It seems clear that for almost any way you could judge the three, the Xbox 360 S is the winner. The only advantages the E has is similarity in design to the Xbox One, and perhaps a slight noise difference. The "classic" 360 is probably cheaper, but buying one used is slightly risky. The one on the right is the Xbox 360 E. It is a redesign of the 360 S to make it look a bit more like the Xbox One. However, they dropped the optical out, the AV port (for Component video) and a USB port. There's no real advantage to this model as far as I can see. (The linked CNet review says the pros are it's "slightly quieter")

Overview: There's not a lot of bad things to say about the Xbox 360 S. In fact, it feels like the console Microsoft was always trying to make that generation. It gives gamers HD gaming with all of the bells and whistles and barely any of the concessions. Sure, it's not quite as reliable as a Jasper-motherboard Xbox 360 and it's not as quiet as the E model, but it is widely considered to be the best all-around console in the Xbox 360 family. I recently went through the process of choosing one and ended up going with the S. MS claims the E is quieter and runs cooler than the S. In all my research I found that to be bullshit. Perhaps it runs a little cooler, but as far as noise goes they were identical. In other words, both were pretty much silent except when a disc was spinning, and even then it was near silent. The real difference that convinced me to get the S instead was build quality. The E feels and looks cheap. And as others mentioned it's also missing features from the S. So basically MS is saving money when you buy an E model, but you're not. Buy the S. Which model is best? Which Xbox 360 is right for you? Well, that's for you to decide. To make your decision easier, however, we have compiled all of the various pros and cons of each of the Xbox 360's major iterations. Xbox 360 Elite Xbox 360 Elite vs S vs E: What Are The Differences? 5Where as I would like to agree with the state of the hard drive only being able to be replaced by a microsoft xbox hard drive is not factually true. There are programs out there that will take any drive and format it in their special format. I have done this with several xbox units spaning all of their models. Use xbox live and have yet to have any issues.

Also, the E sees a return to tactile buttons rather than the touch-sensitive Power and Eject buttons on the S models. Microsoft made some presumable cost-saving maneuvers with the E by removing the optical audio-out and one of the USB ports from the S model as well. How To Tell It Apart From The Other Models: The Xbox 360 E features a two-tone finish with one half of the console being matte and the other half glossy. Essentially, it looks more like the initial Xbox One console that ultimately replaced the 360 line. It is slightly smaller than the S, but we are talking about millimeters here. I'm also in the market for a new 360, and I'm going with the 'S' model because I want dolby digital out to my Astros via optical. Can't do that with the 'E'. I think I'll just go with the S model. The extra USB port could be useful and I like the aesthetics of it more.Bottom line: if you want to do anything fun on the 360 beyond playing single-player games, you'll want to budget the annual Xbox Live Gold subscription into your plans -- or plan on getting one of those alternatives instead. Do you plan to get a Xbox One down the road? The E is similar in design to that so I think it looks nicer having them both together. I'd rather buy a brand new system. I've had bad experiences with used systems before so I'd rather not go through that again. Overview: In terms of size and performance, there aren't too many features differentiating the S and E models. The big change really comes down to the removal of the USB and optical-audio out ports. Yes, the E model is designed to run quieter and cooler than the S, but the results feel more like splitting hairs than any game-changing upgrades. The Xbox 360 remains a great video and gaming console, but fans will be better served by older 360 bundles -- or waiting for the Xbox One.

How To Tell It Apart From The Other Models: The Xbox 360 Elite model is considerably bigger than the redesigned Xbox 360 S and Xbox 360 E models. Essentially, it is the same body style as the original white Xbox 360 consoles. The Elite, unlike the later two console revisions, features a fully matte finish. The Xbox 360 is remembered fondly by many gamers, as it is home to one of the best gaming libraries of all time. But, with all of the different models – Xbox 360 Elite vs Slim (or ‘S') vs E – over the course of the console's 11-year run, it can be difficult to discern which system is right for you. Overview: The real reason to consider the Xbox 360 Elite over the S or the E models –other than nostalgia –is reliability. However, this somewhat of a double-edged sword as some Elite consoles are actually less reliable than the S and E models. At the end of the day, console reliability within the Elite comes down to motherboard inside of the Xbox 360. For the mentioned games you want to play, if you plan on getting the DLC at some point later, then no. Up to 120 FPS: Requires supported content and display. Use on Xbox Series S as content becomes available.In reality, the Xbox 360 E is a cost-saving box that was reportedly cheaper to manufacture than the previous S model. Microsoft removed a couple of ports and created a console that has slightly less utility than its predecessor. These differences aren't likely to be significant enough to make many gamers care all that much, but it should be noted that not all of the features boasted by the S made its way to the console's final redesign. And according to this thread ( http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/927749-xbox-360/66730930 ) the fact that the E is newer doesn't make it any more reliable because smaller = cramped components = easier overheating.