It was only yesterday that Microsoft for the first time went official with its upcoming console, and today we have fresh speculations about the next Xbox release date as well as its price and details about its other functionalities. Paul Thurrott of the Windows IT Pro website is claiming to know a lot more about this piece of machinery, so let’s take a look at what he has to say.
Firstly, regarding its arrival in the markets, it is being said that November 2013 has been locked down by Microsoft as the time frame. Furthermore, Thurrott explains that two pricing models would be adopted by the company for the console. A standalone version will apparently retail at 499 USD (approx. Rs. 27,000), whereas another one bundled with a two-year Xbox Live Gold commitment at 10 USD (approx. Rs. 550) per month will sell at 299 USD (approx. Rs. 16,000).
The dreaded ‘always-on’ functionality refuses to dissociate itself from any news related to Microsoft’s upcoming console, and same is the case with this new piece of information. However, Thurrott goes on to claim that it isn’t ‘as Draconian as many seem to believe.’ A Blu-ray optical drive will be present on the console, he says, alongside a ‘Core’ (base) version of Windows 8 as its operating system. This means that the apps-focused Windows 8 would supposedly make its presence felt some way or the other.
Earlier, there were rumors that Microsoft was planning upon giving out two versions of the console – one with all functionalities and the other with entertainment-only features without any gaming traits. This latter version, codenamed ‘Yuma’ has been canned for now, according to the report.
Talks about backwards compatibility have also been addressed by Thurrott. He says that Microsoft is reportedly planning upon launching a third-generation model of its current gaming machine. This move may well be on account of the new console abandoning the support for current-gen games.
Lastly, it is also being said that Microsoft is planning to hold discussions about the next Xbox developer platform during the Build conference in San Francisco that is slated to take place late in the month of June.