At first we were doubtful that a edgy box appearing in a little Flash ad from Italy last night could be legit, but Microsoft just got real with the new Xbox 360. (That's all it's officially called -- just "the new Xbox 360.") It'll launch today priced for $299, while the old Elite will stick around for $249 and the Arcade will drop to $149. The new box is crazy sexy in glossy black with touch-sensitive buttons, and Microsoft says it's "whisper quiet," with one large fan instead of two -- the new 45nm chipset undoubtedly generates less heat to begin with. On the features front, it's got integrated 802.11n WiFi, five USB ports, and 250GB of storage on a removable hard drive, although it's not a standard drive or same drive as the old console, and older Memory Units won't work, either. Upgraders can use a USB-to-Xbox hard drive connector cable to migrate to the new box, however. There's also a "custom Kinect port" on the back that looks like an HTC-style ExtUSB port, and it also seems like the power supply has moved inside the case, which is a welcome change. New Xbox 360 units are shipping to retailers now, with availability expected later this week, and MS conference attendees are actually getting theirs shipped today.

More: http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/14/slim-xbox-360-gets-official-at-299-shipping-today-looks-angul/