According to a contract unsealed earlier this week as part of the ongoing court battle between Activision and former Infinity Ward employees, a new IP code-named ‘Destiny’ is slotted to see light in 2013.

Little is known about Destiny except for that it’s a series of “sci-fantasy, action shooter games” that will initially release exclusively on the successor to Microsoft’s Xbox 360, referred to as the “Xbox 720” within the contract.

If you’d like to see the full story or even review the entire unsealed contract, visit the Los Angeles Times.

Recently Microsoft announced a 4GB Xbox 360 console with Kinect bundle for $99—a shockingly low price that’s sure to turn some heads. But, is it a good deal?

On the surface, a $99 price tag seems too good to be true. I mean really… a console with Kinect for $99? That’s less expensive than a PS3, Wii or even any handheld device out there.  Count me in!

But, as you know—if something sounds too good to be true it usually is—and that’s the case here if you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.

If you’re a smart consumer who pays attention to things, you’ve probably already noticed the asterisk (*) next to the $99 price. This indicates something. In this case it indicates a required 2 year contract to Xbox Live Gold at $15/month. Ouch.

So let’s do the math:

A new 4GB Xbox 360 with Kinect bundle costs about $300. Add 2 years ($50/year) of XBL Gold and you’re up to $400.

With this new bundle you start with a $100 for the console and then add $15 each month for 2 years (24 months). That gives you a grand total of $460.

Honestly, it’s not a bad deal as long as you realize what the total cost ends up being after your contract is up. Knowing that, what do you think? Do you find that a $99 + $15/month subscription model is easier to swallow than $300 + $50 + $50?

Let me know what you think via Twitter.

Recent rumors have all but confirmed that the next Xbox console will not utilize optical media discs such as DVD or Blu-ray. This news has sparked a controversial (albeit probably unnecessary) discussion about retail stores, internet infrastructure, piracy, data caps, cost, consumer need and just about everything else you can think of.

See the article in MCV for full details.

The way I see it, a switch from disc-based media is nothing but a win for gamers.

DVD and Blu-ray drives are sluggish, big, heavy, hot and power hungry with noisy moving parts that will ultimately fail (here’s looking at you Xbox 360 #3, #5 and PS3 #1!). With much better memory alternatives available today, getting off the couch to load a disc tray seems a bit archaic.

Plus, who actually likes discs? Discs suck. They’ve pretty much always sucked. They scratch, chip, break, get stuck in the drive and don’t even fare well as Frisbee substitutes. In addition, a dual layer Blu-ray disc only has a 50GB capacity—not enough space for the complex, graphic-intensive games of the future. Last year’s L.A. Noire filled 3 discs on Xbox 360 and an entire 25GB Blu-ray disc on PS3.

But don’t feel bad for discs. After all, they have been the industry standard since Nintendo made the switch from cartridges back in 2001 with the GameCube. I’d say discs have had a good run, so they won’t be missed by me. Bring on the solid state memory!

What do you think?

It may be old news by now, but there will be no next generation Xbox or PlayStation unveiled at this year’s E3. I have hesitated to talk about this because by tomorrow we’ll likely hear more news that contradicts what we know today—but for now, that’s the story coming from Microsoft and Sony representatives.

Rumors up until a couple days ago have been pretty clear that both new consoles would make some sort of appearance at E3—not as clear, perhaps, as what was said by Microsoft France’s marketing director, Cedrick Delmax to Le Point.fr.

"We're in an industry that talks a lot, that likes to tell stories. I am not convinced things will happen this year.”

"Xbox 360′s cycle is not at all finished. The proof is that we don't see the logic in cutting the price this year. E3 is still premature. What's certain is that there'll be nothing new in 2012."

That last part is pretty clear.

In an interview on the same site, Playstation France’s CEO, Philippe Cardone also made it clear that Sony wouldn't be rushing its next generation console release.

"Wii is pressed for time because it's in decline. In our case, we have a lot less pressure. We were the last to release PS3, and we will probably be the last to announce something."

According to recent rumors and Inside Mobile Apps, Microsoft has plans to discontinue their virtual currency system, Microsoft Points, by the end of this year.

This is good news, as MS Points have been a source of disgust for many gamers since they were introduced alongside the XBL Marketplace in 2005. Besides the deceptive Points to real-world currency ratio and the perpetual need to buy more Points than necessary for a purchase (damn you leftover points!), the system is dated and out of line with current standards.

Microsoft isn’t talking, of course, but reports suggest a cash-based system in line with PSN, Apple and Android marketplaces will replace the existing system. This change will not only affect Xbox Live, but the Zune Marketplace and Windows Phone Marketplace as well.

Let’s cross our fingers that this rumor turns out to be true.

A dispute over pay and working conditions resulted in about 300 workers climbing to the roof of one of the buildings at Foxconn Technology Park in China early last week. The incident began when employees asked their bosses for a raise but were denied. Employees were told either to quit with compensation or to keep their jobs with no additional payment. Many employees took the former, but the company decided to terminate the agreement anyway and not pay the promised compensation. The workers protested the action by threatening to jump to their deaths.

The standoff eventually came to an end when the mayor of Wuhan showed up and literally talked the former employees off the ledge.

These particular employees were responsible for manufacturing parts for Xbox 360 consoles and production had actually come to a halt for several hours during the protest.

Microsoft had this to say:

"Microsoft takes working conditions in the factories that manufacture its products very seriously, and we are currently investigating this issue," a spokesperson told the Huffington Post UK.

"We have a stringent Vendor Code of Conduct that spells out our expectations, and we monitor working conditions closely on an ongoing basis and address issues as they emerge.

"Microsoft is committed to the fair treatment and safety of workers employed by our vendors, and to ensuring conformance with Microsoft policy."

Foxconn factories in China were already under examination because of several suicides by employees in the past five years—actually forcing the company to install anti-suicide nets at some of their facilities. In addition to Xbox 360 components, Foxconn also manufactures products for Apple, Sony, Nintendo and many other Fortune 500 companies.

People are constantly asking me if we ever plan on making a gaming product for PC gamers. Truth is we already do. Some people don’t know this, but you can use your current Xbox 360 controller for many PC games. Of course, you might not want to use a controller for everything on the PC, but you’ll definitely want it for games like Super Meat Boy, FIFA, Batman: Arkham City, Assassin’s Creed and any game featuring cars or racing like GTA or Need for Speed.

Setup for using your Xbox 360 controller on a Windows based PC is easy:

Wired Xbox 360 Controller: The same controller can be used for both Xbox 360 and PC. Just plug it in to an open USB port on your PC—Windows takes care of the rest.

Wireless Xbox 360 Controller: You don’t need to purchase a separate wireless controller for use on your PC. All you need to do is purchase the Microsoft Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows. Other third-party versions are also available—but you may as well stick with OEM gear in this case. Once you have the receiver, you just plug it in to an open USB port and sync your wireless controller by pushing the button on the receiver and then the sync button on your controller.