Xbox Next Rumors, our summary

With the new Xbox being unveiled on May 21st, we felt that it would be handy for you readers to have a list of the most prominent Xbox Next rumors of what the console will feature. There’s a myriad of apparent “ITK’s” who just happen to be friends with Microsoft employees who know all about the console, but we won’t have any certain information until the unveiling.

 

The Name

Well played Microsoft, well played. It’s been months since the console was announced and no-one has been able to get anything. Despite several sites all assuming “Xbox 720” to be the logical step forward, we don’t actually know anything. Xbox Infinity has also been thrown around, but sadly this (as of now) is just about as likely as any other name.

 

New Features

Although the “always-on DRM” rumour was quickly shot down amidst controversy, the Kinect was one that sadly stayed with us. The Kinect’s first run failed massively, with users quickly realising the machine was nothing more than a gimmick, yet it appears that it will be making a return as an actual part of the console. Kinect would allow users to have skype as a part of their console (with it being acquired by Microsoft in 2011) along with voice activated software and motion based gaming, so this might not be a complete waste of time.

A video capture system was rumoured when Microsoft first announced the console, but these ideas seem to have died down recently.

One rumour that seems possible is Microsoft’s Illumiroom, a concept that was claimed to be possible with next-generation hardware. This would allow for an unbelievably immersive experience, so I think we’re safe in assuming that this would be pretty awesome. Sadly the first demonstrations are expected to take place around July/August, and so it may not make it in time for the first edition consoles.

 

The Specs

Rumours about what the new console will be using have varied wildly, with some claiming graphics-heavy hardware and a big hard-drive, to others claiming hardware based around preventing lag and keeping ping minimal. Although we won’t know for definite until next Tuesday, it’s safe to assume we’ll be getting something that annihilates the previous console but not enough to rival the PS4 - notorious for it’s unbelievable power.

Current information suggests that the console will have 500GB storage; a Blu-Ray discdrive, USB 3.0 compatibility; 12 Radeon GCN compute units at 800MHz (6 less than the PS4, for an estimated teraflops amount of 1.2 in contrast to 1.8 for PS4); 8GB of DDR3 and 32MB of ESRAM. These reports still suggest the console’s power will be inferior to the PS4, but for all we know at this point, Xbox could use this new gear more effectively.

 

The Design

If you’ve ever searched “Xbox 720” on Google images, you’ll know that there are thousands of strange designs that people have pretended to leak in an attempt to trick fans. These designs range from flying saucers, strange orbs, and Xbox 360’s with random green lines. We can probably expect little deviation from the current design, based on how Microsoft has changed consoles in the past. If the change from Xbox to Xbox 360 is anything to go by, we can probably expect a sleeker, thinner model with a modernised look.

 

Games

The console will of course have some new games, with people claiming Microsoft are preparing a series of basic games that show off what the console can handle. We can expect big titles like Halo 5, possibly a new Call of Duty and Battlefield 4 to eventually make it to the console, but we won’t know when until the publishers announce their release.

Respawn, the team with people formerly behind  Call of Duty, has been linked to a new Xbox exclusive shooter - with no offline mode. The game will supposedly be both PvP and PvE, but will require you to be constantly connected to the Internet. This is presumably so that it will be harder to pirate the game, although even EA struggled with this as their servers crashed and people still pirated SimCity despite their efforts.

Project Gotham 5 is also rumoured to be making it onto the console, with reports suggesting that either Rare or Lucid Games could be co-developing the next game in the hit racing series. Project Gotham was one of the first games on the original Xbox, and Project Gotham 3 was one of the first games on the Xbox 360, so it would make sense for Project Gotham 5 to make a comeback to start the new console off with a bang.

It’s also pretty much guaranteed that Watch_Dogs and Destiny will both appear on the new Xbox platform, as they already announced their cross-platform, cross-generation plans.

 

Overall, the console looks to be a big hit. Xbox has an already massive fanbase, and from what we can tell the console looks to be on the up. The PS4  looks very strong and will be massive competition, but could Xbox succeed for a second time in a row? Only time will tell, although we will soon know more - a lot more.