Redesigned ‘Falcon’ Xbox 360 coming sooner rather than later?
I’m sure everyone is well aware of the issues regarding the 360’s internal design shortcomings and the problems that it can cause. Microsoft’s reputation as a console manufacturer has been severely tarnished over recent months after rumours of a 33% hardware failure rate (aye right!) and the following knee jerk reaction to extend the 360’s warranty up to 3 years.
Today, word escaped from Asian component manufacturers that Microsoft have accelerated the planning for the redesigned Xbox 360 mainboard. Project ‘Falcon’ as it’s known internally aims to reduce the size of the main console components such as CPU & GPU from the standard 90-nanometer process down to 65-nanometer. Smaller components mean less power is required to drive the console which has the benefit of producing less heat. There is no information available at the moment to suggest the GPU will be moved from it’s current troubled location directly under the DVD-ROM drive.
Another outcome from the redesign, and possibly a more important factor is a reduction in costs. Moving from 90 to 65 nanometer fabrication could in fact reduce component costs by a staggering 50%. A price cut from Microsoft later in 2007 is widely expected and should place the 360 in a good position as we move forward in to the festive season. I would expect to see a cut of around 20% of RRP sometime between September and November when the ‘Falcon’ 360’s are set to arrive on store shelves.
Looking a little further ahead, Microsoft are expected to move to a 45-nanometer process which will reduce component size still further. Once this happens, we could expect to see a properly redesigned unit along the same lines as the PSOne and PSTwo released by Sony. Hell, they may even stick the power-brick in side.
More as it comes in….
[Edit 08:23 19/07/07]
I’d just like to make it clear, that the 50% price reduction noted above relates only to the cost of manufacturing the components. This does not mean the RRP of the 360 will drop by 50%. I did alude to this in the original post by saying “I would expect to see a cut of around 20% of RRP sometime between September and November…”
Bleem
Posted by Bleem - July 18th, 2007 -
July 18th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
[…] [source:xbox360wire] […]
July 18th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Cool !!!
Red lights are obviously from overheating…in the mean time, for those 30% with troubles; Start putting bullet holes in your X360 side panels to vent it better.
Ask PC tecs how they cool some of thier overheated P4’s or AMD’s on cooling features
;)
July 18th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
I feel very lucky so far - had my console since day 1 and never had any problems at all, not even from pesky disk scratching. I love my 360
July 18th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
[…] [via Xbox 360 Wire ] […]
July 18th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
[…] [via Xbox 360 Wire ] […]
July 18th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
[…] [via Xbox 360 Wire ] […]
July 19th, 2007 at 4:06 am
[…] Rumors originating from Asian component manufacturers indicate Microsoft is speeding up redesign efforts in order to release the updated version of its Xbox 360 console, codename Falcon, sooner rather than later. […]
July 20th, 2007 at 12:20 am
[…] ¿PodrÃa ser que los muchachos de Microsoft se hayan percatado de una pajolera vez de cuál es su verdadero problema? Eso es lo que afirman los muchachos de 360 Wire. Al parecer, Microsoft llevaba trabajando ya un tiempo en un rediseño de su consola, cosa natural y muy propia de esta compañÃa. La cuestión es que a raÃz de todos los problemas de las consabidas tres luces rojas, han inyectado una suma considerable de pelas y mano de obra para acelerar el conocido internamente como proyecto Falcon. […]
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:38 am
[…] I’m sure everyone is well aware of the issues regarding the 360’s internal design shortcomings and the problems that it can cause. Microsoft’s reputation as a console manufacturer has been severely tarnished over recent months after rumours of a 33% hardware failure rate (aye right!) and the following knee jerk reaction to extend the 360…read more | digg story […]
August 9th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
[…] Originalmente publicado por Slaanesh Otro cosa que deberia hacer ms es quitar la core por que no vale para nada. Bueno mi hermano cuando salió la 360 no tenia dinero para la premium y como de momento no queria online pues se pilló la core y posteriormente un disco duro que encontró rebajado y le va tan ricamente, si dispone de tantas opciones microsoft a mi me parece bien si no quieres usar algo no tener que tragar con ello, por ejemplo yo veo pelis en Dvd pero no me interesa verlas en HDDVD ni BluRay, asi que si microsoft me da la opcion a no tener que pagar esa tecnologia que no quiero me parece mejor que te la encasqueten por la patilla para cobrarte 200 pavos mas. [quote=Slaanesh;12435]ok, pues la rebaja le vendria muy bien, en Europa, para vender mas y si ademas vienen con 65nm ya seria la leche. Pues ahora he leido por ahi… XBOX 360 Wire » Redesigned ‘Falcon’ Xbox 360 coming sooner rather than later? Mas Datos del "Proyecto Falcon" -_- ahora tienen pensado en un futuro uno de 45? -.- hombre esta bien y todo eso pero jope pues podrian sacar el de 65 ya y dejarse de tonterias… Y bueno como decias tu Slaanesh, pero es que no se si esperarme, porque si va a tardar mucho paso, pero bueno, esperemos que microsoft de alguna noticia oficial al respecto aparte de el puerto HDMI en las premium __________________ HH4Ever Sakura + Yun, Rocks! -Me cago en Tata Golosa por ser un Zorrón y en Miqui Puig por tener nombre y parecido con otra persona que odio xDDD […]
August 18th, 2007 at 5:30 am
[…] Link to Story: http://www.xbox360wire.co.uk/2007/07/18/redesigned-falcon-xbox-360-coming-sooner-rather-than-later/ […]
August 27th, 2007 at 2:54 pm
Earlier someone called Jack said this Cool !!!
Red lights are obviously from overheating.
i’m sorry mate but thats a load of crap!, the three red lights are to signify Hardware failure more often than not this is due to overheating and frying the motherboard and or processor but hardware can cover anything from the motherboard to the DVD drive. and not only that there are more than just the 3 red lights there 1,2,3 and 4 red lights! all to signify different things only the 3 red lights are most commonly caused by the consoles shit cooling systems dispite microsofts patented condenser system.
August 28th, 2007 at 8:48 pm
yea i was just wondering for thoese who got a crapy 360 do we get up graded with this falcon for free and give u are over heated or recall with the hard drive that never wants to open right cause if not thats just wrong we all spent a shit load of money for cooling excessories for the xbox 360 and now u come up witha plain to fix the problem with the 360 by making it smaller and what about i hear u guys never put enought heat sink on the processor? let me know i have always been a big fan of xbox i was let down when i got my first one now i got one but the cd drive doenst want to open another bug in the system send me the falcon and everyone else who got riped on this waiting out in the rain for it to come out. bush316@hotmail.com
August 29th, 2007 at 2:35 am
I hope microsoft does something for the people with a history of faulty 360’s. When I get mine back from McCallen Texas is will be my 6th 360. They keep telling me this happens to nobody else. The last guy told me he would have them put the “new” hardware in it. I don’t know if that is falcon hardware or not.
September 10th, 2007 at 3:43 am
this is bush316 i have been doing a lot of research for the three rings of death i dont know if or what i did but now i get them this sucksi called the 1800-4my-xbox and after telling them it is a falty xbox 360 they are sending me a box to ship it out to be fixed well we will see what they do i hope they hook me up with a new one cause i know its a faulty machine with the messed up cd drive that doesnt want to open
September 23rd, 2007 at 3:12 am
hi just reading some of the comments u guys have been leaving, lucky u bleem 4 not havin a single problem with ur console but i have had 3 first was that it would not load games after having it about 11 months. it was replaced with a new console, then three months later i got the ring of death. so i called microsoft expecting them to replace again but refused because my warrenty had ran out and they explained that they did not extend warrenties on repaired or replaced consoles, i refused to pay the £50 repair charge on a new console. as i felt this was a major breach in the trade description act. i went about looking 4 a way 2 sue microsoft. after weeks of calls 2 microsoft and to law firms i was getting no where fast. until one law firm wrote a letter to microsoft stating the trade description act to them. my console has now been replaced again free of charge, but without a single appolgy from them. i have soon sold my console and will never buy a single microsoft product again. i have bought a ps3 and will only play sony exclusive games. my pc runs on linux. though i will miss out on a lot of things in the computing/gaming world atleast i will die with a microsoft clean soul. any money that bill gains owns (and to much in my opinion) none of it will ever be mine again. if u want microsoft to stand up and account 4 there mistakes and don’t care attitude, hit them where it hurts the most there shareholders, cos if u stop buying and shareholders will stop investing and trust me as bill gates only owns 4% of his own company he needs to keep his shareholders happy. don’t be bullied by microsoft stop talking and take action…
September 23rd, 2007 at 3:13 am
one error in my last comment i had 2 consoles not 3
October 2nd, 2007 at 5:51 am
[…] A brave individual with the Gamertag “JWSpeed” dissected his new Halo 3 Special edition console to discover inside a new, simplified heatsink design. Upon further inspection and the removal of the heatsink, a new CPU branded with a “CANADA” label rests on the motherboard. Some pics, The new "Falcon" CPU Pic of the Falcon board with revised cooler Old 90nm CPU cooler as found on most Xbox 360 "Falcon" heatsink We can notice that the new sooling system is less intense than older system, indicating that these chips are going to run cooler than their predecessors. One more fact is that the use of these new 65nm chips is a cost-cutting path for Microsoft as they will be cheaper to fabricate. However there’s always a BUT in everything, it is the same in case of new XBox 360s. Actually its only the CPU which has moved into 65nm section and not the GPU. So cannot tell whether it solves all the current instability problems of Xbox, until its out and running. Source & more details: DailyTech - The Falcon Has Landed: 65nm CPUs Appear in Xbox 360 DailyTech - Report: Xbox 360 "Falcon" to Feature 65nm CPU, 90nm GPU XBOX 360 Wire » Redesigned ‘Falcon’ Xbox 360 coming sooner rather than later? Warm regards, prash…… __________________ Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm Well done is better than well said […]
January 12th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Ano Novo Feliz
April 7th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Hey has anyone who have recently had their console replaced due to red ring of death recieved the falcon version? My console just died a few days ago, and it’s great because I was getting a garden variety of red light deaths… 1st was all four rings, then I got the E71 error, then I started to consistently get 3 red rings of death… love it!!! I would love to see what the console logs are showing. Anyway I just wanted to know if anyone who recieved a “new” console got the falcon series. Oh yeah, is it true or a rumor that when you send back a console they may send you a refurb and not really a new one?