There have been a lot of rumors about the Xbox 720; some stating it will feature a Blu-ray drive, others that were found this morning on the UK-based MCV site state that the next Xbox will launch in 2013, without a disk drive.
The site states that Microsoft has been briefing various partners using “the strictest NDA (Non-Disclosure. Agreement).” This probably means that Microsoft is finally ready to embrace the next generation with its third iteration of the successful Xbox console. According to GVC, this NDA is “the strictest they have encountered.
MCV goes on to state that the next Xbox will “offer compatibility with some sort of interchangeable solid-state card storage, although it is not known whether this will be proprietary or a more standard format such as SD.” This move makes sense, especially if the Xbox 720 utilizes some form of a Cloud-based storage for Xbox Live members in addition to using SD/USB storage devices (which is already being used on the Xbox 360). Using a standard format for the sake of convenience is a convenient for consumers, but may not be in the best interest of Microsoft.
Microsoft’s response to the MCV report is a typical response from developers: “Xbox 360 has found new ways to extend its lifecycle like introducing the world to 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. Beyond that we do not comment on Rumors or speculation.”
It seems we will have to wait for E3 this summer and the second half of 2012 for more information.
[via Game Freaks 365]
