GameSpoon: The Next Xbox Rumors

Gizmodo posted about a rumor they heard regarding the next xbox. They learned that the next xbox will not only have Natal built-in, but it will also support a fully immersible 3D environment.

Gizmodo's post referred to a Team Xbox article, which stated, "in addition to built-in Natal tech, a key feature of the next Xbox would be full HD stereoscopic 3D visuals similar to 3D movie theatres" (Team Xbox). Also, according to Gizmodo, "TeamXbox claims that the 720 won't be launched until 3D television solutions go more mainstream" (Gizmodo).

Let's recap some information here -

• Project Natal, which will be available for the Xbox 360, is clearly a future that Microsoft will be exploring and improving upon


• Microsoft employee Johnny Chung Lee, who is working on Project Natal, has already created an interactive 3D environment with a WiiMote


• At E3, Microsoft announced a 10 year lifespan for the Xbox 360

So what does this all mean? First, we can assume that the Project Natal's release on the Xbox 360 will basically be a massive "beta-testing" ground for the future of that type of technology. I use "beta-testing" loosely, it will be a fully-functioning add on to the 360, but the future of the Xbox console clearly has this technology in mind. So why not test it out on the current system, get the bugs out, see what developers can do and use the time to explore more ideas around the technology?

Next, we come to Johnny Chung Lee. Seeing how he has already created an interactive 3D environment (using a WiiMote), sure sounds like it is on par with this "fully immersible 3D environment" that the 360's successor is rumored to have. Watch this video:


Last, it brings us to the 10 year plan for the Xbox 360. Now, this does not mean that we have to wait for the full 10 years before the next system comes out, but it does buy Microsoft some valuable time. Time that they may not need, but time that the public will need to adapt to "3D television solutions."

I once had the pleasure of hearing Jawed Karim, a co-founder of YouTube, speak about the success of YouTube; the success of that website directly correlated with the publics' adaption to high-speed internet - thus being able to stream video. YouTube would not have been successful if the site launched before 2005. He stressed the importance of timing and technology, basically when the masses are ready for the new technology. This reasoning sounds like justification for Microsoft's patience.

Regardless of whether these rumors are true or not, these next few years will be exciting times. The way we've known console gaming is going to change forever, but these changes will be good. They will bring us forward and offer new experiences that will change the way we game and the way we interact with our games. Perhaps this will further break down the wall between gaming and film, joining forces to breed a new way of telling stories.

GameSpoon - Tekken 6

Tekken has been my favorite fighting series since the game launched on the original Playstation in the US. The speed of the game, the variety of styles and the unique control over the characters captivated me instantly.

Since my first experience with the game, I have always done my best to keep up with the series' releases and it's hard to ignore it when trailers, such as this one, are released!

This trailer, showcased for the "Atari Live" press event, gives you a glimpse at the gameplay of Tekken 6. This will be the first title, that I'm aware of, that will not only be released for the Playstation, but will be released on a non-Sony platform as well - the Xbox 360!

It'll be interesting to see the differences between the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. I wonder how this change will affect the series, will any previous versions of the game be released on the Xbox Live Arcade to help promote the release? We'll see in "Autumn of 2009"...well, time to go hibernate.

GameSpoon - New Xbox Experience

It's finally here! The moment you've been dreading/waiting for! Well, I'm sure most of you are well aware of the significant user-interface changes for the Xbox 360, dubbed the "new xbox experience," so I'll save you the trouble of going into depths as to what some of these changes include. Here's an overview:

• Blades are gone...or are they? - They were actually moved to the Xbox Guide (the menu that pulls up when you click the "xbox" button).


• Avatars - Well, what can you really say about that? Time to make some messed up looking characters.


• Parties! BYOB - Party Chat is finally here, thank Christ. Up to 8 people can chat in one channel now...that means, your entire Halo 3 Big Team Battle team can communicate without having to touch the frickin' d-pad. Think of the glory! GLORY, DAMN IT, GLORY!! *fade to black*


• Play From Your Hard Drive - Finally, a solution to the problem of the EXTREMELY LOUD disc drive, that I love so much. I think mine has gotten worse...No more! You can download your games to you HDD. Not enough space? No worries, just delete the game you aren't playing! Also, load times will be quicker.


• Netflix - This is going to be sweet! Stream flicks, including HD (I believe); however, you need to have a Netflix subscriptiong w/unlimited streaming.


• and a ton more...

If you want to learn more, check out Xbox.com; sttraight from the source.

GameSpoon - Xbox 360 Avatars

Check out this video about creating avatars with the New Xbox Experience that we'll all be "invited" to use beginning November 19th (lovely use of language).



"for me, I've always wanted to have a faux-hawk. So I'm going to start here, with this douche-bag" ha! That's awesome. Personally, I liked the "warrior john mccain" with creepy teeth avatar; priceless.

I'm looking forward to the NXE, hopefully it'll go through without any glitches...god help me if for some reason I lose my saved data...my FABLE 2 saved data. Hell hath no fury like a gamer scorn.

GameSpoon - Bungie

The folks at GamesIndustry.biz have dug up some information pertaining to Bungie's future.

As suspected, Halo 3: Recon is not the only game Bungie has up their sleeve right now. They are working on a new IP, a non-Halo game. However, after Bungie's separation from Microsoft, the question then becomes, who will publish this game? Which platform(s) will this game be released on?

I don't know about you, but I can't imagine a world without a Bungie game for the Xbox. We can only hope that the game will be released on multiple platforms, but it sure sounds like Bungie still has some love for the 360.

Here's what Bungie's PR Director, Brian Jarrard, thinks of the 360:

For us the 360 has been great because there's just been this great synergy with Bungie because all of our games have this inherent social community aspect. . .Everything we've ever done has this very big online component - we, together with the Xbox consoles, have continued to push that Live experience, the whole notion of a party experience forward.

I like to think that we brought a lot of that to the market, and we want to keep iterating on that. In that regard Live has been a great service to us. It's astonishing to look at how well Halo 3 is doing even now, a year after release.

We haven't really seen much of a decline in play, and we recently surpassed the lifetime number of games ever played on Halo 2 - so we're talking about four years of Halo 2 boiling down to about 1 year of Halo 3.

It's been pretty astounding, and to see our fans stand by us, it's even more reason why we want to do Halo 3: Recon, just to give something back and extend the experience a little bit longer.

Courtesy of GamesIndustry.biz

GameSpoon - Sony Playstation 3 Price Cuts

image courtesy of Gamasutra

I wouldn't say that the Playstation 3 has been a failure, when compared to the massive success of the Playstation 2, but I would say that it got off on the wrong foot. Personally, I feel that Sony made a few mistakes that cost them quite a lot when the PS3 originally launched. This allowed Microsoft to take the lead, between the two systems.

Since day one, the cost of the PS3 has always been a problem in the public eye; perception is everything. The initial lump sum for a PS3 has caused people to stray from their system. Let's consider a few things here: the PS3 is technically superior to the Xbox 360; the PS3 comes standard with a WiFi adapter built-in; the PS3 online network is free; the PS3's hard-drive can be swapped out with any HDD you wish to use. Now, compare that to the Xbox 360 - to meet the PS3s potential, you have to purchase the system, purchase the WiFi adapter, and (worst of all) purchase your annual/monthly Xbox Live subscription to be able to play others online and have access to certain content. Adding these costs together places the overall cost of the Xbox 360 equal to that of the PS3, with one major exception, every year you'll need to dish out $50 for Xbox Live...people, you've been had by Microsoft.

Regardless, perception is everything. People still view the PS3 as an "expensive" system. Sony has cut the price down, but when asked about offering a price cut during the upcoming holiday season, Sony says "no"; however, industry analysts believe this is yet another mistake...

Read about it here at Gamasutra.com

RantSpoon - RRoD round 2

So two people I know just recieved the old Red Ring of Death. Is this news? Nope, but this is their second round of dealing with the RRoD. It amazes me that after all this time and all the millions lost because of the RRoD, that Microsoft is still putting out a product that will fail. So, does this mean that people can expect the RRoD annually? I don't know, but it sucks.

Profile - both people game differently, one plays more frequently than the other, but both people watch DVDs on their systems frequently. One has an Elite and one has a Premium 360. What do they have in common? I'll tell you, they use their 360s, because they use them, they suffer the agony of the Red Ring of Death. WTF

GameSpoon - Gears of War 2

There are two kinds of people in the world, those that are so diehard for Gears of War 2 that they'll sign their life away for a Gears of War 2 reality TV show, and those that won't.

Which one are you my friend?

Sign up here: http://gearsofwar.xbox.com/superfan.htm