With the Xbox One not cross-platform able or backwards-compatible with Xbox 360 physical or digital games, (though achievements, avatars and general Xbox LIVE profiles will be) many have expressed their discern for the lack of support online, though Don Mattrick has said “if you’re backwards compatible, you’re really backwards.” Later stating that only 5 percent of players play previous-generation titles on new hardware, it’s unsure if this was an on-the-spot assumed statistic or one based on a survey; social media reaction would have us believe that this is certainly something that people want.

Unfortunately, the reality is that for both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, emulating the previous-gen consoles on the system has proven rather difficult considering how entirely different the systems are.

(Source: WallStreetJournal)

However, whereas this had been confirmed as true by various reputable publications, Xbox are now being vague regarding the Xbox One’s stance on second-hand games, something which is regarded by many (including myself) as a make-or-break point for the console. I asked the Xbox support team via Twitter on the matter and this was their response:

As this is apparently the exact same default response the company have been giving to publications looking for clarification, after responding that the reply was rather vague and evaded the question whether second-hand games held restrictions, the support again responded:
The vagueness is somewhat irritating as many gamer’s view on the console completely depends on what its stance will be. Though the same support account has clarified to people that there will be no fee for friends that borrow your game, it’s not particularly certain if there will be any fee or restrictions for purchasing second-hand games.

There have been suggestions that whereas the Xbox One doesn’t care how you obtained the game, there may still be a need to pay for the license for the game. The editor of the Official Xbox Magazine claims that purchasing and installing a second-hand game would uninstall it from the previous owner’s account; this would make sense as otherwise the original owner and the new one would both keep the game installed on their console (as all Xbox One games are installed to the hard drive), making it more-or-less the same as the system is currently. But would this also mean if a friend borrows your game that it gets uninstalled on your system?

Again, it’s all just too vague and it’s too big of an issue for Microsoft to wait months to address. It’s an issue they’d best address before E3 because if they don’t many of us won’t even be interested in their E3 conference.

Seemingly created by a little-known indie developer (going by the name SkyBreaker, or as simply Hadyn), MUBIC is both minimalistic and complex at the same time. It take a truly open mind to appreciate exactly what this game entails and although it’s not for everyone and involves a lot of fiddling about and perhaps some mild frustration, it truly is a game worth your time.

Created in about 14 hours using Unity 4 Pro, MUBIC is a minimalistic experimental game that consists entirely of ‘a musical experience with a cube’. Using only the mouse’s left button, part of the experience of the game is apparently to investigate for yourself what your aim is. If you don’t mind that being spoiled for you, then this game is as simple as any typical memory pattern game yet somehow also more difficult; with the cube not appearing transparent, you are given audio cues as well as visual cues as to which side of the cube needs to be clicked on next, requiring you to memorise where each tone is on the cube as well as the pattern.

Picture an aesthetically pleasing Simon game where the buttons aren’t easily visible to you and you more-or-less have this game. It’s an interesting and pretty experience, though admittedly it requires a great deal of time, focus and probably some basic ability to identify pitches and melodies. It’s both an auditory and visuo spatial memory game, making it a true example of how to make a complex yet minimalistic game. In that sense, it’s quite genius, really.

Download this 35.3 MB game or play it online here.

The Next Xbox
The Next Xbox’s title is integral to its brand, so getting it spot-on is incredibly important. For years now, the name ‘Xbox 720′ has been the default-name when discussing the future console, and more recently both ‘Xbox Fusion’ and ‘Xbox Infinity’ have been making their rounds around the internet as the rumoured title for the next console. Unless Microsoft can come up with something catchier, going with a name that people already relate to the upcoming console (such as simply Xbox 720) may be a wise option.

Of course, there’s also the very recent rumour that the next Xbox will simply be titled ‘Xbox’; although it could be confusing as it would hold the same title as the original Xbox, it would be a sensibly bold move that signifies a completely new era for the Xbox brand instead of just being the 360′s successor.

Features
The next Xbox is largely expected to be multi-media, making it the go-to console for multiple entertainment functions. Though we can’t be sure that’s what’s happening, it’s certainly the route that fans, analysts and myself think Microsoft will take; giving easy access and a lot of focus to music, films and files as well as games will set it apart from the almost-strictly game focused PlayStation 4, meaning the decision of which to purchase between the two consoles will depend on what it is that you want from your console. Backwards compatibility will likely not be an option as emulation of current-gen consoles on next-gen systems is proving difficult.

With Microsoft seemingly wanting to run their own services nowadays, I’d fully expect both fully integrated Skype capabilities and dedicated movie/music streaming services — heck, there’s even a rumoured live TV streaming service. Anticipate a complete re-design of the current Dashboard UI. A strong indie game presence is also generally viewed as a necessity for next-generation consoles, so Microsoft would do wise to make  sure that developing games will be simple for independent developers.

Negatives
Controversial subjects such as always-online, blocking the ability to play second-hand games and DRM issues means that Microsoft would be foolish to include any form of these with the next Xbox. Including these features would a complete PR disaster, so despite the rumours you may hear, don’t expect these negative features to come with the next Xbox. Unless Microsoft really have lost touch with the gaming audience, then y’know, totally expect it.

Hardware and Look
Having observed the reaction to Sony’s PlayStation 4 conference, we can almost definitely expect to see the console itself revealed; whilst the look of the console is not the most important aspect, gamers were bitterly disappointed that Sony failed to show even a prototype of their gaming console. Design is becoming increasingly important, so a slick and sexy-looking console is vital to pull in the tech and design geeks.

The next Xbox needs to be able to compare to the PlayStation 4 hardware-wise, though it’s equally important that it retains its easy-to-develop-for, PC-like structure. Rumours suggest a Blu-Ray drive (almost a given that it will upgrade to this), an eight-core AMD CPU that runs at 1.6Ghz with an in-built hard drive and 8GB of DDR3 RAM.

Kinect and Controller
The controller for the Xbox 360 is generally considered to be spot-on, so don’t expect any monumental changes here unless there’s some unexpected new features on the console. At best, we’ll just see the battery pack taken away in exchange for exclusively charging with a lead.

We can be pretty certain that the console will feature a ‘Kinect 2′ either at the conference or at June’s E3; it would likely be bundled with each console with a much more accurate camera and more advanced movement tracking technology — rumour has it that it would be capable of recognising open and closed hand gestures and eye movements. The new Kinect would almost certainly be used for the console’s other uses (TV/movie streaming, etc.) and user interface.

Games and the Conference
Don’t expect a large focus on game reveals tomorrow as that’s simply not what the conference is about — this is about revealing the new Xbox. We’ll likely see the console, see some of its core features, perhaps the interface and not a whole lot else.

Games will not be the main focus of the reveal, but we do know that Call of Duty: Ghosts will officially make its debut there and a handful of AAA titles announced for the console; these will likely only be touched upon and expanded on later on at E3 among a larger number of game reveals. It also wouldn’t particularly shock me if Microsoft allowed Bungie to take this opportunity to properly show-off Destiny gameplay.

Asking ‘why’ is a completely different question of course, but when it comes down to LEGO-based convenience, we don’t ask silly questions like ‘why’. We just stare in amazement/confusion/go do something else.

Taking an average of 42 seconds to change the disc inside the Xbox 360 for any of the alternative discs on-board the LEGO carousel (that was an odd sentence), the mechanised contraption takes out discs and puts in new ones — and, let’s be honest, that 42 seconds saved could be used for something priceless. Like, I don’t know, building a LEGO rollercoaster that brings you over to the fridge and back.

(Source: Geekologie)

Following complaints made by Reddit users that the company was profiting from Nintendo-related YouTube video via forced ads, Nintendo confirmed the matter by explaining that they had signed to become a YouTube partner in February 2013 and registered their ‘copyright content in the YouTube database’. As such, any videos featuring Nintendo-owned content – such as images, footage or audio of a certain (unspecified) length – will now feature ads at the beginning or end of the video, with Nintendo banking any revenue that it earns.

Stating that this is a preferred tactic over having the videos removed instead, I more-or-less agree with them. Although I sense people getting angry over the change, Nintendo are a business and seeing as they’ve become a YouTube partner, it’s either this or any video containing their content would simply get taken down on intellectual infringement grounds instead. It’s not ideal and I’m sure it will moderately spoil several Let’s Players videos, but the majority of companies in the same situation would have just blocked the videos. Personally, I’d much prefer every company to monetize user videos like this instead of take them down.

(Credit: GameFront)

They’re not in any particular order – they’re all different, and pretty much incomparable, and thus putting them in an order of best to worst would be pretty damned silly on my part. I’ve also included videos that I believe best represents the kind of content you can expect from them if you subscribe. Anyway: without further ado, I present to you seven gaming-based YouTube channels that you should totally go ahead and subscribe to.

Criken – criken2

Though perhaps not as vocal as the directors of most other videogame-based channels, Criken’s videos are centred around a unique brand of situational humour and spot-on editing that never fails to raise a smile and / or cause a serious laughing fit. Criken has also proven himself to actually be fairly skilled at the games he’s playing, and some of the humour in his videos comes from the fact that he’s generally a lot better at the game than the other players, and ridiculously modest about his skills, especially when facing off against other famous YouTube gamers.

Birgirpall - birgirpall

Icelandic in nationality, Birgirpall first came to light after uploading a series of hilarious Battlefield 3 videos, in which he’d grief the other team simply by being better than them at the game. And by crashing helicopters into camping snipers, sneaking up behind huge groups of enemies and blowing them up with C4, and stabbing people in their throats. These videos, including “Operation Dickhead” and “Operation Douchebag” (there may or may not be a pattern here) are interspersed with other videos focussing on the dialogue between Birgirpall and the people he’s playing with, as well as videos where he attempts to play newly released games. One of his most recent videos at the time of writing, “I Broke Surgeon Simulator 2013”, features possibly the most hilarious dick joke you’ll ever encounter in a YouTube video. Seriously.

Spike and Barley - NewfZ

While most other gaming channels play either newly released games or focus on one or two regular games, Spike and Barley first shot to fame playing the Half Life 1 modification “Afraid of Monsters”. Their playthrough of the Director’s Cut, where the owner of the server turned up and acted as the sadistic antagonist hell-bent on frightening the fuck out of the pair, was equally spooky as it was hilarious. Their channel mostly consists of multi-part forays into horror games like Silent Hill or mods like Black Snow, along with some wildcards (the Hunter Simulator 2008 being a particularly funny episode). If you like horror games, and like watching people scared shitless even more, then definitely check them out.

Videogamedunkey - videogamedunkey

As far as I know, Videogamedunkey is a relatively obscure content creator. While a large number of his videos are centred around League of Legends, his other videos can’t be accused of being too samey. My favourite videos of his are his hilariously (yet intentionally) inaccurate Halo Recap videos, in which he “helpfully” attempted to retell the story of the first three Halo games in the months leading up to the release of Halo 4. Seriously, I must’ve watched the entire trilogy through at least eight times by this point. If you enjoy dumb comedy and immature voices, go check his videos out.

Brutalmoose - brutalmoose

A relatively new content creator drawing inspiration from classic video-makers like the Angry Videogame Nerd and JonTron, Brutalmoose’s combination of slapstick real-life sections, game footage and voiceovers, as well as a ridiculous amount of editing, will be familiar to any gamer who’s been on the internet in recent years. But with this kind of video, it’s 50% the content, 50% the content creator. Brutalmoose is likeable, well spoken, and perhaps a little more subdued than the more excitable alternatives, which gives his videos, in my opinion, a slightly more chilled, laid-back atmosphere. Definitely worth subscribing to.

Nerd Cubed - OfficialNerdCubed

Probably the most famous British gaming channel after TotalBiscuit, NerdCubed is opinionated, funny, thoughtful, and entertaining to watch. While he does seem to go a bit overboard on the indie games every now and then, he also devotes a lot of time to ripping into broken AAA titles that probably shouldn’t be getting 20 minutes of your attention, let alone being allowed to exist in the first place. There’s a lot of diversity to the content on NerdCubed’s channel too – permadeaths, user-submitted challenges, co-op featuring his dad (who, due to popular demand, now has his own gaming channel), and complete playthroughs of games are all on offer, and all entertaining.

Roosterteeth – roosterteeth + LetsPlay

Known internet-wide as the creators of Red vs Blue, and with a whole heap of YouTube-based content coming from their Achievement Hunter team, including achievement guides, Easter Egg videos and Let’s Plays, Rooster Teeth recently moved the latter over to a completely standalone channel, called simply LetsPlay. How no one thought of registering that username, I don’t know, but they’ve got the channel, and they’re using it to upload one video each weekday. They also have a huge backlog of videos over on their official roosterteeth channel, with enough content there to keep you sated for a couple hours every week, with videos like their famous Friday Minecraft let’s plays sometimes being up to half an hour in length.­­

Rayman Origins remains to be one of my favourite games of all time; with its oozing charm, phenomenal graphical style and colours, amazingly well thought-out level and character design, it was just generally perfect and if you missed you, you should stop slacking and pick it up immediately. The game even had the only underwater levels in a game I’ve actually enjoyed so, y’know… there’s that.

If this trailer is anything to go by, Rayman Legends has really has set itself up to be my next favourite game and I can’t wait.

Only very recently uploaded to indie game site Gamejolt, the game is set in 1793 and plays as a typical sidescroller hack n’ slash game, although the villain that you’re heading towards is taunting you on the screen below the one you’re playing on throughout. As a blue humanoid thing, you slash your way through the guards and slide under obstacles using very basic controls, though unfortunately one hit means your death.

Honestly, it’s a simple game with occasionally buggy minor collision detection issue and some fairly major playability issues, but it immediately jumped out at me whilst scrolling through recent Gamejolt uploads; it’s worth a play for sure and heading towards the mocking man as he taunts you sort-of gives off a mildly epic vibe for some reason, but even if you don’t much enjoy it I can assure you that there’s promise here. Perhaps not necessarily with this game, but I can be certain that FourShadowGames will pump out something nigh-on brilliant some day in the future.

Also: I can’t help but feel interested by the tweet ‘working on our new game with moustaches’ that was posted on their Twitter account back in March. If this was the game they were referring to, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t expecting higher levels of moustache.

Download this 56.6MB game for PC, Mac or Linux or play it online here.