Hasta La Gadget!

The idea of a console that could be upgrade over time isn’t new, but Microsoft has filed a patent for that very concept. The company applied for the patent back in December 2010, which details a console that could “satisfy quality of service guarantees for multimedia applications such as game applications while allowing platform resources, hardware resources in particular, to scale up or down over time.”

Microsoft details a console that would have its own core set of components and a base configuration that could be upgraded in the future. The patent filing also confirms some details from previous Xbox 720 leaks, such as multiple CPUs and GPUs. One CPU and GPU combo would be a low-power solution that would handle core system management, while the other combo would render games.

Interestingly, one patent image shows a console with a third CPU and GPU combo that would share loads with the first two in the system. The patent could relate to several different products, but the scalability of the console “over time” suggests that Microsoft may target partners or users to perform their own additional upgrades. It would be a strange break in tradition and make the console a little bit more like a PC, although it might not be too far-fetched considering rumors have indicated Microsoft may use AMD chips in the Xbox 720.

[via Eurogamer]

Microsoft patent hints at scalable console is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The NPD Group’s gaming figures for June have made the rounds, and both Microsoft as well as Nintendo have something to crow about, albeit for very different reasons. Nintendo is the most eager to prove itself and says that the 3DS has hit five million total sales in the US since it reached gamers’ hands in the country. The tally doesn’t compete with the heady numbers smartphone designers are used to, but it’s a milestone for a handheld console whose prospects were dim until a sudden price cut fueled sales a year ago. Before Nintendo lets the 155,000 3DS units it sold in June get to its head, however, it’s important to get context from Microsoft’s own achievements: Redmond shipped 257,000 Xbox 360 units that month and has had the lead among all US consoles for the past year and a half. We’re in the dark on Sony data, although it’s important that just 90,000 Wii units traded hands in the same month — as clear a sign as any that the Wii U can’t come quickly enough for Satoru Iwata and company.

Continue reading NPD: Nintendo 3DS sales hit 5 million in US, Xbox 360 still claims the console crown

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

NPD: Nintendo 3DS sales hit 5 million in US, Xbox 360 still claims the console crown originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Jul 2012 19:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Joystiq  |  Major Nelson (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

Many may have thought that the Wii Fit was a silly idea, but that didn’t stop it making ridiculous amounts of money for Nintendo. Why not apply the same principle to the Kinect? Kinect PlayFit has been officially revealed today, and will be made available as a free download for any Xbox Live members in the US. PlayFit will be making its way outside the US too, although international gamers will have to wait until next week.

Kinect PlayFit essentially acts as a fitness dashboard. The app will keep track of any calories you burn while playing games like Kinect Star Wars and Dance Central 2. Over time you’ll be able to check out your stats, as well as leaderboards and ranks from across the world using Xbox Live. Microsoft is saying it’s the first fitness app of its kind due to its ability to track stats over multiple games.

So, what are you waiting for? KInect PlayFit launches today in the US, and next week in international territories. Get downloading, and make sure to burn those calories to the theme of I’m Han Solo.

[via Major Nelson]

Xbox Kinect PlayFit launches today in the US is written by Ben Kersey & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Earlier today we reported that Xbox LIVE was facing some issues, with gamers being unable to log in to the service. Microsoft announced that they were working on a solution to the problem and it looks like they did their job pretty quickly. According to a tweet from the Xbox Support Twitter account, the problem has now been solved and users can go back to their multiplayer gaming. Microsoft didn’t share what the cause of the problem was so we can only hope that it doesn’t happen again or that it was nothing serious. For those of you who were worried about not being able to pwn some n00bs in Modern Warfare 3 this weekend, you can catch your breath again.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Xbox LIVE mobile gaming arriving on Android and iOS?, Microsoft confirms Xbox 360 Dashboard update bugs,

This week a collection of domain names have been transferred from Chinese cybersquatter (not as dirty as it sounds) to Microsoft, one of them being not Xbox720, but Xbox8.com. This domain name could very well represent the 8th Xbox in the very distant future, but more likely it’s got to do with either the infinity sign or the imminent release of Windows 8 – made ready and willing to work with the Xbox in a massive amount of ways, most of them involving content sharing.

Microsoft also picked up xboxcompanion.com, xboxlivetv.com, xboxphone.com, and xboxtabletcom. These names are for the most part more than likely being transferred as Microsoft owns the rights to the world “Xbox”, but the 8 symbol appears much to indicative of the future to be coincidental. The Microsoft Xbox 720, as it’s been called in the press thus far, will likely be released inside the year 2013 – it at least that’s what we’ve been hypothesizing up until this point.

Now the possibility opens up that Microsoft will be accelerating their plans to release the next-generation Xbox to compete directly with the imminent Nintendo WiiU release. Though the original Wii has thus far tended to a slightly different audience than the Xbox and its most direct competition in the Playstation, the WiiU and it’s Batman-touting gaming skills may well have triggered something in the minds of the engineers behind the Microsoft-backed box.

Have a peek at the timeline below to keep up to date with all things Xbox in the very recent past – stay tuned as Windows 8 continues to gain power before it’s release as well – soon there will be a massive convergence of all things Microsoft!

[via Ingame]

Xbox 8 (Infinity) set for 360 replacement is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.