Xbox 720 name rumor and X-Surface tablet is a hoax — which we didn’t fall for

This seems to be happening a lot lately; some random Joe Schmoe, in an attempt to prove that today's "media" is a poor excuse for journalism, posts a rumor and sees how many sites pick it up. The latest comes from this jacka** who decided to email a bunch of outlets about new next-gen Xbox console information.

In the email, he claimed he was a Microsoft employee with information about the next Xbox and a so-called Xbox-Surface gaming tablet. All of the supposed information in the email was entirely made up — from the Xbox 720 simply being called the "Xbox" to the 7" gaming tablet. All of it, fake.

I'm not going to bother posting the specifics of the email because it was entirely false. I am proud to say that GameZone did not fall for this rumor. The original hoaxer started this because he wanted to teach people not to believe everything they read on the internet until Microsoft or Sony officially announce something — this is something I always urge readers, even when we do post the occasional rumor.