Xbox 720 Review : what-you-need-to-know

sources from Trusted Review

With console gaming becoming more and more popular, and with titles like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 becoming the fastest-selling entertainment product of all time, there is little doubt that console manufacturers will be looking to the future and what they will be offering gamers.

Microsoft is obviously going to be looking to build on the success it has had with the Xbox 360 and so the question we need to be asking is when rather than if the next generation Xbox console, dubbed the Xbox 720,  will be launched.

Xbox 720: Launch Date?

This is a fairly difficult question to answer. While the Xbox is coming up on its seventh birthday, it has just posted its best week of sales ever, selling just under 1 million units in the US alone – showing there is still life in the old dog yet.

It means that Microsoft may hold off on announcing its next console until 2013 or 2014 instead of the rumoured launch at E3 next June. Then again, the big wigs over at Microsoft may be looking to be one step ahead of its biggest rival, Sony which is currently working on the PlayStation 4.

We suspect that we won’t be getting our hands on the Xbox 720 in 2012, but like the launch of the Nintendo Wii U we could be seeing something from Microsoft at E3 with a consumer launch some time in 2013.

Xbox 720: More Powerful

Compared to the current generation of powerful gaming PCs, the Xbox 360 is a pussy cat, and is at least one if not two generations behind. This will all be remedied by the Xbox 720 which is almost certain to use an AMD chip of some kind.

AMD are boasting that its chips could provide the Xbox 720 with enough graphical grunt to be capable of reproducing Avatar-style graphics along with better Artificial Intelligence and physics capabilities.

Xbox 720: Kinect Integration

How we are going to control the Xbox 720 is another important factor to consider. With the success of the Kinect since its launch in late 2010, it is clear that motion control is here to stay.

We expect to see much more Kinect integration with the Xbox 720, though a standalone device will probably remain as it will give users more flexibility when placing the sensor.

However, despite all the benefits the Kinect system brings to games, it still doesn’t offer the level of precision which a physical controller can offer. Therefore, while it may change size and shape, we expect the Xbox controller to be around for some time to come.

Xbox 720: Windows 8

2012 is going to be the year of Windows 8 with the completely redesigned OS getting a tablet-friendly Metro UI, which we’ve already seen on Windows Phone 7. With such flexibility comes the possibility that we will see some Windows 8 integration on the Xbox 720. There may also be more integration between the Xbox 720 and your WP7 handset.

Xbox 720: Blu-ray or Flash?

One of the main ways the PS3 has an edge over the Xbox is the presence of a Blu-ray drive and that could be remedied with a console update. However, Microsoft could do away with physical discs altogether and turn to services such as Steam or use Flash drives as a way of delivering games.

We will continue to gather all the latest news and updates regarding the Xbox 720 as and when we get them and keep this page updated as we get closer to the launch.