Mercury News columnist Dean Takahashi has reported that Microsoft is currently working on a new motherboard for the Xbox 360 called 'Jasper,' which apparently follows the introduction of the 'Falcon' 65nm CPU.
The 'Jasper' board will finally incorporate a 65nm GPU from ATI to go along with the 65nm CPU from IBM. The board is also said to feature smaller memory chips. With both the CPU and GPU at 65nm (instead of 90nm), it's thought that the Xbox 360 hardware will run cooler and more efficiently. The shrinking of chips and other components will also lead to costs savings, which could very well allow Microsoft to cut prices on the Xbox 360 in the not too distant future.
"Certainly, Microsoft will be in a position to cut prices again by next August. If you recall, after it got Falcon out the door, Microsoft cut $50 off the price of the Xbox 360," Takahashi points out.
by James Brightman
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