Xbox 720 is Xbox Fusion suggests latest console chatter

Microsoft isn't far off announcing the first official details about its upcoming "Xbox 720" next-gen console, but according to the latest batch of whispers the gaming flagship will launch as the Xbox Fusion. Speculation about the official name Microsoft will give the Xbox 360 successor has circulated since shortly after the 360 itself arrived, with the current internal codename "Durango" and tongue-in-cheek "Xbox 720" expected to fall by the wayside in favor of a more distinctive brand.

Rumors about that brand have pointed to Xbox Infinity most recently, with what was tipped to be leaked promotional material from Microsoft indicating an infinity-sign style logo for the upcoming hardware. However, the fact that Microsoft does not own the "xboxinfinity.com" domain has led to doubts that it will be the eventual brand.

That's not the case for Xbox Infinity, however, as Fusible points out. Microsoft registered "xboxinfinity.com" all the way back in early 2004, the site points out, with the URL currently redirecting to Xbox.com.

In addition to the .com domain, Microsoft has also registered the .info, .biz, .de, .co.uk, and other variants of the XboxFusion URL. As for how the name might link with the leaked infinity symbol, there are arguments that the two interconnected loops could well be seen as elements fusing together.

Of course, it's too soon to say that Fusion will be Microsoft's choice of name, and it's worth noting that a quick glance through the company's trademark registrations shows it's missing from that list at present. Fusion, if indeed it ever gets used for a commercial product or service, could instead be to do with how Xbox, Windows, and Windows Phone devices play together, for instance; indeed, there's some speculation that Microsoft will go with the relatively simple "Xbox" as the name for the new console.

The first details will come on May 21, when Microsoft will hold an event on the Xbox campus to show the initial fruits of its endeavors.