Rumor: Xbox 720 may have Windows 8 interface

The pictures you’ve been looking at of Windows 8 may end up looking like the picture you’re soon to see of the next Xbox.

A recent Cnet article discusses the potentiality of bringing the new and wildly different Windows user interface to the Xbox 720. We’ve heard a lot of scuttlebutt about the next iteration of the Microsoft gaming console, which doesn’t have an official name yet, but nothing has been mentioned when it comes to the interface.

Bringing a form of Windows 8 to the Xbox brand would make perfect sense and would fit into Microsoft’s goal of integrating all of its products and services into one unified look and feel. It’s already obvious that Windows 8 is taking a page from Windows Phone, so those two platforms will function similarly, and integration between the two will be deep.

Microsoft is likewise already fully integration Xbox Live with Windows Phone, and the idea of connecting PCs to the gaming service is a question of when, not if. The company is also tying together all of its online and social services to one central “Microsoft” account, which will replace the old Windows Live moniker.

This is a trend that is happening not just at Microsoft but throughout the industry as well. Consumers want to connect their phones to their computers, they want to access computer content on their TVs, and they want to connect with their game consoles while they’re commuting or at the office or any place they have some free time.

So will Windows 8 make an appearance on the next Xbox? It wouldn’t surprise us.