Review on Xbox 360 250GB Console Kinect by Chase Hosea

Both Xbox and Kinect get my top marks. Foot. It was in my bedroom to expand my media center computer. I had the newer Elite connected to my PS3, Wii and Mac Mini running Windows 7 Media Center and it all went to my big screen TV. So this new slim Xbox has replaced the bulkier Elite that went into my bedroom and my 7 year old is thrilled as I am now buying a TV for his room to hook up an old first gen white TV. So the Xbox is a loving redesign, but the packaging really blew me away. Instead of some sort of static screen protector on the drive carrier, they used something with annoying sticky buildup. And of course it didn't turn out pretty. So I spent about 30 minutes cleaning everything up without ruining the finish. You can usually use some of that protective coating, which still has some tack, to "brush" what's left, but it was a nightmare to remove. Also can't believe the era of HD TVs they are still giving. the lowest cable option for connecting to a TV. I mean come on, how many people still use nothing but a single video cable and L/R audio input on an old non-HD TV? I understand they want to make money, but by paying $400 they AT LEAST give a good cable. Luckily I replaced an existing one, so I just used the HDMI cable that was already installed. But that doesn't leave me with anything to use for my son's room when I get his new TV, so another cable had to be purchased. Sound - This new thin Xbox is absolutely silent. No more turbofan engine noise on takeoff. I'm about 18 or 20 feet from my TV and all those other boxes and I can't hear it when it's on. It's as quiet as a PS3, if not quieter. Excellent job after years of jet wash noise generated by previous versions. The brick *got* smaller, but not by much. Uses the same plug for AC, but now fits a different plug in the device. So you can change the device, but you don't have to change the power cord if you're replacing an existing one like I did. I've had no problems with any of the various hard drive transfer cables I have around the house. from the days when they mailed them to people for free on demand. The transfer went well, didn't even need to use a CD, apparently it was now built into the Xbox OS to recognize the cable and just do the transfer. Everything went fine except for the game files themselves, which I installed from discs to speed up load times. Then I came across the page [.] to move the licenses to a new box and everything works fine with no problems. Pretty quiet and doesn't need more. Then there is the Kinect device. A USB connection on the integrated cable and that's it. I was amazed at how well it works, I had lower expectations for first generation devices like this. But it works and surprisingly well. It's fun to use and my 7 year old and I enjoyed playing with the included game. There is a slight delay between your actions and what they show on screen, but it is NOT significant, much less than I expected. I wish the choice of things was "Hold your hand to close the button, then press the TV to press the button," but it's "Hold your hand to close the button." close, then keep your hand still for 3 or 4 seconds to select that action type. I also want to skip the intro to the kinect game, which is always warning you about moving furniture out of the way and such. It will after a while boring.Video chat and ESPN require gold, although xbox live memberships I expire mine after 6 or 7 years as I haven't done anything online with anyone in the last 3 or so but looks like I will have to get this gold account again try the video overall a great buy and price the xbox is the same price i originally paid for my elite when it came out and it has a bigger drive, more usb ports (although I don't see her now for anything other than Kin ect) and integrated 802.11n wireless (mine, the optional wireless for the Elite only worked with 802.11g, so was useless here after evaluating my wireless network). Too bad they didn't offer this device when I was looking and got my Elite last year.