As E3 and GDC draws closer rumours about the next Xbox and PS4 have really begun to gather pace with a spate of leaks appearing online almost daily, with the latest rumour supposedly uncovering the proposed specifications for the next Xbox.
VGleaks (who? Precisely.) believe they’ve unearthed the full spec list for Microsoft’s next console, which is a codenamed Durango. The new console is said to have an 8 core processor, clocked at 1.6GHz and 8GB of DDR3 RAM. Elsewhere there’s apparently a 800MHz GPU, USB 3.0 connectivity, and a Blu-Ray drive.
Whether these specs are true is unclear, but it does chime with a lot of other leaks from last year, but you have question whether Microsoft would want to license Blu-Ray tech from their main competitor?
The CPU and GPU setup is derived from AMD’s laptop technology and if reports are to believed would a substantially less powerful that the supposed PS4 specs, which are said to be 50% faster than these Xbox specs.
On paper it looks as if Microsoft want to make sure their new console can do so much more than just play games, and according to the leak the next Xbox will have DVR capabilities, meaning you’ll be able to record TV while gaming and there are hints that a Kinect camera will be built-in into every console, too.
While an 8-core processor and a healthy amount RAM should mean graphics would see a massive leap, some commentators have said that these specs would almost certainly not be enough to power Epic Games’ new Unreal Engine in real-time – which if true, would be a bit disappointing – leading many to believe that Microsoft isn’t interested in a specs arms race with Sony and seemingly wants to go after Nintendo’s more lucrative casual market.
Analysts believe that Microsoft will reveal the Xbox 720 in June at the annual E3 gaming expo, with a launch a few months later being timed especially for Christmas 2013. The console is expected to sell for around £300-350.
Sony To Release PS4 After Next Xbox, Hints Hirai
With all the noise about Microsoft’s plans, Sony have remained tight-lipped and when their CEO Kaz Hirai was asked about their plans by The Times yesterday, he said: “Why go first, when your competitors can look at your specifications and come up with something better?”
Last week it was also reported that Sony will finally retire the trusty DualShock controller for the Ps4, which has been around since the first Playstation in 1997.
It been reported by CVG that Sony has been testing new controllers with biometric sensor on the grips and an LCD touch-screen a la Wii U. Apparently the controller has been in testing for 6 months and is currently sporting a small LCD touch-screen on the front and biometrics functionality on the back. These designs, obviously, have changed almost every month, apparently.
Biometrics could be an interesting inclusion, and is used to capture data from the player’s body, such as temperature or heart rate. Sony aren’t the only ones looking at the tech as it’s been mooted that Half-Life developer Valve has been experimenting with the tech, too, trying to discover new game experiences that would benefit from the technology.
