Possible Leaked Document Detailing Future Xbox Plans

New link here, it's a direct download.

If fake, this would be a helluva lot of work for nothing. It appears that it was written in either 2011 or 2010. It has vague descriptions of the SmartGlass tech, and if they had uploaded this a couple months before E3, the SmartGlass reveal might have validated it. But it wasn't, and so there's nothing that could validate it at this point, as far as I can tell.


Some interesting points:

• Xbox 720 will have 2013 release alongside Kinect V2
• Kinect V2 has two sensors instead of one.
• "Fortazela glasses", "Kinect glasses", or simply "glasses" (naming is very inconsistent) offer some sort new 3D experience, with some similarties to Google Glasses. The glasses are supposedly coming 2014 with Wifi connectivity, and then a version in 2015 that have mobile network connectivity. This is probably the biggest claim IMO.
• 6-8x more powerful than the 360
• 4GB of DDR4 RAM
• 6-8 ARM/x86 cores @ 2GHz, as well as 3 cores at 3.2GHz for backwards compatibility
• Multiple power states, smarter power consumption. Designed to be always on, to be a better substitute for a set-top box
• Plans for cloud gaming so you "never to upgrade hardware again", but not until 2015
• $299 launch price WITH the Kinect V2 (seems extremely unlikely to me)
• Something called "Hero content" keeps being referred to, alongside entertainment content
• Simultaneous application support. "Enjoy multiple experiences atonce. Mix and match based on your needs (e.g. watch football scores with an NFL ticker as you play Gears of War 5)."

Edit: Changed link

quote Aussie Legend

Hmm... interesting, looks pretty fake to me. I mean, the 720 looks like a *bleep*ing DVD player

Yeah, I was questioning that. If the document is real, I think that's just some random concept design they put up as a placeholder. If it's a fake and that was meant to look real, then it's horrible. The $299 thing seems questionable too, but wow that would be huge if Microsoft actually did it.

The document has been removed at the request of a law firm that Microsoft is known to use. Might add to its validity? Also, there's a Neoseeker article now.

quote Aussie Legend

Yes, not to mention they didn't mention any graphics cards or anything, if they really do have an AMD7000 in there I can't imagine it coming out even close to that price point.

Call me dubious, though apart from that it also sounds like pretty reasonable stuff I would expect from Microsoft (the post-2015 certainly sounds interesting)

It does have something about the GPU. It actually sounds like it will have two chips, with one for backwards compatibility. One has 64 ALUs @ 1GHz, the other has 48 ALUs @ 500 MHz (which is what the 360 has). I'm not sure how powerful that really is though. Not exactly typical measurements to go by, but if you look back at the 360s specs, they were described using ALUs as well.

quote Shinobi_razor

"Designed to be always on"

wonder whats up with this.

Sounds crazy knowing the history of the 360, but it could work if they're using ARM, the same thing used for phones and tablets. Not entirely sure how it will work, but I guess there's some cores that use x86 and some that use ARM. One ARM core could be enough to handle Netflix, for example. So even with it on all the time, you're using hardly any power, the fans can run on low speed for quietness, and the 720 isn't destroying itself with heat. This would be important if they're really concerned about competing with the Apple TV. MSNerd said something similar a while back:

quote msnerd

It will use a Zune HD-like hardware platform—a “main” processor with multiple dedicated assistive cores for graphics, AI, physics, sound, networking, encryption and sensors. It will be custom designed by Microsoft and two partners (update: AMD, Imagination Technologies & Samsung are three names I’ve heard so far) based on the ARM architecture. It will be cheaper than the 360, further enabling Kinect adoption. And it will be far smaller than the 360. It will also demonstrate how Windows Phone could possible implement Win9’s dev platform on the lower end.

It can always be on if you want, but you don't have to let it. Forgot to mention it, but I think they said something about it being a DVR as well, and being always on would be important for that.

The important thing here is that it has several different power states depending on what you're doing. This should increase its lifespan by a lot, as well as making it quieter and saving you a bit of money on your utility bill. They're definitely looking to market it as an Apple TV substitute, and people certainly don't want a power hungry and obtrusive device just to watch Netflix.

Also, I think I actually missed two of the cores in the OP. Looking at it now, it says 6-8 ARM/x86 cores @ 2GHz for applications, and then another 2 cores @ 2GHz for the system (dedicated for the OS and Kinect I think). Then there's the processor for backwards compatibility as well. That's neat, since the OS running in the background won't hinder the game's capabilities. I'm wondering if the backwards compatibility CPU and GPU could be used on new games too. Hopefully. That would be a lot of power available for developers.

Edit: New link - http://ge.tt/15MjKEJ/v/0

DDR4 isnt out yet is it? its supposed to be a 2012 launch i think? i mean they could get away with DDR3 im sure at 3 or 4 gigs and it would be more than plenty, considering the 360 only has 512 MB. but add a 2-3 year old video card and that would lower the price considerably.

i just figured using DDR3 would help keep the price down a lot where as DDR4 since its new would increase it a lot. or is RAM not a big money sink?

It may be real but that doesnt mean all that stuff will be in the next console. Usually up until an official announcement of the console half the stuff leaked could be scrapped.