So now that all the hard facts about the Xbox 360 are out, we’re left to contemplate some of the more subtle news items regarding the new console. Anyone who remembers Windows 3.1 knows that Microsoft isn’t exactly known for its design suave, but they decided to take an entirely different tack for the daughter-of-Xbox, and plunked down a ton of the cash into the design part of the equation. Their primary goals? Please the Japanese, and please the wives and mothers who, as “nongamers,” will have to pass approval on a new box in the living room. In the interest of brevity we’ll be glossing over the fact that lots of wives and mothers are actually gamers, and just point out that the end result of the process was a shifting away from the aggressive, brute force of the first generation Xbox and on to a more peaceful, organic design. Inspired by a bong hit.