XBOX ONE VOICE SEARCH WILL BE CORTANA
Early September 2013, rumors started that Microsoft were working on something 'behind the scenes' rather special for Halo fans, introducing our beloved AI Cortana as a siri-like voice search program. Well the rumors look to have been confirmed. According to Gamespot a Microsoft insider recently blogged that this was infact true, stating that the voice actor will be none other than Jen Taylor herself!
The Cortana program beta looks set for release first arriving in the U.S on Lumia devices this April, before coming to Microsoft's Bing app on IOS. Then Microsoft look to roll out such features on the Xbox One in 2015, again first in the U.S then late 15 -2016 on English speaking markets.
The Cortana program technology is reported to allow it's users to ask questions and see real-time results. For example, players could ask, "What friends are online?" as to which their friends list would appear, making communicating with your devices much easier. The possibilities really are endless with such programs.
But what questions would you like to ask your very own AI Cortana program? And what features would you like to see? as always share your thoughts! info@YouKnowYoureASpartan.com
NEW 343I ART DIRECTOR & NEW HALO 5 CONCEPT ART REVEALED
In a recent post on HaloWaypoint.com 343 Industries Josh Holmes spoke about the recent changes over at 343i's HQ, founding member Kenneth Scott recently moved states to California due to family commitments, sadly this meant Scott has stepped down from his position as Art Director at the studio, but will continue to contribute in his new role as Visual Design Consultant.
With this move, Josh was pleased to introduce the man who would 'fill his (Kenneth Scott's) shoes' and announced that Nicolas “Sparth” Bouvier is taking over for Kenneth as the new Art Director at 343 Industries.
Kenneth had this to say about his move -
It was hard to make this decision. This team has been my family for half a decade and I love them dearly. Helping build this studio and team is easily the highlight of my career. It's heartbreaking.
BUT!
I'm excited to hand the big pants to one of my dearest friends, Nicolas 'Sparth' Bouvier. Nicolas and I have worked together for the last eight years, and we've shared a brain for most of it. He was one of my first hires to 343, and not seeing him day-to-day will feel as weird as losing a limb. I have the utmost confidence in him and I know the future is sound in his mighty fingers.
AND!
We just can't get enough of each other, so I will continue to support 343 and this universe as a Visual Design Consultant from sunny Santa Monica.
In my underwear. :)
Those Skype meetings will get awkward...
- Kenneth
I was sad to hear about Scott's departure as 343i's Art Director, Although i fully understand his reasons for doing so, I wish Scott and his family all the best for all future endeavors.
Josh Holmes didn't want to leave his post on a negative note (and neither do i!) so as treat we got a slice of juicy Halo goodness, with Holmes revealing brand new Halo concept art.
''In closing, I will leave you with this image from Sparth – an early exploration of a new location that features prominently in a little game project we’re tinkering with….
/Josh
A sneaky little sentence closed that post from Josh Holmes, but started many conversations amongst the Halo community as people took to the internet to discuss the new art.
Anything you've seen that had got you thinking? Be sure to email us with your comments! I love to hear from you! info@YouKnowYoureASpartan.com
NEW XBOX ONE HALO TITLE CONFIRMED FOR 2014
Microsoft say that the next Halo game, which may or may not be Halo 5, will be out this year on Xbox One.
Xbox Wire recently mentioned some Xbox One 2014 titles, whilst Halo on Xbox One was not listed due to the official name of the next Halo title not yet announced, Senior PR Manager for the Halo franchise Rob Semsey later tweeted - "Rest assured your next Halo journey WILL begin in 2014 #staycalm".
The information about upcoming games was released in an Xbox blog post in which Microsoft went into detail stating that over 3 million units of the Xbox One sold in 2013 alone.
While Rob Semsey did confirm that the Halo journey continues this year he didn't disclose any details on whether the next Halo game will be a spin-off story or Halo 5 itself. This has since caused plenty of healthy speculation on both Twitter and Facebook.
So what are your thoughts?
Share them with us! - Info@YouKnowYoureASpartan.com
MEET DANIEL HOOVER, HALO ACHIEVEMENT CONQUEROR.
Introducing Daniel Hoover, a Halo gamer who has achieved every single achievement in every Halo game. Daniel known as Hoovaloov on Xbox Live, has battled through Halo 2 PC, right onto Halo: Spartan Assault, grabbing every achievement along the way. But what started all of this? Which of those achievements proved to be most tricky? Or even most memorable? find out as Daniel discusses his great journey with 343 Industries community manager, bs angel.
