Xbox 8 (Infinity) Set For 360 Replacement

This week a collection of domain names have been transferred from Chinese cybersquatter (not as dirty as it sounds) to Microsoft, one of them being not Xbox720, but Xbox8.com. This domain name could very well represent the 8th Xbox in the very distant future, but more likely it's got to do with either the infinity sign or the imminent release of Windows 8 – made ready and willing to work with the Xbox in a massive amount of ways, most of them involving content sharing.

Microsoft also picked up xboxcompanion.com, xboxlivetv.com, xboxphone.com, and xboxtabletcom. These names are for the most part more than likely being transferred as Microsoft owns the rights to the world "Xbox", but the 8 symbol appears much to indicative of the future to be coincidental. The Microsoft Xbox 720, as it's been called in the press thus far, will likely be released inside the year 2013 – it at least that's what we've been hypothesizing up until this point.

Now the possibility opens up that Microsoft will be accelerating their plans to release the next-generation Xbox to compete directly with the imminent Nintendo WiiU release. Though the original Wii has thus far tended to a slightly different audience than the Xbox and its most direct competition in the Playstation, the WiiU and it's Batman-touting gaming skills may well have triggered something in the minds of the engineers behind the Microsoft-backed box.

Have a peek at the timeline below to keep up to date with all things Xbox in the very recent past – stay tuned as Windows 8 continues to gain power before it's release as well – soon there will be a massive convergence of all things Microsoft!

[via Ingame]