The next-generation Xbox may not only be accompanied by a new and improved Kinect, but may actually require the sensor to function. Kotaku has published an exhaustive report about Microsoft's forthcoming console, lending credence to many prior rumors about the system's performance and features, but revealing new information about how the system may interact with Kinect, as well as its capacity for running multiple simultaneous games and apps.

According to the site's source, SuperDaE, who you might remember as the source of PlayStation 4 devkit rumors last month and attempting to sell a Durango devkit on eBay last year , every Xbox 720 will ship with the next-generation Kinect and will require the sensor to be connected in order to function. The company is apparently building Kinect functionality into the framework of the system, using the sensor to identify players and even accept Siri-like voice commands . This marks a bold new push for Kinect integration, which has been slow-growing for the Xbox 360. As we've heard in the past, Kotaku says that the emphasis on Kinect will come paired with substantial performance improvements, with the sensor capable of tracking six simultaneous players and detecting even the smallest of gestures and facial expressions.SuperDaE has also revealed information about how the system stores and installs games. Unlike the Xbox 360, the next Xbox will ship in only one configuration with 500GB of storage, allowing players to install games from discs. Using its powerful new internals, the Xbox 720 will be capable of installing games as you play them, limiting lengthy load times.Finally, the source claims that the new hardware will support multitasking. The system will make use of "suspend" and "constrained" states to run multiple games at once, making it possible to pause one game and launch another. The same goes for apps, such as social networking tools and video software, which currently require fully closing down another program.It remains unclear when Microsoft will reveal the system publicly, but with Sony's own next-gen system debut just over a week away, we can't help but think it's coming soon. In the meantime, check out our roundup of all of the big next-gen Xbox rumors in the Xbox 720 wiki.

Scott Lowe is IGN's resident tech expert and Executive Editor of IGN Tech. You can follow him on Twitter at @ScottLowe and on MyIGN at Scott-IGN