Microsoft slashing Xbox 360 prices, but is now a good time to buy?

September 20th, 2008, 00:32 Posted By: wraggster

The tech-savvy consumer may find that the days or weeks following the price cut may not be an opportune moment to buy, and the reasoning is Jasper.

Jasper, a codename given to an upcoming Xbox 360 hardware revision, will provide - we hope - a cooler, quieter and more reliable Xbox 360 console. The revision isn't the Xbox 360's first, either. Since its launch in November 2005, Microsoft has upgraded the Xbox 360's innards on numerous occasions. The trouble is, it never tells us when, or what to expect.

The Jasper revision is the most significant Xbox 360 update thus far, as it introduces the first Xbox 360 console with both a 65nm CPU and a 65nm GPU. The Xbox 360's highly-publicised failure rate - synonymous with the RRoD (Red Ring of Death) - is thought to be caused by overheating, a problem directly related to both the GPU and CPU. Jasper, then, should all but eliminate overheating problems.

Widespread reports have suggested that Jasper will appear in late August or early September 2008 - but that's right about now, so where is it? Well, even if Jasper-based consoles are sitting in Microsoft's factories, they won't filter through to retail until previous stock has been shifted.

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