Is the XBOX 720 already in production?
Microsoft had clearly announced that they would not be revealing the successor to the XBOX 360 at E3 2012. Yet, IGN has reported that the production for the new XBOX has already begun in Austin, Texas branch of Flextronics. This is the same company that has manufactured the XBOX 360 and the original XBOX for Microsoft.
If these rumours are to be believed, then it is possible that Microsoft is looking at massive availability when the console is finally revealed and launched. It could also be that these initial units are for game development companies. Since development of new hardware is an expensive affair, it is quite likely that Microsoft has entered early production to fight the rising costs. All these are speculations and not confirmed facts.
Microsoft has issued the following statement to IGN on the matter of the next gen XBOX, “Xbox 360 has found new ways to extend its lifecycle like introducing the world to controller-free experiences with Kinect and re-inventing the console with a new dashboard and new entertainment content partnerships. We are always thinking about what is next for our platform and how to continue to defy the lifecycle convention. Beyond that we do not comment on rumors or speculation.”
Codenamed Durango, the next gen XBOX is expected to be six times more powerful than the XBOX 360. There are a variety of speculations as to what will be the power under the hood of the Durango, whether it will have AMD’s 7000 series Southern Islands GPU or the Radeon HD 6670, which offers support for DirectX 11. Only time can tell the specifications details of the device.
Microsoft is however not the only one that wants to take the first movers advantage. Sony to is gearing up for the next console war. The next iteration of the PlayStation dubbed “Orbis” is expected to be unveiled at E3 2013. To read more details about Orbis, click here.
The only company that has shown off its new console is Nintendo with the Wii U and we expect to see new details such as the power under the hood, pricing and a launch date for the device at E3 2012 that kick off on June 5th 2012.
Also read,