Xbox 360 250GB Console

I am a PS3 owner but by no means a fan boy. The only thing that was keeping me from purchasing a Xbox 360 was the unreliability of the hardware. When this new console was announced I felt it was time to make the purchase. Built in wifi, quieter design, and a redesign that supposedly fixed the previous issues with the red ring of death, were all things that appealed to my sensibilities as a consumer. So far I have not been disappointed. First off I am going to compare the Xbox 360 to the PS3 because it is my frame of reference. Simply put the Xbox is more user friendly. Load times so far on the Xbox have been much shorter than those on the PS3 (this could be because of the games I have been playing, which so far have only been a few on the Xbox, none of which are new releases). You don't have to use a disc to play Netflix, and the Netflix interface on the Xbox is much better than that on the PS3. Not only is it easier to use, but it just looks better. Xbox Live is also much better than the Playstation Network, and even though I had to pay for the premium service the price for a year is reasonable for the way multi player works seamlessly and again it just looks better. Sorry, I like things that are functional and look pretty. It is also reasonably priced I think I paid $37 bucks for 12 months of Xbox Live ($3.08 a month, big deal). I also like the Xbox controller, I find it very comfortable to use, and to me it is more comfortable that the PS3 Controller. As far as graphics go between the PS3 and Xbox the difference is negligible, and I really don't think anyone could tell the difference unless they had the two consoles on two identical TVs side by side. One thing the PS3 does have going for it is that going through the exclusive games for that console compared to the 360, I have much more interest in the PS3 exclusives (which has nothing to do with console performance and really only speaks to my preference of games). Now onto the Xbox 360 itself and the supposed new features. First off, the set up was a breeze, everything so far has worked right out of the box. Built in wireless set up very easily and detected my network right away. Also I have never been disconnected while playing or experienced any lag on screen. It seems to be quiet at least as quiet as the PS3 (I can't compare it to the old model Xbox as I have no frame of reference). You can still hear it sometimes but I think to expect to not hear anything coming from a device that has moving parts is ridiculous. Bottom line is that when I am in game it does not distract me which is the main issue. There is some heat coming off of it, but mine is not so hot where it worries me. I also have not had the issue of the console turning off when it gets too hot as some people have reported, although I think the most I usually play at a time is only a couple of hours compared to some who play for extended periods of time. I also have not had any issue with the system scratching discs. If you don't move the console with a disc in it you won't have a problem. Even if the system will be off, if I move it I will take the disc out as that what it says on the front of the console. I was also surprised at how easy it was to hook up the mic. Voice chat worked very well without having to do anything, I plugged it in and was chatting with my friends playing L4D. There was some feedback at first when using the mic but it went away and I haven't experienced it sense. I am very impressed with what is included in the box for the Xbox, they pretty much give you everything you need minus a game and HDMI cable, but the price of this product at $300 with a larger HDD and built in wireless seemed like a very good deal, and HDMI cables on amazon are cheap, as are many of the older games that I will start out playing. I also hooked up my 5.1 surround sound headset to the optical output and they worked right away without having to change any settings which was very surprising. The one thing I cannot attest to with this hardware is its reliability. People have been saying they have been having issues with the hardware failing, but with any new hardware there will be a few lemons in the bunch. I also have only had the hardware for a week so it is very possible something could go wrong and I will be revising my review. I would recommend buying an extended warranty with this product. Apparently the new Xbox only has a 1 year warranty whereas the older version was covered for 3 years for the issues it has had (RROD). Also this is the first iteration of this product so I feel it is better to be safe than sorry, just in case this hardware has its own issues. Lets face it the Xbox 360 has been around for 5 years now and they were still having issues with the last generation, so do yourself a favor and protect your investment.

I just received my new 360 "Slim" today and so far I have been VERY impressed with the changes to the hardware. I really like the new soft touch buttons and the nice little "CHIME" each makes when you activate it. A single chime sounds to open or close the disc tray, and a multi tone chime sounds when you turn the machine on or off. The DVD drive is fast to open and seems to read the game discs a tad faster than my 360 PRO which this unit is replacing. The IR port provides the same range of control for remotes as the original design, so contrary to what some people were speculating, the IR port integration on the front of this new machine has no effect on IR range or performance that I can detect. I really like the dedicated SPDIF socket for my optical digital audio cable! I never liked the funky way it had to attach to the AV cable on the original system. Although I am using a wired eithernet connection for my network connection, I am pleased that there is now a built in "N" WI-FI system onboard. The reduced size of the console is also a welcome change, along with the sleek new ALL BLACK chassis design. The new all black controller is also nice looking but feels basically the same as previous S style controllers I already own. Migrating my data over from my previous 360 was fast and easy using a SanDisc 16GB USB flash drive which I purchased here as well. Took about 5 minutes to make the transfer from the flash drive to the S, but I still had to manually configure my internet settings to use the same static IP address my previous machine used. I was surprised that these settings were not automatically updated on the new machine when I transferred my profile. Not a big deal, but I was a little surprised by that. Game play and overall performance is identical to my 360 Pro. I see no difference in software performance other than the DVD drive speed I mentioned above. I do notice that there is a lot more heat coming out of the top fan port than I recall with my 360 Pro's exhaust ports, but this could simply be related to the fact that there are two exhaust fans on the older model which vent out of TWO locations on the back instead of just one large exhaust fan and port on the top of the S model. I will trust that I do not encounter any heat related issues with this machine due to the smaller chassis. I have never had any heat related issues with my other 360 consoles. Overall, I am pleased with my purchase and would recommend this new machine to anyone looking to upgrade their older 360, or considering the purchase of a 360 for the first time. This new machine only helps to demonstrate that the XBOX 360 system along with XBOX LIVE is hands down the best choice for HD gaming to date. I should mention that I also own a PS3 Slim console but find that the SONY online network does not compare in features or performance to the 360 with XBOX LIVE. I use my PS3 console primarily as a Blu-Ray DVD player which it excels at in my opinion. Anyone trying to decide between which of these two HD gaming systems to buy should definitely test drive both systems ONLINE before buying. The difference in the online experience is night and day. UPDATE: 7/2/10 I just completed an extended run of my new Slim console having let the machine run continuously without turning it off for a total of 165 hours. I am pleased to report that I did not see any of the heat related issues I have seen reported in the handful of 1 and 2 star reviews. The power brick remained slightly warm to the touch and the cooling fan never came on once. The machine itself remained cool to the touch in all areas except at the heat exhaust port on the top of the console. The cooling fan on this vent varied in speed over time and based on what I was doing with the console. The game discs themselves remained only slightly warm after extended gaming sessions. All in all I remain very pleased with this new design. The improved cooling system is doing its job and the console has shown no signs of difficulty performing any of the tasks I have asked it to do. This ranged from playing single player games, online games, streaming NetFlix video content and watching free videos off of the LIVE marketplace.

L'item est arrivé dans les temps prévu, est fonctionnel et en très bon état. Merci!

Xbox 360 arrived with 1 (wireless) controller and appears to be in good condition. It even has built in wireless. Will update in the future! (Arrived only 3 days late. Canada post were a bunch of bastards that never bothered posting the delivery notice so I got it a week late.)

This was an excellent buy for me, I got my new xbox within a week of work days in a very isolated area. It came with everything what I needed, a controller, the cords for the back, and a headset. The 250gb hard drive only sweetens the deal, all brand new for only $280, totally worth it.

The product was in good condition when I received it. The controller was a little used and the Xbox had some scratches on it, but nothing serious. The Xbox works wonderfully and it a huge upgrade from my old Xbox Pro I'd had for 3.5 years. My biggest complaint with the purchase is that it did not include a headset, which is written on the box to be part of the included set. It was also surprising to get a matte Xbox case instead of a shiny Xbox case, but it was in fact the 250GB unit. All in all a pretty good purchase considering I saved 100$ had I have bought it new in stores.

As described