Hasta La Gadget!

Now that the Microsoft official event for the next generation in Xbox console technology has been named for this Summer, suggestions and tips about the machine’s workings have begun to pour in. According to sources SlashGear tracks regularly, this machine will be bringing on many features that allow it to be a cross-platform supported piece of hardware with a Windows 8 Core and the ability to once again act as a user’s all-in-one entertainment center.

Speaking of the Windows 8 Core, it’s been suggested that this machine will be working with AMD-developed processor that’ll be revealed for the first time during Microsoft’s BUILD 2013 conference this June. This developer conference will act as one of several reveal sessions for the hardware and software in this Microsoft-made next-generation console, with gaming convention E3 2013 revealing a collection of 3rd party games for the machine.

The launch lineup, as it’s being called, will either be shown at the initial May 21st event held by Microsoft, at E3, or at a combination of the two. This initial reveal event will be taking place at Microsoft’s Xbox campus, so it’s clear that the company means business.

Kinect will be included in the top-tier must-have category for this system with a brand new sensor system on tap. This system will be working with what very well may be a constantly connected web interface that allows many games to work with downloadable content updated automatically.

Of course this internet system could – and likely will, if real – create room for always-on internet requirements such as those included in PC games like Diablo III at launch. This tip ties in with the cost suggestion from Paul Thurrott which makes two pricing models possible for the console.

While the regular model Xbox 720 will likely cost around $499 USD, Thurrott suggests a subsidized version of the machine may be in the works. Like the Xbox 360 offer available right this minute for $99, you’ll have to work with a contract with Microsoft for $10 a month and connectivity to the web-based Microsoft services like Xbox Live.

Have a peek at the timeline below of recent Xbox 720 suggestions to assure yourself knowledge as the final console hits the public later this year – no word at the moment on if this console will actually be offered up for sale inside this year – likely not.

Xbox 720 details tipped as Microsoft event draws near is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Before XCOM: Enemy Unknown was made available on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 as a turn-based strategy game, it was supposed to be a first-person shooter. The XCOM shooter mysteriously disappeared with its existence not even acknowledged by 2K Games of Firaxis, but today, both companies have announced its FPS XCOM game will finally be made available later this year.

The game will be called The Bureau: XCOM Declassified and will take place in 1962 back when John F. Kennedy was in the White House and will play as the origin story for the modern XCOM initiative, which we’re sure by now you’re aware is what we experienced in XCOM: Enemy Unknown. In XCOM Declassified, players will assume the role of Special Agent William Carter as he takes customizable agents into the field. Gameplay will be in real-time, which is a departure for the series since its previous games have been turn-based, and the death of squad mates will still be permanent. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Splinter Cell: Blacklist Highlights Wii U Exclusive Gameplay In New Trailer, Bethesda Teases Unannounced Game Through Vine Video,

After months and months of wait, Microsoft finally announced yesterday the date on which it will unveil next generation Xbox. The announcement is scheduled for the 21st of May at the company’s headquarter in Redmond, Washington. While Microsoft did not say anything about pricing, the next generation Xbox will reportedly come with a price tag of $499. If customers opt for a $10 per month two year Xbox Live Gold subscription, the price will come down to $299.

The rumor of next Xbox requiring always on internet connection surfaces again today, Microsoft has not yet clarified whether that is indeed the case with its upcoming console. It is also reported that the next Xbox runs on an OS that is based on Windows 8, this would provide developers with a common platform for developing apps that will run on a variety of devices, including PC and tablets. Microsoft mentioned in the invite yesterday that it will fully unveil the next Xbox at E3 conference, which takes place in June. As far as the launch is concerned, the new Xbox is reportedly going to be available for purchase in November, 2013.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Batman: Arkham Origins To Include Multiplayer Mode [Rumor], Bethesda Could Be Planning Skyrim Legendary Edition According To Polish Retailer,

Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox – codenamed Durango but unofficially known as the “Xbox 720” – will hit shelves in early November but not be accompanied by a cheaper entertainment-only model, new leaks claim today. One previous plan to launch two next-gen Xbox variants, one of which (codenamed “Yuma”) would be more akin to a set-top box and deliver Kinect-controlled streaming content but not full gameplay, has been ditched, well-connected Paul Thurrott claims, though Microsoft is supposedly planning two pricing models that would in effect subsidize the Xbox 720.

Normally, the new console will be priced at $499, so Thurrott’s sources inform him, when goes on sale in early November 2013. However, Microsoft is apparently also expected to offer a $299 subsidized version, which – like a smartphone offered on agreement with a carrier – will cost less upfront but require a two year commitment to Xbox LIVE Gold, at what’s believed to be $10 per month.

That would work out to $539 over the course of the two year contract, of course. Microsoft has already experimented with such pricing schemes with the Xbox 360, offering the console for $99 if gamers sign up to two years of Xbox LIVE Gold service.

However, even with the “Xbox 720″ on the scene, that’s not to say the 360 will be retired. In fact, a third-gen version is expected sometime in 2013, it’s suggested, that will be “significantly less expensive” than the current model. Codenamed “Stingray”, it’s unconfirmed whether this is Microsoft’s workaround to rumors that the next-gen Xbox will not be backward-compatible, or simply an attempt to use older hardware to occupy a far lower MRSP point.

As for what’s inside the new console, previous chatter of Blu-ray gets another mention, and the whole thing is supposedly running on the Windows 8 Core, improving cross-platform support for games on PC and Xbox. That fits in with talk of AMD-developed processors; Microsoft will supposedly reveal the developer platform itself at BUILD 2013 in late June.

Talk of the new Xbox has increased over the past weeks, as we approach E3 2013 and the console’s expected debut. Other sources have claimed Microsoft will show off “a handful” of games, though Therrott describes it as “the launch lineup” being detailed.

Other rumors have included a requirement for a constant internet connection, which could be used for a more draconian activation policy that would insist on games being installed to the internal hard-drive first. Kinect is also expected to be mandatory, with a newly-refined sensor system that would be able to track people at higher resolution.

New Xbox 720 tipped for November with LIVE Gold subsidy option is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We already know that Microsoft will be revealing the Xbox 720 on May 21, which is less than a month away. However, the Redmond-based company will continue to showcase the new console that next month during E3 2013, where Microsoft will show off a handful of new games for the next-generation console at the annual expo.

According to the invite we received earlier from Microsoft, the company will be revealing a “full lineup of blockbuster games” at E3 2013. We’re guessing that the company will debut a few games for the new console during its May 21 event, but Microsoft says that they will “continue the conversation and showcase” during E3.

The new console from Microsoft will take on Sony’s recently-announced PlayStation 4 during this upcoming holiday season, and it’ll renew the stoking fire that has been burning for the past several years over which console was better: the PS3 or the Xbox 360, only this time around it’ll be the PS4 pitted up against the Xbox 720.

Microsoft’s methods for the Xbox 720 reveal are rather interesting to say the least. The company will be revealing the new console a few weeks before E3, which we’re guessing will be enough time for the hype to build up before going into E3, making the headline story during the gaming expo Microsoft’s new console. We’ll see how that plays out for them come next month into June.

Microsoft to show off handful of Xbox 720 games at E3 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.