Behold, the Monolith.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am one happy gamer.

After weeks of waiting I finally got the a call from my local Gamestop letting me know that my new Xbox 360 had finally come in. As I mentioned in my top three things from E3 this year, the new Xbox definitely had me excited and after finding out that I could trade in my old Xbox and accessories toward the purchase of the new system I quickly reserved mine. Of course, I wasn’t the only one with that idea and as a result it was weeks before it finally arrived.

It was so worth the wait.

Why you ask? Well, let me tell you:

The New Design: Obviously, this is the first thing one would notice. Gone is the clunky, white brick-like structure in favor of a slimmer, sleeker, and black design. It’s clear that the people at Microsoft wanted to take the look of the Xbox 360 in an entirely new direction and they certainly have done that; the console is beautiful. It really is. The only downside to it is that the shiny, reflective surface is pretty prone to fingerprint smudges.

The Built-In WiFi: This, is probably my favorite aspect of the new design. Gone are the days of the $100 Internet adapters attached to the back of the system. Finally, the consoles come ready for WiFi. Really, my only question is why the hell did it take so long? The PS3 has come with integrated WiFi since its inception and it’s about time the 360 caught up.

The Touch Sensitive Power Button/Disc Tray: This feature seems to have been overlooked in all the hype but it’s a really cool feature. There is something very satisfying about brushing your finger over the new silver power button, hearing an affirmative chime, and having the system turn on. The same is true of the button to open the disc tray. Now, why the Xbox 360 still has a disc tray and not a front loader still eludes me but the fact remains that this small feature is a great touch to the new, more modern design of the console.

The Harddrive: It’s 250 GB. My old harddrive was 20 GB. You can guess how I feel about this upgrade.

The Heat: Unlike the old 360 that could generate a lot heat due to the inadequate fans in the system, the new fans keep the system much cooler. I am keeping the new console flat on its side and placing my hand on the top of it, I can feel a slight heat but nothing really noticeable. What’s really nice though is that the back of the system actually expels cool air. Again, it seems like a basic functionality and yet it was noticeably absent from the previous model.

The Noise: Remember dial-up Internet? It was fast, it was reliable, it was awesome. That is, until broadband arrived. Once that happened, many of us (if not all of us) realized that we would rather go without Internet access than to have to deal with dial-up. It’s the same with the lack of noise generated from the new Xbox 360. I never really realized how damned loud the older design was until I turned the new one on. Typing this now, I can only just hear a very faint humming emitting from it. This is certainly going to be nice for game immersion and Netflix viewing.

If you've just gotten yourself a new XBox 360, I can't honestly say if the new features are worth the purchase of another new system but if you've got an older console (perhaps one that's already gotten the RROD) and are keen on trading the new system in, I say go for it. I am certainly in love with mine.