Microsoft developing two next-gen Xbox 720 consoles

Microsoft could be preparing two gaming consoles to replace the current-generation Xbox 360, according to industry sources. It is believed that the new consoles could arrive sometime in 2013 which would give Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) ample time to test and refine their 28nm manufacturing process.

Redmond is said to be developing an entry-level system as well as a true next-generation hardcore gaming console. Multiple consoles aren't a new idea as Microsoft sells the 360 at multiple price ranges but the differences typically are minimal: various capacity hard drives, limited edition offerings and game and accessory bundles.

The lower-end model will come at a very low price point and positioned much like a set-top box. The report says this unit will target streaming media services like Netflix and cater to more casual gamers, described as a Kinect-themed portal.

The mainstream Xbox would be a true upgrade in every sense for hardcore gamers, featuring an optical drive, hard drive storage and backwards-compatibility with existing 360 games. Such a system would carry a premium over the entry-level model, with price and graphics performance reflective of it.

It is also believed that Kinect will receive a substantial upgrade, perhaps in line with what Microsoft is planning to do with the Windows version sometime next year.

We could see hard evidence of the next-gen console as early as January at CES. Rumors suggest the 720 could contain a six-core CPU, AMD graphics and 2GB of DDR3 memory.

AMD launches two more sub-$100 Radeons, 6670 and 6570

AMD has rounded out the lower end of its Radeon HD 6000 series today with the launch of two new sub-$100 cards: the Radeon HD 6670 and HD 6570. These two models complement the $55 Radeon HD 6450 that came out earlier this month, and like the rest of the 6000 series they support DirectX 11, UVD3 accelerated video decoding, stereoscopic 3D, and Eyefinity multi-display technology -- with the Radeon HD 6670 supporting up to four-display configurations.

Priced at $99 and $79 respectively, the Radeon HD 6670 and HD 6570 are positioned at very attractive price points, and are intended to succeed the current HD 5670 and HD 5570 graphics cards. The Turks GPU found in the Radeon HD 6670 is clocked at 800MHz while in the HD 6570 it will be running at a more modest 650MHz, with both offering 480 stream processing cores, 24 texture units, 8 ROPs, and a 128-bit memory bus.


In terms of performance both the Radeon HD 6670 and Radeon HD 6570 are up around 10-15% over the Radeon HD 5670 and Radeon HD 5570 they are replacing. They also offer better overall performance than the Nvidia GeForce GTS 240 / 440 they are going up against, but with stocks of previous-generation cards still plentiful and many manufacturers running promos, you'll be able to find much better performing cards for the same or even less money -- like the Radeon HD 5770 and GeForce GTS 450, which are both regularly on sale for under $100.

At least until their launch prices inevitably go down, the real value of these cards is found not in the performance but in their low-power requirements and ability to support multi-monitor configurations. The 6570 has a TDP of 44 watts and uses only 10 watts when idle, while the 6670's TDP is 66 watts and consumes 12 watts while idling. Both cards feature a low profile design and neither of them requires an external power source.