Rumor: Xbox 720 is an Xbox Tablet

The Xbox-enthusiast publication Xbox World has published some new rumors in its March issue regarding Microsoft's successor to the Xbox 360, which some are calling the XBox 720.

The publication refers to it as the XBox Tablet under its headline, "The Xbox Tablet is Real" with a picture of a iPad-like tablet with Xbox's dashboard running on it. Unlike the Nintendo Wii U, which is equipped with a small tablet on its controller, the Xbox Tablet is said to have a shape closer to Sony's PS Vita and the iPad rather than the WiiU.

The report is as follows:

“The next Xbox will be a matt-black media hub with a mission to bring games to life in your living room with augmented reality, directional sound, and a four-player finger-tracking Kinect. We told you all that last month. This month, our sources tell us it will have a touchscreen, too.

“Microsoft are experimenting with a tablet-like controller with a shape closer to Sony’s sleek Vita handheld / Apple’s iPad than Wii U’s bulky unit – it’s an HD screen surrounded by the traditional 360 buttons and sticks.

“On 360 that touchscreen will be second only to Kinect in how you operate your console. It could be a remote control when you’re watching TV, a browser when you’re on the internet, extra buttons and information when playing a game or a portable display when you want to take your game with you.

“If the next Xbox is starting to sound awfully expensive, you’d be right. 360 launched at £279 while PS3 launched at £425, so – we’re speculating here – £399 wouldn’t be an unprecedented figure to put on a machine with Kinect and a touch controller in the box. Microsoft are playing safe with the CPU and GPU but running wild with the functions that will change how you play, but it won’t be cheap. Expect to see the next Xbox at E3 this June.”

Given the number of rumors we've seen over the past few months, we'll take it with a grain of salt.

[ Source: CVG ]