New Xbox 360 Chips coming this Fall

After months of waiting, Microsoft finally confirmed Xbox 360's will start being manufactured with the new smaller, cooler, and more efficient 65nm chip size beginning this fall.

The news here is that the core is not the only thing getting the 65nm makeover. The GPU (graphics processing unit) is also moving to the smaller 65nm form factor.

Will this mean the end of the Red Ring of Death once and for all?

I love my Xbox 360 and I believe it's the best gaming platform currently on the market as far as the gaming value you get for the money. However, if you're just now considering purchasing your own new Xbox 360 or Elite, I would have to advise you to wait for fall to buy it at this point.

Xbox 360 Elite Video

Short and simple. See the Xbox 360 Elite in all its three dimensional glory in this video interview with Microsoft's Albert Penello.



Check out our earlier story about the official announcement from earlier today for more details.

The "Elite" will hit North American store shelves April 29th and will retail for $479.99 in the U.S..

I'll be in line.

Halo 3 Beta to come preloaded on 360 Elite?

Could Microsoft be planning to offer you another opportunity to get into the Halo 3 beta by preloading it on Xbox 360 Elite hard drives? I've seen some speculation to this effect around the net and I've got to say I think it is totally unfounded.

Think about it...first of all Microsoft assumes a good chunk of Elite buyers will be current 360 owners. Given the fact that transferring your present harddrive contents to the Elite's drive deletes the Elite's original contents, that wouldn't make a lot of sense. Plus, why would MS want to give you any motivation to not buy Crackdown to get the Beta?

Most people are pointing to the Elite's release date of April 29th being the same as the Halo 3 Beta's planned release date of "Spring" as evidence of an 'Elite Halo 3 Beta'...I don't buy it.

Sorry folks, but if you want to get in the Halo 3 beta and you're not related to Bill Gates or Peter Moore, you better go buy your copy of Crackdown now while you still can.

Xbox 360 Elite officially unveiled today

Finally, the Xbox 360 Elite has been confirmed by a mainstream media outlet and should be officially unveiled by Microsoft later today.

The New York Times has the story "revealing" the nitty gritty's, nothing of which is news to GameJonez Blog readers. I've been covering this developing story since the first pictures popped up 10 days ago. I just find it comical that MS felt the need to be so secretive...it's not like Sony and Nintendo are going to run out and redesign their consoles this early in their respective cycles. And with the PS3 European launch happening last week, it might have benefited them to make an official announcement earlier to steal some of Sony's thunder.

Who knows the reasons why they waited, I'm just glad its (more or less) official.

UPDATE: IGN just posted the story that they got "the call" from Microsoft. It's all officially official now, so we can all stop speculating. For your $479.99 you'll get a 120GB hdd, HDMI, and a special cable for transferring old HDD info to new HDD. Black charging stations are coming along with black play n charge kits and black controllers for everyone to buy. The system will NOT be limited edition and yes, future upgrades are a possibility. There will be 3 SKU's; they will NOT be aborting the "Core" system. That's pretty much it. Now go pre-order!

Netflix delivering movies to your Xbox 360 Elite?

Yep, it could be happening. Netflix founder Reed Hastings has joined the Microsoft board of directors this week, indicating a cozy relationship between the two companies. While no actual business deals between the two have been announced, a partnership could benefit them both greatly in the current marketplace.

TiVo and Amazon have joined forces with their on-demand service and Netflix could use a little help getting into people's living rooms with a physical set-top box. And who knows more about getting into customers homes than Microsoft?

The Xbox 360 Elite is expected to arrive in late April. Will Netflix Live be far behind?

Xbox 360 Elite with IPTV could change the world

Nipping at the heels of our "Orb" story below, Gizmodo is reporting that the rumored and unconfirmed and who-cares-'cause-we-all-know-it's-coming Xbox 360 Elite will be IPTV ready out of the box.

This may be a problem for Sony and, to a lesser degree, Nintendo as Gizmodo concludes, "VOD? (video on demand) IPTV? DVR? Media streaming? The 360 is looking more and more like the best convergence box of its generation."

But, could the Xbox 360 Elite really change the world? Make no mistake, Sony and Microsoft are both vying to get consumers to leave the old concept of gaming consoles being just for games behind so they can transition to the elusive and highly coveted "Universal Set Top Box" - an all-in-one media delivery tool that allows consumers to receive every type of conceivable digital content through one easy-to-use interface right into their living rooms.

What's at stake? The first company to deliver this concept to the public in a way that successfully drives widespread consumer adoption is going to have a huge leg up in the Digital Distribution Industry (DDI) moving forward in this century. Century? Yes, this is not some short-term concept we're discussing, this is a serious "Next Big Thing" kinda thing. DDI will be looked back on as being as revolutionary as Radio and TV were when they were introduced. Do you know anyone who doesn't own a TV or a radio?

We're not talking about millions or even billions of dollars in possible revenue here, this could be worth trillions over the next several decades and could fundamentally change the very landscape of entertainment. Imagine no more music stores, no more theaters, no more movies or TV shows on discs. Once enough money is being diverted away from these brick and mortar endeavors and into the DDI, they may all become obsolete and extinct. I predict the change is coming sooner rather than later.

Of course, people may continue to support theaters and the like due to the social aspects of seeing a movie in a large group or they may not. If you and I and all our friends could watch the same movie from our individual living rooms while all being connected together with live voice chat (with the ability to mute the "movie-talker" or "annoying laugh guy")...wouldn't that actually be superior to a theater? We could laugh together at the right times and still be able to eat our own snacks, drink our own drinks and sit in our own recliners. I have to say, that sounds pretty compelling to me!

As with everything else, the market will decide.