Xbox 360 'Opus' Motherboard Discovered

Designed specifically to help Microsoft recoup losses on RRoD'd hardware that's been returned for repairs, the Opus chipset is a Falcon-generation mobo that'll snap into original Xenon Xbox 360s. Because it is installed in refurbished Xbox 360 launch chasses, the Opus lacks HDMI-out. It does, however, feature the Falcon-era HANA video chip that supports digital output, which means a really skilled modder could potentially retrofit such a connection.

The Opus also looks to be sporting the 65-nm CPU from the Falcon chipset due to the new-style heatsink mounted on chip. The Opus is, in essence, simply an HDMI-lacking Falcon chipset that'll fit in original Xbox 360 cases. Owners of pre-HDMI Xbox 360 consoles who send in dead systems for repair should expect to start seeing these guts in their repaired consoles.

Source:http://au.gear.ign.com