As you are probably aware today is the day that Microsoft will reveal more about its next-generation console. Besides catching the press conference live stream on Spike TV and Xbox Live, just about every major website will be live blogging the event in an hour or so. You can watch it at Xbox.com beginning at 1p ET/10a PT/17:00 GMT.

If you miss the press conference, Microsoft's Larry Hryb (Major Nelson) will be running a recap show of the event on Twitch.

At about this time last year adult video streaming and rental outfit SugarDVD announced that it would bring its services to the PlayStation 3. Since that time the service has been added to every imaginable device on the planet either through a custom app or simply via a device's version of a web browser. SugarDVD is available (or at least accessible) on PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, Ouya, iPad, Android, ROKU, BOXEE, and Google TV.

The Verge is reporting that Microsoft may kill off its point system used on its Xbox Live Marketplace. Citing sources "familiar with Microsoft's Xbox plans," The Verge says that Microsoft will replace the MS Points system with a gift card system for retail and will support straight transactions of money using credit and debit cards. The gift cards will be similar to what Apple offers for iTunes - in other words they will have a real cash value.

Select Twitch.tv content is now available via Xbox 360 thanks to the release of a new app. While Xbox Live Gold members won't be able to use the service to broadcast their gameplay exploits with the new app, they will be able to watch content from the top 300 live Twitch channels. For now the app is only available to Xbox Live Gold members in the United States.

Last week we asked you to guess what Microsoft might name its next console. From five choices, a clear majority of you took the "joke" option, saying that the Next Xbox console would be called "Xbox Steve." Some of you may have thought this option referred to Microsoft's Steve Ballmer, or perhaps you thought it was an homage to the Minecraft character of the same name. Whatever the reason, 40 percent of the votes (169 votes) decided that "Xbox Steve" was the best choice.

In Episode 51 hosts Andrew Eisen and E. Zachary Knight talk about the possible name of the next Xbox console from Microsoft, two studies about violent video games, Iron Man 3, the Diablo III gold duping exploit introduced in the last update to the game, and some other equally delightful topics related to video games. Download Episode 51 now: SuperPAC Episode 51 (1 hour, 15 minutes) 68.7 MB.

A source speaking to The Wall Street Journal today tells the publication that Microsoft's long-rumored "Xbox TV" set-top streaming device is struggling, with Microsoft not sure how or if it will move forward with the device.

The unnamed sources claims that the device has gone through several redesigns - including a recent design that integrated the Kinect - but Microsoft is not satisfied with it.

An internal Microsoft memo offers some good news for those worried about the next Xbox system (which they call Durango in the memo) requiring a constant connection in order to use. According to that internal Microsoft e-mail (as reported by Ars Technica) the next Xbox has been designed in a way that recognizes the delicate nature of today's Internet connections.

During its Q3 earnings report, Microsoft announced that Xbox live subscriptions have reached 46 million worldwide - an 18 percent increase from last year - and that it has sold 1.3 million consoles over the past three months - down nine percent from the same period a year ago. Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division revenues rose 56 percent to $253 million despite the drop in console sales.

Microsoft has announced a new incentive for Japan that will kick into high gear on April 20th. Xbox 360 owners in the region will get free Microsoft Points based on the collective amount of time that participants in the campaign use the console in Japan. To get those free points Japanese Xbox 360 players will hit the milestone of playing for 300,000 hours using the Xbox 360 to get 100 ($1.25) Microsoft Points for Xbox Live Gold subscribers and 10 Points for free members.

It's that silly season (the time between major events like the Game Developers Conference and the Electronic Entertainment Expo) where rumors fly fast and furious about what the biggest companies in the industry have planned. So with that in mind, there's a new rumor that says that the "always online" requirement we have been hearing about for the new Xbox console is actually for the Xbox Mini device. Rumors about the device first surfaced in March of last year.

The Microsoft employee whose glib response (in a series of tweets to a developer friend) to the rumor that the company's next-generation console might require users to be connected to the Internet all the time has lost his job, according to Game Informer.

Despite almost everyone agreeing that an always-on console is a phenomenally bad idea, rumors continue to persist that Microsoft's next console will require an internet connection to start disc-based games.

Okay, fine.  Let's say the big M goes in that direction.  How do you think such a move will affect the sales of its new console?

According to this Bloomberg report citing an anonymous source close to the "situation," the next Xbox (which is codenamed "Durango" or is currently being called the Xbox 720) will not be backwards compatible with current generation Xbox 360 discs. Other rumors have indicated that the system will be pretty expensive - reaching the price point of close to $500 for the premium model of the system, though a cheaper model will also be available.

Microsoft announced that it plans to sell its ITPV business called Mediaroom to Ericsson. Microsoft said that the divesture of this company will put "100 percent of the company's focus on its TV consumer strategy for Xbox. The sale is still subject to regulatory approval, but it is likely to be finalized during the second half of 2013.

An interesting story via the Huffington Post (based on this CBC report) details sexual predators in the United States using online games and consoles to talk to children in Canada. This particular report focuses on Winnipeg, but it's not far-fetched to imagine that if it's happening in one province, it's happening to some degree in other provinces as well.

While Microsoft's heart is probably in the right place (as much as any corporation's 'heart' can be) its new Xbox Live Reward scheme asks you to spend big on Xbox Live for some small rewards. Microsoft has been fiddling around with its rewards program for quite some time but the biggest complaint is that the rewards are nickel and dime.

At least its latest rewards scheme for Xbox Live users ups the reward amounts - even if ever so slightly.

A mother in Toronto (Ontario, Canada) blames lax security at Microsoft after her 11-year-old son's Xbox Live account was hacked for $300 in fraudulent charges for in-game content. Jennifer Stubbs of Toronto said an unknown hacker charged the FIFA 13 Ultimate in-game buys to her credit card.

"I wasn't aware that these purchases were happening," she told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. "Someone had gone into our device remotely."

Microsoft's Major Nelson points out that a number of entertainment apps and options will be deployed on Xbox Live this week.

I don't own an Xbox 360.

It's not because I'm a raving Nintendo fanboy (I am), it's because I trust the hardware about as far as I can throw it.

Wait, I'm pretty strong.  I bet I could chuck one of those suckers a fair distance.

I don't trust Microsoft's current gen console to turn on when I hit the power button.

Why?

On Friday the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) finally and formally dismissed a case brought forward by Google's Motorola Mobility unit that alleged that Microsoft's Xbox 360 violated a handful of its patents. ITC Judge David Shaw issued the ruling on Friday, dismissing the last of the five patent disputes. The verdict is still subject to a review by the ITC, and Google retains the right to appeal the decision if it so chooses.

Microsoft, who is not all that good at adding free-to-play games to its Xbox Live service for Xbox 360 (there are only a couple at this point), is probably happy that it allowed the free-to-play and kid-friendly MOBA game Happy Wars to launch on the platform in October of last year. As of today the game has been downloaded over 2 million times, according to maker Toylogic. While the game is completely free to download and play, players can purchase "Happy tickets" with real money to upgrade equipment and buy vanity items.

Microsoft announced that it sold 281,000 Xbox 360 units in January in the United States, up from the 270,000 units it sold in the same period a year ago. The company claims that these sales represented $338 million in total retail spending during the month. This is the 25th straight month where the Xbox 360 has been the top-selling console in the U.S.

Consumers in the United States spent a total of $338 million on Xbox 360 consoles and accessories during the month, Microsoft said. The Xbox 360 represents 44 percent of the video game market currently.

Microsoft announced that worldwide sales of its Kinect motion sensing peripheral have hit 24 million, matching sales of the original Xbox system and outpacing the 21.7 million GameCube's sold by Nintendo. The company also said that it has sold 76 million Xbox 360 systems worldwide to-date.

This week hosts Andrew Eisen and E. Zachary Knight talk about fresh Xbox 720 rumors, new game bills in America, the releases cycle of the Ouya, and last week's GamePolitics Poll. All this and more awaits in Episode 40. Download it now: SuperPAC Episode 40 (1 hour) 55.5 MB.

Microsoft's next Xbox system will use Blu-Ray and will require users to be always connected to Xbox Live, according to an Edge report citing sources with "first-hand experience."

The new raft of rumors are an echo of an older rumor post by VG247 back in April 2012 - also citing anonymous sources close to the company.

According to research by analyst firm FADE, Xbox Live Arcade set a record for annual revenues in 2012. In 2012 Xbox Live Arcade made $290 million according to the firm. The driving force behind these revenues were three games: Minecraft, Trials Evolution, and The Walking Dead.

The biggest title of all was Minecraft, bringing in an estimated $97.38 million, followed by Trials Evolution at $14.29 million, and The Walking Dead at $10.27 million. Even the lowest game on the top ten list of best selling games managed to rake in nearly $2.8 million.

Earlier this week we reported that the Chinese government was considering lifting a 13-year ban on game consoles in the country. While there's plenty of black market devices and software for Chinese consumers, there's no way to legally buy a PS3, Xbox 360, or Nintendo device in the country. The story from a few days ago was based on a China Daily report that quoted an anonymous source inside the Ministry of Culture.

Citing a government source, the 13-year-old ban of consoles in China may be coming to an end. According to sources cites by China Daily the seven Chinese government ministries that banned the sale of consoles in the country in 2000 are opening up discussions on allowing them to be sold to Chinese citizens.

Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division raked in $3.8 billion in revenue during the last three months of 2012, the company announced today. That number represented an 11 percent decline compared to the same period a year ago. The division is responsible for Windows Phone, Xbox and other devices. While revenues were down, so were marketing cost which made it easy for the Entertainment and Devices division to record a pre-tax profit of $596 million - a 15 percent increase over the same period a year ago.