The console rumors also point to a significantly faster CPU/GPA/APU system-on-a-chip package called “Oban“, plus a switch to Blu-ray for the internal drive. Besides downloaded HD content, the only HD media the Xbox 360 ever supported was HD DVD back during the format wars, and that was through an add-on drive. The final new rumor says that when the next gen Xbox lands, a next-gen Kinect will be built into the unit.

One of the more unusual rumors floating around is disturbing to those out there that enjoy buying used games. According to a source cited by Kotaku, the Xbox 720 will in some way block the play of used games. Not only would that really hurt businesses like Gamestop, but it would force gamers to buy new or nothing – presumably in order to encourage new game sales.

I can believe most of these rumors, but I really hope the no used games one is false.

[via Kotaku]

Apparently, the protest was over the fact that some workers on the line were being moved to other facilities. Reports say that about 45 workers voluntarily quit and were given salary and bonuses based on how long they were with the company.

Microsoft has noted that the production change that required 150 workers to be removed for the facility was due to regular production adjustments. I wonder if this is any sort of indication that a new Xbox might be coming soon and the move is to reduce inventories. Probably not, but you never know.

[via PCWorld]

The update somehow prevents the affected gamers from being able to log into their Xbox Live Profiles, and presents them with error code 801540B7. Without being able to log into the profile, there is no going online to play games. There is also no accessing the content purchased online either.

The real suck is that while Microsoft has acknowledged the issue, they are saying the fix will come as soon as possible. That is industry speak for “we don’t know when.” With Christmas in a few days, there will likely be some users still unable to get online and play their new games. Bah, humbug!

[via Kotaku]

What I like about Joseph’s concept design is that it doesn’t seem so outlandish that it wouldn’t be possible. The Prestige would come in a case that inherits the clean black styling of the current Xbox 360 Slim, but curves out the edges, and puts it into a smaller package, with new and improved hardware under the hood.

As proposed, the Xbox Prestige would have no DVD or Blu-ray drive, instead, storing all content to the console’s ample 2TB hard drive, downloading it from the “cloud.” The Prestige would also connect wirelessly to your TV. In addition, the console would have a new device called KinectIN built into it, which would provide for gesture control of menus, as well as a scanner which can read your own personal “Xbox Card” to purchase games, manage profiles, etc.

The KinectIN wouldn’t be used for gameplay though – there would still be an external device simply called Kinect2, which would offer significantly higher image and motion sensitivity than the original Kinect, and would even capture video in Full HD 3D.

Joseph doesn’t really say anything about the other hardware improvements in his concept designs, though Yanko Design reports that it would have an 8-core CPU, “20x faster performance,” and support technologies including 3D, 4K2K, multiTV (DPConnect), and even have a GPS built into it, so you could know the location of other users on the Xbox Live network.

Buzzwords aside, I rather like how simple and clean the designs are. Chances are, Microsoft will go out on its own and do something completely different with its next-gen Xbox, but it’s always fun to see what comes from the imagination of fans too.

[via Yanko Design]

The high-end version, rumored to be called the “Xbox 720″ or codename “Loop” would be closer to what we have now, with a disk drive and a hard drive. It would also be backwards compatible with 360 games. There is speculation that it could have two separate graphics chips as well, but that may be wishful thinking.

These rumors make a lot of sense. Not everyone needs an Xbox for hardcore games. Chances are they would sell a ton of cheaper units, adding up to more sales overall.

[via SlashGear and Geeks Are Sexy]

One of the updates is just for the Xbox 360 owners that have a Kinect motion controller. With the Kinect installed and the new dashboard, the user can use their voice and gestures to navigate the console’s main menus. The update also brings with it voice search on Bing. There are also new social networking features as well. Facebook sharing is part of the update along with beacons. I have no idea what the beacons are though.

The Xbox will also gain access to Cloud Storage for game saves and your Live profile. That should mean no losing your saved games in the event your HDD takes a dump or you have to buy a new console. After the update, we should also expect a variety new apps for television, video, music, and more.

[via Major Nelson]

The EXOdesk is an interactive desk, which basically puts a 40-inch touchscreen at your fingertips. There’s isn’t much known about the hardware specs, but it looks like you’re basically using a big tablet to interact with your computer. It looks pretty cool if you’ve always wanted to have something like this, but I think we’ll see some Microsoft Kinect hacks that will go above and beyond what the EXOdesk can do.

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The EXOdesk is expected to retail for just $1,299 (USD), which is way cheaper than a Microsoft Surface table (The Samsung SUR40 lists for $8,400), and probably more convenient since you can use it sitting down.

[via Goodereader via Ubergizmo]

Thanks to a new device called the Wasabi 360 Ultra, you’ll be able to load ISOs of your Xbox 360 or Xbox 1 games directly onto any ESATA hard drive, and boot and run the games as if you had the original DVD in the tray. The Wasabi 360 attaches to your console – connecting between the motherboard and the DVD drive. Installation is solderless, but does require that you crack open your Xbox 360, and make some minor modifications to its metal shielding to allow cables to pass through.

Since the Wasabi 360 uses an ESATA interface instead of USB, it’s smokin’ fast. Games are loaded from inside the Xbox 360 Dashboard GUI, letting you quickly and easily jump between games without getting up from the couch. It even supports multi-disc games.

Here’s a demo of the Wasabi loading up CoD: Black Ops, and then Driver: San Francisco without so much as a disc in sight.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Clearly games load way faster from the Wasabi-enabled hard drive than from DVD, and not having to deal with scratched discs and “dirty disc error” messages ever again has appeal. The Wasabi guys also plan on adding the ability to rip ISOs directly to the hard drive in a future upgrade, but for now you’ll need to burn ISOs using your PC.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure that Microsoft will assume that the primary use for the Wasabi will be for game piracy – while I personally think it would be a great add-on for legitimate game owners too. I’m hopeful that Microsoft won’t stand in the way of this nifty console enhancement and potentially ban its users from Xbox Live. Perhaps someday Microsoft themselves will offer the ability for you to load your entire games directly to the hard drive, and just limit piracy by not allowing multiple copies of the same serial number to be installed on multiple consoles instead of forcing you to still insert the DVD every time like they do today.

The Wasabi 360 Ultra sells for $99.95 (USD) and is available for pre-order in both Xbox 360 Slim and Fat versions over at ConsoleSource.

You can’t see GLaDOS in the picture because she’s inside the computer, with ears provided by Kinect. Actually Corey just used her soundbites to give a voice to the program he’s working with, but he did name the program GLaDOS. The demo should explain everything, so without further ado:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I couldn’t help but laugh when GLaDOS muttered, “I hate you so much.” But beyond the laughs and the geek factor, Corey does have serious goals for his program. Once he finalizes the code, he plans on releasing it to the public in hopes that other people can build on it. He thinks that one day it would possible for voice-activated interfaces to be much more common, so that elderly and disabled people could use it to interact not just with computers but with other objects as well. I think Siri is ahead of GLaDOS in that department. You can check out the earlier videos of GLaDOS on Corey’s Vimeo page and keep an eye out for updates on his blog.

[via The Verge]

I can easily see Sony taking the lead thanks to strong titles like Uncharted 3, and free online play alone. They have some great momentum going. I think they have it made as long as they don’t do something to screw it up.

[MCV via Kotaku]

Reports indicate that everyone from processor chip manufacturers to middleware firms have been actively working with Microsoft and they expect the new console to be unveiled at E3 2013. Many rumors about what gaming companies have been working on have also led to speculation that an Xbox 720 is in fact in development. For instance, Lionhead is supposedly working on a project named Fable NExt, which will launch on a new console and another rumor says that an EA studio already has rudimentary new Xbox console technology in-house. I guess time will tell.

Whether you call it Xbox 720, Xbox Next, Nextbox, or whatever, it will hit eventually and we will all buy one. Does anyone care to predict some launch dates?

[via Gamezone]

Whereas the Sixthsense requires that the user wear color-markers on his fingers so that the camera can track them, the Kinect does all the work in Harrison’s concept device. The OmniTouch is also slightly more compact than the Sixthsense. It’s also shoulder-mounted, making you look like a robot pirate. Or a bird trainer.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I wonder if this will be the next big thing in portable computing immediately after tablets. Both the Sixthsense and OmniTouch are great concepts – they encourage people to go out and interact with the world instead of mooring us on our chairs or beds.  We’ll be able to hold our own drive-in and outdoor theaters, augment analog games with digital enhancements and access information about anything we encounter – animals, plants, gadgets, food, landmarks. And we’ll be able to publicly bitch about how this magical device has a short battery life and that the screen isn’t too bright or some other thing that doesn’t please us. Instead of graffiti, memes, Twitter feeds and Facebook wall posts will be projected on walls. Wow. I just made myself sad.

[Chris Harrison via TechCrunch]

The touch panel is sensitive enough to detect finger inputs through all sorts of fabrics. This might sound good, but it might look awkward in some circumstances, like in a meeting. Stroking your pocket usually implies something different than composing an email or sending a text, if you know what I mean.

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Microsoft thinks that the back of a PocketTouch screen could be used like this to read gestures, and already have it deconstructing  text characters. I can see this being useful to teens everywhere, who want to send secret text messages without anyone knowing.

[PC World via DVice]

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Etronika demonstrated it at this week’s CTIA conference, where they showed a user paying a bill with it. When it was complete, the user held up his phone and waved his left hand, magically sending a copy of the bill to his phone. Well, that is a simple way to pay a bill, I have to admit.

Don’t hold your breath while waiting for this to be available though. Sadly, at the moment, Microsoft doesn’t permit companies to sell products based on Kinect technologies. Maybe they should. I’d like to see more like this one, even if it is another excuse to keep me in front of my console.

[via G4]

Of course, if you’re even the slightest bit tech-savvy, you’d have long found a way to procure the tune through less official channels, like from this YouTube video for instance:

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Head to Major Nelson’s blog to download the Achievement Unlocked sound. The Major was considerate enough to upload an .m4r version as well, meaning iPhone owners can use it as a ringtone right away. Would you like to have the multiple notes of the PlayStation Trophy sound as well? Go here, then here. You’re welcome.

Image via Wallpapers Wide

[via Joystick Division]

I don’t know about you, but thankfully I haven’t encountered the Blue Screen of Death for a long time. If I encountered it right this minute, it seems like that sad face would just tick me off even more. What do you have to be sad about? You get to reboot and forget it. I’ve just lost some important work and it has cost me time. I say forget the sad face and apologize for not being more stable.

[Chip Hazard via Geek via Geeky-Gadgets]

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Expect a very heavy focus on story. It will play like Halo, but they aren’t playing it safe and re-hashing it all. They will take some risks and try to keep it evolving. We can’t wait to see what they do with it.

[via Games.on.net]

Patty has surfaced for the first time in a video on the Microsoft Surface blog and the bot is interesting. It doesn’t look like a what you might picture as a robot, it’s more a box that has automated touching pistons inside.

Each of the automated touch wands are powered by air. They each have different tips on them to simulate various things that would be placed on the Surface 2.0 table. One simulates a tag that would be on an object. Another tip simulates a finger others simulate blobs of different shapes. They can be activated individually or in unison to simulate multi-touch. You can check out the video of Patty in action here (if you happen to have Silverlight installed on your computer.)

The scanner involves the Kinect – which in the demo video below is simply clipped to the edge of a table – a poster board box, and a makeshift turntable. The box has a hole in the middle for the object to be scanned. LED lights mounted on each upper corner of the box provide lighting.  The green markers help the Kinect with tracking. Jeromin used the Kinect RGBDemo software made by Nicolas Burrus.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

I have no specifics regarding the actual rendering time and the quality of the 3D image generated, but A.J. did comment over at Hack a Day that this $150 (USD) scanner works a lot faster than the multi-thousand dollar equipment he and his colleagues use at work.

While this is still not direct proof of the Kinect’s usefulness as a scanning device, this could be a cheap way for game developers on a tight budget to create their games. And imagine if instead of spending a long time on the character customization screen of a game (only to end up with something that looks nothing like what you had in mind) you could simply have the Kinect scan you and voila – you’re in the game.

[via Hack a Day & Kinect Hacks]

Created by a team from Microsoft Research Cambridge, Imperial College London, Newcastle University, Lancaster University and the University of Toronto, KinectFusion creates full 3D models using the Kinect.

Not only can it capture scenes in three dimensions, it can capture and re-render them in real time. I can talk about it all day long, but you’ll want to check out this silent, but awesome video showcased at SIGGRAPH 2011 to see how cool it really is.

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As the Kinect camera makes its way through a scene, it automatically addes and removes depth information as needed, and uses GPU-based camera tracking and surface reconstruction techniques to create the 3D model. The software continually improves and refines the 3D image as it goes too.

KinectFusion technology can even allow for multitouch interactions on arbitrary surfaces, and inject virtual 3D objects into real-world scenes being rendered in real-time.

It’s pretty incredible stuff, and I’m hopeful this technology will make it into the video game world at some point in the future.