Nerd Rating

Tag: Microsoft

  • Microsoft’s IllumiRoom Is Here To Change The Perception Of Video Games

    12a1b76e56d0a3c3cf2f5cfdcc796993

    Months ago images were leaked of Microsoft’s plans for the ability to transform your entire living room into a massive screen where the gaming experience would be stretched beyond the television and plastered onto the walls that surround you. Many speculated that this could be the next generation of Kinect and no one really knew how far off this technology was.

    It seems like the wait will not be too long.

    At the Samsung keynote during CES yesterday, Microsoft showed off a proof-of-concept video that showed some ways that this new experience would change how you game. It is called IllumiRoom and Microsoft said that the video was done in real-time with no after effects added. While some may surely cry the easy word of “gimmick”, I say it is far less of a gimmick than the Kinect was. This is not a needed technology, but I will admit that I am excited about trying it out and more than that, excited about what developers can do with it.

    The video shows an Xbox 360 on the shelf but I am going to go out on a very thick, sturdy limb here and say that IllumiRoom will be one of the selling points for the next Xbox. Maybe it will be a feature than will come with a new Kinect when the system releases. Right now we are all throwing our hats in the rumor mill ring but I will say that if IllumiRoom can meet the expectations set by the concept video then Microsoft may have something special and game changing on their hands.

    gaming-microsoft-illumi-room-concept-video-still

  • Gears Of War: Judgment VGA Trailer

    While founders of Epic may be leaving left and right Gears of War: Judgment is still roadie running its way to release. The new trailer shows Baird and his group being put on trial for events that should take place in the game 30 days after E-Day. Developer People Can Fly have a lot to live up to gameplay wise but from what has been shown they seem to be keeping everything strictly Gears. If it’s not broke…

    Take a look at the trailer below.

    Gears of War; Judgment releases on March 19, 2013.

    http://youtu.be/MFgetg1fiMg

  • Will Next Xbox Have Two Very Different Versions?

    More Than Hard Drives Could Seperate The Two.

    Rumors abound that Microsoft is planning on releasing two vastly different console experiences next year in order to get into more living rooms of casual gamers.

    When the Xbox 360 released in November 2005 the console was released in two versions (Pro and Core) in which the main difference was an attached hard drive on the Pro but it appears that when the new console is released next year one will be the true next generation console experience with all the bells and whistles that Microsoft decides to put inside while the other sku would be more of an set-top box experience that will run on Windows 8 and run as as DVR and be able to play more casual games and run apps.

    While that sounds all well and good for Microsoft in their plan of getting into more casual gaming houses I can already see the headache of brick and mortar store employees having to explain to parents in the holiday season the differences in the two consoles. Not to mention the look on kids faces if they end up getting what will basically be a Microsoft TV box for Christmas.

  • Halo 4 Sales Set New Record

    Master Chief Still Has The Appeal.

    Microsoft has reported that the November 6th launch of Halo 4 was the largest in the franchise’s history. The return of Master Chief grossed $220 million dollars on launch day alone which math should tell us is over 3.5 million copies sold. Microsoft expects first week sales to be over $300 million.

    Halo 4 is the first game in the Halo series not be made by series creators Bungie. 343 Industries took over development and crafted Halo 4 as the first game in a new trilogy.

    With Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 releasing today it will be interesting to see how big the first day numbers are for the game especially since it is multi-platform.

  • Watch Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn In Its Entirety

    All Five Episodes Just In Time For Halo 4.

    So if you have been hiding away somewhere secluded you may have missed the news that Halo 4 is releasing this Tuesday, November 6th. The reviews have been in the ” great” to “near-perfect” range with some calling it the greatest of all the Halo games.

    To celebrate the release, 343 Industries have been releasing a five part live-action Halo series on Machinima and Halo Waypoint called Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn. The series focuses on Thomas Lasky and a group of cadets in training just before the Covenant attack. The series is told in flashbacks from Lasky, who has since become the commander of the UNSC Infinity, as he looks back at how Master Chief inspired him to become the soldier he is.

    I am sure Halo fans have already watched the series but it is also a good entry point for people wanting to get a little more familiar with the Halo universe. It is very well made and gets better and better with each episode. Take some time and check out the entire series below.

    http://youtu.be/BfJVgXBfSH8
    http://youtu.be/K56gSEJ6IGc
    http://youtu.be/WbBYG77VeCE
    http://youtu.be/FZ_xn889cSk
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gULQ5GFIkcA

  • Halo 4 Spartan Ops Season One Trailer Is Here.

    Keep Your Halo 4 Experience Going With Your Friends.

    One of the unique things that 343 Industries is doing with the upcoming release of Halo 4 is the Spartan Ops co-op gameplay. After the main story of Halo 4 is over you will be able to go through a new storyline with your friends that will be released as episodic content every week.

    Season One of Spartan Ops will consist of ten episodes consisting of five missions each episode for completely free to everyone that has Halo 4 sitting in there console. So not only are you getting the main campaign with Master Chief as well as the never ending multiplayer but now you will have 50 free co-op missions to go through after your first playthrough is done.

    Check out the first trailer for Season one of Spartan Ops here.

  • Halo 4 Gameplay Launch Trailer

    November 6th is fast approaching and the return of Master Chief is at hand.

    343 Industries has released a new [amazon_link id=”B0050SYX8W” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Halo 4[/amazon_link] gameplay trailer that is a little light on the gameplay. But what is shown is still beautiful and full of Halo goodness.

  • Next Xbox Could Pave Way For Your Own Personal Holodeck.

    New Kinect may allow for full 3D, 360 degree gaming.

    So here is a bit of next gen gaming news that may truly be “the future of gaming”.

    Microsoft has a patent filed that, if they can get the tech working of course, would tranform your living room into a fully immersive interactive gaming experience. It appears that the new Xbox and the new model of Kinect would combine to project game images onto the walls allowing players to basically turn their living room into whatever world they happen to be in at the moment.

    Now as a game geek this is too exciting to really put into words but when I look at the example shots the more and more I begin to see how truly expensive this might be for me. I still don’t have enough room to jump and look like a fool with a Kinect right now and if you pay attention to the shot above you may recognize that the living room must not be decorated with any type of pictures or wall hangings and I am assuming painted white. It would also appear to need three times the room of the Kinect now. Now I begin to sadden where once excitement existed.

    So I need to start saving now since I will need the following:

    • A house or apartment with at least 12-15 feet of free space.
    • 11 cans of eggshell white paint for the walls.
    • An Xbox 720
    • A new Kinect (assuming it’s not packed in with the system, gotta save somewhere)
    • A game
    • A great job to pay for all of this.

    No one ever said turning your room into the Enterpise holodeck was cheap. Now if I could just play as Sherlock Homes with Data and the guy that played the butler on The Nanny, Microsoft has me sold.

     

     

     

  • Microsoft Lowers Kinect Price.

    After almost two years and around 19 million sold, Microsoft has announced that their Kinect will be getting a price reduction from $149.99 to $109.99. Now you can flail around like a mental patient for less. The price drop took effect today.

    While the Kinect saw a huge first year, one can only call their sophmore offering sub-par. Big name games like Kinect Star Wars and Steel Battalion were met with almost universal disdain and the peripheral really only has one big release this fall with Fable: The Journey. Maybe this will stimulate a quick sales boost but I’m pretty sure that if someone hasn’t bought a Kinect by now a drop to 109 dollars isn’t going to do much convincing. With the new Xbox on the horizon in the next year and a half or so the Kinect should be seeing a drastic price drop sometime next year. But that’s just my take.