Veteran journalist 
Chris Morris tackles six reasons why the next-gen systems won’t kill used gaming
There’s a lot of talk making the rounds these days about used games and the next generation.
The popular theory is the next Xbox or PlayStation 4/”Orbis” might altogether block people from playing previously owned games – something that has the core gamer base feeling a bit backstabbed. But the shock of seeing these reports seems to be causing those same people to lose perspective.
The 
war on terror has taken an odd — and kind of fun — turn.
The U.S. government has hired a white hat hacker collective to dig through used video game systems in an effort to track down bad guys.
As the 
industry devours any scraps of gossip about the next Xbox or PlayStation, Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris wonders if Microsoft and Sony are paying enough attention to Apple’s threat to the living room.
As the next generation of console systems looms, and the industry devours any scraps of gossip about the next Xbox or PlayStation, I’m starting to wonder if Microsoft and Sony are paying enough attention to Apple – and the threat it presents to their living room dominance.
While Steve Jobs never had a big interest in the gaming world, the app store quickly made the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch portable gaming powerhouses – albeit using a vastly different model than Nintendo and Sony. These days, Tim Cook is running the show – and he’s not an executive who’s going to ignore a $60 billion-plus industry.
Veteran 
journalist Chris Morris explains what a no-show for the next Xbox at E3 means
With Microsoft’s announcement that it has no plans to even mention its next generation console system at this year’s E3, the annual video game trade show has gotten a bit less interesting.
It is, in some ways, a confusing decision. While no one expected the next Xbox to come out this year, publishers traditionally begin beating the drum for new systems about 18 months out – and there’s no indication Microsoft has pushed the system to 2014. Also, with the company talking to developers now, the specs for the device have leaked out faster than water through a colander.
If Microsoft 
was looking to ratchet up the stakes in its ongoing battle with Sony, it sure managed to do so with Tuesday’s hiring of Phil Harrison.
In addition to filling the Redmond-based company’s quota of tall, bald game industry superstars, Harrison brings an insight into how things work at Sony that Microsoft has had to guess at for years. And, after being out of the spotlight for the past few years, he’s likely coming in hungry to make his mark.
One 
of the biggest names in Microsoft’s stable of developers is leaving the company.
Peter Molyneux, the creator of games like Fable, Populus, Theme Park, and Black & White, has announced plans to leave both Microsoft (where he serves as creative director) and his own Lionhead Studios once development is complete on his latest title, Fable: The Journey.
Activision 
has lured a long-term senior Microsoft executive away from Redmond to become its new chief financial officer.
Dennis Durkin, a former corporate vice president and chief operating and financial officer at Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, has joined the developer of “Call of Duty” and “World of Warcraft” — leaving Microsoft after a 12-year stint.
Microsoft’s 
Kinect technology has taken on a life of its own since its introduction 14 months ago. What started out as an amusing new way to play games is now being utilized by doctors and carmakers.
And now, theme park designers.
A group 
of Chinese workers that make the Xbox 360 are unhappy with their jobs. Really unhappy.
Roughly 150 employees of a Foxconn Technology plant in Wuhan, China threatened mass suicide earlier this month in protest of job transfers. No workers followed through with the threat, though 45 did ultimately decide to quit, reports The New York Times.
When Microsoft 
announced plans to stop giving the keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show, the company implied the reason was because it didn’t have a lot to say. And it certainly backed that up Monday night.
At times entertaining, at times baffling and at times a bit dry, Microsoft’s final appearance at CES was more notable because of the finality attached to it than what was said on stage.
Chris Morris: Journalist 