While the Xbox 360 has always been cheaper than its bitter rival, the PlayStation 3, in the West, it’s been a very different story in India. If you do happen to spot an old Xbox 360 Arcade (priced Rs 12,990) in stores, it might not be a bad idea to pick it up, since it will still carry that comfortable three-year warranty. Now that those issues have been resolved, however, the Xbox 360 S goes back to the standard one-year replacement warranty. On account of the rampant failures due to overheating, Microsoft had increased the warranty period for the old console to three years. The old Xbox 360 consoles will require a separate power connection for Kinect. It simply means that it features a dedicated port for Kinect that removes the need for an external power connection for Kinect. The fact that the Xbox 360 S is “Kinect-ready” in no way means that the old Xbox 360 won’t support Kinect (the Xbox 360’s upcoming controller-free motion gaming tech). The only reason we’re listing this here is to let you know that it’s nothing more than a marketing gimmick. The power and eject buttons are now touch sensitive, although we aren’t big fans of the mirror-like chrome power button.
The overall design is the sort of thing you’d see from Alienware. Massive wing-like air vents on either side not only help dissipate heat better, but also look pretty good. The design is a lot edgier and more aggressive. The matte finish gives way to a glossy shell, and this one is all-black. The Xbox 360 S may not be a whole lot smaller than the old one, but it looks infinitely better.