Xbox Mini Brings Xbox 720 Backwards Compatibility And TV

The Xbox Mini rumors say the Xbox 720 add-on will bring Xbox 360 backwards compatibility and standalone TV functions to the Xbox 720.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the Xbox Mini also addresses the Xbox 720 always online rumor.

The Xbox Mini, codenamed “Stingray,” would be pretty much a Xbox TV intended to compete with the Apple TV. The Xbox Mini is described as a passthrough device between a cable or satellite box and a television, which is along the lines of current Google TV set-top boxes.

The $150 price tag for the Xbox Mini will give you a smaller, stripped down Xbox unit intended to access the Xbox Live platform’s entertainment apps and play downloaded games. The pricing of the Xbox 720 is also said to be dependent upon Sony’s final pricing for the PlayStation 4.

The Xbox Mini would not be backwards compatible with the Xbox 360 since it won’t have a disc drive at all and games would reside on the hard drive. But it’ll still have Xbox 360 compatible hardware. In essence, this is Microsoft’s response to the Playstation 4’s On Demand games provided via Gaikai technology.

Interestingly enough, Xbox 720 backwards compatibility with Xbox 360 games is also addressed. Backwards compatibility “will come fromthe other unit [Xbox Mini] that will be networked with the Durango to provide this(not unlike the DVD add-on for the original Xbox). … You can control the Xbox Mini under a single interface and not have to worry about switching between devices in a single display input.”

It’s claimed that if you put a Xbox 360 disc into Xbox 720 the console will prompt the user to attach the Xbox Mini that is sold separately. Of course, while the Xbox 720 backwards compatibility issues have been answered, now gamers can be angry that they have to buy a Xbox Mini for their Xbox 720 in order to enjoy backwards compatibility.

What do you think about the Xbox Mini being required for some Xbox 720 functionality?