On May 21, Microsoft will officially unveil the Xbox 720 console, but rumor-mongering is reaching a fever pitch. Not only are there rumblings about "always online" and used games, but now we've got leaked images of "Xbox Infinity", reports of touch controllers, and the possibility of expanding the size of your TV with projection displays.
The latest Xbox 720 rumor deals with the console's name. Surely we're all aware by now that "Xbox 720" aren't even words that have been uttered by Microsoft. That name has been pure Internet conjecture. Previous rumors suggested that the new console would simply be called "Xbox," but a new one now indicates that Microsoft might actually opt for the title "Xbox Infinity."
An image sporting the Xbox name along with the symbol for "infinity" recently made its way onto Reddit and is now coursing through the Internet. Is it the official name for the Xbox 720? At this point, anything is possible, but the simple "Xbox" moniker seems more likely. The color is more in line with Microsoft's new Windows 8 push, while the logo itself fits in much more nicely with Redmond's new branding initiative.
According to Forbes, which reported on the Infinity leak, its sources have also relayed the fact that the Xbox 720 controller will feature a touch pad similar to the one on Sony's PlayStation 4.
"The sources tell us that the touch area, which would be used for gestures to compliment the Kinect sensor bar, is also 'clickable', allowing it to act as a traditional directional control pad, like the one on the lower-left of current Xbox controllers," wrote the site's Matt Hickey.
In addition to these rumors, The Verge is reporting that Microsoft might be planning to incorporate its IllumiRoom projector into the Xbox 720. The augmented reality device can "expand" the TV screen so that images and effects can be seen in the surrounding area. TV stands, bookcases, walls: whatever's there will have gameplay or visual effects superimposed over it.
"The LED is projecting for a frame and then turning it off and Kinect IR is reading those layovers," Microsoft's Eric Rudder said to The Verge. "Then the Kinect turns off for a frame and then the projector goes on and then Kinect will go back and forth."
You can see the IllumiRoom in action in the video below.
There's a lot to chew on here, in addition to all the things we heard about price, release date and Windows 8 features last week. We'll be sure to update you with more information as it becomes available.
