Xbox 720 Release Date April? Sony PS4 Announcement Allegedly 'Caught Microsoft Off-Guard'
New rumors suggest that the Xbox 720 will be released in April.
VG247 reported the sentiments of industry analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan about the upcoming console release.
"We think Microsoft is unlikely to formally announce its next-generation console until April or later," said Pachter in a note to investors.
The later date that Pachter suggested was for an unveiling at the E3 trade convention in June.
The move by Microsoft is reportedly linked to the announcement by Sony on Feb. 20 in which the PlayStation 4 was unveiled.
Computer and Video Games also reported that a source within Sony who said the PS4 announcement "ruffled some feathers" and "caught Microsoft off-guard."
While Microsoft has kept quiet as far as the specifications of the console, VGLeaks released leaked specs for the Xbox 720 and listed it under the code name Durango.
The rumored specs for the console include an 8 core CPU running at 1.6GHz, 8GB of RAM, 50GB Blu-ray disc drive and feature Gigabit Ethernet. The Xbox 720 is also expected to come with an 800 MHz graphics card that upgrades the system from the 500 MHZ card that is in the Xbox 360.
Sources close to the development of Microsoft's next-generation game system said it will likely function completely through an internet connection with Xbox Live, according to The Edge.
The Xbox 720 will also allegedly block the use of used games. Customers can either download a game straight to the console or buy discs that will have the necessary one-time use activation code. Once the code is initially used by the initial gamer, the disc will reportedly no longer work if it becomes a used game for another player.
This mirrors a similar announcement made by Sony that PS4 users will not be able to play games on previous PlayStation consoles and will have to stream them online instead of using a disc, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
