100GB Xbox 360 HD on the way?

What we heard: So far the response to downloadable demos, trailers, and game content on Xbox Live Marketplace has been overwhelmingly positive. So positive, in fact, that gamers are downloading files at record-setting rates.

The premium Xbox 360 came stocked with a 20GB hard drive, but with most demos hovering in the 500MB to 800MB range (and some topping 1GB) Xbox 360 owners are beginning to feel the pinch when it comes to available hard drive space. And with upcoming downloadable expansions such as the Knights of the Nine expansion for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and bonus packs for Grand Theft Auto IV expected to take up lots of room, hard drive space will be a necessity for 360 owners. Now it appears that even when its 2K9, gamers might still be able to hang on to that demo of NBA 2K6.

At the Microsoft-centric X06 Korea, some pictures of a bigger Xbox 360 hard drive have surfaced courtesy of Korean game site Game Inside. The photos appear to have been taken during a presentation hyping the new Xbox 360 accessories that are on their way, including the force feedback steering wheel, the wireless headset, and a 256MB memory card.

But what's of real interest to gamers starving for more HD space is the image of a hard drive emblazoned with the phrase "100GB." There isn't any other information on the hard drive (in English, anyway), and Microsoft has not announced anything on this side of the pond.

This isn't the first time the world has heard about a 100GB Xbox 360 hard drive. Back in April, a Spanish gaming Web site reported that a Microsoft insider said the company was working on a 100GB hard drive. But then again, the mole also said that Xbox Live Vision would be called 'My Eye on You," Gears of War would be out by Halloween, and that the HD-DVD peripheral would be $100.