Since rumors first began regarding the next Xbox, which has been dubbed the 720 amongst others we have heard a great deal of things; knowing which of these will come to fruition is a tough one to predict, as some seem more plausible than others. However, in order for Microsoft to stay ahead of the game they need to go with some radical changes, which could mean coming up with new ethics in order to secure its future.
Since the Xbox 360 and PS3 first launched they have been in a constant battle with each other, both sets of fans believe their system has the better technology. For many gamers it’s hard to separate the two, as they both have their good and bad points. While some may argue the Blu-ray player in the PlayStation 3 was far better than the optical reader in the current Xbox; a recent article suggests the 720 may get the Blu-ray drive.
This one addition alone could open Microsoft’s next-gen console to a much wider market, as those with the current Xbox could finally throw away their Blu-ray players; however, there will still be some gamers opposed to the idea – unless a much improved reader is used rather than the aging one we see n the PS3 today.
However, this subject seems to be far less important after reading something from the article above, which suggests Microsoft could implement a new feature to help extend the life of the games used on the next-gen console. They have said they do not want to comment on rumor, but it could suggest this could mean an “anti-used game system”. Maybe used games will not play on the new Xbox; as you could imagine this will anger many gamers.
It’s all very well Microsoft trying new ways to force us to purchase a new game to keep publishers happy, but what about those who have already paid hundreds of dollars for a new games console, only to be forced into paying around $60 at a time for a new game instead of hunting down a deal for a used one instead?
Do you feel this is one step too far, or if this rumor is true do you understand why Microsoft might feel the need to take such action?
The power behind the next-gen Xbox has also come into question; it’s been suggested it could be six times as powerful as the current system thanks to the use of the rumored AMD HD 6670 GPU. There are some gamers who believe this is not powerful enough and shows Microsoft are rushing things to beat the PS4 to market. None of this has been confirmed, and we have to remember the Xbox 720 or whatever it will be called might not be announced during E3 this year, and is looking more like a late 2013 release.
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