Numerous quarters of the gaming media were enraptured in something of a frenzy over the weekend - over a reportedly 'leaked' image purporting to be of the new console, due later this year from (in case you've been living in Devon for the last six months or something). The image in question tallies with the picture glimpsed on the Ourcolony.net marketing site, as well as previous rumours concerning the design of the new system.

Having said that, much of what has been previously rumoured concerning the design is just that currently, and the mock-up could just be a spot of highly professional tom-foolery. The true design will be revealed in a few weeks in the special showcase, but until then, we are still quietly impressed with this 'image'. The chrome finish is there - the promised sleek lines - as well as what looks like the ability to stand the system on its side. What's more, as you can see from the DVD tray, its considerably smaller than the current generation Xbox.

Microsoft are of course declining to comment on everything related to this conjecture, which has generated even more hyperbole than usual, despite the unverifiable nature of its origins. Apparently, the colour format of the image file in question does smack of an image destined for professional quality printing - which certainly lends an iota of credibility. We await March 12th with interest in order to confirm or discount this shot; before getting very excited about more important things like the tangible details of the new 360.

By Luke Guttridge