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Report: Next Xbox requires Kinect to function, runs multiple games at once
Microsoft isn't acknowledging the development, or even the existence, of the Xbox 360's successor (codenamed "Durango"), but that isn't stopping potential details from leaking out of Redmond. The latest report comes via console overview documents (known as "white papers") provided to Kotaku by the same source who provided information on the next PlayStation (codenamed "Orbis"), and it spells out some things we've yet to hear. Namely, the console will ship with a new version of Microsoft's motion-sensing camera controller, Kinect, and that the device, "must be plugged in and calibrated for the console to even function," the piece says. The new Kinect -- which we've heard of in the past -- is said to capture up to six people at once, and an alleged image demonstrating the difference between new and old versions of the camera puts much higher specs on said device (1920x1080 color resolution, more trackable joints, improved depth resolution, etc.). The new console is also reported to employ multitasking, enabling multiple games or apps to run concurrently, similar to mobile phones and tablets; how many apps that could mean is unclear, if true. Sony's PlayStation Vita already employs such functionality, making the claim all the less far-fetched. The piece also states supposedly final retail hardware specs for Microsoft's next game console, including a 64-bit D3D11.x 800MHz GPU, an 8-core x64 1.6GHz 4MB L2 CPU, 8GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB of on-board memory, USB 3.0, HDMI-out, and an optical drive for 50GB discs. For its part, Microsoft's staying mum -- "We do not comment on rumors or speculation. We are always thinking about what is next for our platform, but we don't have anything further to share at this time," a Microsoft spokesperson told us -- and Sony's the only game in town with even an event scheduled in the near future. [Photo credit: Kotaku]
Rumor: Microsoft preparing set-top box version of next Xbox, to be revealed pre-holiday 2013
Microsoft may be preparing a lite version of its next-generation console specifically made for set-top box purposes. The Verge says the device -- dubbed "Xbox TV" -- will be part of Microsoft's next-gen console strategy, offering a low-cost alternative to the still unannounced, "Durango" with "access to core entertainment services;" it's also said to be an "always on" device. The report also posits that both Microsoft's next system and this alternate device will be revealed and released ahead of holiday 2013. It's unclear exactly what the rumored set-top box's "core entertainment services" might be, but it's not hard to imagine it comprising the recently revamped Xbox Video / Music services, as well as the myriad other multimedia services available through the current-gen Xbox 360. The company is also allegedly exploring Xbox TV as a service, licensed out to various television manufacturers and integrated on a software level -- none of this sounds especially far-fetched considering Microsoft's new strategy of marketing the Xbox brand as its entertainment wing, as well as pitching its latest version of Windows as a scalable, multi-device OS. For Redmond's part, the company's only issuing the following boilerplate statement: "Xbox 360 has found new ways to extend the console lifecycle by introducing controller-free experiences with Kinect and re-inventing the console with a new dashboard and new entertainment content partnerships. We are always thinking about what is next for our platform and how to continue to defy the lifecycle convention." We expect to hear many more rumblings on the next-gen front after the coming holiday season.
Project Natal basis for new Xbox console coming Fall 2010?
We'd be careful about putting too much stock into an admittedly far off rumor, but the gang at 1UP claim they've heard from those in the know that Microsoft's set to release a new Xbox console in Fall 2010, and that current media darling Project Natal is "the cornerstone" of that evolution. Specs-wise, it's suggested we're looking at only a marginal boost analogous to Nintendo's GameCube-to-Wii transition -- place your bets on how long it'll take to "max out" this time -- as well as a rebranding (Xbox Natal, anyone?) aimed at attracting the highly coveted, more mainstream / casual audience, before Mario and the crew catch a second wind with the oft-rumored Wii HD. There's nothing unbelievable about these whispers, but again, Fall 2010 is quite a ways off and anything can happen in the meantime. First unveiling will allegedly be the 2010 Game Developers Conference in early March, so your best bet for now is to hold tight and keep a close eye on who gets a primetime slot among that event's keynote speeches.
