After much waiting, the “Jasper” revision for Microsoft’s failure prone Xbox 360 has been spotted in the wild. Xbox-Scene have the nude pics for those who wish to see what’s under all that white plastic. For those who only care about the noteworthy changes, here’s the breakdown:

• 65 nm GPU (down from 90 nm) which results in a cooler running and (hopefully) longer lasting Xbox 360.
• 256 MB of internal storage (up from 16 MB)
  • The New Xbox Experience will live in here along with Xbox Live! Arcade saves (according to VentureBeat)
  • Current Xbox 360 owners are forced to use their hard drives and external memory units for the NXE.
• New 150W power supply introduced (down from 175W used with the ‘Falcon’ models)

Little to no info was revealed on how prospective buyers can pick one of these cured Xbox 360s, but it’s safe to say that the longer you wait, the more likely you are to get a “Jasper” unit.

As for me, with the NXE, my problematic DVD drive is no longer a problem. Now, I’m just fussing over the lack of affordable storage space.

A big round of applause for Microsoft and their most recent accomplishment. No, not successfully launching the New Xbox Experience. I am talking surpassing the original Xbox’s install base in just three years time. Chris Lewis, Vice-President of interactive business had this to say:

“We’ve already surpassed the installed base of the original Xbox – which is a really significant milestone. We’ve been blown away by the appetite of people to consumer digital entertainment experiences.”

It’s an impressive feat. Of course, we don’t know how many of those units sold were replacements, but let’s not that ugliness get in the way of the celebration.

It was doubtful that we would see the Xbox 360 exclusive downloadable content for Grand Theft Auto IV this year and it looks like we won’t. Those of you who’re waiting for more GTAIV will be happy to know that the add-on, dubbed “The Lost and Damned” will debut on February 17^th, 2009. Another one to add to the list of February releases.

USA Today got the scoop from Dan Houser himself and according to the article, this add-on will star “Johnny Klebitz, a member of Liberty City biker gang The Lost.” Not many details on what the add-on would contain, but Dan did say it will enhance GTAIV’s story and fill in some holes. 

I guess if you care that much about the story, this would be a must buy.

Although it was available much earlier, I decided to wait til today to update my Xbox 360 with the New Xbox Experience. I’ve got to say, this NXE interface is incredibly slick. I created my avatar, fiddled around with the menu interface and installed Gears of War 2. Then I decided to sit down and share some of my thoughts on my Microsoft’s big revamp.

The download and installation was quick and painless. I thought it was going to be a 20 minute ordeal, but it was actually much less. The introduction movie encapsulated the feel of the NXE perfectly; it’s slick, it’s modern and it’s not something your mum would shut off within 10 seconds of looking at it.

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Street Fighter IV was given an official release date after some speculation, and now the folks at Capcom have confirmed that Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo: HD Remix will be available next week.

The PlayStation Network version will debut on Tuesday, November 25th with the Xbox Live! Arcade version debuting on the very next day.

I’ve been vocal about my lack of interest in this remake, especially in the light of Street Fighter IV’s debut in just a few short months.

If I was an American and was a fan of streaming movies from the net, I would be somewhat upset over the fact that Sony’s Columbia Pictures is blocking its movies from being streamed through the New Xbox Experience’s NetFlix functionality.

Is Sony just being petty? Not completely. Apparently, it’s a valid licensing issue involving just the streaming of movies via the Xbox 360. NetFlix is working with Columbia Pictures in resolving this issue so it’s not worth posting rants over. Just sit back, relax and think about what your Avatar is going to wear tomorrow.

I thought nothing of it when my brother reported that he was disconnected from Xbox Live! last night. Til now, we haven’t been able to connect onto the Live! service. Major Nelson reported that there were indeed problems last night, but it looks like these problems have cropped up once again. We’ve spent the entire day offline and that gets pretty annoying when you have to wait for your account to sign in.

If we’re having problems now, I wonder if shit will hit the fan on the 19^th. That’s when the NXE update will hit.

Nothing else needs to be said. My beloved Street Fighter IV will join Killzone 2 in February 2009. North America will be blessed with the title on the 17^th while the Europeans get it on the 20^th. Oh, and it’s for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Great news, Capcom! Thanks! Now give us more details about those arcade sticks.

They’re not frightening. I lied. It’s just fifteen screenshots which were reduced from super high resolutions for you all to gawk at. It’s Resident Evil 5. It looks gorgeous and it comes out next year. Who cares? Focus on 2008’s plethora of titles!

On the plus side, thanks to Capcom, we do have an awesome 2009 first quarter to look forward to.

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Another week, another nineteen screenshots from everyone’s favorite HD remake of Super Street Fighter 2: Turbo. This batch features Sagat, Fei-long and more Akuma.

Can’t go wrong for more Akuma.

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