Next Xbox to launch late 2012 - report

By Fred Dutton Published 16 November, 2011

Ubi working on "target boxes", dev kits out soon.

The Xbox 360's successor is on track for a late 2012 launch, according to an Edge report.

Its sources claim that Ubisoft Montreal is currently developing software using "target boxes" - PCs containing off-the-shelf components provided by Microsoft - and that true dev kits will be available before the end of the year.

The report adds that a number of other developers also have the target boxes, including a number of EA studios.

The insider wouldn't offer any specific technical specifications but "it is believed" that AMD is providing a bespoke GPU for the console.

Ubisoft offered the standard "We do not comment on rumour and speculation" line when approached for comment.

Earlier this week, French site Xboxygen reported that an insider had let slip that Microsoft plans to unveil its next console at the CES show in Las Vegas in January 2012.

Edge's story also mentions that one of Sony's studios has stopped all PlayStation 3 development and moved onto its successor. The unnamed developer is also apparently involved in building the graphics technology for Sony's next system.

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (89) Latest comment 6 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • NotSoSlim #1 6 months ago

    Still think 2013 for both MS and Sony

  • Cowbomb #2 6 months ago

    Halo 4 being a confirmed 360 game makes me really doubt a new Xbox would be coming out next year.

  • JahB #3 6 months ago

    @NotSoSlim PS4 will launch late 2013, being a year early paid off for Microsoft last time. I wouldn't be surprised to see them to it again.

  • homerramone #4 6 months ago

    And I bet theres no spangly ring of lights to go red.. that will ensure theres no RROD this time around ;)

  • Sunyavadin #5 6 months ago

    But surely sony will stick by their "10 year lifespan" plan for the PS3? :p
    I mean, a 3-year headstart couldn't help MS that much, could it?

  • DozyKipper #6 6 months ago

    I don't see why Halo 4 couldn't be a launch title for Xbox Next. After all, several games meant for PS2 were pushed so they could be on PS3.

  • AcidSnake #7 6 months ago

    Leaves Wii U in an awkward spot...Though if it's true the specs weren't set yet they could feasibly try to match XboXneXt and PS4 power...

    Interesting times if this report is to be trusted...

  • spliffhead #8 6 months ago

    Total supposition,...

    Backward compatible Nextbox would solve the Halo 4 issue as it could be "Optimised for Nextbox" but still run on a 360.

    Just look at Battlefields PC performance, Devs already have scalable engines and Middleware.

  • andijames #9 6 months ago

    Personally think the hardware has reached it's peak now in this generation but will still be around for years to come in the second line market. New consoles in 2013 seems realistic plus it sounds much more positive for Sony this time round with developers assisting with hardware choices etc. Hopefully they will be affordable and powerful to boot :)

  • WinterSnowblind #10 6 months ago

    @DozyKipper They said specifically that Halo 4 was going to be an Xbox 360 game and it's not being pushed back for the next console.

    It makes all these rumours a little less believable. If they were really planning one, even for the end of next year.. Holding off Halo to make it a launch title would benefit them hugely.

  • Cjail #11 6 months ago

    IF this is true, which I doubt, then Wii U is doomed!

    EDIT

    I am getting a lot of "thumbs down" for this post but actually I am expressing a sincere preoccupation! :(
    IF the next Xbox will be released within 6 months from the Wii U release it is plausible to think that the so called "hardcore audience" (Nintendo created the Wii U as an instrument to regain that very audience) will skip Nintendo's console and wait for Microsoft's one that, at that point, will be just around the corner.
    Edited by Cjail at 16/11/11 @ 17:42

  • MARKIV #12 6 months ago

    Yes, this makes perfect sense. Halo 4 launching on the 360 however doesn't.

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #13 6 months ago

    @JahB

    I dont think MS have any control over when Sony release the PS4, I just hope neither rushes to market this time, so they can make sure the hardware's not completely unreliable.

  • torment74 #14 6 months ago

    I think we can expect the NextBox 2013 but im sure we will be hearing alot about it all next year (-: Games really have reached there technical limits now and games like Uncharted 3 and Skyrim are not really that improved over the last ones.
    Edited by torment74 at 16/11/11 @ 17:03

  • Markitron #15 6 months ago

    I can see this happening and theres no reason why the PS3/360 couldnt co-exist with their successors for a couple of years. I reckon the new consoles will be similar enough to the old, just with some beefed up innards, and I wouldnt be suprised if they are fully compatible with Move/Kinect aswell. Us early adopters will get them but the ppl who just buy CoD/Fifa every year will stick to the 360/PS3 for a few more years

  • Gastrian #16 6 months ago

    Post deleted at 09:35:41 22-05-2012

  • RodHull #17 6 months ago

    Based on Frankie O'Connor's comments regarding Halo 4 being on the 360, a 2012 release for Xbox 3 seems unlikely. More likely is a 2013 launch with Halo 4 being there to make sure that the 360 doesn't fizzle out whilst we wait.

  • Sid-Nice #18 6 months ago

    Details translated from Xboxgen...


    Microsoft is set to make an announcement regarding the next Xbox hardware at trade show CES in January, French website Xboxygen is reporting.

    Citing a source "very close" to the company (translation by VG247), the machine, which is alleged to have been in production since 2005, features a hexa-core CPU with 2GB of DDR3 RAM and a GPU developed by AMD.

    Hexa-core processors are already commercially available, such as the AMD Phenom II X6. The Xbox 360's IBM-developed Xenon processor uses three cores.

  • Springchicken #19 6 months ago

    I knew it. They were waiting to let this slip just after I'd gone and bought myself a 360 S.

  • Al_Swearengen #20 6 months ago

    Bring it on. I love my 360 but the technology has been showing it's age of late.

    It will be interesting to see what kind of optical drive they use. Clearly DVD is out given the size of the games these days. Blu-ray is good for storage I guess however the drive speeds are still pretty crappy compared to even basic dvd drives. We'll see I guess.

    They also need to quit it with their expensive Microsoft-Approved HDDs. Give us the option to swap it out ourselves like you can with the PS3. I'd like the option to replace the HDD with SSD preferably.

    I've never personally cared about backward compatibility - onwards and upwards I say - however I know this is a big deal for many people so hopefully this is catered for.

    Here's hoping the control pad remains unchanged though!

  • Bartacus #21 6 months ago

    Ater the Wii the WiiU is doomed to anyone with any sense.

  • Zaiz #22 6 months ago

    Shouldn't we have heard about this beforehand? I'm still not buying this new console stuff. Last time there was a console launch, we were inundated with stuff for over a year beforehand.

  • superted1974 #23 6 months ago

    I wonder what sort of disk/data formats they will use.

    PS1 - helped launch the DVD - PS3 the Bluray. I presume nothing new on the horizon of PS4.

    Will MS adopt Bluray and have to pay a licening fee to Sony?

  • ubergine #24 6 months ago

    Anyone who holds up "Halo 4 is a 360 game" as evidence an new box can't launch in the US next year (and PAL territories in March 2013) paid no attention to the previous transition. Twilight Princess was, as promised, a GameCube game. Many third party 360 launch-window games released on both Xbox and Xbox 360 simultaneously or with a short delay.

    There's no particular reason why Halo 4 couldn't release in a 360 and an uprezzed version on the Xbox 540.

    I think that after this Christmas, with the 360's capability maxed out, Microsoft will want to move as quickly as possible on new hardware with a wow factor, so these rumours are actually slightly credible. I've been betting on a 2013 release in all territories for a couple years now.

  • mossychops001 #25 6 months ago

    Post deleted at 11:49:27 04-05-2012

  • JumpinJackFlash #26 6 months ago

    So, Microsoft's/Sony's system will be as good as the Wii U then. :)

  • asphaltcowboy #27 6 months ago

    @Zaiz Well, if it's true, it wouldn't be launching in January 2012...

    Regardless, I hope it's not true!
    Edited by asphaltcowboy at 16/11/11 @ 17:25

  • frunk #28 6 months ago

    @Sunyavadin

    "10 year lifespan" does not mean you don't have your children until you are about to die - in nature that would not work and in consoles it does not work either.

    PS3 and PS2 co-exist fine. PS1 shutdown production just before PS3 launch. Sony allow 2 generations to co-exist and both PS1 and PS2 have/had more than a "10 year lifespan".

    So expect next year PS2 production to stop and PS4 production to start.

    Only Microsoft prematurely murders their children :p

  • Sid-Nice #29 6 months ago

    I don't think the unannounced console is the 720, I think it is more of a 540 Wii beating machine that is Kinect interactive and family orientated. I also think this is an Xbox Live, Cloud based system that is an interactive hub and used downloadable content only. I’d go as far as saying “This is Microsoft’s Project Loop.”

  • Sid-Nice #30 6 months ago

    @Bartacus I can see you fisrt in the queue for a Wii U.

  • sam_spade #31 6 months ago

    @superted1974 it'll be online I reckon - onlive has shown it can be done. I wonder if flash drive based games could work?

  • Machetazo #32 6 months ago

    I can see a late 2012 release happening. There won't be a long time from announce to release, because the mainstream is unlikely to be able to keep the 360 afloat well enough, once the new box is revealed and for a lot of people becomes the one to concentrate on.

    @cowbomb: what makes you so sure that another halo would headline the new Microsoft console. It's now two generations old, the team that brought it up has moved on, and it's been a tale of diminishing returns. A "new halo" :rolleyes: is not enough to drive a new console forward. Microsoft will be thinking bigger.

  • richarddavies #33 6 months ago

    I suppose it's possible a new console could be out next year. They could do like they did with this gen. Most of the games that came out at first on the 360 also came out on the ps2, xbox. They could just have two versions of Halo 4 to pick a name out of a hat. One for the 360 and one for the 720.

  • MeBrains #34 6 months ago

    no please... not yet. no need to go through all of it yet. still discovering and still being awed with current gen after using 2+ years. we even only get the first major cell-shaded game now.

    there's just still so much to discover this gen. why start the next? I suppose MS is feeling sony's breath down their necks and are reacting... :S

  • maxb #35 6 months ago

    I think both sony and microsoft are planning for when one of them announces something then the other will be in a good position themselves.

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #36 6 months ago

    This is interesting. I'm certain they'll announce the next Xbox next year, but I was working on the assumption it'd be autumn/winter 2013 before we saw one. Having one out in time for Christmas next year seems ambitious, but could serve to undercut both Nintendo and Sony, I guess.

    The one rumour I did think was exciting, was that all future MS products - from phones to laptops to the Xbox - will share the same operating system. When you look at the new 360 dash, or Windows 8, you can certainly see similarities, so I wouldn't be surprised if that's where they're going. But is Christmas 2012 enough time for them to get (essentially) Windows 9 ready?

    I'm still banking on 2013.

  • captainCandy #37 6 months ago

    So Wii U should have been out two years ago?

  • evnewell #38 6 months ago

    I own a PS3, but part of me regrets not getting a 360 - for all the face-offs landing in the 360's favor - and the superior downloadable games - I am thinking about turning coat next generation.

    I just can't bring myself to buy both - I'd never get anything done.

  • ED209 #39 6 months ago

    I doubt it will be a 360.5 it will be time for a full replacement in a year. it will be like a pc workhorse box hidden away but interfaced via kinect (and wireless controllers obviously). based on that i would say the storage wont be dvd, but either online/hdd or flash based local storage, maybe we are past the physical medium stage. nowhere to go with it if you avoid bluray anyway, which they would. mark these words. (the second bit anyway).

  • djreplay #40 6 months ago

    @superted1974 PS1 was the CD and PS2 had DVD.

  • chessboxer #41 6 months ago

    @Al_Swearengen

    Blu-ray transfer rates already exceed those offered by commercial DVD drives.

    At 1x, the DVD transfer rate is 11Mbps whilst Blu-ray is 32Mbps.

    The fastest DVD drive you can buy is 24x giving you a max transfer rate of 264Mbps (only available on the outer edges of the disc).

    The fastest Blu-ray drive you can buy is 12x, however at 8x the transfer rate is 288Mbps (available across the entire surface of the disc).

    I just wonder if the next Xbox does contain a Blu-ray ROM, will MS advertise and talk about Blu-ray as if it's the greatest thing since sliced bread because they have been very negative of it for many years, even before the PS3 specs were announced.

  • mattk84 #42 6 months ago

    This would make sense if the early 2012 CES announcement is real and maybe they feel the need to meet Nintendo head-on but I think E3 2012 for the announcement with a 2013 release.

  • weebl #43 6 months ago

    Even though I don't want another generation from my wallets point of view, I still felt a twinge of excitement over this.

  • Hindle #44 6 months ago

    Post deleted at 23:04:43 04-04-2012

  • Daddy-Doom-Bar #45 6 months ago

    Halo 4 isn't a confirmed 360 only game. They could well do an XNext version as well. They did it with NFS Carbon, didn't they? Not such a high profile game as H4, but still - it is possible.
    I for one couldn't afford nor justify to buy it at the end of next year. It would have to be a early 2013 purchase even if it's out for 'holiday' 2012. Unless it's fully backwards compatible, that is. And that means not doing a Sony and promising it will be, but then fuck everyone over and take it out at the last minute.

    /not at all still sour about that.

  • Ryze #46 6 months ago

    For some reason I don't believe I'll see it in late 2012.

  • Ryze #47 6 months ago

    @Sid-Nice

    If by any chance it releases with less than 4GB RAM, then I'm waiting until it drops to under £200.

    4-8GB RAM or GTFO @ £200+.

  • SirRodSpode #48 6 months ago

    I think we're one generation too early to see the demise of the optical drive, in whichever guise MS choose. There are too many areas of the world where broadband is not up to the task of downloading 15Gb for one game.

    I also expect to see a generally higher quality machine this time around. The RROD saga and subsequent extended warranty offer, (which pretty well saved the 360) cost MS over $1 billion! Surely it must be cheaper and better for PR too, to get it right first time, even if the margins are non existent.

  • SirRodSpode #49 6 months ago

    @Ryze well the 360 has 512Mb total RAM. At the time of its launch in 2005, a gaming PC would have had 1Gb RAM and a 128Mb video card. On this basis, I personally wouldn't bet on more than 4Gb total system RAM at the most for the the new XBox.

  • agent55 #50 6 months ago

    It'll be interesting to see the specs next time around... RAM!

  • AnotherIdiot #51 6 months ago

    It's made easier for microsoft by Nintendo moving things forward with Wii U... with both of them doing this it feels like a new generation, and sony will not be ready for it.

  • AdamAsunder #52 6 months ago

    Well I for one am ready for the next gen. Let's hope that a new console era doesn't bring more dumbing down across the board.

    Battlefield 3 is one of the first games to show that it's time to move onwards.

  • byakuya83 #53 6 months ago

    Post deleted at 10:03:41 30-03-2012

  • TRUTH #54 6 months ago

    A new console next year - I certainly won't be bothered. They need to really max out the systems we have now. With the media and extras the PS3 and 360 gives; do they really need to kill of them off as it still has plenty of life for at least 3yrs!

  • Pickster #55 6 months ago

    @SirRodSpode

    A gaming PC at that time would have had 256mb VRAM atleast. 128mb VRAM was the thing back in 2002.

    And 2gb of system RAM would have been pretty common when the 360 launched

  • makeamazing #56 6 months ago

    This is all rumour etc at the moment, but if i was to make a guess, from what rumours have been spouted, I do think MS are ahead in the development of the next gen console than Sony. To me it sounds like Sony has only just started, while MS have been working on it for a year.

    Personally i really don't think the economy is in a great state, and i think 2013 is probably the best time for it. I also think that the Wii -u will not catch peoples imaginations in 2012.

  • sybixsus #57 6 months ago

    @lollage You owe me a new monitor. I just spat lemonade all over the old one, reading your Michael Pachter comment.

  • scuffpuppies #58 6 months ago

    ...and the competitors approach the starting line.

  • madeinbeats #59 6 months ago

    WOW, it's a feeding frenzy of fanboy mind farts and 'Nintendo killed my dog' trolls. Get a grip, ladies. :rolleyes:

  • Bartacus #60 6 months ago

    @Sid-Nice LOL like what you did there.

  • ubergine #61 6 months ago

    The reason I called it "Xbox 540" in my post is not because I think it will be a 360.5 but rather, as a naming convention, the new machine will have a native resolution of 1080p and 540 is half that.

    It's as likely to be called 540 as it is 720. I'm betting on

    Xbox TITS!

    for the name.

  • braydee89 #62 6 months ago

    Does anyone else think that the name "project loop" is actually kind of cool? cooler than Microsoft seem capable of creating. They're the company that reiterates the term "delightful" about once ever thirty seconds.

  • ubergine #63 6 months ago

    I first read that as "Project Poop"...

  • siallen #64 6 months ago

    i have heard from a games tester microsoft and sony are in talks about the blu ray drive , but sony want microsoft to help them out with there network problem with psn , so kinda of a swap you can use blu ray if you show us your network , there are also rumours that if this happens you will have PS4 and NeXtBoX playing against each other online !!!

  • MrLovePump #65 6 months ago

    If they think they are going to charge the £50 they do now over the £30 to 40 we pay for the same in the shops for the same game if they ggo download only ill be sticking to whatever system has a disc drive.

    Maybe ms will use hd dvd as nobody will have a burner so helps with piracy? I think it will have to have a br drive though to be honest, wouldnt be a media system without one!

  • MrLovePump #66 6 months ago

    I really wouldnt be suprised to see a unified system. Politically sony and ms together would but nintendo out of business in a week.

  • rob76 #67 6 months ago

    if the target box is made up of off the shelf components, won't it be way underpowered when launch date comes around in 2 year's time?

  • menage #68 6 months ago

    So I'll probably buy it when there's a decent line-up or a real new killer app. Let alone I'll wait to see how the build quality is this time before I buy one.

  • benjerry #69 6 months ago

    @Sunyavadin "10 year life span" does not mean "10 years until next console launch". The PS2 has had a 10-year lifespan at this point, and is still selling.

    Both the PS3 and 360 will serve as 99 dollar entry level kinect / move / media boxes for many years to come...

  • rogermellie #70 6 months ago

    It wouldn't surprise me if they had two models, standard with optical drive and a low-end without.

    Given that games take so long to develop, it would be nice if you could run existing games with automatic improvements.

  • RealityCheque #71 6 months ago

    @Springchicken I only finished setting my new 360 up last night :-/

  • darc #72 6 months ago

    All I have to say is "backwards compatibility" for both 360 software and for the peripherals they are likely to be selling us right through 2012. I don't want to be throwing that stuff away next year, nor do I want 6 consoles (and cables) under the tv by the time ms, Sony , and nint have played their hands.

  • Rob #73 6 months ago

    So devs are supposed to go from "target boxes" to games on the shelf inside a year - at a significantly increased level over the current gen? Not going to happen.

    Dev times are already way over 12 months for current gen titles, and they aren't going to get shorter with increased performance that's for sure.

    Unless MS are taking a leaf from the Nintendo book and going for an 'upgrade' rather than a full blown leap....

  • Burnt-Kona Verified Senior Artist, Full Fat Productions #74 6 months ago

    @Rob Yep, that's what we have always done ;) Custom PCs for the first xbox, PowerMacs for 360 until proper dev kits are ready.

  • jamie_fear #75 6 months ago

    @siallen

    If MS opt for a BR drive they will approach the Blu-Ray Disc Association which includes Sony, Panasonic, LG, Samsung etc and will license the tech from them. And I strongly doubt there will be any cross platform play between competing companies. I think your 'games tester' friend has been leading you on a wild goose chase.

  • mossychops001 #76 6 months ago

    Post deleted at 11:49:27 04-05-2012

  • slivir #77 6 months ago

    I hope the new consoles retain our profiles, trophies/achievements etc.

  • RodHull #78 6 months ago

    @homerramone And I bet theres no spangly ring of lights to go red.. that will ensure theres no RROD this time around

    The 360S has done away with the red ring of light already!

  • madeinbeats #79 6 months ago

    @MrLovePump I really wouldnt be suprised to see a unified system. Politically sony and ms together would but [put ~ sic] nintendo out of business in a week.

    You know, you really are a peculiar freak. I don't even know why people like you post on sites like Eurogamer; constantly plotting and praying for the doom of Nintendo whom have given more to 'real' gamers than Sony and MS put together.

    Nintendo have provided them both with a large portion of their business plans, and you think MS and Sony are some sort of home console authority, warranting a monopoly on the industry? You're strange... very, very strange.

    What you need to do is take yourself and all your strange friends with you to a site which deals with mental problems, preferably one which specialises in sexual feelings towards corporate organisations and fantasies involving guns, violence and explosions.

    I bet you think you're a 'hardcore' gamer don't you. No, you're not, you just specialise in shooty and stabby games because the sight of blood and death thrills you.

    Do me a favour, remove all your accounts from all gaming sites, because you ARE NOT a 'gamer.'
    Edited by madeinbeats at 17/11/11 @ 11:41

  • Schmoke-n-a-pancake #80 6 months ago

    I want a new XBox next Christmas. The current gen is past its peak and we need a fresh direction after the avalanche of trilogy-conclusions which just buried us. Hopefully the market can accommodate fresh IP in the way it did with Gears of War, Uncharted, Assassin's Creed etc this gen.

  • Quixz #81 6 months ago

    I'll take two please. :)
    Hope it comes with no less than 4GB of ram and 1GB video memory.

  • simsini #82 6 months ago

    As long as it can play 3D titles in full stereoscopic 1080p with DTS HD, I'm in.

  • septimus #83 6 months ago

    A game developer assisting in the silicon abilities is a good call by Sony for once. Hopefully Naughty Dog.

  • Darren #84 6 months ago

    Rumours elsewhere claim the new Xbox will have 8-cores and a dual AMD GPU but it remains to be seen whether that's true as it's sounds too expensive for a console.

    Also, while I'm certainly excited about a new Xbox as I think the 360 has been showing its age for the past couple of years, I'm kind of a little apprehensive about buying any Microsoft console at launch after the hardware problems with early 360s. I won't bore you with the details but I've been through SEVEN of the bloody things up to my current not-used-so-much-now Xbox 360 Slim. One of them, which I bought from GAME, didn't even last an hour! I really hope their quality control has improved this time round but I'm tempted to wait anyway.

  • stu9898 #85 6 months ago

    I was a day one adopter of the original Xbox & 360, but to be honest I would be happy with the system for another 2 or 3 years. I realise the performance is pretty much maxed out, but doesn't stop the recent games looking great. Xbox live is great and just look at the games this Christmas, GOW3, Forza 4, Halo remake, Skyrim, Battlefield 3, Batman AC, MW3 etc etc and then you have the massive selection through XBLA.

    I think they need to allow compatibility with the XBLA selection available so you can carry these over with your 360 profile, I for one would struggle to jump ship to a PS4 and loose out on all the great games I have purchased over the past 6 years, Sony would also be wise to do this.

  • andijames #86 6 months ago

    I think there may be credibility in using more up to date 'cartridges' as a media for the new platform Microsoft develop. Possibly something based around SSD carts (or something similar) which would both combat piracy and also give a very high transfer rate without having to pay a license fee for blu-ray technology which seems to be the best disc based medium at the moment.

  • Ryze #87 6 months ago

    @agent55

    Regardless - if they want 'futureproofing' (which is a nonsense phrase in computer hardware anyway), then they need to PUSH the boat out in terms of the GPU, optical drive speed (or include a non-user accessible flash cache as a supplement) and especially RAM.

    Unless the games are delivered on flash or ROM (they wont be), then RAM is a crucial limiter in terms of the potential size / scope of running games.

    Obviously there are always streaming games engines, but they're limited by programming skill or dev TIME in optimising them for the specific hardware, and especially by the speed of the main storage device - the optical drive.

    More RAM, or expandable RAM is very desirable unless we want to see the same issues in 3 years time, that the PS3 has had since launch.

    Both consoles are limited at the moment, not only by the GPU, but by the amount of 'unique game data' (so to speak, in plain english) that they can access at once (or without a game-breaking delay).

    IMHO :)

  • Ryze #88 6 months ago

    @andijames

    Works for Nintendo's Wii U. I bet anyone that they're using 'an optical disc at 25GB per layer' that isn't actually a 'Blu-ray Disc' in terms of compatibility with the format, but actually fucking is technically.

    In the same way that SA-CDs used a '4.7GB per layer optical disc' that wasn't a 'DVD' (except was), and the same with Gamecube and Wii games.

  • Farzlepot #89 6 months ago

    Everyone assumes the NeXtBox won't use Blu-ray because Sony developed the technology.

    Sony was a major contributor in DVD technology too, and remains a major player!