The next Xbox console — Durango, or Xbox 720, depending on who you talk to — probably won’t hit retail shelves until the end of 2013, but that hasn’t stopped people from speculating wildly about the magical delights the machine will deliver upon its release. Adding fuel to the fire is Microsoft’s recent acquisition of several domain names from a Chinese cybersquatter, all of which have a common thread: Xbox 8.
What is the Xbox 8, you ask? One theory suggests the number 8 could be a way to tie the Xbox into Windows 8, effectively bringing these products into the same realm. Others claim that you could easily flip that 8 onto its side and transform it into an infinity symbol. The result: Xbox Infinity. Again, none of this has been confirmed with Microsoft.
When gaming site Kotaku reached out to the company for more information regarding the mysterious Xbox 8, they were given a fairly standard corporate response. “Microsoft often acquires various domain names as part of its ongoing business strategy, but beyond that we have no comment,” they said.
All of this domain hoopla comes just a handful of weeks after “secret documents” regarding a new Microsoft console called the Xbox 720 were leaked online. The system, in addition to being at least six times more powerful than the current incarnation, was rumored to come packaged with a pair of virtual glasses. Of course, people remain skeptical about the authenticity of said documents, so any information gleaned from this supposed leak should be taken with a grain of salt.
Strangely, despite being the proud owner of both Xbox8.org and Xbox8.us, the company has yet to obtain Xbox8.com.
Personally, I love reading tweets from people who spend a remarkable amount of time speculating wildly about what all of this really means. The best place to enjoy such trivial entertainment is Twitter. You can find some theories about Xbox 8 embedded below.
Image provided courtesy of Geeky Tattoos
Hey People, I doubt the new console is called Xbox 8. I bet it’s called Xbox Infinity, and they are securing Xbox8 sites for the symbolism.
The Xbox 8 just made it a whole lot easier for Xbox h8rs to make fun of it.
So the new Xbox 720 is to be called Xbox 8. I thought that sounded a bit odd but when you consider Windows 8 and WP8. It makes sense.