A full, 56-paged version of an internal discussion document on the Xbox 720 has been leaked, revealing the broadstrokes of Microsoft's future plan with the brand. Many of the Powerpoint-styled panels feel too spruced and well-presented to be fake, but at best, the document only shows the vague ideas and concepts of the system rather than the detailed specifications of the next Xbox console. Whether this is real or fake, there are reports of a law firm that represents Microsoft who wants this leak to be taken down.
In general, if this 2010 document can be believed, Microsoft recognizes the threat of AppleTV, Google TV, and of course Sony's and Nintendo's next-gen offerings, as well as the limitations of the current Xbox 360 with its lack of Blu-ray functionality and of low power states. It supports the release of the Xbox 720 console (plus next-gen Kinect) next year, which would fit the lack of information of the system at E3 that took place little more than a week earlier.
More shockingly, the document purports the 2014 concept for WiFi-enabled Fortaleza Glasses, supplemented by an image that shows a digital image of a cowboy in the middle of the living room. From there, it projects the idea of utilizing the Fortaleza Glasses in mobile apps, in addition to a fully realized Xbox cloud service in 2015 where "all your entertaiment" will be on the service. What Microsoft showed this year, with SmartGlass and the new surface tablet announced yesterday (which fits the document, by the way), would pale in comparison to their vision for the next three years.
It must be said again, however, that the technical concept for the Xbox 720 shown in the document feels outlandish, with parts that would easily cost over a thousand dollars for what should be a home console costing less than $400. Some of the price tags are extremely optimistic, with a 13-core processor that's also backwards compatibility supposedly costing only $50. But that's why this is a concept document, where huge dreams will eventually get hacked into pieces when they finally fall back to reality.
On a more realistic note is the presentation's emphasis on "Transmedia Gaming", which would in theory allow players to interact with real-time sporting events, like playing a round of golf on the same course as Tiger Woods. Virtual hangouts will allow players to watch a sporting videostream and comment on it, just like how an Xbox Live Party can already chill together to watch the same movie online. It also plans the Kinect for improvement by having two cameras as well as "props" held by players to introduce haptic feedback for the device.
It seems that Microsoft definitely has a plan under its sleeve far grander that we could have imagined. But first and foremost, is this real or fake? What do you think, fellow readers?
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