Xbox 720 Rumors: Console to Require Every Game to Be Installed

By Vincent Funaro, Christian Post Reporter Friday, March 22, 2013

The Xbox 720 will require users to install each and every game they purchase directly onto the console's hard drive.

Vgleaks posted a number of screenshots today that show different information that is found in the "Durango" Xbox development kit. "Durango" appears to be a codename for the next-generation Microsoft gaming console, which is also rumored to be called the Xbox 720.

The screenshots were verified by IGN.com to be accurate and confirm a number of features of the console, including a high-fidelity Kinect sensor and huge trouble for used game purchasers.

"Every Durango console will have a hard drive, although its exact capacity has not been chosen," reads the help documentation for the Durango XDK. "It will be large enough, however, to hold a large number of games. All games will be installed on the hard drive. Play from the optical disc will not be supported."

The screenshots even reveal that each game will be distributed on a Blu-ray disc, however, each disc will only be used to install data, and will not be needed during actual gameplay.

The fact that this new Microsoft system will not require physical games for playing could either spell big trouble for retailers such as Game Stop or for Microsoft themselves. This strategy will be really effective if Sony adopts the same one by making the user have to purchase a game brand new in order to play it.

However, if Sony still allows the same game to be used on multiple systems, it will naturally be more appealing to gamers since they would still be able to purchase used games at low prices.

Nintendo's Wii U still follows the old ways where users buy a game and can use it on as many different systems as they'd like.