There have been some interesting updates for those interested in news on Microsoft‘s next gaming console.

A report on IGN tells us the next Xbox’s graphics processing power to be 6 times more than the Xbox 360′s. This new power will be as a result of the graphics card provided by AMD similar to the the Radeon HD 6670.

Kotaku quotes “sources” as stating that Microsoft will be replacing the DVD drives that it ships with Xbox 360s with Blu-Ray drives for the next release of the Xbox.

The disc drive update will mean Xbox games will hold 25GB data as opposed to the 9GB data that DVDs can hold.

Kotaku further goes on to claim from a “reliable industry source”  that “Microsoft intends to incorporate some sort of anti-used game system as part of their so-called Xbox 720.”
It isn’t clear at the moment how Microsoft plans on achieving this. It could be a case of a game being tied to an Xbox Live account, but an easy workaround for this will be to avoid Xbox Live altogether.

Another source talks about a new version of Kinect that will be released with the new console. Perhaps there is some truth to the Kinect rumours after all. Another source also claims Microsoft is interested in making a smaller controller for the new console.

True to form, Microsoft refused to comment on the rumours:

“As an innovator we’re always thinking about what is next and how we can push the boundaries of technology like we did with Kinect. We believe the key to extending the lifespan of a console is not just about the console hardware, but about the games and entertainment experiences being delivered to consumers. Beyond that we don’t comment on rumors or speculation.”

[Kotaku | IGN]

In the process on its “expansive catalog of movies, sports, television and music” for the Xbox 360, Microsoft has released a new wave of apps on Xbox Live.

The new wave of the apps include 4 on Demand, Demand 5 and Dailymotion for the UK, as well as other services globally:

· 4 on Demand (C4). United Kingdom
· ABC iView (Australian Broadcasting Corp.). Australia
· Dailymotion. Available in 34 countries globally**
· Demand 5 (Five). United Kingdom
· M6. France
· MSN Video. France
· UFC on Xbox LIVE (UFC). Canada, United States
· VUDU (Wal-Mart). United State

** Dailymotion will be available in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, India, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland , Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States, South Africa.

It has to be said the streaming quality of 40D and Demand  isn’t necessarily the greatest. It barely streams in standard quality although that may not be a fault of Microsoft.

[Major Nelson]

Sony has announced a Limited Edition gold Playstation 3 slim that will be available exclusively in Japan in March 2012.

The PS3 will be matte gold and will have the main character of the One Piece manga, Luffy, etched on it. The 320GB console bundle will also include a Dualshock 3 controller, the One Piece: Pirate Warriors game and a custom One Piece theme to match.

The console will be available on March 1st in Japan for ¥38,170 (about £316 or $490 US), and the game will also be available separately for ¥8,190 (about £67 or $105 US).

[Sony Japan | via The Verge]

First we had the updated dashboard for Xbox 360 owners, albeit arriving a little late. Now Microsoft has released a YouTube app to go with it.

The app should be available for download on Xbox Live now and even has Kinect support. It is available for over 24 countries (listed below). The YouTube app wasn’t the only thing that Microsoft released today. All the released services listed below can be found in the apps Marketplace:

• blinkbox (Blinkbox). United Kingdom
• iHeartRadio (Clear Channel). United States
• MSN Video. Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Mexico, United Kingdom
• MSNBC.com. United States
• MUZU.TV. Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom
• Rogers On Demand (Rogers Media). Canada
• SBS ON DEMAND. Australia
• TMZ (Warner Bros.). Canada, United States
• RTVE (RTVE.es). Spain
• Verizon FiOS TV. United States
• YouTube. Available in 24 countries globally (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany , Hong Kong, Ireland, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Singapore, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States, South Africa.)

[via The Verge]

The Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand expansion pack that has been available on the Playstation 3 for a week now and is now available for Xbox 360 and PC owners.

The expansion pack is free for any one that bought a Limited Edition of Battlefield 3. It will cost 1200 Microsoft points on the Xbox Live for anyone that didn’t purchase the limited edition of the game.

So what’s included in the Back to Karkand update?:

Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand is a huge expansion pack featuring four legendary Battlefield maps reimagined in the Frostbite 2 engine. Three new vehicles (the VSTOL fighter jet, Desert Buggy, and an APC), ten new weapons that you can bring back to the base game, and a new layer of persistence with our all-new Assignments make this a must-have for any Battlefield fan.

The four maps included in the expansion pack are Strike at Karkand, Wake Island, Sharqi Peninsula (video below) and Gulf of Oman. The update also includes a number of bug fixes that are detailed over at the Battlefield Blog.

If you’re unsure how to get the Back to Karkand expansion pack;

• How to go Back to Karkand on Xbox 360
• How to go Back to Karkand on PC
• How to go Back to Karkand on Playstation 3

[Battlefield Blog]

update: The app has now gone live and can be downloaded unto your device via this Marketplace Link. Some reports claim you must be running the 7740 update for Windows Phone 7.

If you’re both a Windows Phone and Xbox 360 owner, Microsoft has some early holiday presents for you tomorrow (December 6th).

The first being the announced Xbox 360 Dashboard update, and now a Xbox Companion app for Windows Phone to match.

The Companion app will allow users to “find, learn more about and control content from popular entertainment services on Xbox LIVE.”

The companion app, powered by Bing, will be free in the Windows Phone Marketplace but there is no word whether it will be available for the US only or worldwide.

Major Nelson posted details of the app on his blog:

Xbox Companion search powered by Bing. Search the unified Xbox catalog for movies, TV shows, music, games and apps using the Windows phone. View a detailed unified results page across all content providers. You can see recently played games and apps and browse the Zune video catalog

Using the Xbox Companion app you can learn more details about the movie, TV show, music or game that is playing on your console. You can also get friend activity (friends online, friends with beacons, friends who have recently played), achievements and related items.  You’ll also be able to select a search result, and launch a movie, TV show, game or app on the connected console as well as play, pause, fw, rw the playing video or music on the connected Xbox,initiate media purchase and navigate your Xbox console with Windows Phone using the Xbox Companion.

See screenshots of the app here (flickr).

[Major Nelson Blog]

South Park writing duo, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, are working with Obsidian Entertainment (the Developers of Fallout:New Vegas) to create a role playing game based on South Park.

Development of the game is being overseen by the duo who are writing scripts and performing the dialogue. You will play as the new kid in South Park where “it’ll be up to you to make friends and defend the town from a wide range of threats. ” says GameInformer.

Very little is known about the game for now, but we do know it will be a “full-scale RPG” which will be available on Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC. We also know that the game will be out some time next year.

More information on South Park: The Game will be available in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

[GameInformer]

The Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand expansion pack will be making its way to Playstation 3 consoles on Tuesday (December 6). This will give PS3 owners a chance to enjoy the DLC a week before their Xbox 360 counterparts.

Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand is a huge expansion pack featuring four legendary Battlefield maps reimagined in the Frostbite 2 engine. Three new vehicles (the VSTOL fighter jet, Desert Buggy, and an APC), ten new weapons that you can bring back to the base game, and a new layer of persistence with our all-new Assignments make this a must-have for any Battlefield fan.

The four maps included in the expansion pack are Strike at Karkand, Wake Island, Sharqi Peninsula and Gulf of Oman. Assignments and new Trophies (Achievements) are also included in the DLC. The Assignments allow you to unlock new Back to Karkand weapons by completing them. Eg. “20 kills with Light Machine Guns and two mortar kills.”

The Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand is free for those that purchased the Limited Edition of the game or $14.99(about £10).

It should also be noted that all future Battlefield 3 expansion will all be exclusive on the Playstation 3 a week early. Below are the list of the new Trophies that come with Back to Karkand:

Complete Warrior (Silver)
Get a kill with the following weapons in a single life: Rifle, Jet, Tank

Third Tour (Bronze)
Get a kill with the new APC, Desert Buggy, and STOVL fighter jet

Gunslinger (Bronze)
Get 10 kills with all B2K weapons

Like a Boss! (Silver)
Get a kill with the skid loader

Jaws (Bronze)
Take a swim in the pool at the Oman hotel

[BattlefieldBlog]

Battlefield 3‘s Back to Karkand DLC pack is only around the corner. We have already been teased with the Strike at Karkand gameplay trailer. DICE is however keeping our appetites wet and has offered us another trailer. This time its Gulf of Oman.

We are bringing back three popular combat vehicles from Battlefield 2 into the Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand expansion pack: The STOVL fighter jet, desert buggy, and one of the APC’s. In this gameplay trailer from the Gulf of Oman map, you can also get a first glimpse of a classified fourth vehicle bound to strike fear into the very hearts of the enemy. Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand is out December 2011 at no extra charge if you own a copy of the Battlefield 3: Limited Edition, or available the same date at $14.99/1200 Microsoft Points.

If you grabbed a Limited Edition version of the game, the DLC will be free. It gets even better if you own the game on the Playstation 3. It will be released on the PS3 before Xbox 360.

Big, open, vehicular warfare maps like these is what makes Battlefield great and different from its main competitor. With bugs that plagued the game since launch now fixed, Battlefield 3 fans can get some serious gaming done during the holidays.

According to Eurogamer citing a “development source”, the next version of Kinect will be so accurate, it will be able to lip read. The current version of Kinect was limited by the the “old” USB 2.0 technology used by the Xbox 360.

The next version of Xbox will come bundled with Kinect 2 and without the current limitations, will also be able  to “track the pitch and volume of player voices and facial characteristics to measure different emotional states.”

All of that sounds pretty impressive. But when can we expect to have this technology in our homes? A new Xbox or perhaps an updated version of the current Xbox 360 is rumoured to be released next year. We will just have to wait and see if these rumours are indeed true.

[Eurogamer]