Other guests included Dean Takahashi, columnist for the San Jose Mercury News and author of The Xbox 360 Uncloaked:: The Real Story Behind Microsoft's Next-Generation Video Game Console; Clive Thompson, writer for the New York Times magazine and contributer to Wired, Discover, and the New York magazine; Steven L. Kent, author of The History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon, a few other gaming books and a Sci-fi series of novels.

Hit the link below to check it out. Brian Crecente

Listen Here

Troy Wolverton comes from Street.Com and started today with his story on the EA earnings report. Dean will continue at the paper, but now as a columnist, meaning he can insert more of his opinion in his newspaper stories.

You might not think this means anything to you, but for every newspaper that invests in covering the video game industry, it means that there will be less nonsense said companies can get away with. It also, of course, continues to validate an industry we all know is worth the daily coverage. Brian Crecente

A New Role For Dean [San Jose Mercury News]

The report says the device will likely be similar to the Playstation Portable and sport multimedia playback capabilities.

Hit the jump for the full press release.

May 30, 2006 (Dallas, TX) - New research from The Diffusion Group suggests that Microsoft will likely leverage its Xbox franchise to enter the portable game console (PGC) market in late 2007 or early 2008. According to TDG's latest report, On the Future of Portable Game Consoles: Analysis & Forecasts, Microsoft is expected to embed a portable multimedia player in a handheld gaming platform similar in many respects to Sony's PSP.

"Microsoft has been waiting on the sidelines until its gaming console and software business reached sustainability, all the while watching closely how Nintendo and consumers in general would respond to Sony's PSP," said Thomas Wolf, a portable media analyst and co-author of TDG's latest report. "With global PGC revenues expected to reach $3 billion annually by 2008, and with only Sony and Nintendo active in the PGC space, Microsoft has before it an incredible opportunity. It has a critical brand presence in the console space, the breadth and depth of gaming titles, and the marketing clout necessary to enter this space and win decent market share."

Microsoft has been evaluating two options regarding its portable gaming strategy: licensing a version of its Xbox OS for others to build portable hardware designs upon, or introducing its own branded PGC. "While licensing the software is consistent with Microsoft's larger strategy, and no doubt Microsoft has endured many failures in regard to hardware plays, the success of the Xbox presents Microsoft with a unique opportunity," said Michael Greeson, CEO of The Diffusion Group and co-author of the report. "Microsoft owns an established and highly-regarded hardware brand, meaning that they can enter the PGC market from a position of strength, a privilege not enjoyed by any other player except those already active in the PGC space."

While I can see why Msoft would want to get into such a profitable market, I hope they have the common sense not to. All I can say is remember the Schlieffen plan. I asked Msoft about and it landed me a "We are not commenting on rumors and speculation" yadayadayada. Brian Crecente

Microsoft's Portable Game Plans: Report From the Diffusion Group [Gaming]

I managed to read through the 489-pages of Dean Takahashi's latest book, The Xbox 360 Uncloaked, in about a week. While I found it inciteful, I think it probably could have been cut down to a more reasonable size with a bit more hands-on editing. Here's the run-down of what the reviews are saying. —Brian Crecente

This is an entertaining and in depth book by Dean Takahashi, who currently writes for the San Jose Mercury News. If you want to know the background on the console, and many interesting and entertaining anecdotes about the different players in the industry, this one's worth a read.
The Inquirer

From bad bets to lucky breaks, Dean Takahashi's book The Xbox Uncloaked tracks Microsoft's multibillion-dollar, multidecade venture into the nebulous and often unpredictable world of console gaming.
While it boasts tons of interesting details, readers might not find them all amid the book's many pages.
The Rocky Mountain News

The strongest point of Dean's writing is the way he connects the dots between the various elements of management, design, and engineering. The story of the 360 could have easily ended up reading like a random intersection of thousands of unconcerned people flailing away at a disconnected project. Instead, Dean ties together the threads perfectly, weaving the quilt of a story.
The Game Chair

At nearly 500 pages, "Uncloaked" provides a surprisingly engaging story about a little-seen side of a business obsessed with journalism about the products rather than the process. Digging deep into his ample array of sources, Takahashi has crafted a business book enjoyable by the average gamer and a grand narrative interesting to anyone in the industry.
Denver Post

Actually, as no real criticisms or analysis is leveled at Takahashi's book, it's less a review than a primer. Still, it's a fascinating read, separating the most interesting tid-bits from Dean's work into a bullet list of gossip and blunders.

These include the revelations that Ed Fries had to threaten to quit to prevent Halo 2 from being rushed out the door (the review claims this ploy was successful, but the ending of Halo 2 would beg to differ), that Bill Gates pushed for a 4+Ghz Intel Tejas chip for the 360 and that the backwards compatibility of the 360 was an 11th hour afterthought.

Most interesting, though, is the revelation that half of the 360 team has been split off to design a portable system to compete with the PSP and DS. The plan is to release it during the 360's half-life, "so that the business has a hedge against the crushing generational transition costs."

We'd be surprised if news on Microsoft's portable hit this E3, though. The 360's half-life is 2007 or 2008, at least. Still, if they did announce it over the next week, that would be a hell of a way to compete with any announcements about the Wii or the PS3, don't you think?

Book Review: Xbox 360 Uncloaked [Next Generation]