It seems every day we get closer to E3, there’s a new rumor for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 720. Yesterday we heard of the possibility the next-generation Xbox requiring an Internet connection at all times, which may be one of the nails in the coffin of the used games industry.
Today, The Verge is reporting they’ve learned from sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans for its next-generation Xbox the company plans on improving its speech recognition technology. The next-generation Xbox is expected to have wake on voice, natural language controls and speech-to-text technologies. (more…)
This week the Microsoft Xbox 720 specifications are flying like leaves off a tree, and today’s bit of information comes from none other that former Microsoft executive Joachim Kempin. This man was the Vice President of Windows Sales at Microsoft for a whopping 20 years and has, since his retirement, released a book that’s lambasted Steve Balmer and made it clear with IGN Microsoft originally created the Xbox “to stop Sony.” Now he’s ready to speak about the possibilities in the Xbox 720, and it’s starting to look a whole lot more like Windows 8.
With Kempin it would seem that “there’s no doubt about” the nature of the Xbox 720 specifically in how “more Windows 8-like.” He went on to note that “maybe it even gets a touchscreen” and that he wouldn’t be surprised if the next-generation console is a lot more Windows 8-like than it is today. He also went on to remind the public that “on the [console] itself there is no profit,” going on to note that it’s from sources like royalties from game developers and profits from each release of a new Halo game.
Image above via “Xbox Surface 7-inch tablet rumors reappear post from back in November of 2012. Check it out! Note also that Microsoft declined to comment on those rumors then and has since given no new word on an Xbox Surface device. Image below from 2011 film Real Steel:
Much like suggestions made earlier this week, Kempin also suggests that for the Xbox 720 to succeed, it will need to be more than just a specifications bump of a beast. Noting that Microsoft “need[s] to find out hot to get this whole PC environment into the 21st century”, Kempin went on to make the key clear: “You have to make these devices work together.” Sound like a bit of the ol’ Xbox SmartGlass to you, folks?
Have a peek at our lovely Xbox 720 tag portal for more information than you can possible handle on this machine that’s not yet even really been confirmed by Microsoft itself. Keep your eyes to the timeline below to see the most recent blasts from across the tip and rumor-sphere and make sure you stick to SlashGear for the next big splash from the gaming console underground soon!
This week the Microsoft-made Xbox 720 has effectively been dumped out into the market with a leak of specifications so wide we’ve got to wonder if the pipes have burst. This update comes from Edge Online where word of Online-Only playability was noted earlier today. While that bit of information appears to be just as possible as impossible, the rest of the bits and pieces seem to be more willing to stick for a final release.
With the information coming from what Edge calls “first-hand experience”, this suggesting above and beyond the everyday average “sources familiar with the matter” – though in the end, an anonymous source is just that. That said, these sources have tipped a 50GB Blu-ray disk-running console with disks shipped toting activation codes galore. Of course the idea that disks will have activation codes once again suggests that we’re working with DRM material – we shall see!
Inside this machine it’s said that there will be an AMD octa-core (8 CPU cores) x64 processor clocked at 1.6GHz per core. This processor will be joined by the beastly D3D11.x at 800MHz for graphics as well as 8GB of DDR3 RAM. That means that this machine will – surprise – be a monster in both its ability to process data and display graphics.
This machine will quite likely be working with many of the same services the Xbox 360 works with today, with the major changes coming in the hardware features, top to bottom. Connectivity with your mobile devices, smoother integration with your Microsoft systems – Windows 8, of course – and perhaps even a more fashionable looking case will be on the way. Have a peek at the Xbox 720 timeline below to make sure you’re up to date on all things next-generation Microsoft gaming console right this minute!
This week the developers behind Grand Theft Auto V (aka GTA5) have made it clear that the delay they’re experiencing with the release of their next-generation game has nothing to do with Microsoft and Sony releasing new consoles this year. While Take-Two chief executive officer Strauss Zelnick’s words didn’t explicitly confirm nor deny the idea that the Xbox 720 or PlayStation 4 will exist in the very near future, the idea that GTA:V will be released on those mystical machines seems to have been clearly dashed.
According to Venture Beat, Zelnick today denied the idea that the GTA delay “had anything to do with the next-gen systems.” This confirmation takes the game out of the hard place that exists between the release date of either of the new console gaming systems, but it puts its own release in a new odd spot. This spot is one where GTA:V could be one of the last big-name games to be released for the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.
So here’s the question for you gamers out there – if this new GTA game does indeed live up to the hype that Take-Two is issuing today, will you still feel like it’ll be worth the purchase even when a new console might be yours in the near future? Zelnick spoke up about this idea this week as well: “There is not one gamer who is going to sit out Grand Theft Auto V hoping that something down the road will be better.” Sound pretty definitive to us!
Zelnick also once again supported the idea that Grand Theft Auto V would be released inside September of 2013. This release date will keep the game as the only “major” release for the whole month unless something else comes along between here and there – we shall see! Zelnick’s assurance that GTA:V will “blow people away at a level people don’t anticipate” has us more than pumped to see it live!
The beta for Redbox Instant was launched this past December and is expected to launch out of beta by March 2013, and today we’re hearing of one of the first partners to offer the video-streaming service on their platform.
Microsoft is announcing today they will be making a Redbox Instant application available exclusively on the Xbox 360 in the very near future. Redbox Instant beta participants will be able to get their shot at the Xbox 360 application as redeemable codes will be sent out via email to allow for the Redbox Instant app to be downloaded. (more…)
Redbox Instant is currently in beta as we speak, with a rumored official launch date sometime in March. Microsoft has announced today that the Xbox 360 will be the only gaming console getting access to the new streaming service. Upon an agreement with the Redmond-based company and Verizon (who is running Redbox Instant), Microsoft is getting exclusive console rights to Redbox Instant.
UPDATE: We received an email from Redbox saying that they “plan to launch on other gaming platforms,” but as of right now, and during the full public launch, the Xbox 360 will be the only console at that time.
If you happen to be a Redbox Instant beta participant currently, you’ll receive an email with a unique code to access the Redbox Instant app on Xbox 360 in the coming days. Microsoft didn’t reveal when Redbox Instant would be coming to the Xbox 360 for the public, but it will be sometime “in the very near future.”
Redbox has been around for a couple of years, and they’re most known for having convenient DVD kiosks at various locations, and allow users to rent a DVD for $1 per night. The company is expanding to online streaming, with the help of Verizon, in order to compete with streaming giant Netflix, and the service aims to create a better experiences for users.
The Xbox 360 is already a massively popular gaming console, and with exclusive access to Redbox Instant, Microsoft is looking to continue the tradition of the most console sold per month, a title that they have held for the past two years straight. However, no word on whether or not you’ll an Xbox Live Gold membership to access the Redbox Instant app, but it’s a safe bet that you’ll need one.
Redbox Instant is officially coming to Xbox 360 and it’s the exclusive “gaming and entertainment console launch partner.” If you’re currently in the beta for Redox Instant, expect an email in the coming days. More »
One of the “benefits” of being an Xbox Gold member is being able to play multiplayer games online through Xbox Live, download timed-exclusive demos and betas and accessing a number of applications on your Xbox 360 such as Netflix, Verizon FiOS and Hulu. If you’re an Xbox Silver member, you haven’t been able to access these features, but this weekend, you’ll be able to access one of them for free.
Microsoft is unlocking two of the most popular video-streaming services on Xbox Live this weekend. Xbox Live Silver members will be able to access Netflix without having to pay for a Xbox Live Gold membership. As for Hulu AdZone, you’ll still need a Gold membership on Xbox Live, but you won’t need a Hulu Plus subscription like usual.
Netflix’s new original series House of Cards is debuting this weekend, and it seems Netflix wants as many users as it can get to watch the new show, even if it means unlocking access on Xbox Live. Plus, all episodes of the new show will be available for streaming, so clear all your weekend plans and make sure to tune in if you’re interested.
Furthermore, Hulu’s AdZone on Xbox Live will be completely free this weekend using the Internet Explorer app, as long as you have a Xbox Live Gold membership (you’ll need it to access IE). Since it’s Super Bowl weekend specifically, Hulu is letting users access the Hulu AdZone in order to watch all the commercials from this year’s Super Bowl, as well as commercials from as far back as 2008 that aired during the big game.
Again, both Netflix and Hulu’s AdZone (not Hulu Plus) will be available for free. You’ll still need a separate Netflix subscription in order to access the service, but Hulu AdZone will be completely free (even if you don’t have a Hulu Plus subscription) for Xbox Live Gold members. Happy watching!
This week we’re having our first real good look at the game known as INJUSTICE: Gods Among Us, a DC Comics beast of a fighting-genre game that’s being released by the same folks who brought you Mortal Kombat. The trailer is showing off not only bits of the timeline included in this alternate universe, but gameplay as well. Every icon from Batman to Wonder Woman, Solomon Grundy to The Flash, and everyone in-between will be here for a massive beat-down festival the likes of which you’ve never seen before.
NetherRealm Studios are bringing what they call a “bold new franchise” to the fighting game genre complete with a “deep” original story that’s also being released as we speak in real-world comic book form. Each of the heroes and villains you know so well have been given “god-like” powers where applicable to essentially equalize their ability to destroy the other. Multi-tiered fighting arenas also make for a gaming experience that no DC comics hero (or Mortal Kombat character, for that matter) have ever been through before.
Writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti are behind the wheel here with a storyline made to engage not only game players but the comic universe as well. Iconic battle arenas are pulled directly from the pages of the comics as the storyline inside the game expands the environment created in the comics. With the power of the advanced computing systems inside the PlayStation 3, Wii U, and Xbox 360, you’ll be able to knock your opponents into, through, and completely out of the arenas in which you do battle.
This game is up for pre-order at several locations in the United States right this minute in standard editions as well as Collectors Editions. The Collector’s Edition includes the game itself, a 12-inch statue with Batman and Wonder Woman making with the action poses, and the “INJUSTICE: Gods Among Us” graphic novel. You’ll also get a digital download copy of the DOOM: Justice League movie and three unique and exclusive skins for your characters in-game based on the comic DC COMICS – THE NEW 52.
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