Hard Drive Axed From Xbox 2, Says Subcontractor

In an interview with the Israeli business paper Globes, Dov Moran, president and CEO of flash-memory provider M-Systems, has apparently confirmed that the next-generation Xbox will not include a hard drive. According to Moran, “Microsoft has taken the hard disk out of its Xbox. The only thing left will be a CD; that’s all. At some point, when users want to save their e-mail messages, copy music, or anything like that, the only storage they’ll have is what we give them.” The obvious assumption is that the company will be providing a variant of their FFD (Fast Flash Disk) technology to replace the hard drive, although what costs this will imply is not clear –- with Microsoft presumably wanting a removable, memory card like, solution that will reduce the cost of the console and generate revenue from peripheral sales. Microsoft representatives have refused to comment on Moran’s assertions, claiming they do not comment on rumors. Source: Globes