Where can I get my Jasper?
Widespread reports have suggested that Jasper will appear in late August or early September 2008 - but that's right about now, so where is it? Well, even if Jasper-based consoles are sitting in Microsoft's factories, they won't filter through to retail until previous stock has been shifted.
Older stock, however, should begin to clear rapidly after tomorrow's price cuts. We'd expect Jasper-based versions of the Xbox 360 and Xbox 360 arcade to appear first - as the new lower-than-Wii pricing is likely to sell these particular models quickly. The transition to a Jasper-based Elite, we feel, could take slightly longer.
So how do you know if the Xbox 360 you're about to buy is a Jasper model or not? Well, there's one blatantly-obvious method, and that's to open the box and check the manufacturing date on the back of the console itself, it's shown in YYYY-MM-DD format. It's believed that consoles manufactured on or after August 31st (2008-08-31) will feature the Jasper revision - though, this hasn't yet been confirmed.
You will, of course, need to find a store with a representative willing to let you open box after box in search of a recently-manufactured console. But, is the promise of a vastly-improved, cooler and quieter Xbox 360 console worth digging around? We think so.
If that process seems like too much hard work, there could be another way, too. Flip the box over, and you should find a flap with a serial number located beneath it. The serial number will be in the format LNNNNNNYWWFF, where the Y is thought to represent the year of manufacture, and the WW is thought to represent the week - if the theory is to be believed. August 31st translates to week 35, so you'd be looking for a serial number somewhere along the lines of LNNNNNN'835'FF.
In summary, we know what Jasper is, and we know roughly when to expect it, and that brings up back to our original question; is now a good time to buy? The price cuts are hugely appealing, and the Xbox 360 in our opinion does offer great value for money. However, with a new-and-improved console just around the corner, the right time to buy could be just a few weeks away.
