VideoGamer.com is reporting that Microsoft is planning to announce the successor to the Xbox 360 at next year's E3, and Crytek has already commenced work on the development of a TimeSplitters game for the next generation of consoles. While specifications have not been revealed, Crytek is said to be using Microsoft's DirectX 11 which features tessellation, multithreaded rendering and compute shaders....

Turn on your 360, throw in your Halo 3: ODST campaign disc and strap on your jetpack. Mepm dropped us a reminder on the forum that as of about 6 hours ago, while most of us were sleeping, the Halo: Reach beta went live! It only runs until May 19, so if you're a fan, don't waste anytime. Bungie sent a word of caution that "the download process may be subject to extended wait times. Server load is expected to be extremely high, especially during the first few hours and days of Beta availability. Please bear with us and stay tuned to Bungie.net for news and information."...

Live action trailers are all the rave right now. Microsoft have jumped on the band-wagon with this trailer for the fast approaching Halo Reach Beta. Apparently it's a short of the short, with the longer version making its way online during America's April 29th....

I remember being really excited about the PC release of Alan Wake. It turns out Remedy weren't, though. Just days ago it was made clear that the anticipated title is to make its way to the Xbox 360 only; "we ultimately realized that the most compelling way to experience Alan Wake was on the Xbox 360 platform, so we focused on making it an Xbox 360 exclusive" a Microsoft representative told Strategy Informer....

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Microsoft sends word from the X10 event underway in San Francisco that we can expect the beta test to officially begin on May 3. The catch is, which most of you Halo fans would be aware of, is that you'll need a copy of Halo 3: ODST - the beta will be accessed via that game disc...

The next installment of Ubisoft's Tom Clancy franchise has been revealed. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier will "go beyond the core Ghost Recon franchise and deliver a fresh gameplay experience" says the publisher. The Paris-based team who worked on Advanced Warfighter and Advanced Warfighter 2 are at the helm of the project.....

In the comments section of a Game Informer post with word of an L.A. Noire preview, editor Matthew Kato puts the big question to rest, "It's not a PS3-exclusive". So, there you have it. This highly anticipated detective tale from Rockstar will reach both major core gamer console platforms.

When the issue in question hits newsstands, if you don't pick it up, keep your ear out for some article quotes and clever paraphrasing. It's sure to be a big deal, and shouldn't be missed.

Surprise is the key word. DICE have sent word via their official Twitter channel that the Xbox 360 multiplayer demo is available, right now, on the Xbox Live Marketplace; "Surprise Reveal: Xbox 360 Battlefield Bad Company 2 MP Demo is live on Xbox Marketplace! Go get it!!!!!!!" Now, if only the next 7 hours would hurry along so we could get our PC beta clients downloading....