Look Who's Come Crawling Back: The Xbox 360 E

What is it they say about the devil you know and the devil you don't? I'm experiencing that right now with the recent purchase of an Xbox 360 E, the third model of Microsoft's most successful game console. 

On one hand, it's comforting to go back to the system's familiar interface, after the Playstation 3's less than endearing Xross Media Bar (yes, that's how it's branded) and its needlessly convoluted digital download system. Rather than the laborious process of buying a game, then downloading it, then installing it, the Xbox 360 handles all of that for you after you've made your purchase. You wouldn't go to an auto repair shop for a new tire and install it yourself, would you? Same principle.

The Xbox 360 E, in horizontal position.
Yes, I need to clean my countertop.

On the other... the Xbox experience is maybe a little too familiar for its own good. I've slightly resented the Metro GUI since it was forced on computer users with the latest versions of Windows, and the front end graphics are aggressively plain with a liberal use of green and grey. Maybe a different wallpaper would help, I don't know, but it probably wouldn't distract me from all these irritating advertisements. No, Microsoft, I don't want to see Joe Dirt 2. Frankly, I'm a little astonished they made the first one.

But enough of that. You might be wondering what the difference is between the Xbox 360 E and its predecessors. Beyond a trimming of size and a couple of features, not much. It's the 2600 Jr. or the top-loading NES of the 21st century, with the outer shell given a modern look but the core experience left intact. 

The backside of the Xbox 360 E, complete with
two USB jacks, an HDMI port, and a dial to
adjust the darkness of your English Muffins.
Oh wait, that's my toaster.

Actually, scratch that. The E does have a few advantages over the launch model of the Xbox 360. There's an extra USB port, an internal wi-fi antenna (FINALLY), support for HDMI displays, a 3.5 mm A/V jack, and what else...? Oh yeah, it works, which is more than you can say for the lion's share of older Xbox 360s. In accordance with Moore's law, Microsoft has reduced the internal components to a fraction of their original size, making them more reliable and energy efficient. The system still runs extremely hot, turning into a furnace after an hour of use, but so far, that hasn't translated into system crashes or other serious issues.

I bought my Xbox 360 E used... if you do the same, there's something you need to know about your purchase. Some models of the E have a small amount of storage built in, but not all of them do! If your machine ships without a hard drive, there's a chance it was removed, and you'll have no storage at all for your games. While you can use ordinary flash drives as a stopgap, you're better off with an internal hard drive. They fit inside the system, work more intuitively, and offer more room for your software.

Hey, it saved me fifty bucks!

Luckily, you don't have to pay Microsoft's extortionate prices for one! I just fished a Western Digital out of an abandoned laptop, flashed it with special firmware, and threw it into the 360, using some folded cardboard as a brace. That... may not have been such a great idea considering how hot the E gets, but it'll get the job done until the hard drive shell from eBay finally arrives.

My E may not be cutting edge in 2015, but for sixty dollars plus some pocket change for the hard drive, I can hardly complain. Besides, I've got a secret for you guys... video games on last generation systems still look pretty great! Seriously, check them out sometime. Unless you play all your games on a Jumbotron or have bionic eyes, I doubt you're going to see much of a difference between them and their "definitive" counterparts on next-gen systems.