Xbox

Plenty of video gamers had feared that the next Xbox console from Microsoft would require a constant Internet connection.

But a new internal e-mail to the Xbox team, reported on by Ars Technica, suggests that the console won't always need to be plugged into the Web.

"Durango (the code name for the next Xbox) is designed to deliver the future of entertainment while engineered to be tolerant of today's Internet," the e-mail said, according to the Ars report. "There are a number of scenarios that our users expect to work without an Internet connection, and … Read more

In a closely watched case, a federal judge has determined that Motorola is entitled to millions -- not billions -- of dollars in compensation for Microsoft's use of certain standard-essential patents.

U.S. District Judge James Robart ruled Thursday that Microsoft should pay Google's Motorola Mobility unit $1.8 million a year in royalties for use of wireless and video coding patents it used in the Xbox and its smartphones.

Motorola had demanded Microsoft pay royalties of $4 billion for use of patents that are part of the H.264 video and 802.11 wireless standards, which is … Read more

The next Xbox, which Microsoft will unveil on May 21, will reportedly cost $499, or $299 for customers who also buy a two-year Xbox Live Gold subscription for $10 per month.

That comes from longtime Microsoft blogger Paul Thurrott, who also accurately broke the news of the Xbox unveiling date earlier this month in an interview with the video blog "What the Tech." (His comments about the next Xbox start at the 54:44 mark.)

Microsoft declined to comment on the report.… Read more

Microsoft has made it official: the next Xbox will be unveiled at a May 21 event in Redmond, Wash., just weeks before E3 opens its doors. This looks like the inevitable Xbox-PlayStation next-gen console war we've all been expecting.

What will it take for Microsoft to keep its strong foothold in the gaming industry? Here's what I'm looking for.

Be the ultimate TV-streaming (and movie-playing) box The Xbox 360 has already carved a great role for itself as a streaming-media hub, and rumors point to the next Xbox possibly being a true rival to a future Apple … Read more

Microsoft has confirmed one of the worst-kept secrets in tech: The next Xbox will be revealed on May 21.

The company on Wednesday morning sent out invitations to the media for a product unveiling.

"A New Generation Revealed," the invitation reads. "Don Mattrick and the Xbox team invite you to the Xbox campus for a special unveiling." (Mattrick is the president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business division that includes the Xbox.)

The company plans to broadcast the unveiling live on the Xbox, as well as on Spike TV.

Earlier this month, longtime Microsoft blogger Paul … Read more

The battle for the future of television is just beginning, but it looks to be a long one. One of the key players is Microsoft, which has spent the past several years morphing its Xbox 360 from a straight-up gaming console into one of the best video-streaming boxes you can buy.

Of course, the current Xbox 360 is getting long in the tooth, and the next-generation model is expected to be announced soon, and to be available as early as the end of 2013. And TV services look to be just as central to the core of that device as … Read more

A Microsoft creative director who got into hot water in the wake of comments about the next Xbox is apparently no longer with the company.

"Sources close to the matter" revealed the news to gaming site Game Informer. The site also called Microsoft's main switchboard to confirm that Orth is no longer working at the company.

The anonymous sources say the former creative director resigned following the controversy he created last week with Twitter comments. But Game Informer hasn't learned whether Orth resigned voluntarily or was forced out.

Orth allegedly got into trouble last week after posting a series of tweets … Read more

Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer has said repeatedly that the company is morphing from a software company to a devices and services business.

But a new research report that analyzes the more than 2,000 job openings at the company suggests that software development still reigns supreme.

Griffin Securities scanned the job postings at Microsoft's careers Web site "in order to gauge the areas in which they are looking to add headcount as an indication of their product, functional, market or geographical priorities," Jay Vleeschhouwer, an analyst at the New York firm, noted in his report. Vleeschhouwer … Read more

When it comes to generating consumer lust, Microsoft often comes up short.

Windows 8 sales seem to be falling shy of analyst expectations. And despite its best design and engineering efforts, Microsoft continues to struggle to get anything more than a toehold in the smartphone market.

And yet Microsoft's success with the Xbox continues to undermine any argument that the company is preternaturally unable to understand consumer desires. The Xbox 360 has performed so strongly in its seven-year run that Microsoft is in the enviable position of being able to wait for rivals Nintendo and Sony to unveil their … Read more