A recently-published Microsoft patent suggests that the company may be working on a helmet and a pair of projector glasses that could be used for Xbox gaming or for augmented reality apps on smartphones and other gadgets.

The partially-transparent glasses would project a virtual image that would appear to be about 21" diagonal, and could be viewed either on its own or overlayed on the wearer's actual surroundings. With one projector in each eye, the device would also be able to handle stereoscopic 3D projection.

The patent for the glasses and helmet was filed in 2010, but Microsoft hasn't made any announcements yet. It's not clear how far along they might be in comparison to Sony and Google's similar projects.

[wired]

Microsoft researchers are working on "universal translator" software that can translate a person's voice into several other languages without losing the speaker's pitch and intonation.

The software was demonstrated by Microsoft Research's Frank Soong at last week's Microsoft TechFest, held on the company's Redmond campus. In a live test, it was able to translate English sentences spoken by Microsoft Research chief Rick Rashid into Spanish, Italian and Mandarin while maintaining the distinctive sound of Rashid's voice.

The software works by going through a training period where the speaker sounds out the various phonemes of a foreign language, and the app plugs them in instead of its default sounds. Training the software takes about an hour, and it works with any of the 26 languages supported by Microsoft's Speech Platform.

Although the results aren't quite up to Star Trek standards yet, they're certainly good enough to make yourself understood. If Soong's software is refined and released on Windows Phone, it could become a killer app for travelers.

Take a listen to the demo at Technology Review.

[dvice]

Microsoft's next-generation Xbox console will launch in 2013 may not have a disc drive, according to an exclusive report from gaming news site MCVUK.

According to MCV's source, Microsoft has briefed its partners on the disc-less console under an extremely strict NDA.

Word is that discs will be replaced with some form of interchangeable solid state storage -- either a proprietary Microsoft drive or an existing format like SD -- and that all games will be sold digitally, doing away with hard copies.

MCV says the new system could be announced as soon as this June, at E3 2012.

However, the rumors don't square with what Kotaku has heard, which is that the new Xbox will upgrade its format to Blu-ray discs.

When asked for a comment, Microsoft responded, "We are always thinking about what is next for our platform and how to continue to defy the lifecycle convention. Beyond that we do not comment on rumors or speculation."

[kotaku]

Game industry legend Peter Molyneux, creator of Populous, Syndicate, Black & White and the Fable series, among others, has announced that he will leave Lionhead Studios and Microsoft to start a new indie venture called 22 Cans.

Molyneux has been with Microsoft since the company acquired his Fable studio, Lionhead, in 2006. He has been creative director of Microsoft Studios Europe since 2009. He plans to stay with Microsoft as a creative consultant until Fable: The Journey for Xbox 360 Kinect is finished.

As for his next step, Molyneux hasn't announced any details about 22 Cans or its projects.

[ars]