A 'sleeker, smaller and whisper quiet' console has been unveiled at Microsoft's briefing. The big surprise? The new look console is shipping to retailers in North America this week.

The console bundles in a 250Gb disk, built in WiFi and will come at the same price - 299 USD in the United States. Don Mattrick lifted the lid on the new system, by pulling it from beneath the shell of the existing console. Black and shiny seems to be the theme.

The console promises support for 802.11N wireless internet - the fastest standard available. Retailers will begin receiving the tomorrow, with releases expected in many places by the end of the week.

What this means for the old model remains to be seen, but in a nice twist briefing attendees were also told that they will be receiving the new look 360 before the week is out.

We'll have word on other regions just as soon as we can.

By Luke Guttridge