Slimmer Xbox 360 spied in the wild? Sorry, but no

So I was amused to see an Engadget story today about what appears to be a slimmer new Xbox 360 in the background of a photo I took of a Microsoft Arc Mouse. (I was actually just trying to show how small the mouse was, but whatever.) Anyways, here it is...

We received an interesting tip that we thought we'd share with the group. Windows expert and all-around bon vivant Paul Thurrott recently previewed Microsoft's new Arc mouse on his personal blog, detailing the device with a handful of photos. In the final shot of the series, what appear to be two Xboxes side-by-side can be seen in the lower right-hand corner... but one of those consoles looks thinner than the other. The appearance of what might be a slimmer Xbox 360 has (needless to say) sparked a debate amongst our editors here. Some say it's nothing -- a matter of angle -- while others argue that this could be just the scenario in which you'd see a leak of a new form factor. Either way, you can't simply brush off the differences here, and a little Photoshop matching on our end proved that these edges are decidedly different in angle. So we put it to the Engadget reader: is this a sign of things to come, or just our imaginations running wild?

Oh, I wish this were a slimmer Xbox 360, I really do. But it isn’t, sorry. And I can prove it, since nothing has changed down on the floor of my office since I took that original photo (including the MU, which is still sitting on top of my red-ringed 360). Here are the same two Xbox 360s from a different angle:

 

But thanks for the kinds words.

Discuss this Article 69

meason
on Sep 25, 2008
lol, slimmer xbox 360. Just what the heat problems need! Really they should making it larger not smaller........ Air Flow MS, AIR FLOW!!!!!
bettieblu
on Sep 25, 2008
Wow, do they RROD at the same time being so close together sucking in each others heat outpu:) Do you have that outlet on the same circuit as the rest of the room:)
Waethorn
on Sep 25, 2008
Paul, you should send them the ruler, cuz clearly they're smoking something funny.
bettieblu
on Sep 25, 2008
My question to those that have a Hard Drive - LESS 360, how do get game updates, as in where do the put them, on the flash memory? What about map packs and such?? Demo's????
tayme
on Sep 25, 2008
bon vivant...Paul, you are so European! It must be all of those home swaps that you ahve been doing! --tayme
shark47
on Sep 25, 2008
"bon vivant...Paul, you are so European!" And I can see Russia from my home.
Mum
on Sep 25, 2008
One would think that at Engadget they'd have a clue of what lenses of cheap cameras and wide angle lenses do to picture corner areas. "And I can see Russia from my home." I can almost as well, in fact.
pthurrott
on Sep 25, 2008
I can only see squirrels from my home. :)
tayme
on Sep 25, 2008
I see dead people.... --tayme
volwrath
on Sep 25, 2008
Is that your portable heater under your desk?
volwrath
on Sep 25, 2008
BettieBlu- Your only choice would be a memory card. Personally I think you need to bite the bullet and just get a 360 with a HD unless your old 360 RRODs in which case you can buy an arcade unit and slap the hard drive on it.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Sep 25, 2008
Hmm. According to Paul, the Microsoft Arc Mouse is "impossibly small", "comes complete with its own stylish tote bag" and is "an ergonomic disaster ". Who says Microsoft can't do hardware that competes with Apple on their terms... :-)
panache1023
on Sep 25, 2008
AAAAH, and there is Mike Galos again...can't stop bringing up Apple...a truly sad sight you are!
Mum
on Sep 25, 2008
"Who says Microsoft can't do hardware that competes with Apple on their terms..." I've said this before... If you call Apple's mice bad in terms of ergonomics, then you just don't know anything about mouse ergonomics. Not that code guys use mouse that much.
j4m3s0n79
on Sep 25, 2008
So I bought an arcade to replace a RROD unit and now I am addicted to Boom Boom Rocket. It's sounds so perverse....but man is it fun!
pthurrott
on Sep 25, 2008
Mike, but on the flipside, it comes with a cute tote bag. It's not a total mess. Plus the packaging is pure Apple.
lotsamystuff
on Sep 25, 2008
"I can only see squirrels from my home. :)" Yes, but they're "rushin" to get their nuts together for November. Much like the Republicans ;-)
johnbaxter
on Sep 25, 2008
Fun new sport: Engadget baiting. Or perhaps it's not so new.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Sep 25, 2008
Paul Sometimes I think the hardware group does something like the Arc Mouse or the S+ARCK Mouse just to say to Apple, "We could do "high heel mice" (pretty and painful), too. We just don't"
Anthony Cook
on Sep 25, 2008
If Microsoft should change anything about the Xbox 360 it should be the noise of these things. I couldn't care less if it was double the size if it were only quite. Its got to the point were i cant play my 360 after a certain time of the night because it will wake the entire family in the neighboring rooms!
shark47
on Sep 25, 2008
So, how much does arugula cost at the Whole Foods store?
adamb1000
on Sep 25, 2008
Hey theres Mike again with his Microsoft elitism. Whats even more funny was Apple wasnt even mentioned once in the original post but you bring it up anyway! Seriously quit sucking up to M$. Contrary to what you hear, there not the gift from god.
adamb1000
on Sep 25, 2008
Oh and for the record the MS arc mouse looks like it would be painful(literally) to use.
shark47
on Sep 25, 2008
Mum: "If you call Apple's mice bad in terms of ergonomics, then you just don't know anything about mouse ergonomics." I confess. I didn't know mouse ergonomics was all about sacrificing function for form. adamb1000: "M$." Gorath, now that's cool.
volwrath
on Sep 25, 2008
I bought this mouse for my EEE the other day http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Wireless-Notebook-Optical-Slate/dp/B0002... It is a great mouse built by MSFT.
shark47
on Sep 25, 2008
bettieblu
on Sep 25, 2008
This got rid of my 360 noise problem:) http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3?#/start/
Mum
on Sep 25, 2008
"I confess. I didn't know mouse ergonomics was all about sacrificing function for form." "Sometimes I think the hardware group does something like the Arc Mouse or the S+ARCK Mouse just to say to Apple, "We could do "high heel mice" (pretty and painful), too. We just don't"" Ergonomic is not something that "fits in your hand" and that you have to "grip" unless you really have trouble with the mouse constantly slipping out of your hand. Which is entirely possible, I guess. But I'm pretty sure you haven't been hospitalized by a Microsoft product like I have. Yet I still use their products. (The S+ARCK mouse, in fact - it's the only ergonomic mouse Microsoft ever produced.)
shark47
on Sep 25, 2008
"This got rid of my 360 noise problem:)" It's only $398 more (excluding taxes) than the one I posted. But, hey, if you have the money, go for it. It helps the economy at least. :-)
shark47
on Sep 25, 2008
If they cannot afford $2 rubber feet, let them buy a PS3.
panache1023
on Sep 25, 2008
See Shark....no, adam's "M$" was not cool or called for, but it was a reaction out of frustration to Mike Galos for some reason feeling the need to bring Apple into a 100% Apple-less topic...and he did it TWICE! If you want the Apple fanbois to piss off, going the Mike Galos route is certainly not going to work... Personally, the MS mouse looks a little stupid....Meanwhile YOU are sitting there talking about sacrificing function for form, yet, the (lamely titled) Apple MightyMouse does not sacrifice a bit of functionality at all....go figure...I have no idea what you are talking about. Do some research before you start spouting off your anti Apple rhetoric.
subzerohitman721
on Sep 25, 2008
(A parody.) My Friends, we have a serious problem concerning our nation. Our friends at Engadget have clearly been smoking something, some illicit substance that has impared their judgement. This is clearly a problem for our nation, as wild speculation in the tech markets are doing critical damage to our nation. We cannot have tech bloggers smoking things and making dubious claims about imaginary Xbox 360's that are smaller and therefore cooler. Therefore I'm returning to Washington, D.C. my friends and suspending my campaign, until we collected enough drug testing kits to fully test the entire Engadget staff. We need reform my friends. Until this crisis has been taken care of, there will be no debates between Windows and OS-X until we solve this crisis. I will always strive to put country first and make sure that our tech bloggers are clean of any illicit substances. Thank you, and God bless America. (We now return to our regulary scheduled blogging.)
Waethorn
on Sep 25, 2008
"If you want the Apple fanbois to piss off, going the Mike Galos route is certainly not going to work..." ....and using someone elses role as an excuse for your own miscreant ventures is deplorable. "Apple MightyMouse does not sacrifice a bit of functionality at all" Except that it's NOT ergonomic. Go figure. "Ergonomic is not something that "fits in your hand"" Both painache and "mum" need to go read a dictionary some time. http://webrevolutionary.com/apple-mighty-mouse-sucks/
shark47
on Sep 25, 2008
"Personally, the MS mouse looks a little stupid....Meanwhile YOU are sitting there talking about sacrificing function for form" OK. How's this? Personally, the Mighty Mouse looks a little stupid. That's not an anti Apple rhetoric, it's my opinion about a product, which, incidentally, was designed by Apple. I've used it and I think it sucks. Not because it was made by Apple, but because it sucks. Apple has designed several great products. This is not one of them. Sorry. BTW, at least tayme practices what he preaches. What's the deal with your self-righteous talk?
bettieblu
on Sep 25, 2008
Mighty mouse sucks. Sorry it does. I have two in my desk now. Once used, the ball died on it after 6 months. The other brand new. Wife got an iMac in August, her first Mac, and ditched the mouse in two hours. We both use Logitech MX 620's. The might mouse feels funky, the right click is super picky, works well closer to the center worse out to the right, where your finger feels the best. The ball is cool, until it gets clogged, really fast. The wired version is SUPER lame with its short cable. Now the Mac slim keyboard....now that is nice.
panache1023
on Sep 25, 2008
Shark..no self-righteous talk...no idea what you mean, so be a little more clear and I'll answer. I have no issue with you not liking the mighty mouse, for whatever reasons you have...personally, I'm not a huge fan either, but it doesn't sacrifice FUNCTION for form....no functions are sacrificed. You will never catch me praising the idiotic mighty mouse...but don't lie and say it sacrifices function for form.... Bettieblu...i have found the right click to be a bit flakey too...thought it was just me....but in my experience, it works better toward the outer edges then the center where it seems to act like a left click....I'll probably get a new mouse eventually, but I've been in the process of a move so haven't really used the iMac much.....been mostly using my Dell E1750 laptop which has been running super hot lately and then bogs down....comes back to normal if I get some cool air on the bottom. Anyone know what this could be? maybe the fans are a bit clogged and aren't cooling the system efficiently? Waethorn....being ergonomic and being functional are two different things...i never said it was ergonomic, i just said no functions were being sacrificed....and what "miscreant ventures"? I am just sick of the PRO MS people bashing Apple when it's totally uncalled for (which in this case it was since Apple was not mentioned AT ALL in the original post!)....at least when you do it it's usually in response to an apple fanboi starting up.... But all these pro MS folks are always complaining about iCabal behavior, and then you get the self righteous Mike Galos starting up...he wants to complain about iCabal and then goes and does the same kind of nonsense, and Im tired of it! When I want to read pro-bias MS blogs I come here..I don't come here to read uncalled for bashing, and I just had enough.
Waethorn
on Sep 25, 2008
"Now the Mac slim keyboard....now that is nice." No thanks. "....and God said: *Keyboard keys should never have Jell-O as a contact material.*" ;)
mikegalos@msn.com
on Sep 25, 2008
"Now the Mac slim keyboard....now that is nice." About as nice as it was when it came out for the IBM PCjr...
mikegalos@msn.com
on Sep 25, 2008
"You will never catch me praising the idiotic mighty mouse...but don't lie and say it sacrifices function for form.... Bettieblu...i have found the right click to be a bit flakey too...thought it was just me...." You mean function like reliable right click?
Waethorn
on Sep 25, 2008
"being ergonomic and being functional are two different things...i never said it was ergonomic, i just said no functions were being sacrificed...." just read the review. he already says the opposite.
Mum
on Sep 25, 2008
"Except that it's NOT ergonomic. Go figure. Both painache and "mum" need to go read a dictionary some time." "Ergonomic" in a mouse means it's 1. symmetric 2. flat and 3. light. Go ask someone else who knows if you don't believe me. Of course you and 99% of people have would have no idea what ergonomic means - just like people generally have no clue about nutrition etc. "Mighty mouse sucks. Sorry it does. I have two in my desk now. Once used, the ball died on it after 6 months." Some have suggested that it works better in cold countries where people sweat less (and on top of that I have dry-ish hands). The ball has got stuck sometimes, but pressing and rolling firmly usually fixed it. Once I had to do a little more thorough cleaning, but I've used 8 or 9 different ones (3 of them mine). It certainly can be bad if your hands are not of the dry type and the surroundings not so clean.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Sep 25, 2008
""Ergonomic" in a mouse means it's 1. symmetric 2. flat and 3. light. Go ask someone else who knows if you don't believe me." I'm someone else who knows and I don't believe you. Symmetric, flat and light may be what you like in a mouse and you're welcome to your taste but it's NOT "what ergonomic in a mouse means" by any reasonable definition. Nor is equating your personal tastes to a scientific methodology reasonable. Perhaps you could actually ask a ergonomist sometime rather than spouting opinion as undeniable Truth (with a capital T)
panache1023
on Sep 25, 2008
@Mum, your excuses to the failure of Bettiblue's mighty mouse stinks. @ Mike Galos....TOUCHE! (gave up trying to get the accent over the 'e') Waethorn, why do I need to read a review when I've experienced the Might Mouse personally....my logitech mouse at work as right click, left click, scroll wheel, and scroll wheel click...my mighty mouse at home has left click, (flaky simulated) right click, scroll wheel, scroll wheel click, and it even has buttons on the side which I have assigned to Expose ......definitely sounds like there are no sacrifices. Regarding the thin keyboard....it's actually not that bad...but what's cool is that it has two USB ports on the side to accept input...I just found that out during my move.....no use for them yet, but it's nice to have....I think I would have preferred one of those cool ergonomic keyboards...I'm using a MS ergo keyboard right now at work....love it.
tayme
on Sep 25, 2008
@sharkey - "BTW, at least tayme practices what he preaches." Hey...whatch it...you guys are all a bunch of MSFT and AAPL fanbois!!! Netware rocks and IPX/SPX is the best network protocol ever!!! Just wait, they will come out with the NovPhone withing the next year and it will blow the rest away!!! ;-) --tayme
panache1023
on Sep 25, 2008
regarding ergonomic, I would have thought it meant something like "intended to maximize productivity by reducing operator fatigue and discomfort"... but that's just what I thought...
tayme
on Sep 25, 2008
@panache1023 - "but what's cool is that it has two USB ports on the side to accept input" Keep in mind...those are low power USB ports...you cannot use them with a device that gets its power via USB. --tayme
tayme
on Sep 25, 2008
@Paul - I think that your's is the only site that can generate upwards of 60 comments on a post meant to dispel the rumors of a mythical thin game console... --tayme
panache1023
on Sep 25, 2008
@tayme, thanks for the heads up
shark47
on Sep 25, 2008
@panache: "You will never catch me praising the idiotic mighty mouse...but don't lie and say it sacrifices function for form...." I think you've misunderstood my statement. I didn't mean it doesn't do a lot of stuff. I meant it doesn't do it well. They've concentrated too much on the looks and sacrificed usability in the process. You, mum and bettie have already given examples of that.

Please or Register to post comments.

IT/Dev Connections

Las Vegas
September 30th - October 4th

Paul ThurottYou'll have the opportunity to experience:
• 120 Technical
Sessions
• Networking with Peers
• Expert Speakers


Come See Paul Thurrott & Mary Jo Foley in Person!

Register Now

Office 365 InfoCenter

Get the latest insight and info from Paul

Read Now!

What I Use