Documents shead new light on Xbox720

A newly leaked document is shedding some light on Microsoft's plans, for what it calls the "Xbox 720" or it's codename "Durango."

Microsoft outlines a competitive differentiation for its next-generation Xbox, including support for Blu-ray, native 3D output and glasses, concurrent apps, and additional sensor and peripheral support, Also a promised 6x performance increase, also a mention of true 1080p output with full 3D support and an "always on" state for the console. Info on core hardware indicates that the next Xbox will be designed to be scalable in the number of CPU cores and their frequencies. Microsoft appears to have been debating whether to use six or eight ARM or x86 cores clocked at 2GHz each with 4GB of DDR4 memory alongside three PPC cores clocked at 3.2GHz each for backwards compatibility with existing Xbox 360 titles.

Microsoft positions its Xbox 720 as the only box needed for living room entertainment in the document, providing background recording functionality for TV content and a unified Windows 8 foundation to make it easier for application developers to build apps that target Xbox, PC, and Windows Phone. Microsoft rounds off the document with a promised price point of $299 with its Kinect 2 hardware and a prediction of a 10-year life cycle with more than 100 million units sold.

The next installment of Microsoft's Kinect accessory appears to be a huge improvement over the current version. Microsoft references higher accuracy, stereo imaging, improved voice recognition, support for four-player tracking, and a improved RGB camera, and dedicated hardware processing. One particular aspect of the leaked document is a focus on four-player gaming and Kinect props. "In Kinect v2 we can continue to go beyond controllers and offer peripherals and accessories that heighten game immersion," reads a note section of one of the pages. The Kinect accessories idea appears to be one that is not designed to replace controllers, but will allow devices to interact with the sensor. Microsoft's plans for four-player Kinect gaming reference carnival, darts, and basketball games as a broad way to use the new tracking.