Xbox Infinity rumour round up

So the time has come for the announcement of the next big thing in gaming. Sony have laid their cards on the table and now's the time for Microsoft to show us their box of tricks and win over gamers that may have jumped the gun and pre-ordered a PS4. What can we expect? How will they move gaming forward? Are some of the common rumours to be believed about heavy copy protection and a constant internet connection required? Here's our take on what we might expect from the Microsoft camp for tomorrow's big show.

It’s all in the name

So is it 720 making it twice the console the Xbox 360 is? Or perhaps 'Durango'? The leaked name of the development kits seen online certainly seems to support this. Perhaps Infinity? Something without limits.

Out of all the options, I like Infinity and this appears to be the correct name from leaked emails from Microsoft. It defines how you want a machine to be, something that has boundless possibilities. From supposed leaked pictures the addition of curves to the X makes it a progression to the next level. Whatever it is, all will be revealed on the 21^st May.

A new controller?

The internet is filled with mock-up designs of what a new controller may look like

There have been plenty of rumours surrounding whether we'll see a new pad availible for the upcoming console. The internet is rife with concept designs that include anything from touchpads to full scale touchscreen embedded into the pad. The original design of the Xbox 360 pad is a classic and ergonomically very strong so we dont expect too much of a departure here but we would love to see a screen hidden somewhere in the centre to make better use of that area on the controller. 

Always online?

A rumour that just won’t go away, will it or won’t have to be online in order to play. Looking at what Microsoft wants to achieve, first starting on the Xbox with the introduction of Sky TV, is this always online to turn you Xbox system into the complete companion for your TV?  If this is the case then you can see why an always online requirement is important, but what else could it be used for? Background task such as updates and DLC downloads all done without you noticing perhaps?

The question of Digital Rights Management on games is a big one - the pre-owned industry makes a lot of money on games and much of this is not seen by developers, something that hampers future development and hurts the bottom line of the studios. This could be a way for Microsoft to control this market and ensure games developers see all money made from their titles. As controversial as it is it could be a very bold move from Microsoft.

Backwards compatibility 

With the evolution of the chipsets that form the heart of the next Xbox, it seems likely that older Xbox and Xbox 360 games would no longer be compatible with the new system. This could be a sad time for many a gamer as they send their classics off to pastures new, dreaming of the games of old that brought a smile to their face. As mentioned above, having the console online could be a way to play those games by streaming from a server, much like the Onlive service that we saw last year.

Speech recognition

There's nothing better than de-stressing from a hard day sitting in front of the TV, playing games. It would be even better if I could just collapse on my sofa and say control my Xbox with voice commands! Tell the Xbox to start a game and of it goes. This kind of speech recognition is nothing new, as it was part of the Kinect system but if enhanced and brought in line with Apple and Google’s offerings this could well be a big step forward for someone lazy like me. If mobile phone users can do it, then why not console owners? Microsoft have yet to show their hand when it comes to a Siri or Google Now rival and this could be the perfect place to show off their new product.

Skype

Purchased by Microsoft for a princely sum recently and deeply integrated into the new Windows 8 platform, this will this allow in game chat as well as communicating with people outside the Xbox community. It's hard to see Microsoft not making a really big deal out of Skype here as they seek to push their major acquisition even further into the limelight and get more people comfortable with the service. 

Illumiroom

Illumiroom could be set to take games to the next level

This has caused a few jaws to drop here at Geek Squad HQ recently. Expand your game outside the restraints of the TV screen. As taken from Micorosft own website “IllumiRoom uses a Kinect for Windows camera and a projector to blur the lines between on-screen content and the environment we live in allowing us to combine virtual and physical world.” The centre of attention will be the TV screen but all the surroundings within the game will spanned across your living room, immersing you further into your game. This is a great new flagship technology and it would be amazing to see this get a full-scale launch alongside the new console. 

One thing's for sure, we'll know everything tommorrow night and we'll be on hand to take you through all the latest developments with our event coverage!