Recently during my time of browsing Gamestop.ca's trade in deals and games, i found that if you traded in your old Xbox 360 console you could get the new (4GB with Kinect or 250GB standard) for $100 less than the list price. So after waiting for the console to arrive in my hands I will finally give you my reviews.

HARDWARE:

The new console is considerably slimmer and shorter than the original and is a great move from where I was. While my system is only setup on a 22 inch Samsung LCD in my brother's room it is still a good setup in HD. So while I was at EB games on sunday I bought a cheap HDMI due to the lack of HD cables included in the box. The cooling system of the slim is fantastic and silent, with my old console it was so loud you could hear it on the lower floors, but the new cooling is made up of small fans on both top and bottom for input while there is a small bit of output still on the back and a large (I'd say 120mm) fan on the side (right above CPU and GPU) venting out most of the hot air. Looks and Sounds are pretty important to the console, as we know the console has tones that play when the consoles are turned on and disc drives are opened and these cannot be turned off. Overall look is amazing with a glossy black finish and curves, giving a more extreme and sharp look to the system.

PREFORMANCE:

The console has a greatly increased preformance compared to the older models as signing in on the new dashboard is completed within seconds and graphics are enhanced (then again it may be just cause of the HDMI), and load times are slightly shorter than before. Although the loudest part is the Disc Drive I would reccomend copying your games to the hard drive and playing them from there. Visuals and framerates on Halo: Reach, GTA IV, and COD: Black Ops are all increased and are now what I think are optimal for consoles.

OVERALL RATINGS:

Look: 9/10

Preformance: 9.5/10

Reccomended?: Yes, with every part of my body YES!

Thanks for Reading!