There have been a lot of rumors about the next version of Microsoft's Xbox console. Officially, the company isn't saying anything about its plans for the next Xbox and they have also said it won't be talking about it at E3 2012 in June. However, a new rumor claims that Microsoft could be thinking of an interesting name for the next hardware iteration of the Xbox.
The fan site ThisisXbox.com, citing an unnamed source that recently worked at a "well known combined Publisher and Developer", claims that Microsoft is contemplating calling the next Xbox "XBOX 8." That name certainly would be in line with Microsoft's other big product launches for 2012; namely Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8.
The same story claims that Microsoft is working on an enhanced version of Xbox Live, code named "Infinity", that would handle downloads and apps for "XBOX 8", Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. Microsoft has already announced that Xbox Live will be integrated into Windows 8 when it launches later this year but details about that integration have yet to be announced.
Finally, this same story claims that Microsoft is working on having some kind of backwards compatibility feature for "Xbox 8" for Xbox 360 games, under the code name "Xbox Loop".
None of this is official, so take it with a huge grain of salt. However, Microsoft has admitted that it is making an effort to link many of its products together, especially with its Metro interface, so this rumor isn't outside the realm of possibility.
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