With over 70 million consoles sold since it was unveiled in May, 2005, the Xbox 360 is one of the most popular game consoles ever created. Many of the fans of the Microsoft gaming device are diehards which is why anticipation of the successor, the Xbox 720, has been building up for years. Rumors, both good and bad, have been circulating for some time, but as the anticipated launch is right around the corner, some of them are starting to become more clear. Here’s a roundup of the five persistent rumors that seem to hold the most credibility. 1. Xbox Live Microsoft’s online multiplayer and digital distribution…

With any payment plan, you will likely pay more than you would if you bought the product up front. That’s the case with the latest offer from Xbox, but don’t expect people to shy away from the deal that includes a $99 Xbox 360 bundle with Kinect. To get the deal, one will need to sign a 2-year agreement for Xbox Live at $14.99 a month. This makes the total package come to $459 spread out over 3 years. By contrast, if someone paid $299 for the standalone Xbox 360 + Kinect and prepaid for 2 years of Xbox live for $120, they would spend $419. There are bargains available on both the bundle (we found one for $259) and…

For some time now, serious digital gaming on the PC has been dominated by one brand alone: Steam. And so it should be. No-one else has offered a more straightforward, integrated, transparent approach to gaming. Steam has made PC gaming infinitely better, and it’s conceivable that without Valve’s efforts, gaming with a keyboard and mouse would be in far worse shape today. But Microsoft, never content to back down from a challenge, are fighting back with their new iteration of Games for Windows Live. Games for Windows Live – or GWFL as it’s known – was always an attempt to mimic the kind of success of…

The success of the iPod touch and iPhone as a gaming platform was a bit of a shock to everyone, even Apple. But now everyone sees the potential, the race is on to see whether it will be Sony or Microsoft that brings their console success to a phone first. Engadget posted a story last week about a Sony Ericsson phone rumored to run Android 3 as a platform for mobile gaming. This week Microsoft is talking about Xbox Live and Windows Phone 7, with titles including Castlevania, Halo: Waypoint, Star Wars, Crackdown, and Guitar Hero. An impressive lineup for sure. There will be over 60 titles available at launch,…

For as long as the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 have been on the market together, debate has raged over which online service, Xbox Live or the Playstation Network, is better value for gamers. Although many people argue that Xbox Live Gold’s service is a superior offering, many others feel that its advantages are offset by the fact that it usually costs about $50/year, while Sony’s PSN is free. Well now, fanboy arguments are going to get unusually complex and nuanced, as Sony are set to launch Playstation Plus, a so-called ‘premium service’ that will exist atop the existing Playstation Network and…