14 DAY TRIAL // The Xbox 720 reports kept on appearing this week, with a pretty massive manifest leaking on the web with details about the actual console, which apparently includes an Xbox 360 chip for backwards compatibility, its Kinect 2.0 sensor, which eliminates input lag, or its controller, which has a longer battery life.
The most important subject, however, was the fact that the Xbox 720 will be powered by a version of Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system, only it won't have the actual desktop environment that's seen on PCs.
This could have huge ramifications for Microsoft's next-generation console and might even turn into a winning bet for the company.
The report mentioned, besides the fact that Windows 8 powered the device, that the Xbox 720 would be able to play most of the games and applications found on the current App Store, provided they can be used with a controller.
This means that the Xbox 720 on its first day will have a huge lineup of available games. You can bet that games made specifically for the console will look much better and are able to use the full power of the console, but you can't deny that hundreds if not thousands of potential games and apps for a new device sounds very appealing.
What's more, the Windows 8 App Store support will open the console to independent developers who often complain about Microsoft's harsh restrictions on any indie game that appears on the Xbox Live Arcade.
Sure, there will be plenty of developers who will reject Windows 8 on principle, like Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson, but paying a small license fee to be allowed to make a game for the PC as well as the Xbox 720 will sound very appealing to many independent teams.
In the end, however, this is still a rumor so it's unclear whether Windows 8 is actually going to power the Xbox 720. Fans will just have to wait until next month when Microsoft is reported to reveal the console.