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The Next Xbox May Have An “HDMI In” Port. So?
A new source e-mails me several days ago. The source has access to a development kit for the next Xbox 360—the codenamed Durango. Accurately describes the look of the new controller, but mentions something he’s confused about. The Durango he’s seen doesn’t just send a signal out through an HDMI port (that’s normal). It has…
By Stephen Totilo Published April 10, 2013 -
Microsoft’s Adam Orth, The “Always-On” Tweeter, No Longer With The Company
According to a report on Game Informer, Adam Orth, the Microsoft creative director who last week upset some folks with his comments about always-online technology, is no longer with the company. A source close to Orth tells Kotaku that Orth resigned from the company and was not fired. Respondingto a Kotaku report that claimed the…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 10, 2013 -
There’s A Funny Side To Microsoft’s Next Xbox Rumors
Taiwanese news agency NMA TV, picking up on the internet’s growing dismay with Microsoft’s rumoured plans for the next Xbox, has done what it done best and make an animated video about it. It is incredible.
By Luke Plunkett Published April 8, 2013 -
Life After Xbox
Over the weekend, I donated my Xbox 360 Elite to Goodwill. It represented a time in my life as a developer that I’m not overly proud about living. I worked for a couple years designing games at Microsoft. It is honestly difficult to say the exact group I was in since the organization was hit…
By Daniel Cook Published April 8, 2013 -
Microsoft Sells Off Its IPTV Business, Turns TV Focus to Xbox
Microsoft will sell its IPTV platform, Mediaroom, to Ericsson, and focus all of its consumer TV strategy on its Xbox division, the companysaid this morning in a statement. “With the sale of Mediaroom, Microsoft is dedicating all TV resources to Xbox,” the company said. Originally announced as far back as 2007, Mediaroom brought cable television…
By Owen Good Published April 8, 2013 -
Now This Guy Is Totally Pissed about the Xbox Always-Online Controversy
Think you are upset about that Microsoft creative director’s always-online remarks? No, you are not upset. Francis, however, is upset. Very upset. All of this comes in the wake of a piece Kotaku published earlier today, detailing how sources told Kotaku that the next Xbox requires an internet connection to start games. Francis is MAD…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 5, 2013 -
A Microsoft Creative Director ‘Doesn’t Get The Drama’ Around Always-Online Consoles, Devices
Adam Orth is a creative director at Microsoft Studios. That places him pretty high up on Microsoft’s video game chain of command. Not the top, but he’s an important guy. Anyway, earlier today, Adam took to Twitter to seemingly talk about our report that the next Xbox console will require an always-online internet connection While…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 4, 2013 -
The Next Xbox Will Require an Internet Connection To Start Games, Sources Say
Two Kotaku sources have added more credence to the rumor that the next Xbox, expected to battle the PlayStation 4 in late 2013 or early 2014, will be an always-online system, though it will be able to tolerate dropped connections. “Unless something has changed recently,” one of the sources told us over email, “Durango consumer…
By Stephen Totilo Published April 4, 2013 -
The Next Xbox and Its Controller Are Currently Covered In Crazy Stripes
Controllers for the next Xbox as well as prototype versions of both Microsoft’s new, powerful console and the machine’s new, mandatory Kinect sensor have been in the hands of game creators since last month. But that’s not much of a surprise. What is a surprise is that all of that gear is covered in criss-crossing,…
By Stephen Totilo Published April 2, 2013 -
Hackers Are Targeting High-Profile Employees, Says Microsoft
Microsoft has revealed that a “handful” of accounts held by current and former high-profile Microsoft employees have been hacking targets. In a statement issued to The Verge, Microsoft stated that a “group of hackers are using several stringed social engineering techniques to compromise the accounts.” While Xbox Live doesn’t ask for social security numbers for…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 20, 2013 -
Six Critics Consider Gears of War: Judgment Fresh, Frantic and Fun
Gears of War has been around for a while now—seven years, with Judgment being the fourth game in the series—and it seems the franchise is not ready to slow down just yet. Most reviewers agree that the gameplay is exhilarating, the story is tight, and the war-torn world is prettier than ever. So what was…
Gergő Vas & András Neltz Published March 19, 2013 -
Gamer Comedian Kumail Nanjiani Finds Ways to Make Gears Of War: Judgment Funny
We’ve already seen Kumail Nanjiani making jokes about video games, that’s what a comedian who loves his hobby (and lots and lots of video games) does. In conjunction with Funny or Die and IGN, he put together three shorts. They’re not his best work, though, as he clearly shines most during his stand-up. The focus…
By Gergo Vas Published March 14, 2013 -
An Admirable Attempt To Explain Why Gamers “Love” Company Executives
It’s one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen in this job, especially when you consider so many gamers spend so much of their time loathing the companies they represent. But when it comes to the actual men and women running giant video game publishers, there’s a lot of love in the house. We saw…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 27, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Japan’s Advice for the Next Xbox
Japan loves foreign products—Apple, BMW, and even Red Wings shoes are popular here. Yet, there’s the Xbox 360. Gathering dust on store shelves in cities like Tokyo and Osaka. Unloved. People in Japan just don’t care! Poor Xbox. The original Xbox was a failure in Japan. The Xbox 360 was a failure in Japan. Microsoft’s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 26, 2013 -
Judging by the .gifs, Microsoft’s Console Announcement Should Be Right Around the Corner
Scuttlebutt has it that Microsoft is eyeballing an April date to reveal its next console, in an event similar to what Sony held for the PS4 on Wednesday. While this is very, very thinly sourced, we’ve heard the same murmuring, and a domain registration by the company that handles Microsoft’s E3 keynotes has drawn a…
By Owen Good Published February 23, 2013 -
Here’s a Peek at Halo 4‘s Next Map Pack—Before Bungie’s Date with Destiny
Today’s the big day for Halo‘s ex, Bungie, which will soon tell all about its new affair, Destiny. That makes the discovery of these four images for Halo 4‘s forthcoming Majestic Map Pack quite a coincidence, indeed. It’s probably not as nefarious as it sounds, actually. NeoGAF user Wifiplayer13 found them by altering the URL…
By Owen Good Published February 17, 2013 -
Kinect + Department Store Mannequins = Horrible Waking Nightmare
Microsoft exec Larry “Major Nelson” tweeted out this melding of Kinect and commerce earlier today. Nelson is likely proud of the execution here, since it shows the flexibility of the company’s motion-sensing camera in a non-gaming setting. But me? All I can think of is how utterly disturbing it would be if a mannequin in…
By Evan Narcisse Published February 15, 2013 -
What People Used To Say About The First Xbox
We don’t know every last thing about the new Xbox. Some leaked details, for the most part, sprinkled with a liberal helping of rumors. While we wait for new bits and pieces to be revealed, why not reminisce a bit? Let’s have a look at how the very first Xbox, turning 12 years old this…
András Neltz Published February 12, 2013 -
The Next Xbox Has Mandatory Kinect, Game-Swapping and New Controllers, According To Leaked Info
The next-generation Xbox—the one that will follow the still-popular Xbox 360—will run multiple games at once, require game installations, and will only work when a much-improved version of the popular but divisive Kinect sensor array is plugged in, according to a source who says he has access to development hardware. Those are a just a…
Stephen Totilo and Luke Plunkett Published February 11, 2013