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Mod at your own risk: How to put an old Xbox 360 HDD into Xbox 360 S
We're no good with screwdrivers -- OK, well, some of us are -- so we'd probably never attempt to mod our shiny new 4GB Xbox 360 S by fitting an old hard drive in it. If you're braver than us (very likely), feel free to check out the step-by-step guide past the break, which pulls back the curtain on the magical process of techno-wizardy fueling this hybrid of form and frugality.
Vejle bares all: Xbox 360 Slim's system-on-chip exposed
Technophiles have no doubt been anxious to traverse that final frontier of Xbox 360 S technology: the shared CPU/GPU, dubbed Vejle after the city in Denmark. This 45nm system-on-chip (SoC) trims much of the fat of its predecessor, slimming down to 372 million transistors (it is summer -- gotta look your best out there!), requiring a mere 40 percent of the power and less than 50 percent of the die space used by the original Xbox 360 chipset. It's actually the first desktop-class processor to combine a CPU, GPU, memory and I/O logic onto a single slice of silicon, which cuts down manufacturing costs dramatically. But perhaps one of its best features is how the chip will actually self-induce lag so as not to run faster than the previous chip -- a necessity of the architecture of the Xbox 360, since the new console must perform exactly as the previous hardware has. The rest of it is probably too technical for us to try and explain, so hit up the source links below for additional info. If you need help breaking it all down, call up Tom, that smart friend of yours -- he's probably just sitting around, watching Star Trek or something.
250GB Xbox Kinect bundle spotted on 4GB bundle packaging
Although the bundle has yet to be announced, a 250GB Xbox 360 / Kinect bundle can be seen on Microsoft's Australian packaging for the 4GB Xbox 360 / Kinect box. The 250GB bundle appears to be very similar to the matte 4GB bundle, with the exception of the larger capacity hard drive, a glossy finish, and the inclusion of a headset. It isn't clear what game comes with the bundle, though it's most likely Kinect Adventures, the standard offering in both the standalone Kinect package and the 4GB Xbox bundle. The 250GB model also has the following note: "Hard Drive includes game and demos." The demos we're used to, but it seems that Microsoft may be foregoing an extra disc and putting the pack-in game on the hard drive itself. We're following up with Microsoft for more details, pricing and – yes – international release plans. Update: Microsoft's official response to Joystiq: "We have nothing to announce at this time."
Report: $400 Halo Reach Xbox 360 bundle on the way [update: confirmed!]
Ars Technica is reporting that Microsoft is on the verge of announcing a Halo: Reach Xbox 360 hardware bundle. The $399.99 package will contain a silver version of the new Xbox 360 S (equipped with a 250GB hard drive), a copy of the game (of course!) and two wireless controllers. The bundle was detailed by -- who else? -- the Ars Mole and would likely be released alongside the various retail editions of the game on September 14. Further evidence of the Reach-branded hardware comes by way of Joystiq reader "killer rin," who sent us a link to this Xbox.com page (now removed), which had advertised a Reach-themed controller (captured above) for $60. The controller appears to reflect the design suggested in Ars' report. Update: Microsoft has announced the bundle. See glamour shots and find all the details here!
Discounted original Xbox 360s outsold new 'S' model in June
Microsoft enjoyed a "significant sales spike" for Xbox 360 hardware in June, but according to Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, discounts on the original version of the Xbox 360 may have had more to do with driving consumer excitement than the new model. 40 percent of Xboxes sold in the US last month were new "Short" systems, Pachter told investors in a report (summarized by GamesIndustry.biz), with $150 Arcade systems accounting for another 35 percent. That leaves various bundles, also discounted by $50, as the other 25 percent of the month's sales. "It is clear that the sales spike for the 360 was largely temporary, as clearance items accounted for around 60 per cent of total sales," Pachter concluded, "and it is not clear that software attached heavily to these purchase." Those discounted Xboxes would account for an even higher percentage by volume!%Gallery-95601%
Video: Xbox 360 data transfer and YOU
With the release of the newly redesigned Xbox 360, we're sure more than a few Xbox gamers have been considering an upgrade. With that upgrade comes a very important question: How do you get your data off the old Xbox and onto the new Xbox? To answer this question, we decided to put together a helpful how-to video. The video covers two methods of transfer: USB drives and the official Microsoft data transfer cable. Of course, this is a very important subject for Xbox owners, so rather than shoot the video ourselves, we farmed it out to a real production studio to give it that professional touch. We think the results speak for themselves.
Microsoft claims 'unprecedented demand' for new Xbox 360
Although Microsoft didn't provide specific sales figures (per usual), the company claims it's seeing "unprecedented demand" from retailers for its new Xbox 360 console. In a statement released following May's NPD results, Microsoft claimed a "significant sales spike" for its new Xbox 360 250GB "short" model, along with its older Arcade and Elite units (which both received a $50 price reduction). The new console hit US store shelves around June 14. As for the sales spike's impact on the June NPDs (which will be released next month), Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter stated in his analysis of May's results: "We think that the boost in June hardware sales could allow June software sales to approach flat, notwithstanding a lackluster release schedule." %Gallery-95126%
New $199 Xbox 360 coming this fall
A Microsoft representative has confirmed to Joystiq that a $199 version of the new "short" Xbox 360 will be available this fall. Kotaku recently reported on a retailer document revealing the cheaper version of the console, along with a SKU containing both the new Xbox system and Kinect. Microsoft declined to comment on the Kinect bundle or offer any further details of the $199 model (beyond the price and release window). At least we now know that Microsoft isn't crazy and hasn't completely given up on having a $199 Xbox 360 to pit against the Wii. It also makes sense that a $199 "Arcade" version would be on the way, given that retailers like Amazon still refer to the new 250GB model as the "Elite." %Gallery-95126%
Visual comparison of Xbox 360 and Xbox 360 'Slim,' er, 'Short'
We know what the technical differences are between the original Xbox 360 and the Xbox 360 "Slim," but on initial impression the new model didn't look much skinnier. Despite being seemingly equal at first glance, the side-by-side reveals the truth: the new Xbox just drank too much coffee as a kid. We may have been a bit quick in colloquially naming it the "Slim," perhaps we should have gone with Xbox 360 "Short." %Gallery-95601%
