With the Wii U initiating the next console war, a great deal of speculation has mounted over the upcoming Xbox 720.
Recent news indicates that there will be two kinds of consoles: one for more casual gaming and one for the hardcore. According to Gamasutra, the casual gaming console will be called Xbox TV while the other one will be called the Xbox Durango.
According to Minyanville.com, the TV will be more than just a gaming experience and will look to compete with the upcoming Apple and Google TV Sets. This device will run with the core components of Windows 8 and support casual gaming titles instead of the more mainstream and hardcore games on its main consoles.
Gamasutra notes that the inclusion of the Xbox TV means that Microsoft is adamant about regaining the casual gaming market it lost to Nintendo's Wii. The website also states that the differing SKU strategy could mean that the upcoming Xbox Durango (or 720) will be a lot more expensive than any other console on the market. There were a great deal of complaints about the Wii U's $350 price tag, but the Xbox 360 (a six year old machine) is still selling for as high as $249.99. It originally launched for $400 back in 2005. The PS3 launched for $600 and if the next Xbox is truly going to be a major technological improvement, a price tag as high as the PS3's is not out of the realm of possibility.
The next Xbox versions are expected to launch sometime next fall in 2013.