Xbox 720 Could Be Delayed by Manufacturing Trouble

Rumors suggest that manufacturing trouble could delay Microsoft’s next Xbox. According to tech site SemiAccurate, the ‘Oban’ processor that powers the system is facing shortages that could prevent Microsoft from manufacturing enough consoles for the oft-rumored 2013 launch.

SemiAccurate reports that manufacturing yields on the new processor’s production wafers are “painfully low.” As explained by OXM, that means ”for every wafer, or sheet of silicon chips, created, only a tiny percentage are actually usable. Think of it like a sheet of baseball cards. If one sheet makes 30 cards, but only one card comes out without any issues or defects, that's a bit of a problem." Microsoft has reportedly increased Oban manufacturing to “very high quanitities” that SemiAccurate notes are “too high by more than an order of magnitude to simply be for dev kits.”

Microsoft will reportedly try to get parts from two or even three sources in order to increase its odds of success, but SemiAccurate reports that Microsoft doesn’t have long to set things right if it wants to hit a target date of fall 2013. “It takes about 8 weeks to run a hot lot through a fab and analyze the results,” the site notes. “If production wafers are really going in this year, the last time a foundry can run a test wafer is about November 1. Anything after that day will not come out of the fab in time for the results to be fed back in to the production chips. That is the technical term for ‘The XBox Next is going to be delayed.’”

Anonymous sources suggest to SemiAccurate that there’s “some slack” in Microsoft’s production schedule, and that even a six to eight week delay wouldn’t be enough to push back the next Xbox’s launch. “Microsoft insiders tell us that the planned launch date is September 2013, and that is not changing without heads rolling internally,” SemiAccurate writes. “Given the very hard limits imposed by the fab technologies involved and the self-imposed start date, time is running out. If there is two months of slack in the supply chain, unless the yield problems are solved by late February 2013, Microsoft can’t hit its desired September 2013 launch date.”

We heard in January that the Xbox 720 chipset was already in production, though the first run may have simply been for the development kits that are already being distributed. IGN sources suggested in the past that the next Xbox will be six times more powerful than current generation consoles.

We’ve reached out to Microsoft about the rumored manufacturing delays and will update with any comment we receive, though given Microsoft’s reluctance to mention the new Xbox, it’s unlikely we’ll hear any additional information. For now, read what we know about the next Xbox so far thanks to a Microsoft patent from earlier this summer.

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

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Wii U Release Date: More Leaks Suggest Mid-November Launch

While Nintendo prepares for its Wii U Preview Event in just 2.5 weeks, more leaks continue to suggest the publisher is planning on launching the system November 18. This time the information comes from the GameStop Manager's Conference, where peripheral maker PDP reportedly revealed it plans on releasing Wii U accessories on the Sunday date.

This isn't the first time we've seen suggestions of a November 18 release date. Furthermore the weekend timing and proximity to Black Friday/Thanksgiving in the United States fits Nintendo's pattern of home console debuts for the past decade (Wii launched on November 19; GameCube on November 18).

To add a healthy bit of skepticism to the mix though, PDP's plans do not necessarily have to align with Nintendo's. Accessories frequently ship prior to console launches, and there's nothing to say that PDP might arrive after the system arrives at retailers. Until Nintendo outright reveals its plans, we won't know for sure. Fortunately we don't have long to wait.

Rich is an Executive Editor of IGN.com and the leader of IGN's Nintendo team. He also watches over all things WWE, Resident Evil, Assassin's Creed and much more. Follow him on Twitter, if you dare!

Source : feeds[dot]ign[dot]com

Diablo 3 Paragon system will be implemented today

Though it was only announced mere hours ago, Blizzard has revealed that Diablo 3's new Paragon system will officially be going live in the game later today. 

For those of you who missed the announcement yesterday, the Paragon system adds 100 extra levels of achievement onto the current 60 standard levels. They function a bit differently from current levels though. There will be no additional gear or content for Paragon levels, but characters will get stat boosts each time they level up.

Blizzard said the change became necessary because many players complained that due to the randomness of loot drops, they could actually end up losing money after spending time in the game at level 60. If a player received no significant drops it often meant they'd just be stuck with a hefty repair bill and nothing to show for it. The Paragon system at least guarantees that a player will be making progress toward the next level of Paragon.

Battle.net is currently down for scheduled maintenance, and it is expected that the update will go live once the service resumes at approximately 1pm PST. 

Source : gamesradar[dot]com

Diablo III Adding 'Paragon System'

Class changes and buffs to Legendary items aren't the only changes coming in the 1.0.4 patch for Diablo III. Today Blizzard detailed a new Paragon System on the game's official blog, something it hopes will go along way towards alleviating the issues people have with Magic Find (and more specifically gear-swapping) and giving level 60 players something to earn.

The solution is a set of sweeping changes collectively referred to as the Paragon System. Once it's implemented all experience earned after level 60 will be put toward 100 Paragon levels. Per today's post, each level gives you:

• Core stats such as Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Vitality in amounts similar to what you’d gain from a normal level
•  3% Magic Find and 3% Gold Find

Visually, earning Paragon levels will result in "a distinctive increasingly-impressive border" around your character portrait "[denoting] your Paragon progression."

Game Director Jay Wilson, author of today's post, says "We know that a lot of you out there are level 60 -- maybe on multiple characters -- and this system provides a way to make progress every time you log in to the game."

On top of other bonuses, Blizzard will also be making the Nephalem Valor bonus give a 15% experience bonus per stack, help you earn Paragon levels. As for how much longer you can expect these levels to take, Wilson writes, "The first Paragon level should take about as long as it took most players to get from level 59 to 60, and the experience requirement will rise from there. The time to reach the upper Paragon levels approximates the long-term time investment required to get a level 99 character in Diablo II."

One of the other major goals for the Paragon System is to eventually "transition away" from having Magic Find on items. Eventually Wilson wants to "slowly and gently move Magic Find off of items in the future," but without doing, "so in a way that doesn't flip the entire game end-over end." Magic Find and Gold Find will now be capped to 300% before Nephalem Valor in 1.0.4, which means, "you'll hit the cap when you reach Paragon level 100." Thus as you level in Paragon levels you can start to remove Magic Find items, eventually weeding them out completely.

To see Wilson's words for yourselves, check out his post on the official Diablo III blog.

Source : feeds[dot]ign[dot]com

Pikachu-Themed 3DS XL Announced for Japan

Nintendo has announced a yellow, Pikachu-themed 3DS XL for Japan. The system (known as 3DS LL in Japan) will be released exclusively through Japan’s Pokemon Center stores and features a yellow front with a white hinge.

The Pikachu system will be released on September 15th and is only available to customers who pre-order. For now, it’s only been announced for Japan, but we’ll keep you posted on any announcements for other territories.

This is the first themed 3DS XL Nintendo has built since the new system was announced in June. Previously, Nintendo released multiple themed 3DS systems including a The Legend of Zelda system with gold buttons, a white Monster Hunter 3D system and a blue Fire Emblem system.

3DS XL will launch in North America on August 19th in red and blue.

Source: Andriasang

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.

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Killzone Mercenary for Vita announced at Sony presser, first trailer revealed

This year at their Gamescom press conference, Sony made quite a big deal out of the PlayStation Vita after mostly ignoring it at E3. One of the centerpiece announcements for the system came in the form of a brand new Killzone title called Killzone Mercenaries.

http://www.gamesradar.com/killzone-mercenary-vita-announced-sony-presser-first-trailer-revealed/

Killzone Mercenaries is a first-person shooter where players receive money for taking out enemies en route to big contract kills. So it's like Killzone with just a hint of Hitman. 

The coolest info released on the topic is that your character will literally be a mercenary, a mercenary who is straddling the line in the war between the ISA and the Helghast. As such, you'll carry out missions for both sides. Whoever pays the best. Killzone Mercenary is currently slated for release sometime in 2013.

Source : gamesradar[dot]com