A recent article in the The Verge by Tom Warren has claimed that Microsoft is secretly developing a 7-inch gaming tablet called an “Xbox Surface.” The author of the report has stated that “multiple sources familiar with plans within Redmond,” are the ones providing the information about the new gaming device currently being developed by the maker of the Xbox.
The rumored device is supposed to be both a console and a tablet and may push gaming into a new direction. The report also gives some specifications about the device such as the possibility of it being powered by an ARM processor with “high-bandwidth RAM designed specifically for gaming tasks,” along with a Windows kernel. However, Microsoft may be taking a page from Nintendo’s playbook and their Wii U Gamepad. The new device from the Japanese company is a game console controller and tablet hybrid which will be released soon.
Microsoft is also keeping a lid on production and report states that “Microsoft has developed a secret hardware production process for its Surface tablets that is separated from partners that traditionally manufacturer the company’s Xbox console. We’re told that the Xbox Surface will likely be manufactured in the same factory, but that any future “Xbox 720” console will be manufactured in mass quantities by companies like Pegatron or Foxconn.”
There is also evidence that the device is also getting some development time at Microsoft’s Silicon Valley offices. The article goes on to say that, “The software giant recently locked down several Xbox-related buildings, limiting employee access to the company’s Interactive Entertainment Business division. The lock down is likely related to Microsoft’s increased testing of the tablet, providing a way for other parts of the Xbox team to build games and software for the device.”
The Xbox Surface has brought up a lot of questions and very few answers. Gamers will just have to wait and see if the rumors are true and if the Microsoft product makes it into the main stream sometime soon.
Source: MIT Technology Review
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