Xbox 360 Slim

 (360 Slim? Obviously a doctored image of a Slim PS2 but interesting nonetheless.)

Rumors abound about the possible release of an Xbox 360 "Slim". The original whisperings began surfacing when Sony released the PS3 Slim, but increased to a murmur when a "leaked Microsoft memo" hit the internet. The memo, since heralded as a hoax, made mention of a name change for a yet unreleased version of the console, indicating that "XBOX Lean" and "XBOX Granite" have given way to "XBOX Pure." Obviously "Xbox Lean" implies a slimmed-down version of the console, although I'm not thrilled with the idea of "Xbox Pure", since it may indicate Microsoft will be further following in Sony's footsteps and dropping the hardware that supports original Xbox titles. ZERO BACKWARDS COMPATIBILITY FTL.

Things jumped to a dull roar as images of a smaller 360 motherboard popped up. According to pcworld.com:
"The motherboard reportedly packs the CPU and GPU onto a single chip--that'd be it purportedly hiding under the CoolerMaster fan"

Several questions remain, not the least of which is "How will the old hard drive fit onto a leaner model?" and "Will there be any red-ring-esque issues upon launch?" Nothing official has been announced as of my writing this, but we'll do our best to keep you folk(s) posted.