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More Durango Rumors: Next Xbox to require always on internet connection

By Breanna Goodman

Posted on February 7, 2013

Xbox 720 Internet Required As the release of the next generation of consoles draws nearer, the internet is full of rumors about specs, features, and price points. Earlier this week, we got a potential look at some leaked Durango specs, and this week a report by Edge gives an even closer look at the console. According to their report, the next Xbox will require an internet connection to operate, and games will likely require online activation to play, making a second-hand market impossible. Speaking of online play, a new version of Xbox Live is set to play a big role on the 720, along with improved Kinect hardware.

Edge’s source also confirmed some other hardware rumors: an AMD eight-core x64 1.6GHz CPU, a D3D11.x 800MHz graphics solution and 8GB of DDR3 RAM will all be present in the Xbox 720, although the hard drive size is currently undecided. Games for the next Xbox will be sold on 50GB Blu-ray discs, essentially a concession that Sony was right in choosing Blu-ray over HD DVD for the PS3. It looks like Sony’s advantage won’t end with this generation though:

Though the architectures of the next-gen Xbox and PlayStation both resemble that of PCs, several development sources have told us that Sony’s solution is preferable when it comes to leveraging power. Studios working with the next-gen Xbox are currently being forced to work with only approved development libraries, while Sony is encouraging coders to get closer to the metal of its box. Furthermore, the operating system overhead of Microsoft’s next console is more oppressive than Sony’s equivalent, giving the PlayStation-badged unit another advantage.

There is no doubt that we will learn more about both the next Xbox and the PlayStation 4 in the coming weeks. For the full Edge report, click here.

Breanna Goodman

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Breanna has been gaming since infancy, if gnawing on an unattended controller counts as playing a game. One of the younger members of the Gaming Trend family, she dabbled in PC games as a kid but wasn't fully consumed by the hobby until the sixth generation of consoles. Now an avid PC and console gamer, she looks forward to the day when she can scape together enough cash to join the next gen club.

In the last week of middle school, a math teacher taught her how to program a calculator; she was pretty much hooked then and there. Currently working towards a degree in Computer Science and Applied Math, Breanna hope to someday make games instead of just writing about them. Other hobbies include playing guitar, binge-watching Netflix, and cooking delicious food.