Xbox 720 Launches 2012

2011 is almost as it's end and as the tide calms after the onslaught of video game releases in November, we look forward to another year of gaming, one that sees both a new handheld console and a new home console release.

Sony's PS Vita hits North American and European retail early next year and sometime later, Nintendo will release the Wii U. As we enter the next generation of handheld gaming and prepare for the next gen of home consoles, rumors and speculation about the next Xbox and PlayStation units continue to make headlines.

Sick of hearing about the "Xbox 720" and the "PlayStation 4"? Too bad. News and discussion on the next Microsoft and Sony video game consoles is only going to get more prevalent as we move forward.

The simple fact is, the Xbox 360 is old. It's been around for six years and if we flashback to 2005, many expected the next console to debut in 2010 or 2011 considering the short lifecycle of the first Xbox and the fact that the 360 came out first in its generation.

Recent rumors have the Xbox 720 releasing as early as next fall all the way up to early 2014, with some insiders saying Microsoft could do a first unveiling of the new system next month at CES. What we do know from multiple reports is that major publishers have dev kits in hand to develop what we presume will be launch titles for the new console.

Such titles we've heard rumors about  include A new Call of Duty, Saints Row 4, Alan Wake 2 and games that will make use of the Unreal 4 Engine that Epic Games expects to release by 2014.

We at Game Rant believe that Microsoft will showcase something regarding the Xbox 720 at next year's E3 and that it could release the following year. According to another insider, this one from the Xbox team, the release of the Xbox 720 is occurring in 2013.

In CNET's report about Xbox head Don Coyner changing positions within the company, a source of theirs within the Xbox team confirmed the 2013 release date, previously reported by Develop.

While it's up for debate whether or not the industry needs the next-gen consoles out sooner rather than later, developers argue for both sides, with companies like DICE and Ubisoft anxious to get working on new tech, while Epic and Naughty Dog believe they can squeeze more out of the current consoles.

What we can say is that the gap between PC power and console power is growing significantly with Battlefield 3 offering the best evidence for this. Expect plenty of major next-gen announcements come 2012.

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Follow me on Twitter @rob_keyes.

Source: CNET

 

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Follow me on Twitter @rob_keyes.