Next generation Xbox, PlayStation rumor roundup
(CBS News) Questions are arising about what the next generation of video games will look like. Will Microsoft release an Xbox 720 or "Durango"? Is Sony really calling the next PlayStation "Orbis"?
What will come first: the Xbox or the PlayStation?
Microsoft had a jump on the competition in 2005 by releasing the Xbox 360 a year before the PlayStation 3. This time around, rumors are circulating that Sony will pull the trigger first by launching the next PlayStation before the Xbox.
Forbes cites a report by VG247 that the next PlayStation will be released in 2013, ahead of the next Xbox. Source close to the matter say top publishers and developers are already aware of the next console and are already working on games, according to VG247.
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"Sony [believes] they have the jump on Microsoft this time," the source told VG247. "You should be watching the timing of next year's E3 keynotes, and who's going to go first."
There could be some truth in that statement. A recent report by AllThingsD cited Microsoft spokesperson Frank Shaw in saying that they are focused on the Xbox 360.
Microsoft confirms no new Xbox "anytime soon"
Xbox "720" rumors circulate, say hello to Blue-ray, Kinect 2
"While we appreciate all the interest in our long-range plans for the future, we can confirm that there will be no talk of new Xbox hardware at [the Electronic Entertainment Expo] or anytime soon," Microsoft's spokesperson Frank Shaw told AllThingsD. "For us, 2012 is all about Xbox 360."
The VG247 source went on the say that all next generation consoles will be on the market by 2014. At the very least, that time frame is in alignment with the Nintendo Wii U, which is slated for release in the fourth quarter of 2012.
A video game console by any other name
The next PlayStation, which has been called the PlayStation 4, also reportedly goes by the codename Orbis. Meanwhile, the next Xbox, which many are calling the Xbox 720, has been dubbed codename Durango by the rumor mill.
While the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720 are logical names for the respective successors, Microsoft and Sony could still follow in Apple's footsteps and throw out the numbering system altogether. After all, an Xbox 1080 sounds just as unlikely as re-branding the popular consoles.
Blu-ray, disk drives, 3D and constant connect
PC World reported the next PlayStation will have 3D in 1080p and sport a 4,096 x 2,160 display resolution. The PlayStation 3 already comes with a Blu-ray player, so it wouldn't be surprising if the next console has the same feature.
There are mixed rumors over whether or not Microsoft will include a Blu-ray player in the next Xbox. Earlier this year, Kotaku reported that the next Xbox would drop disk drives.
"I've heard from one reliable industry source that Microsoft intends to incorporate some sort of anti-used game system as part of their so-called Xbox 720," said Kotaku editor Stephen Totilo in a January report. "My source wasn't sure how Microsoft intended to implement any anti-used game system in the new machine."
One of the most controversial rumors is that the next generation consoles will require a constant connection to the Internet in order to play games. If that were to happen, it would be incredibly detrimental to the used video game market. The idea is that each game would require a user assignment via Xbox Live or the PlayStation Network.
Retailer GameStop came out saying that none of the next generation consoles will block used games. Chief executive officer Paul Raines doubted the rumors during a March earnings call, according to Digital Trends.
Sony and Microsoft have not confirmed any of these rumors. So we won't know for sure until they announce their next consoles.
