The rumors surrounding the next generation of gaming consoles is heating up. It seems that fans of gaming just can’t get enough of the pre-official information which is going around in internet circles – all surrounding the next generations of the Playstation, Nintendo, and X Box consoles. We have already taken a brief look at some of the rumors surrounding the next generation of the Playstation console, reportedly code named “Orbis.”
As we will see in this piece, Sony is not the only company that is generating unofficial headlines with rampant rumors about their next generation gaming gear. Not be left behind, Microsoft rumors are red hot on the internet at the moment as well. In the next article, we will take a look at what can be known about Nintendo’s latest offering.
The next X Box Is subject to all kinds of wild speculation on the internet, with rumors covering everything from its gaming specs, to the eventual name of the console, to what kind of software capabilities will and will not be available on the machine. Let’s start with one of the easier concerns first: What will this thing be called?
Next Generation Microsoft Console – The XBox 720
Most of the internet population has called the machine the X Box 720 for the past few years, presumably because of the intuitive fact that the number 720 is double the number 360 – which is the name of the current generation Microsoft console. But, as has been the case with most speculation-happy internet rumors surrounding the device, there is much speculation regarding the final name of the device. One website speculates that the device could be named the X Box infinity. Their reasoning? The fact that Microsoft has registered the domain name www.xbox8.com – with the 8 being the symbol for infinity when it is turned on its side.
Ok, so – let’s just agree to call it the X Box 720 for the moment, until there is a more official name announcement made about the console. Let’s talk about what everyone really wants to know – what will it be made of and what will it be able to do? As far as the components are concerned, there are some really hot rumors going around right now. One of the rumors is that, despite the fact that Microsoft has not discussed a release date as of yet, whatever release date they were shooting for is in trouble.
This is speculated because the one of the internal chips – being called “Orban” online- is facing severe productions shortages, causing the company to scramble to find additional production avenues. There has been no confirmation that said chip would be used in the next generation X Box, but apparent quantities of the chip which are being produced seems to indicate that the use could only be explained by an X Box integration.
The X Box 720 will have to pack some serious graphics power in order to avoid early problems seen in the release of the X Box 360. Recent internet rumors suggest that the new X Box will turn to AMD’s 7000 series graphics, which is based on the 28 nm Graphics Core Next. This would be an important strategic move if the rumors surrounding the Playstation 4 are to be believed.
Playsatation, too, is rumored to be including AMD hardware – an AMD Southern graphics chip and an AMD x86 CPU. Many websites point out that these processors would put both of the consoles, which are set to go on sale at the end of 2013, well behind computer technology that will be available during that time frame. Other reports suggest that Microsoft is possibly looking to add a 16-core CPU, but only time will tell.
Ok, so we have a few rumors about the eventual name of the next X Box, and we have a vague idea of what the internal hardware will look like, but what will this thing be able to do? While we want to take a look at that particular point, one of the most interesting rumored aspects of the new X Box, and the new Playstation 4 as well, is what they will not be able to do. Let’s take a look at what the rumor world says.
First things first, the X Box 720 will reportedly come equipped with a 1080p Blu-Ray 3D DVD player, and DVR capabilities. This would certainly help to make the console more of an integral part of the user’s everyday experience, beyond just gaming. But packing the console with DVR capabilities may mean that there will be a need for some serious storage capabilities. Though there abundant rumors circulating about the future of Blu-Ray in the X Box 720, there hasn’t been nearly the same excitement about speculating on the eventual capacity of the hard drive.
One of the most controversial rumors surrounding the X Box 720, along with the Playstation 4, is the intention of the manufacturers to effectively license games to players, as opposed to selling the games to the players. Here is what we mean. Both of the consoles are rumored to include software which will prevent players from being able to play used games on their console. Said another way, you won’t be able to play your friend’s copy of Halo on your console, because the machine simply will not allow it. This particular rumor has seemingly the entire gaming community going nuts.
One basis for the rumors, one which seems almost inconceivable, is that the X Box 720 may require an always-on internet connection in order to use the device. This may be a bit of a stretch, but needing an internet connection at boot up seems to be more likely. Both of these rumors, that the user will need an internet connection in order to access gameplay on their own machine, and that the user will not be able to borrow, trade, or sell their games, have put a bit of damper on what is usually an intensely exiting process – speculating about the next generation of gaming consoles.
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