The game will feature five “dynamic” modes, namely Jedi Destiny, Podracing, Rancor, Fate and Galactic Dance-off, allowing “Star Wars fans of all ages to delve into immersive Star Wars experiences”. The last two are new additions, with ‘Fate’ being a duel mode to “sharpen” your Jedi skills against the Dark side; and the ‘Galactic Dance-off’ which is a universe-breaking dance mode featuring “Star Wars-themed pop tunes”. For all ages, remember?

Click for full awesomeness.

Kinect Star Wars will be available as a standalone for AED 199, as well as a part of a Limited Edition Xbox 360 bundle. The bundle features a R2-D2 themed 250GB Xbox 360 console, a gold C-3PO controller, a pure white Kinect sensor, and a C-3PO unlockable for the dance-off mode . It will set you back by AED 1849.

Everything from game stats, player records, user generated content, Bungie Pro , and all Halo support services will be managed by Microsoft and 343 Industries.

Here’s their note in entirety:
“Last summer, Bungie and 343 Industries began a transition process for Halo data. On March 31st, 2012 that transition process will be complete, all live Halo data will be managed by 343 Industries, and Bungie will no longer be able to update game stats and player service records, to host new user generated content, or to operate the Bungie Pro service. All currently supported, Bungie-developed Halo titles will be impacted by this change.

See you starside.”

The first to come forth was Cedrick Delmas, marketing director of Microsoft France who, in an interview with Lepoint.Fr said that he is “not convinced” if anything “will happen this year”. There is “nothing new in 2012″.

“We’re in an industry that talks a lot, that likes to tell stories. I am not convinced things will happen this year. Xbox 360′s cycle is not at all finished. The proof is that we don’t see the logic in cutting the price this year. E3 is still premature. What’s certain is that there’ll be nothing new in 2012.”

“We’re not here to counter Nintendo and they’re not here to fight the other manufacturers. Nintendo has put itself in a different cycle, they’re advancing at their own pace,” he added.

Again, in an interview with Lepoint.Fr, PlayStation France boss said that not only will PlayStation 4 miss a 2012 release, but the company will probably be the “last to announce something.”

“It’s true that there are a lot of rumours, but I couldn’t tell you anything,” said Philippe Cardone.

“Wii is pressed for time because it’s in decline. In our case, we have a lot less pressure. We were the last to release PS3, and we will probably be the last to announce something.”

The promotion is called “Must Have Games on Windows Phone” and will feature the following titles at a price range of $2.99 to $4.99:

- Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit on Feb 1st
- BulletAsylum on Feb 8th
- Chickens Can’t Fly on Feb 15th
- Splinter Cell Conviction on Feb 22nd
- Toy Soldiers: Boot Camp on Feb 29th

More info here.

Built by a start-up called d’strict, this US$13 million theme park contains 65 attractions, all powered with Microsoft’s wonderous motion-sensor.

According to d’strict, the theme park has “the world’s biggest interactive 360 degree stereoscopic theatre” and “the world’s most advanced avatar game in the world’s largest interactive projection square stretching over 150 meters.”

The park can hold upto 3,000 visitors, with the Kinect-powered displays able to recognize their faces and voices. Each visitor is given a RFID wristband which allows them to interact with the screen individually.

“Last year James Cameron announced plans for an Avatar themed land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom to begin construction in 2013,” said d’strict’s Bryan Lee. “With Live Park, d’strict have created a 4D avatar theme park that’s here today!”

Go to Kotaku for pictures. Here’s a video of the theme park:

According to the source, Microsoft is all set to feature an anti-used game system that, as the name would suggest, will disallow users to play used games on their console. This looks highly improbably from the looks of it, as it not only will garner wrath from retailers but from those users as well who are unable to afford full priced games.

The source also claims that Microsoft will finally cut to the chase and feature Blu-ray disc technology. Contrary to popular belief, Blu-ray is not entirely owned by Sony, and could easily be granted to Microsoft. The disc technology will not only allow developers to pack in more data on the supported 25GB/50GB discs, but also make inroads for the new Xbox to be the de-facto choice for a home entertainment system. This does seem like something Microsoft would explore, considering its recent push towards that market.

Another of Kotaku’s source says that a new version of Kinect 2 is the works as well, and will feature an on-board processor for extra power and better accuracy. Microsoft apparently plans to ship the upgraded motion-sensor with the new Xbox.

A smaller-sized controller is rumored as well.

Following the publication of the story, a Microsoft rep responded to Kotaku with the following:

“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.”

The HD6670 is currently available from $79.99 and upwards, and is among the lower-end graphics card in the market. The source claims the GPU production will begin by the end of the 2012, while the actual system will ship to retailers by October or November of 2013.

While the GPU will indeed be six times more powerful than the Xbox 360, and will also offer DirectX 11 support, it will not be enough to realize the ‘next-gen visual fidelity’ that we all are hoping the new cycle of consoles will bring. The HD6670 is roughly 150% slower than the GTX580 from Nvidia, the same graphics card that Epic Games said will need three of to power its Unreal Engine 3.975.

Bill Gates is also known for his philanthropy, however very few people actually know, or care, that his work in the field has affected, and saved so many lives, that it is an achievement far and beyond everything he has ever done.

Frugal Dad has taken that point and has created a simple, effective infograph that shows the radius of Gates’ work and how it is helping the needy around the world. Also, how he is so much better than Batman. Have a look.

Speaking to Industry Gamers, the CPO of the cloud-based gaming service has predicted that at least one of the current console manufacturer will raise hands, accept defeat and politely withdraw from the console war. And that, in fact, will be the big news at E3, not the nex-gen consoles itself.

“Not all of the current console makers will have one more generation. That will be the big news at E3,” said Reeves.

The possibilities of either Microsoft or Sony backing down is ridiculous. Not only do they have both resources and projects tied up to the business, both the companies have massive egos that just won’t accept the beating.

Of course, Reeves could be hinting at a cloud-based service, but that seems quite far-fetched considering how it will just limit the platform’s reach. Many parts of the world, including the Middle East upto certain extent, is not fully equipped, in terms of technology and price, to run avail such a service. Plus, hey, hiring servers all around the world is a massively huge investment in itself.

The device will be released in 12 countries initially, including UK, US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, at the price of $250. There is no word for a Middle East launch yet.

In a statement issued on the official blog, Microsoft said it is working with 200 companies to bring applications in music, health, fitness, etc that uses Kinect’s motion wizardy to the Windows platform.

“With Kinect for Windows, we are investing in creating a platform that is optimized for scenarios beyond the living room, and delivering new software features on an ongoing basis, starting with “near mode” . In addition to support for Windows 7 and the Windows 8 developer preview (desktop apps only), Kinect for Windows will also support gesture and voice on Windows Embedded-based devices and will enhance how data is captured and accessed within intelligent systems across manufacturing, retail and many more industries. We are building the Kinect for Windows platform in a way that will allow other companies to integrate Kinect into their offerings and we have invested in an approach that allows them to develop in ways that are dependable and scalable.”

Kinect for Windows is purely a “hardware-only business model”, meaning Microsoft will not charge for the SDK or the runtime needed to use the device. This will be a great boon for developers and enthusiasts, and we cannot wait to see what they will be able to pull off with it (Minority Report interface preferable as a first).