This is a reblog from TechTimes:

By Fritz Gleyo

Microsoft may soon developed a life-sized Cortana for HoloLens.

With HoloLens running on Windows 10, it wasn’t hard for people to propose a life-sized hologram of the digital assistant Cortana. A couple of Microsoft Studios community members thought of it and shared their ideas through Microsoft’s recently launched Share-Your-Idea initiative for its augmented reality headset HoloLens.

“Hologram of Cortana from Halo who you can talk to and interact with. Works in the same way as cortana on Desktop / Phone. Get answers to questions etc,” proposes LookItsKris. “Maybe ask a question on HoloLens and answers come through on phone? Possibilities are endless.”

“Whenever you invoke Cortana, she will be displayed as a holographic object, like a real AI in the Halo Universe,” writes jigerdoodles117. “Each word she says can be mapped to facial animation. When she is thinking/processing queries, she could display a classic chin-rub thinking animation.”

A lot of people find both ideas feasible. This is seen in the number of upvotes for each post: 402 upvotes for LookItsKris’ post and 173 for jigerdoodles117’s. In fact, some think it may already be in the works.

“Good idea, but this probably already exists,” says Stompplantes, another Microsoft Studios community member.

HoloLens was formally announced together with Windows 10 in January. The headset’s next major appearance was during E3 2015 when it was used to generate an interactive virtual Minecraft world on top of a table. Microsoft also demoed the HoloLens for 3D modelling using various third-party software and first-person shooter games and as an interactive teaching medium.

Microsoft is set to release the mixed reality headset’s developer kit in the first half of 2016. Virtual reality headsets such as the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift are also set for a first-quarter launch next year.

Redmond is yet to comment whether or not a life-sized Cortana for HoloLens will be available.

HFFL: Okay…SIGN ME UP FOR THIS! Seriously though, who wouldn’t want a life-sized Cortana hologram?

This is a reblog from Bloomberg.com: 

Bonnie Ross is in charge of Microsoft’s biggest video game ever.
By Joshua Brustein | October 22, 2015
Photographer: Michael Friberg for Bloomberg Businessweek

The women’s volleyball locker room at the University of Southern California’s 10,000-seat Galen Center isn’t the most glamorous green room, but Bonnie Ross couldn’t care less. It’s June 15, and in 30 minutes, Ross, who’s in charge of Microsoft’s most valuable gaming franchise, will take center stage at the industry’s most important conference, E3. It’s the pitch of her career—a preview of Halo 5: Guardians, set to go on sale on Oct. 27. Continue reading →

Be on the lookout for the next issue of Gameinformer! It features Halo 5 Guardians on a wrap around cover!,

HFFL: This id definitely one issue I’ll be picking up!!

The following is a reblog from gameinformer:

You’ve played the Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta. Now it’s time to uncover the mysteries behind the story. Continue reading →

In an article on gamespot.com, Aaron Greenberg, Xbox marketing executive, says Halo 5 Guardians is “jaw-dropping”.

The following is a reblog of that article: (Followed by my thoughts)

Halo 5: Guardians, the upcoming Xbox One game from Microsoft, is shaping up to be “jaw-dropping” and a game that developer 343 has “dreamed of making.”

That’s according to Xbox marketing executive Aaron Greenberg, who says as part of The Inner Circle podcast that there are more than a few reasons to be excited about the game. Continue reading →

We all know that ONI in the Halo Universe stands for the “Office of Naval Intelligence”. However, did you know there is a much deeper meaning to ONI than just that acronym?

Continue reading →

Sa-weet! I’m definitely going to buy this issue! Great to see Chief front and center! Now if I can get some help from one of my UK friends and/or readers.

Here’s the text blurb from xbox (UK): 

Halo 5 is set to take on Titanfall and blow all the competition away as you’ll find out in the latest issue of X-ONE Magazine, on sale now. Master Chief’s next-gen debut leads 23 games that are only possible on Xbox One, detailed in issue #111 of the UK’s biggest independent Xbox mag.

From where this new game will be set, to the enemies that will be faced, how Kinect and SmartGlass might be involved and how to fix the multiplayer, we’ve delved deep into Halo once again to bring you all the latest info.

Also in X-ONE #111 we speak to BioWare about kicking off the big-budget RPGs of the generation with Dragon Age: Inquisition and ask Rocksteady why its Batman: Arkham Knight is only possible on next-gen systems.

We spent four hours playing Watch Dogs and bring you our 15 most enjoyable ways to cause havoc and mayhem on the streets of Chicago in Ubisoft’s incredible new sandbox game. We’ve also tracked down all 25 of the confirmed games for ID@Xbox and asked which of these Indie up and comers has what it takes to repeat the success of Minecraft?

X-ONE #111 is on sale now at all good newsagents and supermarkets. Alternatively you can have it delivered to your door by ordering a copy from our store. Great savings can be had if you subscribe to X-ONE (to save up to 30%) or by downloading X-ONE to your smartphone or tablet from Greatdigitalmags.com

-Sal

I just heard this, this morning when I got on the net. Marty O’Donnell, yes THAT Marty, was fired from Bungie! I’m just absolutely STUNNED by this. As most of you know he composed the music for all of the Halo games before Halo 4, except Halo Wars.

Here’s Marty’s tweet about it:

Bungie’s Deej had this to say on Bungie’s official site:

343 better hire him. It would be a monumental mistake for them not to. I mean really, who wouldn’t want to see him back holding the reigns of the Halo music again?

Even if Marty doesn’t come back to Halo, we Halo fans need to support him. Without him, Halo would not have had the epic musical score that it had (pre-Halo 4).

If you’ve got a twitter account, use the hashtag #Standbymarty Let’s get that trending folks!!!

More on this as I can find out. Stay Tuned!

-Sal

I found out that Cortana will indeed be available for Windows in your car. The following is an excerpt from slash gear.com.—

Quietly demonstrated at Build 2014 this past week, in concept form at least, Windows in the Car pares back the standard Windows Phone interface to suit center console touchscreens and safer use while on the move thanks to features like Cortana.

Microsoft’s new Cortana virtual personal assistant is also name-checked, potentially tagging along as an intelligent co-pilot of sorts. As we saw on Windows Phone 8.1, Cortana can locate nearby businesses and give navigation directions, as well as use geofencing to trigger reminders and alerts when you’re near a specific place, all features with applications in automotive.

Right now this is all still in the realms of demo-tech, and Microsoft isn’t saying when Windows in the Car might make it out of the labs and into your dashboard.

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HFFL: I hope this is affordable. I’d love to have Cortana for my vehicle and smart phone. Now imagine if this would also be integrated with existing HUDs for cars? We could potentially have an actual “hologram” of Cortana speaking to us….Yes, it’s a dream, but VERY possible. (Don’t judge me. LOL)

This is a reblog of an article posted today on totalxbox.com, written by Edwin Evans-Thirwell. As usual, my thoughts will be interjected in BLUE.

Xbox One veteran sought to work with “existing codebase”

Here’s your enigma for today: 343 Industries is in the market for a software development engineer to help “drive the future of Halo”, a process that involves work with “external partners”. Another hint, perhaps, that talk of a third-party developed Halo 2 Anniversary reboot is more than talk?

HFFL: Okay, once again rumors crop up about a Halo 2 Anniversary. I say get on with it. If we’re getting it this year, then let’s hear SOMETHING about it. Yes, E3 is coming, but it’s still a couple months off. As well, here we are again with yet another third-party to be involved with Halo. With respect to 343, can’t they design their own franchise? Why myst they always look outside of their own studio? Is it that the talent pool isn’t as good? Or that they don’t have enough people? Or that their taking on TOO much at one time? I think it’s likely a mix of all three with the latter of the three being the biggest contributing factor.

The right candidate will help 343 with “the challenging task of ensuring our external partners are able to turn world class games into industry movers”. He or she “will be able to support external partners using a mature pipeline, drive new techniques and algorithms, take a lead on performance tuning issues and bringing passion and new ideas to the table. They will also be approachable and able to work with closely with artists and designers to understand requirements and solve problems.”

HFFL: Hmm, so this doesn’t actually sound like it’s an external partner per say, but rather a go-between/liason of the studio with those external partners.

Applicants should have “recently shipped a AAA Xbox One title”, and will be expected to “get up to speed quickly on [an] existing codebase already in production”. This suggests – and I’m stretching here, no doubt – that 343’s mostly unrevealed Halo Xbox One will be the technological basis for any hypothetical parallel projects.

HFFL: Okay, really…how many XBOX One vets are there out there right now? And how many of them have actually shipped a AAA title? Seems like a pretty small pool to get applicants from. Looks like they’re trying to steal away another person from another studio. Not at all unheard of. However, this again points to the worries by some in the Halo community that the skill needed for designing for the XBOX One isn’t fully there yet at 343. That’s worrisome if there is supposed to be a new Halo game for the One this year.

Halo Anniversary co-developers Saber Interactive and Certain Affinity are tipped to be working on Halo 2 Anniversary by a number of sources. Microsoft has stated that these and other reports are “based solely on speculation”, which isn’t quite the same thing as saying that they’re false. “Other than confirming that your Halo journey on Xbox One begins in 2014, we have made no announcements related to specific titles,” adds the statement in question.

HFFL: Again with this cryptic crap…Again, please, as a fan and consumer, I’d really like to know if something is coming out this year. It WILL impact my budget and purchasing for the XBOX One. Keep lagging on and not giving us any info and well….my money may have to go somewhere else. I’m not saying a different console, just for other things in general. I’d like to know now, not 2 months or more down the road. I do not yet have an XBOX One, so that’s $535 (includes tax) for just the console, not to mention the game and if there is any limited/legendary edition as well. Some of us are not made of money, so we DO need a large enough buffer of time to be able to save up for these things. 

Halo 2 Anniversary rumours aside, he mention of external partners could also allude to a project at Vanguard, co-developer of the moderately well-received Halo: Spartan Assault. It could also refer to an externally developed DLC pack for Halo Xbox One, rather than a full game. Your guess is as good as mine, frankly.

HFFL: Well, while I’ve enjoyed Spartan Assault, I don’t think it warrants having a sequel. DLC pack? Um, have they looked at sales of Halo 4 DLC? AND the fact that many who bought Halo 4 DLC are still PO’ed that they can’t play that content on a regular basis? I sincerely hope it’s not either of these cases, but rather a NEW game.

343 is known to be working on at least one game that isn’t Halo Xbox One or the forthcoming Halo TV series. We’ll hear more at E3, hopefully.

HFFL: Yes, I sincerely hope so. And it MUST be not just good, not just great, but OVER THE TOP AWESOME. Anything less is really going to be deflating to the Halo community, well, at least to THIS Halo fan…

-Sal

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