Microsoft still 
isn’t talking about the successor to the Xbox 360, but that’s not stopping the grapevine from speculating about the new features it will offer.
The company received a patent late last year for a device that would serve as both a game console and a digital video recorder — and that has people wondering if the next Xbox will have an even bigger role in the living room.
Microsoft’s 
appearance at next month’s Consumer Electronics Show will be its last.
The tech giant has announced, via its corporate blog, that it will no longer host a booth or deliver the show’s annual keynote speech after 2012.
Microsoft 
is breaking up with the Consumer Electronics Show.
The tech giant has announced via a company blog that this year’s keynote and exhibit booth will be its last at the show – a notable departure, since the company’s keynote has long been the unofficial kickoff to CES.
Microsoft 
continues to roll out new entertainment offerings for the Xbox 360.
The second wave of content providers for the recent user interface revamp of Xbox Live has hit the console, bringing some familiar names. Starting today, U.S. users will be able to access content from ClearChannel’s streaming radio service iHeartRadio and Verizon FiOS customers will be able to access a limited selection of live channels.
Looking at recent 
rumors of the Xbox 360’s successor supposedly poised to surface soon, Gamasutra’s Chris Morris explains why neither consumers nor publishers should really want a next generation at this point.
New consoles are one of the favorite topics of the rumor mill – and over the past couple of weeks, the system has been grinding out a seemingly endless stream of speculation and anonymously tipped whispers about the next generation.
Microsoft, specifically, has been in the spotlight, with several reports saying the company plans to unveil the Xbox 720 (or Xbox Next or whichever clever naming scheme you prefer) as early as next year – and perhaps release it before the next holiday sales rush.
While Microsoft 
hasn’t uttered a peep about the next iteration of the Xbox, it’s one of the industry’s worst kept secrets that development is well underway. Now, a new rumor from a blog that has a decent track record when it comes to Microsoft information has a few new theories about what we can expect.
If MS Nerd is correct, the Xbox 720 (or Xbox Next, or whatever Microsoft decides to call it) is currently being developed under the codename “Loop” — and the machine may run on a modified version of Windows 9.
Microsoft is planning 
to launch a commercial program for Kinect early next year, giving businesses the tools to develop customized applications. The company talks to Gamasutra’s Chris Morris about Kinect’s move into the business world.
Having established a strong foothold in the home market, Kinect is ready to branch into the corporate world.
Microsoft plans to launch a commercial program for the peripheral early next year, giving businesses the tools to develop customized applications for their companies and industries. The pilot program already includes such familiar names as Toyota, book publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and design firm Razorfish.
Historically, gamers 
get new consoles every five or six years. Like cell phones, game systems have a planned obsolescence — and each subsequent generation offers eye-popping new features that reinvigorate sales.
But as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 start to get a bit long in the tooth, neither Microsoft nor Sony has uttered a word about their plans for new systems. And while Nintendo’s Wii U will hit stores next year, there’s a considerable amount of debate over whether that machine is truly “next gen.”
Gamasutra editor-at-large 
Chris Morris considers if Microsoft “might be making its move a little too late to corral the kiddie audience” with its recent unveiling of kid-friendly Kinect partnerships.
The introduction of the Kinect For Kids initiative certainly sounds wise, given the company’s push in that direction. After all, who can argue with creating family-friendly titles with some of the biggest names in family entertainment?
The problem is: When you look at Microsoft’s longer-term goals, things become a bit squishier.
Just days after 
announcing a slew of alliances with cable channels and services, Microsoft is adding Ultimate Fighting Championship events to its growing roster of non-gaming programming.
Starting Dec. 1, Xbox 360 users will be able to order pay-per-view events as well as access a library of live and on-demand content. The first pay-per-view will be the company’s UFC 140 event on Dec. 10.
Chris Morris: Journalist 