-Blocking Used games when the competition isn't.

-Required online connection to even play a single player game.

I'm sorry, but their is just no way MS is that stupid. They may be an money hungry anti competitive monster of a company but they are not completely devoid of what it takes to appeal to a consumer. A console launching with these specs after what Sony showed would be suicide.

Yet the fear is that it all has to be true, because multiple sources keep stating the same thing. Several say they got it from "inside sources". What does that even mean? They are supposedly reliable but I just don't know.

Personally, I am starting to believe MS is releasing these rumors themselves, which would of course be an "inside source" that would have these bloggers/websites all a fire with "hardcore evidence". Why would they do this? Because when they do reveal their console and it is the opposite of what everyone expects, they will feel relieved and super appreciative. Its like they are purposely lowering everyone's expectations so low, that when they see it it is nothing but up from there.

thoughts?

yeah I'm starting to believe this as well, this could be a way to grab everybody's attention so that people can become more curious and watch their reveal at E3 or at a exclusive event pre-E3

Microsoft not denying any rumos doesn't make it better. every company who gets rumours bad like this would deny it.

MS usually never does deny rumors or confirm them tho they would say "We do not talk about speculation or rumors" so they made a smart move by not confirming or denying anything

pretty much what i think too. MS isn't stupid and a mandatory online connection would be stupid.

..but i don't think MS is the source of the rumors.

I think ms may be releasing these rumors intentionally because of two reasons: one being that they can get feedback for some of their next gen plans and just take it out last minute if it gets negative press. The second reason is that there are rumors that the controller of the next box is draped in stripes that way it can't be photographed correctly. This tells me that they are concerned with leaks and would undergo measures to keep them from happening and would be the case for these rumors if they are truthful.

I don't believe them either. Always online, no used games, madatory Kinect with every console. It's like PS3 fans made up a list of ways to kill the 720 and it was mistaken for a leak, online.

That's what I thought too...until recently.

(not the MS releasing them themselves part, that's crazy talk) 

Who said the competition isn't blocking used games? Or, I guess to be more accurate, who said that used games won't be blocked on the PS4?

Required online conection to even play. That one I cannot believe. They are officially throwing the rising markets for good.

The other ones, required Kinect (it comes with the console anyway), and blocking of used games (maybe limited, maybe total)... those could happen, but I don't see how they can enforce the second one (blocking) without the requirement for online connection.... so I think is a partial blocking of all online features for used games.