Kotaku's anonymous sources are reporting what could be a video game industry coup: according to the rumor, the next Xbox will finally adopt a Blu-ray disc drive, years after the company's HD-DVD plans fizzled out. Apparently, though, there's more to the new drive than simple playback of 50GB optical discs, because one of the sources also claims that the supposed "Xbox 720" will also "incorporate some sort of anti-used game system." Anything you hear about how that system might work is pure speculation, as that particular report ends there, but needless to say it's a controversial idea. Video game retailers have recently experimented with ways to deter used games sales, such as single-use vouchers for downloadable content, but Kotaku suggests this may be some sort of actual lockout restricting owners from playing used games if they weren't the first to purchase it.

The Kotaku report continues by introducing another single anonymous source who suggests a new version of the Kinect will ship with the new Xbox, including an "on-board processor" that was allegedly omitted from the first device. We're taking that with a grain of salt, because the last time we checked, the existing Kinect included a Marvell Armada SoC. Lastly, the publication says it's hearing that the console might have a smaller controller, too. Needless to say, Microsoft has refused to comment on any of the rumors. At this time, we also can't say definitively whether any of this is true: there are certainly good arguments to be made in either direction. We'll keep an ear out.