Xbox 360 redesign, name change hinted

Microsoft's major hardware redesign for the Xbox 360 could also be followed by a new name, a purported leak at CAG says. Coming from a source that also leaked definitive evidence of the Xbox 360 Elite in advance, an apparent memo suggests that Microsoft has settled on calling a revised Xbox 360 the Pure. The name would have been decided after using the codenames "Lean" and "Granite," alluding to the system having a smaller case design and potentially a new color as well.

The note makes no mention of a timetable but lines up with a prediction that would tie a new name to the use of the upcoming Valhalla chip design, which will merge both the graphics and processing into a single chip and should afford both the lower power consumption and heat to shrink the system. Those same assertions also pointed to manufacturing starting in early 2009 with shipping taking place sometime afterwards.

It's not known if the lone name implies the existence of just a single model or replacements for all three current Xbox variants. [via HEXUS]