New Xbox 360 images - the real deal?

A new image purporting to be the Xbox 360 console has been "leaked" onto the Internet, and is being widely reported as the final design for the hardware, which is due to be revealed in an MTV special in under three weeks time.

The new picture shows a small platinum/silver unit with a concave design, which appears to be designed to either sit flat or stand like a miniature tower unit - all of which ties in with the information from a British source who has seen the new console which we published two weeks ago.

Crucially, the design also fits perfectly with a zoomed-in teaser image of the console released on viral marketing "game" site OurColony, and the features on the case certainly seem to fit with other reports about the Xbox 360's functionality.

Interestingly, no controller ports are visible on the front of the system - the console supports wireless controllers out of the box, while USB connections for wired controllers are apparently concealed behind a small panel on the right hand side of the fascia.

Two slots for memory units appear on the front panel, while a "hood" supposedly concealing the location of the removable hard drive module is to be found on the left hand end of the console (the top of the unit if stood upright).

The size of the unit can be divined by looking at the DVD tray, which occupies almost half of the length of the console - suggesting a device far smaller and sleeker than the current Xbox console.

It's not clear where the "leak" came from, assuming of course that it is a leak at all and not simply a very clever mock-up; however, the original image which appeared online was in CMYK colour format, which is generally used in images destined for professional printing systems.

As might be expected, Microsoft's reaction to the image has been to issue their standard response: "Microsoft don't comment on rumours and speculation."

The firm plans to unveil the Xbox 360 (even the name of which remains unconfirmed, officially) in an MTV special to be broadcast in North America on May 12th, followed by international broadcasts on May 13th.