Xbox 360 Jasper to succeed new Falcon

Now that Xbox 360s with the new smaller and cooler-running Falcon chipset are starting to roll off the production lines, regular Microsoft insider Dean Takahashi over at Mercury News is spreading the word on the next motherboard upgrade for the Xbox 360, which is to replace the new “Falcon” board by around August of next year.

Code-named “Jasper,” the new motherboard focuses on new 65nm graphics chip from ATI Technologies and smaller memory chips. The move is likely to further reduce the chances of overheating, something that has plagued early Xbox 360 consoles and is still costing the company money to solve.

The other advantage is of course the lower costs of production for the console, which could enable a further price cut for the Xbox 360 (a little closer to the Wii’s price point) in time for the Christmas 2008 gift buying season.