Microsoft's new "slim" Xbox was announced last week at E3. After reading the Gamepro.com story about the new "slim" Xbox 360, I thought about some of the new specs that are going into the redesigned machine and how these new features are going to effect the performance of the new Xbox.

Microsoft's track record on channeling power through their machines has been spotty at best. With this week’s news about the redesigned Xbox 360, we have a new machine to worry/wonder about. I would postulate that many of the readers at bitmob.com have gone through an Xbox or two. I know that I have. I never had any problems with the original Xbox. But, my launch Xbox 360 did finally die on me last year, which isn't anything to scoff at, considering.

The new Xbox's small design makes me wonder if the compact design is going to lead to overheating problems. It does look like the top of the machine (or the right side to those who stand it up on its side) has some ventilation holes. Are those holes strategically placed to help channel heat out of the box? Are those holes just for aesthetic purposes? I hope Microsoft has thought about the overheating problems that occurred in the original 360 and changed the design to help keep the machine cooler.

The biggest concern that I have about the new design is concerned with the Kinect power supply. John Davison wrote in his "New Xbox Ships Today" story, "Speaking of Kinect, the device also features a dedicated port for the device that also supplies power. Kinect users on older 360s will need to run a separate power cord to the device." The doubling up of power consumption by the Xbox and the Kinect is concerning.

For the people who are going to buy the new Xbox, is it going to be too much for the Xbox to power the Xbox and the Kinect at the same time? I am not as concerned about the people who will keep the older 360's because they will have an external power supply running to the Kinect. There should not be any overheating problems with this set up, but Microsoft has burned (literally or figuratively) many of us before with its consoles.

There was a problem with the original Xbox's power cord, which ended up catching some users' consoles on fire. We have also had to deal with the Red Ring of Death, which at times was a problem with overheating.

I am going to give Microsoft the benefit of the doubt. I am sure they have replaced more 360s than they ever sold. After the Red Ring of Death catastrophe, Microsoft started to cool down the system by replacing heat sinks and other hardware. With a new console, comes a new beginning. Kinect is another restart for the company, and so is this new system. Let's see if Microsoft starts things out right...again.