Crytek supposedly claiming new Xbox unveiled within a year
updated 04:30 pm EDT, Tue June 14, 2011
Crytek hints Xbox 360 sequel by E3 2012
Microsoft might give the Wii U little room to breathe if a rumor Tuesday is accurate. An unnamed executive Crysis developer Crytek expected Microsoft to unveil a third-generation Xbox within the next 12 months, possibly opening the door to a showing at E3 2012 next June. The game developer's UK division, formerly known as Free Radical, was said by VideoGamer to be building TimeSplitters 4 to take advantage of the new hardware.
The company didn't know the exact hardware specifications, which were still in flux, but was using DirectX 11-level graphics as a baseline. That meant support for very parallel, threaded rendering, using the graphics core for general purpose computing, and hardware geometry tessellation, which dynamically reduces the detail of 3D objects at a distance to increase the overall detail in a scene.
TimeSplitters 4 was supposedly being shown behind closed doors at E3 this week.
Microsoft hasn't said anything publicly about the next Xbox, though it has begun hiring to fuel development. Most anticipate it still using the Power architecture that powers the Xbox 360, but with a much faster design and brand new graphics to match. Modern Internet connections might prevent Microsoft from going download-only for games.
