Videogame News

Xbox Infinity to Launch in Late 2012

Xbox Infinity is the name of Microsoft’s next Xbox console. This has been confirmed to me, Michael Zoran (the one who is officially breaking this story), by several of my inside sources in the videogame industry. Last week I promised I would reveal the name of Microsoft’s next console on Thanksgiving – November, 24, 2011. I am pleased to report I have lived up to that promise and I would enjoy hearing your thoughts on the subject.

Last week I left my loyal readers with fact-based clues that would help reveal the name of the next Xbox. I will describe the clues I left and how they relate to the Xbox Infinity one at a time.

* Xbox Loop is the name of the “target” development kits that Microsoft has sent to third-party companies such as EA, Ubisoft, and Activision. These development kits are only alpha-stage development kits. In other words, they are not based on actual hardware; however, they are based on the target specifications Microsoft expects the next Xbox to be based on.

* The reason the word “Loop” is an important clue is because the “Loop” represents the sign of “Infinity.” Just take a look at the two “o” characters between the “L” and the “p.” You end up with “oo” – the sign of Infinity.

* Microsoft has entered into contracts to make it so Comcast technology will play a larger role on Xbox Live. Take a look at what Comcast is in the process of marketing right now and what their long-term marketing plan talks about more than anything else. Comcast is focused on “Xfinity.” This focus on the letter “X” isn’t a coincidence! Microsoft, Kinect, Xbox Live, and the Xbox Infinity will all be working together in special ways with Comcast technology.

Like I said in the article I wrote last week, I have met several reliable people in the videogame industry over the last six years. Using screen names of mike_mgoblue, Kim_Naroz (Mike Zoran spelled backwards), Salarian_Scientist, Salarian_Chemist, John_Gamer, Thomas_Brooks, femaletuffy, PatTuffy, Krogan Battle Master Urdnot Wrex, Unbiased Technology Professor, and several others, I have actually acquired a very loyal fan base!

I literally have heard people on Xbox Live say things like “Hey, are you Kim Naroz” and “Are you PatTuffy.” And then we talk about how awesome it was that the stupid editors of a certain website didn’t realize it was me, Mike Zoran, the whole time (posting right under their noses), even though I posted using the name of Kim Naroz!

The reason why I’m telling you this is because I recently spoke to an Xbox 360 developer online. He asked me what I thought of the name Xbox Infinity. I told him it was awesome. I said the only thing I could think of that might work out with the same type of effectiveness would be the name “Xbox 365.” The name Xbox 365 would still “1up” the PS4, since it keeps the Xbox 360 brand going and ends with the number five. Also, the name Xbox 365 would be in agreement with the Office 365 software programs Microsoft is using online.

Let me know what you think by writing a comment below. Xbox Infinity is scheduled to be released in late 2012 in North America. The European launch is not scheduled until the spring of 2013.

I’d like to know what you think. Do you like the name Xbox Infinity? It’s a nice holiday weekend to share your thoughts. Don’t forget to make sure and watch the online preview of the new Mission Impossible movie on Xbox Live. If you watch that preview, it gives you the ability to unlock special features in Gears of War 3 if you beat the Campaign mode on Insane difficulty by Christmas. Today is an excellent day to celebrate valuable names and the quality of the code – some of which may be right under your nose without you knowing it!

Black Friday and Thanksgiving Day Deals

Black Friday is an excellent time to find deals on videogames. I've actually noticed that Thanksgiving Day is also an excellent day to find deals on videogames. In my opinion, there are two deals in particular that stood out as excellent:

* Target allows you to purchase a 4GB Xbox 360 for only $139 on Black Friday!

* K-Mart has a multitude of videogame deals where you can save up to $30 on all sorts of games for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii. In particular, I noticed some AAA games such as Gears of War 3 and Forza Motorsport 4 which are on sale for only $39.99 on Thanksgiving Day. K-Mart also allows you to purchase a Kinect for only $99 on Thanksgiving Day.

If anyone else out there knows of any other deals on Thanksgiving or Black Friday, please mention them here by writing a Comment for others to see.

I Know the Name of the Next Xbox!

Over the last six years, I have become friends with quite a few people in the videogame industry. The people I know have sometimes been right and they've sometimes been wrong. But, when these people stick their neck out, they usually are right. This is particularly true with the people who provide me with information regarding the Xbox 360 console.

I believe this annoys some of the editors and administrators of other websites. Heck, my sources of information are so good that I've had editors of other major websites write articles about me accusing me of working for Microsoft! One article written by a senior editor of a major videogame website several years ago even said that his entire staff would wait to see what I wrote about each day! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised, offended, and proud all at the same time.

Recently I heard several pieces of information from several different sources. Each person was discussing the third Xbox console, which will apparently be released in late 2012 in North America and possibly Europe. There were several pieces of information that partially lined up in each scenario. With that in mind, I can tell you I know what the next Xbox console will be called!

So the question is, "If you know what the next Xbox console is going to be called, why don't you just tell us now?"

The answer is simple: "Because I want you to feel some form of anticipation and excitement for when I make the announcement on Thanksgiving!" For those of you who do not live in America, Thanksgiving is an American holiday which will be celebrated on Thursday, November 24.

Here's one thing I will tell you in order to give you a hint and see if you can come up with the answer. According to developers, the development kits for the next Xbox are referred to as the "Xbox Loop." Believe it or not, this is actually a powerful clue to what the final name of the product is. Further proof of this has to do with the way Microsoft is working with Comcast to take advantage of Kinect.

Another thing I should mention is that Microsoft's new console stays in line with other Xbox products the way it seems to focus on one-upping the competition. The next Xbox will one-up the PS4, but on a larger scale. Remember how people used to say Sony was always going to have the advantage because the PS3 would compete against the Xbox 2 (always giving the Playstation brand an advantage of one). In the end, the PS3 ended up competing against the Xbox 360. Advantage: Xbox by 60 or 357 (depending on how you look at it).

Either way, I will let you know what the name of the next Xbox console is on Thanksgiving!

Happy 5th Anniversary to PS3!

The PS3 console recently celebrated its 5th anniversary. Although the PS3 is the least successful console ever in the history of the Playstation brand, sales are starting to improve now that the price has dropped and Sony has filled gaps in key genres. For example, the PS3 was on the market for three shopping seasons before the console saw a game released in the genre of Real-Time Strategy. But, as time has passed, gaps like this have been filled.

Regrettably, the PS3 will always be known as the Playstation console that caused the Playstation brand to lose its momentum. No matter what happens within the next few years, the financial results show that the PS3 has been a huge financial failure for Sony. While Nintendo and Microsoft were earning billions of dollars in net profit with the Wii and Xbox 360, Sony was seeing billions of dollars in net loss with the PS3. Nevertheless, best wishes to the PS3!

Xbox Celebrates 10th Anniversary!

November 15, 2001, Microsoft entered the videogame console market with a console known as the Xbox. Since that time, the Xbox platform has gone on to become a tremendous success. The same can be said for the Xbox Live online service. Videogame Daily News would like to send out a "Happy Anniversary" to the Xbox platform!

The original Xbox provided the momentum needed for the Xbox 360 to become the dominant console platform in the world of high-definition gaming. Xbox Live has gone on to become the most successful online service ever seen in the world of videogames -- one full generation ahead of anything else offered by any other manufacturer. And the Kinect accessory is even in the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest-selling electronic product in history -- selling over eight-million units within 60 days!

Xbox 360 is the True Home of Call of Duty and Modern Warfare!

Modern Warfare 3 is about to be released by Activision. This very popular Call of Duty game is being released for multiple hardware platforms, but many people have asked “Which version of Modern Warfare 3 should I buy?” The answer really is simple: Xbox 360

Xbox 360 has the best version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for several reasons while I will now outline:

* DLC: Activision and Microsoft have a contract signed where all downloadable content (DLC) is launched exclusively for the Xbox 360. In other words, whenever new maps, new expansions, or any other content is released for a Call of Duty or Modern Warfare game, it is going to be released first for Xbox 360.

* Online Gaming: There is no doubt that the best online service available today is Xbox Live. Experts agree that Xbox Live a premium service is one full generation ahead of any other online gaming service. There are literally millions more gamers playing on Xbox Live than there are the PSN. This is particularly true in English-speaking parts of the world. You will never need to be worried about having fellow gamers to play with at all times of the day if you own an Xbox 360.

* Online Communication: Microsoft made the decision to pack Xbox 360 units with microphone headsets for free when the Xbox 360 console was released. Sony made the decision not to pack any form of headset in with the Playstation 3 console when it was released. Ultimately, this ended up being a big difference in gaming. The simple fact is that millions of gamers now have the ability to talk online while playing with their Xbox 360, but only a much smaller percentage of PS3 owners can talk online while playing.

* Strategy and Teamwork: When you have an entire team of gamers playing a game like Modern Warfare 3, Call of Duty, Gears of War 3, or Halo: Reach, it helps when everyone can talk online while playing. This is a very common scenario on Xbox 360 when playing over Xbox Live. But with the PS3 and the PSN this is not the case, since such a smaller number of PS3 console owners play with an online microphone. When you play with an online microphone, you have the ability to talk with your teammates and listen to each other; you can work together as a team! This element of strategy adds an amazing amount of depth to the game.

Do the PS3 and PC versions of Modern Warfare 3 allow the "potential" for features such as online chat and teamwork? Yes. But it is the Xbox 360 that truly takes full advantage of this feature in an environment where you can expect to work with gamers whenever you randomly start up a game with new people. The same can be said about online DLC. Yes, the PS3 and PC will eventually get those expansions, but if you are a true hardcore gamer, you will want to play the DLC on the console that receives it "first." And obviously you want to play on the hardware platform with the largest number of online gamers -- the Xbox 360.

Winner: Xbox 360

By the way, there is a cool new Xbox 360 console design with Modern Warfare 3 as the theme for the console and controllers. The size of the hard drive is extra large, too. If you are a fan of Call of Duty and Modern Warfare, you know that is the version you will want to get in the same way that Star Wars fans are influenced in similar ways!

FREE: Gears of War 3 DLC Pack!

Thanksgiving Day -- November 24, 2011 -- Xbox 360 gamers will be getting a special treat. Epic will be releasing a brand new downloadable content (DLC) package for FREE! This package is officially called the Versus Booster Map Pack. The map pack will including five free maps: Azura, Rust Lung, and Blood Drive -- the same three new maps that were released in the new Horde Command Pack that launched today. In addition to these three new maps, there will be two classic maps: Swamp is one of these all-time favorites and Clocktower is the other.

On behalf of all Xbox 360 gamers and all Gears of War 3 fans, I would like to salute Epic and say "Thank you."