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Report: Next Xbox requires Kinect to function, runs multiple games at once
Microsoft isn't acknowledging the development, or even the existence, of the Xbox 360's successor (codenamed "Durango"), but that isn't stopping potential details from leaking out of Redmond. The latest report comes via console overview documents (known as "white papers") provided to Kotaku by the same source who provided information on the next PlayStation (codenamed "Orbis"), and it spells out some things we've yet to hear. Namely, the console will ship with a new version of Microsoft's motion-sensing camera controller, Kinect, and that the device, "must be plugged in and calibrated for the console to even function," the piece says. The new Kinect -- which we've heard of in the past -- is said to capture up to six people at once, and an alleged image demonstrating the difference between new and old versions of the camera puts much higher specs on said device (1920x1080 color resolution, more trackable joints, improved depth resolution, etc.). The new console is also reported to employ multitasking, enabling multiple games or apps to run concurrently, similar to mobile phones and tablets; how many apps that could mean is unclear, if true. Sony's PlayStation Vita already employs such functionality, making the claim all the less far-fetched. The piece also states supposedly final retail hardware specs for Microsoft's next game console, including a 64-bit D3D11.x 800MHz GPU, an 8-core x64 1.6GHz 4MB L2 CPU, 8GB DDR3 RAM, 500GB of on-board memory, USB 3.0, HDMI-out, and an optical drive for 50GB discs. For its part, Microsoft's staying mum -- "We do not comment on rumors or speculation. We are always thinking about what is next for our platform, but we don't have anything further to share at this time," a Microsoft spokesperson told us -- and Sony's the only game in town with even an event scheduled in the near future. [Photo credit: Kotaku]
Next Xbox console to be six times more powerful, headed for fall 2013 release?
Xbox 720, Xbox Loop -- whatever Microsoft ends up calling it, that hot rod of a console looks to be on deck for a late fall 2013 release. According to IGN's sources, this successor to the Redmond gaming throne is purported to pack a GPU based on AMD's 6000 series of chips and will boast silicon circuitry that catapults its performance past Nintendo's upcoming Wii U by 20 percent. If you're looking for a more apples to green X's comparison, this next-gen console's graphical capabilities are also reportedly six times greater than its 360 progenitor. While MS is likely holding back its monstrous new platform for a big E3 reveal, it appears the company's still whittling down its spec list, with dev kits to be issued later this August. No mention was made of its rumored Kinect 2 integration, but we're more than certain that famous hacking tech will be front and center.[Image credit: Joseph Dumary]
ASUS hints at next-generation Transformer in brief teaser video
ASUS has just posted a new video teaser for what appears to be a next-generation Eee Pad Transformer. Titled "The next Transformation," the clip is pretty light on details, though the mysterious device does make a brief appearance toward the end, sporting a design similar to what we saw last week, with ASUS' Zenbook lineup. No word yet on whether the forthcoming Transformer will be powered by NVIDIA's quad-core Kal El, as rumored, but you can see the teaser for yourself after the break. [Thanks, Lorenz]
Qualcomm's next-gen Snapdragon roadmap leaks, exhibits great expectations (updated)
Seems like we just can't get ARM's next-generation Cortex-A15 system-on-chip out of our minds. Having figured as a headline item in LG's ARM licensing deal this morning, it's now shown up on a leaked Qualcomm roadmap, landing itself a lynchpin role in that company's Snapdragon future. Alas, Qualcomm had been promising for the earliest of its MSM8930 / 60 and APQ8064 Snapdragons to be sampling in Q2 of this year, but this latest schedule shows them as sampling at the end of 2011 (see update). This isn't hugely surprising in light of ARM's recent forecast of Cortex-A15 devices in "late 2012," but it'll be disappointing to users keen to be exploiting quad-GPU and quad-CPU mobile rigs as soon as humanly possible. Guess that just leaves us waiting for the NGP or NVIDIA's quad-core SOC in August. Hit the source link for more on Qualcomm's plans for the near and distant future. [Thanks, Mike] Update: Qualcomm got in touch to correct the timing here. The company's 3G/LTE MSM8960 chipset remains on track to sample in this quarter, as promised in the company's latest earnings report. The other two parts were already expected to come later, so there's no delay to speak of. Just juicy specs.
Next-generation iPhone coming in September?
Ok, so you won't be getting an iPhone refresh this summer. But according to a trio of sources speaking to Reuters, the next-generation iPhone should be shipping in September -- as we've heard before -- with production starting in July. One source said that the iPhone will feature a faster processor, naturally, and look largely similar to the iPhone 4. If true then prepare to see it unveiled at Apple's fall event, usually held in early September.
NVIDIA's next flagship graphics card to be unveiled at 9AM on Thursday, bring your own popcorn
In NVIDIA's own words, this Thursday will bring us the company's "next generation, highest performance graphics card." If that has you thinking GeForce GTX 590, you're not alone. The dual-GPU solution was expected to arrive at the PAX East get-together this month but seemed to shyly dodge the limelight, though now there's no escaping its date with destiny. Just make sure to be up nice and early tomorrow, say around 9AM US Eastern Time, for the inevitable barrage of reviews. An unsatisfyingly brief teaser video, featuring Crysis 2 slyly running in the background, can be found after the break. Update: Whoa, Nelly! Looks like it may end up being the GeForce GTX 590, as evidenced by these leaked images here. [Thanks, Abdulmalik]
Epoq readying Nextgen 4GB portable media player
Epoq's no (complete) stranger to the portable media player realm, and apparently, the firm is gearing up to crank out another of its own at CES 2008. The Nextgen 4GB will reportedly sport a 3-inch 320 x 240 resolution display, 4GB of internal storage space, USB connectivity, an SD expansion slot, FM radio / audio recorder and support for RMVB, AVI, DAT, FLV, JPG, GIF, BMP, MP3 and WMA files. Admittedly, we're a bit bummed the likes of AAC, OGG, APE, FLAC and DivX / XviD were seemingly disregarded, but nevertheless, it should be available in the not-too-distant future for around $250.[Via PMPToday]
BBC examines 'next-generation' games
Alright, students, pop quiz time. Take out a sheet of notebook paper and a No. 2 pencil and answer this question: what is a next-generation game? Oh, BBC, we only needed a one-sentence answer, you didn't have to write a novel!The BBC has published an article discussing how developers are using next-generation hardware and tools in storytelling. In addition to noting the strides in graphical technology, including attempts to overcome the Uncanny Valley, the article emphasizes the need to advance game design. "We need the Alfred Hitchcock and the Orson Welles of gaming to step forward and lead the industry into a new era. At the moment we have plenty of Buster Keaton's and Harold Lloyd's," said David Breben, an industry vet (remember Elite?) currently working on The Outsider.
DS Daily: How much do graphics matter?
Handhelds have come a long way over the years, and even the GBA can churn out some impressive looking games, to say nothing of our beloved DS and a certain other handheld. Even so, graphics on handheld games don't really rival those in other consoles, for obvious reasons. For the past year, graphics have been one of the biggest topics in the gaming industry, and it's at the heart of some of the discussions concerning the next-gen console war. Despite all the attention given to graphics, the DS -- pretty, but no graphical powerhouse -- continues to outsell everything, everywhere. So we come to you, dedicated DS gamers after our own hearts, to ask ... how much do graphics really matter?
Sprint to demo WiMAX at CES
We think the CES floor is going be crowded next week, especially if you venture over by Sprint's booth. The carrier, in conjunction with Motorola and Samsung, will be demonstrating their next-generation WiMAX network in all its glory in beautiful Las Vegas. The demo will include a variety of their current MobiTV offerings, video conferencing, and VOD all via Sprint's 4G network . Now if we could only guess what handsets they plan to use, anyone?
Next Gen's 360 picks for 2007
It's the first week of a new year, and predictions are the order of the day. Next Gen chimes in with its list of the 360 games to watch in 2007. If you follow the 360, then you know what games are on that list (we picked most of them, too) but the enormity of the full list is very impressive. To say that the 360 will have a wealth of games this year would be putting it very mildly. We've taken the liberty of organizing Next Gen's picks into a categorized list. Check it out after the break. Don't forget to add your picks, too.
Toshiba's triple-layer HD DVD / DVD discs
You know we likey our Blu-ray and HD DVD tech 'round here, but we heart hybrid capabilities even more. So today's announcement from Toshiba and Memory Tech of a triple-layer twin format HD DVD / DVD disc has certainly caught our attention. The new disc is capable of either a dual-layer 30GB HD DVD and single-layer 4.7GB configuration, or single-layer 15GB HD DVD and dual-layer 8.5GB DVD. The resulting disc can be manufactured on the same HD DVD production lines with little modification and conceivably play either HD or DVD films (without flipping the disc) when fed into a regular ol' DVD or new fangled HD DVD player. As our hi-def bros over at HD Beat rightly point out, the DVD TWIN standard is already in use by our Japanese overlords, albeit, in its lessor dual-layer format. The next step is for Tosh to present the new format to the DVD forum who, with any luck, will slap Toshiba up side the head and get 'em focused on the HD DVD / Blu-ray hybrid we're all waiting for. [Via Impress]
Top 50 handheld games of the century
Next Gen has painstakingly gone through NPD sales data to give you the best selling handheld games of all time (in the US). They went through the number of units sold, and two PSP games made their way to this elite list of heavy-hitting games. Sure, the rest of the list is dominated by DS and Game Boy games, but Sony has done what the Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket, n-Gage, etc. have failed to do: make a portable that can survive against the Nintendo goliath. The two games that represented the PSP should come as no surprise: 48. Madden NFL 06(est. sales of 590,000) 16. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories(est. sales of 980,000) Make sure you read through Next Gen's report to see the entire list.[Via DS Fanboy]
Yuji Naka confirmed to be leaving Sega to form Prope
Back in March, we heard rumblings that Sega stalwart Yuji Naka was planning to leave Sega to start his own studio. Today, that rumor's been confirmed. According to Next Generation, Naka's new company is called Prope, which means "'beside' and 'near' future." Prope's web site (not linked on Next Gen) apparently explains that the name was chosen "in the hopes of bringing game entertainment much closer to users, establishing closer ties between users and us, and creating near future entertainment." We're just happy that Naka is retaining some ties to his old corporate home thanks to a 10% contribution on Sega's part to prop up the emerging new independent studio (a concept which Sega seems to support with its developers). Unfortunately, as the firm "will commit to new IP," you shouldn't expect updates of Sega classic franchises from the old hand anytime soon. It will also be interesting to see who's guiding the new Sonic games as well. Prope will open for business on June 1st. [Thanks, Sense; via 8-bit Ninja] See also: Rumor: Yuji Naka set to leave Sega NiGHTS Into Dreams, onto Revolution? Next-gen Sonic to be "re-invented" for PS3 and Xbox 360
