Rumor: Xbox 540 (360 slim) in 2009?

by Terrence Stasse { May 12th 2008 at 8:30PM }

In a follow up to the news that the 360's internal hardware will be changed to the "Jasper" setup, there is now the news that the "Valhalla" update mentioned in that story is more than just a CPU and GPU on the same chip. TG Daily thinks that the Valhalla chip will be the heart of a complete hardware revision in Fall 2009, ala the slimline PS2. While that would seem the logical course of action, all that we know for sure is that the Valhalla chip will indeed be used in the "mid-cycle refresh" of the hardware, and that it is in fact an "all-in-one" chip. Whether or not Microsoft will actually change the outer shell or not is unknown, and the Valhalla hardware update could come and go without changing the outer look of the console at all.

Tags: chip, hardware, jasper, microsoft, valhalla

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

chubytuby @ May 12th 2008 8:34PM

looks like a Wii? o.o

Terrence Stasse @ May 12th 2008 8:37PM

looks like a Photoshop? o.o

Fixed.

Doom3killer @ May 12th 2008 8:39PM

umm its a photoshop of a slip ps2 (not a wii)

MastrCake @ May 12th 2008 9:39PM

Actually, it looks like that photoshopped PS3 slim...

http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/01/is-sonys-ps3-getting-a-redesign/

Sora267 @ May 12th 2008 10:13PM

And that PS3 Slim looks like a Wii.

EMOruffino @ May 12th 2008 11:32PM

but if the slim ps3 is a slim ps2 that looks like a wii, but is a photoshop of the xbox 540 then wouldn't the xbox 540 be a photoshop that looks like a wii that is similar to a slim ps2 or ps3?

maybe xbox needs to make the new one dark green... there.... now shut up....

DaveC @ May 12th 2008 8:36PM

Would certainly be interesting to see a hardware refresh like this. Not sure how they would provide space for harddrives or accomodate for various SCUs if they change the hardware so dramatically like that.

UNSCleric @ May 12th 2008 8:38PM

Not going to happen.

jimbo @ May 12th 2008 8:41PM

Finally, a Xbox that can easily fall over and scratch the disk inside!

Chaunches @ May 12th 2008 8:41PM

thats obviously a forgery because there is no red ring

Terrence Stasse @ May 12th 2008 8:42PM

'spose that makes my real life launch console a forgery too.

emirabal @ May 13th 2008 9:32AM

LMAO, that made my day

Zoot Suit Jedi @ May 13th 2008 10:19AM

Get this guy to a burn unit, stat!

Adam @ Jul 24th 2008 5:02PM

Baaahahahahaha HIGH FIVE! My 360 is still RROD'd... no one told me that opening the box voids the FAKE REAL warranty

Troy @ May 12th 2008 8:43PM

YEAH, THIS IS WHAT WE NEED...SMALLER, MORE PRONE TO OVERHEATING 360'S!!!!!

/sarcasm

Terrence Stasse @ May 12th 2008 8:44PM

Smaller chip sizes and better cooling systems are your mortal enemy, correct?

Troy @ May 12th 2008 8:55PM

No, a smaller case which provides much less air flow is. We have yet to see how well the new chip set will reduce the heat, and until we do I will say this is an asinine idea on behalf of Microsoft considering the 360's faulty reputation. Granted this "slim" version even exists.

Warstrider @ May 12th 2008 8:44PM

Hehe, this is the same mock-up that was used when the rumours of a slim PS3 were floating around. I wouldn't be surprised if it were true, it was succesful for the various Playstations, with reduced parts cost and all that.
http://blogs.pcworld.com/gameon/archives/2008_02.html

Warstrider @ May 12th 2008 8:46PM

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2008/02/PS3Slim%2520GI.jpg&imgrefurl=http://gizmodo.com/351496/t3-says-new-ps3-is-heading-for-shelves-this-autumn&h=358&w=478&sz=67&hl=en&start=5&um=1&tbnid=jCWkoyws00_W5M:&tbnh=97&tbnw=129&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dslim%2Bps3%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN rather..

oOo BioShock oOo @ May 12th 2008 8:58PM

Thats stupid. Id rather have a totally new console from MS then have a slim piece of crap that will over heat like crazy. How do they expect to ventilate something smaller if there still getting red rings of deaths on regular 360's?

Troy @ May 12th 2008 9:05PM

Exactly.

minus the "Id rather have a totally new console"

i hope this gen lasts for at least 4-5 more years....

Sinnix @ May 12th 2008 9:30PM

It seems unlikely that they'd go to all the trouble to setup faceplates just to have them become redundant.

David W. @ May 12th 2008 9:38PM

I remember Microsoft at some point completely attacking the whole slim idea with the PS2 so I would find it hard to believe they would do this kind of thing...

Nate @ May 12th 2008 10:10PM

Microsoft does this thing all the time. It has been criticized many times over for it. Criticize a threat, then if you mull it over and think it makes some sense you do it yourself. They also do it the other way around, praising there enemy while working on a competitor. Remember Wordperfect? Microsoft once said it was awsome. Then they came out with a little known program called microsoft word, heard of it?

Carlitos Colon @ May 12th 2008 9:57PM

Yes, Microsoft, I want this.

horngreen @ May 12th 2008 11:12PM

Great idea, get a smaller cooler chip then cram in into a smaller hotter shell so the RROD clusterfuck can continue! Leave the case the same MS, hardware is not your strong point yet.

Arnon @ May 12th 2008 10:35PM

I agree... the 360 valhalla will probably be the last model of the 360. Might as well try to make it as best as possible.

Then comes the next XBOX!!!

Oh SNAAAAAAAP!

Cass-D @ May 12th 2008 10:38PM

This looks like crap, and very unlikely to happen. As one other post pointed out, what about the hard drive? This is the only point one should be concerned with. IF there is a new design it will not be far from the original design to accommodate those customers that want the new less power hungry and less heat prone version. So the hard drive still has to connect to the unit. So I seriously doubt there will be any aesthetic changes to the box just a new heart transplant.

Dwag @ May 12th 2008 10:40PM

Well instead of all of that slim stuff they could go and make an internal power supply know what I mean. All that space must allow internal power supply

M$ thats money in the pocket

Arnon @ May 12th 2008 10:43PM

That's a great idea Dwag... there's gonna be a lot lot lot of space in the new model of the 360. But then again there'd have to be a more powerful fan system probably than the one they want to put in.

Tony @ May 12th 2008 10:49PM

The hard drive is honestly very small. There's very little reason MS couldn't redesign the system, make is smaller and still fit the original HDD in.

It's not like this is the real design, assuming it even gets made.

chubytuby @ May 12th 2008 11:01PM

Here's another idea: Make a new larger 360 ^^ Bigger is sometimes better.

Steven @ May 12th 2008 11:10PM

this is a rumor, and i doubt microsoft would make a slimline console, and if they did it wouldnt look like that.

colin @ May 12th 2008 11:15PM

will have liquid cooling

Eternal @ May 13th 2008 1:06AM

its totally possible to stuff a laptop SATA HDD in there but who knows... a 360 slim thats easy on the eyes and possibly wont overheat one can only dream about it...

ZeroCorpse @ May 13th 2008 2:52AM

I don't care what they do as long as they make the DVD drive quieter, somehow.

Procris @ May 13th 2008 3:37AM

A slim 360 can be considered as an almost complete internal redesign/layout. The motherboard, chips, cooling won't be anything like whats currently in the bulky 360's, so saying it will be prone to RRoD at this stage is complete rubbish. Just because earlier consoles were flawed and rushed, doesn't mean everything from here on end is going to be subject to it.

Then again, is it just me or is 2009 way too early for something like a slim 360? Maybe in 2010... doubt it will be next year.

rikki @ May 13th 2008 7:58AM

A slim 360 would be badass; I haven't ever owned a console that was large enough/hot enough to need a fan, and I honestly don't want to start now.

Too bad Microsoft doesn't know hardware well enough to make it happen, and 2009 is way too soon anyway!