[Rumor] Xbox 3 Specs Leaked, Include WiFi AR Glasses

[DoctorFinger]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8166/7379099786_e608f0a255_z.jpg (http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8166/7379099786_a17a46f2a4_o.jpg)

This one gets the rumor tag because it's unconfirmed. It could very well be a fake, but if so it's one hell of an impressively detailed one.

A leaked internal presentation from Microsoft appears to show the future of the Xbox line through 2015. That includes the Xbox 720, a new Kinect and a set of WiFi/4G enabled augmented reality glasses dubbed Project Fortaleza.

The document itself is from August 2010, but it includes developments such as the Metro dashboard from 2011 and the recently announced Smart Glass initiative for touch devices. That doesn't mean the document is 100% legitimate, but it adds to the credibility. But that's the old Xbox. What we really care about is the new one, which Microsoft dubs Xbox 720 in the document.

The key points: they're aiming for a Fall 2013 launch at a price of $299. The date is what we assumed it to be. The price is about $100 less than I would have expected, and is a very pleasant surprise. The console would be about 8x as powerful as the current Xbox with 11-13 CPUs and 2 GPUs plus 4 GB DDR 4 RAM spread across three main sections: backwards compatibility, core and applications. The display would support native 1080p and 3D and include a Blu-Ray drive.

- Kinect v2. The new Kinect will be two units set a distance apart to generate a stereoscopic view of the room. It will only get an incremental boost in power, but that still means tracking up to four players simultaneously and enhanced spatial recognition. Microsoft is really pushing the transmedia experience here, promising things like a 'virtual sports bar' where you use Kinect to play pool with your buddies while multiple video streams show on virtual TVs in the background.

- TV and movie experiences. I mentioned 1080p, 3D and BR. The 720 will feature new, low power modes for app use and streaming. It will also work as a whole home DVR and it will stream media content - eventually including games - to any device. You'll also be able to run concurrent apps, for example getting football scores on a ticker while you play Gears of War 5.

- Project Fortaleza. This is the most fascinating bit, glasses which connect wirelessly to the 720 and provide augmented reality features, such as a virtual opponent appearing in your living room. Fortaleza is set to launch in 2014, a year after the 720, with a 4G version designed for use outside the home launching a year later in 2015.

Also in 2015, Microsoft plans to start a cloud gaming service. "Access to the latest and greatest" with "no new hardware required." By then you'll be able to stream games not only to your 720 but to mobile devices and even to the Fortaleza glasses themselves.

There's plenty more at the link, including more detailed hardware descriptions and lots of marketing speak.

Again, all of this comes from a nearly two year old powerpoint presentation. Some of this is bound to have changed in the intervening months, but it does give you an idea of what Microsoft has planned for the Xbox in the next few years.

Source - Polygon (http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/16/3090944/microsoft-xbox-720-kinect-2-kinect-glasses-doc-leak-rumor); Scribd document link (http://www.scribd.com/doc/92821757/XBox-720-9-24-Checkpoint-Draft-1#download)

[Serapth]

If this is true, I will eat my own testicles*







* note, hyperbole, commentor won't actually eat own testicles

[Troggles]

If this is true, I will also eat Serapth's testicles.

[Serapth]

Testicles for everyone!

[Squidbot]

I better get in line for the testicular repast.

[KamaItachi]

I would gladly donate my testicles if it would help this be true.

[jpc_theoneandonly]

I will gladly share my testicles with all of you! As well as partake in the eating of Serapth's testes.

[bapenguin]

Microsoft would never refer to the next Xbox as the "Xbox 720" internally.

[Purple Santa]

Microsoft would never refer to the next Xbox as the "Xbox 720" internally.

Don't rain on on our testicle parade ;)

[DoctorFinger]

Microsoft would never refer to the next Xbox as the "Xbox 720" internally.
But i could see them using it in a pitch to retailers and content partners.

[Serapth]

Anyone else want one of this generations consoles to be gimmick free?

Just more of the same, with a better CPU, faster networking, a slightly better controller and more storage? No fucking waggle, AR, holograms, heartbeat sensors or magic books.

Just a console, but better?

I would buy that.

[Serapth]

Oh, and you spelled augmented wrong in the tag.

[Shjinta]

That's not a lot of memory to support all that hardware.. That's my only issue. Looks cool. I haven't bought a Kinect so I won't get half the stuff that goes with this system anyway.

[Widgetcraft]

Anyone else want one of this generations consoles to be gimmick free?

Just more of the same, with a better CPU, faster networking, a slightly better controller and more storage? No fucking waggle, AR, holograms, heartbeat sensors or magic books.

Just a console, but better?

I would buy that.

I wouldn't mind having AR glasses if it means that AR can actually be fucking AR. This weird shit of putting an altered picture of what I'm doing on my TV has virtually no appeal to me. It kind of works on handhelds, but AR glasses would be way more convincing.

[Kelegacy]

Anyone else want one of this generations consoles to be gimmick free?

Just more of the same, with a better CPU, faster networking, a slightly better controller and more storage? No fucking waggle, AR, holograms, heartbeat sensors or magic books.

Just a console, but better?

I would buy that.

I am tired of gimmicks. Wearing glasses would suck to play games. That's why I am not into 3D HDTVs. And I think the Kinect is a pile of shit. It sold well but the software is shit, as was to be expected.

I just want to keep playing fun games in a way that works. This looks like it's aimed at more casual gamers and with gimmicks comes 90% awful implementation. Maybe it's Microsoft's Wii?

But whatever. As long as the PC doesn't turn into a Wii in the coming years, I'll stick with gaming there, as it is so far the only one that doesn't seem to have crazy gimmicks. There are motion controllers and stuff, but I haven't seen a single game support them exclusively.

[Deadend]

That's not a lot of memory to support all that hardware.. That's my only issue. Looks cool. I haven't bought a Kinect so I won't get half the stuff that goes with this system anyway.

well, it's about 8x as much as the 360 has.

I'm also not sure if it's real, as the lack of Durango makes it seem off.

The specs seem reasonable, up until the Kinect 2 being 2 Kinects. As the Kinect already has 2 cameras, and it's current limitations are in the software used for detection.

So yeah, I think it's fake. And 2014 augmented reality glasses? From Microsoft?
Hah.
Microsoft is always a year or two late to the party, so I'm doubtful we will have those glasses this soon.
The earlier stuff seems feasible including price, even though the high number of CPUs seems..odd.

I'm going with fake still.

[Narradisall]

The gimmicks are 'optional'.

I'm more interested in the launch lineup myself.

[Shadowstorm]

Only 4 GB of memory? Granted, it's saying DDR 4 memory which is something that I first overlooked, but I would have figured just a little bit more of a bump in that direction considering the longevity that consoles are taking (360 launched in 2005).

[GunnyMo]

I think I can speak for the old people on CoG: this scares me and is very complicated. Can we just have a controller interface that lets us play games. Also, who wants grilled cheese and weak tea?

[Kelegacy]

I think I can speak for the old people on CoG: this scares me and is very complicated. Can we just have a controller interface that lets us play games. Also, who wants grilled cheese and weak tea?

I guess this is what the old folks felt like when we were kids. They were all like, "computers are ruining typewriters" and "sex used to be just simple before this newfangled reverse cowgirl jazz".

Now I look at the changes things go through and am appalled while the younger kids who don't have a frame of reference get excited.

Ah well. But yes I'll take a grilled cheese. And no cream or sugar in the tea please.

[Reverant]

I'll throw in my hat and also say that regardless of whether this is true or not, I'd like it if the next generation wasn't just a bunch of gimmicky shit. I'm tired of 3D, motion control, extra screens... just give me a damn console that plays good games with nice visuals. It takes years and years to produce an enduring title with control systems that are already commonplace.

[MagGnome]

But whatever. As long as the PC doesn't turn into a Wii in the coming years, I'll stick with gaming there, as it is so far the only one that doesn't seem to have crazy gimmicks. There are motion controllers and stuff, but I haven't seen a single game support them exclusively.

On the PC the gimmicks are all optional, which is nice.

[PathMaster]

I am curious going forward what wifi spec they will use. That is a general question for the entire next gen actually. I am very hopeful that the companies look a little more forward in their hardware.

[jpc_theoneandonly]

Screw the glasses and the kinect. I only use the kinect when I am drunk and I do not want to wear glasses in order to enjoy my games. Granted, I am sure if the glasses are real they will come packaged with WiiBox Sports and we will have grandpas tackling invisible players into coffee tables. Could make for some funny youtube videos.

[DarkDay]

Did someon day testicles? I like new hardware rumors.

[CES]

Only 4 GB of memory? Granted, it's saying DDR 4 memory which is something that I first overlooked, but I would have figured just a little bit more of a bump in that direction considering the longevity that consoles are taking (360 launched in 2005).

4GB DDR4 is a huge amount of memory on a console (the 360 has 512mb of DDR3). Remember that they are closed systems with one unified spec unlike PC's. It makes optimisation very much easier and gives developers a lot more room to play.

[carnage11]

So are we looking at seeing Star Wars 1313 running like it did at E3 on this console? Or is that still a pipe dream.

I like the idea of the AR glasses as long as it doesn't turn into a gimmick. It would be neat to pull the HUD in FPS games off of the screen and on to the glasses, or inventory screens projected out in front of you, ala Dead Space. I'm not interested in anything more than that though. So let's keep it optional. Just an added bonus if you happen to have the glasses. Kind of like voice commands with Kinect and what not.

[Farsight]

The $299 part is the least believable thing.

Well, okay, Kinect 2 being 2 devices is less believable. How about we add a third one you can mount in your bathroom so Kinect can auto-pause your game whenever you take a shit? And put it on Youtube!

Well, okay, the whole thing seems like BS, but we've got a year to kill! :)

[J Arcane]

On the PC the gimmicks are all optional, which is nice.

It helps that PC gamers are too cheap to shell out for extra peripherals. They won't even buy joysticks anymore, which is why flight simming is all but dead.

[quidmonkey]

1080p is too low. It'll be outdated in two years. The GPUs need to support 2160p to keep the 720 viable over it's lifetime.

The most interesting bit is the continued move towards a hub. But if the 720 will pipe its content to any nearby device, why not go for an OnLive model?

[MagGnome]

Another question I have regarding all of these glasses (3D, AR) that are either on or coming to the market:

How the heck am I supposed to use them when I wear glasses already? I'm not going to start wearing contacts just so I can wear AR glasses over them.

[carnage11]

Another question I have regarding all of these glasses (3D, AR) that are either on or coming to the market:

How the heck am I supposed to use them when I wear glasses already? I'm not going to start wearing contacts just so I can wear AR glasses over them.

I have a friend that has a similar issue. He has an astigmatism, so he can't wear contacts. I would think that they should make the glasses big enough to fit over already existing glasses, or clip on in someway. They could be big like those old person sunglasses that wrap around your entire head. If I'm going to have AR, I want my entire field of view to be covered, not just what's in front of me. But of course, they'll probably go the cheap route and make that shitty and small.



edit: Now that I think about it, I wonder if MS will team up with Google and use their Project Glass AR glasses.

[PathMaster]

Another question I have regarding all of these glasses (3D, AR) that are either on or coming to the market:

How the heck am I supposed to use them when I wear glasses already? I'm not going to start wearing contacts just so I can wear AR glasses over them.

Lasik, duh?! :p

[Dukefrukem]

I am tired of gimmicks. Wearing glasses would suck to play games. That's why I am not into 3D HDTVs. And I think the Kinect is a pile of shit. It sold well but the software is shit, as was to be expected.
.

This. Anyone who's played any floor demos at E3 or PAX can tell you this. It's so much shit.

[Hyperglide]

There was a 56 page document on IGN with the same information as the OP posted that was QUICKLY taken down due to a cease and desist request from Covington & Burling LLP. A law firm that advises Microsoft Corp. amongst other well known clients.

They wouldn't pull down a bogus document so fast if it wasn't true. Highly doubt this is a "hoax."

EDIT: Here's IGN's article. http://ca.ign.com/articles/2012/06/16/xbox-720-price-features-revealed-in-rumored-document

[Karak]

There was a 56 page document on IGN with the same information as the OP posted that was QUICKLY taken down due to a cease and desist request from Covington & Burling LLP. A law firm that advises Microsoft Corp. amongst other well known clients.

They wouldn't pull down a bogus document so fast if it wasn't true. Highly doubt this is a "hoax."

EDIT: Here's IGN's article. http://ca.ign.com/articles/2012/06/16/xbox-720-price-features-revealed-in-rumored-document

Oh it seems to be real. One of many proposals that are bounced around big companies all the time.

[tacitus]

There was a 56 page document on IGN with the same information as the OP posted that was QUICKLY taken down due to a cease and desist request from Covington & Burling LLP. A law firm that advises Microsoft Corp. amongst other well known clients.

They wouldn't pull down a bogus document so fast if it wasn't true. Highly doubt this is a "hoax."

EDIT: Here's IGN's article. http://ca.ign.com/articles/2012/06/16/xbox-720-price-features-revealed-in-rumored-document
It was taken down quickly - tried to look at the scribd link yesterday early afternoon and it was already down. Thanks to you I know who Covington & Burling are.

Yep, I could easily see this as Microsoft's plans as of about a year and 1/2 ago; but plans can change certainly one as mallable as a price tag.

[DoctorFinger]

I have a saved copy of the pdf, but I don't feel comfortable uploading it anywhere. If you have a specific question I can try and find the answer in it.

[Wilkz07]

You gotta love "leaked" documents.

[Karak]

It was taken down quickly - tried to look at the scribd link yesterday early afternoon and it was already down. Thanks to you I know who Covington & Burling are.

Yep, I could easily see this as Microsoft's plans as of about a year and 1/2 ago; but plans can change certainly one as mallable as a price tag.

Ya that pricetag and the weird ALU count on the CPU were both hints that there was some guesswork as to what the future would offer.
Its an interesting proposal.

[PathMaster]

Yep, I could easily see this as Microsoft's plans as of about a year and 1/2 ago; but plans can change certainly one as mallable as a price tag.

I agree. The market and economy has changed since then. So has the technology.

[Karak]

I agree. The market and economy has changed since then. So has the technology.

Thank god MS doesn't follow just one path to the creation of their systems. If you read the book about the creation of the xbox box...hell at one point they are 3 different techs bounces around. Thankfully the one that one was the more powerful of the 3.

[PathMaster]

I just hope they future proof really well, since I assume they will try and stretch this generation out further even than this. For how cheap RAM is there should at least be 6 GB of RAM or 8 GB. BR drive is obvious. I would like a 500 GB drive, but I am thinking a 256 will be common.

I do like the idea of a low power mode where it can still act as a hub.

I want the next gen to be planned for hardware 4 years out to be common. MS can afford to sell at a loss again, but I doubt they will go big with that loss, most likely something small.

[Deadend]

I've never had a good experience with active shutter 3D. As the glasses always seem to desynch just a little bit, and the tinting of the image makes things look like ass, and playing in 3D sucks.

Honestly, I also think that our traditional genres will suck with Augmented Reality shit as well, even if the tech is perfect. I don't have the space/inclination to run around and Gears of War it up. I think Adventure games have a future in it, or games based around interacting with a limited space, so maybe virtual action-card games, maybe kids games would work great. Maybe RTS games.
Yeah, RTS would be awesome with Augmented Reality shit.. remeber that Zoom Out to the board view in Ruse? Ok, that is your living room and you are moving around virtual soldiers as game pieces who also think on their own.

The Kinect games that work best are the ones that do not try and map a person anywhere near to 1:1 or focus heavily on Precision such as Gunstringer or Child of Eden. There is also the small factor that most of the Kinect and Move games would be boring and shitty even with a controller. Like that recent game, Sorcery? Yeah, that would be a shitty game even without Move.

I think Kinect would be great for a linear Adventure game with a heavy emphasis on character interaction via dialog and listening for keywords from the player. So basically give me a Phoenix Wright style game.

[Karak]

I just hope they future proof really well, since I assume they will try and stretch this generation out further even than this. For how cheap RAM is there should at least be 6 GB of RAM or 8 GB. BR drive is obvious. I would like a 500 GB drive, but I am thinking a 256 will be common.

I do like the idea of a low power mode where it can still act as a hub.

I want the next gen to be planned for hardware 4 years out to be common. MS can afford to sell at a loss again, but I doubt they will go big with that loss, most likely something small.

Two schools of thought on plans like that. 1 to stretch it out or 2 to return back to a shorter cycle. I think that it all depend on how well they go. As for those specs in this single doc, they are ok. Still a weaker than normal GPU but interestingly enough Beyond 3d techs state that the BC 360 inside could be used as a so called (triple GPU) for special effects and other buffer work. Since its all AMD and how that proposal is setup. So once again, IF they went with that one, there would be something akin to the 360 where it doesn't seem all that powerful but they apparently work in unique features that devs can exploit.

[PathMaster]

Yea I can see both sides of the issue, but I want something with more power. I would say long life, but it is obvious that the 360 life span has done excellently so far.

[Karak]

Yea I can see both sides of the issue, but I want something with more power. I would say long life, but it is obvious that the 360 life span has done excellently so far.

Well if you consider what Carmack and EPIC have said about GPU's in consoles. Basically you can get close to 1.5 as much from a console GPU as a PC equal due to overhead and optomizations, a 6670 is a massive jump, a 6670 with a Xenos BC chip is a bigger jump. They could go to a 7 series for just a couple bucks per unit more(likely as this is old and devs have reported the new 720 to be the most powerful of the 3 new ones that they are deving for).

Personally I liked the idea of a duel GPU 6670 as the process is very solid and 4 gigs ram would fit nicely with a duel GPU and the extra memory needs. Attached to that CPU, not the one in the powerpoint as that has some errors in it, but a real CPU with some power to it as has been rumored. Also some of the tricks that you could pull off with a duel GPU config and the optimizations will probably net you more in the long term than a single slightly faster chip at around the same cost. Also allowing you to handoff physics and other calculations when the extra 6670 wasn't needed, or the Xenos can do that as well I would guess.

DDR4 was a bit of a surprise, though the proposal is old enough it probably made sense at the time. I really did assume they would go with 2 gigs super fast ram, and 2-4 gigs of slower main ram. But 4 DDR4(and if devs are to be believed possibly 6-8) is a memory pool the likes of which consoles have never seen both speed and size. Pretty unique setup if even a couple bits of it make it to the final manufacturing line.

[tacitus]

As far as the $299 price tag. Remember, there will be a lower price machine/setup for the Madden/entry crowd possibly minus the Kinect. Hell it might even be cheaper. But there will be a more expensive bundle as well.