Microsoft today extended the reach of the Xbox 360 line with a new Xbox 360 Games of the Year pack. The console takes the black, 120GB Elite model and includes both Fable II and Halo 3 in the box. It also supplies a full year of Xbox Live Gold membership for playing online, vouchers for free downloads of Halo's Mythic Map Pack and Fable's Knothole Island, and a trial for Netflix movie streaming.
Microsoft's Jasper-based Xbox 360 consoles are finally arriving in stores, according to forum posts found on xbox-scene [1|2], with photographs detailing both the internal and external features of the new models. The Jasper model consoles feature a smaller 65nm process die for the graphics chip, decreasing overall power consumption and heat generation. The move is expected to reduce "red ring of death" failures in consoles.
An improved Xbox 360 platform should arrive late this year, according to a Taiwanese publication. Industry news source CENS says that Microsoft has already begun contracting out the production of 65nm chips, which should form a part of the console's Jasper revision, said to be due in August. The timing is also said to be related to the depletion of chips for the current 360 design, dubbed Falcon. The Falcon's main processor uses 65nm technology, but most other components -- notably the graphics processor -- are built using 90nm manufacturing. A still superior design called the Valhalla is expected in fall of 2009.
The prices of European Xbox 360s will be cut substantially as of March 14th, a new report claims. The account cites a number of "well-placed games industry sources," along with a variety of UK retailers, who together suggest that the quoted date will see prices fall by €50 across the continent. The cut is also said to be applicable to all versions of the 360, including the Arcade, the standard model, and the high-end Elite. The latter two consoles should for example cost approximately £150 and £240 in the UK.
Microsoft is prepping a major internal redesign of the Xbox 360 that will be both cooler and less expensive, according to a report from a historically accurate source. Nicknamed "Valhalla," the processor design will not only move both the IBM-built three-core processor and the ATI graphics to a more efficient 65 nanometer process (down from 90 nanometers) but will merge them into a single chip. The change will not only reduce the heat issues that have affected the console but also reduce the cost and noise of the Xbox: only one smaller, primary cooling system will be necessary, says the claim.
