The Next Xbox Console Will Reportedly Make The Kinect Mandatory

There's no set release date for Microsoft's Xbox 720, but there are a lot of new rumors out about it.

The most recent come from Kotaku which published an extensive report revealing a goldmine of details on the new console being developed under the codename, Durango.

Among the biggest claims is that the console will only be released in one installment with 500 GB of storage. That's double the Xbox 360 Elite's 250GB storage.

The system will also require it's motion detector sensing Kinect technology in order to function. Kotaku reports you won't need to buy the Kinect separately as it will ship with the new console.

Highlights of the Xbox's future console include:

• The Kinect will be able to track up to six players at the same time in place of two.
• Players will be to offer Siri-like voice commands to the game console through the Kinect.
• With 500GB of storage, players will be able to install games from discs meaning fewer load time.
• Multi-tasking. Users will be able to run multiple apps at once, meaning players will be able to go fluidly from one game to another with a quick pause.

You can read Kotaku's complete report HERE.

Now, if one version of the console will be released, then there has to be a standard price.

Rumors last month pegged the new Xbox at between $350 and $400.

If the gaming console also comes with the Kinect, the system will most likely steer toward the higher end of the spectrum if not more.

A 250GB standalone Xbox 360 console currently sells for $299.

The Kinect by itself is available for $90 right now, while a 4GB Xbox 360 with Kinect will costs $299.

Yesterday, Microsoft released stats revealing they have sold more than 76 million Xbox consoles and 24 million Kinect sensors.

We wouldn't even be surprised to see the new Xbox with a price tag close to $500.

However, consumers begin to get wary when prices get above the $400 range.

Microsoft's most expensive version of its gaming console—the Xbox 360 Elite with 120GB was originally released in April 2007 at $479 before quickly dropping to $449.

When the PlayStation 3 debuted in November 2006 with a built in Blu-Ray, two console versions with differing storage were released at $499 and $599.

As a result, many consumers were turned off by the high price point of the system especially when both the xBox 360 and Wii were available for $299 and $249 respectively.

The Wii-U, which debuted in November of last year, is the most affordable gaming console, with a basic set available for $299.99 (8gb storage) and a deluxe set with 32 gb of storage retailing at $349.99.