How about a pretty big rumor to start off your Monday?  Epic Games, the folks behind the very successful Gears of War trilogy, also license one of the most popular game engines that many other developers use.  The Unreal Engine 3 is the engine that powers many many games, such as the Bioshock series.  Unreal Engine 3, from its infancy, looked great and since than it has grown and developed pretty much as far as it will go.

The next phase for Epic is of course the Unreal Engine 4, and thanks to two anonymous emails, both within the same weekend, we are thinking this could be real.  Both sources are telling us that Epic plans on taking the lid off of UE4, along with possibly some game footage, at E3 this year.  Epic has already said that UE4 will only be used on next generation consoles and hardware, so the possibility of Microsoft announcing the next Xbox is starting to become more and more real.

I for one am crazy super excited to see what happens at E3 this year.

Thanks A and A!

Here is something interesting. An article about a New Zealand Apple reseller really brought us to attention. The GM of Youbee, the only Apple retailer for New Zeland was quoted about talking about his new store for Apple products and said:

‘There are going to be some significant products released this year from Apple. There’s iPad 3, the iPhone 5 and the Apple television, which everyone’s talking about.”

Oopsie. Apple really hates it when their retailers go around and discuss unreleased products, or even announced for that matter. Why does this small company know all these details when even Apple employees don’t know. It’s strange.

There is a high possibility this is insider information that is based on their partner status. Apple might soon comment on this, so stay tuned.

Xbox has grown far beyond anyone’s original idea. What started out as a video game console has broadened and brought TV and movies, as well as internet radio and social networking all onto our TVs in our living room. But wait Microsoft is at it again! Hit the break for more info.

(more…)

Well its about time!  SNK, creators of the infamous Neo Geo arcade system and console back in the 90′s, looks to be getting back into the hardware business.  While this is all based on a leak there is no denying it, they are back and they look to be bringing it.  The ”Neo-Geo Keitai” or “Neo-Geo Portable” as translated will have a 4.3 inch LCD screen, 2GB of onboard memory, and an SD card slot. There are twenty pre-loaded games, all of them old Neo-Geo classics.  Those games are:

World Heroes, Ultimate 11, Top Player’s Golf, Sengoku, Nam-1975, Mutation Nation, Last Resort, King of Monsters, Frenzy, Cyber-Lip, Fatal Furty Special, The Art of Fighting, Super Sidekicks, League Bowling, Metal Slug, Magical Lord, Baseball Stars Professional, Samurai Shodown, The King of Fighters ’94, and Fatal Fury.

That SD card is interesting though, as it could bring MANY possibilities to what this little device may one day do.  Nintendo, Sony, you now have competition.  Hit the break for  more pictures.

(more…)

You can still put the rumor tag on this one, as nothing of course is announced or leaked, but thanks to a job listing that we were tipped off to it looks like Microsoft may be looking to bring its Xbox Live services over to both the iOS and Android platforms.  Smart move in my opinion.  Here is a little snippet from the posting:

Working with PM and test team to define, design and implement Xbox LIVE mobile experiences on Windows Phone, iOS and other platforms

While its nice to see Windows Phone 7 slowly take off and grow, and it will be good for the entire mobile eco-system to be down to 3 major platforms assuming RIM kicks the bucket or gets bought at some point in 2012/2013, its also a smart move by MS to bring Xbox Live services over to the top two platforms of choice right now.

Thanks Sal!

Korean electronics manufacturer Pantech is set to launch a new tablet on the AT&T network early in 2012. While the details are vague,  it is believed to be the P4100 that went to the FCC for regulatory approval just a few months ago. A Korean website is saying  that it will be running Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, and will boast an 8 inch display and 4G LTE connectivity. If this new tablet is indeed the P4100, then we should see the 1024X720p display powered by a dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon CPU and come equipped with a MicroSD card slot, HDMI out and a rear camera.

There is nothing firm yet, and neither Pantech nor AT&T have made any official announcement, but that’s not unusual is it ?  There is a strong thought that the device will make it’s grand entrance at CES 2012 in Las Vegas, in just a week’s time. We’ll be there, so we will bring you first hand updates on this new tablet as they become available.

Via TeamPhones.com

This one is hot off the press, and it comes straight from the Wall Street Journal.  According to people familiar with the matter it would appear that Microsoft and Nokia talked about a joint venture to buy Research in Motion (RIMM).  While they do not know the current status of these talks the fact remains that if they even took place is huge.  RIM as we all know has been taking a beating as of late, with a declining stock over the course of 2011 and very underwhelming device’s.  Even their BlackBerry 10 devices, now looking to launch in late 2012/2013, will already be under powered compared to their Android and iPhone counterparts.

Keep throwing salt over your shoulder for this rumor, but we are starting to get more and more news regarding the next Xbox console and its release time frame.  CNet has learned that General Manager of Entertainment Design, Don Coyner, has not left Microsoft but is “no longer leading the design and experience group for Xbox.”  Emma Williams, who helped guide the just-launched redesign of the Xbox Live interface, will be his replacement according to two sources inside MS.  Another source had confirmed that the successor to the Xbox 360 is due to release in 2013, with an official announcement sometime in 2012.

Verizon Wireless is highly considering a bid on Netflix. An investment banker has told us that a sale should result by about Easter for around 4.6 Billion.

(more…)

When it comes to Apple products there is never a shortage of rumors and controversy.  One thing can always be certain though, Apple products always get upgrades and the iPad is not an exception.  Digitimes is reporting, based on some very good sources, that the next generation iPad will be launching in the 3 or 4 month timeframe.   This could very well be a solid tip, as past iPads launched in the February to March timeframe.  Time will tell, and while always a rumor until Apple says something, we have to believe a new iPad is due very soon.