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Next Xbox Could Run Windows 8

This article is more than 10 years old.

There have been rumors circulating for some time now that Microsoft is planning to load its Windows 8 operating system onto the next-generation Xbox console. A development kit that sold on eBay the other day seems to lends more credibility to this rumor.

Image via CrunchBase

A few days ago a PC appeared for sale on eBay claiming to be a "Microsoft Xbox Durango Development Kit". In case you're not aware, "Durango" is Microsoft's codename for the next-generation Xbox console, widely expected to be called the Xbox 720.

While the hardware --which sold for a whopping $20,100 -- is interesting, it's not the most interesting part. Buried among the photos and screenshots for the eBay listing was a screen capture of an old build of Visual Studio 2012 with "Durango" development tools included. These, according to developer Rafael Rivera suggest that Microsoft's next console could run Windows 8.

Assuming the shot is real, these nuggets lend more credibility to the rumor that the next-gen Xbox will be powered by a SKU of Windows 8 and that apps will be written to the tune of the Windows Runtime API — maybe even exclusively, scrapping Win32 altogether. Interesting stuff.

If the next-generation console does indeed run Windows 8, then this opens up the possibility that apps developed for desktop, notebook and tablet systems running Windows 8 could also run on the games console, turning to from a gaming a media system into a living room PC.

While there have been no end of rumors surrounding Microsoft’s next-generation console, there has been little in the way of hard evidence.

The other day a job posting on Microsoft's Careers site suggested that the new console would launch within 18 months.

Over the past few months I’ve come across dozens of Xbox 720-related rumors. One rumor states that it will be at least ‘six times more powerful that the current Xbox’ and feature either a modified AMD Radeon HD 7000 or Radeon HD 6670 series GPU mated to a PowerPC CPU.

Another rumor states that the console will not feature an optical drive, and will instead rely on games cartridges and downloads. This would reduce the size, power consumption and cost of the device, help combat piracy and quell the second-hand games market. However, given that it would also mean the end of backward-compatibility with current Xbox titles, I find it unlikely that Microsoft will drop the optical drive.

I've also heard several rumors from reliable sources that games for the new Xbox console are already in development.

There’s no doubt that the Xbox 360 is in dire need of an update. The console was released back in November of 2005, and while it has seen some updates, they’ve been related to lowering the costs and improving the reliability of the console — such as the infamous Read Ring of Death failures, which were traced back to the wrong kind of solder being used in its manufacturer.