Next Xbox 720 Images Covered In Stripes
The next Xbox 720 images have been covered in stripes.
Unlike Sony, Microsoft isn’t so willing to let its next-generation images be leaked so easily. Game developers have already had the “Next Xbox” systems and controllers for about a month now, and they’re covered in black and white stripes.
The “Next Xbox” AKA Durango, is apparently being set up from the get-go to avoid anyone stealing its design. Zebra-like stripes cover the console, the controller, and the now-mandatory Kinect sensor.
Yes, the Kinect is now mandatory for the next Xbox 720, but that’s beside the point.
What gamers want to know is why the next Xbox 720 is decked out like a zebra. It doesn’t seem to make much sense, but Stephen Totilo of Kotaku offered suggestions as to what it may be about.
Microsoft may have done it to discourage leaked images. When Sony leaked images to various sources, the controllers were black and hard to trace. The Durango has already had information leaked, and Microsoft wants to put an end to it. Much like the PlayStation 4, the “Next Xbox” is expected to launch toward the end of this year or the beginning of 2014, and too much information too soon can lead to counterfeiters profiting on naïve gamers who honestly think they’re getting the real thing. This is speculation, of course.
In World War I, British ships were painted with stripes to confuse onlookers. The stripes apparently made it harder to determine the speed and size of the ship, or identify certain aspects of the vessel. Similarly, Microsoft may be attempting to keep certain aspects of the system from being identified before it decides to do so itself. The stripes on the “next Xbox” may also make it harder for a camera’s auto-focus to get a clear image.
Nobody but Microsoft really knows why their developer equipment is covered in stripes.
What are your thoughts on the next Xbox 720 being covered in stripes?
The next Xbox’s controller, Kinect & dev console are covered in stripes, either to stymie leakers or baffle observers bit.ly/16jttFt
— Kotaku (@Kotaku) April 2, 2013
