By on 21 Oct, 2011 at 8:00 AM
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Has The Xbox 720 Got A Release Date?

Has The Xbox 720 Got A Release Date?

Looking forward to the next generation of consoles?

Who isn’t.

We’ve already shared a wishlist for the Xbox 720, the so-called NextBox, with you.

Now reports are in that Microsoft is planning a Christmas 2013 launch for the as yet unannounced follow-up to the Xbox 360 console.

Claims have been made that several projects are already underway for the new console, including a Fable game at Lionhead that is internally named ‘Fable Next’, which admittedly still sounds better than ‘Fable: The Journey’.

The report claims that data from multiple “sources across the industry, from processor chip manufacturers to middleware firms”, all commonly point to the official reveal being at E3 2013 with a quick follow-up Christmas launch, if not early 2014 at the latest.

We’re sure the Mayans might have something to say about this…

Of course, reports have already previously been made that Electronic Arts aka Online Pass Inc, already has early Xbox 720 console technology in-house, something the publisher has outright rejected, while attempting to place Online Passes into more of its games.

A final claim also states that “a number of Microsoft-friendly developers are hard at work on prepping the next gen games as we speak”. Among these developers, mentions were made of Rare, Lionhead and Turn 10, as well as Remedy, of Alan Wake fame.

Fact or fiction?

Time will tell.

The better question is: do you think it’s about time we got a new console? Too late perhaps? Or do you think the Xbox 360 still has many years of life in it?

I for one would just like to see how GamerScore and Achievements are integrated into the NextBox experience.

Source: Develop
Via: CVG

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Name: Caveshen "CaViE" Rajman
Location: Durban
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  • Anonymous

    That’s pretty interesting considering Sony are planning to release PS4 only in 2014.

    As for the Mayans, they can go die in a hole…oh, right, never mind.

  • Jamie Ramsamy

    Unless there’s a substantially leap forward in technology, it’s not really worth releasing anything early.  So, they can postpone ad nauseam until they can release something that blows my socks off.  Also, you can’t release a next-gen console unless there’s next-gen aux support.

    • Anonymous

      That’s actually an excellent point. What’s the aux equivalent to go with 3D visuals?

    • http://twitter.com/JamieRamsamy Jamie Ramsamy

      I’d reckon with a new “next-gen” console, you might as well do some sweeping changes wrt Xbox Live, some mind-blowing Kinect-integrations with mainstream games and more.  The processing & overall power of the console should be coupled with some truly awesome broadband speeds so that games like Battefield (or others) can really take on epic proportions.  Imagine literally having 1000s of online gamers on MASSIVE environments waging war in a scale never seen before.  Or being capable of having the ability for as users as possible to take part in the Mass Effect universe all vying for the same goal – the galaxy is big enough, why not our imaginations?  

      when someone says, next-gen, should truly be (and forgive the pun), “game changing” :)

  • LolIfYouThink

    2014 is better than 2013. The xbox still has more in the tank ala Gears3

  • sage of the six paths

    I’ll wait to check out the PS4 before I decide between either. Both consoles have reached their limits so it’s about time that we start to hear about the next gen.

    • Anonymous

      Personally, Sony has better first-party studios. I like their games better.