Report: Next Xbox is Like "Two PCs Taped Together," Requires Always-On Net Connection

114
Lee Bradley

Strap on your rumour boots, here’s some fresh whispers about the Xbox 720. Or whatever it’s going to be called.

According to the latest reports, the next generation Xbox has been fully detailed to some third parties, ahead of a rumoured Christmas 2013 release.

So here’s the details. “Multiple sources” are saying that the machine will have two GPUs, with one source saying, “It’s like two PCs taped together.” Apparently, the graphics cards are believed to be equivalent to AMD’s 7000 series GPUs, but “not CrossFire or SLI”. Unlike dual-PC set-ups, these GPUs will work independently, drawing separate items simultaneously.

Furthermore, the Xbox 720 CPU will have “four or six” cores, with one reserved for Kinect (which is said to be built in as standard), and one for the operating system.

Most controversial, however, are suggestions that the Xbox 720 will require an always-on internet connection as an anti-piracy measure. That can't be true, right? Imagine enjoying a single-player title and the whole thing comes to a halt because your internet has died. Rage. Fingers crossed that bit isn't true.

[via vg247]

Comments
114
  • Can't see the always on internet connection being part of it tbh, and that seems a lot of hardware... must mean expensive console!
  • I think that requiring an always on net connection is a terrible idea. I don't think this is true because a lot of people don't have internet. I hope it's not true at least.
  • This always needing an internet connection hopefully isn't true since my college internet enjoys dieing >.< maybe i'll just have to keep the 360 around for that
  • im pretty sure they're talking about getting rid of the cheaters who play offline without using patches.
  • not bothered about the internet thing but 6 cores! wow this thing is gonna run smoothley
  • They won't do the internet required thing, they'll lose a lot of the family market, and possibly other markets, they've gained over the years. I really can't see them doing that, and I seriously hope they include a disc drive. Yes everything's going digital, with Netflix and Lovefilm and such, but I would like to whip out an old DVD and actually be able to watch it.
  • if its true that it has all ways got to be on the net . that will lose them a lot of sales
  • It's also worth pointing out also that while nearly 66 million Xbox 360's have been sold, Xbox Live has about 40 million members. That XBL membership number will also include people sharing a console (or multiple accounts), as well as Games for Windows Live (ie PC gamers without an Xbox 360). If the console requires an internet connection, that would seem like it could put quite a dent in sales. Oh, and let's not forget that XBL isn't even available in much of South America, Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East or most of Asia.
  • I have mixed feelings about these articles. Part of me loves to hear the rumours and part of me wonders why we give these rumours the time of day.
  • Wow if they add all this new stuff there's more room for error. I might wait it out a year till they fix the new red ring of death which will inevitably happen. Sounds pretty decent though except for the always on internet connection next they will bring serial codes. Well EA have been doing this already sort of with their online pass's.
  • Always-on Net connection? Not likely. Initial Net Connection to register a game to your account before you can play? Now that's plausable.
  • Say it ain't SOOoooooo!
  • dont see how having a constant internet connection is really very realistic not to mention would annoy the hell out of me since my routers a piece of crap. I hope kinect isnt built in i dont want it and i dont want to have to pay for a feature i know ill never ever use. The graphics on the 360 on an hd tv are still pretty impressive imo games like forza look amazing so i cant imagine what the games would look like on something with that much more power.
  • if this is true, say goodbye to your wallet this is going to cost £500+ on release if it has a quad core and a radeon 7000 series in it
  • i think the on net is true, most things like TV's are like that now due to all the on demand that streams to them. the only way pirates get games is to play offlnie all the time, so now they just make it internet dependant. tablets wont operate without internet and nor will phones these days, its not that unbelievable, come on i thought young people these days were clever?
  • I betcha they don't hire the discount soldering guy this time. Is Xbox 360 pirating that bad?
  • All these rumours are false, based on one extremely annoying rumour that keeps cropping up in all of these articles all around the web (that nobody ever seems to pick up on as being illogical/impossible) And that is: THEY WILL NEVER BUILD KINECT INTO THE CONSOLE. Top reason being, you'd have to sit your entire console somewhere above your TV (the recommended place for Kinect). Do you know anybody that does that, or has room or even a shelf up above their TV big enough for a console? Not to mention the fact that Kinect needs to tilt. Having a mechanism like that built into a bulky console box is a bad idea, if it breaks that's a whole new console repair/replacement. Expensive. It's entirely illogical, and I'm sure Microsoft knows this. It'll never happen.
  • "require an always-on internet connection" lolwut? So now we have a rumour of Console DRM... yay...
  • Did no one get the Weezer reference?
  • @15 What are you talking about? Not everyone has a smart phone, and people that do don't need them connected to the internet for them to work. Maybe for the internet to work, but my apps and the rest of the features work fine if I don't use data or the internet.
  • @15 (Timmsy) Tablets work just fine without the Internet (except browsing the internet of course... Microsoft would be insane to expect that every single Xbox owner has an internet connection available in whatever room they choose to put their console in. This just won't happen, trust me.
  • I know were in the 'internet age' n all but always required to be online - that sucks!
  • I will happily pay max £400 for the new xbox since I payed £360 for the 20Gig arcade loool on release
  • I call bullshit on the always net connection. The rest seems legit though
  • @15 'come on i thought young people these days were clever?' We are. Clever enough to see the massive gaps in logic in your theory. First and foremost: My phone works fine without the internet. Sure, I'm on contact, so it means relatively little to me, but when I deactivate it, it works splendidly well. Secondly: Do you HONESTLY think that if Pirates can find a way to chip their xbox to play pirated games, that they are going to be defeated by this? No, chances are, they will just come up with a brand new method of exploiting the system. OT: I'd say the on-net thing is just scaremongering. It would practically be corporate suicide to take such a measure, which is exactly why the music and film industries haven't done it... and they're a lot worse off in terms of piracy than Gaming, to be frankly honest.
  • @17 I'm sure it means Kinect comes with the console, not literally built into it. That would be silly.
  • The internet thing sounds fake. Seriously what company would be stupid enough to force that rule? Some games I might understand but it be on every single game, is not a profitable marketing solution.
  • Post facts, enough of this rumor pish posh....
  • @17 - I don't think when they say it'll be built in that they mean the camera will be featured on the console. Maybe they mean the majority of what controls and processes kinect will be built into the console directly, then a smaller, easily mountable camera will come along side the console, like how the Wii gives you the bar with the console, you just plug it in the back and your good to go? That't how I would imagine they would do it, but I don't have Kinect so I don't know if that theory would work or not :S lol
  • I think this should change from REPORT to RUMOUR!
  • I hope they don't really just tape together 2 PCs... o.O
  • No way they do the always on internet. That would limit buyers too much since there arestill tons of people out there that dont have broadband internet.
  • Nice i dont always have internet acess, guess a 10 year era of xboxing is comming to an abrupt end.
  • yeah NO way this alltime internet thing will be true ..
  • Bout time, the ps3 already IS 2 PCs taped together!
  • @35 Please don't bring the PS3 into this. We don't need another war starting here.
  • @35 - Yeah, two incredibly weak PCs... It's now 2012 and both consoles are several years behind current PC tech.
  • The graphical horsepower rumors for this and the orbis make it sound like they're going to be pretty damn expensive. TWO graphics cards that are equivalent to the 7000 series? There's a reason consoles of the past have launched with technology that was way obsolete even before they launched.
  • man Xbox 720 sounds like its going to be crap if these rumors r true
  • @4 - I love how this guy gets thumbs down for telling it like it is. Most likely thumbs downed by the previously mentioned "cheaters who play offline without patches."
  • man Xbox 720 sounds like its going to be crap if these rumors r true
  • An always on connection might cause me to buy a different console. This yen I bought all three and play the 360 almost exclusively. Next gen I only want to get one. Gears and Halo are not enough to get me to buy a system where I have to be connected to the Internet to play a single player game. I'm usually online anyway, but I don't want to be fighting a huge boss battle and then the Internet goes out in my house and I can't finish him.
  • Fuck that.
  • these rumors are just annoying.
  • i have only just got live (january) and i had my xbox since June 2010 without internet connected to it i hope the not connected bit isnt true
  • Eh, I already have my 360 running 'always online'. Not sure why that's so hard to imagine.
  • Deus Ex: TML expansion requires a consistent connection even though it's for a single player game. You know what achievements I don't have? I hate mandated connectivity. I pay for XBL to DL things at a friend's house once a month, but I still paid and pay. It's bad enough that (in theory) they can revoke my right to have any downloaded items since I only "own the license". For reasons I won't go into, this is the most practical method for me atm. While my circumstances are peculiar, there's still a lot of places just in the US that don't have widespread broadband. This is a horrible idea. I don't think it's true, but saber-rattling at the prospect is still necessary to a degree. Tl;dr. No, sir. I don't like it. I don't like it one bit.
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFdGKeQph-Q Rally Car = DRM Driver = Microsoft Reporter = Pirates. Microsoft would only be hurting the customer. Not the pirate.
  • #46, think of it this way, if you lose you connectiong you are still playing. if you lose you connection on the new xbox its switches off and you lose you progress. i really hope it isnt true, this and the disk drives.
  • I'm not liking the new xbox so far
  • This surely must be a late April Fool's day joke.
  • Not buying it. Microsoft isn't that stupid. Now, if EA was building a console, then I'd believe this. And never buy the rotten thing, of course.
  • Lol, nice the 7000 AMD gpu's go for $400 and up by themselves, this is going to be one pricey console...
  • @16 the problem with the 360 wasn't microsoft doing a crappy job soldering the chips or even a case of them using cheap solder. the problem is various environmental regulations and pr factors forcing them to use lead free solder. lead free solder will always be inferior, as shown by all the RRoD consoles, and all the other systems that had issues due to this crap.
  • I can believe the hardware, though I don't think it will be that powerful. As for the "always-on", like @52 said, Microsoft isn't that stupid. They would only do that if they were looking to automatically lose the next generation the second the console hits the market.
  • If they take all these anti-piracy and anti-used games measures, there is a good chance I will stick with my 360. I hope others do the same to show Microsoft they are being little bitches.
  • If the 'always online' and the 'no disc/only download' rumours turn out to be true, I would seriously consider not buying this and either sticking with the 360 (if it aint broke, why fix it?) or look to alternatives.
  • Another rumored unprofessional SND. Salt Salt Salt.
  • If any of the systems do something really annoying to combat piracy/used games I'll just not spend my money on either system and either upgrade my computer or get a better one for PC gaming.
  • anti-piracy? C'MON. these fuckers act like they're not making money hand over fist already.
  • April Fool's joke for sure... RIVERS CUOMO IS A GENIUS!!!
  • I don't trust any news on April 1st, or the week day after.
  • The internet bit makes just about as much sense as filling penguin with bulistcs jell and bearing it with a rubber dildo taped to a lightbulb (true story)
  • Beat*
  • 'Always on' just means that you have to have broadband. It does NOT mean that you will get kicked out of a single player game when your net goes down. The 360 requires an 'always on' for online play but you can still play games offline without ever having had broadband. The only difference between that and the '720' is now you will have to own broadband for initial checks. It doesn't mean you have to always have it on while playing single player. I am not sure how Lee or so many others here don't know that. The term 'always on' has been around for years and has always applied to broadband in general, not the fact that you, yourself, are always online.
  • I just hope that next gen won't be a repeat of the 32bit era.
  • I don't see them actually requiring an "always on" internet connection. This eliminates a few things that people do: 1.) System Link 2.) Taking the XBOX to use in hotel rooms while on trips. 3.) Soldiers taking them while deployed. I actually have family that lives quite far out in the country and do not have access to high speed internet so their consoles are not connected to the internet. This would be quite unfortunate for certain people.
  • Things like the anti-used game thing, and the always on internet are known as "wish list" items. Measures that people in the company want to take, are built in to shut them up, and then never used. Given that we're 18 months from launch, all of these features are still in. The real problem is that a lot of people simply don't have enough broad knowledge of all aspects of the Xbox businessto parse the information they're being given. The "diskless Xbox" was the Xbox TV thing for example, and anyone who knew anything about the total industry knew that MS was putting Live and Kinect in TVs that people might want to game on, especialy with the port to ARM. Another example I know exactly what that 2nd GPU is for, and it has nothing to do with games, and that's without insider information.
  • Considering the thing keeping me from going into PC gaming is the cost of a good rig combined with the fact that the price the next xbox will be if it is that powerfull, choosing what to buy when the time comes will be a no-brainer. on pc you get mods, great deals on steam, you get patches earlier (pc users already have skyrims patch 1.5 complete with new kill cams whilst we are still waiting for ms to authorize it 4 the xbox), don't have to pay for XBL etc etc. Anyway the "nextbox" wont be much of a beast because M$ are undoubtedly trying to get into the casual/family market so trying to get these people to fork out possibly the better half of (if not more than) £500 just to play trivial little kinect games just aint gonna happen. I doubt the next gen of consoles will be kind to us hardcore gamers.
  • LOL, 2 years worth of bugs and fixes easy on this new beast. Might be safe to buy in 2015
  • I won't buy the next one unless it has better titles than Gears Cod or Halo. A playstation would probably be better... :)
  • Usually I am hyped up about rumors on new systems. So far any rumors I've heard about the next xbox or ps have made me not care about owning the system. I might finally just say the hell with consoles and just stick with PC and play my old games til those systems finally kick the bucket.
  • i think the always online thing is bs cuz you know how many people who dont have internet will not buy a new xbox cuz of that it will cause them to loose that precious money they want so much
  • why is everyone hating on the always online part???? Are there alot of ppl out there yet that don't have cable or at least dsl???? lol were in 2012 for god sakes... if you dont have streaming wifi throughout your house... i gurantee your not a gamer... In fact i don't know of anyone who doesn't have wifi through their house... wow... must be some poor ppl on this board.. get a job dudes....
  • That would be awesome if your gamer score gets reset if you try to disconnect it from the Internet.
  • This "rumour" of always being online is likely put out by someone who works for Microsoft, to test the water as it were with the public, so they can gather reactions to it. Of course it won't happen, a lot of people don't have access to broadband or just prefer playing casually offline. As for the hardware specs "rumoured", again, just a rumour. But if they were true, how much would it cost to buy on release? Microsoft likely have an idea what hardware to put into the new Xbox, but I doubt a definitive decision has been reached.
  • It's dumb enough that there are PC games where you can only play single-player while connected to the net doing that to consoles should be out of the question.
  • the must be online thing doesnt bother me cause me and my sons are always online but the anti shared games thing will bug me cause i have 3 xbox`s in my house one mine and the other 2 are my sons so if i buy a game and use it on my xbox they cant they cant play it on theirs thatll be crap . ill def not be buying new xbox if it has that im not paying for 3 copies of a game for one house hold def not happening
  • All these rumors are just getting dumb. One week the next xbox has no disc drive, the next week it has a blu-ray drive. Unless we hear official word from MS, then there's no real reason to get worked up about it. Or maybe that's it!! MS is putting all these rumors out there and seeing how consumers react? lolz
  • always-on sucks for two reasons. 1. my connection is cut every 24 hours. just for a second or less but enough for my box to disconnect me from live! 2. i take a xbox with me to work and i dont have internet all the time... (not a work, i work all over the country)
  • more and more PC games are moving to require a internet connection to play so it really wouldnt surprise me if this is true as much as it sucks
  • how many times does MS have to say, its not coming out, for people to realize that fact.
  • If the idiots on here didnt believe every rumor about the possible next Xbox then we maybe we wouldnt have 82 posts that say the same thing.
  • This is very obviously just a rumour and likely untrue. Until I hear some PR from Microsoft I will take all these rumours with a grain of salt.
  • If it requires online to play the games or if it doesn't have a disc drive of some sort, then I won't be buying it. The end.
  • Hope most of the rumors are garbage, if not the new system is sounding like a pile of crap. Might as well switch over to PC gaming at that point.
  • @ # 74, not everyone gets 6 figure salaries. Not everyone can afford the newest and latest technology. Not everyone with a job can afford the newest stuff. Even with a "summer" job, I need to cut down on game purchases for a while, until I get into college, and maybe on occasion buy games months after release. Heck, there are Xbox 360 games from 2005-2008/10 that I want to get, that I'm going to have to hold off for a while.
  • built in kinect sounds good.
  • Im tired of the rumors. Especially all the negative rumors that r basically saying microsoft r gonna screw us over royally.
  • I'd still buy it but the online always thing would be a bit of a pain. The internet in Cornwall isn't exactly the best, might be a bit better by then though I guess.
  • Maybe they can take a leaf out of Sony's book and be rid of the disc tray that has plagued the console since its inception. Other than the red ring, most 360 errors are disc tray related, which in some ways is connected anyway. My PS3 is 3 1/2 years old now and has never had a single hardware flaw, and never will, come to mention it, neither has my PS2, which by the way has been dropped during its incredible life.
  • How can it be a report if it's a rumour...? *facepalm*
  • I don't believe that the mandated online and the killing used games is a rumor simply because Microsoft has not denied it i mean its so controversial if it was not true you'd think they would have at least denied it
  • Hmmm... always-on + Kinect (cameras, galore)... I think I know the name of the next version of the console: "Xbox Big Brother!" Seriously... I don't care what's being said. Nothing concrete until I see an official announcement FROM Microsoft! That said, we have good console now, and a ton a great games to choose from (and a boatload of crap, depending on your interests). Unless you can influence MS on what they design (and bellyaching here isn't going to do it)... that's all you're doing: bellyaching - and that's a bloody waste of time!
  • IMO If the hardware is true, it screams STAY AWAY for at least a year. The normal xbox 360 had its fair share of problems and re-releases, imagine what kind of trouble they will have running 2x equivalent 7750s and a real cpu. Not to mention by 2013 these specs would truly be a poor mans pc. Because you could build this now probably for the same price at system release. (with some savy shopping of course) And as for needing to be online to stop piracy... who are they kidding... Their new systems will be modded and hacked no matter what. Thats just how things work nowadays. Also hope they would be smart enough to sell a cheaper model without silly camera support.
  • dont no how many people are actually gonna read this comment but the Kinect built in just means the wire goes straight into the box in to the ram(i think) instead of usb because usb is too slow i read it on a diff post cant remember where tho also read someone that the nxt gen xbox was gonna b cheaper than this one so who knows as for the always on fink ill stay on my 360
  • well since i pay alot of money for my star wars xbox 360 i dont think ill be getting the new one in a hurry
  • "Imagine enjoying a single-player title and the whole thing comes to a halt because your internet has died" Imagine?? I take it you've not played a ubisoft game on PC in the last few years...
  • rumours, dont you just hate them. lets face it the machine will have to launch at about the same itme as the new playstation (microsofts words not mine). the only thing we know for sure is that its gonna cost us a load of money that most of dont have right now, and then they gonna try and screw us again with the whole anti 2nd hand game thing which i personally dont like the idea of, but both sony and microsoft are trying to add to the new machines. if thats the case i for one wont buy either of the machines.
  • I'll believe it when I hear it from Microsoft themselves. To Hell with all these stupid rumors.
  • I don't really like rumors, people trying to make rumors sound real, or people trying to make rumors sound fake. I just want to wait until they say something official, then I can panic about the death of console gaming.
  • its doubtful they will require an always on internet connection. if there are 50 million xbox units sold and only 30 million xbox live users (read: gold and silver accounts), that's 20 million xbox units not using the internet. microsoft can be many things, but they are not stupid enough to alienate half of their potential consumer base. not sure if anyone else has pointed this out, but the rumor mill around the next gen could be something they are using to gauge public reaction.
  • I think I'll wait until after 720 red ring is confirmed or not
  • I will probably stick to my 360 if some of these rumours are true...
  • @46 , Well there are some people ( like me ) who don't have their consoles connected online every time they play . I use a Ethernet cable going from my Xbox to my PC , so whenever my PC is off i am not online. The idea of being online constantly is ridiculous and if this happens there is a massive chance i will never buy the new Xbox , if all this is true that is.
  • @74 , that is exactly the kind of post i would expect off of someone who is rich and has no idea what it's like not being loaded with money all their lives.
  • Dont want no new damn Xbox BRAHHHH!!!
  • If that is the case of "always online" anti-piracqy measure, I simply won't buy it. If a lot of people were to do the same, they'd HAVE to change it.
  • @98 Put it ABSOLUTELY best. I take it every single person on here that's all "always online isn't so bad" hasn't played a Ubisoft PC game either.
  • I, for some reason, have a hard time keeping my Xbox connected to Xbox Live. It will just pop offline at random times and require drastic measures in order to getting running again. The weird thing is that my PS3 doesn't do that...not to say the PS3 is better or something but I do have problems with my Xbox...What I'm trying to say is that an "always on-net connection" would probably be a detriment to my buying the next gen Xbox...
  • Im always on Xbobx live. If my internet goes down, I rarely play xbox, so that doesnt bother me at all
  • The day that single player games require an online connection is the day that I stop playing xbox games.
  • CAN NOT WAIT BUT HATE THE ONLINE POINT
  • Not to get all "conspiracy-theory" on everyone, but I really think Microsoft is the one floating these "anti-piracy" rumors. I think they just want to test the waters and track everyone's reactions. Based on the reactions I've read (including my own), I think we can all agree that their Console sales will drop significantly (even disastrously) if they actually release this new Xbox720 with any sort of required always-on internet connection.
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