Report: Xbox 360 Jasper chipset contracted for production, Valhalla on deck

Instead of the chips, how 'bout a quieter Disc drive? my toshiba drive sounds like a jet plane taking off every time I run GTA:IV

You know, there are so many legitimate things to complain about with the 360 I'm constantly baffled that the one people piss and moan about the most is the sound of the dvd drive. Seriously, it's not that bad.

I've sent my 360 in 3 times now for RRoD problems. And on the last one, they made me send in my PSU and the replacement one didn't work. I'm still waiting "7 to 10 business days" for that lil' gem (that might not work).

Their customer service is horrendous. You cannot get an American on the telephone (no offense to those of you in India, but some call center people have accents thicker than molasses), they refused to overnight my replacement PSU (stretching this last repair window out even longer!), and they have no means of escalating customer service complaints. You want to complain how you were treated? They'll give you the address of their legal department, but not their customer svc dept. Because, my guess is, they don't /have/ a customer service department.

I won't be buying a ps3 because it's just a waste of money since most everything that I want is going cross platform or MS exclusive, but I still freakin' hate the 360. MS knows damn well what causes all of the problems (heat + x clamps + shoddy BGA soldering), and their solution, 65 nm chips, has taken over 2 years to be implemented. For crying out loud, everyone else is looking at 45 nm solutions!

Jasper will probably solve the RRoD issues (since the falcon only has a 65 nm cpu, which wasn't the prob in the first place), but so what? At that point they'll have had 3 freakin' years of a reputation as a company that makes crappy hardware. Screw MS, screw the 360, screw Jasper/Valhalla/whatever, and screw fanbois. I just don't like them.

/end rant

Ahh... But it IS that bad, depending on which model of DVD drive you have.

The BenQ is pretty quiet, comparably, but the others are pretty noisy in some games.

I've had several 360s since launch (never a bad one. I just like to upgrade.) and of them, only one (the BenQ DVD drive) had a bearable noise level. The others have all been relatively noisy.

I've never had a RROD or problem with my 360s. My launch unit worked up until I sold it last year (and I assume it's still fine). My BenQ drive model is working happily at my nephews' house (it was their Christmas present from me) and my current Falcon is fine and plays cool.

I think a LOT of the RROD were from people who simply don't take care of things like I do. How could I have three 360s that were all perfect and never failed, and yet some other people seem to go through them constantly? I think it comes down to the environment the unit is kept in, and the way the end-user treats it. Certainly, there were 360s with some bad connections inside, but I think the problem was exacerbated by misuse, mishandling, and people who just sought to exploit the bad reputation and warranty, hoping they'd get a Falcon as a replacement.

Not one bad day since launch. . . But that DVD drive sure is noisy.

Zerocorpse, I didn't misuse my xbox in ANY way. Do you take me for a fool?

My 360 has always been on the top of my entertainment unit, with nothing next to it, on top of it, or under it (except the counter top of course). I don't use 3rd party products that make things worse, like the intercooler (yes, the intercooler really does draw too much power, which could cause a 3 RRoD PSU error, and the pelican system cooler actually obstructs more airflow than it helps).

In fact, I have known, every single time, what was wrong with my system. It was actually the same thing every single time (you can check what caused the error via a 'hidden' error code). Answer: the system gets too damn hot, causing breaks in solder joints on the GPU.

The sound of the dvd drive is almost as lame an argument against the 360 as the size of the original was an argument against it. Judge the system on it's games, judge it on it's reliability, but don't tell me you're actually so vacuous that you actually base your purchases on the sound of the drives.

The current 90nm 360s aren't nearly as loud as the originals...when you're playing a game off HDD. But when you play a game off the optical disc, that baby spins up to 8X or 12X and it's still very loud.

Reducing the feature size of the main chipset to 65nm or 45nm isn't going to make the optical drive less loud. So I can't see how this new unit will be noticably different in loudness.

I do hope MS dumps the current shape of the 360 and goes to a "360 slim". The current shape is as large as it needs to be because of the cooling requirements of the original units and doesn't need to be that big now. Additionally, the current shape is connected to unreliability in many people's minds. If they make a new one in a new shape, a lot of people will feel "okay, now it is safe to get a 360, this isn't like that old crappy one". I know the 360 has changed a lot since the early units, but they kept the same shape and people do judge a book by its cover.

why not the LS2LS7?,

Its not because of the shape, its because the unit is still unreliable, remember how insiders have mentioned it? so unless we see Microsoft making a clear statement that they have found out what the problem was and that they have been able to fix it, no one will believe them

The noise from the dvd-rom is a a much bigger issue than anything else in my eyes. I literally bought GTA IV for my PS3 because I can't stand the noise from the dvd drive on my 360, and am convinced a continually-streaming game like GTA will finally kill my (3rd replacement) system. When you have a nearly silent machine that you can count on as an alternative, the ridiculous noise that the 360 puts out becomes a very big issue. I prefer the 360 online experience to the PS3, but I'm buying all the multiplat games on PS3 moving forward.

i got the home theater so cranked i won't know if my 360 screamed like all the bitches in the park i beat up on

NO ONE COME THROUGH MY PARK

The DVD drive noise bothers you that much? Do you play your games on mute or a 13" tv or something?

deaftly:
I don't like my equipment telling me how loud I have to make my stereo okay? Yes, I have sufficient amplifier to drown it out (except of course in silent scenes), but I'm not interested in doing so.

My PC is quiet, my Mac Mini I use as a home theater PC is quiet, my PS3 and Wii are quiet. I'd love for my 360 to be also.

As to the comments above that the problem with the 360 is that it's still unreliable and not just the shape. Well, you're right. A friend had his Falcon die within 5 weeks. The Falcon he bought because he had to send his original into MS again. But still, if you're MS, you need to break that correlation in people's minds to increase sales. The new one may not be super reliable, but it's at least 4X more reliable than the originals and that means it should be able to make something out of a fresh start.

Mac Mini? Wii? PS3? The 360 might be louder than them, but it's the system with the games.

Yeah Laggy, that's why I didn't bitch about the games on 360, just the unit itself. Do you have any other unrelated things to mention? Maybe you should just retreat to "if it's too loud, you're too old" like the other posters.

That being said, I haven't turned on my 360 in months. Last thing I played on it was Assassin's Creed (which I borrowed) and PGR4. Why? Because anything I can get on PS3 instead of 360 I do get on PS3, partially because it's so much quieter. GTA IV? PS3. Burnout:Paradise? PS3. Rock Band? PS3 (although the drums are so loud maybe that one didn't matter) Lego Star Wars? PS3 (okay, I borrowed that one too)

@deaftly

"The DVD drive noise bothers you that much? Do you play your games on mute or a 13" tv or something?"

Well, first, I'm not sure what the hell the size of the TV has to do with audio. Also, is DAMNED LOUD. The hight picted whine it makes can actually be heard piercing though even fairly loud audio levels. Now, in the middle of a fire fight or something I don't hear it or simply forget about it, but there's plenty of quiet times. Even if you have your volume cranked it's not like games have a constant white noise in the background that drowns out the noise of the system. Cut scenes and other lulls in the action often reduce the audio level considerably. Then what about at night? A lot of us have familes to consider and must reduce our volumes at night. During those times the DVD drive becomes especially troublesome.

Damn... please ignore the numerous typos in my previous post. Posting while at work isn't always conducive to coherent posts.

"A lot of us have familes to consider and must reduce our volumes at night. During those times the DVD drive becomes especially troublesome."

That was my thought exactly. The DVD drive is the loud and annoying part of the 360 for me, and I can't crank my sound to 11 when people are sleeping. I really would love a way to have that drive be quieter and would probably buy a newer model if it had that feature.

It's janky....no doubt.

That's what happens when you rush to production.

I'll be sure to wait till September to pick one up. Finally. By then a price drop should be in place, better hardware, and the good games will be dirt cheap.

Hopefully it will have some life left to it. It's already three years old. You remember what happened year four of XBOX1....they pulled the plug.

They pulled the plug for the next generation model though.

They pulled the plug because the thing was a huge failure that was bleeding money. They don't have that problem with the 360, so I'd imagine they'll go on supporting it quite a bit longer.

No they plugged the plug because they didn't own all the components inside the original Xbox. Nvidia wanted crazy money and was threatening a lawsuit and since the Xbox was struggling they pulled the plug.

MS did not make that same mistake with the 360 and they won't be pulling the plug in the same time frame as the original.

To the others talking about how loud the system is it really depends on the DVD drive you have. The newer systems have a BenQ drive and it is considering more quiet than the Toshiba and Samsungs. It is still louder than the PS3 but not by much once the PS3 has been on for a few hours and those giant fans in it kick on.

I bought mine in november. Its my primary dvd player, gaming system and music streamer. Works just fine.

I will get a PS3 when they put dual shock 3 in the package and a Wii if I stumble on it.

If you already have one working, waiting is ok, I guess. But if not, just get one and play the games.

Between GTA4, THe Show, HSG5, and MGO, I feel stretched to thin.

And idiots keep waiting for one more article to turn into an argument.

Hey Noshino how was Haze? lol, I played it last night. What a POS.

Fenix,

It was good actually

Runs great, no lag at all even when playing 4 player online co-op, hell, no wonder they didn't need Hi-Res, great work on the graphic department.

the Nectar effects feel ok, but then again, this is a demo of the beginning of the game, it should become deeper as the story goes.

Gameplay is just great, you are even given the option to re arrange every command.

meh, let's put it this way, its Halo, but better in every sense...(Im refering to the first Halo, as it is considered the best one, and also because I haven't played much of the other 2, around 4 to 5 hrs max)

OK keep telling yourself that. Just when I thought you would come to your senses. The game is MEH man, don't defend it. Even PS3fanboy thinks its meh and a clone wannabee...


"Overall, the demo was fairly fun, though it does seem like a genre generic title ... and by the merit of this demo alone, shooter fans probably may have felt the experience seemed a little too close to another shooter by a single name of four letters (well at least the very beginning). Can you guess which one?"

Now Killzone 2, MotorStorm 2, and WipeoutHD...those games are what Sony is really about baby!! Now if we can just get those accomplishments ;)

What kind of account do I need to download Haze American, Japanese or European? Cuz I have a Japanese account and I could only find SIREN but I couldn't find Haze.

Mastur cheef, The demo came out in EU on Tuesday, to mixed reviews, and the Us one is today. no idea about JPN release, although I would MUCH rather play Siren!!

Noshino, you are the first person to praise the graphics in Haze.

Congrats - you officially live in your own world now. ;P

Good ole' Duke, tellin it like it is. +1

NATO_Duke

its funny that some time ago people were even comparing Haze to Crysis...back then when it was multiplatform...

But yeah, I admit that the game doesn't have "HOLY SHIT" kind of graphics, just look at the edge of the helmet...but the animations and everything in general runs so freaking smooth that I just think it wasn't really necessary for them to use "Eye Definition"

I'd buy a 360, but I'm afraid it would turn me into a douchebag like you guys.

Don't waste you money, Matt B. You already are.

Whatever you say random internet dude. For ever vote you got upped proved my point all the more. Thanks xbots!!!

Go drop another 600 on a Ps3, fanboy.

Actually my 360 is waaay quieter, because its had a fried mobo for about a year now...

PojoMofo maybe you shouldn't have spilled that can of pop on it.

Well Kujel, The 360 was running kinda slow and I just thought I would give it some Mountain Dew to give it a little pick-me-up. Was that not a good thing to do?

That better have been Halo3 Mountain Dew!

Crap deaftly, it wasnt gamer fuel, that is why 360 crapped out on me. It was like "WTF is this???" and then commited suicide

If it's just the chip, and it's not covered by warranty, then go do the llama.com 360 fix. I was quite surprised how easy it was to do. Took me about 3 hours total, and cost about 20 bucks for the silver compound and the washers/bolts. (I do recommend having some adhesive cleaner and alcohol (not the drinkable kind) to clean the chips with - alcohol alone doesn't cut it.)

So, what are you doing in the meantime?

This unicast crap black screen still not working for me. JOYSTIQ! FIX IT!

wii!