After quite a few rumors about the new PlayStation 4 (aka Orbis), the other next generation console, Microsoft’s Xbox 720, has also been the subject of a new batch of reports. They claim that it will be released towards the end of 2013, has a built-in Blu-ray drive and requires an always-on internet connection.
No matter how much Microsoft or Sony deny it, a next generation of home consoles is going to appear soon enough. As such, all sorts of rumors about the PlayStation 4 or Xbox 720 have been appearing recently.
The latest report arrives from VG247, which claims that Microsoft has already promised publishers and developers that the Xbox 720 will be released before Christmas 2013.
The console will also have a Blu-ray drive, feature that’s already built into the current PlayStation 3.
Its hardware will once again be similar to that of a PC, although the Xbox 720 is going to use two Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) manufactured by AMD. These components will be separate from one another, instead of being tied into a Crossfire configuration. This will allow them to be used independently by games.
The CPU will have “four or six cores,” according to the website’s source, with one being reserved by the operating system and the other by the next generation Kinect sensor, which will be incorporated into the Xbox 720.
The most interesting aspect in this report is the fact that the new console will require an always-on internet connection in order to prevent piracy on the device.
Such a system was already tried out by Ubisoft with some of its games, prompting the anger of many PC owners, so it’s unlikely that something like this will be attempted by Microsoft.
The website claims that the Xbox 720 won’t be announced this year, so expect to hear some more rumors until something official appears.
