Rumor: Microsoft green-lights 360s from other companies
EGM's Quartermann has been in the business of rumor mongering for 20-odd years, but his latest tip-off has to be one of the more interesting we've seen yet. According to the Q-Man's most recent EGM column, Microsoft is set to announce that it will be licensing the core Xbox 360 tech to other companies. Meaning that they can then build their own 360 consoles, or other home electronics (TVs, Blu-ray Disc players) with "360 inside."
In setting up their E3 appointment with MS, New Zealand gaming blog Geekpulp reports that the company listed time on the itinerary to discuss two "surprise games" and one "surprise thing." That last one could be anything – 360 avatars, motion-tracking controllers, a scent-emitting peripheral – but the Geekpulp gang reckons it could be the hardware licensing deal.
If true, this wouldn't be the first time console makers have allowed other companies access to their technology. We've seen Aiwa's Mega Drive (Genesis) / Mega CD / boom box combo, a Pioneer Laserdisc player that ran TurboGrafx-16 games, and arcade machines that accepted Neo-Geo cartridges. Oh wait ... that was something totally different.
[Via X3F]
