More Hints of Bigger, Badder Xbox 360
But Microsoft continues to side-step the mounting speculation that it has an update coming.
One of the more persistent rumours right now is that Microsoft is working on a new model of the Xbox 360. US magazine Game Informer is the latest publication to pounce on the issue.
Developers and the media already have black debug 360sIn its April issue, Game Informer claims that Microsoft is readying a black Xbox 360 that includes a 120 GB hard drive, and HDMI connector and an HDMI cable to hook it all up, according to a scan of the magazine posted at Kotaku. The console, which is reported to cost $480 (around £300), will not include HD DVD playback.
Separately, Engadget also has a report this week mentioning the exact same specifications. In the Engadget report, the new model is dubbed the Xbox 360 Elite, to differentiate it from the Premium and Core versions already out there.
Microsoft has characteristically declined to comment on the imminent arrival of the new model, though a company executive did confirm earlier this year that an identically specced machine code-named the Zephyr did exist but was only for internal Microsoft research.
Both HDMI and the larger hard drive are two upgrades Xbox 360 fans are eager for, to better take advantage of the Xbox 360's newfound ability to display high-definition 1080p video and to store the mountains of video content Microsoft has amassed since the arrival of movie and TV show downloads on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo
Satoru Iwata Video Interview - the late Nintendo president spoke with Kikizo in 2004 as 'Nintendo Revolution' loomed.
Kaz Hirai Video Interview - the first of Kikizo's interviews with the man who went on to become global head of Sony.
Ed Fries Video Interview - one of Xbox's founders discusses an epic journey from Excel to Xbox.
Yu Suzuki, the Kikizo Interview - we spend time with one of gaming's most revered creators.
Tetris - The Making of an Icon: Alexey Pajitnov and Henk Rogers reveal the fascinating story behind Tetris
Rare founders, Chris and Tim Stamper - their only interview? Genuinely 'rare' sit down with founders of the legendary studio.
The History of First-Person Shooters - a retrospective, from Maze War to Modern Warfare