Xbox 720 Enters Beta; New Dev Kits Being Shipped

A while back we reported on a new code-name for the upcoming Xbox 720 console from Microsoft. Like we told you in that article, this usually represents a shift in the production cycle and today we have our first indications that this has indeed taken place.

Early Xbox 720 developer units (known as Durango/ Alpha test units) have been sent back to Microsoft by game developers. Microsoft in return is begging to ship the beta version of their console now. Which brings us one step closer to release. While hardware can drastically change from Alpha version to Beta versions, it will be remarkably close to the final product during the beta testing stage.

The new console code-name is now Kryptos, and features the Kinect 2.0 technology for the first time. SuperDAE who previously posted a Kinect 2.0 interface leak, is the source for this information as well during an exchange on Twitter. The Tweets have since been deleted, but an image grab of the conversation can be viewed here – courtesy of a member of the NeoGAF forums.

The Xbox 720 kits are rumored to house a Blu-Ray drive, up to 8GB of RAM, an internal hard drive, along with Kinect 2.0 technology and AMD CPU/GPU offerings. The next generation Xbox device is rumored to be shown at E3 2013 and will go on sale in the fall of 2013.