Microsoft Expected To Reveal Xbox 720 in April
Following Sony’s PlayStation 4 announcement earlier this week, Microsoft is said to announce the next-generation Xbox console at a media event in April, according to publication Computer and Video Games.
Sony’s “surprise” PlayStation 4 announcement earlier this week reportedly caught Microsoft off guard at first, according to one Sony senior official that asked not to be named. The person in question said they definitely ruffled some feathers which seems likely considering most expected the two companies to announce their next generation consoles at E3 later this year.
Further evidence supporting Microsoft’s decision to host a one-off event is the fact that Ustechs, a company that has worked with Microsoft in the past on other media briefings, recently registered the domain XboxEvent.com.
Leaks for the Xbox 720 (codenamed Durango) have indicated it will feature some serious power internally. An 8-core 1.6GHz processor, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, an 800MHz graphics card, a 6x Blu-ray drive, USB 3.0, and gigabit Ethernet are rumoured to be included.
Microsoft is also said to include a new Kinect sensor that will include not only better tracking results for large rooms, but will ship with the console by default.
At its media event, Sony wasn’t able to show the actual hardware for its PlayStation 4, and only detailed a few specs, the new UI, and controller with touchpad. It’s not known if Microsoft will show off the Xbox design at its event. Leaks haven’t pointed to what the design will look like as of yet.
Baird Equity Research last month said the next-generation Xbox will be sold for $350-$400 in the autumn, right in time for the Christmas shopping season that’s sure to bring a slew of sales to the company.
[Pocket-Lint]
