In a rather quiet move, Microsoft announced that new Xbox 360 (slim) consoles will come with a new System on a Chip that will bundle the CPU, GPU, system memory and I/O logic on a single slice of silicon. The advantages to the new design that supposedly took five years to produce will mean new Xbox 360s will be quieter, have an even smaller power brick and generate less heat – all good things.
Although the Red Ring of Death issues that plagued the original Xbox 360 consoles was virtually eradicated in the new slim consoles that debuted last year (the red LED lights were also removed!), the even newer consoles should be hitting store shelves soon. Aesthetic-wise, the Xbox 360 slim will remain unchanged. Microsoft’s expected to make more profits using the new SoC which could in term be used for further development for Kinect or new technologies for a successor.
Either way, the Xbox 360 seems to get better with time. E3 brought about a huge slate of Kinect support and a new revamped Xbox dashboard that resembles Windows Phone 7’s Metro UI. With Kinect Fun Labs, the Xbox 360 looks to be able to stand the test of time and face off head to head with Sony’s 10-year plan for its PS3.
Update: Major Nelson’s come out to clarify the news on a new SoC in the Xbox 360. Looks like the Xbox 360 is NOT getting a newer SoC than the one from last years.
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