Kotaku: Falcon

New Xbox 360 Chipset This Summer?

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 08 May 2008 06:00:00 MDT

Chip rumor time! Word is that Microsoft is moblizing IBM and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co to roll out the rumored Jasper chipset for the Xbox 360. Compared to the current Falcon chip, Jasper uses less noise and simpler cooling systems. Not confirmed, but the chip apparently drops in August, the dead of summer. Fitting!
New Chips [X-bit labs via Videogaming247]

New "Opus" and "Valhalla" Xbox 360 Chipsets Coming Next?

Mark Wilson — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:40:12 MST

Excuse us while we go uberdorky for a moment. We've all heard about the Xbox 360 chipsets Xenon (90nm CPU, 90nm GPU), Zephyr (HDMI and cooling), Falcon (65nm CPU) and rumored Jasper (not out yet, 65nm CPU, 65nm GPU). Now a new rumor has it that two new chipsets could be coming called "Opus" and "Valhalla." Here's the skinny:

The Opus chipset is actually a bit strange. Featuring a 65nm CPU and a 90nm GPU, the Opus seems like a step back because it's merely intended to fit in the original Xenon Xbox 360 cases. With the Opus, all those RRoD systems can be, in some small way, recycled. This chipset will probably be reserved for refurbished systems only.

That means the Valhalla would be the next chipset of choice since it combines the CPU and GPU onto one 65nm chip. Requiring even less cooling that we'd see in the Jasper chipset, the Valhalla could be the Holy Grail for Microsoft to make some serious cash on the console business. And it could happen either in late 2009 or 2010.

Now to sit back and listen to all the, "I have to wait until freakin' 2010 to buy a 360??" comments.

Next Xbox 360 Designs are "Opus" and "Valhalla" [8bitjoystick]

Xbox 360 "Jasper" is Coming Next?

Mark Wilson — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 13:20:54 MDT

According to The Mercury News' Dean Takahashi, having successfully unrolled the Falcon chipset in the Halo 3 Edition Xbox 360s, Microsoft is looking to further cut costs (and heat) from their console. The next project is codenamed 'Jasper.' And where the Falcon shrunk the Xbox CPU to 65nm, the Jasper will continue the shrinkage, miniaturizing the graphics chip to 65nm to match. And memory chips will become smaller as well.

Takahashi also claims that Microsoft engineers feel like the heat problem is under control with both the recent Falcon's and older Zephyr's heat sink solutions, so buyers shouldn't beware when picking up new machines. While we're not waiting until the new chipset hits next August to buy a machine, we're not so certain the Microsoft has solved all their manufacturing issues just yet.

Xbox 360 secrets: After Falcon comes Jasper [via mcv]

Xbox 360 Falcon Chips Have Landed!

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 02:30:40 MDT

It's what many have been waiting for. The new 65nm "Falcon" CPUs are found in the Halo 3 console. Besides being smaller, the 65nm chip is fifty percent less expensive to manufacture and apparently are more economic in heat output. Previous consoles featured a 90nm and have an abnormally high failure rate. According to a Halo 3 Special Edition console dissection by Gamertag "JWSpeed," the motherboard features a simplified heatsink. Removal of the heatsink reveals a new CPU with "CANADA" written on it. How to tell if your console has the new chip without ripping it apart? Check the barcode sticker on the side of the box. The 65nm chipped Halo 3 console was built August 24, 2007 from team "FDOU" and part of lot 734. So does that mean these new Falcon consoles won't Red Ring of Death? Stay tuned.
New Chips [Xbox Forums via Daily Tech, Thanks Josh!]

Xbox 360 Falcon Chips Are Coming This Year

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 19:00:33 MDT

It's coming. Obviously. Later this year, Xbox 360s outfitted with 65-nm chips should be hitting store shelves according to The Xbox 360 Uncloaked author Dean Takahashi. Dubbed "Falcon," these chips are smaller than the current 90-nm processors and should use less energy. And that *should* lead to fewer Red Rings of Death. Well, theoretically! We won't know until these consoles are out in the wild, performing under real world conditions. However, Takahashi has confirmed that the chips are in the first batch of consoles currently being made, meaning that they could be there by fall. But Microsoft isn't going to disclose to customers which consoles have what. Takahashi points out:

But here's the problem for Microsoft. They have a lot of inventory of the older 90-nanometer machines. Many of these machines don't have the HDMI ports for sure. It has to sell these machines out before it starts selling the Falcon-based machines. That means that a lot of consumers are going to be buying machines that don't have the highest quality.

Meaning that if you want to make damn sure you don't buy old product, you're going to need to wait. But if everyone waits, then that's not exactly going to help flush these faulty 90-nm consoles from the marketplace. So if you're in the market for an Xbox 360, there's a chance you'll have a very red Christmas. What Microsoft's Falcon Project Means [Mercury News]

New Batch Of Xbox 360s Not Yet Sporting New Falcon Chipset

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 17:40:40 MDT

Brave NeoGAF member and Kotaku Defense Force lieutenant "wonderkins" was bold enough to crack open the chassis on his brand new Xbox 360, one of the newly released Premiums with HDMI output. This inside look at the gory internal workings of the newest Xbox 360 is now largely assumed to be off the "Zephyr" variety, following the motherboard and heatsink form factor of the Xbox 360 Elite. What's that mean? The latest hardware release from Microsoft is most likely not of the "Falcon" 65nm manufacturing spec, meaning the arrival of cooler, smaller, hopefully more reliable CPUs is still unknown.

On the plus side, wonderkins did provide a photo of the new Premium's DVD-drive, the quieter BenQ variety. More shots of the hardware in the gallery below and at the original NeoGAF thread. Thanks to wonderkins for the original photos.

The Falcon and the Snowman: Greatest Movie Ever or The Greatest? [NeoGAF]

Microsoft's Falcon to Dive Bomb Sony?

Mark Wilson — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 10:40:47 MDT

We've long suspected that Microsoft was aiming to shrink their 90nm Xbox 360 chipset down to the 65nm scale. The smaller components use less electricity, run cooler, and most importantly, are cheaper to mass-produce. In a recent update by reporter Dean Takahashi, this project both exists and sports a wannabe name: Falcon.

Microsoft is in the process of qualifying the new Falcon chips and motherboard this summer. I expect it will launch Xbox 360s with the new Falcon innards this fall.

This newer, cheaper chipset will offer Microsoft more room to play with on their balance sheet—possibly enough to counter Sony's recent PS3 price drop with one of their own—but not for at least a few months. Reasons for delay include a shortage of falconer gloves and the difficulty of training a bird to fly over Sony and crap on their head. Microsoft's Next Move [mercurynews]