Xbox 360 Fanboy

Note: those afraid of tech-speak should skip the first paragraph.

According to Cens.com, the first 65nm GPU chip equipped Xbox 360s -- codenamed Jasper, the successor to current Falcon 360s, which incorporate a 65nm CPU but use a larger GPU -- will start showing up in by August of this year. IBM will reportedly manufacture and test the CPU chips, while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) has reportedly been contracted to manufacture and the graphics chips, which will in turn be tested and packaged by Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. (ASE). Nanya will be responsible for supplying flip-chip packaging substrates (don't ask us). Furthermore, CENS reports that industry watchers are betting on TSMC to win contracts to manufacture chips for Japser's successor, Valhalla, which will combine both the CPU and graphics chips into one super chip.

The upshot of all this is that new chips should be arriving this August, making for cooler, quieter 360s everywhere. that's something we can all enjoy, right? Oh, and no, there was no mention of Microsoft cramming Blu-Ray drives into either the Jasper or Valhalla.

[Via Joystiq]

Update: Clarified differences between Falcon and Jasper units

If you're in the market for a new Xbox 360, you'll want to make sure you know how to spot the new Falcon model of Microsoft's wonder machine. Why? Because the Falcon model Xbox 360s have both the cooler (temperature) 65 nanometer chips as well as the extra heat sinks that were shoehorned into refurbished replacement consoles. In other words, a Falcon Xbox 360 is the most likely to remain RROD-free. The ever diligent fanboys over at Xbox.com have a few several methods for finding out if your console is a Falcon and even how to find out in store without taking a console out of the box. Find out how after the break.

Tech nuts the world over have been waiting for the new 65nm Xbox 360 "Falcon" CPUs for a while and word on the street is that they're finally being rolled out to retail.

According to various reports and photo evidence over on the Xbox.com forums, new Halo 3 Xbox 360 consoles with lot numbers #734 have been confirmed to have the newly new 65nm CPUs in them. So, if the Halo 3 360s are a predictor of things to come, hopefully we'll be seeing 65nm technology in all Xbox 360s hitting store shelves soon. Lots more information and a guide to tell if your Xbox 360 has Falcon technology can be read over on the Xbox.com forums via the links below. You're free now ... fly Falcon, fly!

[Via Engadget]

Read - Falcon discovery thread
Read - How to tell if you have a Falcon 360

If you've been waiting for the Falcon -- the 360 motherboard housing a smaller, cooler 65nm chip -- to arrive before making your 360 purchase, you may be waiting a few months yet. According to Xbox 360 guru Dean Takahashi, the first 360s housing the new chip are probably on there way from China right now. So, why will it take months for them to make it onto store shelves? First of all, the new 360s have to make a 6 week trip on the boat. The second reason is inventory. See, Microsoft still has plenty of 90nm Xbox 360s to sell out at retail before the Falcon starts cropping up. The real question then, is how long that's going to take. As Takahashi points out, Halo 3 and the recent price cut will likely drive sales, which should help thin the 90nm population, but ultimately it will take a few months before the Falcon is readily available. In Takahashi's estimation, "it's probably just in time for Christmas." Of course, he also points out that there is no way to tell one Xbox from the other. At this point, the only way you know you have a 90nm box is if it doesn't have an HDMI port. Even then, there are 90nm boxes with the HDMI port, so you still won't be sure when the Falcon arrives. All we do know is that the new chips are coming.

The way we see it, you can A) wait until Christmas, or B) buy one now and have it replaced with a Falcon after it Red Rings. Remember, the Xbox 360 is all about choice.

[Via Joystiq]

It don't get much more official than this folks. It seems someone purchased an Xbox 360 Premium system from an Atlanta Target today, only to find out that it includes an HDMI port (confirming the rumor we posted just today). Shacknews has confirmed with Microsoft that Xbox 360 consoles will now include HDMI ports and that are gradually finding their way into retail outlets. Microsoft is currently mum on whether or not the HDMI port will make it into the Core System (then again, why would it be if the Core is on the way out, right?). Also unknown is if the inclusion of HDMI also means users can expect the new 360s to have the smaller, cooler 65nm chips. Considering the magnitude of the addition of HDMI, the 65nm chips would definitely make sense. If the above image is any indication, the port should appear on consoles manufactured on July 4th or later. If anyone out there is willing to check for the 65nm processor, be sure and send the proof our way.

[Via Joystiq. Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Falcon. That's the code name for the project that'll not only make future Xbox 360s more reliable and make the hardware cheaper, but will also help Microsoft sleep better at night. Over at The Mercury News, Dean Takahashi talks about the Falcon project and how the new 65nm technology could be the answer to Microsoft's red ring woes. It is expected that the new 65nm CPU/GPU combo could be implemented as soon this Fall and would seriously help with hardware stability as the smaller chips produce less heat. The benefits are enormous and range from cheaper hardware, to more reliable chips, to less heat being generated. With project Falcon being so beneficial it'd be hard to believe that Microsoft isn't pushing to get the technology up and out the door as soon as possible. This Falcon could very well be the single best thing to ever happen to the 360.

According to sources close to equipment manufacturers, later this year we'll be ushering in a new and improved Xbox 360 GPU. A Chinese report in the Commercial Times is stating that the new 65nm 360 GPU will be sent to production in May and make its way into Xbox 360 consoles later this Fall. And we all know the benefits of 65nm technology. So, anyone in the market for a new 360 or jumping in for the first time and going to hold out until the new 65nm technology makes it into the console? Or could you care less unless it would involve an Xbox 360 price cut?

[Via Joystiq]

Microsoft has been planning on reducing the chip size of the 360's CPU since inception, but it looks like it's going to be a while longer before that actually happens. Digitimes reports that the large 90nm chip that's currently in the 360 will be shrunk down to a nicer 65nm, but not until mid 2007 because of a delay. The benefits of shrinking a CPU are not only cost reduction, but less power consumption, and less heat is generated. When a gaming console's innards get smaller and cost less, that can only mean good things for consumers and a possible price reduction may be in the distant future. And since the new smaller chip will need less power maybe we can finally reduce the size of that huge power brick.

[Via Joystiq]