Xbox 720: Rumors Roundup

We’ve gathered everything we know about Microsoft’s next-gen console.

by The At7addak Team on Jul 12, 2012

The future of gaming is rather foggy. The market changed quickly, even brutally, in the recent months, and the recipes of yesterday are being reinvented. So when is the next generation Xbox coming? For the famous videogame analyst Michael Pachter (also known as the oracle of videogame), the next Xbox could dare a new marketing tactics, one that was shared at the Develop Conference.

For Pachter, Microsoft could offer its next-gen console as $99 monthly bundle, including TV subscriptions, a model that is currently being used for smartphones in the west. The console will not limit to simply videogames, but would provide Smart TV services for music, film, Internet, a whole ultimate fantasy entertainment system.

If of course Pachter’s ideas are only predictions, they appear to be consistent with some changes in the market. Especially in times of crisis, where a low cost remains the most attractive for gamers.

Microsoft is already experimenting this technique by selling Xbox 360 Slim as a subscription, paying off 99$ every month for two years including the Xbox Live account. Nevertheless, as found on NeoGAF, a huge leak of what the next Xbox could be recently emerged.

The document dates back to August 2011, and alongside the already announced plans, such as the Xbox SmartGlass, there are a bunch of information on Microsoft's vision of its next console. It is obviously difficult to assess its authenticity, but in any case we know that Microsoft has filed patents for the some kind of AR glasses.

To start with, the machine (called "Xbox 720" in the document) is coming out in 2013 at a launch price of less than $300 with the revamped Kinect 2 included. The next Xbox will include Blu-ray compatibility, native 3D with associated screens and glasses, accessories and secondary sensors.

The Xbox 720 alleged specifications are as follows:

6 or 8 or ARM CPUs clocked at 2GHz x86 Hearts each
64ALU 1Ghz GPU with DirectX 11.1
3 Core PPC clocked at 3.2 GHZ to ensure backward compatibility with Xbox 360
4GB of RAM DDR4 128bit
3 USB, HDMI Display Port, and 802.11n built-in Wi-Fi
True 1080p HD 3D Display
Target Price of $299
Lifecycle target of 10 years
Referred sales of more than 100 million units

Now, Microsoft's strategy discussed in the document is simple: make the Xbox 720 the only Entertainment Box a user might need in his living room. So it would offer all the features from a TV and propose a unified compatibility with Windows 8 to allow developers to create their unilaterally App for Windows 8 PC, Xbox, or Windows Mobile.

Interestingly the document mentions a list of competitive threats and, in addition to Nintendo and Sony, Apple and Google with the Apple TV for example. Finally, he mentioned the arrival of Cloud Gaming in 2015; one can be supported without the need to update its hardware. Do you think OnLive will be on board since Gaikai is now Playstation’s property?

As for the new updated version of Microsoft’s motion control tool, the Kinect 2 will have improved accuracy, Stereoscopic imaging, enhanced voice recognition, detection capability up to 4 players, improved RGB camera and a dedicated on-board hardware for processing.
As stated in the document, "With Kinect v2 we can continue to go beyond the Classic Controller and offer accessories and secondary peripherals reinforcing the immersion."

Now here’s the best part of the leak: Kinect Glasses (known as Project Fortaleza). The document speaks finally of a project which is an enhancement for Kinect. Few details were mentioned about the hardware in question, except that the glasses seems to be compatible with Wi-Fi and also 3G and 4G, to offer an experience similar to Google Glasses’ augmented reality project.

They are to be presented as a product in 2014, which will not be available alongside the Xbox 720 at launch. Again all of this is difficult to be verified, as Microsoft doesn’t comment on rumors.

Neverthleeess, this will tease or hype up the Xbox fans. What do you think the next Xbox will be like? Share your wildest imagination in the comment box below.

Ozimandus has been reviewing games and gadgets since 2003. He's not afraid of speaking his mind, and loves to share his love of everything geeky.

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