It’s time for a fresh batch of rumours about Microsoft’s successor to the Xbox 360. While the Redmond software giant is still mum about what to expect in its next gaming endeavour, the leaks continue to flow.
This time around, rumour has it that an anonymous individual with access to an Xbox 720 developer kit has said that the new console will only function if users have a Kinect (or the Xbox 720 equivalent) plugged into the system.
According to the rumour, the Kinect (or would that be Kinect 2?) will come packaged in with every console, so making it a requirement will be the same as requiring users to have a controller or a video cable.
Today, with the Xbox 360, the Kinect functions as an important part of the system, allowing users to navigate through menus and access content with the wave of a hand or an unencumbered voice command. However, it’s an optional accessory, which means the the Kinect is not mandatory nor is Xbox 360 experience is not unified.
Such has been an issue with the console practically since day one. To this day, some players have an Xbox 360 without an HDMI port, without built-in WiFi, or without a hard drive. Microsoft clearly realises that it needs to unify the experience, which is presumably why Kinect will be mandatory on the Xbox 720.
A somewhat less surprising requirement will be that all units will have a hard drive, making it possible for game developers to require game data installations, which will increase the power of individual game titles and decrease load times.
More interestingly, the new console will be able to multitask, meaning players could have multiple games or apps open at the same time, allowing players to seamlessly switch between each application.
And finally, Microsoft will make its second-screen experience more integral to the gameplay experience. As for the controller, Kotaku’s insider says that it will be markedly different from the Xbox 360 pad,and will use an unspecified “new wireless technology.”
Previous rumours to surface include that the system will require an Internet connection and that the GPU specs will be leaps and bounds above that of the Xbox 360.
The continuous pile of rumours — along with the increasingly fragmented Xbox 360 audience — leads to an almost certain conclusion that the new console will be revealed soon, perhaps before the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in June.
A leading video game magazine is reporting that Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox 720 gaming console is not going to be compatible with your current Xbox games.
Not only will the Xbox 720 outdate your older games from the Xbox 360 console, but an Internet connection will be required to play the forthcoming console as well.
Edge reported, citing sources familiar with the next generation console, as saying that the Xbox 720 will feature 50-gigabyte-capacity Blu-ray discs games, despite its commitment to online functionality. These discs will be shipping with activation codes, making them harder to share among friends, similar to computer software discs.
Other specs that have been reported by Edge concerning the new console are that it will feature an AMD 8-core x64 processor, with a D3D11.x 800MHz graphics solution and 8-gigabytes of RAM. And, supposedly, these aren’t rumors, but are “confirmed,” according to Edge’s source.
The Xbox 720 will also have some heavy Kinect updates as well, including a more responsive system. The magazine said Microsoft will be investing heavily in motion-controlled interfaces with this console.
Not allowing older Xbox games to be played on the console will be a massive hit to the used game market. GameStop, a major second hand games retailer, saw its shares fall at the onset of the news.
Although the push to outdate older Xbox games comes from a reliable source, Forbes writer Paul Tassi wrote about why this report can’t be true.
“The idea behind killing used game sales is a relatively straightforward one. It’s a simple, multi-stage process that ends up with those who made the game getting the short end of the stick,” Tassi wrote.
Analysts also chimed in on the concept of an “always online” Xbox console, challenging the concept altogether. They told Venture Beat that none of the sources are in a position to know what Microsoft’s strategy is, and that even Microsoft hasn’t determined its strategy. “They are still thinking about a variety of functions,” said Wedbush Security managing director Michael Pachter.
The Verge is reporting that Microsoft will be incorporating a new speech recognition technology inside its game console, similar to Apple’s Siri. This feature, codenamed “Durango,” will reportedly support wake on voice, natural language controls, and speech-to-text.
The same report also says that Microsoft will be investigating scenarios where a Kinect sensor will detect how many individuals are in the room, and will display the appropriate multiplayer games for that amount of players.
While the rumor mill continues to churn around the highly anticipated new console from Microsoft, Sony will be unveiling its curtain first, at a February 20th event. Sony’s PlayStation 4 is said to be shipping later this year, towards the holiday season.
Little is known about what the next-generation PlayStation will offer, but Edge claims it will feature a redesigned controller, the same size as existing ones, but with a small touchpad in place of the Select, Start and PS buttons. Also, a new Share button on the controller will launch a variety of features that could allow screenshots and video to be distributed online.
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