Xbox 720 Rumored to Have Touchscreen Controller
As far as rumors go, the suggestion that the new Xbox console will have a built-in touchscreen like the Wii U is one of the least substantiated, but we’re hearing it again. Last month, GameSpot was discussing the likelihood of the controller prototype and now Xbox World magazine is reporting from their sources that this decision is more than just conjecture.
The report in XBW suggests that the controller design is hoping to look more akin to a handheld, like the PS Vita, rather than a sizable tablet controller, like the Wii U. The report describes the design as “an HD screen surrounded by the traditional 360 buttons and sticks.”
That touchcreen will be second only to Kinect in how you operate your console. It could be a remote control when you’re watching TV, a browser when you’re on the internet, extra buttons and information when you’re playing a game or a portable display when you want to take your game with you.
Details from the report suggest that the new console will lean heavily on motion control, specifically citing “augmented reality, directional sound, and a four-player, finger-tracking Kinect.”
While we’re always hearing outlandish rumors about yet-to-even-be-announced consoles, the Wii-successor console with touch-screen controllers once known as Project Cafe seemed so ludicrous in screenshots and has now turned out to be almost exactly as imagined. Not to mention that the shapely button-style menu system seen in Windows 8 screenshots resembles modern smartphone designs, which almost exclusively use touchscreen technology.
Still, without even a leaked blueprint, proper announcement, or even blurry cellphone picture, it’s all just conjecture at this point. If it is true, it will certainly make responding to Xbox Live messages easier, I guess.
[Image via: CVG]
