Microsoft will reveal its follow-up to the Xbox 360 on May 21st, according to multiple reports. The console, codenamed Durango, is apparently scheduled to launch in "early November" and in theory has a high $500 price-point, though this could be lowered to $300 when combined with a subscription similar to that of the $99 subsidized Xbox 360 Kinect bundle.
Claiming a world exclusive, VGLEAKS has revealed the purported system architecture for the next generation Xbox. Codenamed Durango, many of the claimed specifications align with what we already know about the device. If accurate, the architecture also reveals a few surprises, including an HDMI-in port, as well as the expected HDMI-out.
A computer claimed to be a development kit for the Microsoft Xbox Durango has sold on eBay for $20,100. The auction was set to run for another six days, but sold early after 43 bids had been placed for the machine. The original eBay listing consisted of one image of the box and a single line of text, saying it came with power cables and a wired controller.
A leaked image suggests the Kinect 2 will work with improved depth-of-field and use more movement data than before. The image surfaced on a Twitter feed run by @superDaE, apparently showing perceived depth as seen from the sensor. The two subjects viewed appear to have a higher level of detail than the current version of the Kinect is capable of producing, suggesting the system will measure movements with higher degree of accuracy.
The next-generation Xbox console, which may or may not be called the Xbox 720, may be powered by a 16-core CPU, SlashGear reported on Friday. That CPU may be branded as IBM Power PC, and be paired with one or two GPUs that has comparable processing power to AMD's Radeon HD 7000. That power will be needed to run next-generation games and the Kinect successor, which is said to be able to read lips and fingertips as well as track multiple players and thus require at least four cores.
A currently uncertain but unusually detailed rumor Monday has Microsoft's next-generation Xbox making aggressive decisions on hardware. Multiple tips to VG24/7 supported AMD's hints of movie-quality 3D graphics with claims there would be two Radeon HD 7000 graphics cores. Rather than simply pair them up to form a single virtual card, as with AMD's usual CrossFire, it would have each core rendering separate objects in the same scene.
Microsoft is, once again, seeking to fill a job position for a Software Development Engineer for the next Xbox. The ad was pulled, most likely because it makes a reference to a "next generation console." It does seek a software engineer to develop content for the console, and the job is based at Microsoft's Redmond, Washington headquarters.
Microsoft is internally referring to the third-generation Xbox console as Durango, Kotaku claimed to have learned from multiple sources near the project. If true, this means any future news and rumors will center around this name, though the finalized name on the console and packaging will differ and isn't yet known. Durango is the name of one of Mexico's 31 states, which follows the theme started by Natal, Microsoft's codename for Kinect and a city in Brazil.
