DURANGO, Infinity, 720, whatever the name, it seems clear Microsoft will launch the next generation Xbox console on Wednesday.
It's been nearly eight years since the Xbox 360 was launched and while it's had its ups and downs, there can be no doubt it's one of the most successful game consoles of all time.
Microsoft has remained tight lipped on the mere existence of a new console and, despite the fact Sony announced the PlayStation 4 almost three months ago, have appeared to be in no rush to fill the void.
But the internet deplores a vacuum and has served up a seemingly endless supply of rumours and apparent leaks for people to argue about on forums.
What's in a name?
It's been widely known the next generation Xbox goes by the code name Durango. However, this will almost certainly not be the name they go with at launch. There have been a few different rumours going around like the Xbox 720, Xbox Infinity and even a reboot to just plain Xbox.
Under the Hood.
There have been a number of reported leaks of hardware specification for the new Xbox with most pointing to a 64bit system with 1.6Ghz across eight cores and somewhere around eight GBs of RAM. That's quite a step up from the 360's 3.2Ghz across three cores and mere 512 MBs of Ram.
The new console will almost certainly have built in WiFi, USB 3.0 ports, a BlueRay drive, large internal hard disk, digital audio and HDMI outputs. A second generation of the Kinect motion sensor is reported to be included with every console with some claiming it won't function unless the sensor is connected.
Over the course of its life the Xbox 360 has evolved from a games console to a family entertainment hub. You can rent movies, access social media, download music and surf the web without ever having to play a game or touch a controller.
One interesting rumour highlighting this move away from a solely games-focused machine is that the console will feature an HDMI Input.
This would allow users to plug a set-top-box into the console, giving access free-to-air or pay-tv services without ever having to leave the Xbox experience. Couple that with Kinect functionality and all of a sudden you can turn any TV into a voice and gesture activated smart TV.
Always online?
Rumours abound the next gen Xbox will require a permanent internet connection to work. Requiring a constant connection is one way to prevent piracy and has been tried by other game developers to the great annoyance of many. But it's not clear whether this is the reason the next Xbox will require a constant connection, if it requires one at all.
What will it look like?
Microsoft have gone to great lengths to protect prototype units and as such what the next gen console or its controllers look like is still a mystery. Kotaku have reported the prototype consoles sent to developers are covered in black and white stripes, a type of dazzle camouflage, obscuring the true appearance and making it difficult to photograph.
The Xbox 360 has been one of Microsoft's most successful products of the last decade with more 77 million units sold worldwide. They're big shoes to fill and next week the world will finally have the answers to settle those gamer forum arguments.
