First Xbox 720 'Devkit' leaked details: 8 Core Intel CPU, Nvidia GPU and 8-12GB RAM?

[garyopa]

'The Curious Case of the Durango Leak'



Eurogamer has posted photos of an alleged devkit of the next Xbox, codenamed 'Durango', detailing its features. According to its sources, they are pretty much real...

Gaming website Eurogamer has posted an article called 'The Curious Case of the Durango Devkit Leak' in which they show shots of a prototype next-gen Microsoft devkit hardware.

It looks like, a few months ago, a guy was claiming to sell a 'Durango' devkit. Well, turns out it was real (according to them).

Here's a little background:

It's one of the most bizarre next-gen console leaks yet - a story so strange we still struggle to believe there's any true to it whatsoever. When a Microsoft Durango devkit appeared on an obscure developer forum - for sale at $10,000 no less - nobody quite knew for certain what on earth was going on. The shots depict an anonymous-looking PC tower case, attached to a cheap display and running Matrix-style datastream graphics over an unconvincing debug launcher. The obvious conclusion drawn by many was that it was an unambiguous fake. Intrigued, Digital Foundry reached out to the source of the leak, and followed up the story with multiple developers working on next-gen projects. The uniform response was startling: apparently, these shots are the real deal.

Well, then they go into 'detail' with it. Apparently, the devkit contains a 8 Core Intel CPU, a Nvidia GPU and 8 to 12GB of RAM...

DaE reckons that the current devkits were dispatched to studios in February, and feature Intel CPUs and a graphics card that carries the NVIDIA brand - but he doesn't identify either part more specifically.

He also claims that the Durango kit features more than 8GB of memory (other sources have suggested 12GB), and that it is 64-bit in nature - at this point it's worth bearing in mind that dev hardware typically features double the RAM of retail kit in order to accommodate debugging tools and other systems.

DaE also says that Microsoft is targeting an eight-core CPU for the final retail hardware - if true, this must surely be based around Atom architecture to fit inside the thermal envelope. The hardware configuration seems difficult to believe as it is so divorced from the technological make-up of the current Xbox 360, and we could find no corroborative sources to establish the Intel/NVIDIA hook-up, let alone the eight-core CPU.

However, another source, speaking in the wake of the Durango developer meet-up that took place in London just before GDC this year, corroborates that the system is 64-bit in nature, adding that current DirectX 11 engines developed on PC can be ported to 64-bit and that they will run with no problem on Microsoft's new console. The platform holder achieved immense success by basing the Xbox 360 workflow closely on existing PC development tools and the DirectX API and it looks as though it aims to continue that recipe for success with its next-gen offering.

In an effort to prove the authenticity of his devkit leak, DaE also leaked a screenshot of Microsoft's Visual Studio coding tool, apparently set-up for Durango. None of the developers we spoke to disputed what they were seeing. "As an aside it's got my favourite MS return code in there: ERROR_SUCCESS," chuckled one source.

The presence on this screen of the "immintrin" element strongly suggests that the Durango coding environment is built around x86 CPU architecture, supporting the AVX (advanced vector extensions) instruction set that was added in last year's Sandy Bridge revision. However, AVX is now supported on some of the most recent AMD processors too.

Of course, this anonymous-looking PC box is not the machine Microsoft will be selling at retail next year - it's alpha kit, assembled from existing parts to best emulate the hardware configuration of the console and actual silicon will be in the closing phases of development as we speak. In a world where games typically take two years or more to develop, these units are lashed together to give game-makers a headstart in the absence of final hardware - Xbox 360 alpha kits were little more than PowerMacs with ATI graphics cards installed, and were still being used to demo code as late as E3 2005, mere months before the retail launch.

It's the mooted choice of hardware partners that is perhaps the most surprising element of this new twist in the Durango story, and the most crucial element that we could not double-source. Microsoft negotiated poor licensing deals with Intel and NVIDIA on the original Xbox that made the console uneconomical to produce in later years - thought to be one of the major reasons that the platform holder shifted to IBM for the 360's Xenon CPU and ATI (subsequently bought by AMD) for the Xenos graphics core. Unarguably, it is this graphics core that gave Microsoft its advantage over the PlayStation 3 in multi-platform games, and a shift back to NVIDIA would not only be surprising, but it would also outright contradict most of the rumours that have emerged about Durango to date.

At the very least, the x86 nature of the leaked Visual Studio shot is intriguing - in combination with the AMD rumours swirling around PlayStation 4, there's the very strong suggestion that the era of custom console hardware is now very much a thing of the past. Licensing revised versions of existing architecture - exactly as Sony did with PlayStation Vita - appears to be the most efficient way of getting the most powerful consoles without breaking the bank in terms of R&D. In a world where many blame consoles for the decline in PC gaming, it would be richly ironic if the next-gen platforms from Microsoft and Sony were based almost exclusively on PC technology...

And, here are the pics:











Keep in mind that -as the article stated- that's an early alpha kit, so it won't necessarily reflect the final specs (and, of course, devkits usually have a lot more RAM than the console itself). Also, there's still time left for those to change.

The next XBOX is expected to arrive late next year.

Check out the full article at the link below!

NEWS SOURCE: Digitalfoundry The Curious Case of the Durango devkit leak (via) EuroGamer

Our thanks to 'Gauss' for this news item!

[Diztructor]

yea right of course it is, all i can say is this guy is a total geek and needs to get a life, i mean whats with the matrix code running on his home pc AHEM 720 Dev Kit.

also his code WTF just looks like hes basically copied files found either on a 360 or PC game.

also noted that the MS logo is nowhere to be seen on this home pc AHEM 720 dev kit.

so dude seriously, you need to get a life.

[Signa]

I'm really skeptical about this being anything close to the final specs. I mean, it would be cool, but "Five Hundred Ninety Nine US Dollars" is going to be cheap compared to this machine. Obviously, MS didn't learn from their competitor's mistakes.

On the other hand, if it is true, it would be nice to see a movement to 64-bit computing and DX11. Both are becoming quite main-stream on the PC front, and it's a shame how games developed for consoles are holding them back. I just wonder what this means for the Wii U, if it's going to be that far outclassed.

[Diztructor]

I just wonder what this means for the Wii U, if it's going to be that far outclassed.

if these specs are anything close to what the actual console will be, well what will it mean for the wii u, exactly the same that happend with the wii, left behind.

wii u gamers (aka fanboys) will love playing the same games (ported) we have already played on our last gen systems, while we will be playing games that thanks (if true) these resources will be capable of running game engines the wii u could only dream of.

[trancehead]

Unfortunatly for microsoft and sony, it will probably mean wii-u will gather the most sales again, due to the fact that they are selling yesterdays tech, which means they will be charging considerably less than the competition, people like paying less, thats why iphone and android games sell so much, they are in no way better, just cheaper.
even though i buy all systems, i mainly play the one, at the moment its PS3, but with my rights fluttering away, i can see myself making the switch to microsoft next gen.

[Diztructor]

Unfortunatly for microsoft and sony, it will probably mean wii-u will gather the most sales again, due to the fact that they are selling yesterdays tech, which means they will be charging considerably less than the competition, people like paying less, thats why iphone and android games sell so much, they are in no way better, just cheaper.
even though i buy all systems, i mainly play the one, at the moment its PS3, but with my rights fluttering away, i can see myself making the switch to microsoft next gen.

your rights?? you do know that both MS and Nintendo share the same thing when it comes to hacks, only difference is, you dont see people b1tching like you and others, because MS nor Nintendo have done anything to prevent hackers, all they do is create patches/updates to block, but hackers then find a new way.

sony may have seen the same i as do and figured, do you play cat and mouse or do you take action putting a stop, which has, no hackers have released a new CFW above 3.55, theyve remained on the already hacked FW and found work arrounds to get some 3.55+ games to run.

it shows already that hackers are finding ways to keep piracy going on the PS3, if sony did nothing then theyd be no restriction, every game will be available to pirates, those that cant see piracy as a bad thing for business either has their heads so far up their ar5es or cant accept that they pirate themselves (and basically b1tch because they cant play a game unless its hacked).

but sure nintendo release old spec systems add a BS fad controller (to make it sound something great) but thats kinda boring now, nintendo just keep showing how cheap they are, i remember when nintendo used to fight to be the best system on the market.

now they dont care, they release cheap systems which will bring high profits, add BS controllers, wont include chargers with the XL and force gamers to pay more.

sorry but nintendo already annoyed me with the GC then the WII and the 3DS lacking games i want to play, so i now hate nintendo and will rather stick with MS/SONY because they offer far better games i want to play (and offer option BS controllers)

[Ahmed_p800]

if these specs are anything close to what the actual console will be, well what will it mean for the wii u, exactly the same that happend with the wii, left behind.

wii u gamers (aka fanboys) will love playing the same games (ported) we have already played on our last gen systems, while we will be playing games that thanks (if true) these resources will be capable of running game engines the wii u could only dream of.

I like Nintendo product and planning to get a WiiU ... so according to your logic im a fanboy?

[billysastard]

I like Nintendo product and planning to get a WiiU ... so according to your logic im a fanboy?

of course you are, how dare you plan on buying new games hardware when it comes out

wii u gamers (aka fanboys) will love playing the same games (ported) we have already played on our last gen systems,

i guess he hast noticed that his precious sony is about to release a rehash of a rehash with its new god of war hd game, you get the god of war hd collection 1 (ps2 games) + the god of war hd collection 2 (psp games) + god of war 3 on the disc so thats 4 games getting their 3rd retail rehash and one getting its second rehash except they arent even pretending to have changed anything, compare that to nsmb2 on the 3ds, 6 years between them.

[Diztructor]

I like Nintendo product and planning to get a WiiU ... so according to your logic im a fanboy?

guess maybe if you missed the point, i never said those who will buy a wii u is a fanboy, but those that go arround still insisting nintendo are the best when theyre simply cheap ar5es, releasing old spec systems that are out of date and a whole generation behind.

nintendo used to allways be the best system, but then came the PSX which was more popular, devs moved more towards SONY and offered games nintendo allways miss, then came XBOX and well what can i say both the PS2/XBOX had the perfect gaming audience, it covered all ages, while nintendo with the GC (and since then) has mainly focused on children games with the occasional multi platform game.

all im saying is that nintendo dont even bother anymore, all they care about is how to make a cheap to produce system sell like sh1t off a stick which PRINTS MONEY for them, if they actually cared about gaming, then why is it theyre a generation behind.

would you be happy buying a PS4 to buy PS3 games ported just to use a iFAD clone controller... like feck you would, i can bet 99.9% of one person that would also dislike this, i know i wouldnt and if i was to say i was, id even call myself a PS4 fanboy.

[mattias800]

I think this is legit.
The only reason to get a Wii U will be Nintendo games. And perhaps backward compatibility if thats important to you.
But on the other hand, that was the reason I got the Wii And the (back then) new motion gaming experience.

[JonathanD]

Dev machines almost never even resemble the specs of the console they code for. The dev kit for the 360 consisted of a G5 Mac.

[trancehead]

your rights?? you do know that both MS and Nintendo share the same thing when it comes to hacks, only difference is, you dont see people b1tching like you and others, because MS nor Nintendo have done anything to prevent hackers, all they do is create patches/updates to block, but hackers then find a new way.

sony may have seen the same i as do and figured, do you play cat and mouse or do you take action putting a stop, which has, no hackers have released a new CFW above 3.55, theyve remained on the already hacked FW and found work arrounds to get some 3.55+ games to run.

it shows already that hackers are finding ways to keep piracy going on the PS3, if sony did nothing then theyd be no restriction, every game will be available to pirates, those that cant see piracy as a bad thing for business either has their heads so far up their ar5es or cant accept that they pirate themselves (and basically b1tch because they cant play a game unless its hacked).

but sure nintendo release old spec systems add a BS fad controller (to make it sound something great) but thats kinda boring now, nintendo just keep showing how cheap they are, i remember when nintendo used to fight to be the best system on the market.

now they dont care, they release cheap systems which will bring high profits, add BS controllers, wont include chargers with the XL and force gamers to pay more.

sorry but nintendo already annoyed me with the GC then the WII and the 3DS lacking games i want to play, so i now hate nintendo and will rather stick with MS/SONY because they offer far better games i want to play (and offer option BS controllers)

here you go again, all i am talking about is end user ownership.
if i'm only renting my console off them, they can charge me alot less, i paid $999 for my australian launch console, so i dont care what sony say, i fucken own it.
i have no hacks, piracy or anything on my launch console, its completely unmodded.
i have another later model ps3 which is at 3.15 and fitted with a glitch switch + i have a psgroove teensy++ made up for it (havent added any homebrew software yet) and yet, i still have no pirated titles....NONE...NADA.
i have 6 PSPs, all hacked and have pirated games for it, bought the ones i like, play around with a bit homebrew. you know what, if i hadnt of pirated PSP games, i would not have bought quite a few titles, one of which i cant get enough of (Every Extend Extra)
the most pirated consoles also have the highest selling (notice that word SELLING) games.
dont be a puppet your whole life and have a LOOK yourself instead of spouting that crap that you inevitably spout everytime someone brings up sony and rights in the same sentence.

[Battlefield]

When i read Xbox and NVIDIA in the same sentence, i knew it had to be fake.

As for NVIDIA...Microsoft wants to make money, so the new Xbox will not use NVIDIA. Don't most of us know that MS already tried this combo one time? NVIDIA is too greedy, so MS have to use something else if they dont want to be forced to have the most expensive console even when not needed to be.

As someone else said.. dev kits do never use the same hardware as the console anyway.

[mattias800]

When i read Xbox and NVIDIA in the same sentence, i knew it had to be fake.

As for NVIDIA...Microsoft wants to make money, so the new Xbox will not use NVIDIA. Don't most of us know that MS already tried this combo one time? NVIDIA is too greedy, so MS have to use something else if they dont want to be forced to have the most expensive console even when not needed to be.

As someone else said.. dev kits do never use the same hardware as the console anyway.

They had a bit of a disagreement back on the Xbox 1, that doesn't mean they wont use NVIDIA this time.
Apple has switched back and forth, and so have many others.

There is absolutely no way for us to know that they wont use NVIDIA. Not without some insider information.
And given this leak, I'd say its quite probably that they will use NVIDIA.

[Battlefield]

They had a bit of a disagreement back on the Xbox 1, that doesn't mean they wont use NVIDIA this time.
Apple has switched back and forth, and so have many others.

There is absolutely no way for us to know that they wont use NVIDIA. Not without some insider information.
And given this leak, I'd say its quite probably that they will use NVIDIA.

I dont believe that before its confirmed.

ATI is more flexible on pricing than NVIDIA, but also cheaper compared to what you get for the bucks.
The industry is run by money these days, because failure is too expensive.
If you put in expensive hardware from a expensive company in a price sensitive market, you are fucked when competitors lowers their prices.