According to website gamesindustry.biz, the next generation of Microsoft consoles - the Xbox 720 - is likely to be released in two different versions.
This approach to sales would be nothing new to Microsoft, who currently have an Arcade version of the console that retails with limited hard-drive space as well as the regular edition of the console that boasts a 250GB hard-drive.
It is thought that the one edition of the new Xbox will be "a pared down machine...... released as cheaply as possible, and positioned more along the lines of a set-top box and perhaps as a Kinect-themed gaming portal".
It is predicted that the other will be "a more fully-featured machine with optical drive, hard disk and backward compatibility aimed at the hardcore would be released at a higher price-point".
Whilst there have been whispers in the wind that the new console might be with us as early as 2012, as we reported here it is far more likely that the release will be later than that, as Microsoft attempt to maximize profits from this current generation of machines.