Home Gaming Fresh Xbox 720 Rumours – Mandatory subs and pricing

Fresh Xbox 720 Rumours – Mandatory subs and pricing

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Sub

Time for some fresh Xbox 720 rumours! We’ve got a date, we’ve got a plan and our damn dashboard won’t stop hyping the event now. So what do the latest rumours point to for the future of the Microsoft console? Subscriptions, selling price, operating systems and more!

Paul Thurrot, who has been regularly reliable so far with knowledge of the box, says that the early announce date of a date to reveal the new Xbox was done so that Microsoft could gain a better position over Sony and their Playstation 4.

Other details also include:

  • A full announcement on upcoming games and the console itself just before E3.
  • Pricing for the next Xbox will be in the same vein as the original Xbox 360, with the premium console retailing for $499, while a lighter version will sell for $299 that also requires gamers to sign up for a two year subscription to Xbox Live at $10 a month.
  • The next Xbox will have a Blu-Ray drive
  • The next Xbox will require an always-online connection, but it will not be as harsh as what gamers have been led to believe.
  • A launch date of November 2013
  • The next Xbox will run on a “Core” version of Windows 8
  • The plans for another Xbox console that would have been more of an entertainment device that had no gameplay capabilities, codenamed Yuma, are on hold for now.
  • A third Xbox 360 console will appear this year, codenamed “Sting-Ray”. This new version of the current console will be cheaper than current Xboxes, and will most likely be used to prolong the life of that console, much the same way that Sony kept the Playstation 2 around after the launch of the Playstation 3.

I think some fanboys are going to be more than just a touch livid over that possibly mandatory Xbox Live subscription for the cheaper console. But I do like that Microsoft is going to make an effort to keep the current Xbox 360 console alive.

It’s been around for quite a few years now, and the old girl still has some left in her.

Last Updated: April 26, 2013

111 Comments

  1. Martin du preez

    April 26, 2013 at 09:31

    MY BODY IS ONLINE READY! #dealwithit

    Reply

  2. HvR

    April 26, 2013 at 09:35

    More rumors: New Xbox Live requires you to order at least one pizza a month and like Microsoft Facebook twice a month and invite Ballmer as your Facebook friend.

    Reply

  3. Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

    April 26, 2013 at 09:36

    This sounds almost like someone trying to make a joke. Forced subs?

    Please tell me this is a joke piece and not actual rumours?

    Reply

  4. umar bastra

    April 26, 2013 at 09:38

    First things first…god that sub looks delectable…om … OM … NOM NOM NOM NOM!!!!!

    Anyway,seems weird that only a lite version will require the sub. Freemium-esque model for consoles?

    And I wonder how it won’t be as harsh … always online is harsh on it’s own

    But …

    DAT SUB hmmmmmm

    Reply

  5. Admiral Chief Erwin

    April 26, 2013 at 09:40

    Something wrong with that sub….

    Needs MOAR sauce

    Reply

    • HvR

      April 26, 2013 at 09:42

      Brave Chief brave, calling for any kind of fluid/sauce on this forum.

      Reply

    • HvR

      April 26, 2013 at 09:42

      Brave Chief brave, calling for any kind of fluid/sauce on this forum.

      Reply

  6. Admiral Chief Erwin

    April 26, 2013 at 09:40

    Something wrong with that sub….

    Needs MOAR sauce

    Reply

  7. Wtf101

    April 26, 2013 at 09:41

    Why an always online connection?

    Microsoft, repeat after me: SINGLE PLAYER…

    And why the fooking $10 a month subscription fee for the Xbox 720 lite? Does it mean the premium will have it included?

    Reply

  8. Wtf101

    April 26, 2013 at 09:41

    Why an always online connection?

    Microsoft, repeat after me: SINGLE PLAYER…

    And why the fooking $10 a month subscription fee for the Xbox 720 lite? Does it mean the premium will have it included?

    Reply

  9. Admiral Chief Erwin

    April 26, 2013 at 09:42

    “but it will not be as harsh”

    Thats like saying “yes you will take it up the pooper, but it will not be as harsh”

    Riiiiiiiiiight

    Reply

    • Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

      April 26, 2013 at 09:43

      Or like saying “You still will pay for the Tolls. Yes you are already paying for the roads in your petrol. But at least the price of the tolls won’t be as bad as it could be”

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief Erwin

        April 26, 2013 at 09:46

        e-Toll can suck my Toll-e

        Reply

        • umar bastra

          April 26, 2013 at 09:47

          :O

          Reply

          • Admiral Chief Erwin

            April 26, 2013 at 09:48

            Need a bigger hole dude, that is too small

          • umar bastra

            April 26, 2013 at 09:49

            WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOA I’m going to watch some merry poppins

          • Admiral Chief Erwin

            April 26, 2013 at 09:52

            I’d hit that

          • Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

            April 26, 2013 at 10:04

            Oh man dude. Don’t ruin Merry Poppins for us too

          • Admiral Chief Erwin

            April 26, 2013 at 10:11

            Soooooo sexy

          • Skoobaz

            April 26, 2013 at 13:38

            So old!!!

    • Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

      April 26, 2013 at 09:43

      Or like saying “You still will pay for the Tolls. Yes you are already paying for the roads in your petrol. But at least the price of the tolls won’t be as bad as it could be”

      Reply

  10. Admiral Chief Erwin

    April 26, 2013 at 09:42

    “but it will not be as harsh”

    Thats like saying “yes you will take it up the pooper, but it will not be as harsh”

    Riiiiiiiiiight

    Reply

  11. Rincethis: Beeralicious

    April 26, 2013 at 09:43

    Blue-Ray, people still use that? Wow. way to go Microsoft, maybe we can slip in a few exclusive games too? Or is that too soon?

    Reply

    • Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

      April 26, 2013 at 09:49

      He lives!

      Reply

      • Rincethis: Beeralicious

        April 26, 2013 at 09:53

        To be honest, only barely right now. I hear that 3 bottles of wine in one sitting is a BAD thing to some… I blame Homeland season 2, turned that bastard on that was hooked.

        Reply

        • Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

          April 26, 2013 at 09:53

          Het jy ‘n bietjie van n babelas vandag? hehehe

          Reply

          • Rincethis: Beeralicious

            April 26, 2013 at 09:56

            I think I know what this means, and YES. Shesh, forced subs, always online, AND hungover. Not a good start to Friday. I should have brought some of the pupsuk that did this to me in and secretly drank it in the bathroom…

          • Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

            April 26, 2013 at 09:57

            haha. Well done. Babelas indeed does = hangover 🙂

  12. Rincethis: Beeralicious

    April 26, 2013 at 09:43

    Blue-Ray, people still use that? Wow. way to go Microsoft, maybe we can slip in a few exclusive games too? Or is that too soon?

    Reply

  13. eXpZA

    April 26, 2013 at 09:44

    “The next Xbox will run on a “Core” version of Windows 8” – that’s fantastic, the core kernal of Win8 is unbelievably brilliant. It’s the Metro UI overlay that turn most people away.

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief Erwin

      April 26, 2013 at 09:47

      I’m only interested in one type of Metro, and that is the one with mutants and guns and awesomeness

      Reply

    • HvR

      April 26, 2013 at 09:49

      That is a bit like saying do not be put off by the 60 year old, heroine/tik addicted, wrinkly outside of the prostitute the inside is brilliant.

      Reply

      • eXpZA

        April 26, 2013 at 10:01

        If we’re talking about Sex, sure – but we’re not. We’re talking about operating systems. They have layers. Like Shrek.

        Reply

    • HvR

      April 26, 2013 at 10:07

      On the serious side, Core version is the not kernel its Windows 8 Home/Basic. And MS has made is clear that from now on all their products is going to have the same look and feel. So my console friends welcome to the wonderful world of Metro (aka as the god awful maze of unnecessary blocks of windows)

      Reply

  14. eXpZA

    April 26, 2013 at 09:45

    In before trolls: Always-Online means the console is always online to download game updates and social media updates, NOT FOR DRM. Please, for the love of Moses, get this point into your heads and stop feeding this false fact.

    Reply

    • Martin du preez

      April 26, 2013 at 09:46

      None of these are facts. Just some (Very) consistent rumors.

      Reply

      • eXpZA

        April 26, 2013 at 10:04

        No that’s wrong. Microsoft killing your Dog if you try play offline is a rumor. The Durango SDK is a proper, official document.

        Reply

    • Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

      April 26, 2013 at 09:49

      People would stop freaking out if it was made clear if the device can be used with absolutely no internet connection. That’s what people are stressed about currently.

      Reply

      • FoxOneZA - The Chosen One

        April 26, 2013 at 10:04

        That’s why they are having a preview event NXT MNTH….

        Reply

        • Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

          April 26, 2013 at 10:14

          I’m not even a console guy. I’m just thinking MS is making a stuff up of a very important console. Playstation have been doing it right. MS has, as usual, been too closed off to the consumer and making bad remarks etc. It’s damaging the console’s hype before it even gets announced. They need better PR or things are not going to end well.

          Reply

          • FoxOneZA - The Chosen One

            April 26, 2013 at 10:54

            You haven’t seen the PS3 PR team in action. Dual 1080p output, the power of 30 PS2’s. And then they showed this awesome video of Killzone 2 in action. And then it turned out that the video was pre-rendered. The only thing definite about the PS4 is is it’s launching with a controller that’s more of the same, something that’s been criticized heavily in the past. Try playing an hour of F1 2011 on those horridly flat triggers and feel cramps of joy in your hands.

          • Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

            April 26, 2013 at 11:00

            Be that as it may, the Sony PR team is still doing a better job than MS. And this is a viewpoint of someone who doesn’t particularly care about consoles. So an outsider viewpoint. If I had to choose I would choose PS4 simply because I feel they are more revealing and open.

            It’s public opinion that counts in marketing.

          • Argentil

            April 29, 2013 at 15:46

            This is a horribly jaded, biased view. I would like to reference the BS that was Kinect’s launch trailer. All this marketing rubbish never turns out 100% factual. The controller is ‘more of the same’ if you mean that the shape is completely different, and they addressed the convex trigger problem. The entire design philosophy behind the PS4 is completely different from it’s predecessor, and that is obvious if you take a moment to consider that the main console engineer is a Westerner. Without imposing too many stereotypes; for a Japanese company to hand over one of their biggest earners for Western development, it’s a pretty big deal. Especially considering Playstation is one of Sony’s few profitable departments currently.

    • umar bastra

      April 26, 2013 at 09:52

      I don’t understand your statement. The console does not need to be always online for that? The term always online incites stress and uneasiness due to the fact that it suggests that it is mandatory for the console to be online , always, to function correctly (to play games), most people are not concerned with DRM at this point

      Reply

      • eXpZA

        April 26, 2013 at 10:04

        but again, the Durango SDK clearly states that when you turn the console off, it will remain in a low power state to receive game updates should they be pushed out by developers. That’s it. People take this fact, and extrapolate it into something it’s not.

        Reply

        • FoxOneZA - The Chosen One

          April 26, 2013 at 10:11

          Dude, PS3 fandroids have not a hair of logic. They eat with their eyes so to speak. Oh, look Nathan Drake looks so pretty…

          Reply

          • umar bastra

            April 26, 2013 at 10:12

            lol Why is everything divided by fandom? because one does not like these details or features, though rumours, they are suddenly fan boys of opposing consoles? riiight

        • umar bastra

          April 26, 2013 at 10:15

          Fine and well, but it should not be forced,It also gives companies a chance to release half assed games and patch while we sleep, that is everyone’s gripe. Sure people get upset but it is warranted, maybe everyone gets too upset which I guess can frustrate people

          Reply

          • FoxOneZA - The Chosen One

            April 26, 2013 at 10:25

            “It also gives companies a chance to release half assed games and patch while we sleep” >>> Uncharted 3 had 500mb worth of updates when i finally got down to playing the game. That’s 2 hours that I sat waiting to play the game. GT5 has 5gb’s of updates that I’m not even going to waste uncapped bandwith on.

          • Argentil

            April 29, 2013 at 15:40

            Um… you can choose not to update unless you’re playing online. Do you even own a PS3 currently?

        • Wtf101

          April 26, 2013 at 10:31

          Which brings me to my next question. Why will I be forced to accept updates, and for the fuck of it, why do I want social media updates? On my gaming console? Emphasis on the word gaming. Sorry, but there is no excuse for an always online console, to be honest

          Reply

    • Jonah Cash

      April 26, 2013 at 10:36

      I’m giving you a down vote not for your factual comment, but because you said you are done with this place…. So don’t think I don’t agree with your original comment, my down vote is not for that…. Cheers dude, good luck finding a site that won’t down vote you every now and then….

      Reply

  15. OldVideoGamer

    April 26, 2013 at 09:54

    Mandatory Kinect 2, mandatory 2 year LIVE, mandatory on-line connection but not as bad as we think?

    Fuck that shit, aint nobody got time for dat!!

    But the stingray sounds sweet… but knowing today’s greed they will mark the price UP like they did when the slim came out just as the fat xbox was getting down to R1999.

    Reply

    • Rincethis: Beeralicious

      April 26, 2013 at 09:57

      Who even uses blue-ray these days? I called it years ago that everything would be dl and it is heading that way. So now we must part with our Randellas for some obsolete tech? What’s happening to the world?!

      Reply

      • FoxOneZA - The Chosen One

        April 26, 2013 at 10:13

        DL’s require an internet connection. Not everyone can afford that for a while. There was interesting article that I read about cloud tv and how one could get any TV channel anywhere in the world but the limiting factor is the cost of internet in regions further outside USA and the UK.

        Reply

        • Rincethis: Beeralicious

          April 26, 2013 at 10:22

          Yeah. I am with you on that. I just hope that the Blue-ray will not push the price of the console up too much. We are already made to have some pale imitation of Johnny five stare/record us as is.

          Reply

          • FoxOneZA - The Chosen One

            April 26, 2013 at 10:27

            If you seriously believe that M$ are going to watch the milions of Xbox users across via Kinect then you should be very worried on the front facing camera on your mobile phone.

          • Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

            April 26, 2013 at 10:29

            Oh no! The plot thickens! QUICK! Get me some duct tape! I need to patch that camera right up!

          • Rincethis: Beeralicious

            April 26, 2013 at 10:30

            But I don’t sit in front of my phone for hours… I also believe MS applied for a patent for tech that can ‘read’ the items in your home with the aim of being able to target advertising…

          • Jonah Cash

            April 26, 2013 at 10:42

            So if I sit naked while playing do you think they will market me some XXX sites??? Or a Edgars add to go and buy some pants??? Hahahaha

          • Jonah Cash

            April 26, 2013 at 10:42

            So if I sit naked while playing do you think they will market me some XXX sites??? Or a Edgars add to go and buy some pants??? Hahahaha

          • Rincethis: Beeralicious

            April 26, 2013 at 10:45

            Well, if I sat naked in front of my Xbox this ad would probably pop up…

          • Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

            April 26, 2013 at 11:15

            I laughed so hard!

          • Rincethis: Beeralicious

            April 26, 2013 at 11:23

            My work here is DONE! 😉

          • OldVideoGamer

            April 26, 2013 at 10:39

            Johny 5 is a… UNABLE TO COMPLY MICRO CREDITS DEPLETED.

      • OldVideoGamer

        April 26, 2013 at 10:18

        I’m over it. You and I have 50 years of gaming between us and we know when to sit back and watch all the bullshit fly with our popcorn all warmed up and ready to go.

        Maybe we watch to much Jim Sterling, why is nobody happy anymore? Whay did we not care about the next gen until it was on our doorstep last gen? because we were fucking stocked with how cool the games were until 2006. No internet this and internet that or AP and dashboards. We just played games.

        CO-OP was well implemented this gen but I feel that it was used after the success of Gears 1 to make more money via the internet. Then the horse armor arrived and it all went downhill from there. Shit that we used to unlock for being rewarded for paying and playing there games is now unlocked via VISA.

        The PS2 is still R1000 13years old and is going up in price because they no longer make them. WTF? I see the XBOX360 going on for another 7 years while the next gen consoles VERY VERY slowly gain traction and support as dev costs VERY VERY slowly become more affordable.

        Any wise gamer will know to wait the next gen out and watch what happens.

        I will be all for it if this gen was being left in a healthy condition, but its not, the industry is in the most fragile state hence all the CRASH rumors.

        Lets wait and see, but XBOX FOR LIFE. Here I come cheap 360 back library of over 1000 games.

        Reply

        • umar bastra

          April 26, 2013 at 10:28

          I’m still a bit young, but I was lucky enough to grow up in the peak of gaming, I had an 8-bit machine, had a sega 8-bit machine, sega megadrive, virtual boy, ps1 ,ps2,dreamcast, gameboy gameboy advance, psp, DS, I have an xbox and PS3 and PC. and with all the new games, fancy graphics, playing something that cost Millions of dollars …. it brings not a thread of pure gaming happiness. nothing will ever compare to the way games were

          Reply

          • OldVideoGamer

            April 26, 2013 at 10:37

            Yip after comparing our best games on the OKAMI thread yesterday that is understandable.

            I am not just saying this to troll but the popularity of COD thanks to on-line school kids did ruin everything. Just to much money being made.

            Thank fuck for games like Tomb Raider and Bioshock to keep us normal gamers sane.

          • umar bastra

            April 26, 2013 at 10:59

            lol I’m too afraid to mention the game whose name shall not be hmm…mentioned? but indeed I agree with you.

            And it’s horrible that young kids actually play these games, I’ve seen PRIMARY school kids play these games and the language and attitude they have is atrocious.

            I grew up playing good ol platformers like tiny toons and chip and dale and then got into thought provoking games in the RPG genre at a young age, and in all honesty, I found it was great for my development growing up (as good as games can be for a young kid lol)

            But yes, I am glad for those games today, it at least gives me hope that games can be mature and can exhibit intelligence and heart

  16. FoxOneZA - The Chosen One

    April 26, 2013 at 10:05

    Whenever the Xbox 720 is mentioned on LG, a whole bunch of stupid is unleashed in the comments section.

    Reply

    • Brady miaau

      April 26, 2013 at 13:30

      for a given definition of stupid?

      Reply

  17. FoxOneZA - The Chosen One

    April 26, 2013 at 10:07

    Once again MS could undercut the competition with a “Core” model to jump start the sales bandwagon. That’s where Ninty and Sony have always got it wrong.

    Reply

    • HvR

      April 26, 2013 at 10:10

      Core is refers to the Windows 8 OS , I think you means “light version”

      Reply

      • FoxOneZA - The Chosen One

        April 26, 2013 at 10:30

        No. Core as in the original Arcade unit.

        Reply

  18. HillbillyGamer

    April 26, 2013 at 12:56

    {10X24)+299=539}=sum [Rip-off]. And PC Race welcomes X-Box race to wonderful of bending forward for DRM.

    Reply

  19. Alex [SS] PsyChoPanthis

    April 26, 2013 at 15:30

    “The next Xbox will require an always-online connection, but it will not be as harsh as what gamers have been led to believe.”

    i hope this is just rumor… if not,
    Kthnxbai… you just lost me MS.

    Reply

  20. Sageville

    April 26, 2013 at 16:01

    I’d love to know if the Xbox has just used stock components or if they have had specially designed architechure like the PS4 (extra busses etc.).

    That “Core” windows 8 sounds scary… I don’t like Win8.

    Reply

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