The premise of the game has the player choosing either the police or a racer, with each side having its own challenges. As a racer, players will get speedpoints to unlock new cars and items by evading police by using such things as jammers and EMPs. The police are tasked with busting the racers and gaining rank, with the higher ranks opening more police cars and better tech to catch the speeders, such as shockwaves, roadblocks and helicopters.

The game will use the Frostbite 3 engine, and will be bringing the Ferrari back to the series. The F12 Berlinetta will also be one of the cars. A pre-order will get The Ultimate Cop Pack, which includes the Nissan GT-R Black Edition cop car, advanced pursuit technology, and a custom livery.

"The Need for Speed franchise has been an industry leader bringing social competition to the forefront in games," said Marcus Nilsson, the executive producer at Ghosts Games. "For the first time, players will have the freedom to seamlessly go from single player to co-op to multiplayer. In Need for Speed Rivals we are creating one game experience with one progression, where the freedom to play with friends is more fluid and accessible than ever before."

Joystiq was able to confirm that a PC version of the game was also in the works. "Need for Speed Rivals will look easily as good on PC as next-generation consoles," Nilsson said.

A post on the official forums outlines the patch, set to go live today. It includes a new "launch park" for early adopters, a new "Edgewater Bay" region that allows seven cities around a bay, current server info in the Options menu, and more detailed information when you roll over a building. It also reenables global market pricing, leaderboards, and region filters. Those changes come alongside fixes to fires, mission updates, education, the Solar Farm Great Work, and more.

Next week, the game will introduce the Amusement Park DLC, offering extra cash for bringing tourists into your city. No word has been given on a price.

Like in DICE's first-person running game, you'll very quickly run through the environment, leaping and vaulting over obstacles, and jumping onto poles, quite easily. However, you'll have a greater repertoire of moves than Faith ever did. While we didn't see any gunplay, we did see quite an impressive array of martial arts moves, with your character able to kick, jump kick, dodge to the side, and even perform a sweeping circular kick--all while remaining in first-person.

Dying Light

Dying Light may be far more acrobatic than Deep Silver's game, but it's clear that some Dead Island DNA remains in Techland's latest zombie adventure. You'll be able to collect thousands of weapon parts to craft new tools in your fight against the undead horde. In the hands-off demo that we saw, a blueprint for an electric machete proved to be quite effective, the weapon stunning any zombies bludgeoned by it.

Zombie games tend to be gross in nature, but Dying Light seems especially gruesome thanks to its "barely zombie" enemies. Some zombies are more than human than others based on when they turned, and bashing them with a stick until their skulls crack open is not a particularly comforting sight. There are also other survivors to deal with. Typically armed and also scavenging for supplies, they add another wrinkle to the gameplay. In the demo we saw, the player avoided confrontation by raising his hands and running away.

Dying Light is aiming for a 2014 release on current and next-gen consoles and PC, and the demo we saw looked quite sharp. The open world looks quite nice--even if the semi-tropical look is reminiscent of something ripped out of Far Cry. It certainly looks far more polished than Dead Island ever did.

The parkour and melee gameplay is enough to make Dying Light stand out in a genre that's quickly becoming stale. But, apparently running and kicking aren't the only things you can do in the game. At night, the gameplay shifts to more stealth, with zombies becoming significantly stronger in the moonlight. In addition, something else comes out to hunt the zombies--and you, of course.

The demo that we saw was so highly scripted that it's hard to know exactly how much of Techland's vision will translate into real gameplay. Still, we've been dying for another Mirror's Edge game, and with or without zombies, this might be the closest thing we'll get.

Dying Light has you running and leaping a lot across rooftops

Hokay, so, the Special Edition offers this on top of the game for $79.99:

• Collectible SteelBook with Exclusive Artwork: This special SteelBook features double-sided, never-before-seen artwork of Michael, Trevor and Franklin. Custom color and metallic treatments bring out the detail of the artwork created exclusively for this SteelBook.

• Blueprint Map: This exclusive, additional 21.5" x 26.75" map displays a blueprint view of Los Santos and Blaine County. Cryptic markings indicate locations for fast cash and other points of interest for the up-and-coming entrepreneur.

• Special Ability Boost: Michael, Franklin and Trevor each have a unique special ability. With this boost, the special ability bar will generate 25% faster.

• Stunt Plane Trials: Single player Stunt Plane Trials let you take on additional aerial challenges spread throughout Los Santos and Blaine County.

• Bonus Outfits, Tattoos and More: Michael, Franklin and Trevor get bonus outfits in their wardrobes, character specific tattoos at tattoo parlors, and special deals from shopkeepers across Los Santos and Blaine County.

• Additional Weapons: When visiting Ammunation stores in single player, merchants will have special weapons in their inventory available for free: the Pistol .50, Bullpup Shotgun and melee Hammer.

Or for $149.99, you get the game plus everything in the Special Edition plus:

• Grand Theft Auto 5 Security Deposit Bag with Logo Key: Inspired by the heists in Grand Theft Auto V, this custom 10.75" x 8.5" money bag features a pop-up style lock and laser cut logo key to secure important items. The reverse side features a pressed Rockstar Games logo on the security mount with a framed ID window.

• Grand Theft Auto 5 New Era 9FIFTY Snapback Cap: This exclusive New Era 9FIFTY cap features an embroidered Los Santos logo on the front, a stitched, black Rockstar Games logo on the wearer's left side, a Grand Theft Auto 'V' logo applique on the opposite side, and snapback closure for an adjustable fit.

• Custom Characters for Grand Theft Auto Online: Get classic Grand Theft Auto characters to use within the Grand Theft Auto Online Character Creation System.

• Unique Vehicles and Garage Property: Players will instantly receive a garage to store custom vehicles. In single player, the garage will be stocked with the 1930's style Hotknife hotrod and the CarbonRS sports bike. In Grand Theft Auto Online, players will get the high-end Khamelion electric car.

Get it? Got it? Good. Check Rockstar's announcement for close-up images. Grand Theft Auto V comes to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on September 17. No word on PC or next-gen editions yet.

Hey there, blimpy boy

IW executive producer Mark Rubin said that the MW3 engine was pushed to its limits, and he was happy at the time with how the game looked. But the new engine uses displacement mapping and SubD to noticeably increase how good the visuals are. Now you can make that determination for yourself. What do you think?

Mattrick told the The Wall Street Journal that only about 5% of customers play older games on their new system, which makes the feature too costly and time-intensive to be worth it. This led him to coin the confounding turn of phrase, "If you're backwards compatible, you're really backwards."

The transition to new architecture does make it difficult to offer the functionality. A social media research firm said a survey of potential customers showed only 12% said they would be unhappy if it didn't have backward compatibility. That makes the decision somewhat understandable, but yesterday's presentation was followed quickly by some skepticism and mixed messages from Microsoft, so it might behoove executives to be careful with their statements.

The bundle also promises bonuses like exclusive videos, comics, behind-the-scenes materials, and screenplays. As usual, you can split your price between the developer, the Child's Play and Electronic Frontier Foundation charities, and the Humble tip. Remedy creative director Sam Lake produced a little video about the history of Alan Wake, the studio's new game, and his hopes for more games in the Alan Wake series.

With a new console generation came hopes that Microsoft would relax their strict standards for indie developers, who currently must have a publisher in order to see their product on a Microsoft console. That does not appear to be the case.

Paul Taylor of Mode 7 Games (Frozen Synapse) is among those turned off by Microsoft's stance. "In terms of what it means for us as an indie, I think Microsoft's approach to developers is much more important than the console itself," he added. "We'd love to see a more proactive attitude to indies, reducing the red tape and difficulty involved with getting a title onto Xbox Live: I don't think it would hurt to emulate Sony in that respect."

Frozen Synapse

"Right now, there's no olive branches being given," Nathan Fouts from Mommy's Best Games (Serious Sam: Double D) added. "Microsoft has stopped supporting XNA, which doesn't necessarily mean 'no XBLIG' for the next Xbox, but doesn't help the odds either. Sony has definitely been aggressively reaching out to indie devs, ourselves included, which doesn't seem to be the same way with Microsoft."

Andy Schatz, the man behind one of this year's breakout hits, Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine, is similarly dismayed by the publishing giant's continued stance on indie titles. "While I loved working with our publisher (Majesco) on Monaco, I don't think this is a good policy," he said. "The game industry can't expand the pie via closed platforms. New is risky and publishers hate risk. Expect games like Minecraft, FTL, and Don't Starve to continue to launch on other platforms."

"It seems like Microsoft isn't really trying to get the freshest or most original content, only the biggest established names," observed Sean Velasco of Yacht Club Games (Shovel Knight). "Luckily, the Xbox One controller will work on PC, so you'll still be able to play all the cool indie games with it. Maybe smaller devs are a part of Microsoft's future plans. If they would like to reach out, we'll be here!"

The indie sector does understand many of the ins-and-outs of business, however. They can understand the reasons for their approach for yesterday's event. "It looks like Microsoft is really positioning this as a media center and super-mainstream games machine," said Taylor. "As a business approach, I think it's probably a strong differentiation from Sony's more game-centric ethos--that probably is a good thing for the market as a whole. Both Sony and Microsoft seem to be playing to their strengths this time around."

Shovel Knight

That isn't to say they were completely unimpressed. The hardware and entertainment capabilities of the new Xbox One left some indie devs impressed. "As a developer, Xbox One's coolest new feature is the redesigned d-pad, which is reportedly clicky and wonderful," said Velasco.

Graham Smith, co-founder of Drinkbox Studios (Guacamelee), added, "On the hardware side, everything looked great. It appears to be a fairly powerful machine, comparable to the PS4."

Fouts was among the disappointed. "As a gamer, since this press event didn't reveal a lot about the console in relation to new games or how to play new games, it didn't speak to me much," he said. "I understand they'll talk more about the games and related features at E3. While I'm sure they have interesting reasons for leaving games primarily out of their big reveal, it did leave me tepid. I have my entertainment needs already fairly well-met when it comes to TV and movies, so these things didn't interest me a lot, though it looked nice enough. I look to new console reveals to usher in the possibilities of dramatically higher-quality simulations of reality, as that requires a lot of processing power. From this power other interesting, non-realistic worlds can be made. But watching the bits about the sports games, and the Call of Duty, it sadly didn't seem like this console generation has jumped as much as one might think. Things could definitely improve, but I think that let me down a little."

Given that Microsoft is saving many of their game-related announcements to E3, some are opting for a wait-and-see approach. One is Mike Bithell, maker of Thomas Was Alone. "It's a bit too early to pass judgement on it, as this presentation was more focused on the TV, sports and mo-capped dog features of the console," he said. "It is a little troubling that indie games and their creators didn't even receive a cursory nod, beyond the opening developer montage. Until we see more, I think it's hard to call it. It does look like great tech, I just want to see some games."

Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine

Schatz concurs and notes that it speaks to Microsoft's overall philosophy. "The reveal didn't talk about much that is relevant to indies," he said. "It's a little premature to say what they will or won't do in terms of game development since they've held so much back for their E3 presentation. That said, it's clear that their priority competitors are Apple and Google rather than Sony or Valve."

There's hope for the best at E3, not just for the indie sector, but also for interesting games, in general. According to Fouts, the time is now to combat ideas like franchise fatigue. "I think the sports games, movies, and Call of Duty focus leans towards their core demographic for the Xbox 360, at least, the early adopters," he said. "That makes sense to aim for them. This is obviously only based on what little I've seen so far, but the problem is what they're showing, I feel, doesn't look so amazing that most gamers will naturally be compelled to want it, but they'll buy it because extensions of franchises are simply stopped on the 360, and now on the new one. Ready for E3 to prove me wrong and this thing to knock it out of the park for consoles. I love console games! Let's have new, good, and interesting ones!"

The sequel features 100+ dungeon maps and 140 quests, branching storylines, and multiple endings. It sounds like a lengthy experience for J-RPG fans to sink their teeth into, after the first one received mixed critical reception.

Carigi's portfolio (via Polygon) had concept art that showed the Slant Six and Vita logos, but that appears to have been removed. No word was given on why the project didn't move ahead, and it could merely be a pitch that was never adopted. We do know that sluggish sales for the Vita have made some publishers wary, however.

EA has taken the Medal of Honor series out of rotation after the poor reception to Warfighter.

That's about it, really. They'll all be on a disc in a box for PlayStation 3. The games cost $14.99 each on PSN, except for Vikings which is $9.99, so the box saves you $15--if you want them all.

Sony's announcement today somehow neglected to specify whether Sound Shapes and When Vikings Attack, which are both Cross-Buy games on PSN, will also give you copies on Vita. Silly Sony, people have wondered about that since word of the collection was leaked. We've dropped Sony a line asking for clarification.

The fact that this is Volume 1 of PlayStation Network's finest makes one wonder, which Sony-published PSN games might be in a Volume 2? While you ponder, look at Tokyo Jungle again:

"We wanted to add more drama, more intensity," Bach told the web show FTW. "On top of that, we are not locking the player in situations where things go boom. We want to release the player and have the player be autonomous, being able to actually cope with situations themselves. You know, moving around, shooting, picking your gun, picking your tactics, much like you do in multiplayer."

DICE has previously commented that it wants to "grow up" with this game's single-player, and it's eschewed co-op to focus on the single- and multiplayer campaigns. Just yesterday we learned the game is coming on October 29, and has been confirmed for both PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Shelter will have leading your kits to a new home, foraging for food so they can grow and trying to keep them out of danger. Away from foxes, for examples. And oh gosh, no, look out for that eagle, run for the tall grass, run! And goodness no, not a forest fire! Stop watching the trailer at around 45 seconds if you're sensitive about the well-being of virtual badgers.

Shelter is slated for release on PC and Mac later this year.

The trailer's made of in-game cinematics mish-mashed tomorrow, so it's good to see Relic's continue with that approach. The moment in the first CoH when the cinematic blended into gameplay was jolly special and, well, I was surprised when I realised I was now in control.

Company of Heroes 2 rolls onto PC on June 25, developed by Relic and published by Sega.

"You know, I think Nintendo's business was more [an] extension of their last console," Jorgensen said at the Stifel Nicolaus 2013 Internet, Media and Communications Conference, reported by Polygon. "We are building titles for the Nintendo console, but not anywhere near as many as we are for PS or Xbox. I think what the consumer will find is a lot more powerful gameplay with the new boxes that are coming out, and a lot of excitement, but it'll remain to be seen as to the services associated with those as to how consumers decide which direction they might want to go."

EA has said it isn't bringing Madden 25 or FIFA 14 to the Wii U. It also hasn't used Frostbite yet on the console, and the company on the whole is moving toward using that engine for many of its games.

Jorgensen could be referring to the company's philosophy, that it is willing to develop games for the Wii U. The previous statement simply claimed that no titles were currently in development.

The port is being adapted by High Voltage Software. Like the console "Komplete" editions, it will include all four downloadable content characters (Skarlet, Kenshi, Rain, Freddy Krueger), 15 "Klassic" skins, and three "Klassic" fatalities (Scorpion, Sub-Zero, and Reptile). It also supports the MK Tournament Edition fight stick and standard controllers, and offers achievements and leaderboards. This is on top of what was already a critical and commercial success.

The first DLC release will be the Faction Pack in June, which Deep Silver says will bring "new, original single-player gameplay that expands on the Metro: Last Light universe and story." That's the aim of the Chronicles Pack too, which is yet unscheduled.

If you fancy something a little different, the Tower Pack is said to "present a unique solo challenge to Metro veterans" so perhaps some challenge mode sort of thing.

The other DLC, the Developer Pack, is a bit of an enigma, said to "give creative players some interesting tools with which to explore the world of Metro." Some weird tools and modes used in testing to muck around and make odd things happen in-game, one might guess?

The season pass also includes a bonus semi-automatic shotgun rifle which can fire six shells at once.

If you really, positively must buy the season pass right away even though the first DLC isn't coming until June, it's already in the Xbox Live Marketplace and is due on PC and PlayStation 3 today too. PS Plus members will get a 25% discount until June 4. With a $15 price and the usual discount for buying in bulk with a pass, one imagines the DLC packs will come to at $20 or so bought individually, but Deep Silver doesn't say.

Crytek posted the news that CryEngine 3 title will be exclusive to the Xbox One and will have "controller-based gameplay enhance by Kinect," something that was planned for the Xbox 360 version. The new reveal includes the words Filius Romae Venit, which roughly translates to "Son came to Rome." Roman numerals hint at a possible 2013 release. The only information about the game is a teaser that the player can fight as a soldier and lead as a general to "rise as a legend." A countdown timer suggests more details at E3.

Microsoft has said it will have 15 exclusive titles for Xbox One, so Ryse can now be added to the list of known games. In case you forgot what the title was about, here is the old E3 trailer.

Demon Hunter is the most popular class in Normal mode, the infographic reveals, with some 13.5 million of the rogues running around Sanctuary. In Hardcore, however, the threat of permadeath sees the hardy Barbarian coming first, with 1.6 million out there tanking hordes. Combining the two modes, Demon Hunter still narrowly comes out on top in total.

67.1 million characters have been created worldwide, which is 127 per minute on average. Perhaps surprisingly, 9% of those are Hardcore; it's nice to know one in ten isn't a baby.

Do bear in mind that these statistics cover all Diablo 3 accounts, including the Starter Edition demo and players in LAN cafés. And that they're at least two days old now.

A staggering 648,510,803,462,686 gold pieces are in circulation, and I don't want to say something snide about duping gold but I'm defusing the joke for other people, see.

I'm going to stop repeating numbers now, because you're perfectly able to read them yourself.

I mean, you don't need me to reword everything for you, do you?

"It was all pre-rendered," EA Sports executive VP Andrew Wilson told Polygon. "Listen, we're not hiding behind that fact. This was an event that we've been planning for a number of months on a new platform. And what we wanted to do was use real game assets, so they're all real game assets, straight out of our game teams, but we had to get it into a format that would be usable in this style of event."

Consider it the target EA's aiming for with the next-gen editions of FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, NBA Live 14, and UFC. Wilson claimed that it was "following where our games are going and certainly in line with what we're seeing in our games right now on console." He added that "our games right now are delivering on that, and in some cases more."

Along with better graphics, Ignite supposedly brings better AI and movement.

We'll see more of those four games at E3, so what they're actually like should soon be clearer.

Armageddon put you in charge of the Imperial Guard's Armageddon Steel Legion during the Second War for Armageddon, supported by detachments from the Ultramarine, Blood Angel and Salamander chapters of the pious Space Marines. The branching single-player campaign will offer 30 "major" scenarios, plus another 5 in tutorials, the announcement explains.

It seems to be, unsurprisingly, a pretty complex affair, with over 100 units, 20 unit stats, and terrain, weather and morale taken into account during battle. Units can carry across scenarios, earning experience and upgrading their equipment along the way.

Multiplayer will use Slitherine's own PBEM++ system, a more secure version of Play By E-Mail. Yes, PBEM, that's how long your turns may take. Armageddon has an editor too.

Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon is due on PC and iOS some time from January to March 2014. Slitherine has the rights to make more games in the Battle for Armageddon setting too.

The impulse triggers are quite possibly the most significant upgrade made to the Xbox One controller. Microsoft PR likes to say there are over 40 improvements made, resulting in all new thumbsticks that have better grip and take 25% less force to move. There's also an entirely new D-Pad, quite possibly the weakest aspect of the original Xbox 360 controller. And there's magnetic sensors in the triggers for "added precision."

While the One controller largely resembles the original 360 controller, the contours have been changed to "fit a wider range of hand sizes," and according to a Microsoft rep, the new controllers have been "tested in gamers aged 14-40" around the world.

The controller now features an internal battery compartment, instead of having a battery pack bulge out like it did before. And each controller will come with two rechargeable AA batteries that can be consumer-replaced at any time. For a company that likes making proprietary accessories, their stance on batteries is quite refreshing.

Xbox One features two new buttons: View and Menu

There's also two new buttons, replacing the "Back" and "Start" buttons of ye olde 360 controller. The "View" button (left) will change the type of view you'll see on the screen. Imagine in a racing game, you can switch between cockpit view or a third-person view. In an RPG, you may want to bring up your inventory or the map. The "Menu" button (right) will be similar to Start, but will offer "contextually appropriate menus."

But boy, are those impulse triggers something. Following its Xbox One reveal event, Microsoft gave us an opportunity to go hands-on with the new controller. Unfortunately, they didn't offer any live gameplay demos, making it difficult to assess the accuracy of their claims. The tech demos did show off the impulse triggers in action, emulating what it would feel like to play a racing game, or a shooter, for example.

The racing demo was probably my favorite. Even without the audio or visual cues, I could feel that the car was braking due to the feedback in the left trigger. Feeling a subtle recoil effect in the shooter demo was also a nice touch. It's not the biggest revolution in controller history, but it's a novelty that's immediately appreciated.

Oddly, although the demos were all conducted on PC, Microsoft currently has "nothing to say" about making a PC version of the One controller. Given how ubiquitous the Xbox 360 controller has become in PC gaming, we'd be surprised if Microsoft didn't release a Windows-friendly version of the One controller.

Following its Xbox One reveal event, Microsoft invited us to get "hands on" time with a few tech demos--the ones that you can see here. Because none of these demos represent actual gameplay, it's difficult to gauge how well this tech can be implemented. However, the potential is very real--and our excitement for Kinect has been rekindled.

A series of demos showcased not only skeletal tracking, but the force of your muscles as well. We had ample room to test the device multiple lighting conditions--even in total darkness, with a flashlight. We got to see how close--and how far--we could get to the camera. We jumped up, kicked, did squats, twisted our arms, played air piano, sat down, and Kinect never missed a beat.

At least in this test environment, running non-game software, the new Kinect works exactly as I hoped it would. However, the single demo that convinced me the most was Kinect's ability to supposedly track your heart rate. I stared into the camera sternly, and then went on to do jumping jacks and run in place (in front of an audience, mind you). I saw a meter quickly rise, and slowly fall after I had stopped my physical activity. I laughed when I saw the feedback--and of course, Kinect recognized that too.

The new Kinect promises to make using Xbox One far easier than ever. Thanks to its wide-angle lens, more living rooms will be compatible with the sensor. And because you can use it from as close as a meter, even more cramped spaces will be compatible. In fact, you won't even need to bother with those silly calibration cards that shipped with every original Kinect unit.

Like PS4, Xbox One will also be able to keep track of who's using which controller. Thanks to IR emitters built into the Xbox One controller, Kinect will be able to see who's playing with which controller. Should you swap places (or swap controllers), the system will know--allowing developers to automatically swap screens in a split-screen game, for example.

Kinect comes bundled with every Xbox One, and you cannot use the system without Kinect plugged in. (Thankfully, that means you won't need a separate AC adapter for the camera this time around.) While some hardcore gamers may scoff at having Kinect constantly staring at them, it's undeniable that the tech is impressive. Now, the question is: can Microsoft showcase games that deliver on the incredible potential of this new device?

Yet, even Microsoft's so-called "clarifications" do little to ease concern that the next Xbox will be plagued by draconian anti-consumer practices. Major Nelson updated his blog saying "while there have been many potential scenarios discussed, today we have only confirmed that we designed Xbox One to enable our customers to trade in and resell games at retail. Beyond that, we have not confirmed any specific scenarios."

Okay, that's fine. But here's the kicker: "Should you choose to play your game at your friend's house, there is no fee to play that game while you are signed in to your profile." By mentioning the f-word there, we can only assume that there will be fees to play games in any other scenario.

A console that blocks used games is rather unprecedented. While rumors surrounded PS4, Sony has gone on record saying that PS4 will play used games, noting that the "general expectation by consumers" is that when they "purchase physical form, they want to use it everywhere."

And that's true. There are many expectations we have of console games. Being able to buy, play, sell, trade, and share used retail games is one of those expectations. We expect that when we bring a game home, that we'll be able to play it with our friends and family--is that something we're no longer allowed to take for granted on Xbox One?

My vision of Xbox One's "worst case scenario" sounds a lot like this patent discovered last year. Filed in 2011, the patent "regulates" content by identifying users. "In other words, a content provider could regulate their goods to be doled out on a per-user basis. They could, for example, price tiers of movie rentals based on how many viewers it will have," we wrote back then.

But, wait. The new Xbox comes bundled with a Kinect. In fact, as rumors have suggested, it's required for operation with the system. With Xbox 360, there was no way to really implement a patent like that. Bundling Kinect with Xbox One opens up all sorts of terrifying possibilities.

For example, your Xbox Live profile will likely become permanently tied to whatever biometric data Kinect collects about you. Having Kinect instantly recognize you and sign you on does offer an incredible convenience, but it also has scary ramifications. With your Kinect data stored in the cloud, your Live account will be useless without you physically there. So when Major Nelson says that you can play used games without a fee "while you are signed in," does that mean you will have to physically accompany the disc? Given that Xbox One is smart enough to know who's holding which controller, will the system stop gameplay if you pass the controller onto someone else who doesn't own that content? And even more worrisome: can family members and friends in your own home that have access to your console--will they be able to play the game you've purchased without you signing in? And what if you take a bathroom break? With Kinect's always-on gaze looking for your biometric data, could the system decide to quit your game?

Microsoft hasn't "confirmed any specific scenarios," but they're certainly doing a terrible job of denying what is and isn't possible on Xbox One. For a company that berated Sony for refusing to show off the design of the PS4, I find it even worse that they can't simply answer the question: "can we play the games we paid for?" For the launch of the original Kinect, Microsoft said that "you are the controller." However, for Xbox One, their message appears to be "you are the DRM." And until Microsoft very clearly states their policy on online and used games for Xbox One, it'll be hard to believe otherwise.

"There will be things about Xbox One that I think will be very attractive and beneficial to independent developers. The first is the idea that games are games," Booty told Shacknews. "Content will be surfaced to the player and to the consumer in a much more tailored and personalized view, which means that whether it's an independent game or a AAA game or something in-between, they're all going to be presented and displayed the same. So, games are games. That means independent and AAA content will sit on equal footing."

"I think that for game developers having their content sit on the virtual shelf right next to every other piece of content is a real big win. For independent developers, some of their biggest challenges are discovery and promotion and how the content is surfaced to the player. Nobody wants their game to be buried four menu levels down," Booty pointed out, addressing a common complaint that many games were too difficult to discover on Xbox 360--particularly indie games.

"What you would like is if the system knows a lot about a person and knows what kind of content they want, you would want your content to be surfaced along with all the other things that person likes. So if you are making a game that a person who plays Limbo might like, you would really like your game to be presented to that person. We're going to be in an era of personalized content, where games are games," Booty described.

Doing away with arbitrary designations like "XBLA" and "Games on Demand" makes sense as downloadable games get bigger and retail games start looking more like downloadable games. "I would stick to the idea that we really want to focus on tailored content, personalized presentation of content, and that it's more about presenting the content that matters to you as opposed to trying to put a certain wrapper on it."