Microsoft just wrapped their presentation for their next-generation console, XBox One.  The name comes from being an “All-in-One System” that will be at the center of your home entertainment system in a way that’s never been quite this intimate/creepy.  There was a lot of information during the presentation, but I took copious notes in between mocking the presentation on Twitter.  In all seriousness, Xbox seems to have taken a real next step as opposed to Nintendo (new controller!) and Sony (better graphics!), but let us not get into a console flame war.  The verdict is far from in, but the Xbox One does look promising albeit with some serious reservations.

Hit the jump for my recap of the presentation, and click here for the news regarding Xbox’s live-action Halo series produced by Steven Spielberg.

Microsoft unveiled the Xbox One today, and embedded in its bounty of announcements relating to the new console was the exciting news that Steven Spielberg is developing and will produce a live-action TV series based on the popular Halo franchise.  Microsoft has been trying to get a big screen iteration of Halo off the ground for years, with Peter Jackson previously producing the feature film effort that Neill Blomkamp was poised to direct.  Things went sour when Blomkamp’s vision for the film didn’t jibe with Microsoft’s strict rules regarding how the franchise was to be handled, but it worked out alright with Blomkamp instead making his directorial debut with the stellar 2009 sci-fi pic District 9.

Now it appears that Microsoft will go it alone with regards to a narrative Halo effort, and they’ve got Steven Spielberg on their side.  Hit the jump for more.

Today, Microsoft will finally announce the successor to the Xbox 360.  It’s the last of the next gen consoles to be announced after the release of the WiiU last fall and the announcement of PlayStation 4 earlier this year.  The 360 was released on November 22, 2005, but the new console will be entering a very different marketplace.  The role of the home console has truly expanded into a media center, but the gaming market now faces stiff competition from casual gamers who prefer to use their phones and tablets.  Over the past several years, Microsoft has been desperately trying to push Kinect, a technology that just isn’t where it needs to be quite yet (but it’s amusing to watch your friends yell instructions at their Xbox and the Xbox doesn’t respond).   Microsoft has kept a tight lid on what to expect from their new console with the biggest rumor involving an “always-on” connection.  Other than that, my best guess is that we’ll also be seeing the next generation of Kinect, and I hope it doesn’t require a giant living room.

Hit the jump to watch the live-stream of Microsoft’s presentation, which begins at 1pm EST/10am PST.  Hopefully, it will be better than the one for PlayStation 4, which boiled down to “Better graphics and shorter loading times!”

2010’s The Social Network proved that, with the genius pairing of an incredibly talented screenwriter (Aaron Sorkin) and director (David Fincher), a movie about something as trite as Facebook could be compelling, relevant, and entertaining.  With the success of that film still lingering, Sony may be looking at giving the same kind of treatment to another business-centered, “behind-the-scenes” film about a uniquely modern luxury: video games.

Battles have been waged in boardrooms for decades between rival video game console companies, with Microsoft and Sony currently duking it with the Xbox and PlayStation, respectively.  Now word comes that Sony may be developing a feature film to tell their side of this “Console Wars” story.  Hit the jump for more.

In a move that finally gives the Xbox 360 a bit of an edge over the Playstation 3 as an all-encompassing entertainment device, a whole slew of international TV partners have been revealed by Microsoft to be providing services to users of the popular video game system. The new deal allows for channels like SyFy, Bravo, Epix, Crackle, TMZ, UFC, Verizon FiOS, ESPN and the morning news program The Today Show to be available through Xbox LIVE. However, the real cream of the crop comes from Comcast’s Xfinity On Demand service and (drumroll please) HBO GO to be available through the game system, but only in the United States at the moment. Personally, I can’t wait to be able to watch older HBO shows like Six Feet Under and The Sopranos thanks to this new deal. As for the rest of the world, there are plenty more TV partners for Xbox LIVE coming your way, and you can check out the full press release with the list of new partners.

Halo is one of the most successful video game franchises of al-time but it’s had some trouble making its way to the big screen.  DreamWorks is now giving the Master Chief a new shot a motion picture as Vulture reports that the studio is reviving its efforts to obtain the rights and develop a feature film.  It’s a daunting proposition as Fox and Universal previously tried to adapt the game only to come out with lost cash and bitter recriminations.  Specifically, Universal lost about $12 million in development costs on the deal and there’s the worry that the studio may try to sue DreamWorks in order to recoup their failed investment.

Hit the jump for how DreamWorks plans to dodge that bullet and appease rights-holder Microsoft.

Leave it to Nintendo to succeed where Hollywood has failed. For the past year, everyone in the movie industry had been talking about 3D. All our movies are being released in 3D, all our best filmmakers are either shooting or considering 3D and it seems that only one thing is between the third dimension in film going and total domination: Those pesky glasses. Well, at E3 2010 in Los Angeles, California, Nintendo introduced the Nintendo 3DS. It’s just your run of the mill, even your baby sister has one, Nintendo DS portable gaming system with one major difference. It displays 3D without the glasses.

I waited over an hour to play with the Nintendo 3DS and then an additional hour to play the most anticipated Wii game of 2011, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. And that was just the beginning of an important Wednesday at E3. Hit the jump for more and don’t forget to check our our extensive gallery and coverage from Tuesday.

Earlier today I attended the opening day of E3 2010.  While the last few years had E3 toning down the excess, this year was a return to lavish parties with organizers burning hundred dollar bills in the streets.  Okay, maybe not that last part.  But this year really is the return of E3 being a monstrous spectacle of noise and commotion, as once you’ve spent a few hours on the convention floor,  you really want a break from everything.  However, with so many of you not being able to gain access to the convention floor, I figured the best thing I could do was take a ton of photographs, so you could see what the convention was like for yourself.

What I decided to do was post the images as I shot them.  That way you can see the lines to get in and also observe the convention floor as I experienced it.  If you’re looking for booth babes, I’ve got them.  If you want to see what the Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony booths were like, I’ve got that too.  But what I also tried to capture was a lot of the little things that perhaps some of the other sites might have missed….like Tron video game controllers!  I’ve posted over 100 high-resolution images from E3 2010, so hit the jump to check them out!

It is the slogan for one of the most anticipated racing games to come out in a long time. The Forza series is the premiere racing game for the Xbox 360 and is constantly in the discussion for best racing game available, period. Two years since their last installment, the folks at Turn 10 and Microsoft have kicked this franchise into another gear now (pun admittedly intended) with Forza Motorsport 3.

Every time a console’s price drops, it makes me wish I’d waited to buy one, but the Wii was already a steal (by comparison) at $249, and I bought mine at the Universal City Walk launch party, so lord knows I didn’t have the patience to wait. Yes, the Wii is to drop by $50 to $199 starting Sept. 27–valuable intel pulled from Toys ‘R Us and Best Buy circulars. More about the change and why after the jump.

Come on, come all, gamers.  If you’ve never bought an Xbox 360 and/or a PlayStation 3, now is your time.  Last week we reported on the price drop for the PlayStation 3 along with its slim and sexy new design that should finally make the console fly off the shelves like it never has before.  But Microsoft isn’t going to stand for that.  When it comes to gamers, they own this town and they’re not going to let Sony, with its over-due price drop and fancy-schmancy re-design to step up.  No.  Not without a fight.  So hit the jump to find out how Microsoft is stepping up its game (-ing console’s market share).