The xbox 360 slim with 4 GB. is what the original arcade version should have been, and is definitely worth its $200 price tag.
10 new features of this model are:
1. New Valhalla chip - hopefully improved design to prevent RRoD issue, but tech. reviews noted that the Jasper chip in the older Elite model runs cooler
2. WiFi N - this is the newest wifi standard that is 12X faster (up to 600 Mbits/ sec) than wifi G; you'll need a Wifi N router to get the max. speed
3. digital optical audio port (if your sound system is separate from your TV, then you'll need this to get full 5.1 surround sound)
4. 4 GB of flash memory (although 1.1 GB is used by the game system, but 0.3 GB can be reclaimed by deleting 4 game demos)
5. 5 USB ports (2 in front & 3 in back)
6. slimmer design with side vents (to prevent overheating)
7. dedicated Kinect port (just a convenience feature)
8. only 1 year of warranty (the only negative; older Elite models had 3 yrs.)
9. USB flash drive support (this was a xbox software update released in April 2010)
10. ESPN video streaming (will be included if you are a Gold member, $50/ yr.; should be available about Dec. 2010)
Slim 4 GB vs. 250 GB hard drive:
I bought the 4 GB system over the model with 250 GB hard drive because the xbox now supports game saves/ installs/ downloads and pic/ audio/ video downloads to USB flash drives. It supports 1-2 USB flash drives with 1-16 GB memory (using a 16 GB drive, 1.6 GB is used for formatting). Saving games and media to the USB drives is recommended since loading games and media will be much faster (reading memory is faster than reading hard drive) and more reliable (flash memory rarely fails, unlike hard drives); even the xbox live director recommended using USB drives for storage. If you have such a huge appetite for videos downloads and game demos that 32 GB can not accomodate, then you can always upgrade later with the 250 GB hard drive that will be sold in November; note that the older xbox hard drives are NOT compatible with the slim models. Installing xbox 360 games and game demos on the flash drives is no problem; xbox will ask you which drive to install the game. However, I can not verify if you can install older xbox games like Halo on the flash drive. The only xbox game I have is Halo 2, which does not install on flash. This problem may be specific to Halo 2 because even xbox live does not have Halo 2 for sale, which means Halo 2 is not supported without a xbox hard drive. I'm suspecting that any older games listed on xbox live is enabled for flash installation, but if they're not listed then you'll need a xbox hard drive. This is annoying but not a big issue since there are only a few older xbox games that you may want to play.
XBOX vs. PS3:
I am originally a PS3 and Wii gamer, but finally bought the xbox when the slim 4 GB model was released. To be competitive with the PS3, the xbox had to have the built-in wifi, optical audio port, and USB flash drive support. I was deciding whether to buy another PS3 for $300 since many games require 2 consoles for coop and multiplayer gaming, regardless of what system you choose. With this xbox priced at $200, I decided to choose the xbox since it has better coop games, more online gaming, and their video library blows away the PS3 online videos. However, Netflix on xbox requires gold membership and starting a movie is a lot slower than the PS3 eventhough the xbox has faster wifi. Xbox music and music videos library needs to expand to the size of their TV and movies selection to be comparable with iTunes. The PS3 has better graphics though not significantly better (expected since PS3 has a better processor), but the XBOX has better coop and multiplayer games. The PS3 controller is better designed, better constructed, and has a rechargeable battery; the D-pad on the included xbox controller creaked without even playing a single game. Also, the PS3 has a Blu-Ray player, but is $100 more than the xbox slim 4 GB model. The button to open the disc tray on the xbox is too sensitive and not recessed, so slightly brushing it with your clothes will activate it. The xbox Kinect has more features and better specs. than the PS3 Move. With my Wii collecting dust, I decided to wait to see if games for the Kinect are a flop, similar to how many games for the Wii flopped. Anyways by June 2011, Kinect games should be 1/2 price with better selection.
Halo Reach Update:
You can not play Halo Reach coop online without a hard drive; using a USB flash drive does not fix the problem. Microsoft has confirmed this problem, so don't buy this system if coop online is important to you. The official XBOX FAQ is: "One or more players do not have a certified Xbox 360 hard drive attached to their Xbox 360 console. Some multiplayer aspects of Halo: Reach require an Xbox 360 certified hard drive." Microsoft said they are working on a fix, but Halo ODST had the same problem and that wasn't fixed!
If you're new to xbox, here are my recommended Top 10 coop games: Halo 1,3; Gears of War 1,2; Fable 2,3; HAWX 1,2; Halo Wars & Halo Reach (note: Halo 2 is not supported wo. a hard drive). Happy Gaming! Xbox 360 4GB Console'
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