Xbox 360 getting 65nm GPU this fall?

While it's hardly a secret that the Xbox 360 will be getting a 65nm CPU upgrade sooner or later, China's Commercial Times (not always the most reliable source) is now reporting that the console's Xenos GPU will also be switching over to the cooler, lower-power chips, supposedly sometime this fall. According to the paper, an "engineering version" of the new and improved 65nm Xenos GPU has already been sent out, with production set to get underway in May, which would certainly seem to make a fall launch a possibility. Unfortunately, there's still no word on a possible disc drive upgrade to go along with these other revisions, which we all know is the real culprit for most of the console's noise problems.

[Via Joystiq]

[Brian @ Apr 30th 2007 1:52PM]

Don't worry folks, you are only expected to buy a new XBOX 360 once every year.

[BatteryAcid @ Apr 30th 2007 4:41PM]

Better than the upgrade cycle time of Apple productsa {:-)

[Kai @ Apr 30th 2007 1:56PM]

yeah seriously, what the hell... a new 360 every year lol

[Paul @ Apr 30th 2007 1:59PM]

i predict....millions of xbox bricks by then!!!(including elites)

[Je2037 @ Apr 30th 2007 1:59PM]

Not only noise thats the concern...don't forget heat issues and power consumption.

[Kiteless @ Apr 30th 2007 2:04PM]

My thoughts:
No way are they going to put HDDVD in the unit. No Wireless EVER ether.

It would be smart for microsoft to get those dang whiny fans out of the X360 and also move the power brick inside the unit. Then the XB360 (PS3 haters) fanboys can properly brag about (my) the PS3 being big and noisy. Big it is, but noisy it aint.

As lightly as I use my 360 I don't expect it to last more than 2 years before it breaks! So MS... Make it more reliable eh?

- K

[Crayola @ Apr 30th 2007 2:26PM]

Why the mention of the source being unreliable? I was curious about this statement, with a bit of googling, it seems Commercial Times is a Chinese language broadsheet covering financial news.

http://www.dj.com/Pressroom/PressReleases/Other/US/2005/0414_US_TheWallStreetJournal_1773.htm

"Established in 1978, under the umbrella of the China Times News Group, Commercial Times is one of the most important business publications in Taiwan. According to the publisher's statement, Commercial Times current circulation is 350,000."

Sounds unreliable?

[Jon @ Apr 30th 2007 2:26PM]

Maybe you dint notice that EVERY system ever made upgraded its internals each year or so , when they get cheaper tech , etc ... But i guess you forget that when talking about MS

[HEY @ Apr 30th 2007 2:29PM]

for those of you that don't seem to understand this is a revision NOT a new sku this happens with all consoles.

[Sam @ Apr 30th 2007 2:38PM]

When they get the 65nm chips and they get the licensing issues worked out when transferring games/shows, I will upgrade to the Elite. Not a moment sooner.

[Bob @ Apr 30th 2007 2:41PM]

Is this an XBox or an Apple product? As soon as you buy one, it is outdated.

[fuzzy075 @ May 6th 2007 7:33AM]

hey bob your wrong about apple product. Apple uses cutting edge technology and Apple change their design usually every 6 months and in PC ie HP/Toshiba/Compaq/Sony change their pc line every 3 months. As far for their ipod try check how many different version of DAP from Sony, Sandisk, Creative products that are competing with apple.

[RichBleak @ Apr 30th 2007 2:42PM]

How can everyone so quickly forget about all of the PS2 revisions? The first of which came much sooner than this one, assuming the time table is accurate. I purchased the PS2 at launch and every game I ever played had graphical glitches at every point during play. Then there were problems with drives in future revisions. MS is certainly not the first company to have hardware issues and revisions.

[Mak @ Apr 30th 2007 6:20PM]

Nobody is forgetting, but Sony don't add stuff you can't buy as a upgrade.

The only thing added to PS2 was the network/HDD adaper, which you could buy for $30.

They have improved the console, reduced costs and the like, but have NEVER stitched existing users by adding functionality not availble to exisitng consoles, in the way Microsoft are already doing..

[RichBleak @ Apr 30th 2007 11:13PM]

Just to be clear, I'm not talking about the switch to the slim pstwo or any other feature-adding improvement to the unit. We also aren't talking about the elite here, we are talking about the switch to 65nm. There is no additional functionality inherent in this change. A person who now has a 360 premium will see no additional features added when buying a premium with the 65nm chipset. Anyone who took apart ps2's (can't imagine why anyone would do such a thing*wink*) can tell you that there were plenty of changes to the internals of PS2's without any change in functionality. No one cried about needing to buy a new console to reap the benefits of a new motherboard at that time.

[Shmoe @ Apr 30th 2007 2:44PM]

MS should have had the foresight to have gigabit ethernet for easier, more reliable HD streaming on an intranet. Hopefully they can add this when these 65nm chips come out.

[jaysins @ Apr 30th 2007 2:45PM]

The snes got three cpu revisions in it's lifetime and the PS2 had around fifteen different revisions to it's hardware, so this is nothing new at all for console owners. Sony has also had several cosmetic changes to the ps1 and ps2 as well, which I hope eventually happens to the 360. No external powerbrick would be awesome. This will also help MS lower the price of the console.

[Water @ Apr 30th 2007 3:12PM]

'Unfortunately, there's still no word on a possible disc drive upgrade to go along with these other revisions, which we all know is the real culprit for most of the console's noise problems.'

Evidently you haven't seen any of the recent (March 2007 onwards) consoles with the BenQ drives in them?

They are nearly silent, almost as quiet as my PS3 in fact. Although these drives are not present in all consoles yet, they should be spreading to all soon (I hope)

Sam

[Mak @ Apr 30th 2007 3:37PM]

The bottom line is this:

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR..

If you buy a budget gaming console, it's going to be crammed full of cheap crappy components, that get hot and make lots of noise.

Anypne crying about how loud their 360 is, or that it's failed after 4 months, really what did you expect? It was rushed to market to cash in on the xmas market...

I seriously doubt the 65nm switch is the godsend that people are wishing for, unless Microsoft are planning on raising the price and fitting higher quality components...

[RichBleak @ Apr 30th 2007 11:21PM]

hah! I love how the 360 is a budget console now. You must have a distinctly different budget than the average person. Just because Sony is charging outrageous prices for a console that delivers the same level of performance doesn't mean anyone charging less is delivering budget or bargain-basement goods. Unless leveraging your system for the use of others is an important thing to you, the only difference between the two systems is about 200 dollars and a decent online component (live ftw).

[Mak @ May 1st 2007 2:57AM]

The problems with the 360, it shows instantly that it's a budget console, it's noisy, unreliable, and looks thrown together.


That's budget by my reckoning..

Still some people can only afford trashy cars and trashy apartments. The 360 is ideal for the,.

[Anthony @ Apr 30th 2007 3:56PM]

This is all good news for Europe, The Elite is due out around that time so atleast we will get the new CPU's in out consoles without worrying about another iminant update to the system

[wei @ Apr 30th 2007 4:08PM]

@Mak:

Since when was the 360 a budget gaming console? Just because there's another system out there selling [poorly] at a ridiculously high price, doesn't make the 360 a budget unit. That's some serious snobbery. Not all of us can justify dropping $600 on a gaming system. And most of us certainly do not consider $400 purchase to be budget purchases.

With that said, Microsoft definitely did a poor job with designing the hardware. I recently joined the legions of 360 owners whose consoles have bitten the dust. Nobody's happy about the situation, but let's not be ridiculous here. ;)

[Mark Gillespie @ Apr 30th 2007 6:09PM]

Well everyone I know with a 360 (about 6 people), only one of them is still on their original 360, and he feels like he is on borowed time....

$400 is only cheap, if you havn't got to buy a replacement every 6 months.

I prefer to pay for quality, not some below-par hunk of junk.

It's not snobbery at all, the xbox360 packs punch, but does it on a budget, and that shows BADLY.. Hence the appaling reliability and noisy components..

Is $200 difference between a pile of noisy junk that goes wrong every few months, and looks like a POS, or $200 more for something quiet, reliable and potentually MUCH more powerful. I know where my money would go every single time...

[kingofwale @ Apr 30th 2007 4:28PM]

can you say.... 550 dollars xbox360 Ultimate?

Well, no need to be sarcastic about it people, this is Microsoft we are talking about, when have they NOT ever screw their own customers up their bums? ;)

I just feel sorry for those who bought/pre-ordered Elite.

[Pete @ Apr 30th 2007 4:29PM]

The 360 is a budget gaming console? Screw you man. Nobody dropping $400 on a 360 should expect anything but the highest quality. It's MS's fault that we are getting crappy components, not the ones spending hard-earned money. The 360 is not a budget console by ANY standard.

[rp @ Apr 30th 2007 6:33PM]

@ Pete

Isn't that kind of the MS deal though, to charge money for something that more or less sucks ass? MS is a budget company, plain and simple. You may have thought that what you were buying was going to be quality, but hey, it's Microsoft, or did you forget?

[Tavis Veighey @ Apr 30th 2007 4:30PM]

They just released a new version of the XBOX360. I thought that this new fancy one was susposed to ahve the new smaller curcits.... However it appears that MS is taking a page out of Nintendo's book, release a console, improve it and re-release it... They have been doing this for EVER!!!

There was the first NES that was a huge box, then after they released the SNES, they released an SNES form factor NES system!

I am not aware of an updated SNES, GameCube or the Nintendo64 systems, so they skipped those consoles.

The GameBoy had many improvements! The smaller one with a slightly better B&W Screen (The Gameboy Pocket). The backlit version of the pocket called the Gameboy Lite. Then they added color, Gameboy Color.
The Gameboy Advance had an updated processor. Then do to outrage at not being able to see the screen, and the issue with having to feed it batteries, and the size of the system, they made the Gameboy Advance SP. Then they updated that with a brighter screen! Then they decided that smaller was better, so they made a GBA Pocket that had the same basic formfactor as the first one, but a smaller screen, and rechargable.

Then along comes the DS. They made the first one, and it was HUGE, floppy, and the screens were not that great. About a year later they made teh DS Lite! Brighter screen, better batteries, and a WAY BETTER clamshell design!!!

So is this the future of console design? Make a first draft, and release it to the public, then upgrade it as the users demand, then get those users to fork out $$$ for the NEW one?

[NeoteriX @ Apr 30th 2007 8:55PM]

It seems to work perfectly fine for the auto industry.

[Pete @ Apr 30th 2007 4:31PM]

Also, you are a freaking idiot if you think that this 65nm console is going be advertised in any way or indicated on the box IN ANY WAY. You will never know if you are buying one of these vs an older box. MS isn't stupid. At least not that stupid.

[andy @ Apr 30th 2007 4:37PM]

@ pete

Shouldn't the package weight give it away?


I mean, half the power consumption should reduce or eliminate the power brick. That's a lot of weight difference. If they eliminate the brick, it might mean a reduction in the overall package size so that they can fit more into ever cargo container coming over (reduce shipping costs and material costs).

I'm taking my little gram scales to the store with me when these hit this fall, and we'll find out.

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Apr 30th 2007 4:34PM]

I'm sorry, but I have to say the "Xbox Elite" is a complete joke.

All it is, is simply a regular white Xbox 360 console spray-painted black (rather cheaply) just to compete with Sony's black PS3.

I have all three consoles now.. the 360 in no way trounces the PS3 in terms of looks. However, in graphical comparisons, it's still tough to call. I respect all of these systems.

Still, I just don't understand how Microsoft can put out something that basically offers little to no enhancements (like no built-in wifi, no hd-dvd player, no built-in power supply, quieter fans etc.) and throw the tag "Elite" at the end of the product name expecting it to sell. I know, of course, people will say that it has "HDMI" and "boasts a 120GB drive".. that doesn't really justify buying a new system though. Check out the reviews, even Engadget will tell you that there is hardly a difference between the the Elite and regular versions.

To me, "Elite" means having the best. An HD-DVD drive would have made loads more sense if it came with this new version.. but that's just me! ;)

And now you hear that there will FINALLY be computer chips that actually cut back on power consumption (which is long overdue)? That's B.S.

Microsoft still needs to learn a thing or two from the more experienced companies such as Sony or Nintendo, imho.

[jayeffaar @ Apr 30th 2007 4:50PM]

Hell, even the grand-daddy of them all, the Atari 2600, went through multiple revisions in its lifetime, including losing 2 switches on the front panel.

[kingofwale @ Apr 30th 2007 5:06PM]

>You will never know if you are buying one of these vs an older box.

obviously you will notice when your old box gets the dreaded red ring of death.

[Pete @ Apr 30th 2007 5:29PM]

Look, all MS did was satisfy demand. Do you guys have any idea how many people were clamoring for HDMI alone? Message boards have been on fire about this for the past year, and now you have people complaining that MS tried to address this? Come on now. It's only $80 more than the premium and you get a lot more storage space, HDMI and an HDMI cable for that $80. Most people view an HDMI cable as a $50 - $100 purchase at Best Buy so this is a good deal. Only geeks like us know you can buy one online for $15, but the one MS includes is a good quality cable. I think WiFi should have been included. Granted, the PS3 overall is a better price/technology ratio, but the 360 has a much better games lineup right now and for the foreseeable future. Only real Sony fanboys can argue that. The Elite will matter to HD DVD buffs that want 1080p output and can only get it via HDMI on their display. The Elite is going to sell very well. For most of us, the regular 360 is just fine, except that it is a POS that bricks every 6-12 months. It's a shame really...the 360 is a great console aside from the quality issues. At least their return procedure is free and painless.

[Chris @ Apr 30th 2007 5:40PM]

@ Pete

I completely agree with you. I alone sold my old 360 (bought at launch) for $400 (along with my VGA cable). For an extra $80 I had NO problem buying my Elite. I personally think it's a great deal, if you have the money of course. I don't use wifi so obviously that's not a big deal to me. And my 37" 1080p set loves my 360, so I think it's just a per-household opionon. If you don't need it, quit your complaining. NO ONE IS FORCING YOU TO PURCHASE IT.

[tony blank @ Apr 30th 2007 6:23PM]

@ Chris

My only complaint is that as someone without a 360 that WANTS to enjoy the XBox 360, its disheartening that Microsoft is refusing to address the quality issues. Why invest in the headache? I am going to go with the PS3.

[joe @ Apr 30th 2007 6:40PM]

If my Xbox360 ran Office, VPN, and remote desktop it could replace my PC and I would be happy to buy a new version every year.

[Zeus the God @ Apr 30th 2007 7:20PM]

Mak, GODDAMMIT, you are stupid.

You can't sit there and say that the PS3 wasn't rushed. That fucking RSX was a last minute slap on because their little Cell processor wasn't the golden horse they so claimed it to be.

You are right, you do get what you pay for. With the PS3, you get a shitty game library, worthless WiFi (WiFi should never, EVER be used for gaming), a Blu-Ray player that has a slow ass read speed, terrible loading times, terrible online, etc, etc.

You can't sit there and say that the PS3 is any better than the 360. Yes, the 360 has had faulty units, but over all, compared to how many that are out there, that number isn't so high. Even if you got one of the faulty units, 9 times out of 10, you will get North America based tech support, and free repair or replacement.

As for me, I have had mine since launch without a problem. Also, most of you bitching about how loud it is don't even have one. The thing is not even remotely as loud as you say it is. I have mine sitting right beside me on my computer desk, and unless you have your sound muted, then there is no way it can bother you.

[Zeus the God @ Apr 30th 2007 7:28PM]

Again, you guys are idiots when it comes down to reliability...

PS2 had many, MANY failures at launch; even more so than the 360! I had PS2 launch console, and had it repaired 3 times for faulty drives for 90 bucks each, with it still under warranty, and I also had to pay for shipping and handling. 3 fucking times, with shitty ass customer service, that took forever to get through to, and the games on the PS2 weren't all as good as they were cracked up to be. The PS2, though selling millions, was a failure in my book.

Again, 3 times with drive failure, within the warranties that were tacked on after each repair (around 100 days), and 90+ bucks a time. No, but that's not the problem, it's that Microsoft has problems. Their systems must be shit, even though Sony has screwed up the build quality every time around. PSX, PS1, PS2 and the slim-line versions of all of those have had terrible quality, and I know this from personal experience.

[Goebbels @ Apr 30th 2007 8:03PM]

All I want is a quiet machine. How hard is that?

[Zeus the God @ Apr 30th 2007 9:45PM]

"All I want is a quiet machine. How hard is that?"

Take your TV off mute and you won't hear it.

[Michael @ Apr 30th 2007 10:17PM]

Do Americans have overly sensitive hearing? Everytime I read about electronics, it's always Americans complaining about noisefrom their gadgets (Apple, Xbox360). I have both MBP and XBox360 and yes they make some noise. Anything that has movable part is bound to makes noise unless you put magnetic or air cushions on your parts. As long as its not so loud as to affect my work or gaming. *rolling my eyes*

[Sean Meng @ May 1st 2007 2:00AM]

im sick of microsoft coming up with all of these new things if they did they should have included the chip and a quiter dvd drive in the elite....

[James @ May 1st 2007 3:28AM]

ok guys if anyone is still paying attenionto this thread than listen up
i am fifteen working at kfc slaving my ass off for next to minimum wage in australia.
im not sure when the elite comes out here but last i hear it was winter!that sucks
i dont want a black 360 i want a white one but i want the motherboard in the white one. anypne know if they are gonna release a white elite?
i have been shafted many times by the video game industry and am sure i will be shafted many times to come
in my opinion the 360 is a better console than the ps3 (my opinion) that s not saying that i dislike the ps3 because i find them to be very good (almost silent aswell).
i am turning 16 soon and would love some money to put towards a 360 (were not all as rich as that dooshbag who thought it was a budget item) but i dont want to get the buyers remorse.
i want a white 360 with the internal alteration that were made to the elite + an e3xternal hddvd drive external wireless network adapter, quiet reliable disk drive that doesnt scratch my disks, silent efficient cooling system and 65nm chipset. and i will hook it up to my dell 2007wfp (no colour banding i thin i got a really new model) via vga and hook it into my z5450s (i dont actually have them but i do want them) and a stack of good qualtiy games.(not average overpriced games that fill up a tenth of a bd disc,(oh but wait till they learn howe to get full potential out of there processor) well i want lots of good quality games not just a couple firstparty ones that look gereat) thats what i want.


i figured out the answer... win the lottery!

[Latino Dude @ May 1st 2007 5:53AM]

If the 360 does drop a 65nm on us then it would make sense for fall and market it with Halo 3 release. Tell me that anyone that hasn't purchsed a 360 by then wouldn't pick it up with Halo 3 and 65nm. Noise is no big deal, but smaller or no brick would be a plus. And you would be able to tell if you purchased the 65nm model because that would probably have a new SKU just like the latest Elite package had a new SKU. As for HD DVD, I can live wihtout it until the movie/video and electronics companies finish thier war so we can see which of the two formats will come out on top, HD DVD or BluRay. Regardless of the HD DVD I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the fall timefram for the 65nm.

[Mak @ May 1st 2007 8:04AM]

I would expect most Halo 3 owners will HAVE to pickup a 65nm unit, as an "advanced" game like Guitar Hero 2 is enough to brick few thousand consoles, Halo 3 will surely tip hundreds of thousands of 360's into the 3 red light zone.

I suspect Microsoft will be shouting from the rooftops when Halo 3 is out, about how many consoles they will have sold on the back of it. I wonder how many of those will be replacements!!!

[Wiirocks! @ May 2nd 2007 7:49PM]

The three red lights is the average complaint from a ps3 fanboy. Ya know what, we could harp all day long on ps3's faulty blue tooth connections, online lags, and blu-ray slow ups. Oh yeah, and ps3 is losing exclusives by the minute. I mean what the hell is left? Freakin' Afrika?! Now I leave you with the true definition of playstation. Plagarized s#%*!

[myxbox360crashed @ Jun 28th 2007 2:38AM]

Microsoft NOW putting new heatsink in the 360, but, nobody knows if they are putting them new units, elites, or just the trash refurbs.
Still no word on the status of replacing the dreadfully inadaquate and defective dvd drives. http://www.xbox360defective.com Notice video where they tear down the ELITE and show same dvd drives, same sucky heatsink.