Report: New lead designer, brander working on next Xbox

Don Coyner, lead designer and marketing man for the original Xbox and the Xbox 360, will not be in charge of the new Xbox design team, Cnet reports. Coyner will be replaced with Emma Williams, who helped launch the recent Xbox Live interface revamp, one of Cnet's sources says.

Coyner joined Microsoft from Nintendo in 1995, and became marketing director for the original Xbox in 1999. Coyner designed the user experience and branding for the Xbox 360, and his most recent title at Microsoft is General Manager of Design. Williams joined Microsoft in 2003 and is currently General Manager of Xbox Experiences, leading last week's Xbox Live interface update that introduced more social, content-specific hubs to the 360.

With the next Xbox rumored for release in 2013, the Live update could be a massive trial period for... (Continue Reading...)

'This is Aperture' music video channels The Nightmare Before Christmas


This past holiday, while we were busy sipping eggnog and chorusing the neighbors with classic holiday tunes, a group of dedicated Steam forum members were creating an incredible Christmas music album featuring Valve characters. "Goodbye Christmas Caroline" spawned more than an album, though, as one especially holiday spirit-filled member then crafted an entire music video around one particular track.

"This is Aperture" takes the characters we've come to know and love fear from the world of Aperture Science and recasts them as singers in a magnificently dorky rendition of The Nightmare Before Christmas' "This is Halloween." Take a look at the rather impressive re-creation above and then compare it against the original just after the break! Consider it a late holiday gift from... (Continue Reading...)


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