Xbox 720 : Every Myth, Speculation, Rumor And The Truth That You Should Know
The online world is already ablaze discussing the ins and outs of Microsoft’s next generation Xbox console, dubbed Xbox 720. In this article we take a look at what’s true and what’s not, which features should make it into the Xbox 720 and bunk the fears surrounding the Xbox 720. So, without further ado, here goes.
1. Is the Xbox 720 already in development?
Yes, it is. Microsoft has already begun work on developing the Xbox 720. In an interview with EGM, Peter Moore, Ex boss of Interactive Entertainment Division at Microsoft, confirmed that “the production team from the Xbox 360 is working on the next Xbox 720 [our pet name], and they’re looking into what kind of CPUs will be available on the market in 2011-2012″. In fact, development on the Xbox 720 might have been going on for longer than we think, as Robbie Bach, the President of Entertainment & Devices Division at Microsoft, said, “We started thinking about the next generation before we shipped the Xbox 360″. So, we can be dead certain that the X720 is already in development.
2. When will it be released?
In the same interview with EGM, Peter Moore said that “they’re looking into what kind of CPUs will be available on the market in 2011-2012″. That’s 6-7 years since the release of the Xbox 360, so, it’s a fairly safe bet that the Xbox 720 will be released sometime in 2012. And they want to be first at it again. Talking with Venture Beat, Robbie Bach said, “if you take the question of whether it was the right thing to try to be first [with Xbox 360], the answer to that is definitely yes”. That is the reason why Microsoft was able to compete better with Sony and have a leg up on the competition. It has given them an advantage with game developers as they quickly familiarized with the 360 hardware. Robbie Bach added, “if you asked if we wanted to be first again, I would say yes”.
3. Will Microsoft pull the plug on the Xbox 360 once the 720 ships?
Many fear that when the Xbox 720 ships, Microsoft will drop support for the 360 much like what they did with the original Xbox. This doesn’t make sense in so many ways. From a business perspective, Microsoft will keep selling the Xbox 360 as long as there is a demand for it. That’s because they made a serious investment in the X360 and want to recoup the costs and hopefully make a profit with the 360. I believe that Microsoft is going to pursue a policy like that of Sony’s, selling the 360 side-by-side with the 720 at a greatly reduced price. The 360 will have a great library of games by then, and it will be hugely popular with gamers.
4. The Xbox 720 will be more “family-friendly” and cater to a more casual audience
Everybody has seen it. Everyone knows that’s where the money lies. Microsoft is sure going to target a slice of Nintendo’s market with their 720. We are going to see more and more games geared towards casual gamers, and the much hyped about motion sensing controller. But that doesn’t mean we hardcore gamers will be left out in the cold, because we are the root of Microsoft and the original Xbox. The Xbox 720 is obviously going to feature a motion sensing, Wii-like family friendly controller. I guess this controller (code named Newton) will also be released for the 360 and a much more improved version will debut for the 720.
5. Include an internal Blu-Ray drive
The main reason why Microsoft didn’t include a built-in next-generation drive with the X360 was because they weren’t sure which format would win at the end. They didn’t want their customers to complain to be stuck with an obsolete piece of hardware (I’m not looking at those who bought the HD-DVD add-on). Sony included the Blu-Ray drive with their PS3 because they are a strong supporter of the format and to boost PS3 sales, much like the DVD player with the PS2. They made a huge gamble and it paid off.
Microsoft would be a fool not to include a Blu-Ray disc player with their X720. It’s the standard format now and DVDs will head to obsolescence because there is no way next-generation games can fit on a mere 4.7 GB disc. Hopefully the internal Blu-Ray drive will be backwards compatible with DVDs and CDS because people don’t want to be stuck with a huge library of games that they can’t play on their next-gen console.
6. Better backward compatibility
The Xbox 360 is a huge success and it has a solid library of games. And by 2012, that library will get even better. Why will anyone upgrade if they can’t play their old collections? That is why there will be better backward compatibility with the Xbox 720. And don’t think that backward compatibility isn’t important. It is. That’s the same reason why people still download Xbox originals over Xbox Live.
7. HDMI and Wi-Fi will be built in
The Xbox 360 Elite already has HDMI and in 2012, Wi-Fi will be a standard and so, it should be built into the Xbox 720. The PS3 already has a built in Wi-Fi Ethernet and Bluetooth.
8. A 4.7GHz CPU on the Xbox 720? It could happen
The Xbox 720 could feature something similar to Sony’s Cell-like processor. But will Microsoft invest in something like that? We already have four cores on today’s PC. They might not have to look farther than their partnership with IBM. IBM has already developed a dual core 4.7GHz server CPU, dubbed the Power6. Who’s to say that Microsoft won’t put it into their X720? Those extra GHz could go towards assisting the GPU and more realistic AI. Looks like Microsoft’s partnership with IBM is finally paying off.
9. Stringent and better anti-piracy features
Xbox Live will be a standard by the time the 720 ships. And by 2012 we will take the Internet for granted and almost everyone will have a net connection in their homes. Microsoft can use this to their advantage and include a proprietary technology, much like Valve’s Steam. You have to activate your game over Xbox Live before you can play it. Sure, people still might not have Internet then and that’s why Microsoft needs to make sure to have an “offline” mode. But you have to activate your games out of the box before you play it.
10. Achievements will be carried over to the X720
This is a no-brainier. Xbox Live is platform independent, and erasing hundreds of hours worth of achievement points just for upgrading to the next-generation will be a bad move by Microsoft. Xbox Live gamercard is universal and, hopefully, we will have your achievements and friends list intact when we upgrade to the 720.
Enough of this already! When can I get more concrete details?
Much of this article is based on rumors and assumptions, although quite a few might hold out to be true. We can learn about more solid details on the Xbox 720 somewhere in early 2010, as it approaches the release date. As Robbie Bach said, “stuff doesn’t become concrete until you get inside a window of when you have to ship, more than 18 months or so out”. So, until then, we just have to hold on to our seats and hope that Microsoft doesn’t make a mess of the Xbox 720. And, as always, the Internet is already there for new gossips, rumors and speculations :-).
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Jun 23rd, 2008 at 8:24 am
[...] The Gaming Wiz/Mushfiqur Rahman wrote an interesting post today on Xbox 720 : Every Myth, Speculation, Rumor And The Truth That You …. Here’s a quick excerpt: [...]
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 8:48 am
Wow this article has assumptions and wishful thinking all over it.
If they really are releasing it in 2012, then there will be a gap where the 360 is dead waiting upon its resurrection in the form of 720.
Why? Just look at their 09 line up. Not so great.. If their 08 line up is weak in comparison to PS3, how will 09 be!? Really weak indeed. 2010 too? Yea, by then PS3 will be leading, with more games, better games, robust online etc. Wii will have gone on to Wii 2, Wii in HD, etc.
Count that in with the fact that the 360 cant go on much longer with its DVD spaces, and lack of an HDD in every console. Starting to be a bigger and bigger turn off for developers, as they learn and explore the PS3 more..
So, that leaves 360 coming out in late 2010, or sometime in 2011. But with the PS3 succeeding upon that time, how well would it be received? I believe the first few years of the ‘720′, it will be competing with the PS3, and at that time, PS3 will have a larger fanbase, as well as a huge installed base. How would the 720 compete with that? I don’t think it would be too easy.
Who knows, but I dont think their future is that bright..
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 8:55 am
@ Sentry
The console business is highly unpredictable and entertaining as well. I mean, look at the time when the PS3 released. Everyone thought that the PS3 was a goner for sure with its high price, lackluster catalog of games and such.
But fast forward today, its beating the champion 360. Who would have thought of that?
And let’s see what Microsoft can piggyback with their huge cash reserves.
Maybe they’ll buy out and have Square Enix publish Final Fantasy on the 360. 
You might also be interested in reading You Thought Wrong: Why The PS3 Won’t Lose Out In The Next-Gen Console Wars @ http://www.gamersworldbd.com/2006/09/you-thought-wrong-why-ps3-wont-lose.html
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 9:10 am
Yea, that is my point, its all highly unpredictable. You wrote yourself a good article, but the problem was how you made it seem as truth, fact, or definitive. When really its speculation backed by rumors.
But well written, just wrongly tagged, so to speak… good way to get people to click on the article link though.
And thanks for the article..
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 9:15 am
@ Thanks for the insight Sentry. That’s the wonder of the internet, isn’t it?
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 12:10 pm
A few more things that could make it:
1. The next xbox will more than likely have an onboard PPU, reducing the need for a powerful processor.
2. Bill Gates mentioned video recognition as a way forward from current motion controls. Don’t be suprised if the 360 comes with a camera to remove the need for a physical wand.
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 12:26 pm
@ MysteryM
Well, we could always debate whether a Physics Processing Unit is even necessary with the next generation CPUs. And, you already have the Xbox Vision Live, which in my opinion, is nothing more useful than video chatting. And I don’t have one. Will games take support of the Vision camera? We have to wait and see.
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Let’s just hope the 360 doesn’t suffer the same abandonment issues as its predecessor.
They’ll more than likely release early again, but this time it won’t work. COnsidering the 360 is still capturing it’s core audience from the original Xbox, even if they try to make the next one more family oriented, I doubt it will grab more than 40million in sales, I don’t see Nintendo giving up that share of the marketplace for awhile.
But saying that everyone thought the PS3 was dead on arrival is silly, it was more like sensationalist media grabbing headlines and hits. I doubt the PS3 will sell as much as the PS2, it will still sell mountains of consoles, probably until some other thing comes along that replaces consoles. The Playstation brand is forever now, like Nintendo
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 2:48 pm
So.. let me get this straight: internal Blu-ray, HDMI, wi-fi, bluetooth, cutting-edge processor by 2012?
The XBOX720 will be.. a PS3!
Whoopee-frickin-doo. I’ve got one. But I expect to be bored of it by then.
As for whether MS will drop the 360 when the 720 comes out? Do you really have to ask?
Now I’m just looking forward to the Nintendo po0H! And fighting monsters with my po0H-stick.
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GamersWorld: gaming isn’t a religion. That’s as silly as this article. (If it were, you’d be Amish).
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 3:15 pm
^ Except the ps3’s cutting edge processor doesn’t yield any difference technolody wise to the games. If anything it obfiscates the development process leading to games that suffer compared to there 360 brethren.
Blue ray and HDMI is the only thing it will share with the ps3.
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 3:29 pm
@ MysteryM
I’ve heard some developers have complications with the PS3’s hardware while developing games. You can read more about it, Is The GPU Holding The PS3 Back? Short Answer, NO @ http://www.gamersworldbd.com/2008/06/is-the-gpu-holding-the-ps3-back-short-answer-no.html
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 5:48 pm
Online activation/verification for my retail consoles games, i don’t own a 360 and probably wont buy a 720 when it is launched.
I might be misinterpreting it, that you are for online activation of consoles games for the next generation, so companies can prevent piracy.
That in part is why pc gamers are getting turned off pcs, having to call tech support, and jump through hoops to get their games to work,is not good for future sales.
I don’t care if it is sony or ms this kind of drm should never touch a console on a retail game, let pc devs use that crap.
There is already online activation built into the marketplace and the ps store, when you buy content and that is as far as it should ever go.
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 7:39 pm
It will compete just fine ,, microsoft has some great games
Having both systems is a great idea
Jun 23rd, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Nice article Mushfiqur, the Wii has certainly captured a bigger market than many people expected (more than just their traditional market of u13’s - it’s got their parents involved too) and that’s something I’m sure Microsoft are looking at.
I think the non-gaming multimedia capabilities will be important too, with high speed WiFi built in (802.11n modems/routers will be standard by then), it would make sense to stream content from other parts of the local network, knowing Microsoft that will still limit things to windows media center pc’s but if they’re smart they’ll stream media content from anywhere on the local network… gaming consoles aren’t just gaming consoles anymore, it’s the non-gaming inovations that’ll make the difference in the next generation I reckon (the current generation are part of the way there, but they have a long way to go yet)… Bluray also becomes less important if you bring digital streaming into play - download a movie from xbox live (ala netflix) and watch via your 720… will we see Apple put out a console? (probably not) if not, who are they going to partner iTunes with?
Interesting times
Jun 24th, 2008 at 1:39 am
Will live b free???? 10 psn =$0 10 xbl= $500 100 psn= $0 100 xbl= $5000 1000 psn =$0 1000 xbl= $50,000 1MILLION psn= $0 1MILLION xbl= $50,000,000 per year microsoft are just cashin in on you FOOLS and there are about 10 or 11MILLION of U so u do the math nice1 mr.Gates even Bills laughin at U
Jun 24th, 2008 at 3:34 am
@ Mark
Although I agree with you Mark, that online activation is a real pain in the A*S, but think of it this way. The activation can happen in the background without you ever realizing it, with no prompts and pop-ups. And by the time the Xbox 720 releases, Xbox Live will be more reliable and the internet more widely available, so I wouldn’t mind having to activate my games, at least once, that is.
Jun 24th, 2008 at 3:35 am
@ Keith
It is the competition that is driving this industry forward and spurs the companies to make innovative products.
Jun 24th, 2008 at 3:37 am
All the features is great but they are going to have to be price competitive. If they can release it at a price close to the Wii then it will dominate.
Ultimate Console Idea.
It’s your home console and it’s portable. When you don’t use it as a hand-held you put it on a docking station for full functionality.
Would be hard to implement but still a good idea….
Jun 26th, 2008 at 12:05 am
[...] game system will (and won’t) be. Much of the current rumor mill (like the recent piece from Gamers World Bangladesh) is based on year-old interviews and conjecture, but we can break down what’s probable and what’s [...]
Jun 26th, 2008 at 9:35 am
@ Trekster_gamer
As consoles become more similar to each other in terms of specifications, they are going to have to compete in terms of exclusives titles. It wouldn’t be surprising if they go on a price war too, as the rumors say that the Xbox 360 is going for a price drop.
Jun 30th, 2008 at 8:11 am
Basically, the xbox 720, will be everything the PS3 and Wii is now with a more powerful processor
Jun 30th, 2008 at 11:17 am
@ The Game Druid
Just hold on to your pants folks, the Xbox 720 will rock. If you are wondering, yes, I am a Xbox fan.
Jun 30th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
@everyone
Trying to compare the upcoming X720 with the PS3 is naive at best. The PS3 runs a 7-Series GPU which was already 1 year obselete when the PS3 launched. It’s been only a year and a half and we are already 2 generations past the 7-Series in the PC world.
Just play Crysis at Very High on the new GTX280 or HD4870 and you’ll see how far things have come since the delayed PS3 launch. The PS3 is already OLD TECH so stop talking like it is cutting edge that “blows away” the comparatively spec’d Xbox 360.
Any GPU that Microsoft opts to go with in 2012 will be lightyears beyond the PS3 GPU. You can ALREADY build a PC with off the shelf components with higher specs than the PS3 and for less money.
The only competition the X720 will have in the performance department will be the PS4…obviously.
@piam45
Is $5 a month too much to pay for a superior online service that is well supported and feature rich? If that is a major expense for you, you probably shouldn’t be spending your time on video games.
Jun 30th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
@ J5
Well said my friend. Xbox 720 will be released in 2011-2012 and it is wrong to consider that the 720 will equal the PS3. And Live is superior to PSN and paying 5 bucks a month is a bargain compared to what you get.
Jul 3rd, 2008 at 3:41 am
man i just got my 360…give a man time to enjoy what he’s got first. damn microsoft for not going with the blu ray…but thank god for gears of war
Jul 3rd, 2008 at 5:24 am
@ boss 65
Can’t forget the day I bought my 360 ;-). Add me as your friend, my gamertag TUSHAR451. Hey, did you get Oblivion? If you’re into RPG, Oblivion is a must.
Jul 14th, 2008 at 8:46 am
I think #10 is the most important. Achievements make the platform.
I’m still inclined to believe that Microsoft should somehow use the Surface for an Xbox in the future.
Jul 14th, 2008 at 10:01 am
@ Yert,
Yep, if Microsoft decides (magically!) to reset all Gamerscores, well they just will have to give up amidst an angry (read all Xbox fans) crowd.
Jul 21st, 2008 at 4:33 pm
As long as we dont have RROD, I am all onboard!
Aug 2nd, 2008 at 8:33 am
Aug 4th, 2008 at 11:40 am
@ a dude what thinks right
I think there will be an uproar if MS released the Xbox 720 earlier. And it doesn’t make sense on so many levels.
Aug 6th, 2008 at 12:02 am
2011 is reasonable even 2012. Obviously people want the newest, coolest thing and they want it ten minutes ago but its not realistic. The 360 has some great ongoing titles, like gears and mass effect which will be able to carry us with their instalments (mostly impressed) until the 720 or “next” or whatever they call it. Take comfort in the fact that they seem commited to being first so that it won’t be too long and enjoy your 360 for now….And hey if you do get bored between now and 2011-12 why not look to your PC to bridge the gap, great titles like Diablo 3 are lined up.
Don’t lose faith in Microsoft folks!
Kanobi666 (Live Tag)