Microsoft will upgrade its disc technology for its next Xbox from DVDs to Blu-Ray discs, catching up to rival Sony, games industry sources tell Kotaku.
Sony's PlayStation 3 currently supports Blu-Ray, which can contain 25 or 50GB of data compared to DVD's 9GB.
But that disc detail could be far less impactful to the next generation of game consoles than the assertion I've heard from one reliable industry source that Microsoft intends to incorporate some sort of anti-used game system as part of their so-called Xbox 720.
It's not clear if that means that the system wouldn't play used games or how such a set-up would work. Obvious approaches—I'm theorizing here—like linking a copy of a game to a specific Xbox Live account could seemingly be foiled by used-game owners who would keep their system offline. My source wasn't sure how Microsoft intended to implement any anti-used game system in the new machine.
A push in any way by Microsoft against used games would likely be cheered from publishers sick of seeing retailers like GameStop crow about their revenues from the sale of used games. But it could potentially anger consumers who rely on buying cheaply-sold used games or even pass games to relatives or friends.
One source familiar with Microsoft's plans for the new Xbox said Microsoft plans to ship their new Xbox with a new version of its red-hot Kinect hands-free sensor system. The new Kinect would contain an on-board processor, a feature originally intended for the first Kinect. That processor would enable a new Kinect to more effectively detect users' motions.
I'm also hearing that Microsoft is interested in making a smaller controller for its new console.
And what of gaming site IGN's report that the machine could be six times more powerful than the Xbox 360? From some industry sources I'm hearing that that's the right ballpark and that Microsoft is estimating they might even get to 8x the Xbox 360. But another insider clarified that no one in the industry has development kits yet and that any talk about specs right now is still hypothetical.
[UPDATE: A Microsoft rep e-mailed me the following statement: "As an innovator we're always thinking about what is next and how we can push the boundaries of technology like we did with Kinect. We believe the key to extending the lifespan of a console is not just about the console hardware, but about the games and entertainment experiences being delivered to consumers. Beyond that we don't comment on rumors or speculation."]
"Xbox 720" is being used as shorthand by reporters like me to refer to the next Xbox. It's not necessarily the name of the next device. Tech sites Semi Accurate and Fudzilla have reported that the first chips for 720 development kits are going into production, leading to a possible late 2013 release despite my earlier reporting which had pointed to 2014 as the year of the next Xbox and PlayStation.
Nintendo's next console, the Wii U, will go on sale later this year.
SOURCE
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
MW3 Patch 1.08 Notes – Shotgun Tweaks, Theater Improvements, Akimbos Nerfed
In an interview with the guys over at Machinima Respawn, Modern Warfare 3′s Creative Strategist, Robert Bowling, detailed exactly what was included in the latest patch, 1.08, now live on the Xbox 360 and soon to be on the PlayStation 3 and PC.
Shotguns:
“Nerfed the Striker a little bit, buffed the rest of the shotguns.” When it comes specifically to the Striker, Bowling mentioned that they “reduced the amount of pellets it used. So, right now, all the shotguns should be 9 pellets and the striker’s 6 pellets.” They also “slightly reduced spread and damage” of the Striker.
Akimbos:
“We also nerfed Akimbos across the boards. So, not just FMG9′s but Akimbos across the board should have a lower fire-rate now.”
Theater:
“A ton of theater improvements and fixes” also made it into the patch. “So, if anybody was having trouble viewing their clips, or getting error 7 or getting the black screen stuff – all of that stuff should be gone.” Bowling also added that ”YouTube uploads should be 100 times faster than they were when we launched now,” or at least “it’s nearly 100 times faster, just under 100 times.”
General:
Also included were “more tweaks to lag compensation, or host advantage.” Now, it “should be better when you’re host, if you have a fast connection.” Also, “there’s general network improvements that we did,” as well as some “bug fix stuff.” Unfortunately, no specifics were given regarding bug fixes. Bowling also mention that there was some improvements made to the ”banning stuff.” It also goes without saying that support for the new maps were also included in this patch.
To be added tonight:
Bowling recently announced that maps would be receiving more “weight” tonight, meaning that they would show up more often in the map rotation.
Update 1 (more on bugs):
Bowing recently added these notes to the official Call of Duty forums:
Networking enhancements, Theater improvements and fixes, Further improvements to “Host Disadvantage” / “Lag Comp”, Increased speed of YouTube uploads from 32k to 256k, Nerf to all Akimbo weapons (reduced fire rate), Shotgun re-balance (Slight nerf to Striker, slight buff to all other shotguns), Fix that prevents some users from not receiving their prestige token after prestiging, fix stat bug that retains “games played” stat across prestiges.
Update 2 (Hotfix):
Bowling has stated that we should “expect a 50% decrease to the fire rate of all Akimbo weapons in MW3. We’re doing a hotfix tonight to properly nerf them.”
SOURCE
Shotguns:
“Nerfed the Striker a little bit, buffed the rest of the shotguns.” When it comes specifically to the Striker, Bowling mentioned that they “reduced the amount of pellets it used. So, right now, all the shotguns should be 9 pellets and the striker’s 6 pellets.” They also “slightly reduced spread and damage” of the Striker.
Akimbos:
“We also nerfed Akimbos across the boards. So, not just FMG9′s but Akimbos across the board should have a lower fire-rate now.”
Theater:
“A ton of theater improvements and fixes” also made it into the patch. “So, if anybody was having trouble viewing their clips, or getting error 7 or getting the black screen stuff – all of that stuff should be gone.” Bowling also added that ”YouTube uploads should be 100 times faster than they were when we launched now,” or at least “it’s nearly 100 times faster, just under 100 times.”
General:
Also included were “more tweaks to lag compensation, or host advantage.” Now, it “should be better when you’re host, if you have a fast connection.” Also, “there’s general network improvements that we did,” as well as some “bug fix stuff.” Unfortunately, no specifics were given regarding bug fixes. Bowling also mention that there was some improvements made to the ”banning stuff.” It also goes without saying that support for the new maps were also included in this patch.
To be added tonight:
Bowling recently announced that maps would be receiving more “weight” tonight, meaning that they would show up more often in the map rotation.
Update 1 (more on bugs):
Bowing recently added these notes to the official Call of Duty forums:
Networking enhancements, Theater improvements and fixes, Further improvements to “Host Disadvantage” / “Lag Comp”, Increased speed of YouTube uploads from 32k to 256k, Nerf to all Akimbo weapons (reduced fire rate), Shotgun re-balance (Slight nerf to Striker, slight buff to all other shotguns), Fix that prevents some users from not receiving their prestige token after prestiging, fix stat bug that retains “games played” stat across prestiges.
Update 2 (Hotfix):
Bowling has stated that we should “expect a 50% decrease to the fire rate of all Akimbo weapons in MW3. We’re doing a hotfix tonight to properly nerf them.”
SOURCE