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Microsoft leaked the Xbox One, HoloLens and more way back in 2012
Covering Microsoft can be comical. The enormous, multinational company is notoriously prone to leaks. Here's a short highlight list from our vast library of leak posts about Microsoft: Microsoft's fitness wearable, Band The Xbox One game console, in development kit form, on eBay of all places Cortana for Windows, the voice-based search engine Former CEO Steve Ballmer's entire CES 2010 keynote speech While that list of all stars is impressive unto itself, there's a far more interesting leak that happened way back in June 2012. A 56-page business presentation was uploaded to document-sharing service Scribd -- the document outlined four years of Xbox plans, the vast majority of which have now played out. From Kinect 2.0 shipping with Xbox One to HoloLens (then known as "Project Fortaleza"), essentially the entire recent history of Xbox was exposed nearly three years ago.
WSJ: Microsoft prototyping Google Glass-like device
It's pretty clear that wearables, whether they be made for the face or the wrist, are going to be the next big thing in hardware. According to The Wall Street Journal's sources "familiar with the matter," Microsoft doesn't want to be late to the party, and is currently playing with prototypes of "web-connected eyewear similar to Google Glass." This isn't the first time we've heard whispers of such a device, of course: we knew Microsoft's been keen on some form of AR glasses since Project Fortaleza leaked back in June last year. Apparently, Redmond is currently tapping Asian manufacturers for components, such as cameras, for its wearable, but that it "may never reach mass production," suggesting Microsoft hasn't committed to any formal development process yet. That's as far as the rumors go at this point, but it's further evidence Microsoft isn't content with a presence in just our bags and pockets.
Alleged Xbox 720 document leak resurfaces, stirs rumors of Kinect 2, native 3D, AR glasses
A document passing itself off as an internal Microsoft presentation about the future of Xbox has surfaced, and is stirring internet chatter with its possible hints at the future of the console. Despite turning up online over a month ago and potentially dating back to 2010, a few things mentioned that have since come to fruition -- like SmartGlass -- are earning it more attention. The proposed developments include cloud-based entertainment, native 3D, augmented reality "Fortaleza Glasses," scalable hardware -- all by 2015. If that's too long to wait, however, the time line also indicates we'd be seeing the next generation hardware in 2013 for $299 (more precise and four-player ready Kinect 2 included). The Xbox 720 package described includes such pie-in-the-sky bullet points as Blu-ray and whole-home DVR features, all from a low-power always-on box built on a "Yukon" ARM hardware platform. Of course, even if this is legit and not just some business student's exercise, all the talk of value propositions, OEM licensing and developer profitability are proposals that could have changed. Need more reasons to be skeptical? Digital Foundry points out the extremely optimistic wattages listed and previous appearances of the illustrations included. Ponder over the full 56-page document for yourself -- taking into account the bored minds on the internet that are capable of cranking out this kind of stuff, like that infamous Nintendo Revolution video -- after the break. Update: The document has been pulled from Scribd, apparently at the request of a Covington & Burling, LLP. [Thanks, Leonard]
Rumor: 'Xbox 720' doc spills details on Kinect 2, 2013 launch, AR glasses
A lengthy business document purportedly sourced back to Microsoft showed up on Scribd yesterday. In it, alleged details about an "Xbox 720." For starters, the 56-page document claims the next-generation Xbox will launch in 2013 for $299, alongside the "Kinect V2." The doc also claims it'll come packed with Blu-ray functionality and be able to play game that are "4x - 6x" better looking than Xbox 360. If only it could promise the game themselves would be 4x - 6x better!Beyond the stuff you'd expect, the document also claims Microsoft has Augmented Reality glasses in the works named "Fortaleza" (presumably built at Brazil-based Innovation Center Fortaleza) – the document says we won't see through MS' AR until some time in 2014, post-console launch. Additionally, it claims the "Xbox 720" will have some form of "always on" functionality, as well as the ability to run apps at the same time (read: multitasking).Now before you go getting all excited, you should probably know that this document surfaced in some form back in early May on Nukezilla. Moreover, even if it's totally legit, the document itself appears to be rather old – dating back to August 2010 at least. That said, some of the info detailed in the document has since been announced by Microsoft (most notably Smart Glass). We've seen some pretty thorough fakes in our time, but this would be the most thorough if it were.We've reached out to Microsoft for comment, but, well, you know.Update: The document was removed from Scribd due to copyright infringement, at the request of a law firm named Covington and Burling. The firm worked with Microsoft as recently as this past April, when it advised Microsoft in its patent settlement case with Facebook. Microsoft still hasn't responded to request for comment.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
