Ballmer Teases New Xboxes at University Q&A
A new Xbox in time for Natal, perhaps?
Last week, Steve Ballmer spoke at the University of Washington. He shared some interesting thoughts on cloud computing and detailed that 70 percent of Microsoft employees are currently working on cloud-related projects. However, some of Steve's other comments have people talking too -- specifically something he said about the Xbox line.
The transcript of Steve's talk at the Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science & Engineering at University of Washington is available online (via CrunchGear) and it reveals that Microsoft is considering offering Xbox fans more options when it comes to price and form factor.
"… for that big screen device here's a piece of hardware that we build, there's no diversity. You get exactly the Xboxes that we build for you. We may have more form factors in the future that are designed for various price points and options, but we think it's going to important."
With Sony's PS3 Slim already on the market six months, it seems like a smaller, more compact Xbox 360 is long overdue. However, Ballmer's comments make it seem like much more than that. What kind of configurations or form factors would you like to see? Let us know in the comments below!
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Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
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Dekasav Oh yes, let's eliminate everyone having exactly the same hardware. Oh wait! That's a PC!Reply -
brennon7 First, Blu-Ray player.Reply
Second, integrated wireless.
Third, Eyefinity or similar technology with 3 1080p HDTVs.
Fourth, 3D. -
tipoo I'd place my money on a Slim model. Bout time. And how about that Valhalla chipset that was supposed to come out?Reply -
SchizoFrog I just bought one of their new releases... the price was FREE and the form factor is INVISIBLE! It fits perfectly wherever I want to put it.Reply -
Tomtompiper First silent running, it couldn't be that difficult.Reply
Second Blu-Ray
Third provide proper HTPC software or unlock to enable 3rd party solutions. -
scryer_360 Blu-Ray first.Reply
Then make the drive quieter. Why was the DVD the loudest piece anyway.
Then begin offering the 250gig drive from the MW2 edition as part of the Elites and as an off the shelf component.
As far as form factor, I don't see a reason why we couldn't use a slim-slot loading DVD or BD drive, and stick the drive over where the CPU heatsinks are, then slim down all that space on the left of the Xbox.