Report: Xbox 720 Won't Work Without Kinect

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We love the smell of an Xbox rumor in the morning, don't you?

As the year progresses, rumors about the upcoming generation of Xbox and PlayStation consoles are increasing in volume. This week brings us a fresh bout of rumors regarding the Xbox 720 console, which is said to be codenamed 'Durango.'

Kotaku's Stephen Totilo and Luke Plunkett cite a source with 'access to next-gen information' that says the new Xbox won't work without Kinect. According to Kotaku, this source's information comes from more than 20 white papers and the site says some of his information matches up with information it has received from other sources.

As far as Kinect is concerned, every Xbox 720 will be bundled with the next version of Kinect, and the Xbox won't operate without it. This Kinect is capable of tracking up to six people at any one time. The idea is that studios will be able to develop games that incorporate the peripheral.

Games will have to be installed right off the bat, and they'll go onto a 500GB harddrive that will ship inside every unit. However, they can be installed in the background, as the user plays the game, and gamers will also be able to switch from one game to the next without having to shut the first title down completely.

Specswise, Kotaku's source talked about an 8-core, 64-bit CPU running at 1.6ghz, an 800mhz DirectX 11.x GPU, 8GB of DDR3 memory, an optical drive (for 50GB disks), support for 3D content in 1080p, HDMI-out, and USB 3.0.

Sony is expected to unveil its next generation PlayStation console next week in New York while Microsoft will no doubt show off what it's got either in the run up to E3 or at the show itself in June (the company refused to comment on Kotaku's story). Both consoles are expected to hit stores before the holiday shopping season at the end of this year.

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Jane McEntegart
36 Comments Comment from the forums
  • bisso
    Hello home invasion! Let the conspiracy theories begin!
    Reply
  • Rahbot
    Im glad im not buying any Next-Gen Consoles. I bought 2 PS3's and they both broke in the warranty period and sony wouldnt get them fixed. Wanted to charge me 150$ for each one. glad I bought a GTX 570 so I can play any and all DX11 games with ease.
    Reply
  • hero1
    Oh balls! First, we can't sell our games when this comes out. Second, we have to have constant Internet connection and now this. Oh well, I'm glad I'll be sticking to my PC gaming for a long time.
    Reply
  • becherovka
    bissoHello home invasion! Let the conspiracy theories begin!Its need a constant internet connection. (OR was that PS4) now I know why.
    Reply
  • Onihikage
    PS4: Internet connection required
    Nextbox: Always watching and listening

    Between those choices, it'll be a cinch to convince all my friends to make PC their primary game platform. Playstation, XBOX, you had good runs, but your parents have destroyed you utterly. (Nintendo is still Nintendo, of course, which is why they keep making money)

    I don't get why companies do things consumers will obviously not like(like metro) or anti-used games for consoles; it's so illogical.

    I doubt this is true for Kinect too, a relatively new product becoming mandatory sounds wrong, just another rumor.

    They'll just compare it to the Wii sensor bar. From a game development standpoint, this actually makes things easier, since now developers know with certainty the control and interface options that are available to every gamer using the system. This was part of why Kinect and Move didn't do so well - they were optional, so when a developer had to choose between polishing the game or adding motion controls which only a small percentage of the gamers could use, they made the obvious choice.
    Reply
  • hannibal
    Well... You can allways put a picture of your dog in the front of Kinetic camera if you want :-)
    That is not a big deal. The situation where you can not sell your old games can be a problem though and the all time internet connection... I would like to take console to the summer cottage and you can just gues if the internet works in there... Noups. GPRS data rate is abysmal in there... Sometimse you get a connection most propably not...
    Reply
  • kartu
    So I guess US will again prefer xbox (patriotism eh?) Europe PS3 (quality eh?).
    I'd probably get both, but PS3 first.

    Sucks that MS has subscription only network mode.

    RahbotIm glad im not buying any Next-Gen Consoles. I bought 2 PS3's and they both broke in the warranty period and sony wouldnt get them fixed. Wanted to charge me 150$ for each one. glad I bought a GTX 570 so I can play any and all DX11 games with ease.Oh, now Sony is a cheapo one guy shop that doesn't even honor warranty, orly?
    Are you on a crack, payed by M$ or doing it "for fun", sir?
    Reply
  • traumadisaster
    The man cave I made is tiny and dark so they have to aware that people play in unconventional areas. Maybe a kids room one day, the garage made into a make shift den, hell I once carried my heavy crt out to the back deck in the fall. Take it to grandmas, etc.
    Reply
  • ven1ger
    OnihikagePS4: Internet connection requiredNextbox: Always watching and listeningBetween those choices, it'll be a cinch to convince all my friends to make PC their primary game platform. Playstation, XBOX, you had good runs, but your parents have destroyed you utterly. (Nintendo is still Nintendo, of course, which is why they keep making money)They'll just compare it to the Wii sensor bar. From a game development standpoint, this actually makes things easier, since now developers know with certainty the control and interface options that are available to every gamer using the system. This was part of why Kinect and Move didn't do so well - they were optional, so when a developer had to choose between polishing the game or adding motion controls which only a small percentage of the gamers could use, they made the obvious choice.
    The tablet seems to have garnered more attention on gaming for my kids than the PS3/PS2/WII. Games on the tablet are not as good on the consoles, but they don't take much effort to start up and play as the consoles either. The next Gen consoles look like bad ideas being implemented on what was fun systems so I may pass on the next consoles and stick with tablets and PCs for gaming also.

    Reply
  • lradunovic77
    So MS thinks we need Touch and Kinect, wtf they are thinking.
    Reply