Gamesindustry.biz has another story up speculating on exactly what the Xbox 360 is going to be when it finally launches. This one suggests two editions; a stripped-down, games-only edition without a hard drive, and a premium edition with a hard drive and Internet access. However, the point of interest to most owners of Halo and Halo 2 probably this:

The site reports that the basic edition of Xbox 360 - the version without the hard drive - will not have backwards compatibility, while the "premium" version with the hard drive will ship with Microsoft's WebTV functionality built-in.

The site they're siting is gaming blog Kotaku; they have articles up on the inclusion of WebTV, a hard drive, and backwards compatibility in the premium edition, as well as a few other tidbits. Apparently, royalties due to Nvidia over backwards compatibility are driving its inclusion only with the higher-end box. It's also worth noting that the image Kotaku uses when referring to the Xbox 2 was debunked as a decoy weeks ago. (You'll also have to forgive me if WebTV doesn't exactly excite me. And without Halo 3 as a launch title, I seriously wonder how Microsoft is going to get gamers to shell out $400 for the new box, as that site speculates--Ed.)

Bungie.net has seen a flurry of updates in the past few days. Here's a quick rundown:

• Frankie tells you which maps are coming and when.
• SketchFactor notes that the Halo 2 Autoupdate is now available, and warns users that attempting certain cheats can get you banned! He also points out new, high-resolution images of some of Halo 2's new maps, four of which are set for release on April 25; two for free, two for $5.99. We've created a special Maptacular Monday gallery for them inside our Halo 2 gallery.
• Achronos points out that Bungie.net maintenance is done and explains some of the anomolous behavior some users have noted, including inappropriate forum bans.
• Stosh links to GotFrag's interview with Victor "Sic Vic" Deleon and his Halo 2 wunderkind son, Victor "Lil Poison" Deleon III.

Over at IGN's RPGVault, Richard "Jonric" Aihoshi got a chance to interview writer Matt Soell of Wideload Games about the studio's expected fall release, Stubbs the Zombie in "Rebel Without a Pulse". One thing touched on that hasn't been mentioned before is that Michael Salvatori of Total Audio will be contributing:

Music and sound is a huge part of any good game; ask anyone who's played Halo. In Stubbs, the audio takes on added importance because it's another tool we can use to make people laugh. There will be plenty of custom music courtesy of Mike Salvatori, who was responsible - along with Marty O'Donnell and the rest of Bungie's audio team - for the sounds and music in the Halo and Myth games.

The article also touches on the project's technical foundation, the Halo engine. Wideload is extending the engine in many areas, adding more AI states and normal mapping. New screenshots of Stubbs in action have recently been added to our Stubbs the Zombie gallery.

Stubbs is expected for a Fall 2005 release for the Xbox, Mac and PC platforms.