E3 has come and gone without any sign of the Xbox’s successor. But a possible leaked Microsoft presentation dating back to August of 2010 seems to indicate that the oft-rumoured Xbox 720 is on track for a holidays 2013 release complete with the next generation of Kinect, more set-top box features and more details on those Kinect Glasses.
Some of the more obvious improvements to the Xbox 720 outlined in the doc include native Blu-ray support, PVR functionality, true 1080P support with 3D, improved processor and graphics hardware (through a continued partnership with AMD, formerly ATI), low power modes during media playback, and even an always-on mode. And that last improvement will help as Microsoft seems to be positioning the Xbox 720 as an all-in-one type box with the addition of more content access, and even access to broadcast TV and cable as indicated by proposed PVR functionality.
There’s also indicators that the Xbox 720 will be able to connect to smartphones, tablets, and other Windows devices for sharing media, and even games across platforms. But given the nature of the gaming industry at this point, those seems more like must-have features than just speculating about the future.
However, the most interesting new feature in the presentation is a roadmap towards something called “Fortaleza”, which appears to be a pair of wireless glasses that do more than just enable gamers to see content in 3D. It looks like they’ll function as a pair of VR glasses taking content and games off the TV and into a player’s environment. And while the first version, available sometime in 2014, will connect to the Xbox 720 hardware via Wi-Fi, future versions will instead use a cellular connection so they can be worn anywhere. Seems an awful lot like a Google Glass competitor, doesn’t it? [Kotaku]