Dean on a 65nm 360

Arguably, the Falcon-based machines will be inherently more stable. Machines that use them will probably have fewer thermal issues. Those machines should be more reliable, logically speaking. But that is conjecture. I haven’t seen one of these Falcon-based machines and no one can say whether they are in fact more reliable.

So if you wait to buy an Xbox 360 that has the Falcon board in it, then logically you’re making a smart move. You’ll be buying a console that will last longer and have less risk of failure. However, that is theoretical. I have no idea whether that will be the case.

But here’s the problem for Microsoft. They have a lot of inventory of the older 90-nanometer machines. Many of these machines don’t have the HDMI ports for sure. It has to sell these machines out before it starts selling the Falcon-based machines. That means that a lot of consumers are going to be buying machines that don’t have the highest quality.

-- Exclusive: What Microsoft’s Falcon project is going to mean for when you should buy an Xbox 360

Dean confirms the Falcon is coming - but can't really say when, especially because of that last paragraph. I bet they take a page from Sony's book and add a new top-tier, or replace the Elite model with the Falcon build, and reduce the price on everything beneath. I almost certainly won't be a 360 owner until this change comes around.