Xbox Live isn’t perrrrfect—we wish the streaming half weren’t still paywalled—but for a lot of us, it’s how we game and stream and basically use our TVs in any way at all. So it’s necessary. And a year of it’s $35 today (usually $60). So that’s a pretty good deal! [Buy via Twitter] More »
How does an 8-core 1.6GHz chip backed by a 768-thread-packing GPU in your Xbox sound? Apparently the Xbox 720, or whatever it ends up getting called, will boast 1.2 teraflops of processing power. Those gun-toting scumbags are never going to look so real when you blow their heads clean-off with your Barrat .50 cal. More »
It is time to break out the old saltshaker yet again, and draw your very own conclusions here with details of the next generation Xbox purportedly leaked. As to whether these leaked details are true or not remains to be seen, since we would not want to take the liberty and calling it as gospel truth before anything official is announced by the folks over at Microsoft.
So far, initial highlights of the next generation Xbox is said to feature an octa-core X64 CPU that chugs along at 1.6GHz, accompanied 8GB of RAM, in addition to sporting a Blu-ray disc drive. The CPU will follow in the footsteps of x64 architecture, sporting 8 CPU cores that run at 1.6GHz, and individual CPU threads come with their own 32KB L1 instruction cache and 32KB L1 data cache. There is also a custom 800MHz graphics processor to work hand in hand with the rest of the hardware.
Connectivity features include Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct, and there is also word that a NUI sensor will be embedded, making it seem as though Kinect has been integrated at a deep level. Can’t wait for Microsoft to share what they really have up their sleeves!
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Amazon Launches In-App Purchasing System For Mac, PC, & Browser-Based Games, Mozilla To Bring Firefox To Ouya, 
There have been no shortage of Xbox 720 rumors lately, and with E3 2013 just months away, we suppose there’s no better time for speculation than right now. Microsoft’s next gaming console is rumored to make an appearance at E3 this year, and Major Nelson himself (head of Xbox Live, Larry Hyrb) is even counting down the days until the big event. However, the latest on the rumor block is that the hardware specs of the new console have leaked out, and they look mighty impressive.
According to the leaked specs, and if they turn out to be true, the Xbox 720 is going to be an absolute machine. According to VGleaks, who ended up snatching up all the details, the new Xbox will have an 8-core 1.6GHz processor, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, an 800MHz graphics card, a 6x Blu-ray drive, USB 3.0, and gigabit ethernet.
Of course, the graphics is one of the most important aspects of a gaming console, and while we don’t know the exact brand and model of the graphics unit, we’re told its a custom D3D11.1 class processor clocked at 800MHz, with 12 shader cores providing a total of 768 threads. It’s said, that at peak performance, the GPU can “effectively issue 1.2 trillion floating-point operations per second.”
Of course, we’re skeptical, and you should be too. The source doesn’t really have a lengthy track record of any sort, but they’ve been posting up significantly lengthy spec lists for upcoming gaming consoles. Hopefully we’ll continue to find out more information on Microsoft’s latest console, but we’re most excited about E3 coming up in June, where we’ll hopefully see the new console in all its glory.
[via VGleaks]
Microsoft Xbox 720 specs leak: 8-core CPU and 8GB of RAM is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Back in October, it was reported that Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console had managed to sell over 70 million units and that it was the US’s number 1 console for 20 months in a row. With numbers like that, it would suggest that Microsoft’s Xbox 360 gaming console is doing pretty well for itself, which is why we found it odd that an analyst have come forward and basically predicted the doom of the Xbox brand.
According to a recent article on Forbes, analyst Adam Hartung predicts that within the next three years, Microsoft is expected to conduct a series of layoffs with the Xbox brand being sold to a third-party, even naming companies such as Sony or Barnes & Noble as possible buyers! According to Hartung, he claims that Microsoft has been unable to profit from the Xbox brand and that eventually it will prove to be too distracting for Microsoft as they continue keeping their attention on the Windows brand while combating mobile platforms such as iOS with Windows Phone.
He ends his post rather negatively, claiming, “Game over. Ballmer loses. And if you keep your money invested in Microsoft it will disappear along with the company.” What do you guys think? Is it remotely possible that Microsoft would sell off their Xbox brand?
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Sony Won’t Unveil The PlayStation 4 Until The Xbox 720 Is Announced, Atari Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy To Separate From Nonprofitable Parent Company, 
The NHL season officially starts tomorrow, folks, and after months without the sport, fans are most likely eager as ever to finally see their favorite team take the ice again. On top of that, Microsoft has announced that NHL GameCenter is launching on Xbox Live today, just in time for you to get settled in and start watching the games again.
While there still may be a lot of controversy over the 2013 season, Microsoft and the NHL are hoping to get your minds off of the ending lockout with its new Xbox Live app. Of course, you’ll need a Gold membership in order to take advantage of the new app (as well as any app for that matter), but you’re all set in that respect, you’ll be able to open up the app now and get going.
NHL GameCenter features most of the things you’d come to expect out of a sports app, including live scores, standings, and statistics, a “Season Central” hub that shows you team schedules, and the ability to watch live games and replays, so long as you pay a $50 fee that will last the entire season. Then again, local games are blacked out.
There’s also what’s called the NHL Vault, where you’ll have on-demand access to over 800 classic games. With this, you can watch some of the best Original Six battles from the 1960s or check out the best games from the Stanley Cup Playoffs throughout the years. The app is available now in most countries, except for Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.
[via Major Nelson]
NHL GameCenter launches on Xbox Live is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Microsoft’s throwing open the doors on Xbox Live account migration worldwide for its Xbox 360 consoles, today announcing that XBL accounts are now transferable from region-to-region. That includes everything in your Gold level account: Achievements, virtual monies, Gamerscore, and that gorgeous Avatar. Previously, moving from one country to another meant walking away from the Xbox Live-based identity you’d grown so accustomed to — a real shame, especially for folks who’d stocked up on Xbox Live Points during holiday sales (ahem). Of course, some regional restrictions still apply when you migrate your account — some services, games, subscriptions, and other digital content disappears depending on regional availability. Microsoft may’ve opened its borders, but digital content license holders still won’t.
Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft, Xbox Support
This has been a long time coming. Microsoft Play just added has (see update below) 15 Xbox Live Arcade games to Windows 8 and RT through the Windows Store. And it’s about time. More »
Microsoft signaled its intent to directly back Windows 8 gaming before the OS was shipping, and it’s proving true to its word through a new Play program. The team-up with NVIDIA brings Xbox (or really, Xbox Live Arcade) games directly to Windows 8 and Windows RT, with friends, multiplayer and other extras intact. An initial catalog won’t move all our playtime to a Surface just yet, though. While there’s notable titles like Ilomilo+ and Toy Soldiers, most of the 15-game library involves decidedly casual releases like Minesweeper. It’s still a start, and more is coming: Microsoft tells us that the spring launch of World Series of Poker: Full House Pro will let gamers resume play on either Windows or the Xbox. We’re not expecting a completely cross-platform Halo 5 anytime soon, but having a steady stream of familiar, tightly integrated games may keep some of us in Microsoft’s ecosystem for a good while.
Continue reading Microsoft’s Play strategy brings Xbox games to Windows 8 and RT (video)
Filed under: Gaming, Tablets, Software, Microsoft
Via: Official Xbox Magazine UK
Source: Play XBLA
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