The X360 needs a new SKU, and this is what it should include

[4me2]

From gameplayer.com.au:

Microsoft needs to get serious and release a new SKU for their console that gives it a fresh image, and a fresh sense of purpose. And here's how...

Let's start with the biggie: reliability. The dreaded 'red ring of death' is an event too many users have had to endure.
Microsoft needs to do a dramatic rethink of their core hardware parts and do whatever it takes to guarantee a failure rate that competes with the PS3 and Wii. They then need to redesign the look of the Xbox 360 so it appears like a new, snazzy machine... a fresh beginning.

So along with an improved aesthetic, a new Xbox 360 SKU should do away with that flimsy piece of shit they call a disc drive and opt for the 'suck-in' option of its competitors. Hopefully this will also cure that incessant whine and dodgy vibrations that emanate through your entire house whenever a disc is spinning. Faceplates should be abandoned completely and buried with the other gaming turds in New Mexico. The hard-drive needs to be rethought completely; its current 'strap-on' design looks cheap and nasty.
In fact, the hard-drive needs to be redesigned in its entirety. The proprietary system currently in place is a joke.

Indeed, it seems like much of the Xbox 360's original design was built to encourage you to spend more on additions post purchase. It was originally argued that the modular nature of the console was a plus: you could buy the Core machine for relatively cheap and add things to it as you went. That couldn't be more untrue. In fact we have theorized in the past how the decision has acted to slow down the entire evolution of gaming. Faceplates, optional hard-drives, DVD as standard with optional HD-DVD drives: everything costs more and more.

When Microsoft announced the Elite, we were simply stunned that built-in wireless wasn't included. A standard feature in the Wii and PS3, Microsoft would prefer that you paid $169 on an ugly, white (on a black machine?) wireless adapter instead. WTF?

Now what about Blu-ray? HD-DVD is dead and the giant format war hoax has come to its inevitable conclusion at a massive cost to consumers. Should Microsoft get jiggy with a blue diode or not? We think they have to. Costs in their production have come down since the PS3 launched, which means the increase in cost to the consumer can be manageable.

Full Story: gameplayer.com.au (4 pages)

[EvilBoB]

What a crap article. Reads "Here's what we would like"

So... Here's mine

Microsoft seem to have resolved the issues with reliability so the first paragraph is crap.

Improved asthetic? come on.... who gives a crap what the box looks like as long as the games play good. I personally like the design of the 360.

Also gameplayer.com.au's journalistic prowess comes into force with profanities in the article (again).

that flimsy piece of shit they call a disc drive and opt for the 'suck-in' option

Fanboi much?

Hopefully this will also cure that incessant whine and dodgy vibrations that emanate through your entire house whenever a disc is spinning.

That's because it's a fast drive unlike the PS3's BDROM.

Hard drive? strap-on? Please. It makes it easy for people to change them and is easily accessible by anyone.

Valid point on the proprietry nature of the HD but I'm not bother by that - much like 99.9% of gamers.

Indeed, it seems like much of the Xbox 360's original design was built to encourage you to spend more on additions post purchase.

spot on - it was designed to be customized to how you want it to work. Different HDs, different front panels - the option to buy into HDDVD etc. Keeps the original cost down (£159 now you know)

Elite was a mistake imo - just a way to con people into spending lots of money.

Bluray - leave it out. The 360 is a gamers machine. This is shown by the catalogue of titles already available for it.

It certainly sounds like they basically want the 360 to look, play and act the same as the PS3 - but this is something I think we have all come to expect from gameplayer.com.au!

[{{909}}]

I don't really agree with the main article but a few of the points are valid.

The RRoD still isn't fully fixed sadly, MS have added an extra heatsink but that doesnt stop the board from warping which is the root of the problem, they need to sort those x-clamps out. Newer machines are far less likely to go though as they don't get as hot in the first place.

A new design would boost sales, it always has in the past and i think there's only the original xbox in the history of (successful) consoles that hasn't had one at some point, ven if its just minor cosmetic tweaking.
I don't think it should have a slot drive but they could address the fact that no end of them have drives don't eject properly, although I think that's only a trait of the samsung drives.

MS should make the whole thing just 1 sku which includes a HDD of some description, with the option to upgrade it easily and cheapish.

I agree with Evilbob that the elite is pointless, especially as it pushed the price into PS3 levels when it was released (before the price drop), but I think the same can be said for the core, with no method to save your game, a crappy wired pad and no HD video cable, actually using it properly needed more cash spending on it that it would have to just buy a premium in the first place.

[evilsatan]

The RRoD appears to be pretty much sorted, in my experience anyway. I had a console a year after launch and it worked a charm for well over a year when I sold it, and it is stillworking perfectly. My new falcon is working fine. Only my mates with launch consoles had problems, and those werep roblems that should never have been so widespread.

The 360 needs wireless built in, £60 is a joke for an adapter. Slot load would be nice but it is not a neccessity, IMO the machine has a nice modern design already. As has been said above removable HD is a plus point not a negative, although 20GB on the premiums was a bit of a joke and the retail prices for the 120GB HD are stupidly high.

HDMI should always have been on the machines as standard when it is a machine built for the HD revolution.

However I don't for one second think M$ hasn't thought about the above points, they probaly found the most profitable way to sell their stuff was with loads of SKUs and msising components and props to them it worked.

[Fearless]

I have a few suggestions

1.New 360s should come preloaded with all the trial games of arcade games, most average joe bloggs kinda people i have spoke to arent even aware of the arcade games.

2. Bloody cache the list of arcade games, i have 123 and everytime i quit an arcade game and go back to the list i have to wait for it to sort them out grrr.

3. Put decent content on arcade that will appeal to all ages.. a good example of games they could include can be found here http://www.gamedesire.com/

4. Martket Viva pinata as a selling feature!! to children and women at least

5. Award the first person to get 1000 points in a game legit with M$ points.

6. Host more tournaments/leagues for all kinds of games on xbox live.

7. Rethink the way the console displays the reconnect controller message that doesnt go away if one controller runs out of batteries and is replaced by a different controller.

8 Cheaper live games, i dont want to pay 800ms points for mr Driller, no matter how much of a facelife it has, its still the same bloody game!

9. Make achievements at least 50% story based and 50% online where applicable, and not to bloody hard, i for one dont want to finish a game on 4 different skill levels, twice is more than enough thank you

10. Give me an option to stop "such a person signed in", nothing can put you off a game more.

i could go on but 10 is enough

[EvilBoB]

10. Give me an option to stop "such a person signed in", nothing can put you off a game more.

You can turn that off through the System blade on the dashboard

[XBOX4LIFE]

I got a replacement 120 gb drive which came pre loaded with shed loads of demo's nearlly 20 gigs worth