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Hands On: Xbox 360 S

By on July 26, 2010 in Digital Media Receiver Reviews, Reviews

P1000096 thumb Hands On: Xbox 360 S

Having owned an Xbox 360 since launch (I still have the original launch model as well as a Falcon-class Elite) I’m now trained to hear that initial power up whirr of the Xbox 360 before the fans kick in with their usual din. The lack of noise when you start the Xbox 360 S is startling. It just isn’t there. You’ll hear a beep from the console, and that’s all. Drop a disc in and you’ll certainly hear it spin in the drive, but the fan noise has been eradicated – a massive boon for those using the Xbox as an Extender for Windows Media Center, but good news for all Xbox fans.

xbox1 thumb Hands On: Xbox 360 Sxbox2 thumb Hands On: Xbox 360 Sxbox3 thumb Hands On: Xbox 360 S

In terms of software features, it’s as you were with the previous Xbox 360 models – there are no new software features on the 360 S with all of the existing platform features (Media Center support, Facebook/Twitter/Last.fm integration, Zune Marketplace) working flawlessly. For those of you thinking about Xbox 360 as a Media Center Extender or digital media receiver, the 360 S offers support for a wide range of music, video and image formats, although not all (MKV high definition video is an glaring omission). There are DMRs out there with better format support, but very few with better user interfaces and if you’re a Windows Media Center user, the Xbox 360 is really the only viable extender option now and for the foreseeable future. With silent operation, the use of the Xbox 360 S as a media receiver is a far better prospect than ever before.

Conclusions

After years of criticism for ropey hardware design, Microsoft have at last created an Xbox 360 that is small enoughand silent enough to really enjoy gaming and media without distraction. From a hardware perspective, it’s the console we all wanted five years ago – the right features, the right performance and the right price. For existing Xbox 360 owners, your desire to upgrade will be driven by how annoying you find the noise of the fans, and how confident you are in the robustness of your existing hardware. With the benefit of a great warranty on your existing console, you can move it to another room as a digital media receiver and pop a new 360 S in the living room. For those new to the Xbox, forget any preconceptions you may have that the Xbox 360 is not for you – sure the Xbox 360 is a games console, but it’s also a first-class media receiver that’s a perfect accompaniment to any digital home. Whether it’s streaming high definition video from Zune Marketplace, or music from your home server, PC or NAS box, Xbox 360 is a compelling proposition. With a successful hardware refresh complete and the Kinect controller on the way, Microsoft have set a path to ensure the Xbox 360 brand will dominate home entertainment for some years to come.

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About Terry Walsh

Terry Walsh is the founding editor and owner of We Got Served. Since February 2007, the site has provided detailed coverage and analysis of the emerging home server category, and has subsequently grown into a trusted outlet for digital home news and reviews.
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  • urmaster

    Picked mine up on launch, very nice overall but still hate that noisy (yes it makes noise) huge power brick. The gloss black is a dust/scratch magnet. Half of me regrets not holding out for the Halo bundle which I knew would be coming. They could have done better with the DVD drive its still quite loud (but deeper to hide the percived level) and it has the problem of disc scratching which is real simple to solve.

    • Rob

      The brick is silent (just as the old one was completely silent) .. the DVD drive is much quieter, the console itself is much quieter.. If you can actually here the console running that bad while playing a game you need to Un-Mute your television !

      • urmaster

        Get a life, no need to be so upset.

  • Interestx

    It's silent for those of us sensible enough to save and play games to and from the hard drive.
    (urmaster, you seriously reckon your power brick is noisy!?)

    WE
    I'm liking the touch controls, the silence, the piano black finish, the 5 USB ports and the lower energy consumption.
    It was enough to persuade me to sell off my 6mth old Jasper Super Elite & get a new S Xbox.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/urmaster urmaster

      Honestly there’s a high pitch noise, but it’s not as bad as the older Xbox, I guess hearing it is dependent on its position (gonna move mine soon). Do we still need diagnostics built into the PSU; it either works or it doesn't?

      Don’t get me wrong I like the new box but it also kinda feels like what I should have got near 6 years ago and still feels like something is missing. Oh and the noise level is great when you’re not playing Halo 3 or Gears of War 2 (installed or not). Either way the new box is much quieter than my PS3 and almost rivals the wii during disc-less operation.

      • Interestx

        urmaster
        What sort of surface is you PB resting on?
        Have you tried damping the brick's feet? I found my PC was getting a bit noisy and used a foam pad under each of the little rubber pads it rested on, it made a nice difference.

        • http://intensedebate.com/people/urmaster urmaster

          Interestx, previously it was lain flat on laminated flooring underneath the TV cabinet. I've moved the xbox into another room where it sits directly behind the monitor and now the PSU is inaudible. The noise from the game, xbox and my home server are enough to drown it out.

  • Danny Dee

    I agree the power supply is noisy, the fan in mine is louder than a PS3 Slim after about 30 minutes of use. It's a shame really because it negates the benefit of the quietness of the actual console for those who are sensitive to fan noise.

    • Rob

      i bought a PS3 on launch and defended that purchase for a long time.. later got a 360 which did have to repaired once, but MS won me over.. they retro-actively gave everyone a 3 year warranty if you had the RROD, they send me a free priority postage paid box, and had my console back in my hands in FIVE days !.. I was another fan who got suckered into buying a PS3 like me. Only to find out in reality they had a much weaker GPU then XB360 and Terrible online service, but I guess thats why its free. Playng COD MW2 sucks on the PS3, on the 360 its much quicker and less lag ! PS3 is last in console sales worldwide by 5 million and in 3rd place in games sold compared to the Wii and Xbox 360.. the 360 has sold nearly 120 million more games worldwide then the PS3 which is amazing and yet sad for Sony, who last Gen was King.. really favored the PS3 at first because I owned a PS2 and loved it, but game-wise the 360 is simply King and their online gaming Xbox Live is far superior to PSN which is lacking and behind.. they got Netflix an entire year after Xbox live got it, and on PS3 i had to use a disc everytime ! Now XB Live is gettng ESPN this Nov and some other new features..

  • Frank

    I'm told there a two free games installed on the hard drive, can anyone tell me what they are?

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/urmaster urmaster

      Hey, I deleted all of the pre-loaded content as they all appeared to be trials except Hexic-HD. Maybe it differs from region to region but I am 99% sure Hexic-HD is the only game pre-loaded.

  • perrynoid

    When I first got this thing, it was quiet, as advertised. Since installing the Update for COD MW2, the fan noise gets bad when games get busy. It also just gets loud from time to time doing things like streaming video with Netflix or even just flipping through the main menu. The fan Noise is BAD when this happens. Unless my audio is cranked up, it becomes very distracting. The heat coming out of the vents is high when this happens while playing a game as well. Perhaps there will be another update to correct this. Like I said, before the COD MW2 patch, I never noticed it. Do I have a defective unit? Is anyone else noticing this?

    • urmaster

      Not noticed here but I can say for a fact that both COD games access the disc frequently and do make quite a bit of noise (some other games do this too). Heat is normal and a good thing; not to sound obvious, it means that the heat you feel is no longer in the console thus the fan is doing a better job than previous units. Now fan noise whilst browsing the dashboard is dependent on how hot the console is; if you have not been doing anything prior either your ambient temperature is hot, the unit may indeed be defective or have inadequate ventilation. I find it does run quieter when laid flat.

  • prasath

    I bought this model last week from US, unfortunately i blew up the power supply adapter. it is coming with new type socket model. can anyone tell me where i can buy new adapter for this model?

    • smith

      I currently have the same problem and can't seem to find one :( If anyone has any details let me no thanks in advance

  • eonofen

    maybe im just paranoid. but yeah xbox slim does make a noise,. i got suckered in buying one without a HD… so yeah …playing with disk makes LOUD noise…. but idle . or no disk in, quite as my wii almost. my ps3 slim is quiter then the xbox 350 slim…. oh well…. just my experience.

  • mike

    i blew up my new xbox adapter too the thing is junk i still have a pre launched ps3 that runs far better and more reliable than the 4 xbox 360 ive had all these dholders that who lie that the xbox is so quiet bs why dont people tell the truth so people can be educated on the crap they sell now days….or do you like being ripped off scamed raped? oh and now im being to harsh well go dry your tears on your mommys boosum..

  • danny

    mine makes a loud humming noise and its pissing me off they obviously havn’t fixed the problem! its louder than the previous console and everbody is saying install the games but thats not FIXING the problem. help please?