Ryse Now a Next-Gen Title?

The LinkedIn profile of an ex-Crytek level designer indicates that the Kinect first person melee game, Ryse, is now a next-gen title. The resume reads,

"RYSE (X-Box Next Gen) Pushing boundaries of next generation gaming, RYSE is an original AAA IP from Crytek slated to deliver an Epic first-person melee experience in the Roman Empire."

This is interesting for a number of reasons. If correct, it's unfortunate that Kinect will be losing one of its most anticipated titles next year. But is this an indication that the peripheral will be supported at the launch of the next Xbox console? The worst case scenario is that Kinect support has been dropped altogether. Microsoft may be prioritising the line-up of their next-gen console over Kinect, which already has strong support with other developers.

"Xbox Next Gen" could of course simply refer to the Xbox 360. The designer left Crytek in July, one month after the games reveal as a Kinect title at E3. The game has suffered from a difficult production, with the project moved to Crytek's main Frankfurt studio from the now tablet focused Crytek Budapest. It's possible that the game became a next-gen project after the subsequent delay.

Hopefully we'll have more clear news on the games status soon.

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Rumor: Next Xbox Launching With Kinect 2, So Accurate It Can Lip Read

Rumors for the next Xbox continue to appear online, and today Eurogamer have focused specifically on new Kinect hardware that might come with the new console.

Kinect 2 will, naturally, feature advanced motion tracking and voice recognition.  A developer source told Eurogamer that the device is so powerful it is capable of lip-reading, detecting the players emotional state and determining the position the player is facing. Likely an indication of fidelity rather than actual usage for the most part.

The current Kinect is limited by the Xbox 360's USB interface, which only allows a limited amount of data to be streamed to the console at any one time. Because of this, the device is locked at 30 frames per second, at a resolution of only 320x240. Kinect 2 won't have such limitations, says the source. High resolution data will be cabled straight to the processor and RAM.

It's hard to say when we can expect the console to launch, with some rumors stating fall 2012 and others fall 2013, and it's unlikely that we'll find out for sure until at least E3 next year.

According to one report, Microsoft plan to launch two versions of the next Xbox. One a cheaper "pared down" machine likened to a set-top box, which will act as a Kinect gaming portal. The second is a more expensive, fully featured machine aimed at hardcore gamers with an optical drive, hard drive and backwards compatibility. Kinect will be bundled with both SKU's, allowing developers to integrate it into any game from day one, guaranteeing that every console owner will have access to Kinect. It's said that development kits are already with major publishers.

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New Xbox in 2013, New Kinect in 2014?

Rumors regarding the next generation of consoles have been ramping up lately, and perhaps the biggest yet is a supposed leaked timeline for Microsoft covering the next few years.

Originating at MS Nerd, who have a fair track record with Microsoft rumors, the leaked list seems to indicate that Microsoft plan to announce the Xbox 360's successor, codenamed "loop", at E3 2013, with a launch later that year.

Between now and then, the list states that Microsoft will release the commercial Kinect SDK next year, which we have been expecting, as well as an Xbox SDK and the third generation of Kinect games at E3 2012. Following that, the Xbox Store will launch alongside Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8. One unified store, perhaps?

If the rumored list is to be believed, Microsoft will continue to support the current Kinect as well as updating the SDK past the launch of their new system, leading to the unveiling of Kinect 2.0 at E3 2014.

Also of note is "Windows 8 PU" and "Xbox PU" which are said to launch in 2013 and 2014. PU could stand for 'Portable Unit', refering to Windows 8 tablet devices and a new portable with a focus on gaming. Whatever they may be, it's likely part of Microsoft's grand plan to connect the 3 screens together under one unified umbrella -- Windows 8, Windows Phone 8 and Xbox "Loop". 

Check out the full timeline below:

CES 2012
Win8 + WinStore beta
<ONM> CTP
Tango1 launch

MWC 2012
Tango2 SDK

MIX 2012
Win8 RC
<ONM> beta
Tango2 launch + Apollo announce
Kinect commercial SDK

E3 2012
Xbox SDK, 3G Kinect games announce
Apollo SDK
Win8 RTM

Aug 2012
Win8, <ONM>, WP8, Xbox Store launch

Build 2012
XAML+XDE platform
Win8 PU DP
<OSN> announce

CES 2013
Win8 PU Beta

MWC 2013
Apollo+1 teaser

MIX 2013
HTML platform (IE11)
Win8 PU RC
<OSN> Beta
Apollo+1 SDK

E3 2013
Xbox”loop” announce
Win8 PU RTM

Build 2013
Win9 DP
<OSN> RTM
Xbox”loop” launch

CES 2014
Win9 Beta

MWC 2014
WPN teaser

MIX 2014
Win9 RC
WPN SDK
Kinect SDK update

E3 2014
Kinect HP2 announce
Xbox PU announce

Build 2014
Win9 RTM (IE12)
Win9M RTM
<OSN+1> CTP
Xbox PU preview

Nov 2014
Win9, Win9M, Kinect HP2 launch
Xbox PU RTW

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