The jury is out whether the next-gen Xbox will be able to beat the PS4 in specifications, features and elusive titles but one thing is for certain, there are a lot of rumors that are about to be busted. So here I am going to put what I see as the 10 most talked about rumors, some which have truth to them and some which are very unlikely but we won't know until the release. The announcement will be streamed live on May 22nd at 3am(+10 GMT) on Xbox's website or Xbox Live. So without further waiting here they are, I will also give a rating out of 5 how likely they will happen with 1 being unlikely and 5 being very likely:
1. At number 1 we have "Next-gen Xbox will be Always On" meaning it will require a constant internet connection to run it. For starters I want to see I don't believe this one for a second, I know that Microsoft employees have been very vocal about being fine with that feature and even saying "Deal With It!" if you don't have internet. But we have all seen how the Sims launched with Servers problems, crashes and is even still unplayable. So I would be very surprised to see Microsoft take such a huge bet and our internet speeds haven't quite hit the speeds yet to be able to handle the constant connection needed. Instead, it is more likely that individual games will choose whether to be Always On or not. (Likelihood of happening: 1/5)
2. There will be no disc drive. In March 2012, British trade magazine MCV stated that Microsoft's next Xbox will not use an optical drive. Instead, a solid state drive will be used to store games. (Likelihood of happening: 1/5)
3. The next-generation Xbox may not only be accompanied by a new and improved Kinect, but may actually require the sensor to function. Rumors from Kotaku about Microsoft's forthcoming console, every Xbox 720 will ship with the next-generation Kinect and will require the sensor to be connected in order to function. The company is apparently building Kinect functionality into the framework of the system, using the sensor to identify players and even accept Siri-like voice commands. This marks a bold new push for Kinect integration, which has been slow-growing for the Xbox 360. As we've heard in the past, Kotaku says that the emphasis on Kinect will come paired with substantial performance improvements, with the sensor capable of tracking six simultaneous players and detecting even the smallest of gestures and facial expressions. (Likelihood of happening: 4/5)
4. There is also a rumor that unlike the Xbox 360, the next Xbox will ship in only one configuration with 500GB of storage, allowing players to install games from discs. Using its powerful new internals, the Xbox 720 will be capable of installing games as you play them, limiting lengthy load times. (Likelihood of happening: 4/5)
5. The new hardware will support multitasking. The system will make use of "suspend" and "constrained" states to run multiple games at once, making it possible to pause one game and launch another. The same goes for apps, such as social networking tools and video software, which currently require fully closing down another program. (Likelihood of happening: 3/5)
5. No Used Games. Sources told Kotaku on January 25, 2012 that the Xbox 720 will have a system that will not allow used-games to be played on the console. While this claim hasn't yet been corroborated, more rumors surfaced on April 2, 2012 that the next Xbox console will need to be fed off a constant internet connection, which might be one way Microsoft plans to combat used and pirated games. (Likelihood of happening: 2/5)
6. Micosoft IllumiRoom, whether this will be for TVs in general, added in one of the Xbox bundles or an accessory is unkown. During Samsung’s keynote at CES 2013, Microsoft unveiled IllumiRoom, a new technology that turns the entire room around your TV into an extension of the screen. As explained on Microsoft's official site, IllumiRoom uses Kinect and a projector "to blur the lines between on-screen content and the environment we live in allowing us to combine our virtual and physical worlds." (This feature will release in some form or another so here is the Likelihood of it being an Xbox item: 3/5)
7. Disc Drives will now be Blu Ray. I feel as though now that HD DVD is out of the picture Microsoft will need to use Blu Ray in their next gen console to handle the storage requirements that would be need to play a next-gen title like Destiny. Unless they bring out an entirely new drive or only use the games discs to store the content and then it extracts when it installs onto the Xbox this is very likely to be a new addition to the Xbox and could be one of the contributing factors to no backwards compatibility with the Xbox 360 or original Xbox. (Likelihood of happening: 4/5)
8. On February 11, 2012, Kotaku reported that the new Xbox controller was a "natural progression" of the Xbox 360 controller, but claims that the 360 controllers will not work with the new console. The new controllers are said to be using a "new wireless technology." On February 10, 2012, Xbox World magazine reported that the controller will be "an HD screen surrounded by the traditional 360 buttons and sticks" and that it “could be a remote control when you're watching TV, a browser when you're on the internet, extra buttons and information when you're playing a game or a portable display when you want to take your game with you." On June 17th 2012 shifted2u found a leaked document concerning 2 new devices working together called "Xbox Surface" showing the specs of a "tablet computing device" and a separate "stationary computing device". It has been speculated by Jeremy Kopchak that this is indeed the specs of the new Xbox 720 console and its touchscreen controller, WiiU style. (Likelihood of happening: 2/5)
9. No Backwards Compatibility. Out of all the rumors this is the one that I am most likely to believe, this has been reported so much it is almost confirmed and now that Sony has said the PS4 will not be backwards compatible the Xbox will lose nothing by saying the same. Though this feature may not have a huge weight in sales, it could certainly boost their chances of bringing more people to the console earlier as they would instantly have a large library of games to play when they buy it. If they choose not to have it backwards compatible here are two things they can do to make up for it: 1. Have all games that are currently available on Xbox 360 and a large library of Xbox games available to download on release at a considerably low price with all DLC included. And maybe even bring out HD downloadable editions of previous gen games. 2. Make them cross playable, so that if you own an Xbox 360 and your friend owns the new Xbox you can still play together, but there are features that only the next-gen console has that would slowly bring reluctant people to the next gen. Because as it currently is, there are so many good games I still have to complete that I will play before going next gen so that I can wait for the first price drop and a good bundle that will hopefully have a larger Hard Drive and a selection of games. Until the point where a solid library of next gen games come out or it is backwards compatible I will wait before buying it. (Likelihood of No Backwards Compatibility: 5/5, almost certain)
10. Two versions, one that will be like a media hub where you can watch movies, TV, netflix, go on Facebook and the internet and possibly have a Kinect. The other version will have a Kinect and be able to do all the media one can and also play games. I am unsure what to think of these rumors, because I know that many people automatically associate Xbox with playing games. So if that feature was removed it would seem like a downgrade and also there would be the risk that parents would buy the wrong version and their kids couldn't play games and they would damage the discs. Or it would turn out that you could use an exploit to play games on the Media Hub Xbox like they found out that it is possible to play Sim City offline. All this does is gives bad press and unnecessary risk for Microsoft, advantages would be that it would give a lower price tier and maybe pull in people who don't play games. (Likelihood of happening: 2/5)
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