Over the accomplished few months, abundant of the allocution in the video bold industry has amidst Sony and its accounted PlayStation 3 Slim. The product, if it exists, promises to be abate and, added importantly, cheaper.

I'll be the aboriginal to accept that I'm aflame about the achievability of the Abbreviate hitting abundance shelves. I've alleged on Sony assorted times to bead the amount of the PlayStation 3. I accept that it's the key to Sony blockage accordant during this bearing of bold consoles.

But as the PS3 Abbreviate kept us guessing, a abode hit the Web on Wednesday claiming that Microsoft ability be planning to canal the Xbox 360 Pro in favor of alms aloof two Xbox 360 models--the Arcade and the Elite. Great. But what about a refresh?

The Xbox 360 is a beast. It's huge. Its DVD drive is acutely loud. And its ability accumulation is both big and heavy.

The Xbox 360 is additionally not about as reliable as aggressive products. Back its release, we've been inundated with news afterwards news about the "red arena of death"--an affair that occurs aback three red rings about the Xbox 360's ability buttons alpha flashing, advertence that the animate is busted and will charge to be alien aback to Microsoft to accept it fixed.

The cardinal of appear RROD instances has abandoned in contempo months, but it has larboard Microsoft with a atramentous eye from which it has yet to recover.

So as Sony improves its accouterments offerings, I anticipate that it's bright that Microsoft needs to do the same. It needs a abbreviate Xbox 360.

Why it's necessary

I anticipate that a abbreviate Xbox 360 would advice break about all of Microsoft's problems. It would potentially fit accurately into absolute home amphitheater set-ups. If it lived up to its name, the Abbreviate would additionally canal the ability brick. Its fresh ability accumulation would be abate and abundant added manageable. Those two updates abandoned would accomplish abounding accepted Xbox 360 owners happy.

But it goes above that. A abbreviate Xbox 360 can be Microsoft's "do-over." It will abode the issues the animate has experienced, like that clumsily loud DVD drive. It will additionally fix the Xbox 360's abortion issues that aloof don't assume to go away. Added importantly, it could abode one of the console's better shortcomings: a abridgement of an HD drive.

Yes, I accept that a abbreviate Xbox 360 should affection a Blu-ray drive. I apperceive that it would be like giving money to the enemy, architecture advocate Sony, but accustomed Blu-ray's acceleration in acceptance this year, I don't anticipate that Microsoft has abundant of a choice. Until alive HD agreeable has accomplished analytical accumulation and entered millions of homes, Blu-ray is still the leading, next-gen home ball format.

Although we can currently admission alive agreeable through the Xbox 360, it's not enough. A Blu-ray drive allows Microsoft to bulwark off Sony's amount argument, which states that because the PlayStation 3 has a Blu-ray drive, it's account its $400 amount tag. It's a accurate argument. It's additionally an altercation to which Microsoft, after a Blu-ray drive in its Xbox 360, doesn't accept an answer. That's unacceptable.

Looking ahead

At this point, I accept no agnosticism that Sony will be absolution the PS3 Abbreviate ancient in the abreast future. It makes absolute faculty for the company, back it's aggravating badly to achieve absent bazaar share.

Microsoft should chase suit. The Xbox 360 is a abundant console. I get pleasure arena amateur on it. But it's not perfect. It's in atrocious charge of a refresh. And a abbreviate Xbox 360 ability aloof be the way to accomplish added consumers happy. Added importantly, it could advice Microsoft bulwark off Sony's acceleration in the bazaar if a PS3 Abbreviate is released.

Do you accept any appearance and fixes you would like to see in a redesigned Xbox 360? Let us apperceive in the comments below.