Earlier this week Xbox boss Phil Spencer made it clear that they are looking into making Xbox One upgradeable in the future. So instead of different console generations, the Xbox One will possibly have iterative hardware configuration which is somewhat similar to what we have with mobiles and tablets.

But as expected there are some disadvantages with such a hardware model, a problem that apparently exists within the mobile space. Before Spencer announced his new plans for an upgrade-able Xbox One, GamingBolt caught up with Andy Nealen who specializes in computer graphics and is a consultant at Hemisphere Games. Andy also handles his day to day responsibilities as a professor of Game Engineering and Design at NYU Poly.

Co-incidentally we asked Andy about his thoughts about static console architecture against an iterative one. The following was his response:

“For developers, it’s absolutely glorious that they can design for a piece of hardware, and that hardware is the same everywhere. Because, even developing for iOS for example, you have different iOS versions, different sizes of iPhones and iPads, and you have to make sure your stuff works for all of them. Now mind you, this is still not as bad as development can be for PC- or for Android! Don’t even get me started on Android. Android is just a nightmare. Android is just the worse. It is just so hard to make it work. The only reason there is an Android version of Osmos is because we outsourced it to a company. And we’re very happy we did, because obviously it’s been a good success on Android, but we didn’t do it ourselves, because that’s the lowest level of graphics programming that I have ever seen in my life! Where a graphics engineer has to test all these devices, all different graphics drivers, and it’s the most Sisyphean task I’ve seen. There are different graphics drivers! And each driver has its own bugs!”

In short, it’s easier said than done. There will be a lot of challenges if Microsoft plans to go ahead with such a model which includes and not limited to insuring backwards and forwards compatibility, hardware compatibility and maintaining different firmware versions for different Xbox SKUs.

What are your thoughts on this matter?

Let us know in the comments section below and stay tuned for more news and updates.

There has been a late of talk lately whether the rendering technology on mobile and tablets could surpass than what is possible on consoles. In fact there was a report not too long ago that claimed mobile graphics will overtake PS4 and Xbox One in the next couple of years.

GamingBolt recently caught up with Andy Nealen who specializes in computer graphics and is a consultant at Hemisphere Games. Andy also handles his day to day responsibilities as a professor of Game Engineering and Design at NYU Poly.

Speaking to GamingBolt, Andy believes that mobile and tablet platforms are destined for a different kind of gaming experience.

“I think the platform is destined for a different kind of game- like I don’t think, if we’re talking touch enabled devices, which, that’s what phones are – they went from being keypad devices to being touch enabled, and I don’t think we’re going back to keys, and I think touchscreens are here to stay. And if anyone has seen a child with an iPad, they know the reason why- they just gravitate towards them so naturally, because it’s so tactile, and they just understand how to use it immediately.”

He also explains that despite the touch screen functionality of modern mobile phones there is no way they can replace the controller.

“But the thing these touch screen devices can’t do is, they can’t replace a controller. There’s just no universe where anyone will ever play something like Street Fighter on an iPad (laughs). That’s just not gonna happen. ”

However Andy think that it’s possible the rendering tech can catch up with consoles although visuals will always be better on the PC.

“Now in terms of rendering capability, I have to say it blows my mind how high performance the current generation tablets are. It’s just absolutely mind boggling when I look at any of these demos we see from Epic or Nvidia or Apple, that just showing off what Unreal looks like on a tablet. I look at that, and I’m like, ‘this is insane!’ If you’d told me this is what mobile games would look like when I was a teenager, I’d have told you you’re a big fat liar. So in terms of rendering, I think it’s possible that mobile devices catch up. Obviously, it always depends on- I mean, the reason consoles aren’t as high end and high performance at rendering as PCs is because there’s a money, a financial constraint. They need to be marketable to a large group of people, so obviously, they’re never gonna cost- I mean, there are graphics cards that cost more than consoles! So, that will always exist, and because of that, graphics will always be better on high end PCs.”

What are your thoughts on this matter? Do you think mobile and tablet graphics will eventually catch up with consoles?

Let us know in the comments section below and stay tuned for more news and updates.

The Witcher Battle Arena has been announced by CD Projekt RED, which will be developed by Fuero Games. It will be a massive online battle arena title in the vein of Dota 2 and League of Legends but set in The Witcher universe. You’ll have six heroes fighting to the death as they struggle to capture three different conquest points.

CD Projekt RED studio head Adam Badowski said, “With mobile devices as powerful as they are and the graphics they offer being so beautiful, we can finally plunge into mobile gaming and deliver our take on free gaming to gamers worldwide.”

Creative analyst Tadek Zieliński added that, “In a world full of enter-your-PIN-number-to-win mechanics, what we value above all is well-balanced and honest gameplay. Battle Arena is all about skill and dedication, and we’ve spent hundreds of hours planning to make it a paragon of fairness in mobile gaming.”

Stanisław Fiedor, CEO of Fuero Games, said, “The whole team here at Fuero Games is really excited at the prospect of developing a game for such a big and engaged community as that of The Witcher. I’m convinced that our skill in mobile multiplayer game development, combined with the creative flair of CD Projekt RED, will produce an experience Witcher fans will want to come back to again and again.”

The Witcher Battle Arena will be out in Q4 2014 for iOS, Android, Windows Phone and Windows RT tablets. It will come with free updates to expand on the character roster and game modes. Stay tuned for more details on the same.

In a press detailing all the features, Square-Enix mentions that you’ll be able to take part in battles with some of the largest parties yet (and honestly, the screenshots say it all). There will be 20 different jobs, with the in-game shop offering up to 35 characters from different Final Fantasy games. You can also purchase game stages from Final Fantasy VII, X, and XIII.

Not impressed? Besides featuring 30 classic songs from the series, familiar foes, extensive catalogs for everything you encounter, global leaderboards and touch functionality for multiple character manipulation, All The Bravest gives a neat little twist on the Active Time Battle system.

Once every three hours, you’ll gain the Fever option, which allows you to continuously attack an enemy without waiting for your gauge to be full. Plus flashy lights. One can never go wrong with flashy lights.

Check out Final Fantasy: All The Bravest on iTunes today.

But that’s not all. Not by a long shot. A handy infograph released by Rovio indicated that for that week – from December 22nd to 29th – Angry Birds had a whopping 30 million downloads. Is it any wonder that the company is able to ready it’s own production studio for an Angry Birds movie…in 3D? Check out the infograph below.

Angry Birds has seen nothing but success since releasing on the Apple App Store in 2009, going on to debut for multiple platforms including Android, PC and even Xbox 360. The title has seen more than 1 billion downloads and is considered one of the most mainstream games currently available.

Source: GIBiz

However, in a new study which Google commissioned and published, around 51.5% of participants had been gaming on their tablet within a two week duration, of which it represented 10.9% of the total incidents of use. Compare this to checking checking e-mails where number of participants and the number of incidents stood at 84.5% and 18.9% respectively.

Even more interestingly, the report discovered that gaming was apparently more popular than both media viewing and social networking.

The purpose of the report? “By better understanding current tablet activities and their context, these findings may serve as a basis for anyone designing and developing applications and sites for tablets”

So next time you see a big-name dev focussing their efforts on the iPad, just remember that they know what they’re doing.

Source: GIBiz

Boasting an “easy-to-pick-up-and play” style, Thumbstar seemingly wants to cater to the old-school arcade gamers. You know, the guy who racked up trillions of points on Galaga off a single quarter, and then proceeded to high score the entire list, before painting it with expletives. Or something.

Drag Tag Smash will be Thumbstar’s sixth published mobile gaming title this year and is lead by noted industry figures Martin and Gareth Edmondson. Needless to say, if you’ve ever wanted to go full on insane with an arcade romp or just kill some time on the way to work, Thumbstar’s efforts may be worth a look.

Plans for expansion haven’t halted there, however, as it’s been announced that Korean studio Doobic will be handling the PC and tablet versions of Devil’s Third.

CEO Satoshi Kanematsu stated in a recent press release:

We would also like to announce our decision to contract the development of the PC and tablet versions of Devil’s Third to Valhalla & Doobic Co., Ltd.

He also reaffirmed plans to expand the IP beyond games.

In addition to both home console and PC versions, Valhalla Game Studios plans to expand the Devil’s Third universe across a variety of digital devices and through various forms of entertainment.

Despite having no publisher, Devil’s Third is apparently close to end of it’s development cycle.

Source: GamesIndustryBiz

At a press event in California, Microsoft unveiled a new brand of tablet PCs, running on Windows 8 and it will be available just after the OS launches. The tablet is conceived, designed and engineered entirely by Microsoft employees and is created to seamlessly transition between consumption and creation, without compromise.

That’s what Microsoft says, obviously. Steve Ballmer CEO of the company came to demo the unit on stage, and revealed all the features and specifications as well. The tablet features an USB port along with a HDMI port, making it a very attractive device compared to Apple’s new iPad.

• Software takes center stage: Surface sports a full-sized USB port and a 16:9 aspect ratio – the industry standard for HD. It has edges angled at 22 degrees, a natural position for the PC at rest or in active use, letting the hardware fade into the background and the software stand out.

• VaporMg: The casing of Surface is created using a unique approach called VaporMg (pronounced Vapor-Mag), a combination of material selection and process to mold metal and deposit particles that creates a finish akin to a luxury watch. Starting with magnesium, parts can be molded as thin as .65 mm, thinner than the typical credit card, to create a product that is thin, light and rigid/strong.

• Integrated Kickstand: The unique VaporMg approach also enables a built-in kickstand that lets you transition Surface from active use to passive consumption – watching a movie or even using the HD front- or rear-facing video cameras. The kickstand is there when needed, and disappears when not in use, with no extra weight or thickness.

• Touch Cover: The 3 mm Touch Cover represents a step forward in human-computer interface. Using a unique pressure-sensitive technology, Touch Cover senses keystrokes as gestures, enabling you to touch type significantly faster than with an on-screen keyboard. It will be available in a selection of vibrant colors. Touch Cover clicks into Surface via a built-in magnetic connector, forming a natural spine like you find on a book, and works as a protective cover. You can also click in a 5 mm-thin Type Cover that adds moving keys for a more traditional typing feel.

You can find out more details over here. Meanwhile check out the screenshots and video below.

The Wikipad, as you can see in the image above, supports glasses free 3D. Yes, just like the Nintendo 3DS, and other glasses free 3D devices out there that use auto stereoscopic display.

It will be powered by Android 4.0, and features some decent specs. The screen size is 8-inches and it sports 1080p resolution. There are front and rear cameras, HDMI and USB 2.0 support. It contains 8 GB internal flash storage memory.

And yes, it is a mix of controller and a tablet. So there will be dedicated controls in the tablet itself.

There is no mention of price yet, but we will keep you updated.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

[Tomsguide]