subject: Xbox 720 – Is Microsoft Preparing To Double Our Fun? [print this page] Xbox 720 Is Microsoft Preparing To Double Our Fun?
Whether your are hearing the rumbles calling it the Xbox 3, or Xbox 720, it has to be getting you excited. While Microsoft has continued to update and refine the Xbox 360 a new generation is always an exciting time to see how developers push the limits of game play to another new level.
There are rumors, announcements, and allusions creeping out of the Microsoft camp about the next generation of Xbox. The problem right now is this is all we are truly hearing. One Microsoft insider, Chris Lewis, had mentioned the Xbox 720 may be released while the Xbox 360 continues to be on sale. What is this really telling us?
There are two big divisions in the guessing game about this announcement. One side of the fence believes this means Microsoft will include backward compatibility to the Xbox 360 which will make the Xbox 720 just a new step up.
The other side of the fence believes this means Microsoft may be going very high end with this game console, and needs to keep the 360 on the market to cater to the budget conscious crowd.
The reality could play somewhere in between. The Xbox 360 is one of the hottest gaming platforms of all time. With the wide range of games, Xbox Live, and all the built-in features it remains a very robust and exciting game deck. With the latest version having built-in WiFi and a 250GB hard drive it is a serious gaming solution. It can easily remain the entry point system into the gaming world for Microsoft.
The Xbox 720 may, or may not, have backward compatibility. If it does, it will be a suprising move from Microsoft. The largest portion of the profits from the Xbox family do not come from the sale of consoles, but in the sales of games. By not having backward compatibility you increase the sales of new games. This could explain the potential desire to keep the 360 on the market, too. Hardcore gamers may choose to have both machines in their homes and buy even more games.
What should we expect from the Xbox 720? Expect higher resolution graphics, faster processing speeds, and a platform designed to scale down in size dramatically. Microsoft has been missing on the handheld gaming platform. While they are intending to roll out great new gaming features in the Windows Phone 7, you can expect their new Xbox series to provide a means to scale down in size, while providing great game play.
Why are the features and information so sketchy at this point? The Xbox 720 while under development can change feature sets, processors, or graphics chips at many steps changing the final outcome. When the feature set is locked down tightly you can expect developers to be the first to know, and then be sworn to secrecy. Excitement increases when your speculation runs wild. Microsoft is playing their cards carefully to allow the anticipation and excitement to grow, as the Xbox 720 quickly approaches. In the meanwhile, Microsoft just leaked Xbox 720 will be released between 2011 and 2012.
