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Xbox World Rumor: Xbox 720 Devkit Specs Detailed, Includes 16-Core Processor

Globox_82

Banned
According to the latest issue of Xbox World magazine, devkits for Microsoft’s next generation console are already in the wild, and were shipped to developers in March. The first devkits reached a select number of developers after Microsoft’s hush-hush developer’s conference in London on February 28, 2012. The purpose of the conference was to brief European representatives on the new hardware, which is codenamed Durango – the meeting was subsequently confirmed by a senior technical artist at Crytek, who tweeted that he was “enjoying the Durango developers summit in London. So far, great swag and interesting talks.” Further meetings were held for American developers at the Game Developers’ Conference in San Francisco, with Durango devkits shipping “shortly afterwards.”

The publication states that current devkits will not mirror the final hardware in appearance, however, initial specifications are representative of the console set to ship in late 2013. Sources close to Xbox World magazine have revealed that Durango’s devkit features a “monster” 16-core IBM PowerPC CPU, a GPU comparable to AMD’s Radeon HD 7000-series graphics cards, and a Blu-Ray optical drive.

“Even if you had a 16-core processor in your gaming PC there are currently no games built to use it, but games for the next Xbox could put all sixteen cores to work on day one for a level of performance far in excess of current gaming PCs. It’s a ridiculous amount of power for a games machine – too much power, even. But remember, Kinect 2 could chew up four whole cores tracking multiple players right down to their fingertips, so it’ll need a lot of power.”

Discrete sources at GDC also confirmed to the publication that developers expect Sony’s Playstation 4 to be more powerful than the next Xbox, and that various studios are aiming to unveil their next generation software at E3 2012 in June, regardless of whether “Microsoft and Sony are ready or not.”

“Regardless of whether the next Xbox makes it to E3, the arrival of those Durango devkits is the starting gun for the next generation and once again Microsoft have beaten Sony out of the gate by getting hardware into the developers’ hands first. Sony keep denying any possibility of PS4 at E3 2012 too, but if they don’t move fast Microsoft could roll into June’s LA showcase with dozens of next-generation exclusives from third-parties. When Epic shows that first Unreal 4 demo they’ll only have one console platform to talk about – call it Durango, call it 720, call it what you like, but if Microsoft move fast it might be the only game in town.”

http://sillegamer.com/2012/04/06/xbox-720-devkit-specs-detailed-includes-16-core-processor/

lock if old
 

WrikaWrek

Banned
16?

Smells like bullshit.

Discrete sources at GDC also confirmed to the publication that developers expect Sony’s Playstation 4 to be more powerful than the next Xbox, and that various studios are aiming to unveil their next generation software at E3 2012 in June, regardless of whether “Microsoft and Sony are ready or not.”

My guess is nobody actually knows anything. Every rumor seems to contradict another.
 

Erethian

Member
I'm sure that devs have final devkits for a system that isn't coming out until late next year.

Yep, totally sure.
 

Azure J

Member
Certainly they mean four Power7 like cores with four threads for a 16 thread CPU right? (I know it's a rumor, but) I can't imagine how needlessly expensive something like this would be if we have to take it at face value.

Edit: DieH@rd got to it before I could. :p
 
various studios are aiming to unveil their next generation software at E3 2012 in June, regardless of whether “Microsoft and Sony are ready or not.”

Uh huh, they want to unveil software that won't hit the market for over a year, maybe 2 years if they don't hit the launch window?
 

Loxley

Member
You know what? Fuck it. 16 cores? Sure. Why not. At this point they could tell me it makes toast and opens my garage door.
 
The publication states that current devkits will not mirror the final hardware in appearance

This is all you need to read to know these people don't know what they are talking about. Why even put this in the article.
 
How do people expect the PS4 to be more powerful if they haven't seen it?

How do people expect us to believe that it will have a 16-core CPU?
 

VariantX

Member
We really need a rumor/speculation thread for the xbox3/ps4 to catch all these rumors and hold them in one place. That being said, that sounds expensive...
 
They can put gazillion cores in it, but unless the majority of the devs actually learn how to use them, they're just a number on the paper.
We have that in the current gen with the Cell in the PS3.
Sure, Naughty Dog & co. (most of Sony's 1st party studios) have "harnessed" the power of the Cell, but most of the devs haven't (and now we're hearing rumors that PS4 will be something in the line of x86 architecture).

My point is: if this rumor is true, great. I applaud MS for having the guts to put a parallel beast in the NextBox, but without proper documentation, education and wit & knowledge of the actual devs, it's just a number on paper with no real-world application.

I'm cautiously optimistic.
 

JaseC

gave away the keys to the kingdom.
The only detail of any of these increasingly frequent Nextbox rumours that will wind up being on the mark is the Blu-ray drive.
 

subversus

I've done nothing with my life except eat and fap
16 cores?

ok

but even if by some miracle it's true I think it's a smart move for MS to move all high-profile development to their platform. I mean it would differentiate the market better: want graphics - buy a console, want innovative/multiplayer stuff - buy a PC.

The next few years will be interesting.
 

KageMaru

Member
So is this the other rumor that was supposed to be leaked this week? I thought Nirolak (or someone) mentioned it in the last xbox rumor thread.
 

Blunt

Banned
Right, stop that!

2169315-graham_chapman_colonel.jpg


These rumours are getting far too silly!
 

RoboPlato

I'd be in the dick
How legit is Xbox World magazine?

I find it hilarious that a magazine called Xbox World said that the PS4 will be more powerful. All of these rumors are so completely contradictory to one another that we just have to wait. It's fun to speculate and look at them, but you really can't take any of them seriously.
 

Chinner

Banned
i remember this one user posted a piss-take of the shitty journalism over these fake rumours and he got mocked and banned because it seemingly went over everyone's heads. but this is about xbox and not nintendo so op is probably okay.
 

Theonik

Member
More likely 16 threads [4 cores with 4 threads each]. Power7 supports that without a problem.
...
That actually makes sense. I could easily imagine a dumb person misinterpreting that along the way. Not that I believe these rumours for one second lol
 
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