Tweak Town, while attending the Taipei Game Show in Taiwan, came across a Black Xbox 360. Of the pictures shown, there was no sign of any HDMI port, although it could be hidden by the AV adapter. So this is one of two things, either it's the "Xephyr" Xbox 360, and we can expect to see it sometime this spring, or it's a black dev kit. Whichever the case, the images do spark an interesting conversation about Microsoft eventually updating the 360's specs to compete with the PS3. We'll let you be the judge with the pictures after the break.
So what are we looking at, the next version of the Xbox (complete with black disc tray), or just a dev kit there to play Arcade titles?
[Via Playfuls]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-12-2007 @ 2:40PM
KineticOnline said...
To me it just looks like a repainted case, look above the HDD in the second pic, you can see the white plastic there.
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2-12-2007 @ 2:46PM
sean said...
it is a Dev kit, even says so on the sticker on the back of the box. Also, born on date is in 2005. you can clearly see all this in one of the pics.
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2-12-2007 @ 2:47PM
pellinho said...
Its a shame the pictures fail to show any of the details which could confirm the Xephyr rumour. I'm with Kinetic that its a mod.
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2-12-2007 @ 2:47PM
matthew said...
I agree, and look inside the usb cover on the front... I doubt they'd leave it like that. This doesn't look good enough to be the real black xbox anyway ;)
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2-12-2007 @ 2:54PM
blamecanada said...
#2 is right, it looks to me like that square sticker on the back says "development kit" Besides it looks too worn to be a new version, such as the writing on hdd. I think a black version down the line is possible, but this isn't it.
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2-12-2007 @ 2:55PM
ymmv said...
Sean is the one who is right: that black Xbox 360 is indeed a developer kit version. It even says so on the sticker. Plus it was manufactured on 2005-09-14, well before the launch day Xbox 360s.
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2-12-2007 @ 2:56PM
pellinho said...
Why black anyway? just to 'compete' with PS3? I liked the Xbox generation move from black to pale, even if my 360 is turning a funny shade of yellow now. If we're gonna copy Sony on the new model then lets have an internal power supply and near silent running.
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2-12-2007 @ 2:57PM
DjDATZ said...
nice...but after reading all the comments...i aint convinced.
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2-12-2007 @ 2:57PM
ymmv said...
Check out http://www.tweaktown.com/popImg.php?img=blackxbox360tpe_02l.jpg
It says "reviewer kit". Reviewers use developer kit versions so they can play beta/preview versions of yet to be released games.
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2-12-2007 @ 2:59PM
Seanatron said...
Plus if you look back at the zephyr pics, the AV adapter is nearly even with the USB port.
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2-12-2007 @ 3:17PM
blamecanada said...
Man, too bad they didn't make my 360 to last as long as that dev kit.
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2-12-2007 @ 3:23PM
Toph said...
Pellinho, don't smoke around your 360 and it won't turn yellow :) (Just a hypothesis.)
As for my comments about this thing..I gotta keep saying the same thing.. why black, and why the same PS3 price point if the PS3 itself isn't causing waves? There's two reasons the PS3 isn't selling: the high price and the poor assortment of games. Well, the 360 has the game library now for sure, and the price is affordable. Is the HDMI really that important in a nation where HD is still forming? They should wait to release any sort of 360 like this until the price can be lowered, and MS seem less like a Sony copycat in this. (I just wonder WHY they're trying to copy Sony..)
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2-12-2007 @ 3:49PM
Warpped655 said...
when I first saw the image acompaning the article (first second or so), I thought the "Taiwan" in the picture was a big green moldy turd... o.O
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2-12-2007 @ 3:50PM
Street UK said...
It is a mod, you can see below the warranty sticker there are 5 white rectangle shaped holes. To get the box open you have to put a knife into those to break them so that it opens. Also, if it was a black 360, i KNOW microsoft wouldnt have made the machine white underneath the USB flap. (Last picture)
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2-12-2007 @ 4:22PM
SuicideNinja said...
"If we're gonna copy Sony on the new model then lets have an internal power supply and near silent running."
Consider two things:
If the power supply dies, since it's internal that means it would have to be sent in for repair. With the 360, you just replace the brick (use a 3rd party if you want). I'll take as many user-servicable parts as possible (like the PS3's "any 2.5 sata"...even though I'll probably never change it).
The PS3 really isn't that quiet overall. The Blu-ray access is quieter because of the slower speed (but a DVD/PS2 game changes that real quick), but the fans in the PS3 can be loud as well.
I've got both (Premium and 60GB). The PS3 has the user-servicable drive, more USB ports, and the HDMI port are ugprades that the 360 could use. I can live without HDMI (360 looks good through component), but more USB ports and a non-proprietary HDD would be real nice.
Sure, there are other things the PS3 has...but they have been nearly worthless to me (Blue-tooth, Wireless, Blu-ray, card readers). It's nice to have, but not necessary.
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2-12-2007 @ 6:08PM
Stranger said...
PS2 released a redesigned SKU that eventually eclipsed the original model at retail and nobody had a conniption about it. PS2 Slim, anyone?
Look for Microsoft to handle the 360 redesign in the same way- once those 65nm chips go in to mass production, you'll see a 360 with a bigger HD, a better (read: more efficient and quieter) disc drive, HDMI output, maybe even more USB ports... and I wouldn't be surprised if they came in an assortment of colors.
The SKU will replace the current model's pricepoint (whatever that is at the time), and the older model will see a price drop just to get them out the door at retail.
Big deal.
Seeing as I'm on my 5th 360 since launch I'll just continue with my Gamestop warranty practice and "find" something wrong with mine by the time the redesign becomes standard.
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2-12-2007 @ 10:16PM
Stranger said...
PS2 released a redesigned SKU that eventually eclipsed the original model at retail and nobody had a conniption about it. PS2 Slim, anyone?
Look for Microsoft to handle the 360 redesign in the same way- once those 65nm chips go in to mass production, you'll see a 360 with a bigger HD, a better (read: more efficient and quieter) disc drive, HDMI output, maybe even more USB ports... and I wouldn't be surprised if they came in an assortment of colors.
The SKU will replace the current model's pricepoint (whatever that is at the time), and the older model will see a price drop just to get them out the door at retail.
Big deal.
Seeing as I'm on my 5th 360 since launch I'll just continue with my Gamestop warranty practice and "find" something wrong with mine by the time the redesign becomes standard.
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2-12-2007 @ 10:35PM
ProfessorStreet said...
I don't see what the big deal is. There are pics of a black 360 on the Facebook group "I'd Rather Play Xbox 360, Then Go To Class...."
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2-15-2007 @ 1:37PM
Jason said...
The black 360 is cool looking. My question is why do people start to make PS3 comparisons at the mere thought or the 360 being black. "oh, HDMI isn't that important...I don't use bluetooth...oh the PS3 is loud...well its quiet because the disc drive is slower (which isn't necesarily true)...my pussy hurts". Every conversation on this thing turns into "well its better than the PS3 because (insert lame excuse here)". Maybe this site should be called "I'm a PS3 hater even though I've never touched one; I need to justify buying a 360 at every chance I get.com". The FIRST XBOX was black remember? Besides, I wish they would have designed the 360 with changeable case covers; would be better than those gay ass faceplates. As far as the zephyr, I hope they don't rush it just to get something on the market. The 360 is pretty sick as is, they should get every inch of power out of it before moving on to the "next level"...
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