2013 seems primed to be the year the next Xbox and Playstation are launched. Rumors have been circulating for months, but it seems that one particular publication has an inside scoop on the future consoles.
Dual Pixels reports that the next Xbox (still unnamed) will be unveiled during E3 in 2013. The machine is presumably the most powerful of the next generation consoles and will be about four to six times more powerful than Wii U and two to three timmes more powerful than Playstation 'Omni' (the rumored name for the Playstation 4).
According to the report, all versions of the console will contain a Kinect 2, "which can track up to four people, all objects in the living room, clothing, face structure and fingers." It will also reportedly recognize voices. Microsoft is also slated to introduce "Live Wall" in 2014, which is a projection unit that allows game environments to be projected almost 360 degrees around the gamer.
One peculiarity the Dual Pixels Alexander Maier notes is that the company is running into a number of hardware issues with developers not finishing games on time. However, according to a number of publications, including Bloomberg News, the console will launch in time for the 2013 holidays. Maier writes that this launch will be a "soft" launch with a major blowout coming in the following summer of 2014 to full establish the console in the market place.
Prices for the system are rumored at around $499 with Microsoft likely to offer a two to three year Pro subscription to Xbox Live that will drop the price down to around $300-$400. Among the known first party titles for the system are remakes of the original Halo Trilogy, Chief Samurai by Rare, Project Gotham Racing, Kinectimals 2, Rise, Carnival Park, and Fable 4.