Rumor: Xbox 720 Codenamed "Loop"

[keithlewis]

http://www.gamepro.com/article/news/224 ... amed-loop/

Everything about the successor to Microsoft's Xbox 360 platform is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Rumors and leaks abound. That said, some rumors warrant more credence than others. When MS Nerd says something, you typically perk your ears up.

The next Xbox is not, as previously reported, fittingly codenamed the "Next." According to MS Nerd, it's currently codenamed "Loop" and will run on a modified Windows 9 core. The hardware "will use a Zune HD-like hardware platform-- a 'main' processor with multiple dedicated assistive cores for graphics, AI, physics, sound, networking, encryption and sensors." The next Xbox will also be cheaper than the 360 to further enable Kinect adaptation. MS Nerd also believes it'll be smaller and have some form of Windows phone integration built in.

While that all sounds well and good and makes a great deal of sense -- Microsoft has been moving towards more motion control integration for a while now -- the bad news is that the details suggest that Microsoft is still in the early stages of planning for the device, so a 2012 launch date seems unlikely.