Xbox 360 v2 : Codename Zephyr

[selphj]

I call this fake. Posting a picture isn't proof of anything. Anyone could photoshop the back of a 360 and claim it's real. Even if it's real, it could be an internal Microsoft device that was a concept pre-360 and scrapped. This picture means nothing.

[jackwanders]

Microsoft wouldn't really screw us v1 owners in...

...would they?

you're not getting screwed on anything. The XBox you bought and paid for doesn't change just because a newer one comes out. Your XBox360 doesn't suddenly stop working. You paid for an XBox with component-out and got one. Do you expect Microsoft to not update their hardware just so the early adopters don't "feel bad"?

I call this fake. Posting a picture isn't proof of anything. Anyone could photoshop the back of a 360 and claim it's real. Even if it's real, it could be an internal Microsoft device that was a concept pre-360 and scrapped. This picture means nothing.

Did you look at the picture? If it's a photoshop, it's the best photoshopped image I've ever seen. Nothing there indicates any digital editing.

[MrCobra]

I am fine with it. I don't use HDMI never will. I just hope I can put that new HDD in my XBOX.

Look around the net and you can find ways of adding bigger than a 120GB drive to your system. A little modding, a bigger drive and Ghost is all you need.

[Pilsbury]

It's no different than Sony coming out with the smaller PS2 with ethernet built in. That's how it is, there's nothing you can do about it.

Looks real enough to me, and would tie in with MS delaying the change to the newer processors.

[KXH]

I doubt they would do something like this this early. Because now your screwing your early adopters, who according to marketing statistics are your 'hardcore' gamers. I.E. if and when they release a third generation xbox those same people would more than likely not buy it right away and would wait hurting Xbox's bottom line later if they are going to continue with the console game business(which looks likely at the moment). I wouldn't be surprised if they did this at xmas 2008 putting it into the third year and towards the middle of the units life cycle. Stimulates sales, Cheaper components, and many early adopters could be ready for a second or replacement unit. Bringing out a 'highly' updated version of the system this early could hurt them.

[Pilsbury]

Actually, on second thoughts, I call it a fake, or not the finished article.

I could be wrong, but, there's no audio outputs, other than what you would have on the current connector. I would have assumed it would have 2x phono stereo and optical out directly on the back.

[jordanspringer]

I find a lot of the conversation in here quite funny actually. More people seem to be angry over the Xbox V2 then excited or happy. If Microsoft never did come out with a such thing, people would be angry as well, now that they are people seem more angry. Picture this, If Microsoft did say this was true or that they were working on this model, or these rumors were indeed true, and then canceled these plans, the same people upset in these fourms would probably be upset again. I guess Microsoft can't win can they? I think everyone should be excited, not dissapointed. And for people who bought an Xbox and now feel they were ripped off, i'm sorry but technology evolves. That $2000 computer you got last year is now outdated, and is missing a lot of the bells and whistles u can get for 2 grand today.

[jackwanders]

I doubt they would do something like this this early. Because now your screwing your early adopters, who according to marketing statistics are your 'hardcore' gamers. I.E. if and when they release a third generation xbox those same people would more than likely not buy it right away and would wait hurting Xbox's bottom line later if they are going to continue with the console game business(which looks likely at the moment). I wouldn't be surprised if they did this at xmas 2008 putting it into the third year and towards the middle of the units life cycle. Stimulates sales, Cheaper components, and many early adopters could be ready for a second or replacement unit. Bringing out a 'highly' updated version of the system this early could hurt them.

I fail to see your logic. How do current XBox owners get "screwed"? The XBoxes they already own aren't changing. You're acting like current owners somehow "deserve" something and that they're not getting their due by not having access to something they didn't pay for.

Speaking of an XBox3, are you insinuating that the "hardcore" gamers had no idea that MS might eventually release an XBox360 with HDMI, or a bigger HDD? That's the risk you take when buying a console. It's always been that way. Everyone knows, especially the "hardcore", that the first revision of a console will either have some kind of hardware bug, or will be feature deficient in some way. People weigh their options. Get it now and play the games, or wait it out for the 2nd revision.

[tsahnocub]

It's no different than Sony coming out with the smaller PS2 with ethernet built in. That's how it is, there's nothing you can do about it.

Looks real enough to me, and would tie in with MS delaying the change to the newer processors.

This is different than the slimline PS2 though. The slim PS2 didn't include any features that you could not get with the original PS2 (ethernet & IR adapters).

In the case of this rumored Xbox 360v2, the HDMI is not available for the current 360, so it's ADDING a new feature not available on the original version, not just taking addons and putting them all built in.

It will be interesting to see what comes of this. Personally, as a 360 owner since launch, I'd at least like to see some sort of an HDMI cable available for the original 360 if they're going to add it to a new model.

So we'll see.

[bontakun]

It's no different than Sony coming out with the smaller PS2 with ethernet built in. That's how it is, there's nothing you can do about it.

Looks real enough to me, and would tie in with MS delaying the change to the newer processors.

Actually it's very different, the smaller PS2 just came bundled with the network adapter ($40) essentially, but it was stil the same PS2 with the same ports. Adding HDMI to the 360 changes the way it operates, allows it to send digitial signals.

I call BS, I still believe they'll make a HDMI cable for the existing AV port and the HDD is far too much of a price hike (for them) to be the new bundled one. Microsoft is not stupid enough to alienate the early adopters (those who would likely to have fancy TV's with HDMI as well) by releasing this drastically of a different 360. It's probably just a 360 some guy modded to look like it has an HDMI port.

[Brandon]

I fail to see your logic. How do current XBox owners get "screwed"? The XBoxes they already own aren't changing. You're acting like current owners somehow "deserve" something and that they're not getting their due by not having access to something they didn't pay for.

Speaking of an XBox3, are you insinuating that the "hardcore" gamers had no idea that MS might eventually release an XBox360 with HDMI, or a bigger HDD? That's the risk you take when buying a console. It's always been that way. Everyone knows, especially the "hardcore", that the first revision of a console will either have some kind of hardware bug, or will be feature deficient in some way. People weigh their options. Get it now and play the games, or wait it out for the 2nd revision.

Cooler CPU - fine, larger hard drive as an extra asscessory or charging extra - fine, but adding a bigger physical HDD and HDMI (plus probably intagrated 802.11g) and not make it available isn't fair. It's not like the PS2and PS2 slim. There was just a design difference between the two, not hardware differences

[Sheppard]

Actually, on second thoughts, I call it a fake, or not the finished article.

I could be wrong, but, there's no audio outputs, other than what you would have on the current connector. I would have assumed it would have 2x phono stereo and optical out directly on the back.

There isnt on the current 360, it all goes through the large connector above the HDMI.

Plus HDMI carries video and audio so why would there be audio outputs on the back?

[NienorGT]

Look nice, thanks that I didn't brought an X-Box 360 yet.

[jerzdawg]

Actually, on second thoughts, I call it a fake, or not the finished article.

I could be wrong, but, there's no audio outputs, other than what you would have on the current connector. I would have assumed it would have 2x phono stereo and optical out directly on the back.

I will second this. Why would MS remove the option for Optical out....

[Ironman273]

Remember there's also rumors of an HDMI cable to connect to v1 360s. Maybe both will be released at the same time so both v1 and v2 would have the same capabilities. I also don't see a difference between this and PS2/slim PS2, DS/DSlite, etc.

[Dr.Jones]

Xenon is the name of the 360's CPU. It's not a codename. So I call bshit on this

[strotee]

I am in the thinking that, yes, technology does evolve and computers purchased a year ago are not the same as the one you can purchase today. Unfortunately, a computer should not be a console. I fear that console makers will start turning into computer manufacturers with regard to needing bleeding-edge hardware to play the newest games.

The mention of current Xbox owners being screwed simply means, to me, unless you have a fair amount of money lying around, needing to spend $400 another time just to keep up with the latest console (one year after release no less) is starting down a very bad road of things to come. Why didn't MS test the hardware another year and release this "new" Xbox at the same time as PS3 and Wii? They would have a HDD twice the capacity of PS3 and running cooler (i.e, fewer problems). Now, it looks like MS is just releasing a product that, thanks to its 9 million owners, have found and fixed a lot of the early bugs.

Yes, Sony released a newer, slimmer version of the PS2, but they did it what, 4+ years after its initial release? I can understand several years, but not after 1.

Moral of the story, never purchase a 1.0 release of anything created by MS.

[spike232]

Plus HDMI carries video and audio so why would there be audio outputs on the back?

HDMI alone would not let you feed the digital audio signal in to a decoder to get dolby digital or any other streams which are sent.

[Pilsbury]

Personally, as a 360 owner since launch, I'd at least like to see some sort of an HDMI cable available for the original 360 if they're going to add it to a new model.

So we'll see.

I'd say with almost 100% certainty that there will NOT be an HDMI cable for the current 360.

The reason why? There aren't enough pins on the connector free to handle an HDMI output.

[gunnerhkjp]

I have a strong feeling that a HDMI cable and 120GB HDD addon for the old 360 will come out before or the same time as the "zephyr" release.

That way, the old 360 users won't be shafted other than less heat and less noise.

[Brandon]

Xenon is the name of the 360's CPU. It's not a codename. So I call bshit on this

how was bshit not filtered?

[Pilsbury]

Plus HDMI carries video and audio so why would there be audio outputs on the back?

Yes, but, why would I want the sound to go to my tv and not my (much better quality) sound system?

[tsahnocub]

Yes, but, why would I want the sound to go to my tv and not my (much better quality) sound system?

Don't most TVs with HDMI in have an optical out to send that signal to a receiver?

[Pilsbury]

Don't most TVs with HDMI in have an optical out to send that signal to a receiver?

They do but it screws about with the format of the audio being passed through, IME

[DrCheese]

omg...

Microsoft need to do something to update the 360 now the ps3 is nearly out properly, do remember the 360 has been out a year or so now.

A year... The whole point in a console is that they don't change hardware. Sony change the Playstations years after they are released but they don't tend to add any major features. All they added with the redesigned PS2 was a network card that you could buy seperatly anyway.

If Microsoft never did come out with a such thing, people would be angry as well, now that they are people seem more angry

No, we're angry that they don't just release a HDMI cable for the normal 360 rather than redesigning the whole thing.

They should just admit that they can't do a HDMI lead on the current 360's and leave it at that rather than releasing a newly designed console with new features. They could release the 65mm cpu one but thats not exactly "new features"