Microsoft is bringing more to the Xbox 360 than simply a new way to play games; you might be seeing a significant upgrade to the console's graphics thanks to a couple of new initiatives.

Project Natal, which will launch at some point next year, is set to bring a new way to play video games. Microsoft's Shane Kim has already stated that the controller-less peripheral will receive a launch as big as the Xbox 360, but Gamezine understands that the company will be providing even more momentum.

You may not know it, but Microsoft shipped a new Xbox 360 development kit to studios earlier in the year. One striking difference was the inclusion of one-gigabytes of RAM. No, this does not mean that Microsoft will be releasing a new Xbox 360 with more memory; the new kit instead makes development a little easier.

Like the PlayStation 3 1GB development kits, the extra memory can be used to properly test your game. This was a problem for Xbox 360 developers before now, since extra memory from the 512MB pool would have to be put aside to test their game engine. Developers could of course disable these test features in order to use this spare memory, but that would mean that they wouldn't easily be able to test their game.

Therefore, a certain amount of memory would be sacrificed for their retail Xbox 360 game; this could amount to anything from 20MB's to as much as 100MB's. However, with the new Xbox 360 kit, this is no longer problem, giving that memory back to developers for the first time since the Xbox 360's launch in 2005.

So that's Microsoft's first initiative. Something else might have surprised developers when they received their new Xbox 360 development kit; a new set of tools, or more accurately a new engine. According to our insider source, Microsoft has been on working a new internal Xbox 360 engine, which has been nick-named the X-Engine.

You see, the most common engine used for Xbox 360 development was Epic's Unreal Engine 3. It might look great in Gears of War, but the engine does not shine in every developer's hands and it also doesn't have key features to take true advantage of the Xbox 360 quirks.

Our source explains that Sony's PlayStation 3 tools (named Edge) have been picking up steam, and are now taking true advantage of the platform's make-up, especially the consoles CPU, Kutaragi-san's infamous Cell. As for the Xbox 360, it was lacking an engine that took advantage of it in the same way; a hole Microsoft hopes to plug with their new X-Engine. We're told that the engine isn't just a new set of special effects; it's actually a whole new way to develop for the system: a new first party engine design.

We'll bring you more on Microsoft's X-Engine by the end of the week, but hopefully you can see the significance. Microsoft is hoping to give a boost to its games with extra memory, a new first party engine that takes direct advantage of the console's quirks, and a new way to play with Project Natal. So no there won't be a new Xbox 360 in 2010. Instead the current Xbox 360 will be getting a re-birth that'll hopefully fuel the platform to survive until 2015.

http://www.gamezine.co.uk/news/formats/xbox360/xbox-secrets-the-truth-about-xbox-360-relaunch--$1305320.htm

Hang on, what?

explain this, using your own words. I am not completely convinced that you understand what a test of a game involves. Your lack of knowledge about this explains why you have been so easily duped by the author of this article.

Lol I just posted a story that is making it rounds that is all. Could it be that the rumours that were going around from IGN talking about a new 360 with more memory be mixing up with these new Dev kits that were sent out(ms did anounce this back.....whats the name of that show that happend in feb).

The new engine sounds interesting. I know a lot of people have complained that the Unreal 3 engine has been holding the 360 back, so it will be good if it can push the limits even further.

i still hope Xbox 3 will be released in Nov 2011 but that seems very very unlikely now with Natal, and with all 3 console makers wanting to extend this generation's life so much.

Luckily the X360 and PS3 were extremely powerful consoles when they launched, so in the end this gen will be still be the strongest compared to PCs.

intereseting... I look forward to what this can do

Not possible, remeber, the 360 is "maxed out"

The stuff about the memory is 100% true. For development before 2009, you had to allocate a portion of the 360s 480MB of available ram (10MB for frame buffer & 32MB for the guide).

Halo 3 for instance only used 335MB for the game and would probably explain why Forza 3 is such a leap over Forza 2 and bodes well for future games.

As for the engine stuff, i'm dubious, sure they could be making their own killer engine (they do regardless for a number of titles) but for the most part, Unreal Engine 3, Tech4, Framework 1 & 2, plus pretty serious hintage that CryEngine 3 & Tech5 will perform better on 360 makes the need for it redundant and these have proven to excel as well as and above and beyond anything the PS3 has shown thus far and they're far cheaper to license.

Interested to hear more about the new tools MS has given the developers with the new kits.

@scottie, what is your problem with the article?

lol @ raz. Stop bein such a fanboy..this article is good because it talks about the positives for the 360 and while mentioning the PS3, isn't attacking it. You've probably never made a single post on here without attacking the PS3. Grow up.

The 360 will never EVER excel 'above and beyond anything the PS3 has shown.' It wouldn't kill you to be unbiased for the 3 minutes it takes you to make a post every now and then.