Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 is a video game console developed by Microsoft. It was first released in North America on November 22, 2005. It is the successor to the original Xbox and the predecessor to the Xbox One.

This page describes the physical and tactile features of the Xbox 360 console and its major hardware revisions.

Directions assume that you are facing the front of the console.

Identifying your Xbox 360

The following physical features can be used to identify which Xbox 360 model you have by touch.

Feature	Original Xbox 360	Xbox 360 S	Xbox 360 E
Front faceplate	Removable; clipped in place	Not removable	Not removable
Front USB ports	Two, vertical	Two, horizontal	Two, horizontal
Power control	Physical button	Touch-sensitive	Physical button
Memory Unit slots	Two	None	None
Rear USB ports	One	Three	Two
Hard-drive location	Left side	Right side	Right side

Original Xbox 360

The original Xbox 360 is the largest of the three models. Its front faceplate is removable.

Front

The front face curves inward toward the center, forming a shallow dip across its width.

The power button is on the right side of the front. It is a physical button that clicks when pressed.

The button sits inside a circular depression. Following the slope toward the center, a finger encounters a groove marking the outer ring's edge, followed by a second, inner ring. The inner ring is the actual clickable button. A power icon can be felt on the button itself.

Near the bottom center is the wireless controller sync button. It is small, circular, and clicks when pressed.

To the left are two Memory Unit slots, arranged side by side. Each slot has its own flap. The gap between the two slots is about the width of a fingertip.

To the left of the Memory Unit slots is the IR sensor.

The disc tray occupies much of the upper front.

"XBOX 360" is etched into the left side of the disc tray and can be felt by touch.

The eject button is attached to the left side of the disc tray. It is a physical button that clicks when pressed.

The eject button also sits inside a small circular depression, making it distinguishable from the power button by its smaller size and location.

At the far right is a flap covering two vertically arranged USB ports.

Note: The sharpness or smoothness of the ring edge can vary between faceplates. It may be sharper on some faceplates and smoother on others, while remaining distinguishable by touch.

Left side

The Xbox 360 Hard Drive attaches to this side.

If a hard drive is installed, its casing protrudes from the side of the console.

If no hard drive is installed, the hard-drive compartment may be covered by a removable cover.

Right side

This side has a circular pattern of ventilation openings.

Four small rubber feet are located near the corners. When the console is standing vertically, these feet rest on the surface.

Rear (quick reference)

DC power connection (far left)
Regulatory sticker (top plane, far left)
Ventilation area (top and bottom planes, center-left)
A/V and HDMI ports (bottom plane, left of center; HDMI is absent on early consoles)
Ethernet port and USB port (bottom plane, right of center; Ethernet below USB)
Main information sticker and Wireless Networking Adapter slots (top plane, far right)
Patent sticker (bottom plane, far right edge; may be missing on used consoles)

Rear (tactile description)

The rear is organized into two flat planes, a top plane and a bottom plane. Moving into a port or sticker area and back out feels like a single dip, rather than a descent through multiple stacked levels.

The top plane contains the regulatory sticker at the far left. Moving toward the right, a zone of small circular ventilation holes spans the area between the two main stickers. At the far right is the main information sticker, which contains information such as the serial number, manufacture date, product ID, barcode, and power requirements. The two slots used to attach the Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter are also located in this area.

The bottom plane contains the DC power connection at the far left edge. Moving toward the right, the ventilation area continues before stopping near the A/V and HDMI ports.

The A/V port and HDMI port are in a recessed area, with the A/V port above the HDMI port. Immediately to the right is a second recessed area containing the Ethernet port below the USB port.

At the far right edge of the bottom plane is a small sticker reading "US Patent No." This sticker may be worn away or missing on used consoles.

Top

The top has large ventilation areas on both sides, with the same repeating pattern of openings found elsewhere on the console.

"XBOX 360" is etched into the center and can be felt by touch.

The logo is oriented vertically.

The X in "XBOX" points toward the front.

The 0 in "360" points toward the rear.

A smaller Microsoft logo is etched to the right of the "XBOX 360" logo, between it and the ventilation area. It has the same vertical orientation.

Bottom

"XBOX 360" is etched into the center and can be felt by touch.

The logo is oriented opposite to the logo on the top: the X points toward the rear and the 0 points toward the front.

Four small rubber feet are located near the corners.

Power supplies

The original Xbox 360 has several power-supply generations associated with different internal hardware revisions. These can be distinguished by their connectors and, in some cases, the ridges on top of the brick.

The earliest Xenon/Zephyr power supplies use a three-prong wall connector. This is an IEC C13/C14 type, commonly used with desktop computers.

Later original Xbox 360 power supplies use a two-prong wall connector. This is an IEC C17/C18 type, similar in shape to the three-prong type but without the ground connection.

The console-side connector has a distinctive rectangular shape.

Xenon/Zephyr console-side connectors have physical release buttons on the sides and a metal outer shell. Later connectors, used with Falcon/Opus and Jasper, do not have these buttons and have plastic outer shells.

A small plastic piece can be felt in the horizontal gap between the two rows of contact openings on Falcon/Opus and Jasper connectors.

Jasper connectors have an additional plastic piece near the top edge of the connector. This piece is not present on Falcon/Opus connectors.

The following physical features can be used to distinguish the original Xbox 360 power-supply generations by touch.

Three-prong wall connector + metal console-side connector with release buttons = Xenon/Zephyr
Two-prong wall connector + metal console-side connector with release buttons = revised Zephyr
Two-prong wall connector + plastic console-side connector without an additional upper plastic piece = Falcon/Opus
Two-prong wall connector + plastic console-side connector with an additional upper plastic piece = Jasper

The top of original Microsoft Xbox 360 power bricks has raised ridges. Xenon/Zephyr and Falcon/Opus bricks have 35 ridges, while Jasper bricks have 27. Third-party power bricks may have different physical features.

Power-brick connector compatibility

Physical testing shows the following cross-generation compatibility:

Power-brick connector	Xenon/Zephyr	Falcon/Opus	Jasper
Xenon/Zephyr	Yes	Yes	Yes
Falcon/Opus	No	Yes	Yes
Jasper	No	No	Yes

These observations describe physical connector compatibility only and do not constitute a recommendation to interchange power bricks. Check the console and power-related ratings before using a power brick intended for a different console revision.

Xbox 360 S

The Xbox 360 S is smaller and more angular than the original.

Its front faceplate is not removable.

Front

The front is flatter and more angular than the original, with contours sloping inward.

The power button is a touch-sensitive control near the center of the front. The contour around it slopes more gradually on the left side and more sharply on the right side, with the left side forming the longer slope. It produces a two-tone "Da Dum" sound when activated. It does not physically click. The same sound is used when powering the console on and off.

The eject control is above the disc tray, near the left side of the front. It is a small, circular touch-sensitive button. It produces a "Bing" sound when activated and opens or closes the disc tray.

The disc tray is below the eject control.

"XBOX 360" is etched into the left side of the disc tray and can be felt by touch.

At the bottom-right is a flap covering two horizontally arranged USB ports.

To the left of the USB flap is the controller sync button. It is marked with three curved lines and also doubles as the IR sensor.

Note: Some special-edition Xbox 360 S consoles use custom sounds for the power and eject controls. The R2-D2 Xbox 360 S, for example, uses sounds of R2-D2 itself from Star Wars instead of the standard "Da Dum" and "Bing" tones.

Left side

The left side has a large ventilation area with vertical ridges and repeating openings.

Right side

The right side has a large ventilation area with vertical ridges and repeating openings.

Two large rubber feet are located on this side. They support the console when it is standing vertically.

The removable hard-drive cover is located on this side. Near the back of the cover is a sliding latch that releases it.

The hard drive can be removed by opening the cover and pulling the attached ribbon.

Rear (quick reference)

DC power connection (far left)
Kensington lock slot (directly above the DC power connection)
Optical audio port (recessed area below the main port area)
A/V and HDMI ports (left of center; A/V above HDMI)
Kinect and Ethernet ports (center; Kinect above Ethernet)
Three USB ports (far right, vertically arranged)
"XBOX 360" sticker (left rear area)
Main information sticker (second level, extending toward the USB ports)

Rear (tactile description)

The rear has three distinct levels of depth. The outer casing forms the first level, a deeper second level sits behind it, and the ports are in recessed third-level areas.

A vertical line near the right side of the rear is a useful starting landmark. Moving left from it drops into the third level, between the top and middle of the three vertically arranged USB ports.

Moving further left requires hopping over a raised section of second-level plastic to reach the area between the Kinect port above and Ethernet port below.

Moving left again requires hopping over another raised second-level section to reach the A/V port, with the HDMI port directly below it.

Moving left from the A/V port reaches the end of the main port area. Moving downward from this corner leads to another third-level recess containing the optical audio port. The "S/PDIF" marking is etched shallowly and may be difficult to feel.

Moving left from the optical audio port requires hopping over the edge of the second-level section onto the first level, where a regulatory sticker can be felt. Moving left across the sticker drops into the third level, where the DC power connection is located.

In the left rear area, moving a fingernail to the right reveals another sticker labelled "XBOX 360," followed by a small line. Past the line, the finger drops to the second level. The information sticker is on this level and extends horizontally from the A/V and HDMI area toward the three USB ports. Its smoother surface distinguishes it from the surrounding plastic.

The left edge of this information sticker is a useful corner landmark when moving downward toward the A/V and HDMI ports.

Moving all the way left and slightly upward from the DC power connection leads to the Kensington lock slot. The slot and the "K" lock symbol above it can be felt by touch.

Etched markings identify "A/V," "HDMI," the LAN symbol, "AUX," and the USB symbol. The HDMI marking can be felt with a fingernail, and the LAN symbol can be felt to some extent. The USB symbol is not easily detectable by touch.

There are no ventilation areas on the rear.

Top

The top continues the inward contour from the front, though the contour is flatter and less pronounced. A diagonal line marks where the contour changes direction.

Following this contour line upward and slightly to the right leads to ridged ventilation openings along both sides of the top.

"XBOX 360" is etched into the center and can be felt by touch.

The logo is oriented vertically, with the X pointing toward the front and the 0 pointing toward the rear.

Bottom

The bottom has four small feet, one near each corner.

A diagonal tactile line crosses the bottom, sloping from the lower left toward the upper right.

"XBOX 360" is etched into the center and can be felt by touch.

The logo is oriented vertically opposite to the same logo on the top, with the X pointing toward the rear and the 0 pointing toward the front.

Power supply

The Xbox 360 S power brick has a matte texture on all sides. Unlike the original Xbox 360 power brick, it does not have ridges.

The areas around the wall and console connectors have a different texture.

The wall-side connector has two prongs. This is an IEC C17/C18 type.

The bottom has an information sticker and four rubber feet near the corners.

The status LED is small, flush with the surface, and has no surrounding depression.

The console-side connector has two thick, round prongs arranged side by side.

Xbox 360 E

The Xbox 360 E is the final Xbox 360 hardware revision.

It is flatter and more angular than the original and somewhat simpler in construction than the Xbox 360 S.

Its front faceplate is not removable.

Front

The front is relatively flat, with the curved portions at the far left and far right curving inward.

At the bottom-right is a flap covering two horizontally arranged USB ports.

To the left of the USB flap is a separate IR sensor.

To the left of the IR sensor is the controller sync button. It is marked with three curved lines and is a physical button that clicks when pressed.

Moving left from the sync button with a fingernail held vertically reveals a tactile line separating the right and left portions of the front. This line is a useful landmark for locating the controls above it.

Following the line upward slightly leads to the eject and power buttons toward the upper-right portion of the front. The eject button is on the left and the power button is immediately to its right. Both are physical buttons and click when pressed.

The eject button's marking can be felt somewhat by touch. The power button is circular, with a smooth, shiny surface that a fingertip can settle into.

The disc tray occupies most of the upper-left portion of the front.

"XBOX 360" is etched into the left side of the disc tray and can be felt by touch.

Left side

The left side has a large ventilation area with repeating raised ridges.

Right side

The right side has a ventilation area with repeating raised ridges.

Two curved areas can be felt on this side. Facing the front, the left area has a reverse-D shape and the right area has a D shape. Each area contains two small circular raised bumps, one near the top and one near the bottom, for four bumps total.

The reverse-D-shaped area also contains a rectangular opening that is not to be mistaken with a USB port.

The bumps in the D-shaped area are a useful landmark for locating the hard-drive cover release. Moving slightly left from them leads to the release slider. Pulling the slider diagonally down and to the left releases the cover.

The removable hard-drive cover is located on this side. Its left side has an angled, backslash-shaped section that helps identify its orientation when replacing it. Once aligned, the cover can be pushed into place until secured.

The hard drive is inserted into the bay and clicks into place.

It can be removed by pulling the attached ribbon.

Rear (quick reference)

DC power connection (far left)
Kensington lock slot (toward the left side, above the DC power connection)
Console-information sticker (between the HDMI area and DC power connection)
A/V port (left of center; small round connector)
HDMI port (immediately left of the A/V port)
Kinect and Ethernet ports (center; Kinect above Ethernet)
Two USB ports (far right, vertically arranged)

Rear (tactile description)

The rear has three distinct levels of depth, similar to the Xbox 360 S, but the transitions are less pronounced.

A tactile line toward the far right of the rear is a useful starting landmark. Moving left from it drops into the recessed area at the rightmost edge. Moving slightly down reaches the upper of the two rear USB ports.

Moving left from the USB area eventually reaches the area between the Kinect port and Ethernet port. The Kinect port is above the Ethernet port.

The transition is less sharply defined than on the Xbox 360 S.

Moving left again, the finger hops out of the recessed port area onto a sticker. Moving down from this sticker reaches the "A/V" connection, which is considerably smaller than the original Xbox 360's A/V port and has a small, round connector opening. The HDMI port is immediately to its left.

Moving upward from the HDMI port reaches a small sticker area that provides little useful tactile guidance.

Moving left from the HDMI port raises the finger one level onto the separate console-information sticker, which contains information such as the manufacturing date.

Continuing left across the console-information sticker drops the finger into the DC power connection. It is a single round barrel connector, smaller than the original Xbox 360 power connection and different from the Xbox 360 S's two-prong connector.

Moving slightly up while continuing left from the DC power connection reaches the Kensington lock slot, which is positioned horizontally. The slot and surrounding area can be felt by touch.

A subtle vertical line runs through the center of the first level from top to bottom, but it is difficult to detect and should not be relied on as a primary landmark.

Top

The top has a straight tactile line running across it, with a separate straight horizontal line across the upper portion reaching both sides.

The left side has a matte, textured surface and a ridged ventilation area covering much of the upper-left portion and extending toward the center. A further ventilation area beneath part of this texture is difficult to detect by touch.

The right side has a smoother, glossier surface. A raised Xbox orb can be felt roughly in the middle-right of this side.

The top does not have an "XBOX 360" inscription.

Bottom

The bottom has four rubber feet, one near each corner.

The left side has a smoother, glossier finish with a raised Xbox orb roughly in the middle.

The right side has a matte, textured finish.

Power supply

The Xbox 360 E power brick is nearly identical to the Xbox 360 S brick in texture and shape.

It has the same matte texture on all sides, as well as the same information sticker, feet, and status LED as the S brick.

Unlike the S, the top of the E brick has a raised "XBOX 360" logo and Xbox orb.

The orb points toward the console connector. The 0 in "360" points toward the wall-plug side.

The console-side connector has one thick, round prong, unlike the S's two.

The wall-side connector is the same two-prong type used by the S and by later original Xbox 360 power supplies. That is the same IEC C17/C18 type.

Accessories

Xbox 360 Hard drives

The original Xbox 360 and the Xbox 360 S/E use different hard-drive assemblies.

The original Xbox 360 hard drive attaches to the outside of the console and protrudes from the left side.

The assembly has a hard outer casing with a release mechanism for removing it from the console. There is no pull ribbon for removing the hard drive.

The hard drives used by the Xbox 360 S and E are housed inside the console behind a removable cover.

A ribbon is attached to the hard-drive assembly. Pulling the ribbon removes the hard drive from its bay.

The Xbox 360 S and E use the same basic hard-drive assembly.

Xbox 360 Chatpad

The Xbox 360 Chatpad is a small QWERTY-style keyboard that attaches to the bottom of an Xbox 360 controller.

It provides physical keys for text entry.

The keys have shallow travel and are designed primarily for typing with the thumbs.

The F and J keys have raised tactile markers, providing a familiar home-row reference point.