User blog comment:D. Cello/Animus Hardware code decyphered/@comment-66.232.107.140-20110612085246/@comment-3338707-20110612170814

if you heard some of the interviews, you must have heard them saying Desmond will relive Ezio who at the time have visions (like the animus function) of Altair's life. maybe the same thing will happen to Desmond (but to himself). also, Desmond already relived, or more precisely watched, Altair without the animus at AC2.

P.S. Desmond goes into a comma at the end of Brotherhood, and in Revelations they say he is having the same affect as the animus without being connected. maybe then he dreams about himself(it sounds weird XD)