Problem with that in a bigger scale ideology is, is what is the increase in cost, heat, size, etc worth to MS and in the long run the end user?

All signs are point to MS wanting to be more efficient in all manner this time around and probably focus more on broad appeal than hard core gluttony.

A higher end 6x card is definitely more of a sweet spot from this point of view than any 7x card.

I'd say that depends completely on how quickly AMD can expand their 7xxx lineup. If they can get a 7xxx GPU out that roughly matches the 6670 in horsepower in time, that GPU would also be more power efficient than the 6670. Pricing would be harder to guess, but I don't think it's unlikely that Microsoft have expressed a wish for such a GPU to AMD, and AMD could be focusing on getting that part of their lineup ready fast enough to be used in the NextBox.

For all we know, the 6670 could just be a placeholder until they're ready.

That's definitely true. Any company will have a GPU tailored to their exact preferences. I'd bet that even if it is based on 6x technology, it will be more aligned with higher end versions than the 6670. However, the early dev kits might have put that in there as a minimum to get some dev work moving while they finalize the full kit. (which according to rumors is now complete and starting production)

The first dev kits for the 360 had an underpowered GPU compared to the end result as well, so I think it's safe to say the 6670 should only be viewed as a minimum GPU, rather than the definitive one. It could be the final one, but I'm going to bet on Microsoft going for a 7xxx GPU.

At this point, I'm betting on a heavily optimized 6xxx.

I wonder if they're consulting John Carmack again. He might have a thing or two to say about using mega textures with a 7xxx GPU over a 6xxx one.

I was wondering about the PS4... The chip cell was pretty awesome when was presented, will SONY stick with a updated version of Chip Cell or will use a new series of third partie prccesors like Intel, IBM, etc.. and if they do tat.. will be possible retrocompatibilty? Like was on X360 that some games of the late xbox weren´t compatible on xbox360 because the difference in hardware architechture...

I own arround 30 PS3 games... so its a issue that concern me...

At this point nothing has really leaked about the PS4. But, considering that Sony sold the Cell tech off and didn't use it in the Vita, I'd put a fairly large bet on them going back to a more traditional CPU architecture.

As for Backwards compatibility, with WiiU definitely having BC and neXtBox from all accounts having tech similar enough to 360 that it should have BC, I'd bet Sony will do their best to offer BC in some fashion if not 100%.

We have no idea at the moment. I would personally guess that Sony will try to go for something akin to what Nintendo and Microsoft are doing, because it's easier for developers that way, the very same route they went with the Vita. That doesn't mean they couldn't include backwards compatibility though.

But we know just about nothing about what Sony might do, so don't draw any conclusions just yet.

Fudzilla and especially Charlie are legit. They say the X730 GPU is based on the Radeon 7000 series (and will mostl likely borrow tech from the 8000 series too).

So theres still hoper that nextgen can run games with the same graphics as the Samaritan demo who would need a GPU at the level of a Nvidia 580. The demo itself was ran on 3 Nvidia 580s but optemization and direct-to-metal programming could give those graphics with a 580 level GPU on NeXtbox/PS4.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FiwSim567Y

Also I demand at least 3 GB of video memory and 4GB RAM. Cevat Yearli the maker of Crysis said he demands at least 8 GB on next gen consoles.