Rumor Patrol: Huge Xbox 720 Details Leak in Microsoft Document

While Nintendo is jumping on the next generation of consoles early with the Wii U, Sony and Microsoft don’t appear to be doing the same. Microsoft in particular seem content to just update the 360 again and keep that going for a couple more years, if their press conference at E3 this year was any indication. Yet that hasn’t stopped people from speculating about their next console, and if a recent document that appeared on the internet says anything, Microsoft may indeed be working on it.

The document in question listed various details about an ‘Xbox 720′, going on for over 50 pages. In it, it said that the console would release in 2013, at the surprisingly reasonable price of $299. It also said that it would come packaged with an updated version of Kinect, simply called ‘Kinect V2′. The console would contain Blu-Ray functionality and be able to play games that look approximately four-to-six times better than current 360 games. No specific schematics were given, though, so the stories regarding the console’s processing power are still unconfirmed.
The document also listed some Augmented Reality glasses codenamed ‘Fortaleza’, but wouldn’t be released until 2014. So presumably this new feature would be a cross between Kinect and the fabled virtual reality glasses people have been wanting since the early 90s. It also said that the Xbox 720 would have an ‘always-on’ feature – though for what purpose wasn’t clarified – and would also be able to use apps during gameplay for the sake of multitasking.

 Granted, this could be a forged document meant to drive up discussion and spread rumors. For one thing, the document appeared earlier on another site back in May, so this isn’t the first time it’s made its rounds. For another, the document itself is dated as almost two years old, having been originally made in August of 2010. So it seems unlikely that any of this information is in any way accurate. But strangely enough, some of the information on the document has come true – most recently being the Smart Glass. So this is either an actual document or a very elaborate forgery.
What do you think about this document? Does this mean we’ll be seeing an Xbox 720 officially announced soon?

[Update]
- The document in question has now been taken down by the law firm Covington & Burling LLP, who just so happens to represent Microsoft. Whether this lends credence to the theory that it was a real document from the company, or is just an attempt to dispel any rumors, is up for debate. Either way, we’ll keep you posted if any new information surfaces.

Source : Here