New details about the Xbox 720 were leaked February 6. Details about the consoles specifications as well as some disturbing news about a requirement to connect to the internet in order to use the system have come to light. Edge, a video game publication, originally reported many of these details from ‘sources with firsthand experience’; however analysts find some of the details hard to believe.
According to Edge’s source they've confirmed that the next-gen console will have an AMD eight-core x64 1.6GHz CPU, a D3D11.x 800MHz graphics solution and 8GB of DDR3 RAM. If those specs are accurate than the 720 will be a whole lot more powerful than its predecessor. The console is also supposed to include all new hardware for the Kinect.
The detail about the prospective new Xbox that is getting heated conversations going is about internet connectivity. Microsoft has said they are ‘absolutely committed’ to online functionality for the new console. Yet Edge’s source says the system will not work unless connected to the internet.
The new console is said for Xbox Live to be an ‘integral’ part of it although physical games will still be available. Games will be manufactured on 50GB-capacity Blu-ray discs. All of this talk about about internet connections however stinks of anti-piracy measures that will prevent game sharing and second-hand games.
We've seen similar restrictions before, video games with key codes, games that can only be authorized for one machine, and games that require you to be connected to the internet in order to play. But never has an entire console needed to be connected to the internet in order to even use it.
Overall the consumer response has been less than thrilled. The overwhelming majority of forum comments say that if the Xbox 720 does have this internet connectivity restriction they won’t be buying it. Not only could the internet connection prevent players from letting friends borrow games but it also could prevent players with no or low performing internet connections from enjoying their games.
Analysts have said that Microsoft won’t be crippling themselves with such a restriction and despite Edge’s supposedly credible source at this point most of these details still fall into the realm of rumor.
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