geekosystem

After the reveal of the Xbox One, there were still a lot of questions floating around about exactly how Microsoft would be handling used games and whether it'd play Xbox 360 titles. Those questions were answered, in conflicting ways, and they're "it's complicated" and "no, no it will not." Bummer.

It's finally time, folks. Microsoft has decided that they're going to pull back the curtain and let us in on "a new generation of games, TV and entertainment." What that actually means is anyone's guess, but they're almost certainly going to try and push whatever's coming next as an all-around device. Regardless, we'll all find out for certain soon enough -- Microsoft's hosting an Xbox reveal event on May 21st.

He may not be recognized in the same vein as more famous video game visionaries such as Shigeru Miyamoto or Hideo Kojima by the mainstream media, but when news hits that Suda 51 is working on a new game, you can more than bet that the gaming community will drop what they're doing and clamor to learn more about what exactly is up the cult designer's bizarre sleeve. Following in the noble tradition of Killer 7 and No More Heroes, Suda 51's latest video game phantasmagoria of crazy characters, intense action, and blood spray galore is Killer is Dead: An unhinged story set in the near-future where cybernetic implants are the norm and assassin work is quite the lucrative business. Mortal words don't do this game justice, so it's in your best interest to check out the debut trailer for yourself.

It seems like only yesterday when Microsoft's Xbox 360 was hailed as the pinnacle of video game hardware and left us all waiting in long lines in front of the local Best Buy to bring home the future of gaming entertainment. Sadly, now in 2012, the old girl is starting to show some cracks and is known to make a make a mess in the house from time to time, which is all indicative of a brand new game system on the horizon. It's a forgone conclusion that Microsoft is already hard at work cobbling together the successor to the Xbox 360, but the question really boils down to when this new system will be unveiled. According to an Electronic Entertainment Expo countdown clock that was posted on the blog of Microsoft's Major Nelson yesterday, we may at last get our first glimpse of the next addition in the Xbox family later this year. With that, let the speculation commence!

You know those times when you're playing a video game and Murphy's law comes into effect, resulting in incessant cursing at the screen in the vain hope your swearing will cause some kind of positive change? Of course you do, and so does Dead Space 3 producer Steve Papoutsis. In a recent interview, he's said that the development team at Visceral Games has worked to integrate the Kinect's voice capabilities into the game, allowing players to trigger special commands when they let the swears fly. The only catch, however, is that we won't know what words to use until the right situations present themselves.

Having fun playing Halo 4 on your good ol' Xbox 360? You are? Good, good, enjoy it while it lasts because by Thanksgiving of next year, Microsoft is planning to launch the latest iteration of their game system just in time for the holiday shopping season. That and the company wants to relish watching you squirm over the knowledge you're currently playing on a console soon to be out of date within the year.

Just when you start thinking the U.S. government doesn't have universal power of every other nation, they go and do something crazy. A federal judge has ruled that Motorola will not be allowed to ban the sale of Microsoft products, the Xbox 360 and anything with Windows 7, in Germany, despite the fact that a German court granted it back in May.

Apparently OnLive's loss is Microsoft's gain. The makers of the Xbox have been courting the employees laid-off by the cloud-based gaming service during their recent buyout fiasco, hosting at least one "OnLive Mixer" in Mountain View, California -- very close to OnLive's Palo Alto headquarters. Looks like someone might be staffing up for their own cloud-based gaming service.

We're in it folks. E3 is happening. While you may not be able to expect the unveiling of any new, next generation consoles, there's still plenty going down. This year, Microsoft has made it clear they're not pushing the aging Xbox 360 as only a "gaming device," but as a "media console." That's not to say there aren't some big games coming down the pipe, but a surprising amount of the announcements, like Internet Explorer for the Xbox (OH BOY!) and SmartGlass have little, if anything to do with gaming. That said, let's break it down, shall we?

Hot on the heels of the various Microsoft Smart Glass rumors floating around, it appears that Microsoft has gone and registered a number of domains associated with said Smart Glass. There are two distinct possibilities based on this discovery: Either Microsoft definitely has something waiting to be revealed in association or they want to avoid having squatters take up the domains. Regardless, the upcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo should be interesting.

As if there weren't already enough slavering fans of Skyrim and all things related to it, Bethesda Softworks has now revealed via their company blog that folks can apply to be in the beta for the much-anticipated Dawnguard DLC. There's just one catch: The application is only for the Xbox 360 version of the game. Cue the disappointment for everyone on the PlayStation 3 and the rejoicing for those who have it on Xbox 360.

Last May, Microsoft introduced a fiendish deal for students that included a free 4 GB Xbox 360 with the purchase of a Windows PC of $699 or more. This year, around the same time, Microsoft is reintroducing that deal. Starting May 20 in the U.S., students who purchase a qualifying PC with a price tag of $699 or more will  receive a free 4 GB Xbox 360. Starting today in Canada, students who purchase a $599 or more PC will receive a free 4 GB Xbox 360 as well.

Last week, rumors of a $99 4 GB Xbox 360 and Kinect bundle began circulating. However, rather than a super sweet cheap bundle, the catch was that the bundle would have a two year subscription of $15 per month, and include an Xbox Live Gold membership. Well, it turns out the rumors are true, and that two year subscription 4 GB Xbox 360 with Kinect and an Xbox Live Gold membership is a real thing that you can buy. Welcome to a world of video game consoles with mobile phone plans.

You pay for your phone service one month at a time, and the same with your cable and your Internet. A report by The Verge suggests that soon, Microsoft will be bringing gaming into the subscription space with a $99 Xbox 360 and Kinect bundle with a monthly payment plan. The bundle is said to come with a 4GB Xbox and cost $15 a month, which includes Xbox Live Gold, and potential access to some video streaming content.

If you're in the market for a new Xbox 360 controller and like things that are shiny, you might just be in luck; Microsoft is rolling out a new line of shiny chrome controllers that are awesome in theory but probably not so great for anyone who likes to eat greasy food while gaming, i.e. everyone. Aside from the chrome-age, these controllers will also come with those tricked out twistable d-pads you heard about way back in 2010. These bad boys will cost you $54.99, five bucks more than your average wireless controller, but that's a small price to pay for shiny, right? Right?!