xbox 720

Xbox 720 to require Internet connection?

Additional alleged Xbox 720 details have come to light today.

Sources speaking to Edge said the platform will require an Internet connection to function and that a new version of Xbox Live will be an "integral" component of Microsoft's new platform. Though Microsoft is reportedly "absolutely committed" to online functionality for its new machine, games will still be offered in physical form, the sources said.

In addition, the sources said games for the new system will ship with activation codes and "have no value beyond the initial user." This falls in line with … Read more

Console sales set for rebound, courtesy of next-gen

Console sales are set to make a rebound in the next couple of years, thanks to the next generation of hardware.

According to research firm IDC, worldwide console sales hit 34 million units last year, representing a 24.4 percent declined compared with 2011. However, IDC believes that the Wii U and the launch of a next-generation Xbox at the end of this year will push console sales up 10.1 percent to 37.4 million this year. In 2014, console sales could rise 19.1 percent to 44.6 million units.

"2011 and 2012 were tough for many … Read more

New Xbox this time next year?

Microsoft might have a new Xbox for the 2013 holiday season.

A new report from Bloomberg suggests that Microsoft might be readying the successor to the Xbox 360 for the 2013 holiday season. We here at CNET have been speculating the company might do the big unveiling at E3 2013 next summer and then set up a release shortly after. Some of the rumored features of the next Xbox -- aside from an obvious bump in performance -- are a Blu-ray drive and a more precise version of Kinect.

Industry site Telecoms.com has discovered some information about the iPhone 5'… Read more

Xbox 720 to debut by 2013 holiday season, report says

The next edition of Microsoft's Xbox could be ready for the holidays -- the 2013 holidays, that is.

Microsoft is aiming to launch the Xbox 720 in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas of next year, "people familiar with the company's plans" told Bloomberg yesterday.

The software giant could unveil the next Xbox at the E3 show in June or at a separate event specifically geared toward the console, one of the sources said. The people providing this tidbit to Bloomberg didn't want to identify themselves since the information is reportedly based on a confidential Microsoft … Read more

Xbox 720 to offer Kinect 2.0 and Blu-ray drive, says Xbox World

Microsoft's Xbox 720 will unveil a new version of Kinect, a Blu-ray drive, and an A/V port for watching and recording broadcast TV, at least according to details leaked by Xbox World.

Promising "next-gen secrets inside," the latest issue of the U.K.-based magazine dug up several reported specs on Microsoft's next console.

First off, the Xbox 720 will introduce Kinect 2.0.

Microsoft has been as publicly mum about the next version of Kinect as it has about all details concerning the new Xbox. But a company document leaked in June touted a … Read more

Rumor Has It: $199 for Microsoft Surface tablet? Yes, please.

The latest rumors say so, but we'll explain why the latest rumors are probably wrong. Also on today's episode, we learn why IBM might want to buy RIM's secret treasure chest, and we decipher the tea-leaves of iOS 6. What is Apple not telling us about the new OS for fear of giving away iPhone 5 secrets?

And finally, the next Xbox may hit soon, another rumors suggests. This tweeted image of a swirl of colors supposedly indicates that the Kinect 2 might be awesome. To us it just looks like, well, modern art. But you guys … Read more

Microsoft job posting hints at next Xbox launch within 18 mos.

Microsoft might be launching the next Xbox within the next year and a half.

The software giant last night posted a job listing on its Web site seeking a marketing professional. In that posting -- which now appears to be taken down -- the company said that "over the next 18 months, Microsoft will release new versions of all of our most significant products including Windows (Client, Server, Phone and Azure), Office and Xbox, along with completely new offerings like Microsoft Surface."

Rumors have been swirling for years that Microsoft would launch its next Xbox -- sometimes called … Read more

Microsoft serves notice to sites hosting Xbox 720 road map

Microsoft is playing hardball with companies that are hosting a purportedly leaked Xbox 720 document.

A Czech tech site called Ihned.cz (Translate) said it received a notice recently from Microsoft Internet investigator Alan Radford requesting the site remove its "copyrighted works" from its Web site. In a notice, obtained by The Verge, Microsoft claims the site was "offering unlicensed copies of, or is engaged in other unauthorized activities relating to copyrighted works published by Microsoft."

WP Central yesterday reported that Dropbox has also banned the file from its service. The blog's reporter, "RogueCode,&… Read more

Rumor Has It: New Xbox launch timed for 2013 holidays? (video)

As if actual Microsoft product launches haven't been in the news enough this week (ahem, Surface tablet and Windows Phone 8), rumors of the road map for the long-anticipated new Xbox are heating up.

A PowerPoint presentation posted to NeoGAF forums claims to divulge Microsoft's secret product launch plans. No, not the launch codes -- this isn't a nuclear crisis, though the excitement among Xbox gamers is verging on nuclear. (See what I did there?) The document has NOT been authenticated, and Microsoft is mum on the issue, but its contents are in line with previous rumors. … Read more

Next Xbox could have glasses, new Kinect

Today we're shooting cowboys in the living room and bringing game shows to our tablets:

A leaked PDF document hints at what Microsoft could have in store for the next version of Xbox. If the 56-page document is true, the Xbox 720 has a planned release for 2013 and will play Blu-ray movies, 3D videos and it would work with special glasses for augmented reality gaming. The document also suggests the next version of the Kinect will track four people at once, have improved voice recognition and it could be split into two units on both sides of the … Read more