The new Xbox 360 250GB (also known as the Xbox 360 S) is the highly anticipated redesign of the five year old Microsoft console. What's more, it's out in UK stores now.

And what a transformation, eh?

If it wasn't for the prominent Xbox 360 insignia and that distinctive circular power button it would never guess that this is the younger brother of the round, matte white, Tomy-looking console that released almost five years ago.

It's certainly quite a change of image for Microsoft's HD console, but its arrival also finally turns over a new leaf for Microsoft's hardware and its woeful history of unreliability and clunky design. The earliest 360 adopters will know what we're talking about.

That's what makes this update more significant than most.

The Xbox 360 may be the most popular HD console on the market (and deservedly so given its incredible library of games) but its domination was certainly not down to its hardware design. On the contrary, early purchasers found themselves at the mercy of one of the most widely touted and controversial hardware faults in videogame history.

Launch-era console suffered a widespread fault that would see the hardware unexpectedly die – a fault that the hardware would make you aware of by making three of the four usually green lights surrounding the power button glow red. And so the feared and fabled Red Ring of Death was born.

Admittedly, that issue was mostly resolved in the original models thanks to a series of smaller internal changes over the years, and most significantly with the release of the overhauled Xbox 360 Elite SKU, but its reputation is more spit-and-polished than bleach clean.

Let the arrival of this new hardware wipe that slate completely clean. This is by far the best Xbox ever made and from its new quieter internals to its shiny, aggressive-looking outer case, Microsoft has certainly redeemed itself.

Features: