Microsoft Xbox 720 launch is...

Published Thursday, April 25, 2013

By Vicky Kapur

Two weeks ago, we told you the next Xbox unveiling is late. Initially, it was rumoured to be scheduled for yesterday (April 24), but we told you on April 9 that the date had been pushed back to May 21. Read: Microsoft Xbox 720: Launch dates, price and specs revealed despite Microsoft’s gag order.

Now, gaming major Microsoft has officially confirmed that date, when the Xbox 720, its answer to arch-rival Sony’s PlayStation 4, will be finally shown to us.

Xbox insider Larry Hyb, a.ka. Major Nelson to most geeks and fans, revealed the launch event date and time on his official blog, MajorNelson.com.

“On Tuesday May 21st, we’ll mark the beginning of a new generation of games, TV and entertainment. On that day, we’ll be holding a special press event on the Xbox campus and we invite you to join us via the live global stream that will be available on Xbox.com, Xbox LIVE and broadcast on Spike TV if you are in the US or Canada,” he wrote in a blog post.

Simultaneously, the Xbox official website also confirmed the same with an invitation to everyone interested to view the live stream.

Hyb noted that the unveil of the new Xbox console will be followed by a detailed show and tell of the games line-up on the new console about three weeks later.

“On that day [May 21], we’ll share our vision for Xbox, and give you a real taste of the future. Then, 19-days later at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, we’ll continue the conversation and showcase our full lineup of blockbuster games,” he wrote.

Sony hasn’t yet revealed the official name of the new Xbox console, which gaming enthusiasts are calling Xbox 720, although a codename, Project Durango, was also rumoured last year.

The Xbox 720 unveiling is scheduled three months after Sony introduced its PlayStation 4 in February. Read: Microsoft Xbox 720 vs Sony PS4: Which gaming console is right for you?

The new console will be based on the company Windows 8 platform, in line with its strategy to make Windows the heart and hub of anything and everything that it does.

In addition, users will need the upcoming Xbox 720 to be connected to the Internet to play games on it (in a bid to curb gaming piracy, we’re told) and for the console to be anything more than a sleek showpiece in your gaming room.

It is rumoured to cost between $300 and $500 (with or without an Xbox Live subscription), and the device is said to support a range of payment methods for content, including in-game micro-transactions and subscription services offering access to a range of content for a monthly fee.

Robert Nashak, BBC’s Head of Digital, recently told GamesIndustry.biz: “I think they’re going to have a system when you get into Xbox Live that’s going to be very seamless; you’ll see more frictionless billing.”

Nevertheless, the May unveiling will give Microsoft enough time to hype up the device for an in-store availability by Christmas holidays, by which time the PS4 is also expected to be there, for a great head-to-head show for us to watch.

It’s game on, then.

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