VentureBeat

It’s no secret that Microsoft’s next Xbox console is currently operating under the codename Durango, but if this eBay auction is legit, the specs of the Xbox 720 (Xbox Infinity?) may be revealed well ahead of its probable E3 reveal next year.

eBay user “superdae” (an account with no previous activity) posed the auction with a single image (pictured below), the title “Microsoft XBOX Durango Development Kit”, and the description “This item comes with powercables, and a wired controller.” The auction began 15 minutes to midnight on August 11 and bidding has already surpassed $15,000, with six days still left on the clock.

There is a sizable discussion occurring on NeoGAF whether the dev kit is real, and users are claiming that the auction owner is DAE, “the guy that leaked the kinect 2 and devkit pictures.” While the PC pictured may seem unlikely, early dev kits for new consoles often have much more in common with a desktop than the sleek little boxes that eventually ends up in living rooms come Christmas.

The bigger question is, even if the dev kit is legit, who’s bidding on it, and what is Microsoft going to do about it? Will they be able to shut the auction down if it’s against their terms of service (which it undoubtedly is)? Will superdae’s PayPal information incriminate him and allow his identity to be revealed? And if a developer did get a hold of the kit, would they even be able to use it? All debugs are linked through Microsoft’s Partner.net system, and the company is undoubtedly monitoring the very short list of people who are supposed to have one of these things.

The more likely scenario is that a media publication is attempting to lift this and be the first to break what’s under the hood of one of gaming’s most anticipated announcements next year. Still, that didn’t work out so well for Gizmodo when they “happened” upon an unreleased iPhone prototype, and the whole “We found it in a bar” excuse isn’t going to fly here either.

GamesBeat has reached out to Microsoft for comment and will relay any response in an update.

http://venturebeat.com/2012/08/12/xbox-durango-ebay/

that looks amazing for a fake ;)

It's a custom built PC with the rumored specs of the 720... the idiot who spends 15k+ is...well, an idiot. Oh yeah, and there is already a thread about this

Funny thing is that even if its real the person who bought it can't really do much th it beyond knowing what the current specs are (and I say current because even those oftencne this early).

It can't even play retail games.

It sold for 20k. What are the chances that the seller was Microsoft and the buyer was.... ahem... Microsoft? You know, a 'lil publicity stunt to get buzz rolling. If anything, Microsoft are masters at this type of viral marketing.

It's a dev kit... it was probably purchased by someone who wants to make games =/

0 feedback? That's a lot of money to dump.