height/Width/Depth/weight

• Xbox 360 250GB: 270mm x 75mm x 264mm, 2.9kg
• Xbox 360 Elite: 310mm x 80mm x 260mm, 3.5kg
• PS3 Slim: 290mm × 65mm ×290mm, 3.5kg

As you can see, its profile is not much 'slim' but more 'light'. It's the lightest of the current-gen consoles by a fair amount, although it's worth noting right now that the PS3 Slim's extra heft also counts for the system's internal power supply, which disappointingly remains external (albeit smaller than the previous power brick) in the new Xbox.

Instead, the more significant changes are in the console's aesthetics and hardware configuration. First of all, that matte plastic has been swapped for a super sexy gloss black.

Where the old console's bubble-like roundness wouldn't look too out of place on the Tomy Toys page of your Argos catalogue, the new console dons sharp edges and harsh lines that almost resemble a stealth fighter (fittingly so given its new quieter operating volume, but more on that later).

And then there's that grill on the side – a surprisingly large and aggressive opening that's more like something you'd expect from a third-party case mod than the usually reserved standard skin. Consoles usually hide away their tightly-packed insides but the new Xbox flaunts it, giving you a good look at the system's case fan.

Touch-buttons

The power and disc eject buttons are no longer the clunky things they were before. In fact you don't press them at all – they're capacitive touch buttons that respond to no more than a gentle prod.

The console makes a funky beep sound to acknowledge your touch, but it's thankfully a more calming chime and not that horrible microwave-style bleep of the PS3.

The console's cleaner appearance is also partly thanks to the omission of the proprietary memory stick ports – MS updated the 360 recently to accept any USB stick as usable memory; a move which pretty much rendered the notoriously more expensive native memory cards redundant anyway.

The two front-loading USB ports remain, tucked neatly way behind a little flap which sits in line with the new bigger and more responsive controller sync button.

The console actually now has five USB ports total instead of the previous three, but those additional ones have been tucked away on the back of the console.

The new disc drive is considerably smoother and quieter than before. Now, we know some of you will, right off the bat, question MS' decision to stick with a disc tray rather than the admittedly sleeker slot-loading drive like on PS3 and Wii. Honestly speaking we would have preferred a slot loader too.

Anyhow, the new drive has none of that Aiwa tape deck-like clunkyness to it. We always wondered what part of the old Xbox could possibly make such a loud 'ker-chunk' sound as the drive closed – that teeth-gritting sound is no longer present here.

We tried moving the console while a disc was spinning inside – something that resulted in a severely scratched disc in the old console. The result? We're certain the result was even worse!

Clearly Microsoft has been unable to find a solution the intense centrifugal forces that bend the disc and make it touch harmful nearby surfaces in the drive. The console does in fact have a sticker on the front which warns against moving it while a disc is spinning. Does this make up for the flaw in our eyes? Not a chance.

On the backside

Flip the console round and you're greeted by a few new ports, too. As we said before, there are three USB ports back here instead of one. You'll now be able to plug a digital optical audio lead directly into the console for your 5.1 surround kits, instead of having to go through external ports on the AV lead.

Click to enlarge

Most interesting though is the 'Aux' port, which is basically where Kinect, Microsoft's new motion-sensing gadget releasing in November, will be plugged in. This port will both operate and power the device. Users of the old console will plug Kinect in via a USB adapter and draw power from a wall socket.

Video is delivered to your TV either via standard HDMI or the proprietary Xbox AV port, which is the same size as before so all your old AV cables will work, which is handy for anyone upgrading from the old console because, ridiculously, the new Xbox comes with no HD video leads whatsoever.

All you get in the box is the standard composite lead, which only does SD – and poorly at that. Everyone else will otherwise have to add the cost of an HDMI lead to their bill before they can see the crisp HD resolutions this machine is capable of.

There's an Ethernet network port back here too, although we'd like to think anyone grabbing the new console will make use of the now built-in Wi-Fi capability.

Finally, Microsoft is no longer bending you over a table with its £70 proprietary Wi-Fi adapter necessary before. Just turn it on and you're wireless right out of the box.

Xbox 360 250GB: Noise and storage

Compare the noise of the new Xbox 360 to the Elite and the PS3 Slim:

YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5QpoKwVcSk

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Sound recordings were made six inches from the front of each of the three consoles. Results should only be used by way of comparison.

White noise

Perhaps the biggest improvement over the older console is actually an intangible one – the system's operating sound. The quieter disc drive is coupled with a single larger internal cooling fan instead of three smaller ones as before, resulting in a stealthier console.

This is made possible by using a slimmer, more power efficient 45nm CPU with integrated GPU. With less power being generated by the processing chip, the console is able to run cooler, with a quieter fan. The difference is night and day.

When there's no disc in the tray the console is totally inaudible. Fire up a game and the drive's rapid read speed still inevitably makes sound, but it's more of a gliding 'whoosh' than the whirring sound of the motor.

Take a look at the video clip above to get some idea of how the noise of the new Xbox 360 compares against the original model and also the PS3 Slim.

Storage

Instead of the fat top-loading hard drive of the old console, Microsoft has now hidden a more compact hard drive case in a slot accessed on the underside of the console (underside when stood vertically, that is).

To extract it you must remove the hatch covering and pull on a flimsy tag on the top of the drive, which does not seem like a good idea to us at all. If there's one thing on this new Xbox we can see breaking, it's this tag.

New controller

As with the other Xbox 360 consoles, the new 250GB model comes with one wireless controller. Aesthetically, it's slightly different to the one that shipped with the 360 Elite.

The grey trim is replaced with glossy black, while the round silver Xbox button is now glossy silver rather than matte and the thumbsticks are black instead of grey.

Xbox 360 250GB: Interface and performance

Now, for anyone who's upgrading or owned an Xbox before, you'll be completely at home with the interface of the new console because, quite simply, nothing's changed.

It's identical, the only minor difference here being the prompt to configure your internal wireless adaptor the first time you start up the console.

But if you're new to experience, we'll give you an overview of the console's dashboard menu and capabilities so you know what you're getting into.

The Xbox 360, as you are no doubt aware, is not just a games machine but a hub for digital content and entertainment, as everything seems to be nowadays.

It plays DVD movies (but not Blu-ray, we stress), movie files, music and displays photos. This is all arranged in a relatively sophisticated menu system that, to be honest, we sometimes find a little on the confusing side.

PS3 arranges its content in a stylish cross menu system (the Cross Media Bar, or XMB) with easily identifiable categories like Games, Music, Video, TV, Network, Settings and so on.

Microsoft instead chose to be a bit more unorthodox, categorising content into divisions not quite as obvious like, 'My Xbox', 'Welcome' and 'Inside Xbox', in addition to Video and Games Marketplace sections on the vertical options list – and each of those with sub-divisions that scroll horizontally.

You get used to it, but its just one of those times when being artsy and unique came at the expense of convenience and clarity. Not much of a surprise really, given that the original Xbox 360 came out the same year as the first Windows Vista beta.

Aside from the lack of a Blu-ray player, Xbox also currently doesn't support stereoscopic 3D, unlike the PS3 which was recently updated to support the flashy new tech along with a selection of games (and plenty more to come) that support it. Although it's worth noting that MS says Xbox is capable of 3D, and that support for it will come when it feels the time is right. Which isn't now, evidently.

Switching focus to the controller, everyone has their preferences and the PlayStation's DualShock controller is widely considered to be the most universally usable controller ever made – it works suitably with all games.

MS' controller has its positives and its issues: the analogue sticks are tighter and more accurate that the PS3's, perfect for first-person shooters, and the two sliding triggers on the back are more comfortable for racing games.

The one glaring issue though is the unfathomable inaccuracy of the d-pad, which is prone to mistakenly going in directions you don't intend. The controller that comes with the new Xbox is no different, we're afraid.

Anyone who's tried typing messages with it on the software keyboard will know what we mean. It's disastrous for fighting (Street Fighter!) fans who need a fast and effortlessly accurate d-pad to pull of complex moves. For those games, you'll need to buy an arcade stick.

Xbox 360 250GB: Xbox Live

For all the Xbox's shortfalls against PS3 in the hardware stakes, the console's ace card – and the only redeeming factor necessary for most - is Xbox Live, Microsoft's online service that pretty much pioneered online gaming on home consoles. And for good reason.

Despite Sony's equivalent PlayStation Network having almost much caught up feature-wise over the years, Xbox Live is still considered to be the most feature-packed and complete online package out of the big three consoles.

Compiling a friends list that's stored on the console makes keeping tabs on your gaming buddies easy.

Extensive and intuitive communication features such as the ability to send voice or text messages, private chat or set up chat parties to keep voice comms going no matter what game your friends are playing is what sets this service apart from PSN.

Sending an invite for a friend to join your game takes seconds and responding to an invite is even easier. For anyone who enjoys online gaming or intends to get into it, Xbox is the console of choice.

The cost

It's the premium online experience – but one you're forced to pay for to enjoy properly. Where PSN on PS3 is free to all users, Xbox's Live access is split into two categories: Silver lets you browse and download games and other content such as movies from the Marketplace, but to play online with friends and join chat parties you'll need a Gold account, which costs around £40 a year.

That's not a bank-snapping sum, but if you're someone who tries to avoid subscription services (some hate paying more than others), it's worth considering your options. As we said, PS3's free online gaming is almost on par nowadays.

Xbox Live isn't just about gaming though. Getting online gives you access to both disc games and Xbox Live Arcade games – typically smaller games that can't be found in the shops. You can also buy and rent movies and TV shows, stream game trailers and download playable demos to get a completely free taster of a game before you dish out your hard earned.

All of this pretty much lines up with services available on PS3 (with differing services and providers here and there), but is generally light years ahead of what's offered on Wii. If this is your first HD console, you're in for a multimedia treat.

Xbox 360 250GB: Verdict

We put our hands together for Microsoft on this one. It's not quite the super-slim machine you might expect, but the new Xbox improves over the previous one in just about every way.

We liked:

Every aspect of the new Xbox is a slicker, more refined console over the older model. The slick black case is shiny and stylish yet not in a tacky way. The touch buttons add that extra sheen to a previously clunky console, as does the smoother disc tray.

The new reduced decibel output of the quieter console is a godsend for everyone who never, even after five years, got used to how annoyingly loud the original 360s are. You can actually watch a movie on it now without the console constantly reminding you of its presence.

It's a treat to be able to enjoy wireless gaming on 360 now too without having to pay an extortionate price for a wireless adaptor that costs three times what it should – a price that stopped many gamers from ever going wireless with the machine.

We disliked:

Microsoft has done a great job on the new console, but it's not quite a dream console yet. It's disappointing that MS couldn't manage to engineer the power supply into the console and we still have to tuck that brick behind our TVs. It's smaller, but we wished it wasn't there at all.

The choice to stick with a standard disc tray was also a slight disappointment – we really like the cutting-edge feel of a smooth slot loader and it would have looked nice on the front of this machine. And the console still chews up discs if you move it while the disc is spinning. Shame.

You'll also want to handle the new console with gloves because that glossy black sheen is prone to fingerprints that stand out so much your new Xbox will look like you found it in a dustbin if you don't minimise handling – like the black Wii.

And we really wish someone at MS would just fix that damn d-pad. Have a word, guys, seriously.

Verdict:

New adopters get a great console for a great price at £189.99, and while we wouldn't tell current 360 owners to rush out and upgrade (especially if you've already invested in larger hard drives and wireless peripherals for the old console), it's definitely something to consider when you have few spare notes lying around.

If there's one thing the PS3 has always had over Xbox it's the build quality of its hardware. PS3 is slick, solid, silent and reliable. Xbox 360 was the opposite of all those. In many ways, Microsoft has basically played catch-up with this new hardware.

That's most significant in the addition of internal wireless support – something the PS3's had since launch - but also evident in the new slick black casing, the touch-sense buttons (as on the fatter PS3), the internally hidden hard drive, the USB ports and the more silent running volume. It's all PS3-esque.

We still think, purely in hardware terms, the PS3 remains superior. It's still quieter, it plays Blu-ray and the XMB menus are clearer and faster than Xbox's dashboard. But make no mistake; this is the best Xbox yet.