By James Brightman Jun. 13, 2011

Microsoft put most of its focus during E3 on expanding the Kinect library to bring more core experiences to the platform. Behind the scenes, however, it would appear that the company is making yet another tweak to its Xbox 360 hardware. According to a report in the International Business Times, a new SoC (System-on-chip) processor will soon be introduced in the Xbox 360 250GB Slim Kinect-ready model. The processor uses a 45nm process and apparently combines the CPU, GPU, memory, and I/O logic onto a single silicon. Thanks to the system-on-chip design, the processors should be a good deal cheaper to manufacture and will also be much more power efficient, leading to less heat. The IBT report also states that the sizes of the motherboard and the power supply unit "have been drastically reduced." The new processor should be fully compatible with all Xbox 360 software despite its new design 

Read more here –>businessinsider.com

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Microsoft has revealed that its Xbox LIVE service will be built into PCs in the future.
By Tom Warren June 10, 2011

Mike Delman, Microsoft’s vice president of global marketing in the interactive entertainment business unit, revealed the company’s plans in an interview this week. Speaking to The Seattle Times, Delman confirmed that Windows 8 will include Xbox LIVE integration: Live has been successful on the Windows Phone. Live will be built into the PC. It will be the service where you get your entertainment. We were talking about it — you will not just see consoles and handhelds at this show next year, this show’s going to morph into other devices. Delman also answered questions on how the service and content will be part of Windows 8: There will be a lot of similarities in design and service philosophy. Whether it’s us or Apple or anybody else, people want to be able to navigate through multiple devices in a certain ecosystem very seamlessly so we’re committed to that. Asked whether Xbox LIVE would be a cloud media service that works across Windows PCs as well as phones and Xbox, Delman confirmed that Xbox LIVE will be the “pervasive media service” across devices. He also revealed that the company’s Xbox LIVE and SkyDrive storage asssets will be unified and that the change will be good for Microsoft and “good for consumers.” 

Read more here –>winrumors.com

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By Rob Spiegel 06/08/11

No one seems to know quite what to make of Nintendo's Wii U — particularly its complex touchscreen controller. That has investors worried, but not everyone is betting against Nintendo. "The idea of having multiple screens — one in each controller in addition to the large main screen — is aggressive and interesting," said Yankee Group analyst Carl Howe. Nintendo unveiled its upcoming Wii U gaming console and controller on Tuesday at E3, and reactions have been mixed. Nintendo's stock fell 5 percent following the event — to a level it has not seen since before the launch of the original Wii. The controversy-generating Wii U controller has a 6.2 inch touchscreen and wields twin circle pads, a D-pad, shoulder buttons, twin triggers, an accelerometer, microphone, camera and a gyroscope. Nintendo has not yet revealed many details or pricing for the console itself, which is set to ship in 2012. 

Read more here –>technewsworld.com

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By Josh Halliday February 28, 2011

European customs officers have been ordered to seize shipments of Playstation 3s after LG won a preliminary injunction against Sony in an acrimonious patent battle between the two Asian electronics giants. The ruling by the civil court of justice in the Hague means that all new PS3s have to be confiscated as they are imported into the UK and the rest of Europe for at least 10 days. If the injunction was extended it could mean consoles disappearing from high street shelves. It is understood that Sony and computer games retailers typically have about two to three weeks' worth of PS3s in stock across the continent. Tens of thousands of PS3s were seized by customs officers last week in the Netherlands, the Guardian has learnt, in a dispute that centres on Sony's allegedly infringing use of Blu-ray technology belonging to LG. Sony, which imports around 100,000 of the consoles a week, is frantically trying to get the ban lifted. The Japanese company has the right to appeal to the European patents office. LG meanwhile, could apply to the same patents office to get the 10-day import ban extended. Alternatively, the Korean company could apply for a court order to get the consoles destroyed but it is highly unlikely the court would grant a request to eliminate the warehoused goods. LG argues that Sony PS3s infringe a number of its patents relating to playback of Blu-ray Discs. LG called for an investigation into the PS3's Blu-ray use in a filing with the US international trade commission earlier this month, and said it sought a "permanent exclusion order … excluding entry into the United States" of the games console. If Sony is found to have infringed LG patents, it could be forced to compensate the South Korean manufacturer for each PS3 it has sold around the world, which could cost hundreds of millions of pounds. 

Read more here –>guardian.co.uk

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By Johnny Cullen January 3rd, 2011

While PSGroove reports that infamous iPhone hacker Geohot has published PS3’s root key, hacker team Fail0verflow has told the 27th Chaos Communication Conference that PS3 is now completely, and irrevocably, cracked.Geohot has released what he claims is the Metldr key for the console, which can’t be updated, apparently meaning he’s exposed the Sony hardware for good.“No donate link, just use this info wisely. I do not condone piracy,” he said in a message.He continued: “If you want your next console to be secure, get in touch with me. Any of you three. It’d be fun to be on the other side.”Last year, PS3 homebrew jailbreaks, such as PS Groove and PS Jailbreak broke cover, but several firmware updates killed them off at the time.The addition of these Firmware updates were needed if you were to play games like Medal of Honor.If true, this new release apparently means that users can now develop homebrew apps, bootloaders and more, and digitally sign them to the PS3 with no risk of a Firmware update to close the hole (thanks, Mike).The move allows apps like XMBC, which plays old SNES games, to be used on PS3.The publication of the codes could also have major implications for piracy. Assuming the release is legitimate, users can now circumvent any kind of restriction Sony may issue to stop downloaded games running on the machine. 

Read more here –>vg247.com

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Sources say Sony's new handheld will be a graphical powerhouse.
By IGN December 7, 2010

We've heard a lot of rumors regarding the PSP 2 but it has been limited largely to isolated reports regarding specific features; today, however, we've received a comprehensive rundown of the device's features from someone with direct hands-on experience with the forthcoming handheld. According to our source, current iterations of the PSP 2 feature dual analog sliders that are comparable to those found on the existing PSP but are unique in that they have concave indentations rather than convex. It maintains the slider design of the PSPgo, but increases the overall size to accommodate the new features and a slightly larger touch-enabled display. As would be expected, the PSP 2, like the PSPgo, lacks a UMD drive and will run downloadable or expandable memory-based games. The device also incorporates both front- and rear-facing cameras, presumably for pictures, video recording and communication, and augmented reality-based games. As far as graphics are concerned, the PSP 2 is a beast, packing enough processing hardware to produce graphics comparable to early PlayStation 3 titles. The processor, we're told, is just over half as powerful as the PS3, though the specific framework of the cores and the clock speed was not revealed. 

Read more here –>gear.ign.com

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By Benjamin J. Heckerdorn July 7, 2009  A few months ago I announced that I would be building a few more Xbox 360 portables, and well, here’s one now! While it looks similar to the previous model it’s once again a from-scratch redesign and has the following features: Built-in Ethernet port, finally. Built-in WiFi adapter, as usual. Digital pushbutton volume control rather than a clunky knob. I used a different audio amp as well, and it sounds a lot better. Flush-mount DVD door and side panels (such as the memory card slots) IR sensor for the remote control. Two user USB ports. More air holes! Jasper motherboard.

For more pictures, info and a demo video go Here –>benheck.com

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