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Xbox Infinity Updates

I would like to give a brief update of what I have been hearing lately regarding the Xbox Infinity:

* Xbox Infinity will definitely be announced to the public at the 2012 E3 show.

* Xbox Infinity will probably be released "worldwide" simultaneously in North America, Europe, and Japan, just like the Xbox 360. This launch is going to happen in late 2013.

* There are still a few key people at Microsoft who are pulling for a late 2012 launch of Xbox Infinity. If this were to happen, the launch would be exclusively in North America with the European launch taking place in the spring of 2013. I still have no clue what would happen in Japan if this scenario were to take place.

* Microsoft wants to beat the competition to the market. If the Xbox Infinity launches in the fall of 2013, it would have a perfect launch – similar to the Sega Dreamcast. But, Microsoft knows that even if they launched in late 2012 there would still be quite a few good third-party games and the console would sell out (even at an incredibly high price).

* I know that several key people at Microsoft are still pulling for the name of Xbox 365 rather than Xbox Infinity, even though Xbox Infinity is supported by a much larger group of people.

* I can tell you the specifications recently released by several websites are not correct. Although the hardware may in fact be "Six times as powerful as Xbox 360," the GPU is going to be custom for the Xbox Infinity -- regardless of which PC graphics technology it is based off of.

Halo 4: On Xbox 360 or Xbox Infinity? ... Or BOTH!

Here is an excellent question that one of my loyal readers, Mr. Jose Ramos, recently sent to me in an email at my email address of [email protected]:

Hey Michael,

First off, great articles. I do like Xbox Infinity as a name. Sounds pretty cool and I definitely can not wait for them to announce it officially.

Now, couple of friends of mine and myself have had the argument regarding Halo 4. I say that it is just stupid for MS to release Halo 4 for Xbox 360 and at the same time release their new console. But rumors point out to the fact that MS will in fact release a new console in the fall of 2012. So my guess is that Halo 4 is actually being developed for the next Xbox, instead of Xbox 360. Of course, the developers already stated that it is being developed for Xbox 360, but that is just because Xbox Infinity hasn't been officially announced, Others say that precisely because of this, they know that Xbox Infinity won't be out till 2013.

So I ask you, what is your take on all of this? Halo 4 for Xbox Infinity….or what?

Cheers!
Jose Ramos

Cheers, to you, too, Jose! You ask an excellent question that I, too, have wondered about quite a bit. Here are my thoughts on the release of Halo 4.

First, we know it is a fact that Microsoft has officially announced Halo 4 for the Xbox 360. This means there is no doubt Halo 4 will be released for Xbox 360 in late 2012, right? The answer is actually, “Not necessarily.”

Remember when Microsoft originally purchased the software company called Rare from Nintendo for $400 million. Microsoft publicly announced Perfect Dark Zero would be released for the original Xbox. However, history has proven that Microsoft later decided to release Perfect Dark Zero for the launch of Xbox 360. Obviously, this means the potential exists for Microsoft to change their minds about the release of Halo 4.

From this point on, everything I say is based on theories, hypotheses, and overall speculation. Let’s outline the information we have, though:

* Halo 4 is probably going to experience the most explosively-successful launch of any exclusive title released so far for Xbox 360.

* There are far more Xbox 360 owners now than ever before. Halo 4 would help Microsoft generate huge amounts of financial revenue and net profit.

* Halo 4 represents a new trilogy. The huge Xbox 360 market can be used as an open doorway to pull consumers into the new trilogy. This form of bait can be used to get consumers hooked on the new trilogy. Gamers would obviously experience some form of “Cliffhanger” ending that would leave everyone who played the game begging to play the sequel. By releasing the sequel to Halo 4 on the Xbox Infinity, the hardware sales of Xbox Infinity would skyrocket at a point in time when Microsoft would be able to supply enough units to meet the demand!

* Halo 5 would represent a killer-app capable of selling hardware units during the second or third season the Xbox Infinity console was on the market. Prices would have dropped on the hardware unit because of economies of scale, and developers would have become familiar with the hardware. The level of marketing behind Halo 5 would be unbelievable. This description of Halo 5 is exactly what Microsoft did with Halo 3 in 2007.

Other side of the story:

* Halo 1 and Halo 2 were incredibly successful games on the original Xbox. But the size of the original Xbox market was small compared to the Xbox 360. Microsoft was very intelligent to leave Halo 2 with a cliffhanger ending, and then use Halo 3 on the Xbox 360 to be the most successful killer-app console-selling exclusive game released this generation on any platform.

* Halo is now the best-selling exclusive franchise available on any HD console. There is no doubt Halo 4 is going to represent an “open door” capable of selling hardware units – regardless of when it is released or what platform it is released on.

* Microsoft won’t need to use a “cliffhanger ending” from Halo 4 to use Halo 5 as the killer-app capable of selling Xbox Infinity consoles at a later point in time. The Xbox market is now exponentially larger than it was during the era of the original Xbox. The Xbox market has more momentum now than ever before.

* Despite the fact that Halo 4 represents a new trilogy in the Halo series, Halo has millions of loyal fans who will buy Halo 4 no matter what. The day Halo 4 is released we will see millions of Halo fans make sure they own the console it is released for.

* I do agree with you that it may seem a bit dumb to release Halo 4 on Xbox 360 while simultaneously releasing a new console. However, from what my friend has told me, Microsoft believes it is very important to release the Xbox Infinity early in order to get a head start on the competition.

* Microsoft apparently knows they will only have a very limited number of Xbox Infinity units to launch with. This is why the console will only be released in the home market of North America. The price will be expensive because it will be overloaded with the most advanced technology in order to deal with the fact that it will be competing with a console being launched at a later point in time.

* When the Xbox Infinity launches, it will completely sell out – no matter which console receives Halo 4.

* Releasing Halo 5 for Xbox Infinity during the 2014 or 2015 shopping season would really be the perfect way to pull in a lot of consumers to the Xbox Infinity market. This would cause Xbox Infinity to receive all the market attention in a way the competition cannot compete with. We saw this happen during the holiday shopping season of 2007 when Halo 3 launched for Xbox 360.

Summary

The pieces of information I presented represent my personal points of view on Halo 4. Obviously there are a lot of possibilities that could happen. At any moment, Microsoft could change their mind and release Halo 4 for Xbox Infinity.

One thing I can tell you for sure is that if Halo 4 really does launch worldwide at the end of 2012, it will definitely not be for the Xbox Infinity. Here’s how I know this. I was told that if the Xbox Infinity is able to launch in 2012, there would only be enough units to launch in North America. I was told that Europe would see the release of Xbox Infinity at some point in 2013 (and I wasn’t told anything about Japan).

Obviously it would be incredibly foolish for Microsoft to launch Halo 4 at a point in time when the console is only available in one part of the world. So, I can tell you with 100% confidence that if Halo 4 does in fact release at the end of 2012, it will not be for Xbox Infinity.

If you want my honest opinion, based on the combination of history and current announcements, I believe Halo 4 will be released worldwide for Xbox 360 at the end of 2012.

If Xbox Infinity is released at the end of 2012 in the home market of North America, it will be similar to the way Sony and Nintendo release hardware in their home territory of Japan first. This will be done to gain a head start on the competition. The killer-apps will probably come from third-party titles such as Call of Duty. There will be huge graphic advantages seen in the Xbox Infinity versions of these third-party games.

This is what happened with the launch of Xbox 360 in 2005. The top-selling game that proved to be a killer-app was Call of Duty 2. Other games that sold well were Perfect Dark Zero, Ridge Racer, Fight Night Round 3, Project Gotham Racing 3, and other third-party titles.

If 2013 is the year when Xbox Infinity is released on a global scale, similar to the global launch of Xbox 360, I don’t think Halo 4 will be a launch title. If Microsoft did this, Halo 4 probably wouldn’t have as large an impact as it could if the game was released just one year after the launch. When a console launches, it is at the highest price it will ever see and have the smallest market it will ever see. This isn’t the type of environment Microsoft favors for the launch of a game like Halo.

If Xbox Infinity is released in North America in late 2012, expect the third-party games to be the console sellers. Once Microsoft sells out that initial batch of launch units and sells throughout 2013, it guarantees the third-party software companies will continue to support the Xbox brand with big games. 2013 will be a much bigger year filled with first-party exclusives to some of Microsoft’s best games.

2013 will probably be the year we see a new trilogy in the Gears of War series. The game will be released for Xbox Infinity, using brand new standards in graphic excellence based on the Unreal Graphics Engine. This Gears of War game has the goal of selling Xbox Infinity units to consumers and marketing the new Unreal Graphics Engine to developers. From what I’m told, there is an excellent chance the first game in this new Gears of War trilogy will be called “Gears of War: The Pendulum Wars.”

In all probability, Halo 5 will be the first Halo game we see for Xbox Infinity. I suspect that Halo 5 will be released during the second or third season on the market. Microsoft knows their winning strategy of releasing Gears of War one year and Halo the next year is something they should stick with.

I hope all this information helps you out, Jose. I believe I presented all the most probable points of view to you and your friends. The chances seem to favor Halo 4 being released for Xbox 360 in late 2012. Plus, it wouldn’t surprise me if at some point in the life of the Xbox Infinity there was a remix of Halo 4 sold online – just like what Microsoft did with Halo: Combat Evolved on Xbox 360. Take care, and have a nice 2012!

Xbox Infinity Shown Behind Closed Doors at CES

According to reliable sources, the Xbox Infinity (which has a slight chance of being called Xbox 365 when it launches) has in fact been revealed to major developers at the 2012 CES! The reason these developers have not mentioned anything to the public or the media is because the developers  have signed a contract preventing the console from being discussed publicly.

These developers have in fact been aware of the next Xbox platform for quite a while, since they have been in possession of "Xbox Loop" development kits. However, the 2012 CES represents the first time these developers have been shown several final selections for hardware design, controllers, and features other than gaming.

The newest Unreal Graphics Engine has been used to show demonstrations of both software and other graphic abilities of the Xbox Infinity. According to sources, there were at least two "Shooters" shown behind closed doors, one "Racer," one "Combat" game, and one "Puzzle" game. There has also been some form of Kinect feature displayed, which plays a very key role in the way Xbox Infinity functions.

I want to make it clear that I am 100% aware of the fact that Microsoft has not yet "publicly" announced anything about the Xbox Infinity. This is what I said would happen when I originally unleashed this information to the public on Thanksgiving of 2011. I thought it was exciting when Yahoo claimed rumors were circulating that Microsoft would reveal the Xbox Infinity to the public at the 2012 CES show, but I knew this was highly unlikely. This is the reason why I specifically addressed this issue when I thanked Yahoo for providing information about those rumors.

I want to reinforce that the same sources who told me about Xbox Infinity have made it 100% clear the key third-party developers such as Activision, Ubisoft, and EA have already been shown the Xbox Infinity behind those closed doors at the 2012 CES. I was once again told that the Xbox Infinity will be revealed to the public for the first time at the 2012 E3 show. And from what I'm told, the Xbox Infinity is still on schedule to be released in time for Christmas of 2012 in North America. I'm looking forward to seeing the Xbox Infinity in action at the 2012 Electronic Entertainment Expo!

Xbox Infinity to "Get Official" at CES?

While no official announcement has been made, rumors have been circulating for a while now that Microsoft plans on updating its Xbox console in 2012. Nintendo should be in Vegas showing off the Wii U to CES attendees, and Sony has its Vita handheld system to talk about — but with neither expected to announce big new projects, this leaves the door open for Microsoft to steal the gaming spotlight with the so-called Xbox 720 (which will probably be renamed later this year). 2012 is also Microsoft's last year at CES, so they'll want to make a big impact as they head for the door.

The Xbox 720 (which I, Michael Zoran, believe will be called either Xbox Infinity or Xbox 365) is rumored to have an AMD processor, Blu-ray disc drive, Windows 8 compatibility, and deeper Kinect integration than the Xbox 360.

You can read the initial story when I broke the news about Xbox Infinity to the gaming world, here. The newest information about the 2012 CES confirms everything I said would happen, although I predicted the information about the Xbox Infinity would be revealed behind closed doors. Time will tell what happens, but either way it will be exciting!

Note: I'd like to thank Yahoo for providing this information about CES rumors.

Forbes on PlayStation Vita: 'Sony in Big Trouble'

It's old news now that PlayStation Vita isn't selling very well in its native Japan. As we already reported, Vita is off to a rocky start, only selling 72,479 in its first full week on the market (from December 19th through December 25th) after pushing about 325,000 in its first 48 hours (on December 17th and 18th).

This precipitous decline hasn't gone unnoticed in circles outside of the gaming realm. In fact, Forbes tech contributor Tero Kuittinen has written a scathing article titled "Sony in Big Trouble with PS Vita," outlining the problems the company is currently facing with Vita.

Kuittinen notes that Vita's "second week brought devastation," especially when compared to Nintendo 3DS' second week on the market. Nintendo 3DS was widely believed to have had a terrible start, only more recently pushing bigger numbers now that games players want have finally starting arriving. Yet, 3DS sold 370,000 units in Japan in its first week, and 210,000 units in its second. In other words, it beat PlayStation Vita by 45,000 units in its first week, and a massive 137,500 units in its second week.

"That drop off led to steep further sales erosion," the Forbes article notes, "which forced Nintendo to implement an unusually early and steep price cut." This, of course, begs the question if Sony will do the same. Tero Kuittinen thinks that it will. "Sony will likely be forced to cut the price of the PS Vita from 24,000 Yen (~$311) to well below 20,000 Yen (~$259) very soon."

But the problems don't stop there. Kuittinen continues, "The upcoming US launch could be a true debacle for several reasons. Sony has decided to price Vita at $250, higher than the Amazon Kindle Fire. The hottest games like the latest Uncharted are priced at $50, while many other major titles are $40. The pricing seems delusional in light of the Japanese response to the PS Vita."

However, Kuittinen saves perhaps his harshest words for later in his article. "The 3DS should have been a surefire blockbuster in its domestic market -- the summer softness in Japan may have been an early warning sign of the coming global portable market malaise. The disastrous second week of the PS Vita is the second sign." The reason? The Forbes author argues that the rise of the smart phone and tablet markets are much to blame.

But he also argues that Sony should be concerned, as it seems to be on recent word that Sony had no comment when asked about Vita's sluggish sales. "…the portable console market may now have entered an age of permanent, slowly accelerating decline," Kuittinen concludes. "The true test of the industry is the United States, where consumers are embracing games designed for smartphones and tablets. The possible shrinking of the portable game consumer base would hit the runner-up Sony before Nintendo really gets mauled. The rot sets in first at the periphery."

Note: This article was written by Colin Moriarty of IGN.