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Microsoft Studios Vancouver has been rebranded as Black Tusk Studios, and the team is tasked with creating Microsoft's "next big entertainment franchise," or as the layman says it, "the next Halo."

Black Tusk has 55 employees and looks to double that number within a year; those already there have an average of 12 years experience building AAA games. This includes studio manager and former EA man, Mike Crump.

"We are working on Microsoft's next big entertainment franchise," Crump tells The Vancouver Sun. "We're not working on an existing franchise; we're looking to build the next Halo here in Vancouver, for example, which is really exciting. We are building something from the ground up."

Microsoft laid off a small number of people in Vancouver earlier this year, but said it remains invested in the British Columbia games industry. If it's pouring enough money to build another Halo franchise into Black Tusk, we'd say Microsoft is heavily invested, indeed.

Garry's Mod, the physics sandbox game made in Valve's Source engine, is coming to the Kinect SDK for PC from creator Garry Newman. Newman is aiming to launch Garry's Mod for Kinect on Thursday, December 6.

Newman has shown off a few ways Garry's Mod can use Kinect, with full-body character control and realistic world-reactions - and yes, it will be accessible in multiplayer mode. "You can join a server and take control of a ragdoll," Newman writes in the description for the below video. "Your friend can join and take control of one and you can dance together." Because that's what friends do.

Potential motion controllers will need a Kinect and Kinect for Windows Runtime v1.6. There is no Mac version ("Sorry, Mac guys," Newman writes).

Check out all the wacky wanderings you can get up to with Garry's Mod for the Kinect SDK in Newman's introductory post and today's follow-up, and watch his second Kinect demo video after the break.

Kinect Sesame Street TV and Kinect Nat Geo TV, the interactive "2-way TV experiences" for Microsoft's Kinect, are both getting a new season of content starting on January 7. Both the Sesame Street and National Geographic packages will receive eight new downloadable episodes, available either as a bundle for 2400 MS Points ($30) or individually for 400 MS Points ($5) each.

If you need a refresher on what exactly Kinect Sesame Street TV and Kinect Nat Geo TV are, check out the video above.

Xbox owners somehow eeking out a meager existence without an Xbox Live Gold account will be given a peek at how the other side lives this weekend, when Gold features are opened up to everyone for a limited time.

The promotion runs from now through Sunday and includes access to services such as online multiplayer, Internet Explorer and the like. Apps that require outside subscriptions, like Netflix and Hulu Plus, will still require their associated ancillary subscriptions to function, but will otherwise be accessible.

The promotion is available for Xbox owners in "Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States," according to Major Nelson. Sorry, Europe.

#pc Garry's Mod has added support for Kinect. The popular PC machinima/screwing around tool will be able to read your movements on Microsoft's camera and, to the best of its ability, recreate the actions in the game. More »

Amazon has a handful of fresh Lightning Deals scheduled for today, including a deal that nets you Halo 4 along with a $20 Amazon gift card and $10 in Amazon Instant Watch credit. The earlier set of sales also features Prototype 2 and the Xbox 360 4 GB holiday bundle.

Check out today's sales schedule after the break, as compiled by Thrifty Nerd.

Remember when we said Amazon would have a bunch of awesome lightning deals on Black Friday? Turns out that starts now, making this an action-packed Turkey Day in the states.

Some highlights throughout the day include Sims 3 Plus Supernatural at 9:10 a.m. PST, Darksiders 2 at 1:10 p.m. PST, Borderlands 2 and Madden 13 at 5:10 p.m. EST, Lego Batman and Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes at 9:10 p.m. PST and Xbox 360 4GB with Kinect and 250GB holiday bundles at 9:15 p.m. PST.

Check out the complete schedule below, as compiled by Thrifty Nerd, and start planning how you're going to sneak away from the family (and the pumpkin pie).

Microsoft is developing a set-top box that provides access to its entertainment features, made as a low-cost alternative to its full console, The Verge reports, citing anonymous sources.

The device, dubbed "Xbox TV," supports "casual" games and runs on Windows 8, with an "always-on" chipset that allows for quick boot-up and resumption of programs, the report says. Xbox TV would be part of a broader attempt to scale its products, making them available on a range of devices, such as Microsoft Surface, SmartGlass (for iOS pictured above) and smartphones. It is expected to be revealed before the holidays next year, The Verge says.

Microsoft provides the following statement regarding any future set-top box plans: "Xbox 360 has found new ways to extend the console lifecycle by introducing controller-free experiences with Kinect and re-inventing the console with a new dashboard and new entertainment content partnerships. We are always thinking about what is next for our platform and how to continue to defy the lifecycle convention."

That's certainly not a "No, we'd never do that" kind of statement.

Previously Xbox Live was a good place to see some of ESPN's more fringe live content, like log racing, plastic cup stacking and the occasional tennis match. Today all live ESPN content is streaming through your Xbox 360, including Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Baseball and more top draws from ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, Buzzer Beater and Goal Line - granted only if you're an Xbox Live Gold subscriber, that is.

The updated app on Xbox 360 still features all of the familiar Kinect gesture and voice commands required by Microsoft law, and lets users stream multiple events in split-screen format, set reminders for big games and track their favorite sports through a customizable menu. Next month, SmartGlass functionality will also be added to the app.

You can download the improved app right now, simply by booting up the old app or heading to the appropriate section of your Xbox 360 dashboard.

"Gangnam Style" is racing to Dance Central 3 just in time for people to still enjoy "Gangnam Style." The unlikely hit by PSY will be playable as downloadable content starting November 27.

Before that, Usher would like to introduce two of his new songs coming to the game tomorrow. "Euphoria" and "Twisted" both feature moves from Usher's own choreographer - moves that you can see for yourself in the video above. Each song costs 240 Microsoft Points on its own; the Usher songs will also be sold as a 400 point bundle.

Xbox World will stop revolving come December, but it plans on going out with a bang. Specifically, the UK publication's second-to-last issue claims to have all the inside deets on Microsoft's next console.

The new console's name, for instance, will be simply "Xbox," with no numerical modifiers to speak of, according to the magazine. It'll supposedly ship with a quad-core processor and eight gigs of ram, run Blu-Ray discs and will eventually support some form of head-mounted augmented reality device, in addition to a next-generation Kinect.

"Xbox World has been at the cutting edge of Durango coverage for over 12 months," Xbox World EIC Dan Dawkins told CVG. "Unless something really dramatic changes, everything we reveal in our penultimate issue will be revealed long before E3 in June."

Microsoft has posted its Black Friday (November 23) deals like a confetti bomb. Ok, let's break this down:

• Walmart has the glossy white 4GB Xbox 360 with Skylanders and a figurine for $150.
• Best Buy, Fred Meyer, Fry's and Newegg have 250GB Xbox 360 with Skyrim and Forza 4 Essentials for $200.
• Moms and Dads, Target, Amazon, Sams's Club, Meijer, Kmart and MS Stores have 4GB Xbox 360 with Kinect and Kinect Disneyland Adventures for $200.

Other retail-specific console rando deals can be found on Major Nelson's site. There's also discounts on first-party games across the bard, with Dance Central 3, Kinect Sports Ultimate and Fable: The Journey all priced $30; Forza Horizon drops the hammer to $40.

Finally, teh haloz. Grab Halo 4 at Target on November 23 or 24 and receive a $20 gift card. Grab the game from Amazon on November 22 or 23 and receive a $20 gift card, plus $10 in Amazon Instant Video Credit. Major Nelson also teases on Black Friday he'll tweet out more deals. We'll still be in a turkey coma around here.

Singer Beyonce has failed, once again, to get herself extricated from the impending lawsuit against her by developer Gate Five Studios. Gate Five claims Beyonce agreed to help make a video game called Superstar: Beyonce late last year, but then backed out of the deal, causing severe financial damage to the studio. Beyonce's lawyers attempted to get a summary judgment in April, claiming Gate Five hadn't pulled in the financing needed to make the game, but that attempt was denied.

Now the appeal of that judgment has failed. This doesn't mean Beyonce's lost the case, but it does mean that it'll likely go to trial, where a jury will have to determine if Beyonce was within her contract to leave the project, or if she somehow broke the agreement. The main issue seems to be that Beyonce required a certain amount of financing to stay on board, which she says the studio didn't get. Gate Five has suggested that there was an agreement to get the money Beyonce's contract required very soon, and that she knew that deal was all set to take place.

Beyonce, we're really happy for you, and we're going to let this finish and all, but Axel Rose had one of the best video game lawsuits of all time. One of the best video game lawsuits of all time!

Microsoft has filed a patent for a system that could potentially use a camera to determine whether you're breaking its content-viewing rules or not. US Patent Application 20120278904 describes the ability to use a Kinect-like camera-enabled device for "continuously monitoring a number of users at a display device during the performance of [some] content," which basically means the camera would watch the faces of anyone watching a display showing licensed content (like a movie or a game), and then track those faces to see if the viewers had appropriately licensed it.

The patent lists a number of options for determining the validity of the possible viewers, including counting their number (as in, making sure only three people were able to see a movie), or actually identifying specific users (to make sure Julie isn't watching a movie that Mark was only licensed to see). The patent itself doesn't specifically mention Kinect, but it does mention the idea of a "gaming and media system" as well as "mobile devices" with the same capability.

Obviously, such a system would have some weaknesses (could you use a picture or a sculpture to spoof the camera?), and the patent states at the end that this is just one possible implementation of a setup like this. But Microsoft is apparently thinking about using Kinect's ability to recognize you for more than just throwing around spells and playing games. In the future, that camera may be used to figure out whether you're following the rules or not.

#kinect A patent filed by Microsoft last year, but only made public last week, wants to turn your Xbox 360's Kinect into an instrument via which large companies can monitor your media usage and, if you're found to be in violation of something, charge you for it. More »

If you've ever been playing Forza Horizon and thought "Man, I wish I could look at a tablet to see the map instead of having to hit the pause button like some kind of cave man," Microsoft has solution for your oddly specific wish.

Available now on Windows 8 and other platforms "soon," the Forza Horizon "SmartGlass Experience" moves Horizon's map from the game's pause menu to the screen of a Windows 8 tablet. There, the map continues to perform all of the same duties as it does in-game, allowing the player to set GPS destinations, get information on events, etc.

Now, however, instead of having to pause the game to look at the map, all the player has to do is put down the controller and pick up a second device to perform the same functions. Whether they pause the game first, or go careening into the side of a mountain, is entirely up to them.

Lionel Messi looks absolutely delighted to be Amazon's video game deal of the day. His game, FIFA Soccer 13, is $39.99 on PS3 and Xbox 360 today, leading off a series of limited-time Gold Box deals.

Still upcoming today are discounts on Skyrim, Sleeping Dogs, Dead Island, and Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy. No, we don't think there's any unifying theme.

Let's get one thing out of the way right now: Within five minutes of playing NBA Baller Beats, a rhythm game played with an actual basketball, I sent the ball sailing through the air and square into a table lamp. The lamp is okay, and thankfully my wife wasn't around to see it.

I've never been great at sports. Between the pressure of supporting a team and a tendency to over-think just about everything, the moment-to-moment demand of most sports overwhelmed me as a child. That's subsided somewhat as I've gotten older, though even now the only things resembling sports in my life are running, cycling, disc golf and the (very) occasional match of tennis.

My point is that I'm no expert when it comes to sports, either in practice or theory. I couldn't tell you if NBA Baller Beats is a capable training tool for the discerning baller. I can, however, assure you that NBA Baller Beats is a lot of fun, and it just might help you learn a real-world skill.

We just met Dance Central 3 and this is crazy, but how about some DLC details, maybe? Harmonix tells us the downloadable content for the latest installment in its dance franchise will include Psy's international phenomenon, "Gangnam Style," and the inescapable "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen. The former was announced last week for Just Dance 4.

Other artists in the DLC pipeline include Justin Bieber, One Direction and LMFAO. Harmonix notes the tracks include the "authentic choreography," so don't worry about missing out on some saddle dancing during "Gangnam Style." Specific release dates will be announced "in the coming months."

Microsoft has revealed additional subsidized Xbox 360 options, for people who want to spend a month pretending they got a good deal. In addition to the 4GB system with Kinect for $99 (plus two years of Live at $14.99), Microsoft plans to add a 250GB system with an initial $99 payment and a 250GB/Kinect bundle at $149 to the deal.

It's currently unclear when these offers will be available: Microsoft says on the offer page that the new version of the "Entertainment for All Plan" (which is the marketing name for these "Secretly Expensive Consoles") is "coming soon."

The NBA's official app 'Game Time' comes to Xbox Live today, just in time for the 2012-2013 season tip-off on October 30. NBA League Pass Broadband subscribers with an Xbox Live Gold account will be able to livestream any regular season game.

Game Time will have a lot of the same functionality found in other Xbox 360 streaming apps like ESPN, UFC and MLB.TV. You'll be able to watch live games, highlights and replays in HD, set a specific favorite team to follow and monitor team schedules and stats all through the app. Game Time also features the ability to watch up to two games at once, or watch a live game and catch up on highlights in a split-screen view. In keeping with Microsoft's mandate on all new Xbox 360 apps, Game Time features Kinect-enabled voice and gesture controls.

Not the final final debate - just the last one before the 2012 election. Tonight is your final chance to enjoy some heated debate action on your Xbox 360, as President Barack Obama and candidate Mitt Romney will square off in their third debate starting at 9pm EDT - you're that much closer to your free Halo armor.

Before the debate, Xbox 360 users will be able to enjoy a concert put on by Rock the Vote, starting at 7pm EDT. The concert will feature artists Neon Trees and DJ Skee, both of which we're in-the-know about because we're not old fogies like your parents. Nope, we're totally hip.

Since its launch way back in 2005, the Xbox 360 has been purchased a grand total of 70 million times, according to IGN. This figure is up by nearly three million units since last April, when the global total rung up at 67.2 million.

Conceptualizing that many Xboxes is kind of hard to do, so let's put that figure into a ridiculous, arbitrary context. An olympic-sized swimming pool, for instance, holds about 424,935 Xboxes, assuming a pool volume of 88,528 cubic feet and Non-S model 360s. In order to hold all the Xboxes sold in the world so far, it would require 165 olympic-sized swimming pools, with that 165th pool having a tiny little bit of space left over for some controllers and a copy of Condemned: Criminal Origins.

To put it another way, if every Xbox sold in the world were put on one side of a giant scale, 2,156 blue whales would need to be placed on the other side for it to balance properly, assuming a median weight of 250,000 pounds per whale. That's kind of a lot of Xboxes, you guys.

Using Kinect on Xbox 360, Need for Speed: Most Wanted will try its best to keep you out of menus and in the open world constructed by Criterion Games when it launches on October 30.

In the video above, producer Chris Roberts shows off just some of the stuff you can yell at your television while racing away from authorities. The insta-modding is perhaps the most useful, allowing players to strengthen their car's chassis while being hounded by zealous coppers.

Ubisoft has named all twenty characters appearing in Avengers: Battle for Earth, the upcoming fighter for Kinect (and then Wii U). You'll be able to spin off some psy-force as the Phoenix, embodied by the X-Man Jean Grey, and take command of the Skrull queen Veranke, among others. It's not surprising to see a big "Secret Invasion" influence, given the game's initial trailer. See the full list after the break.

Avengers: Battle for Earth will have you and your friends jumping around and debating the correct time for clobberin' on November 9. If you want to see some of these heroes throwing down right away, there's a demo available for download in the meantime.

Today marks the rollout of the Fall 2012 Xbox 360 dashboard update for non-beta participants - that's you guys! Regular ol' Xbox 360 users should discover a mandatory update sometime today.

Among the changes to the UI and the addition of Internet Explorer for Gold subscribers, this latest dashboard refresh adds tailored recommendations based on your gaming habits, the ability to pin individual items to the home screen and enhanced searching functionality. SmartGlass support should be coming later this month, once Windows 8 arrives on October 26.

Microsoft's Lionhead Studios, which most recently launched Fable: The Journey, has been hit with layoffs. Microsoft tells Develop that the downsizing represents less than 10 percent of Lionhead's head count and the publisher still intends to hire 100 people over the next year across its UK studios.

"Following the completion of Fable: The Journey, Lionhead Studios has begun work on its next projects," the statement to Develop notes. "As is common in the games industry, a smaller headcount is needed as projects kick-off and ramp up as full-production gets underway. At this time a small number of positions have been identified as at risk of redundancy and the affected employees were notified today."

Fable: The Journey and Fable: Heroes have been the latest from the studio Peter Molyneux founded, who left in March to create new studio 22 Cans.

Microsoft is preparing to update your Xbox 360's UI, but we thought it'd be good to give you a look-see at the Xbox 360 Fall 2012 dashboard update ahead of time - you know, let you get used to all the changes. And when the update drops to the public, you'll finally be able to read Joystiq on your Xbox 360, which we're well aware has been something you've wanted for a long time. For, like, maybe six years. Enjoy!

There's no dearth of hardcore simulation racing games out there. They cater to die-hard, petrol-drinking motorsport enthusiasts, but what about that other, less intense breed of car enthusiast? Some may dream of being Rubens Barrichello, but many others want nothing more than an open road and a mid-engine anything.

Forza Horizon is a game for someone who knows the difference between a Lotus and a TVR, but may not know what PSI is most appropriate for slick tires on a sub-70 degree morning. It's a game for people who DVR Top Gear on BBC America, but not the Monte Carlo Grand Prix or Barret-Jackson auction coverage on Speed TV. In essence, Forza Horizon is a massive toy chest full of hyper-accurate hot wheels. Oh, and dubstep. There's a lot of dubstep.

Microsoft's jolly, festive (and other holiday words) price cut on Xbox 360 bundles in North America won't apply in the UK. When asked about upcoming price cuts by MCV, Microsoft denied any plans by way of just sending over a list of holiday Xbox bundles, none of which featured new discounts.

The bundles are similar to those being offered in North America in terms of content, including a £199 250GB "Holiday Value" bundle with Skyrim and Forza 4, a £299 250GB "Kinect Holiday" bundle with Kinect Adventures, Dance Central 2 and Kinect Sports, a £249 4GB "Kinect Holiday Value" bundle with Kinect Adventures and Kinect Disneyland , a £269 4GB Xbox with Kinect and Nike+ Kinect Training, a £269 320GB Halo 4 Limited Edition set, and a 4GB "White Gloss" console for £149.