And the "always-online" rumors continues, Xbox 720 might be expensive

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Another rumour claims that the Xbox 720 requires a permanent Internet connection, and that it will not be backwards compatible with the Xbox 360.

Although the controversial comments by Microsoft Studios creative director Adam Orth already seem to confirm that the new Xbox 360 will be ‘always-online’ another new source has suggested the same thing – and more besides.

According to well-known Microsoft Paul Thurrott, speaking on web show What The Tech, the new Xbox will be revealed on Thursday, May 21. That’s almost a month later than the expected late April reveal, although Thurrott wasn’t explicit about what the delay is for.

However, it’s possible it could be a reaction to Sony’s unveiling of the PlayStation 4, which presented the console as a much more games-focused device than Microsoft is rumoured to be planning.

The new console is claimed to be aiming for a November release date, at least in the U.S., and ‘is going to be expensive’ at around $500. That works out £325, but due to the usual import and currency issues that’s likely to be at least £400 in the UK and probably closer to £500.

Given the high price (rumoured to be because of the inclusion of Kinect 2 as standard) Thurrott suggests that a $300 (£195) subscription model will also be released. That’s something Microsoft has already experimented with in the U.S., where the Xbox 360 can be bought more cheaply as long as you also sign up to Xbox Live for two years.

Thurrott also mentions a non-gaming version of the new console codenamed Yumo, something that has been rumoured for some time as a set-top box for streaming movies and music. It’s claimed plans for the hardware haven’t been abandoned but that it won’t be out this year.

A new $99 (£64) version of the Xbox 360 will be released this year though, which Thurrott speculates is compensation for the fact that the next generation Xbox is not backwards compatible.

Video games aren’t necessarily Thurrott’s specialist subject though and he does seem to underestimate the controversy over whether the new console requires a permanent Internet connection or not.

‘Going back and looking at some of the stuff I got a long time ago, it actually says ‘must be Internet-connected to use’ in the notes. And that’s all I have, but it does say that,’ he commented.

‘For me, Xbox 360 is almost entirely an online experience. Most of the games I play are multiplayer, where you’re playing against other people online. Or you’re using it as an entertainment device when you’re connected to a service like Netflix or Xbox Video, so that is an Internet-connected device. In this phrase, it says ‘must be Internet-connected to use’, you know, that suggests that you can’t even boot into the UI and play – I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t have one.’

If true many of these details are likely to prove unpopular with gamers, but Thurrott is extremely upbeat:

‘I look at all this stuff that I’ve seen and I think, ‘It’s all positive.’ I don’t really see any bad news here at all. To me, everything I’ve seen about this is really positive. It’s amazing to me that, based on no information at all, everyone is like freaking out about everything. Aside from this online thing.’

Source: Metro

It's gona' flop so hard of these rumours are true. (And we all know they are)

@Stoney Yeah, it's probably true. This is causing so much negative press for M$ you'd think they would simply come out and confirm or deny that their next console utilizes some sort of DRM.

TB speaks the truth !