Not only is the Xbox 360 S obviously physically smaller than the original Xbox 360 model, it also boasts a new combined graphics and processor chip that allows the redesigned system to run more silently, consume less power, and should also make it less prone to hardware malfunctions.
VentureBeat has a full break down of this new "Vejle" chip (named after a city in Denmark, for whatever reason), with its combination of CPU and GPU on the same chip being the key to its boost in performance. Rather than have a separate chip for each function (as all past Xbox 360 models had), the combined chip makes the systems cheaper to produce, as well as significantly less power hungry -- the Xbox 360 S uses a whopping 60 percent less power compared to a launch 360 from 2005.
And the benefit isn't just a small save in your power bill, as the smaller, quieter chip should also -- in theory -- have eliminated the dreaded "Red Ring of Death" malfunction once and for all. The cause of the RROD was that the graphics chip in earlier Xbox 360 models would eventually run so hot that they would warp the system board. But with the new combined chip, Microsoft says that even in hot conditions the new 360's fan doesn't have to top 55 percent of its capability.
The smaller chip (it uses 50 percent less space than the two chips needed in original 360 models) is also what allowed Microsoft to add in extra features like built-in 802.11N Wi-Fi.
VentureBeat's full story has many more details on just what it took for Microsoft and IBM to actually manufacture the chip, along with a lot of diagrams of the new chip itself. So if you're a tech-head interested in that kind of stuff, be sure to check it out. [/p]
So to all you Microsoft (not "Microshit" or "M$") haters out there, here ya go. No more RRoD, apparently.
ne on left is 360 Slim Power Brick]
