Rumors of what gamers should expect from the next-generation Xbox 720 have been popping up a lot recently, and from what I took from it all, it appears Microsoft's next console is going to be the next big thing ahead of the PS4.

Both the Xbox 720 and PS4 are similar where hardware specifications are concerned, according to rumors. This means there won't be a clear advantage on that front and will all come down to which console has the best games and services to get the hardcore gamers and causal gamers excited. No doubt both consoles will have some great games, but the Xbox 720 will set itself apart from the competition in the arena of services.

The rumored specs have the PS4 as 50 percent more powerful than the Xbox 720. The PS4 packs an AMD x86 3.2GHz APU Solution with 4 cores, whereas some rumors are claiming 8 cores. The Xbox 720, on the other hand, packs an AMD x86 Jaguar 1.6GHZ 8-core processor, and a single core is dedicated for OS-based tasks.

The most important aspect of the specs is the amount of RAM the Xbox 720 and PS4 are expected to have and what they will be used for. The PS4 has 4GB GDDR5 RAM, 512MB of this is reserved for the OS, while the Xbox 720 has 8GB, with 3GB of that being reserved for the operating system. Now, why does the Xbox 720's operating system require a massive 3GB of RAM? It's because the console will be so much more than a mere video game console, it'll be a full-on PC.

Take a look at the Xbox 360 - its operating system only required 32MB of RAM, but with the constant added functionality like Internet Explorer 9 and services like Xbox Music, Xbox Video, and Xbox Kinect functionality, it is clear a lot more RAM is need for smoother performance. See those Metro-styled apps on Windows 8? I truly believe those will play a big part in defining the Xbox 720's status as the best and most valuable next-generation console.

Admit it, these days no one wants a video game console that doesn't do other tasks as well. Times are changing, the standalone game console is dead, gamers want to be able to stream content such as music and video along with hooking onto their favorite social networks. Sure, gaming is still the most important aspect of both the Xbox 720 and PS4. However, the console that focuses too much on gaming will not be cool enough to this generation of gamers, and so it will fall by the wayside.

Even if the rumored specs are true, the Sony PS4 will stand no chance against the mighty behemoth, that is the Xbox 720. History will once again repeat itself; the most powerful console never wins the console war.