Microsoft will announce the highly anticipated next-generation Xbox gaming console Tuesday from its Redmond, Wa., headquarters, and the company has set a high bar, considering the success of its current model. The Xbox 360 has been a force to be reckoned with since its debut at the end of 2005. It remains at the top of sales charts even now.
What can we expect from Tuesday's event? We cut through the rumor onslaught to provide you with our predictions.
What's in a Name?
The next Xbox's name has been one of the most heavily speculated details, and it seems the crowd cannot agree on a favorite. The new Xbox is codenamed "Durango," all sources agree, but it's unlikely the retail name. The slightly uncreative "Xbox 720," the rotational iteration following a 360, is probably the hottest search term related to the new Xbox.
There's also been some speculation around "Xbox Infinity" after someone on Reddit created a fake logo. "Xbox Fusion," "Xbox 8" — in reference to Windows 8 — and simply "Xbox" have all been suggested as well.
Whatever it is, Microsoft has managed to keep the name under wraps and provide enough confusion to keep people guessing.
The Hardware
Tuesday's announcement will likely focus heavily on the new Xbox's hardware and the powerful components inside. Its architecture might hinge on the x86 system architecture, according to Kotaku, putting it more in line with traditional PCs, and coincidentally the PlayStation 4. It will most likely run on an eight-core AMD 1.6 ghz processor, according to Bloomberg, and contain 8 gigs of DD3 RAM. It will also contain a Blu-Ray drive with a 50GB capacity.
This means the next Xbox will be a serious machine, but it will also make its insides very similar to the PlayStation 4. That could mean good things for developers, as it would be easier to release across platforms, but it definitely means that the console wars won't be own on hardware alone.
As for the controller, the Xbox 360 arguably has the best controller ever, and it would be silly for Microsoft to iterate on that formula. Sony did add a touch pad to it DualShock though, so there might be a surprise or two there.
Microsoft added the Kinect to the Xbox 360 in November 2010, and since then technology to recognizable people and shapes on a 3D environment has markedly improved. The Kinect 2 will probably be a major feature of the next-generation Xbox. According to screenshots reported on by The Verge, the next Kinect should be able to more accurately discern depth, player location and even hand gestures. It might also contain eye-tracking technology.
While some games and menus currently utilize the voice commands for Kinect, that could be a bigger factor in gameplay going forward for the Kinect 2. It's likely we'll see every next-gen Xbox shipped with the sensor bars.
Finally, Microsoft has shown off augmented reality technology recently with its IllumiRoom, which uses projectors and cameras to create in-game effects that spread out beyond the borders of a television. Could this prototype be part of the gaming experience on the next Xbox?
Operating System and Software
There's good reason to suspect the next Xbox's operating system will run on a version of Windows 8. As Windows phones, desktops and tablets have all begun to adopt the tiled interface, the Xbox 360 dashboard adapted and did the same.
Xbox's gaming has also been more deeply integrated into Windows 8. There are achievements any Xbox Live user would find very familiar. Even if Windows 8 is not on the next Xbox, Tuesday's presentation will present some of that tiled interface.
Microsoft will likely continue its focus on the Xbox as an entertainment package, so there could be announcements related to new entertainment partnerships they've signed with. There are also rumors that the Xbox will want to take over your television setup with UI that ties in with your cable box.
Microsoft will probably not focus much on games in its brief, hour-long presentation, with the exception of Call of Duty: Ghosts, which publisher Activision teased would be there. There have been other publishers that have confirmed games for the next Xbox, including Wolfenstein: The New Order, The Evil Within, the Thief reboot, The Witcher 3, Watch Dogs and Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag.
Will Xbox 360 games work on the new Xbox? That's one question we'll eagerly want the answer to. With almost eight years of retail releases, many people are likely to have expansive back catalogs, not to mention that games will still be released for the next- and current-generation consoles the few months following the next Xbox's release. But, it doesn't mean backward compatibility is guaranteed; Sony's next console will not be able to play older games because of the drastic changes in system architecture.
With Sony's announcement that PlayStation 4 would be able to stream games from the console via uStream, and players would be able to share gameplay videos with one button to their social networks, it's conceivable that Microsoft is pursuing the same thing. Hopefully we'll learn more about any social tie-ins Tuesday. My money is on startup Twitch being involved, after its app was just announced for the Xbox 360 last week.
Always-On and DRM
There have been persistent rumors that the next Xbox will require an "always-on" Internet connection, an idea fans haven't taken too kindly to. The big questions surrounding this rumor include whether the Xbox could handle Internet outages, or if a single-player experience would require signing in.
An internal Microsoft email leaked to Ars Technica said some experiences, like single player games, would not require a sign-in, and the console would be "aware of the constraints of a modern connection."
This always-on feature is likely Microsoft's way of curbing piracy, meaning it would also prevent people from playing used games.
Date and Price
Microsoft could presumably not announce either of these details Tuesday, instead bundling all the information with the larger E3 announcement in June. The console will most likely be on store shelves just before the holiday season.
There are rumors of two pricing tiers for this new Xbox. One will be $499 flat; the other will be $299 with a two-year contract to spend $10 on Xbox Live Gold every month. While this is just a rumor, Microsoft did test this pricing structure on the Xbox 360 in limited markets earlier this year.
For that matter, it would be interesting to learn the fate of Xbox Live, and if it will still cost money for gamers to access. It would be hard for Microsoft to leave all that money on the table, but its pricing will probably be decided when Sony makes its numbers public.
No matter what happens, Microsoft will certainly captivate its fans Tuesday during the announcement. Although we may not get many details until three weeks later at E3, it will be interesting to see what the company has up its sleeve for the next console. We'll have a live blog during the event, so come back to Mashable at 9:30 a.m. PT/12:30 p.m. ET Tuesday to participate.
What do you hope to see in the newest Xbox? Share your thoughts and speculations in the comments below.
Image courtesy Stormwarning, Flickr.
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