The second Xbox 360 revealed: codename Zephyr
By Ryan Block 
posted January 5th 2007 8:51AM
posted January 5th 2007 8:51AM
posted January 5th 2007 8:51AM
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I just bought my 360 a month and a half ago..im not really concerned about the hdmi or the other stuff. I just wish i could buy a SATA hard drive and replace the 20gb myself instead of waiting for one blessed by microsoft.
who even says this is real, not just some mock up to get attention!
its a fake, low res dark pic - it is easy to tell.
probably released from a sony fanboy who is trying to get all you gullable fools to not buy the box, and guess what - it is working. you have fallen for it hook line and sinker
LOL, Microsoft shafts current Xbox360 owners, Notice it was under wraps until AFTER the xmas period!!
LOL, no HDMI for current users...
Glad I held out for a PS3..
No one was "shafted" the 360 is just as functional as it was yesterday.
The simple fact of the matter is that the 360 is still far and away better then the PS3. The 360 is the better system due to its superior games, controllers, and online functionality. The PS3 does always, and will always have more "raw power", but as we can see, no one really cares about that.
I also don't understand why people are saying that they are glad they got a PS3 now (even though we all know they aren't). So your happy you got $600 system with 1 good game, a lame (and cheap feeling) controller, and terrible online functionality because now there are two versions of the Xbox360 that are better than the PS3?
I am laughing at all everybody that is complaining, I have been waiting and finally they release the newest version of the NES system. Suckers, I did this so I could wait for all the updates. It does not support HDMI but I don't have to worry about them releasing an updated version now....
Anybody wanna come over to play Blades of Steel? But dont try to reach my on my cell phone, cause I wont buy one, they update those too!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I am staying ahead of the electronic curve by waiting 20 years for everything. FOOLS
can't we all calm down and be reasonable here? when you bought your 360, you were satisified with it right? now that they are supposedly (remember this is not confirmed) releasing a revision in the near-ish future all of the sudden you gotta complain about your purchase? Granted, it would have been nice to know that your product would stay high tech until the Xbox 3 (ZBox?) but you know what? Nvidia already has a GPU that slaugthers both the 360 and PS3 put together. and its their mid-level high end. (if you people know nvidia the 8800 is the 3rd or 4th highest end processor) thats why I think nintendo wii is a genius idea, they saw the rate at which technology was progressing and said, you know what? we don't need a big fancy machine that will be underpowered in a year or 2. lets make a small machine that everyone can enjoy and people can take with them.
however, do not be surprised if you see a High-def wii in the future.
I have had a 360 since launch, and for those saying they will sue Microsoft, you need to grow up and enter the real world of capitalism.
Now with that said, the fact of the matter is the entire console business as a whole is changing. For 25 years, consoles have been known to be something you can invest in and be content knowing your purchase will not be inferior 6 months later as in the PC business.
This is no longer holding true, and the console makers have been slowly but surely moving towards a shorter lifespan cycle, with more upgrades.
Rather than get pissed, and complain, we all might as well accept that the console market is going to become more like the consumer electronics and PC market. Granted, they cannot completely modify the underlying architecture of the consoles, but they will constantly add features, addons, and lower prices throughout its lifespan.
From microsoft's point of view, this is brilliant. They probably knew all along of this plan. Release the 360 early and get a 1yr head start on Sony, rather than wait for the HDMI. Then 18 months later, when chip prices have come down, release a newer version which outspecs sony's machine, and at a lower price.
Oh well, I was going to be in the market for a second 360 soon anyway. I say bring it on. I'll buy it. The first one will be on the TV that doesn't do HDMI and this one will be on the main TV.
One question I have though...
It looks like the serial number and whatever else goes on the label has been blacked out. I would think that this is a prototype and wouldn't have the serial number or even a FCC compliance label on it.
If the new 360 have a build in HD-DVD,it might kill sony in a hole different level,if mircosoft try to used drive, HD-dvd format games,it might be over sony .
Vidikron said: "Sounds like you just didn't think any of this through. Everyone knows that aiming is quicker on PC FPS games because it's essentially just point and click. But controllers are superior for many other genres (action, adventure, racing, sports, fighting, etc...). If the speed and ease of aiming in an FPS is a deal breaker you should have thought the whole controller vs mouse thing through."
*Who* knows? I sure as fuck didn't when I first got my 360. I naturally assumed that, on a system DESIGNED for gaming, that they'd figured-out how to make the controls work... REGARDLESS of what kind of game it is. Who's going to refund my money? You? Then shut your ignorant choad.
Vidikron said: "Then, given that you clearly like FPS games quite a bit, how can turn around and complain that the games are "ultra violent"? WTF? FPS games, by definition, are violent games."
Where in x's post does he say anything about liking first person shooters? Speaking for myself, I stopped gaming on the PC precisely BECAUSE half the games are shooters. I don't mind the occasional shooter, but that shit gets a little old after a while. That, and all the spyware copy protection that PCs games come with...
To be clear: if you buy a 360, you should be aware that the majority of the top-rated games have an extremely violent motif. That's not likely to change anytime soon since Microsoft seems only interested in attracting a "certain" (juvenile?) class of gamer. If you want whimsical titles of the Super Mario sort, move on. Don't buy a 360, they don't want you as a customer. Unfortunately you are stuck in the 480p stone ages with a Wii. It's either hi-def or vgame variety. You can't have both. Maybe the PS3 will produce titles with a little more variety, we'll see...
Everyone should know you shouldn't ASSUME anything,especially with game consoles.Nothing was a surprise to me when I bought the 360 because I did a hell of a lot of research.Too many people will go into a store,look at a tv,say"that's nice,I'll take it".They get the tv home and THEN realize it doesn't have enough of "these input thingies".Or "I thought this was HD,why doesn't it have this 720p thingie they say I need?"You should have gone on the internet,read up on how people feel about FPS's using a console contoller.When you read that people play FPS's on a PC because it's easier or better,then you would have known a console is not for you.I made that mistake myself when people were and or are complaining about the 1080i ps3 thing.I ASSUMED there wouldn't be a problem with 1080i because 1080i and 720p is standard HD.Obviously those poor people who bought the ps3 that have 1080i tv's assumed the same thing.To me buying a ps3 that doesn't display a STANDARD HD signal on THE most advanced HD game console is still unbelievable to me.When I first heard about it I thought it was a joke going around the internet.It's your fault for not knowing about a product.
"I just don't understand why people expect to get reimbursed for the Xbox360 that they bought."
For me it's more because Microsoft didn't even drop a hint as to there being a new one in the works. Instead they stayed silent through the holiday, selling over 2 million consoles. Then right after the holidays and their wallets are fat they decide to let us in, (or at least some soul who works for them) on the secret that a new and improved one is coming, for some of us, only months after we bought ours originally. For a console that they said was going to last upwards up 5-7 years, i call that at the least false advertising. Sure it is still the 360 at it's core, but it's updated with 6 times the memory space, a much more efficent 65 mm chip, and the HDMI port which they said wasn't needed since 1080p wasn't all that great. For half the people who own them now, who couldn't find any for months after the consoles launch it's been elss then a year, and less then a year is way too short of a period of time to come out with an update. It took the PS2 to the edge of it's lifetime to come out with the slimline. And don't quote me on this, but i believe the better half of a year and a half for the DS to turn into the DS Lite (and even then i'd be comparing a $125 hand held to a $500 cdn conole) At the moment i'll have my middle finger stuck high into the air at microsoft shouting FUCK YOU, until i hear that they have some sort of plan to reimburse us "early" consumers
Oh and ten bucks says that this Zephyr becomes the new premium, and the premiums out now become core bundles.
Woohoo! I can't wait to eBay my original launch console and pick this one up! I've got a 50" 1080p sony sxrd, now... so it's time to get my HDMI on!
I wonder If current 360 owners will be able to return their old Xboxes and maybe even pay a little extra for getting the brand new one. If it breaks down you can send in, get a fix for free...or upgrade to the newer Xbox 360 for say $100. I'd do it.
1) The processor isn't any faster. It's just using a new manufacturing process which saves money for microsoft and supposedly improves heat dissipation.
2) More memory? This doesn't make any sense, at all. Microsoft isn't going to release games that use more power than the original launch console. They'd have to brand it as an entirely new console.
3) The difference between 1080i and 1080p isn't really noticeable... but people still want HDMI inputs... so Microsoft is just givin' them (consumers) what they want.
4) Why would Microsoft reimburse original console owners? Microsoft is releaseing a larger hard drive, and adding an unnecessary display adapter (HDMI)... these are purely optional compentents, no matter how you look at it. This isn't "xbox720," this is xbox360 plus a few accessories.
Some of you people kill me. How can you not understand why people are ticked off over this? Do any of you remember the "future-proof" nonsense that Microsoft was spewing? Well it's not exactly "future proof" if we all have to get new 360's to get full 1080p.
That' being said, I still think all of this is fake and bogus. Someone please explain how Microsoft can make a full 1080p VGA digital cable, but they can't make one for HDMI. That makes zero sense.
Secondly, if this is a prototype...then why does it have serial numbers and manufacturing dates? And why are those things blacked out? And why does the only picture available look like it was taken in a midevil dungeon? IF this was all true, and if they are far along enough that they are actually making these things with serial numbers and manufacturing dates...then how in the HELL did it stay a secret until now?
NONE of this makes any sense.
What the hell,let's have a whole bunch of different 360's available to people.More choice means more options.People love options.For people who don't want or care about HDMI or bigger harddrives they could buy a cheaper "regular" 20G console.The people who want more could have the choice of the "more improved" console.Even though it's financially unrealistic,hell,let's have four different consoles at different prices offering different capabilities.People really do love choice of products and prices.Sell the upgraded one for the current 360 price,knock $100 or so off the 20G console.Like all consoles they would lose money at the start but put more consoles into homes and make their money back with people buying games and other add ons like wireless headphones etc...Yeah,you might be on to something Microsoft.Maybe Sony would have better luck offering the same thing...choice.I am being sarcastic about this but not by a long stretch.
Yeah, dude...but your ignoring the fact that 9 million people have already bought 360's. How much "choice" do they have? Also, Microsoft swore up and down that the 360's were 'future proof'. If this is true, which I don't think it is, then they completely lied to 9 million people.
I'd laugh if this post is just a big joke by engadget, like when AOTS made the fake picture of the "new" video ipod.
I think this is a load of crap...why make the picture so dark? The "photo taker" doesn't want anyone to get a good look at it, that's why...
Ryan,just read the first four words of my last sentence.It wasn't meant to be taken seriously.That's why I said I was being sarcastic.I just tried to add sarcasm on a hot topic that is probably all bullshit.Sarcasm,for example,yeah lets make 20 different 360's,no 35 idfferent 360's and give each one different harddrives.
I reckon its been added in, the little metal clips look like they have been used to reseal the back of the xbox.
For those who already brought the First xbox 360. MS should offer $100-200 trade in for the premium.
But the sad thing is. I would still buy the new console.
you guys making this more of a big deal than it is, I have serious doubts that everyone i see complaining even has a TV that can take advantage of the HDMI output. I also dont understand why everyone needs such a big hard drive. For what?I've had my 360 for 6 months and it looks beautiful on my HD TV, i dont need HDMI, and i have 12+ gigs of space left on my HD (including a bunch of useless game trailers i could get rid of). What could be taking up so much space? Are you seriously downloading movies on your Xbox? Why? Hell I mean, if you want to watch them that bad, download them on your computer and stream them?
Well...my Sony XBR2 can't produce 1080p with VGA or Component. The 1080p output is HDMI only...go figure, since it's a Sony. That's why I would want HDMI.
I'm glad this is how Microsoft decides to treat it's early investors. ;)
With the exception of the story about OS X for Intel being cracked to run on generic hardware, I'd say this is, by far, the most commented-on topic I've ever seen on Engadget.
If that doesn't show just how much ill-will there is among consumers, about being shafted, by corporations, I don't know what does. People aren't commenting here at unprecedented levels for shits and giggles, they're really fucking pissed-off. Microsoft should make note.
It's the year 2007 and people haven't learn that you should never buy the first production units. They are the most poorly built units available. M$ shafted you? Look at how many revisions sony made on both the PS1 and the PS2. But the increased HD space is a welcome addition and the first 9 million people who got the first generation xbox360s did get shafted because the unit was also designed as a hybrid game console/media center PC. HDMI is not a big deal atm as all xbox360 games are rendered at 720p internally.
all u ppl saying this is technology growing blab lah blah are wrong
the reason why ppl buy consoles is so that they dont have to constantly upgrade their comp to keep up with graphics, etc. in games
with a console u shouldnt have to worry about it for 4 or 5 years like the ps2 or even older xbox, but one year? with the consideration of 2 million buyers over christmas just last week?
If this does come out I will be petulent and sell my current 360 and not buy this one. Microsoft should have done this in the beginning. Yes, they screwed 9 million people. Is that a record?
Cool. I was waiting to buy one anyway.
whats that white spec on the right of the photo? it look nicely cut through the middle! picture is most likely a fake.
50 comments per page please.
CES is coming.
I can't do this 20 comments a page thing.
Just thought I'd mention this for people that don't know this about the 360.You can tell which harddrive you have(Hitachi,Samsung) by the disc tray.Open the disc tray,if you see a few small holes in the disc tray you have the older noisy harddrive.If your disc tray has no holes you have the newer quiet Samsung harddrive.
Sorry,when I was talking about the noisy and quiet 360 I meant the drive not harddrive.I had a momentary lapse of reason.
whats with the white spec on the right of the picture?
well!! I am happy about this!
My first 360 broke. My replacement broke. My 3rd one is freezing up one me. This is getting kinda silly.
I LOVE the freaking thing and am a tech / game freak. I will buy the new 360 and sell the old one on Ebay.
Lets hope they fixed the 1 in 20 bad 360's problem. That is getting old. HDMI? I CANT WAIT? Built in HDDVD? Lets hope!! Bigger HD? Who cares?(Just link it to a computer ! )
What a big deal !! Like early PS3 buyers won't be actually a hundred time more screwed in one year when the PS3 will get an update with a hardware scaller.
Seriously, VGA and Componment does support lossless 1080p output, who cares about HDMI ? HDMI is relevant ONLY when HDCP encryption is enabled, so stop crying you morons.
To PS3 fans : keep in mind that the Xbox 360 will always have generation ahead the PS3, so every news like this one will arrive just the same for the PS3 in one year.
What kind of naive fool believes in the concept of 'future proof' anyways?
Wake up, it's slick ad-man talk for the gullible.
All early adopters face this kind of annoying change but you got over a year of enjoying the 'system' didn't yous?
if you sell your 360 and this is just a fake, you're going to feel like an idiot
A few things to keep in mind, people.
1. Look at the Original PlayStation. It had an interface on the back that developers used for hardware devices such as game hacks, mp3 players, Gameboy emulators, etc. In later revisions of the consoles, this port was removed. What does this have to do with the 360 console? Niche markets. Game genies may not have been peoples markets, so they removed the port. however it was and is still possible to purchase consoles with these ports. Same thing with 360s, if you plan on using the HDMI cable, go buy another 360. People that planned on using a Gameshark add-on had to buy a new PlayStation. Very slight differences obviously in this revision.
2. The addition of the HDMI port in newer consoles does not mean you're eligible for a new console. It was a feature designed for new revisions of the console, marketed as a new feature. You cannot purchase a house and trade in for a different house because it has a swimming pool, but you can purchase the swimming pool for your house. This doesn't mean that an HDMI cable will be released for the 360 (Judging by the rumored addition, there's about a 99.9999% chance that you'll never see one. After all, why else would they add a port rather than including a new cable?). The only situation that would be exempt, would be if you purchased a console, and within the store's warranty and terms, you replaced your purchased unit for a V2. Example in case, Futureshop and Best Buy both have a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, in which case they would allow you to replace your console with one of the newer versions, I've done so with my Ipod Nano for a second gen Nano.
3. 65nm cpu makes for a cooler running console, requiring less electricity usage. Is this Microsoft's fault, and should they be held responsible? Of course not. If you buy a new car, and the car comes with a newer radiator in the next years model, does that mean your vehicle is dysfunctional? No, because your vehicle still runs. Same with your 360. If it runs hot, but still runs, then stop complaining. If it runs hot and produces malfunctions, and your warranty is intact, send it in for warranty. However, if it runs hot, and your console overheats, explodes, and is not in warranty, then this is NO LONGER Microsoft's problem, as they have extended the warranty period to one year, trying to accommodate for any problematic events such as these. It is very seldom that you will find any company that would extend warranties by 300% to ensure customer satisfaction.
4.Early Adopters, whether they know of the risks or not, purchased their consoles with a (now) 1-year warranty (previously 90-day). Said warranty covers THEIR CURRENT CONSOLE. In other markets, your warranty doesn't cover exchanges for entirely new products, unless old products are no longer in production and no longer available. Simply put, DO NOT expect replacements unless there's actually something wrong with your console.
I hope this post isn't too confusing for anyone. Thanks for your time!
'Future proof'.
Oh dear, you got to be really naive to have believed that one (from anybody).
I dunno. Sounds fishy to me. While this photo is very convincing, I can't help but wonder why MS wouldn't just make a new cable to attach to the OLD port. After all, this thing looks like it can support any ol' HDMI cable - so where's all the revenue for new cables gonna come from?
Add to that that not all HDTVs have HDMI hook-ups, but they all seem to have VGA and component... Nah, can't say I buy this picture at all.
The biggest red flags come from this whole 120GB HDD rumor - what a crock! They can make more $ by just putting out a 50 or 100GB drive. Personally, I STILL have 9 gigs of space on my original HDD, why would I need 6x more? I've got over 50 saves for Oblivion alone! Granted, I don't bother using the thing to download movies and tv shows (that's what Tivo is for), but even if I DID, I wouldn't keep the things long enough to require all that extra room all at once. Add that to the burn file...
The only part of this rumor that rings true is the new processor. But this isn't really news at all - every box evolves over its lifespan. Look at how many changes the PS 1 & 2 went thru over time, they even changed their boxes! So the 360 might be cutting down on the fan noise in the future. Cool beans. Does it make me mad at my current model? When I'm playing GOW or Lego SW, the LAST thing I'm thinking about is fan noise!
so, is this official or not?
I mean the photo looks real, but I'd like some official word on this. i've just seen a whole lot of rumors and speculation at this point.
but anyway, this would be super cool! 120gb??? thats a hefty size, maybe even a little too much, but all good to me.
I doubt the hd-dvd drive would go internal though, because the external piece was just released. and then there's the issue of cost. i think having an add-on option keeps the regular 360 console price down. but if it were to somehow happen, maybe in a super-premium package, gosh, I'd get it.
regardless, these are the things I'd like to see at this point:
- official word on a new revised 360 console.
- included HDMI port, bigger internal hard drive, 65nm processor...
- and a revised power supply!! yessh, this power brick is huge
I'm happy with everything else. the 360 rocks your face.
What's with the recycled codename at Microsoft?
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1731365,00.asp
Is Zephyr an update to xbox360 or an automated crash reporting tool on Windows Server? Hmmmmmmm?
jdang: "Is Zephyr an update to xbox360 or an automated crash reporting tool on Windows Server? Hmmmmmmm?"
Really.
Which do you think?
bigeddie2525: "Yeah unfortunatley you are going to miss out on about 2 years of titles. You think your cool for playing the waiting game, but I have spent hours upon hours of oblivion, ghost recon, rainbow six, dead rising, fight night, madden, nba, gears of war goodness."
That's quite a rich and fulfilling life you have there. What's'a'matter? Too much of a loser to get a real life?
Half you morons who think its so great prolly dont even have a TV that does 1080p anyway, not thats theres a worthy diff. between that and 720P anyway. Check it out at the scientific Imaging Lab that decides this crap. Just came out with that. Who cares? And why would you have "loayalties" to microsoft anyway? Cause they make a video game machine? Sad, so sad. Try some fresh air, any day now.