Microsoft Xbox 720 already being built?

The Gadget Show  Tuesday 08 May 2012

Microsoft may publicly deny its existence, but a new report says that a new Xbox is very real, and has already hit the factory production line. That means new Xbox consoles are being made right now by the same factory in Texas responsible for assembling current Xbox 360 hardware.

Games website IGN was tipped with the news stating that Austin, Texas-based Flextronics, a company that assembles Xbox 360 hardware has already begun production of the new Xbox, also known as the Xbox 720, and supposedly codenamed ‘Durango’. 


No New Xbox in 2012 says Microsoft


Flextronics is being rumoured to have set aside a team dedicated to testing the hardware of the new Xbox, and have already started building the hardware. “This team was solely dedicated to comprehensive marketing, software, and hardware tests of the next Xbox. With that activity concluded, Flextronics started building the hardware—but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll see the Durango soon,” IGN reports.

More likely it appears that Flextronics is working on a developer kit to give game designers well ahead of any possible launch. “The most likely case here is that new manufactured hardware would be development kits, consoles created specifically so game designers know what they’re working with,” IGN adds.

Given Microsoft’s constant denial of a new console, the above looks more of a possibility. Back in January Microsoft France marketing director Cedrik Delmas said there will be no new Xbox in 2012.

“Xbox 360′s cycle is not at all finished. The proof is that we don’t see the logic in cutting the price this year. E3 is still premature. What’s certain is that there’ll be nothing new in 2012,” he said at the time.

That would appear to go in line with more recent rumours, which now appear to agree on a 2013 release date. It is believed that the new Xbox will feature Microsoft Kinect and Blu-Ray built-in. 



New Xbox 720 out Christmas 2013 with Blu-ray and Kinect