Microsoft's Xbox 360 successor will be released in 2013 and boast six times the graphical capabilities of its predecessor, according to reports.
Sources have told IGN that mass production of the system's GPU is to begin before the end of the year, with the console on shelves in late October or early November 2013.
That GPU will, it is claimed, be derived from AMD's 6000 series processors and be broadly similar to the Radeon HD 6670. First released in February 2011, the 6670 supports DirectX 11, multiple displays, 3D and 1080p, and currently costs upwards of $79.99.
The source went on to claim that the next Xbox's graphics processing power is six times greater than that of Xbox 360, and will outperform Nintendo's upcoming Wii U by 20 per cent.
Developers are to receive devkits based on the system's intended final specs in August - though a source told us last year that some major studios were already in possession of them. IGN's source gave no indication of when the console would be officially unveiled, but a recent MCV report claimed Microsoft would be showing off its new system at E3 in June.
Source: IGN
Comments
7Somebody needs to inform Microsoft that the processing power "arms race" is obsolete in today's gaming climate.
Not too sure about that. It's foolish to think that Microsoft won't have a marketing advantage if they released a more powerful console than the others.
The 360 was released in 2005. A 6x improvement in 8 years is not particularly impressive or difficult.
@notthough
When was the last time that the most powerful console proved to be the highest seller? I rest my case. But you are right that Microsoft need something to differentiate themselves from their competitors but I do not believe that power is the answer, and this has been proven throughout gaming history. Perhaps this new Kinect can encourage sales.
Power did not help them last time. A 1 year lead didn't help them last time.
They've lost the lead. But hey maybe they'll still rush the hardware and give users RRoD pt. 2.
The lead definitely did help them, but that was more down to the Blu-Ray taking forever.
At least they don't lose money for every build.