There are rumours, as always, about an Xbox 720 being in development and possibly being unveiled soon. This has led many to believe that the 360 is entering its latter stages. Think again, because an Xbox exec says the 360 is only halfway through its life cycle.

A big reason for the 360 still having some strong legs is the very successful launch of the Kinect. Xbox EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) VP Chris Lewis says “massive swathes of families and younger audiences are flocking to the 360.” It will be interesting to see just exactly where Microsoft takes the Kinect and how far it can extend the 360, but it’s uncertain whether it can outlast the outstanding endurance of the PSOne and PS2.

The release of one of the 360′s heavy hitters is approaching. With the multiplayer beta having been released for the world to good reviews, the boys at Epic are confident that Gears of War 3‘s online world will rival that of Halo‘s.

“I don’t think we can hit CoD numbers, because that’s such a phenomenon, but I’m hoping we can get close to Halo numbers,” Cliff Bleszinski, Head of Design at Epic, told Industry Gamers.

Cliff went on to show his confidence in their online servers and believes the franchise will deliver both in single- and multiplayer. It’s big talk saying they can rival the Halo numbers. Come September, all will be revealed.

Ripten reports that the guys at Sony want to fine tune their machine, and are currently developing some changes to the current PS3 Slim. CECH-3000B is the working title given to this new and improved model, and you can expect it to experience a weight-loss from 3.0kg to 2.6kg with power consumption falling from 230W to 200W.

There will also be some small changes to the power and eject buttons as well as the LED lamps being discarded. Some good news for those who don’t yet own a PS3, is that this leaner and meaner machine will be the same price as the current model. As I’m already a fan of the current PS3 Slim, I want to see what the designers come up with for this new one.

One of the big flaws of the Wii is its lack of a sophisticated online world. Well, with the release of the Wii U, Nintendo is looking to compete against Xbox Live and the PSN for the best online network.

“Our approach will be a flexible one,” said Nintendo America president, Reggie Fils-Aime about the Wii U network.

There is a lot of belief that Nintendo may offer something different and perhaps more accessible than both Live and PSN, but all we can do is wait and see if their online service will at least be more ground-breaking than their new “console.”

Tomorrow is the day where we see if Nintendo can finally get back to today’s standards and compete against the high-definition graphics of the 360 and PS3. At the moment, it’s tentatively called Project Cafe but just like how Project Ego became Fable, we await the official name. Well, that wait may be over.

According to Gamer UK, Nintendo Beem looks as if that will be the name. Domain names such as NintendoBeem.com and NintendoBeemStore.com have been purchased by Nintendo. Also, www.beem.com is currently empty. Taking all this into account, it’s a pretty healthy argument for that being the name of Nintendo’s new machine. If it is, it’s a far better name than…Wii.

The Kinect is out and being used, so it’s time for the games that have long been developed using the revolutionary software to see the light of day. Games like Star Wars which first appeared at E3 2010.

There haven’t been many details issued about how the game will work. All we have is this video from last year to whet the appetites of all you Star Wars fanboys. All will be revealed at this year’s E3, however, where users will be able to try out the game for themselves. If the Kinect software works well with the game, I may have to start perfecting my swordplay.

How many of you remember the adventures of Gabe Logan back on the PS One? It was no MGS, but was still a pretty decent game. Well, it looks like Gabe is going to get a high-definition makeover.

There are rumors circulating that Sony London is developing Syphon Filter 4. It’s said to revolutionize the stealth genre, just like MGS and Splinter Cell did. The alleged PS3 game will be developed using a cool new engine. Remember, this is still only a rumor.

The release date is out and everyone is counting down the days until the November release of Modern Warfare 3. As usual, it will be coming out on the 360, PS3 and the PC. There is, however, a possibility that it might find its way to the 3DS. Robert Bowling, community manager for Infinity Ward, was asked whether a 3DS version of the game would be developed. Bowling simply said, “The confirmed platforms available for current pre-order are Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC.” Bowling didn’t give a concrete “No,” which leaves an air of possibility. A 3DS version of MW3, along with Internet capability, could propel the franchise to dizzying heights—now you can get those +5 kills whilst sipping coffee at Starbucks.

Source: 3DS Buzz

It’s been a rough period for Sony and their console. Yes, we’re overjoyed at having the media services back online and being able to play games on the network. Trust me, that wretched error message is forever etched in my memory. However, the PSN Store is still down. It was supposed to be back online today, but according to the PlayStation Blog, we’re going to have to wait a few more days.

“PlayStation Network will undergo routine maintenance today, between 16:00 BST and 00:00 BST. If you wish to play online during the maintenance, please ensure you sign in to PSN before 16:00. The latest information I have on PlayStation Store is that we are aiming to have it live by the end of May.”

I just hope that Sony catches a break, and that pesky hacker.

Fans have always kept hope for someday, but many never thought they would see the return of Duke in 2011. With all the delays and setbacks, it looked like Duke Nukem Forever would merely be a “what if” game. Today though, that crucial guarantee that lets all gamers sleep well at night was given. Duke Nukem Forever has gone Gold!

The game is finished, all coding has been done, and all that is left are for the discs to be copied and sent to stores. It’s been a very long road for the Duke and it’s quite amazing that amidst the Modern Warfares, Halos and Mass Effects, there was always a hunger for good old Duke Nukem.

Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that we don’t soon hear about how the Gold disc got snapped and all of the game data was devoured by an army of piranhas.

It’s a date that’s going to be circled in bright pink on the calendars of many gamers if the reports are true. UK retailer GAME have released an official statement revealing November 8 as the date the newest addition to the Modern Warfare franchise will be released. The game will be £44.99 for PS3 and 360 owners, whilst PC owners get a bit of a break (£39.99). I’ve never been a fan of that £44.99 price point, which is just over $70. If it’s for a game with one of the most active online communities, then I’d say it’s definitely worth it. Fall 2011 could be another milestone in the exciting lifespan of the video-game industry.

Source: T3

LA Noire is the next big game from Rockstar (Red Dead Redemption). It’s been touted as a game-changer because of the groundbreaking technology used to create it. Well, that technology caused the game to originally require six DVDs of storage space. “It’s the biggest map that we’ve done and that Rockstar have done, so there’s a lot of detail in there, and also a lot of actors’ performances – 21 hours worth,” says Brendan McNamara, developer and Team Bondi representative. “It took a lot of effort to get down to three discs.”

This just adds to the excitement and the anticipation of getting the game and of what Rockstar have in store for us. Thank all that is good for Rockstar, who keep raising the bar and proving why video games are giving it to the fading and stagnant movie and music industries. Now here comes the dilemma: to get the PS3 or the 360 version?

Source: TG Daily

IO Interactive has released more details about the latest installment in the Hitman series. We were given a little tease in the trailer they gave us, but now we’ve been given more information about the story.

“For the first time we are taking Agent 47 on a personal journey which allows us to explore other parts of the Hitman fantasy,” says game director Tore Blystad. “This is both a familiar and yet significantly different experience to any of the other Hitman games, something our silent assassins will relish as well as those who are new to the Hitman world.”

The games have always been very sophisticated and cinematic, proving why video games are not just toys for kids. IO Interactive also added that the game has been built from the ground up using their new proprietary Glacier 2 technology. The game is due to release in 2012 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

We have yet to see what the mysterious Project Cafe looks like, but Ubisoft is already pleased with what they’ve been shown.

“The platform Nintendo is coming with is really a fantastic platform. We think it will be extremely successful,” says Yves Guillemot, Ubisoft CEO. “We will not have to redo completely the games that we create. We’ll be able to use all the capacity the console is giving but also use all the work we do for the other platforms.”

Once a skeptic, always a skeptic. Until I see this machine and what it can do, I refuse to believe it’s more powerful or even as powerful as the 360 or PS3. However, things are looking bright for Nintendo with such glowing words, and I hope they prove me wrong.

It was bound to happen. It’s been about a month now, and the PSN is still down, so according to Edge Online, some gamers are joining the other side in order to play online. UK retailers have said that since the second week of downtime, there has been a 200% increase in folks trading in their PS3 consoles for either cash or a 360. When you think of how ridiculously popular Modern Warfare 2 is, the frustration is understandable. I gladly welcome them into the 360 camp with open arms.