The latest in Microsoft's string of exclusive/limited-edition Xbox 360 bundles is one for Forza fans. It includes a standard Xbox 360 250 GB console with a standard wireless controller, which lacks Kinect, but includes a wireless racing wheel (Microsoft Xbox 360 Wireless Speed Wheel), and of course, a copy of Forza Motorsport 4. The bundle is priced at US $299, which is just a $50 premium over the standard Xbox 360 250 GB.

Microsoft's legal battle with Motorola has taken another large step towards a console ban, but the company could still narrowly avoid that fate. Judge David Shaw recommended to the International Trade Commission (ITC) that Microsoft be given a cease-and-desist order on sales of the Xbox 360 slim model in the US. He also recommended ceasing Chinese imports of the systems, and a payment of 7% of the value of unsold systems in stores. Courthouse News Service (via Develop) reports that the ITC can now choose to let that determination stand, in which case it becomes the official stance of the ITC. Alternately, the commission could amend some terms, or send it back for a rewrite. If it does adopt Shaw's recommendation, President Barack Obama will have 60 days to review the decision, after which it would have to be appealed to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. This follows a one-two punch against Microsoft in this case, after Motorola won its patent ruling, and was subsequently hit with a German sales injunction -- which won't go into effect until the US case is settled. Motorola claims a technology used across several Microsoft devices, but Microsoft alleges that Motorola demanded an unreasonable licensing fee for the patents.

Microsoft has argued that banning consoles would not serve the public interest, but Shaw claimed that enforcing property rights takes precedence. Though Microsoft could still potentially appeal, the threat of a ban is more real now. Either way, this likely isn't something Microsoft wants hanging over its head as we approach E3.

Microsoft Corp. today announced the return of its successful student offer that allows students buying a qualifying Windows 7-based PC to also get a free Xbox 360 4GB console. The offer is available for current students while supplies last, starting May 20 at participating retailers in the U.S.; a similar offer will be available starting May 18 at participating retailers in Canada. Terms and conditions will vary by participating retailer.

Together, a Windows 7-based PC and an Xbox 360 console provide students the functionality they need for school while also helping them stay connected to friends and family far away. To take advantage of this offer, students or their parents must provide valid student identification as defined by the participating retailer. Participating retailers may change over the course of the promotion, but will include Best Buy, Fry's Electronics, Dell.com, HPDirect.com, Microsoft Stores and NewEgg.com in the U.S., and Best Buy, Dell.ca, Future Shop, Staples and The Source in Canada.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 doesn't need a brand new game engine to improve the graphics over previous games in the series, Treyarch has insisted. Black Ops 2 is built using the latest, most advanced version of the engine that Call of Duty developers have used to build the first-person shooter series since 2005's Call of Duty 2: a heavily modified version of the id Tech 3 engine. Some fans have called on Activision to invest in a brand new graphics engine in order to spruce up Call of Duty's visuals. But Treyarch chief Mark Lamia said continuing to upgrade the current engine was enough to meet the development team's design goals. "People always ask me, 'Is this a new engine?' he told One of Swords. "I liken it to people who live in an older house that has been remodelled. Just because you're remodelling the house and it will look new or it will have a new kitchen, you don't tear out the foundation, or break out some of the framing. You might even go as hardcore as replacing the plumbing, and we will do that sort of thing, as an analogy. It's a gross simplification, but it's one way to say that. There's a lot of good still in that foundation that you wouldn't get rid of, and we don't. We look to advance in the areas that support our game design.

"Engines, each time they get touched, they change. The creators alter them; they don't modify what they don't need to, and then they alter what they need to. You can't make a competitive product if you're not upgrading that engine along the way." He added: "I think the whole thing about a new engine... sometimes that's a great buzzword. Well, I have a new graphics engine - is that a new engine? Where does it start and stop? Elements of the code, you can trace back for a very, very long time... but whole parts of the code are entirely new. Two areas we did focus on for this game were the graphics and the lighting - a pretty significant amount of work is going into that."When Activision announced Black Ops 2 earlier this month it promised a "visual overhaul", with graphical upgrades a mix of "tech and technique". In a demo to press played on an Xbox 360 build of the game, an unpopulated level set on Socotra Island in Yemen showed HDR lighting, bounce lighting, self-shadowing and a new texture technique called reveal mapping - all running at 60 frames per second.

An Xbox 360 with Kinect bundle for the price of a new PlayStation 2 is simply too good to be true, but it's real, at least partially. Microsoft is adopting a new sales model for its Xbox 360 which will let customers pay just US $99 for the console (Xbox 360 4GB with Kinect), but put them on a 2 year subscription plan that costs $15 a month. The subscription would give customers Xbox Live Gold membership, and some additional streaming content from cable or sports package providers. On top of this, customers will also get a 2 year warranty cover for the console and its accessories.

With this bundle, Xbox is looking to compete with the likes of Apple TV and Roku. Why them? Because according to Microsoft, Xbox 360 is used more for content consumption than gaming. Just like with contract-bound cellphones, there is a fee for early opt-out of the subscription's 2 year period. Let's punch some numbers: Microsoft is giving you an otherwise $299 product for $99, with $15 per month over 2 years (that's $360 worth subscription). At the end of two years, you end up spending $459. In comparison, with the $299 bundle and the cheapest Xbox Live Gold option, you would be spending $420 by the end of two years. So while there is a small catch, you get to take home a nice game console with Kinect for cheap. Choose with your wallets.

Earlier this morning, Mannheim Regional Court in Germany granted Motorola a sales injunction against Microsoft's Xbox 360, Windows 7, Internet Explorer, and Windows Media Player. It's no more a question of "if", but "when" the judgement will be enforced. When that happens, Motorola can insist on pulling those products off the German market. Motorola holds two technology patents this case is built around: EP0538667 and EP0615384, which are key to getting the H.264 video compression format to work. Motorola is obliged to license these patents to other under "fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory" (FRAND) terms, however, it demanded royalties from Microsoft that would amount to an excess of US $4 billion annually. Microsoft did not accept Motorola's terms, and knocked the doors of regulators claiming Motorola was being unfair and unreasonable with its patents. A case of patent infringement by Motorola is pending against Microsoft, but it is held up as authorities in the US are yet to ascertain Microsoft's allegations (of Motorola being anti-competitive).

To celebrate the 2012 Summer Olympics hosted by London, Microsoft came up with a new limited edition variant of its Xbox 360 Kinect game console, which dons the Union Jack. Officially, it is called the Xbox 360 Special Edition 4 GB Kinect Celebration Pack. The pack includes an Xbox 360 4 GB console, a Kinect sensor, a wireless controller, and two games: Kinect Adventures and Kinect Sports. It also includes a 3-month subscription of Xbox Live Gold. The bundle will be priced at £249.99 (US $405.8).

Majesco Entertainment Company, publisher of the wildly successful Zumba Fitness video game franchise, today revealed plans to release NBA Baller Beats, a fun, high energy and first-of-its kind participative basketball video game launching this fall exclusively on Kinect for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft. Developed by HB Studios, NBA Baller Beats gets players on their feet mastering mad ball handling skills using a real basketball while playing to the beat of an eclectic soundtrack. The Kinect motion sensor captures every movement of both player and ball to create an entirely new basketball gaming experience.

EA Crytek's blockbuster title for spring 2013, Crysis 3, promises to be equally visually intense for DirectX 11 PCs and consoles, not because the PC version will be running, strictly speaking, a "console-port", but that the console version will be running a "PC-port". Crytek is developing ways in which visual effects possible with DirectX 11 PC graphics hardware can be reproduced on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, by making the console hardware work in a way it's normally incapable of. This could be coming up with custom code for each new kind of visual effect.

A new trailer of Batman: Arkham City GOTY Edition revealed a new DLC in the works, dubbed "Harley Quinn's Revenge". Slated for May 29, the GOTY (game of the year) Edition package will feature the previously released Catwoman, Nightwing and Robin DLC, as well as the Skin and Challenge map packs, and what the trailer calls "final chapter, Harley Quinn's Revenge." Find its Christian Audigier-esque logo below. Unfortunately, the May 29 release only targets Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3; and the UK edition won't arrive until September 7. Does it take that long to cross the big pond?The GOTY Edition trailer follows.

David Kotkin, the founder of N-Control, the company that manufactures and markets the Avenger Controller, an adapter for the PS3 and Xbox 360, today announced the launch of the Avenger Elite. The company's new product is expected to be popular with gamers worldwide. The Avenger Elite is expected to be released at the end of this month.

Earlier models of the Avenger Controller were well received by gamers and reviewers for gaming publications. The AE remains fully legal for professional gaming competition, as well giving amateur gamers the chance to "up their game." According to Kotkin, "The Avenger Elite adapter may look a lot like previous versions of the Avenger but it represents a major leap forward for what was already a very advanced product. Using extraordinary new alloys and metals made in America specifically for the Elite, the new Avenger also makes use of medical grade nano technology and a new military grade precision hair trigger kit."

Capcom unveiled the third installment to the Lost Planet third-person shooter franchise. Lost Planet 3 is technically a prequel to the other two games, which sees the protagonist Jim arrive on the planet Edn III to explore T-ENG (thermal energy), an elusive energy resource, with hopes that it would get him some cash for his family back home. Lost Planet 3 is a return to the extreme environments found in the first installment. Capcom posted a cinematic trailer, and several in-game screenshots.Details of the game, and the cinematic trailer follow.

Sources associated with the manufacture and distribution of Nintendo products gave ForgetTheBox their estimates of the "Bill of Materials" of its upcoming Wii U game console, including that of its swanky-looking controller. The Bill of Materials of the entire package is estimated to be around US $180, despite its interactive screen, the controller's Bill of Materials is no more than US $50. Taking these figures into account the street price of Wii U is estimated by the source, is "no less than $300."

The same sources told ForgetTheBox, "Cutting production costs to maximize profits is Nintendo's main concern with the Wii U. They are cutting costs in the Wii U's hardware to build back confidence in investors. Nintendo wants investors to view Wii U as a less risky proposition." They went on to mention interesting tidbits such as "The cameras in the Wii U controller are an estimated manufacturing cost of $6. They are slightly better quality than the 3DS and DSi cameras. The touch screen has a manufacturing cost estimated at $14."

Although Nintendo's next-generation WiiU game console can drive 1080p graphics, developers familiar with its hardware specifications say its hardware is not even as powerful as that of current-generation Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. "No, it's not up to the same level as the PS3 or the 360," one of the developers who spoke with GamesIndustry Internation said "The graphics are just not as powerful," they reiterated. Another developer, working for another company backed this view. "Yeah, that's true. It doesn't produce graphics as well as the PS3 or the 360," said the source. This should let us in on Nintendo's focus with the WiiU: gameplay mechanics over visual details.

Microsoft rolled out the Chrome Series special edition Xbox 360 controllers. As the name suggests, these controllers have a chrome finish. The top-side has a metallic/chrome surface, in three color options: red, blue, and silver, while the D-pad has a silver chrome finish on all three variants. Slated for mid-May, these controllers are each priced at US $54.99, availability may be limited, and specific to select markets.

According to Microsoft, gaming is not what Xbox 360 game consoles are being used for, now-a-days. People's primary usage patterns have shifted more towards listening to music, and watching TV through their Xbox 360 consoles. Gaming on it, comes next. "What we're seeing is that people are turning on the Xbox to play games and then keeping it on afterwards to get other types of entertainment," Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi told the LA Times.

We finally have a concrete release date for BioShock Infinite. Irrational Games has announced that BioShock Infinite will be released on October 16, 2012. "After BioShock, we had a vision for a follow up that dwarfed the original in scope and ambition," said Ken Levine. ""ioShock Infinite has been our sole focus for the last four years, and we can't wait for fans to get their hands on it."

BioShock Infinite will be available on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Windows PC with an international release of October 19, 2012.

More and more publishers seem to be seeing Steamworks as the best viable DRM on the market and 2K Games is no exception. All PC editions of Borderlands 2 will use Valve's Steamworks suite as their DRM. Steamworks supports snazzy features beyond simple copy protection, Gearbox's shooter-RPG will also use it for multiplayer matchmaking, Steam Cloud storage, achievements, auto-updating, downloadable content, "and more." How Steamworks... works is that if you buy a boxed edition of Borderlands 2, you'll need to register the game with a Steam account, and launch it through Steam. The box will still contain a disc to install the game from, but you'll have the option to download it directly through Steam whenever you please. Digital distributors other than Steam will simply sell you a product key to activate on Steam. Steamworks was to be expected, really, as 2K Games has used it for PC editions of games it's published since Mafia II in 2010. It briefly dabbled in Games for Windows Live before then but, thankfully, that was a short-lived experiment.

Borderlands 2 is coming to PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on September 18. As ever, a selection of shiny things are on offer as pre-order bonuses.

When the Kinect for Microsoft Xbox 360 launched in 2010 the world was so captivated by this exciting new way to play video games via motion control that it became the Guinness World Record holder for fastest-selling consumer electronic product. With over 18 million sold to date, that's great news for Microsoft, but questions of in-home security and privacy have continued to plague the platform ever since. Now Catalyst Components has launched the Pritect Sensor Cover, the first and only product designed to address these security issues surrounding the Xbox 360 Kinect and Kinect for Windows.

Paul Harper, Pritect's inventor and the President of Catalyst Components, comments: "For the first time ever, we have invited into our living rooms a technology which can not only capture video and sound data, but can also identify specific individuals using advanced biometrics, or 3-d facial recognition. The Kinect can see everything when powered on and for most users, has a direct connection to the internet. It's like a giant window into your home, but you can never know who might be looking in. With Pritect, you can now close the blinds."

Microsoft started shipping a special-edition white Xbox 360 4 GB Kinect, which is a return to the console's original colors, but on its new chassis design. The bundle includes a white colored Kinect, and white colored controllers that aren't completely lifted from the classic Xbox 360 design (the back side is white instead of gray). The bundle also includes copies of Kinect Adventures and Kinect Sports, and a 3-month subscription to Xbox Live Gold. The bundle is priced at US $299.99.

Sony has begun working on its next-generation gaming console under the Playstation brand, and Forbes learned that it's none other than AMD designing its graphics processing unit (GPU). AMD is far from new to the game console GPU business, as its GPUs already drive graphics processing in Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii consoles. If launched anytime soon, the next-gen Playstation will create a rare moment where GPUs of all three major game console makers would be AMD-made. The current Playstation 3 console uses an NVIDIA GPU.

2K Games and Gearbox Software announced today that Borderlands 2, the sequel to the multi-million unit selling breakout hit, Borderlands, will be available on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system and Windows-based PC in North America on September 18, 2012 and internationally on September 21, 2012. Currently in development by Gearbox Software, Borderlands 2 is the sequel to the critically acclaimed four-player cooperative shooter-looter that combined intense first-person mayhem with role-playing gameplay. In addition, fans who pre-order the title from participating retailers will receive access to the Borderlands 2 Premiere Club, including rewarding in-game items and bonuses.

Award-winning developer BioWare, a label of Electronic Arts Inc. along with Razer, the world leader in high performance gaming hardware, reveal today peripherals and gear created for the highly anticipated Action RPG Mass Effect 3.

Fans of the Mass Effect series can arm themselves for the all-out galactic war with the Razer Mass Effect 3 Edition peripheral line which includes a Razer Imperator gaming mouse, Razer Vespula dual-sided gaming mouse mat, Razer BlackWidow Ultimate gaming keyboard, Razer Onza Tournament Edition Xbox 360 controller, and Razer Chimaera Xbox 360 gaming headset. The cutting-edge peripherals will give fans of the series a competitive advantage in the epic battle to save the galaxy from the ancient alien race known only as the Reapers.

Turtle Beach, pioneers of the game audio category, announced today that based on year-ending NPD data for 2011, Turtle Beach was the number one gaming headsets/headphones company with 50% of the market for the year and the number one third party console video gaming accessories company, based on 2011 dollar volume.

The strong growth for the category has led NPD to create a dedicated Headsets category, splitting off from the general Audio category. Headsets continue to be the strongest growing segment in the gaming industry and is expanding rapidly. Turtle Beach led the field with 12 of the top 25 Gaming Headset SKUS in 2011. Overall, Turtle Beach dominated the market, taking an average of 50% market share for 2011, with a 58% share in December alone, a high for the year.

Microsoft is ready with a new limited edition Xbox 360 Kinect system bundle for all you Star Wars fans out there. The bundle includes a copy of Star Wars Kinect, which lets you take advantage of Kinect to slash your lightsaber away. The hardware itself is themed around two of the most lovable characters of the franchise, the console is R2-D2 themed, and the main controller C-3P0. The Kinect module is white colored. The system packs 320 GB of local storage. The special bundle is listed on Amazon for US $449, and is up for pre-orders. It will start shipping on April 3.