Xbox 360 slim trades red ring of death for red dot of death

Gamers who purchase a new Microsoft Xbox 360 game console won't get a red ring of death, but they could face the potential of a new error sign that informs them of hardware issues.

It was learned by a popular tech blog that Microsoft has shaken things up and wanted to rid itself of nightmares of the red ring of death epidemic.

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Kotaku learned from the Microsoft support team that the new Xbox 360 Slim will change the color of each console's power indicator from a green ring to a red dot.  The popular gaming blog also dubbed the new dot the red dot of death.

The new Xbox 360 Slim was publicly announced alongside the code-named Project Natal motion controller unveiled as Kinect.  The new 250GB Xbox 360 includes built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi and is quieter than older console models.  Microsoft has made the console available for $300, as the company looks to compete with rivals.

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To be perfectly clear: Just because the RRoD has been replaced by a RDoD doesn't necessarily mean hardware issues are expected.  The continued CPU, GPU and design upgrades have helped increase Xbox reliability, which has made consumers largely forget about the RRoD.

In the Slim, Microsoft used a single-chip CPU design, utilized a better heat spreader, and added cooling vents on the side of the Xbox 360's outer shell.

The Xbox 360 launched a year and a half earlier than the Nintendo Wii, but is still trailing the popular Japanese company by 20 million overall unit sales.  Despite the early struggle, the Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 have both started to trudge their way back to the top of the console race.

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