The newly designed Xbox 360 announced overnight at the E3 gaming show in the US is set to be released in Australia on 1 July this year with a recommended retail price tag of $449, a Microsoft spokesperson said this morning — the price of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Elite bundle.

The spokesperson said there were no confirmed bundles for the new Xbox 360 at the moment. The new console, unofficially dubbed “Xbox slim” by the media, was announced at Microsoft’s pre E3 2010 press briefing last night AEST alongside “Kinect”, the official name for the company’s Project Natal motion-sensing project.

The new Xbox is slimmer than current Xbox 360 consoles on the market and will have built in WiFi 802.11n, a 250 GB hard drive, HDMI output, 5 x USB ports, a Kinect port and will available in gloss black only. It is reported that the hard drive is removable but not interchangeable with the older consoles. Australian gaming site AusGamers is in the US for the launch and has posted a video unboxing the new console.

The new console is also being pushed by Microsoft as being “whisper-quiet, so the silent tension of a game or movie is never broken”. At the Microsoft E3 2010 press conference last night the company revealed more details about Kinect, a motion tracking and voice recognition technology which will be used for games and allow ‘no controller’ gaming for supported games. These games will be aimed at the entry level, casual and younger gamers.

Voice recognition will be used for instant-on 1080p HD movies through voice command “Xbox, play.” Microsoft is yet to announce an Australian release for Kinect but it will be available in the USA in November 2010.

Image credit: Microsoft

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1. Steve Montgomery
   Posted 15/06/2010 at 2:22 pm | Permalink | Reply

   $499, really?! FFS, not this again – it’s been announced as launching at US$300. That’s over $100 markup for Aussies after currency conversion and adding GST.

2. Jenna Pitcher
   Posted 15/06/2010 at 2:39 pm | Permalink | Reply

   We get shafted for the hardware and the games. Australian consumers can give the greedy buggers the finger and purchase products online.
   Although shipping costs on a console may be even more exxy.

3. Simon Reidy
   Posted 15/06/2010 at 3:11 pm | Permalink | Reply

   US to AU conversion aside (we always get burnt with this – what else is new) I actually think the price is pretty reasonable for what you get.

   The new design looks way better (although it’s definitely a fingerprint magnet!) but the main appeal for me is the larger hard drive and the supposedly “much quieter” fan. My current first gen X-Box 360′s fan is so loud that I would never consider watching a film on it. The fan literally drowns out any quiet scenes and ambiance of the film.

   The HDMI output is also a must for me. I can only get 1080i out over component with my current model which is a waste on my 1080p screen. Speaking of HDMI, sorry to nitpick Jenna, but you’ve put “HDMI input” which would be rather useless. Think you meant to say “HDMI output” :)

   • Renai LeMay
     Posted 15/06/2010 at 3:32 pm | Permalink | Reply

     Hey Simon, actually the XBox 360 Elite already had HDMI output — so Jenna really does mean HDMI input here — you can see from the MS press release:

     http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/Features/2010/jun10/06-14KinectKeynote.mspx

     I have to say, I think MS should be cutting the price a little … $499 for a console which has been out now for more than half a decade is frankly outrageous, when you consider that you normally will also pay extra for access to Xbox Live.

     • Simon Reidy
       Posted 15/06/2010 at 3:40 pm | Permalink | Reply

       Interesting. Sorry Jenna, I stand corrected. What on earth is the HDMI input for? Does this mean the X-Box can display HD content from other sources? Maybe it’s just a passthrough of sorts. I don’t imagine it has anything to do with Kinect as that has it’s own dedicated powered USB port. Can anyone clarify?

       Regarding price, when you put it like that you’re probably right. At the very least they could have included a Blu-Ray drive. But then again they want people to pay to stream all their HD movies online so I guess that would take away some of the incentive.

   • Jenna Pitcher
     Posted 15/06/2010 at 4:01 pm | Permalink | Reply

     But how can you say it is worth it when other countries are getting it cheaper, even with conversion rate factored in?
     I wouldn’t be surprised if they do make the console cheaper around Christmas time when bundled in with the the Kinect, say around $599.
     True, with the upcoming Foxtel and Netflicks the last thing MS would want to do is include a Blu-Ray drive but that’s always been Sony’s style (yes PS3 does have Netflicks, too).
     It is I who stand corrected, Simon. But then again wouldn’t put it past Microsoft to add an HDMI input so they can charge consumers an additional $50 for a cable that goes no where.

     • Simon Reidy
       Posted 15/06/2010 at 4:12 pm | Permalink | Reply

       Now you’re really confusing me. Did you mean to type “it was meant to read HDMI output”?! :)

       • Simon Reidy
         Posted 15/06/2010 at 4:16 pm | Permalink | Reply

         Point taken in regard to price and MS’s tendency to charge exorbitant prices for accessories and cables!

         I guess I’m just trying to justify the price as I would really like this. Truth is I’m a sucker for shiny black things with “HDMI output” ;-)

         • Simon Reidy
           Posted 19/06/2010 at 5:03 am | Permalink | Reply

           Price has now been confirmed as $449, not $499. Still expensive I know, but it’s a little more reasonable (can you tell I’m really trying to justify this purchase? ;) )

           • Renai LeMay
             Posted 19/06/2010 at 2:48 pm | Permalink | Reply

             Ah yes — this was an error in the article. Will update.

             • Simon Reidy
               Posted 22/06/2010 at 8:35 am | Permalink | Reply

               More good new on the price front! http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/21/new-xbox-360-getting-a-199-flavor-this-fall/

               Please let me know if you hear anything about this cheaper version in Australia Renai or Jenna.

4. Simon Reidy
   Posted 15/06/2010 at 3:44 pm | Permalink | Reply

   I’ve just been checking detailed specs at Gizmodo (http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2010/06/the-new-xbox-360-fully-detailed/) and I’m starting to think the “HDMI input” reference on the Australian press release is a mistake.

   If you look at the picture of the back of the new X-Box 360 on the Gizmodo page you’ll notice the HDMI output in the middle. However there is no HDMI input to be seen, nor any reference to it in the specs.

   As already mentioned an HDMI input would also be a very strange addition. What would it do?

   I think it really just is an HDMI output as standard (yes I know the Elite model had an HDMI output, but it appears that the new X-Box will make this a standard feature for all versions).

   • Renai LeMay
     Posted 15/06/2010 at 4:01 pm | Permalink | Reply

     Hmm fair point. I’ll clarify this with the boys at Microsoft.

   • Jenna Pitcher
     Posted 15/06/2010 at 4:11 pm | Permalink | Reply

     A MS representative has been contacted to clarify the HDMI input/output and it was meant to read HDMI output. Hypothetically, if MS were to put a HDMI input on the console it wouldn’t seem too outrageous as it could be for a peripheral they had yet to announce.

     • Simon Reidy
       Posted 15/06/2010 at 4:13 pm | Permalink | Reply

       Now you’re really confusing me. Did you mean to type “it was meant to read HDMI output”?! :)

       • Jenna Pitcher
         Posted 15/06/2010 at 4:36 pm | Permalink | Reply

         Yes, I meant to say that. How many more times do you want me to say you were right, hmm? ;P

5. Simon Reidy
   Posted 15/06/2010 at 4:41 pm | Permalink | Reply

   hahaha. Sorry. I’m the official “pain in the arse commenter” at Delimeter ;-)

   • Renai LeMay
     Posted 15/06/2010 at 4:54 pm | Permalink | Reply

     Haha no you’re not, my friend, no you’re not :) We do have our trolls, don’t know where they are today though!

     • Jenna Pitcher
       Posted 15/06/2010 at 5:04 pm | Permalink | Reply

       Can we keep him?

6. Mark
   Posted 21/06/2010 at 11:29 pm | Permalink | Reply

   Simon you need to look at your HD TV if your not getting 1080p through component. I have no problem getting 1080p on my HDTV and im running an imported original 360 from the UK manufactured Nov 2005. I bought a Sony Bravia and was unable to output 1080p from my 360 to the tv so i got rid of it and bought a Full HD Samsung LCD that produces 1080p through component. A bit of research before you buy goes a long way

   • Simon Reidy
     Posted 21/06/2010 at 11:38 pm | Permalink | Reply

     I’m aware that some TVs support 1080p component Mark, however it’s not an officially supported HDTV format, and hence a lot of TVs give it the miss. The requirements for my TV were based around deep blacks, natural colour depth, good processing, scaling, de-interlacing, 1:1 pixel mapping and 24p support just to name a handful. Having worked in high end audio/visual for years I can tell you that plasma is by far the preferred format in my industry for faithful reproduction of films. While I like LCD’s and LED lit LCDs for their sharpness when displaying computer content, they can’t touch plasma’s black levels, contrast, colours, of pixel response time which are th things that matter for video. Phosphor decay on plasma wipes the floor with even 2ms or latest trend “200hz” LCDs.

     As a casual gamer, but a die hard home cinema nut, 1080p over component was the last thing I would ever have cared about when choosing my Panasonic PZ800A :)