' Carrier pigeon flies through transom, rumour'

TWO snippets of Xbox 2 information for you this morning, both of which you can file under 'We heard it but we're really not sure...'

The first is a spy report that the INQ received in a soggy brown envelope anonymously delivered through our door by untraceable carrier pigeon. Our spy, who has links with a man who knows a girl who once worked for a firm who contracted to someone who now works at Microsoft, suggested that he knew what the media for Xbox 2 would be.

While Sony are putting their weight behind Blu-Ray, it seems that Microsoft might just stick with good ol'-fashioned DVD in a bid to keep the costs of the system and its games down. Not even the HD variety, mind, which Microsoft has already put its backing behind.

While we find it hard to believe that Microsoft wouldn't support next generation formats at all, especially given its goal of becoming more than just a console, we wonder if there will be numerous add-ins or bolt-ons to support one or even both of the new disc formats. If we turn out to be right, you read it here first. If we're wrong... you ain't seen me, right?

The second is a rumour which has widely been reported this weekend but that strikes us as kind of silly (although we will eat our optical media if it ends up being true). The Xbox 2, the rumour goes, is to be called the Xbox 360, according to a filing at Engadget. It sounds like a bit of a lame name to the INQ, although Engadget have at least mocked up a Photoshop of the logo.

Of course, we won't know anything for sure until we hit Los Angeles for the E3 show in the summer, where Billy G-Spot will be clueing us all in on his master plan. And doodling, presumably.