When I was at E3 I had a chance to get a look at the new Halo-edition 360 hardware, and I asked about the HDMI connection. "HDMI will probably be standard moving forward," I was told. I pushed for more information, but was rebuffed. Now, after the price drop announcement, a mole sent us some interesting information about Microsoft's upcoming hardware plans. If you're thinking of buying, you may want to hold off.
First, a few caveats. This is rumor. I won't name the source, but the information she/he provided me matches up with everything I've been told and understand about Microsoft's future hardware plans. I think it sounds solid, but I'm not willing to say this will definitely happen.
According to my source, Microsoft wants to cut through all their existing inventory of hardware. They will then quietly "soft launch" a new version of the Core and Premium hardware in late August or September that will include an HDMI port. It's also expected that this new hardware will feature the 65nm process for the CPU and quieter DVD drives. The new hardware will ship in boxes very similar to what we saw on store shelves now, but there will be a small "call out" on the box so you know you're getting a system with the HDMI connection.
Much about this information makes sense. We can expect the 65nm machines to launch any time now, and with the launch of the Halo-edition system only the Cores and Premiums will lack the HDMI, this revision will make the connection standard. We also know Microsoft will be fixing the heating issues that caused their costly warranty extension, and bundling all these updates into one product moving forward would be a smart move.
[From Opposable Thumbs]
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