Another Day another Xbox rumor. News about the potential successor has been popping up a lot lately and Microsoft has done nothing either fuel the flame or extinguish it. Gamers were upset when CES passed by without a slight hint at what the next console would be or look like. Many have speculated that Microsoft wants to release their next console in 2012, as to not allow the Wii U a head start. Others have stated that without an announcement at CES, announcing a console at E3 in June does not offer enough time for a release in the same year. Sources have indicated that major production of the new Xbox GPU will begin at the end of the year. Based on AMD’s Radeon HD 6670 the chip will feature 1080P support, 3D support and will be six times as powerful as the current chip featured in the Xbox 360. The same reports puts pure processing power of the GPU 20% more powerful than the Wii U’s planed chip.
Blu-ray will be the primary format of optical storage on the next gen Xbox, sources say. With blu-ray’s advanced DRM features early reports are stating that Microsoft is planning technology that will severally cripple the used game market. While not trying to out the used game market completely, advanced technology will be able to detect used games and prevent those games from being used to a certain degree. What degree that will actually be is completely up in the air at this moment.
The current Xbox features USB 2.0 inputs for external devices, controllers and most importantly Kinect input. The latest hardware version of the Xbox shipped with a new Kinect specific input but Kinect support for USB 2.0 was needed as to assure that any version of the Xbox 360 would work with Kinect. The next gen Xbox could feature a completely new version of Kinect. Kinect 2.0 could ship with the next xbox and connect with either USB 3.0 or a completely new Kinect input. This would allow Kinect much higher data transfer speeds than current USB 2.0 can support, which would enable a wide variety of new features. Foremost would be a much higher resolution camera. This could allow much deeper motion controls such as facial and hand recognition.
The Xbox hot stove is constantly heating up. The console is currently in its seventh year of shelf life, already surpassing most console lifespans (generally five years). People can speculate all they wish but Microsoft hasn’t dropped a single hint about the next Xbox. Gamers will have to wait until at least E3 in June to get confirmed details regarding the next system. A featured toaster oven for gamers Totino’s pizza rolls and a Mountain Dew dispenser could put the next Xbox over the top towards the all in one living room entertainment center Bill Gates has long desired.
Source: IndustryGamers
