360 Ultimate to be unveiled next week?

This week has already brought talk of a

new HD-DVD equipped Xbox 360

that some say will be unveiled by Microsoft and Toshiba at next week’s CES technology show in Las Vegas, but

Stuff

claims to have the complete scoop on the new machine, which it claims will be called the Xbox 360 Ultimate.

In what would represent a pretty substantial leap from the current top of the range Xbox 360 Elite model, the Ultimate is said to include an HD-DVD drive, 320GB hard drive, built-in wi-fi, proper hi-def audio output, a ‘near-silent’ fan and the latest 65nm hardware architecture that is slowly creeping into existing models.

In addition it will include the standard 1080p support and HDMI socket.

Stuff claims the machine is designed specifically to compliment an upcoming IPTV service that Microsoft has planned for its Xbox Live network, which will allow users to record and watch TV through their consoles.

With Microsoft’s 360 wi-fi adapter retailing at 70 and its 120GB hard drive at 130, the potential cost of the rumoured Ultimate could be quite huge.