I would personally go with X86 simply because it makes for a nice and neat all in one APU. I believe for instance than when the PS2 chips were combined they registered something like a 24% improvement in performance from that alone. I just decided to follow you because you're a Kiwi! Haha. How did you get so many developers to follow you on twitter?

to me it is not only power which counts. yes, pc will be more powerful, so what? as long as there are no pc-exclusives i would really miss i will stay at consoles. especially when pc-games are very often ports from consoles... nowadays i prefer consoles for gaming as i a have the money for it and like the interface. not that i don't use pc's, as a computer scientist i work with them almost every day but i don't use them for gaming anymore.

i hope microsoft will tell us soon if backwards-compatibility to x360-games is given. if yes, it is a definite buy.

x86 does have it's advantages, especially if MS are going to use a modified Win8 kernal next gen as was rumoured a while back and if Sony are also going x86. It's not like they couldn't make an APU with a Power bassed CPU, tho going with AMD would probably be cheaper as they can create the one package under one roof.

The performance gains for having the GPU and CPU are pretty good mainly as they can share resorces and communicate so efficiently when the signal doesn't have to go across the motherboard lowering latency considerably, especialy with a unified memory achitecture. But it does somewhat limit the size of the CPU/GPU they can use.

IDK follow backs mostly, also I guess I tweeted about their games at some point. It's not that many anyway. 

1.  It could be, but that all adds an expense.  I doubt they'd curve the PC board to fit that shape, so that leaves a smaller PC board.  A smaller PC board means wasted space.  Wasted space means an unnecessary cost.  That's either a burden consumers or Microsoft have to bear and I doubt either would.  You can do just as an effective design with a narrower radius, giving more room for everything inside.

2.  It's a matter of cost.  The axium Keep It Simple Stupid applies.  The simplier the design, the lower the cost and the fewer problems.  Also, a lot of people hate the door cover over the USB slots.  It requires the slots to be recessed, and it makes it more difficult to insert something into the slot.  Surface mount them in a smart way, and it'll look good and be functional.

3.  What prescedent.  The PS3 now uses a cheap-ass doored model.  A tray-load vs slot-load Blu-Ray drive is over 50% more expensive.  It makes more sense to put that money into the actual ICs rather than a blu-ray drive.

4.  The problem with putting the HDD on top, in that position (vertical) is that when the drive spins up there will be a gyroscopic effect.  It may not throw the device off-balance to knock it over, but it could create a vibration.  Even with a stand.  Putting it on the bottom, as it is with the Xbox 360 S, reduces the impact of any vibration the HDD creates.

I'm liking the venting more and more.  It works in any position, though it can be blocked.  It'd have to be 3 sided, not 4.  Reason being is you wouldn't want to draw air into the bottom because of dust if standing it vertically.  It'd also have to be on the front edge, not the side edge, as shown.  It'd be too easy block by setting something on top.  But that would offer the side/front edge a free floating look, which would be cool. 

MGS4.  This was LONG before MGS4 was released.  At least 6 months, and I think that was the second time they suggested the rumor.

I don't doubt OXM's capacity for being a mouthpiece for Microsoft, afterall that's part of why they are the Official Xbox Magazine, but they don't always get it right and Microsoft doesn't always stick to plans.  Again, look at the Surface.  Microsoft was very hush-hush about the Surface.  Even info on WP8 was kept close to the chest.  I think Microsoft is going to keep things close to the chest this cycle.  They don't need to promote the next Xbox like they had to the 360.  They can (whether they do is different) opt to use a single big event like E3 to reveal and showcase it.  Especially if there isn't much planned for a Fall release.

Basically, keep tight-lipped until E3.  Start out the E3 presentation all Xbox 360, selliing up the fact that the entire E3 presentation will cover what's new and exciting for Xbox 360 this coming year.  Then about 1/4 of the way through have someone interrupt the presentation and announce the next Xbox.  At that point have the remainder of the presentation switch over to the new Xbox.

I may not be a 360 fan but I loved Xbox1 and this is very exciting! I do wounded about the name though. Xbox 8 as some are calling it I don't think will happen, Windows 9 will come in a few years and surely calling it 8 only really suggests its W8 comparable (to the public) Xbox Durango seems pretty cool! Xbox 720 is eww. But I do like simply Xbox. It sorta fits the image MS want for the machine! Although public confusion could be a problem

Actually the AMD Jaguar supposedly will have 4 modules with 4 cores each. The FX8xxx rumoured in the latest dev kit has 4 modules of 2 cores each.

Actually the NT Kernel supports PowerPC as well, that's how they could port a modified Windows 2000 Kernel to make the Xbox 360 OS. It wouldn't be a problem for them to use PowerPC again but I would assume it'd be easier to give official support only ARM and X86.

Yea I suppose it  wouldn't be too much of an issue.