Videogame News

Gears of War Prequel Trilogy!

First, I want to make it clear that I encourage everyone to visit the following website where I wrote the article below. A lot of people are visiting this excellent new forum to talk about gaming: http://www.theaskeweffect.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=17

For quite a while I had some inside information about the new Gears of War trilogy. But then my source started to remain silent and I wasn't quite sure what was going on. Also, from that point on when I talked to my source online, it became clear that he was not answering my questions and sharing information clearly the way he previously did. I noticed that my source started communicating with me by answering my questions with riddling questions of his own -- but were still potentially valid answers and volunteered thoughts.

Here is what I personally believe Microsoft and Epic have planned for the next trilogy of Gears of War:

* Gears of War is definitely going to remain the primary Title of the game. Believe it or not, this was originally not the plan that everyone agreed on. In the same way that Activision wanted to start a new series titled "Modern Warfare," the strong sales of Call of Duty forced Activision to market the game as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. This is what we will see with the next Gears of War trilogy.

* The Pendulum Wars was (and possibly still is) definitely the name Epic staff members used when talking about the three games in this trilogy.

* At this point in time, the first game in the new Gears of War trilogy is apparently going to be titled Gears of War with a subtitle making a reference to the word "Pendulum." I would not be surprised if the game was actually called "Gears of War: The Pendulum Wars"

* The star of the next Gears of War trilogy is going to be Adam Fenix -- the father of Marcus Fenix

* There definitely will be a Campaign Mode in the next Gears of War game. It will be all about how Adam Fenix discovers what is going on, first contact is made, and his science is used to develop strategies to fight The Horde

* Microsoft and Epic did consider releasing the first game in the new Gears of War trilogy for the Xbox Infinty (which still has a chance of being called Xbox 365). Microsoft and Epic both realize that Gears of War is the game that is associated with raising the standard in graphics this console generation.

* Microsoft and Epic now realize and 100% agree that Gears of War is a game series that has just as much of a loyal following as the incredibly successful Halo game series. This is the reason why Microsoft and Epic are going to follow the success they enjoyed with the Halo series when Microsoft and Bungie released the first two Halo games for the original Xbox, and then released the final sequel for the Xbox 360. Halo 2 had one of the all-time best "Cliffhanger" endings in the history of the videogame industry, which is actually one of the reasons why Halo 3 became the most successful game ever released when is launched in 2007.

* Microsoft and Epic plan on releasing the first game in the new Halo series and the first game in the new Gears of War series for Xbox 360, and then releasing the sequels for the next Xbox console. The reason this strategy will be used is because the Xbox 360 will have over 70 million owners by the time those games are released. This will give the new Gears of War series and the new Halo series plenty of time to be played by an incredibly large audience of gamers. This will also help the games sell incredibly well, make a very large net profit, and take advantage of the opportunity to actually help the next console by ensuring that all of those gamers remain loyal to the new series.

16-Core CPU used in Xbox Project "Durango"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The next-generation console rumors are heating up, and this week brought a lot of new detailed gossip on that front.

Microsoft’s next-generation machine is rumored to be code-named Durango. That name was partially verified on Feb. 28, when a senior technical artist at Crytek tweeted that he was “enjoying the Durango developers summit in London. So far, great swag and interesting talks.” He then deleted the tweet and his account. In meetings, Microsoft reportedly showed details of the new console hardware.

Now Xbox World magazine is reporting that development kits for the new console were shipped to developers in March. Those kits include an IBM PowerPC central processing unit (CPU) with 16 cores, compared to just three cores on the Xbox 360′s CPU. The graphics chip is equivalent to an Advanced Micro Devices Radeon HD 7000-series graphics card, and the machine has a Blu-ray optical drive. The report mentioned that Kinect 2 (the sequel to Microsoft’s motion-sensing system) will chew up as many as four cores tracking multiple players.

If Microsoft is shipping the dev kits now, then it is likely on schedule for a launch in 2013. The developers need a year or more to make launch titles for the increasingly complex console hardware.

Nintendo got dinged by unnamed developers who said that the Wii U’s performance isn’t as good as either the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3. It’s a little hard to believe that a brand new Nintendo console debuting in the fall of 2012 won’t be faster than the consoles that debuted in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Nintendo will make the leap to high-definition TVs with the graphics on its new machine, and it has never put a priority on processing power in the first place.

“We do not focus on technology specs,” said a spokesperson for Nintendo of America. “We understand that people like to dissect graphics and processing power, but the experience of playing will always be more important than raw numbers.”

Nintendo isn’t confirming that the report is untrue, but it isn’t denying it either. Do such rumors matter? Based on the news, Macquarie Equities Research analyst Ben Schacter downgraded his stock rating on Nintendo.

Sony’s PlayStation 4, code-named Orbis, got outed by Kotaku last week. The Orbis reportedly has an AMD 64-bit CPU and an AMD Southern Islands GPU (graphics processing unit). The GPU will be capable of displaying games at a resolution of 4096 x 2160. And it will play games in stereoscopic 3D at 1080p high-definition resolution. It will not be compatible with PS 3 games and will not play used games.

VG247 said that the next PlayStation will be released prior to the Durango machine from Microsoft.

We’re checking with the companies to see if they want to comment further, but don’t hold your breath.

I'd also like to thank Mr. Morris Ramsey for quickly telling me about this information seen at Venturebeat.

Note: I will soon be writing an article explaining what I have repeatedly heard about project "Durango" and how it relates to project "Loop."

Xbox Infinity Specification Rumors - Two GPU Chips and Six-Core CPU!

New rumors now exist for Xbox Infinity! The newest reports continue to say the Xbox Infinity is in fact on schedule for a Christmas 2013 release. These rumors now say a Blu-Ray drive will be included as an optical disc format. This disagrees with previous reports saying Microsoft’s new Xbox would not use optical disc formats.

The new rumors also claim that multiple sources have confirmed that the new console will feature not one GPU has other rumors have said. Instead the new console will uses two GPU’s. From this point of view, it's easy to see why some people have said “It’s like two PCs taped together."

Final specs have still not been determined. Several sources have said they believe the graphics cards will be similar to AMD’s 7000 series of graphics processing units, but not the CrossFire or SLI. Apparently it is puzzling why developers felt the need to specifically point out this difference.

One theory is based on the fact that a normal PC configuration in which the two processors alternate drawing lines of the same object -- one may control odd lines and the other even lines. But the Xbox Infinity′s two graphics cards would be capable of workding independently! This benefit would allow the processor to simultaneously draw separate items. This design will always offer better graphics because of sharper detail and a smoother look combined in a way that offers an overall better-looking graphic quality.

The Xbox Infinity will feature between four and six cores. One core will be reserved for the Kinect (apparently Kinect 2) which will be built into the console. The other core will be dedicated to the operating system which will constantly be functioning.

Xbox Infinity will use a form of Internet connection dedicated to prevent piracy. This is something game developers love to hear. This may be something certain gamers don't enjoy hearing, but it may be for the best because new games would probably see prices rise to $70 or $75 if something was not done to stop the sale of used games. The development costs continue to rise each generation while the used game industry continues to grow.

Apparently, Microsoft won’t announce the Xbox Infinity at this years E3 show. Microsoft will apparently announce Xbox Infinity in early 2013. The name of "Durango" is also being used as the current codename for the console. However, my sources continue to say the final name of the console will be either Xbox Infinity or Xbox 365.

There are too many sources to thank this time, folks. However, I would like to thank our sister sites: Ramsey Digital and our facebook representative: Xbox Tech

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 michaelzoran@hotmail.com:

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.

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!