14 DAY TRIAL // A public-relations leak has unwillingly revealed the slim version of Microsoft's Xbox 360 video-game entertainment system. The Console Tribe Italian website showed for a few minutes two advertisement banners featuring the new Xbox 360. They were pulled after a very short while, but it was too late. Many forums and online press outlets had already seen and reported about it, well before Console Tribe reacted.
The new Xbox 360 Slim seems, as the name suggests, smaller than the original Xbox 360, but it is unclear as of yet how much smaller it actually is. The image shows a black version that, given the ventilation slits, may have a new cooling system built in. This would be an obvious move from Microsoft, as reports have shown that the Xbox 360 is the console most likely to die from overuse. The ads also detail the fact that it will have wireless connectivity by default, with no other expensive peripherals needed for this kind of connection to the Internet, and a brand-new 250GB hard drive as well.
These ads are most likely to be legitimate because another one of the features shown is the compatibility with Microsoft Kinect, that is, the motion controller that was known as Project Natal until a few hours ago. Kinect was confirmed as the official name for Project Natal during the pre-E3 event that went on today in Los Angeles. The ads were live before that time and, moreover, Microsoft has not denied the information contained in the two advertisements, so we can safely expect an official revealing of the 360 Slim later this week.
This comes as a confirmation of rumors that have lasted more than a year now about a slimmer and safer version of the Xbox 360. The original console was heavily criticized because of its size, its lack of wireless connectivity and its biggest problem, the unreliable cooling system that resulted in many hardware failures. The problem has gotten a name, the Red Ring of Death, akin to Windows' infamous Blue Screen of Death. It was entitled so because of the red light that appeared on the usually green led around the On/Off button on the console.