Microsoft Hints Next Xbox Reveal Date; CPU Rumors Emerge

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By Kevin Parrish
published

Major Nelson is teasing gamers with a countdown timer. Meanwhile, another report suggests that chip production began on December 31, 2012.

We've been figuring E3 2013 as the reveal of the next Xbox, given the info that was revealed on a Microsoft roadmap (which has been mostly accurate thus far). But now Microsoft is offering a little hint that may -- or not -- reveal the next-gen console's big introduction.

The hint is actually provided by Major Nelson who currently sports a countdown timer to the upcoming gaming expo in June. This could merely be a countdown in general, but the overall consensus is that Microsoft is pumping you up for the next-generation console knowing that the cat is somewhat already out of the bag.

Names thrown out into the rumor mill thus far include Xbox 720, Xbox Next and Xbox Infinity – the latter of which is my favorite given that it will be powered by Windows 8 (knock the "8" on its side and what symbol do you get?). Regardless, this console will reportedly launch alongside a cheaper model focused on replacing your cable box, and the next-generation Kinect sensor (standalone and embedded)

Seemingly fueling the countdown debate is additional information about the console's processor "Oban". SemiAccurate reports that final customer silicon likely went into production on December 31, 2012 so that Microsoft can bring the new console to market in time for the holidays. However there's a possibility that Microsoft could run into problems with bugs, yield, and other "various and sundry problems", thus stalling production.

"Any delay of more than a few weeks [beyond December 31] will mean no new console in 2013; there just won’t be enough time to make them," the site writes. "If no one credible leaks news soon, I wouldn’t go stand in line for a new Microsoft console in late August."

Gizmodo adds that the Xbox buildings at Microsoft's campus are currently on lock down, whereas Bloomberg previously reported back in late November that Microsoft wanted the console released in time for the Thanksgiving 2013 shopping stampede. At the time, Microsoft officials were reportedly debating on whether to reveal the console in June at E3 2013, or hold a special, separate launch event later on.

Thanks to Major Nelson, looks like we may have our answer.

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Kevin Parrish
27 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Parsian
    let me make a wild guess, it will have some form of AMD's APU + HD 87XX and 8 GB of RAM?

    i say HD 87xx since during the last release, the graphics that came out with the console was of the same generation as that of the PC approximately and X7XX are the cheaper and deliver decent performance.

    But if it is going to be in the 299.99 price range, i think they are going for the HD 7XXX and coupling it with APU's in crossfire???
    Reply
  • traumadisaster
    Seems like i remember a short supply with every shipment from the actual boat being dated. I resorted to kmart to find one after seeing the golf game at a friends house. I would say since i built a gaming cpu last year i could skip or delay this round of consoles but EA wont put madden or tw golf on pc (properly).
    Reply
  • Lord Captivus
    Crazy question:
    Is it possible for Microsoft to include a thunderbolt interface? Is it possible to use a discrete GPU? That would be nice.
    Reply
  • 10hellfire01
    Really hope people stop getting their hopes up. Its just like yesterday that rumors of a 16 core super CPU were out (which were absolutely ridiculous anyhow). I think I'm asking for too much myself, but hopefully this one will be built to actually last at least 10 years. Failure rates of the 360 are far too high irregardless, and I think it's pitiful what MS is doing.

    I am looking forward to a surge of DirectX 11 and higher texture games though for PC!!! :D
    Reply
  • robholden
    Can't wait for this :)
    Reply
  • JAYDEEJOHN
    The last gen was hot, and was contemporary to its time.
    The HW here isnt hot, and is also contemporary, meaning less failure rate, less TDP worries and moar power, much more
    Reply
  • beardguy
    If they don't get a new console out in 2013, they are screwed. Wii U for the win!

    Seriously though, I would love to see next gen consoles delayed until 2014 and PC games finally get all the focus.
    Reply
  • xcomvic
    I hope Microsoft goes with Nvidia with the next Xbox to compete with Sony's AMD chips. That would make them very unique (which is what both systems are lacking now). But I don't know, I guess it will depend on what the developers are willing to develop their games on...or maybe they will adjust.
    Reply
  • xcomvic
    @beardguy PC's will never be the main focus anymore. Way too much money in the Console/Mobile market now. Why make a game for PCs that have greatly varied configurations (which you will need to spend more time troubleshooting) when you can just base it off one or maybe two different preconfigured systems(consoles) that you can spend way less time developing and make way more money on (console game prices are higher than PC games).

    I can only hope that with the next gen consoles, the upgrades will be so dramatic with the GPU/CPU, that we can have much better quality looking games for our PCs.
    Reply
  • beardguy
    @xcomvic

    Yeah, I totally understand the benefits of working within a closed set of system specs (consoles). And sadly, there is more money to be made overall with developing console games. I still yearn for the day when PC can be king again and we can start seeing progress in games like the good old days when PC hardware was evolving at a rapid rate and games were as well.

    I realize this is unlikely at this point in time though. It will be extremely good to finally see the roadblock of ancient console hardware removed with the next gen of consoles. Finally we can see some outstanding looking games that push the boundaries to the next level.

    When it comes to the tablet and mobile market. I don't think either will impact console/PC home gaming at all. Mobile gaming is booming because smart phones are selling like hot cakes and it's super convenient to just download games on a device you already need and have. All these "experts" who say mobile/tablet gaming is the way of the future are imbeciles imho. They are only looking at trends and sales to subjectively determine where they think the market is going, when there are many more factors involved. Tablet and mobile gaming only fill a small void for gaming and are just small bi-products of already popular devices.

    Reply