http://www.pcworld.com/article/162265/yes_microsofts_working_on_an_xbox_next_surprised.html

Yes, Microsoft's Working on an Xbox Next. Surprised?
Matt Peckham

Mar 31, 2009 9:00 pm



Sometimes it's what a company says it's not doing that grabs your head and twists it around. Case in point, Blizzard veep of game design Rob Pardo is flatly denying rumors the company's been rapping with Microsoft about a hypothetical Xbox 360 successor (unimaginatively dubbed 'Xbox 720' by the mathematically literalist media).

Pardo reportedly told folks at GDC that Blizzard was talking with Microsoft about its next-gen games console. And then he told GameSpot he wasn't.

It's no secret high level execs yak about this stuff behind hermetically sealed walls and chambers, probably carrying around microscopic explosives that could blow open their carotid arteries if they squeal. Occasionally something leaks anyway (or appears to) then bangs around the blogosphere with exaggerated gravitas.

With the Xbox 360 over three years old, it's as likely as not that Microsoft's already broached the subject of its Xbox 360 followup act (in one form or another) with whoever it's dubbed worthy. But that's about as prescient on my part as suggesting Toyota's presently rendering concept sketches of its 2012-2013 midsize lineup, i.e. "it's the common sense, stupid."

And besides...

Who cares?

M$ would be absolutely stupid not to plan the successor for at least 3-4 years before it hits.

Of course they are starting to look at what the successor will be. After all the 360 is 4 years old this christmas.

I hope M$ are looking at the successor already, why? Because it shows M$ wont rest on it's lorals about 360 selling well. I believe as I said all along, 720 will be out Xmas 2011. 6 years after 360.

However M$ will make absolutely sure the 360 is around till 2014 at the earliest.

MS have been working on it since 360 came out. Nintendo will be working on Wii 2 since Wii came out. It takes a long time to plan a console, and the longer the better as you'll be more prepared.

XBox 720 is an unimaginative name put up by mathematicians. It needs a better sounding name something unique and original.

Anyway the article is obviously April Fools. Toyota is mentioned in the article. The design of the new XBox console looks like a car tyre.

I think its an april fool thingy

Yeah... The article lacks the news value as well as "april fools" value. I mean, is there anyone who thinks M$ isn't going to release another console.
Same goes for Toyota, thinking they're not going to put out anymore cars is just plain stupid.

o rly?

Mathemeticians wouldn't touch the term "Xbox 720". That holds no logical bearing whatsoever. That doesn't come anywhere close to "mathemetician" thinking. That's the thinking of the ten-thousand random kids on the Internet that think they're being clever.

Someone actually putting thought into it would be more likely to bank on Xbox 1080 ("ten-eighty"). Rolls off the tongue far more easily, is a much more logical mathematic progression from 360 (360 + 360 + 360 = 1080; it's a 360º turn on the X, Y, and Z axes together). It's going from a "2D circle" to a "3D sphere", as if it's the progression of the 360 to the next plane.

720 is just 360 x2. Woo hoo. Nothing truly "mathematic" about it, other than they're using some sort of math to figure it out.

More OT: What's so "april fools" about this, guys? There's absolutely nothing "stunning" or "surprising" going on at all. All it's saying is that there've been reports of devs working on games for the next system, but nobody will straight admit it yet. That's been the norm in the industry for twenty-five years; why is it suddenly a joke now?

^this