14 DAY TRIAL // A tech news website has reported that a problem linked to AMD-produced processors is to blame for the fact that hardware maker and video game publisher Microsoft has not yet announced the next-generation Xbox 720 home console.
The site cites sources inside the company and says that Microsoft has decided to abandon the IMB chips that powered the current Xbox 360 in order to work with AMD on a new more powerful chip called Oban.
The chip is developed at a number of AMD and Microsoft centers, but it seems that the quality of the batches now being built is so low that the two companies have decided to work on Oban more before they make an official announcement for the Xbox 720.
The source has not said when the company wanted to launch its next home console, but after the chip delays it seems that Microsoft is now trying to settle on a September 2013 launch date.
In order to hit this date, Microsoft will need to begin manufacturing the Xbox 720 before February 2013.
The company has not made any comment on the rumor and it will probably respond with its traditional line of not commenting on speculation.
A problem with the AMD chipset might justify the lack of announcement from Microsoft, but it’s not clear why rival Sony has not seized the opportunity in order to announce its own PlayStation 4 and get a head start when it comes to the new console generation.
Rumors have recently suggested that both companies are now thinking about launching their new devices in 2014 rather than next year in order to make sure that they can satisfy all the demand.
Neither Sony nor Microsoft has offered any official info on their coming consoles, but rumors have suggested everything from complete digital distribution support to integration of motion tracking tech.