Writing in its latest issue, XBW’s sources report 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.”
The mag claims Microsoft is experimenting with a tablet-like controller with a shape closer to Sony’s PS Vita than Wii U’s “bulky unit”.
It goes on to describe the Xbox 720 pad as “an HD screen surrounded by the traditional 360 buttons and sticks.”
“That touchscreen will be second only to Kinect in how you operate your console,” it claims. “It could be a remote control when you’re watching TV, a browser when you’re on the internet, extra buttons and information when you’re playing a game or a portable display when you want to take your game with you.”
the mag speculates Xbox 720 could come in at as much as £399.
“Microsoft are playing it safe with the CPU and GPU but running wild with the functions that will change how you play, but it won’t be cheap.”
It’s not the first rumour that’s pointed to Microsoft’s possible plans for a Wii U-like controller: Last month Gamespot suggested there are “strong signs” that a tablet component will figure heavily in the next Xbox.
Read every next Xbox rumour in one place in our Xbox 720 round-up.