Before Microsoft went on an hour long marathon talking about Xbox One games at its E3 conference, it announced that the Xbox 360 will soon shift to a new SKU. Dubbed the Xbox 360 Super-Slim it was showcased as a smaller and more more modern model. While many noticed how similar it looks to the Xbox One with its checkerboard design, only a few could tell that it's not much of a change from the current Slim model. In some regards, it's actualy worse.
As seen in IGN's latest unboxing (available above) the Xbox 360 Super-Slim is actually the same size as the previous model, give or take a couple millimeters. Some people might not care too much about that, but what will certainly frustrate many consumers is the removal of the optical port. For several generations the optical port has existed as a conduit for video capturing and high-end sound devices (such as the Astro A40 headset). That's all history come the Xbox 360 Super-Slim.
So what's the point of the new Xbox 360 Super-Slim? Microsoft said during the announcement that it's to help redefine the Xbox brand, but if that's what it's trying to do why is it the most stripped down version we've seen? Is that the message it wants to send? The reduction in costs are clearly Microsoft's gateway to offering a $249.99 holiday bundle later this year. Remember, Microsoft President Don Mattrick told consumers that if they don't like the connection-oriented functionality of the Xbox One that they should stick to the Xbox 360. Microsoft isn't giving up on the current-gen device quite yet.
