Next Xbox rumors: specs, developers, GPU, and more – The Verge

Microsoft patent application resembles leaked Kinect Glasses project

2013-08-02T06:15:45-04:00

MS Xbox patent app

Microsoft has submitted a patent for a "head-mounted display" that looks a lot like the company's leaked Kinect Glasses. The patent application was filed in early 2012, and made public this week. Microsoft describes a multiplayer system that lets game players invite other users via a head-mounted display device. Illustrations attached to the patent show a pair of glasses that include sensors to locate users, track gestures, and read the environment of a game player.

Several Microsoft employees are listed on the patent application, including two that work in the Xbox division. Prior to Microsoft's Xbox One unveiling, an "Xbox 720" document leak …

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Watch our Microsoft Xbox event post-show now!

2013-05-20T16:30:03-04:00

Xbox next-gen stock 2040 3

The next Xbox is nigh, and you've just discovered the very best place on the internet to watch the next generation of video games come to life. Today, May 21st, starting at 9:30AM PT, The Verge and Polygon will team up to bring you Microsoft's Xbox reveal live. Join our editor-in-chief Joshua Topolsky and Polygon's Justin McElroy as we host live shows before and after the event, bringing you informative, insightful, and probably some rather irreverent discussion of whether the next Xbox lives up to the world's expectations.

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Microsoft planning Xbox dashboard UI and tile changes in preparation for next-gen console

2013-05-17T12:05:53-04:00

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Microsoft is preparing to update its Xbox 360 with another dashboard update. Sources familiar with Microsoft's Xbox plans have revealed to The Verge that the dashboard update will enter into a public beta in late June or early July, with changes and updates in preparation for the next-generation Xbox. We're told that the user interface will be refreshed alongside smaller Live Tiles, similar to what Microsoft is preparing for Windows 8.1. Microsoft is also said to be tweaking the look of the Xbox dashboard, with the possibility of darker or lighter themes.

We understand Microsoft is aiming to ensure Xbox 360 users can transition over to the …

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Microsoft killing off Xbox Points in favor of currency and gift cards system

2013-05-15T08:11:49-04:00

Microsoft Gift Cards

Microsoft is killing off its Points system that's primarily used for its Xbox console. The death of Microsoft Points has been a long time coming, and follows Microsoft's move away from the virtual currency towards cash in Windows 8. Sources familiar with Microsoft's Xbox plans have revealed to The Verge that the software maker plans to replace Points with a new gift card system.

The new gift cards will be offered in a similar way to Apple's iTunes vouchers, allowing Xbox owners to purchase true currency to be used to download content. We're told that normal cash transactions, using credit and debit cards, will also be supported. Microsoft c …

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Leaked Microsoft ‘memo’ says next-gen Xbox won’t require constant internet connection

2013-05-06T12:51:00-04:00

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The long-running, controversial rumor that Microsoft's Xbox 360 successor would demand an internet connection for all aspects of its functionality has finally been put to rest. Ars Technica is today reporting that an internal Microsoft memo - which it claims was sent to all employees working on the next-gen console - has dismissed the 'always-on' mandate. Referring to the hardware by its codename Durango, Microsoft reportedly wrote, "There are a number of scenarios that our users expect to work without an Internet connection, and those should 'just work' regardless of their current connection status. Those include, but are not limited to: pl …

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‘Call of Duty: Ghosts’ set for November release, will be available on next-generation consoles

2013-05-01T14:17:32-04:00

Call of Duty Ghosts logo

Activision is continuing its tradition of releasing a new title in its marquee first-person shooter franchise every year: the company has just officially announced Call of Duty: Ghosts will be available on November 5th. The game is being trumpeted as a new Call of Duty for the next generation of game consoles - the new Xbox and the PlayStation 4 - and it will be fully unveiled at Microsoft's May 21st next Xbox event. (The game will also be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.) Considering the focus on the next generation of consoles, it isn't a stretch to connect the title's November 5th release date to the new Xbox's launch day. Th …

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Microsoft IllumiRoom is a coffee table projector designed for the next-generation Xbox

2013-04-29T03:25:58-04:00

Microsoft IllumiRoom

When Microsoft first unveiled its IllumiRoom technology at CES, it did so in an unusual way. The software giant traditionally reveals its research projects in short, scrappy videos accompanied by research papers and a lot of technical jargon. IllumiRoom was different. The chief technology strategy officer at Microsoft, Eric Rudder, joined the Samsung keynote to showcase a video of an augmented reality projection unit designed to extend gaming onto nearby walls. The demo showed off a concept that appeared finely tuned, using what felt like a marketing video.

"IllumiRoom envisions a next-generation gaming console…"

Microsoft described IllumiRo …

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Next Xbox rumored to emphasize sharing, let publishers mandate ‘always-on’ connection

2013-04-26T12:16:55-04:00

Xbox 360 stock

A new report from Polygon reveals that, much like Sony, Microsoft aims to make sharing a major element of its next-generation console. The Xbox 360's successor is said to include a "share" button on its controller that will upload your gaming highlights to YouTube and Ustream. Users will also be able to post these clips to Facebook and other social sites, according to the report. Microsoft's rumored approach essentially mirrors that of Sony, which outlined its plans during February's PlayStation 4 event.

Polygon also has more details on the controversial "always-on" connection that the next-gen Xbox is said to require. Will the situation be …

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The new Xbox: what do we know about Microsoft’s next console?

2013-04-25T10:50:05-04:00

Xbox Live stock

Microsoft's next-generation console has been the subject of intense rumor and speculation for what feels like years now. Gamers have been poring over leaks, rumors, accidental Twitter updates, and a whole lot more. From the "Xbox 720" name, to a "Durango" codename, Microsoft has kept fairly quiet on its official plans for an Xbox 360 successor. That all changed this week after the software maker invited the world's media to its Xbox campus in Redmond to witness "a new generation revealed." Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans have revealed to The Verge that the company will not use the "Xbox 720" moniker, even though everyone refers to it …

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The next Xbox will be revealed on May 21st

2013-04-24T13:06:40-04:00

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Microsoft's next-generation Xbox will be revealed on May 21st, 2013, an invitation from the company has revealed. The announcement from Don Mattrick and the Xbox team, titled "a new generation revealed," will take place at the company's Xbox campus in Redmond, Washington.

Microsoft says that the event will "mark the beginning of a new generation of games, TV, and entertainment," and will stream the event to the public on Xbox.com, Xbox Live, and on Spike TV. "We are thrilled to pull back the curtain and reveal what we've been working on," writes Xbox Live's Larry Hryb ("Major Nelson").

Here we go! #XboxReveal mjr.mn/Zl9OW7
- Larry Hryb (@m …

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