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http://www.dealspwn.com/microsoft-respond-leaked-xbox-720-document-105400

 

Microsoft have issued a response following

the "leak" of a 56-page document supposedly all about MS' next-gen plans, and it's typically non-committal.

 

In fact it doesn't even mention the document at all.

 

"We understand there is great interest and anticipation for what comes next for Xbox and we are lucky to have customers who are so passionate about the platform," read the statement (

via Eurogamer).

 

"Today, there has never been a better time to own an Xbox 360 console. We have found new ways to extend the console lifecycle by introducing controller-free experiences with Kinect and we've re-invented the console with a new dashboard and new entertainment content partnerships.

 

"We are continually thinking about the future of the platform and when we have something to share, we will."

 

Makes a nice change from the usual "We do not comment on speculation or rumour." In fact it almost sounds a little smug. Hmmm.

 

A knowing nod to authenticity, or a company amused that everyone's talking about them and they didn't have to lift a finger? Hit us up with your thoughts below.

 

 

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"Today, there has never been a better time to own an Xbox 360 console.

 

 

 

 

 

What he essentially means is that help us get rid of the inventory of Xbox 360.

 

We cant introduce the new console till the current one is sold out.

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  • 2 weeks later...

 

 

Microsoft secured a number of domain names recently, one of which is called Xbox 8. The names were acquired after the company won two disputes in May with the National Arbitration Forum over a resident in China who originally registered them.

 

The names include: xbox8.org, xbox8.us, xboxcompanion.com, xboxlivetv.com, xboxphone.com, and xboxtablet.com.

 

"Microsoft often acquires various domain names as part of its ongoing business strategy, but beyond that we have no comment," said a MS spokesperson.

 

 

 

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A patent that Microsoft filed late last month has emerged, providing new insight into what the company may be aiming to accomplish with its next console.

 

Discovered by sleuths over at the NeoGAF and Beyond3D forums, the patent was filed on June 21st and specifically refers to “scalable multimedia computer system architecture,” a nebulous term that doesn’t point to any one thing in particular. However, the language and included graphics in the patent filing actually tell us quite a bit about what Microsoft is planning.

 

Last month, a leaked 56-page document detailed the price and features of Microsoft’s next console. The document was supposedly from 2010 and illustrated the company’s goals for a new Xbox, including the technology it was seeking to include. While Microsoft never openly admitted that the document was authentic, law firm Covington & Burling (which has represented Microsoft in the past) quickly had the document removed from various sites that were hosting it, referring to it as an “interactive entertainment business roadmap.” This led many to speculate that the document was indeed Microsoft’s full plan for its next console.

 

 

That brings us to today. This new patent contains many of the same ideas the leaked document proposed -- most notably, a Kinect-like system described in the patent could sense the depth of a room. The patent specifically states that a “camera component” (likely Kinect) could “include a depth camera that may capture a depth image of a scene” and use infared light “to determine a physical distance from the capture device to a particular location on the targets or objects in the scene.” In simpler terms, the camera can tell how far away objects are, allowing it to understand its distance from a wall, coffee table or any other barrier that can affect play.

 

This echoes the “better 3D play space recognition” described in the leaked document, which envisioned a Kinect sensor that “sees your living room better than ever which means there’s no need to re-arrange furniture.” The document also described a “better HD RGB camera” and “dedicated hardware processing,” echoed by a section in the patent that states “the capture device may further include a processor that may be in communication with the image camera component,” later referred to as a “specialized processor.”

 

Beyond Kinect, the patent also describes “shared computing resources” that include an additional CPU for running multimedia applications. The patent then defines the term, noting that "A computing resource may be hardware, firmware, software, or a combination of two or more of these," later referring specifically to "multimedia consoles like Xbox, Xbox 360, Kinect, Sony Playstation 3, or Nintendo Wii."

 

In practice, a separate CPU dedicated to multimedia apps could mean running an app like Netflix while you have a full game paused, or having multiple TV streams running simultaneously. Again, this is a concept envisioned in the leaked document, referred to as “new entertainment experiences with multiple TV streams incorporated into a single game environment.” As the document described, “it’s easy to create and mix gaming and video for completely new and innovative experiences that break down the walls between TV, movies and gaming. Watch and play a match of Tiger at St. Andrews and see his shots inserted in real time in your game experiences.”

 

 

Multiple CPUs could also turn the console into a media server. The new patent describes computing resources “partitioned into a platform partition and an application partition, each including its own central processing unit (CPU).” The leaked document described a feature that would allow players to “record TV in the background and serve up to any device in the household. Stream your personal videos, music, photos and more and play them back from any device.” While this isn’t specifically spelled out in the new patent, it’s certainly a practical application of multiple CPUs.

 

One feature heavily described in the leaked document that’s absent from the patent is cloud streaming. The document described “all your entertainment served up from the cloud” and envisioned a download system that meant players would “never need to upgrade hardware again.” The document also envisioned a media experience that let players “start watching on one screen, pause and pick up on another, pause again and return to [the] primary screen” -- an experience easily made possible by the Smartglass tech Microsoft announced at E3.

 

It’s too soon to know much more about the next Xbox, but we’re beginning to have a clearer picture of what Microsoft is envisioning: the true synthesis of consoles with entertainment devices. If Microsoft gets its way, the next Xbox will not only play games, but will also be your DVR, multimedia center and cable box. Microsoft has still never publicly acknowledged the next Xbox, but we know that it's probably codenamed Durango (or maybe Xbox 8) and may even already be in the manufacturing stage. Expect official information to start emerging in the coming months, as developers tell us that the next generation will begin in 2013.

 

 

- IGN

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In practice, a separate CPU dedicated to multimedia apps could mean running an app like Netflix while you have a full game paused, or having multiple TV streams running simultaneously.

 

This is great. Now you can pay for hardware in your console that you will never use. :doh:

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This is great. Now you can pay for hardware in your console that you will never use. :doh:

Netflix is just one example ..

Devs could use the CPU for much better in game things not possible with the current architecture

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