Here's one for the history books, if it ever happens. Microsoft has been rumored to be planning (or at least thinking of planning) releasing the Xbox 360 hardware for 3rd party publishers to use.

Let that sink in for just a second. Not controllers, not wiring, the actual. 360. Hardware. That means some day next year, you could walk into Radioshack or Best Buy and pick up a Blu-ray player (note, not a PlayStation 3) and use it to play 360 software.

It's a shocker, and I'm having trouble believing it myself. However, the 360 has been out on the market for two and a half years, and it's starting to get a little dust on the shelf. Yes, lots more consoles were sold at GTA IV's release, but after last year's extravaganza of excellent games, will there be any more system sellers?

Seems to me that once Microsoft see's that the growth in sales for the 360 has slumped past the point of no return, they'll actively want to pick up the pace. And this is a very feasible way. If you're looking to buy a new coffee machine that has internet connectivity, why not spend a little more so you can play Gears of War 2 on it? Seems like a worthy venture!

Kotaku via EGM (link appears to be lost in the void of time...or poor indexing). Image taken from Kotaku, because it's so damn perfect.