Oh, those wacky analysts! With Sony announcing the PS3 Slim this past week at Gamescom, plucky analyst David Cole of DFC intelligence believes it's only a matter of time before Microsoft follows suit and announces its own slimmer version of the Xbox 360.
"I think it is a question of when not if," he suggests. "However, the when part is a big uncertainty ... rumors have been going on for a long time. I think people were asking me the same question last year at this time. As cost efficiencies allow smaller and more reliable is always a good thing. However, you also have something like Project Natal which could also tie in with hardware redesigns.
"There are a lot of questions Microsoft must weigh internally and there are always going to arguments on both sides of the fence around timing. So I don't know, but in our DFC forecasts we anticipated a major redesign in 2010....so I guess that was our bet."
Two other analysts, Tom Greenwald and Arvind Bhatia, disagree with Cole, beliving Microsoft doesn't need to do this, and probably won't. Ben Schachter or Broadpoint AmTech believes that Microsoft will definitely redesign the 360 to tie in with Project Natal next year.
What do you think? Is a smaller, sexier Xbox 360 coming our way? Does Microsoft need to do this? I can't personally imagine them announcing a 360 Slim since the original model is still doing quite well, but you never know. I won't rule it out, I'll just not believe it until I see it.
Contest:
10:00 AM on 08.22.2009
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WHATS NEXT? WII SLIM, AMIRITE?
I saw that and laughed so hard. I thought it was a joke. A 360 Slim being announced would be hilarious. Reasonable, but after all the PS3 Slim love, it'd be like a very elaborate joke.
If you look at all the internal updates Microsoft have added over the years you could say they've set their stall on making what they've already got working better.
Saying that I'm always down for smaller consoles!
There's not going to be a 360 slim because Microsoft has no real hardware expertise; they're a software company. Microsoft actually benefits from the 360's failure rate in one aspect: it inflates their sales numbers, even though it's likely largely the same people exchanging their faulty 360s with new ones at retail (rather than truly new customers). All exchanges count as units sold.
this person speaks the truth, more that anything a hardware revision for a X360 would not be about size, but about finally fixing the humongous flaws in design.
The analysts who say the 360 is doing fine as it are right, but it Microsoft can build a 360 for less (and keep the reliability the same or better) why wouldn't they?
They could make it the size of a couch for all I care, I just want it to work.
Slim, fat... whatever... I do think at one point they'll have to introduce a new look...
I could see something going on with Project Natal though...
SLIM RRoDs, cant wait for them!!!
Even if they did, they'd look like plagurists.
Oh wait, that's how they made a name for themselves to begin with.
Microsoft can't even make their normal 360 consoles work right.
Until they get that fixed I don't even want to hear anything about a 360 Slim.
Keep analysing, dudes.
Hey analysts, can you ask for a new JSR now?
m3 real
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Regards, Tom from fast loans
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