[image:9096 left hspace=5 vspace=5 border=0]Only slightly more than three years have passed since the Xbox brought Microsoft into the console wars, and the next generation, if rumors are to be believed, will be upon us by the 2005 holiday season. Ahh.. Xbox. A console of infinite games... assuming they're all made by Bungie.

Here's a look at recent items about upcoming consoles, as well as goings-on in the Bungieverse:

IGN is spreading a rumor that Bungie is already hard at work on Halo 3, and that it will be timed for simultaneous release with Sony's next-generation console, the PlayStation3, just to try and steal the wind out of Sony's sails. A nice idea, but not much other than unnamed sources to back it up. Thanks HBO. (Pass the sodium chloride. Also, do we now have to officially start calling the Xbox a 'this-generation console'? --Ed)

So here we go again, clearing out the fuel lines as I get ready to leave the site on autopilot for a few days. A few things of note recently:

Joystiq today points to supposed specs for the Xbox 2's GPU gleaned from neowin.net, and a debate over backwards compatibility (also discussed here once upon a time) ensues.

[image:9078 left hspace=5 vspace=5 border=0] SPOnG has posted the following image, which is supposed to be the first-ever photo of the logo for Microsoft's upcoming sequel to the Xbox gaming console. (I guess it isn't going to be called Xbox 360 after all, if this is legitimate --Ed.)

[image:9067 align=left hspace=5 vspace=5 border=0]One of the Bungie Webcams today is showing a pair of the old blue and red 3D glasses on top of what looks like a box for Super Marathon, a port of Bungie's Mac shooter to the ill-fated Bandai console, the Pippin@Home. The Marathon Story page has archived an old ad for the game from Cyberian Outpost.

Eurogamer had an article that hit their RSS feed that said, in part:

It's been known in industry circles for months, but the news is now finally starting to leak. You'll be able to buy the next generation Xbox in both America and Europe in 2005, say experts.

But as of this moment, the article appears to have been removed.

Halo Babies today comments on who we definitely don't want directing a Halo movie (if there is one). Thanks mrsmiley.

February 9 has now arrived, and unless you count the resumption of Bungie.net stats tracking, or the Top Story at Bungie.net about RSS and Halo.Defas.Org, then I think it's safe to say that nothing terribly exciting has happened yet, nor is it likely to.

There are those who said something would happen today. What are they to say now?

The Inquirer posits today that Microsoft might forgo any next-generation media formats in the Xbox 2 in favor of plain old DVD, to keep costs down. They also cite the "Xbox 360" name rumor. Thanks BDGamer.

The Master Chief has actually already made his Hollywood debut, appearing in theaters in the cinematic trailer that kicked off the I Love Bees phenomenon. But now it appears as if the long-time question, "wouldn't a Halo movie be cool" might soon end up having a real, definitive answer.

Greetings from Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, a place that has very nearly nothing to do with the following things which happened in the Bungieverse and the Xbox markets while I've been out here futzing around:

Again more news that deserves the personalized touch, but instead is going to get buried in the mass grave that is a news roundup. Pass the lye...

Xbox365 repeats the rumor that the Xbox Next will be out this fall.