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Week of February 18, 2007
Five Developers Microsoft Must Buy... Before EA Does
>> From teamxbox.com:
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Ensemble Studios. FASA Interactive. Bungie. Rare. LionHead. One thing that console manufacturers are forced to do is acquire independent game developers that will create the first-party titles every console needs at launch and throughout its lifespan.
Although a console can't succeed without third party support, first and second party titles are the games that truly differentiate a console from its competitors.
That's why the continuous acquisition of independent developers is crucial to a console success. The following are the five independent developers I believe Microsoft should buy before some other big publisher like EA or Activision acquires them.
#5 - Real Time Worlds
#4 - Gearbox Software
#3 - Crytek
#2 - Valve Software
#1 - Epic Games
Runner Ups: Starbreeze , id Software, Bizarre Creations, Nerve Software, From Software.
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Full Story: teamxbox.com (6 pages)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XBMC: Hello Kitty XPR Theme by pceptimus
>> Today from Team Blackbolt.
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pceptimus from our official forums at Xbox-Scene has created a sweet 'Hello Kitty' theme. Obviously aimed at children, or those more effeminate amongst us, it's a great collection of clean art to be used within MC360. Head on over to the XBMC Live Place in the skins section or click the thumbnail below. You can also download this theme from MC360 via the XBMC Live Place blade.
You can talk about this release here on our Official Forums in the Customization Sub Forum.
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News source: Team Blackbolt.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
What's Wrong with Xbox Live Arcade?
>> From 1up.com:
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"The answer is: Nothing," Aaron Greenberg, Group Product Manager for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live told 1UP. Yet, Xbox Live Arcade's recent history doesn't support that. In addition to a spotty release schedule -- one Joystiq summed up "Ms. Pac-Man, Lumines add-on, nothing, Root Beer Tapper, Paperboy, nothing" -- two top executives (Greg Canessa and Ross Erickson) have left the group for PopCap and Sierra Games respectively. Furthermore, Sony's PlayStation Network continues to evolve -- Warhawk as a downloadable-only title won't be an anomaly on the PlayStation Network -- and Nintendo's Virtual Console is consistently prolific, releasing at least three titles a week.
That prolificacy hasn't existed even in Microsoft's ability to ship a title each week on Xbox Live Arcade. There have been multiple weeks where there's been either nothing, or a content pack for an existing game. "We hear the feedback, I can assure you that these last few weeks of Xbox Live Arcade releases was not the way we planned it," Greenberg said. While upcoming titles like Boom Boom Rocket show promise, where's the sequel to Geometry Wars? "No new Geometry Wars at GDC," Greenberg told 1UP. There will be a stable of Xbox Live Arcade games on display at GDC, some never-before-seen titles and some surprises. March, Greenberg promised would be a bit of a redemption for the platform: "March looks very strong from a release standpoint. Expect a storm of new releases, we are going to deliver and make up for February," Greenberg said. Does that mean that there will be more than one title per week? "I cannot comment on that."
Sony's premium studios are allegedly working on PlayStation Network titles. It's been speculated that the Ico team -- the team responsible for Shadow of the Colossus is working on a PlayStation Network title, with David Jaffe's Calling All Cars serving as another example. What about Microsoft Game Studios involvement in Xbox Live Arcade? "You're seeing a lot of major publishers getting involved in this market," Greenberg said, citing EA's recent Wing Commander Arena and Boom Boom Rocket announcements. "At GDC we'll be sharing some first party stuff." But that doesn't mean that Microsoft's first party is going to shore the load of Xbox Live Arcade development, "The focus for first party remains making products for retail," Greenberg said. "This isn't a major initiative from our first parties. First party will play a role there [in the XBLA space] but we're not going to lead the charge."
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"Some people just want quality over quantity," said Greenberg. "People have a minimum quality bar that they expect; we're increasingly adding that to more and more of these titles." That increased functionality includes co-op, HD support, achievements, new gametypes -- but that functionality also comes with a price. When there are holes that appear on the release calendar it's often because the games in question failed certification. Sometimes even the "back-up" games for a given week of release on Xbox Live Wednesdays fail certification: "[This week] We really did have multiple titles slip at the same time. That is not our plan going forward," Greenberg assured. "We are excited to bring Alien Hominid out next week; we are excited to make up for lost time."
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full Story..
News-Source: 1up.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Jury finds against Microsoft in $1.5B patent dispute with Alcatel-Lucent
>> From Sandiego Union Tribune:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft Corp. must pay $1.5 billion in damages to telecommunications equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent SA for violating two patents related to digital music, a federal jury ruled Thursday.
The Redmond, Wash.-based software company said the patents in question govern the conversion of audio into the digital MP3 file format on personal computers.
In 2003, Lucent Technologies Inc., which last year was acquired by Alcatel, filed 15 patent claims against Gateway Inc. and Dell Inc. In April 2003, Microsoft added itself to the list of defendants, saying the patents were closely tied to its Windows operating system. The PC makers are still defendants.
Microsoft said a judge threw out two of the 2003 patent claims, and scheduled six separate trials to consider the remaining disputes. The case that was just decided went to trial in San Diego on Jan. 29.
"We think this verdict is completely unsupported by the law or the facts," said Tom Burt, a Microsoft deputy general counsel.
Microsoft disputed that Paris-based Alcatel-Lucent's patents govern its MP3 encoding and decoding tools, and said it licenses the MP3 software used by its Windows Media Player from Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, a German company.
"We believe that we properly licensed MP3 technology from its industry recognized licenser - Fraunhofer. The damages award seems particularly outrageous when you consider we paid Fraunhofer only $16 million to license this technology."
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Fully Story..
News-Source: Sandiego Union Tribune
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xeon360 Rolls Out The Diamondback Series
>> From Xbox-Central.
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Remember the crystal Xbox that the whole Xbox gaming world was so in love with? Remember how you used to spend hours on end, fixing lights and neons to shine through the textured matted surfaces for that glowy effect in the living room? We're announcing that it's back! Only right now, with a different name - Xenon360 Diamondback. Packed with crystal faceplates and side armours, this baby is sure to take your breath away with its sheer elegance and presence that will adorn your living rooms like a work of art. Click on the picture below to see more hi-res pix on our Flickr.com picturehouse. Enjoy! (To be released for pre-order soon!)
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More images here.
News source: Xbox-Central.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft Casual Games Launches New Developer Website
>> From Gamerscore Blog.
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The first of two bits of coolness to report from the Microsoft Casual Games office today: if you've ever thought about developing a casual game for MSN Games, Windows Live Messenger, or Xbox Live Arcade (yes, there should probably be a whole bunch of little trademark and copyright notices in there, but I'm too lazy to figure out where they all go, so please just pretend), we now have a website specifically for you: http://www.microsoftcasualgames.com/
To start, we've posted a few handy resource documents, a list of upcoming developer events, fact sheets for our platforms, and more. We'll be updating the site periodically, so if there's anything that you as a developer think would be particuarly useful to find there, please let us know!
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News source: Gamerscore Blog.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Will Google Take On Xbox Live?
>> From redherring.com:
[QUOTE]
Google's $23 million deal to acquire Adscape--first reported by Red Herring last week--gives the search giant a patent that could mean trouble for Microsoft's Xbox Live online gaming service.
Ownership of Adscape gives Google access to a patent portfolio that could position the company well in a battle against Microsoft to deliver advertisements in video games. Redmond became the king of in-game ads after buying New York-based Massive in 2006 for an estimated $200 to $400 million .
The most interesting patent, however, could create some headaches for Microsoft's Xbox Live effort to fuse console gaming with online gameplay. Google's new intellectual property includes a patent granted to San Francisco-based Adscape--then called BiDamic--in 2005 for a "system and method for interactive on-line gaming."
"You get a patent that could cause Microsoft some trouble," said Allonn Levy, intellectual property attorney, Hopkins & Carley in San Jose. "It certainly does sound like Google is looking at getting into an area where we know Microsoft is in and interested in. Whether or not the patent works, you'd have to look at the patent closely. It certainly suggests that there is a fight coming."
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Full Story..
News-Source: redherring.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Unlucky "Fanboy" Returns Seven Xbox 360s
>> From next-gen.biz:
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The story, in sum, goes a bit like this: Xbox fanatics Rob and Mindy Cassingham of Moab, Utah trekked to Microsoft's Zero Hour Xbox 360 launch event in a hangar in the middle of the Mojave Desert. The two, who at the time operated a videogame center, bought four systems at the November 2005 shindig.
Long story short, all four of those systems "croaked," according to 42-year-old Rob Cassingham, with the first one dying in January 2006, just a couple months after launch. Those systems were used in the Cassingham's game center, but Rob insists that no one abused the machines.
Three other Xbox 360s for the Cassingham's personal use also failed.
Eventually, Takahashi directed Rob to Xbox head Peter Moore, who was quick to help the self-professed (perhaps now ex-) fanboy get a brand new console. (Takahashi asks that gamers with Xbox 360 problems not use him as the "go-between" to Moore.)
Rob wrote in an e-mail to Takahashi, "A new 360 was all I really wanted in the first place, but after two failed attempts dealing with Microsoft's overseas call centers, I am very annoyed that it took an email directly to P. Moore to get results."
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Full Story..
News-Source: next-gen.biz
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XS Member dreadyjun posts Photos of New Hitachi-LG GDR-3120L Drive
Former Head of Electronic Arts' Worldwide Studios, Joins Microsoft
>> From Newsweek
[QUOTE]
We just spoke via phone with Microsoft corporate vice president Peter Moore, who runs the Xbox division. He called to let us know that Don Mattrick, formerly in charge of Electronic Arts' massive studio operation, has joined Microsoft as an external adviser for its Entertainment and Devices division. Moore first praised Mattrick, who joined us one the phone, as one of the industry's most prominent people, and likened his coming aboard to a baseball superstar joining the Yankees (no A-Rod jokes, please.) Apparently, Moore and Mattrick had been in talks ever since he left EA, exploring a number of opportunities for the two to work together, and this is the arrangement that they came up with.
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Both Mattrick and Moore were vague about what precisely his new duties would entail. Mattrick expressed excitement about the Microsoft's resources and scope--specifically citing its wide-ranging work on PC games, consoles, devices, accessories, music and other forms of entertainment--but was most enthused about the further development of concepts, properties and services around Xbox Live. Moore stressed that Mattrick would be working with the entire Entertainment and Devices division, including James "J" Allard's Zune music player group. (We'll have more on our brief exchange about Allard in a subsequent post.)
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Full Story..
News-Source: Newsweek
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox360 To Demonstrate IPTV
>> Today from: computerandvideogames.com.
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Microsoft will showcase the Xbox 360's IPTV service for the first time in Europe at The Connected Home Show at London's Olympia next month.
Ed Graczyk, Worldwide Director of Marketing and Communications for Microsoft TV will demonstrate the service during his keynote at the conference, specifically showcasing what happens when "next-generation television is combined with next-generation gaming in a unique, new service delivered by your broadband provider".
IPTV is expected to be available as early as Christmas 2007 in Europe, and telecom providers BT, Deutsche Telekom and T-Online in France have already chosen Microsoft IPTV Edition as their IPTV software choice.
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More at computerandvideogames.com.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
More Price Cuts
>> Today from gamesindustry.biz.
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Retailers are beginning to cut a large chunk off the price of the Xbox 360 Core unit, with one online store knocking GBP 50 off the recommended retail price.
Play.com has slashed the price of the console by a quarter, selling the machine for GBP 149.99 instead of the RRP of GBP 199.99.
The move follows retail chain Makro's decision to sell the Xbox 360 Premium unit for GBP 199.99, effectively reducing it to the same price as Core units.
Microsoft has given no indication that an official price cut is on the way, yet the retail community in Europe is happy to discount the hardware, despite healthy sales.
Rival online store Amazon.co.uk has also reduced the price of the Core Xbox 360, to GBP 189.99. It also currently sells the pink Sony PSP - a sales success last Christmas - for GBP 109.99, GBP 40 below the RRP.
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News source: gamesindustry.biz.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Quieter Xbox360 Rumour
>> From Kotaku.
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That's what German site Cynamite claims, anyways, and I don't have the technical know-how to call them on it. They say that journalists packing debug units already have the update, which noticeably reduces the amount of noice the 360 makes when it kicks into high gear. Good for them. 'Bout time German gamers caught a break.
No doubt this means the rest of us should (well...could, if this is true and you can even do such a thing through a software update) be seeing a similar update soon. I might even be able to play Gears now without having to crank the sound up so loud it sets cats ears on fire.
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Source: Kotaku.
Original source (German): Cynamite.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Platinum Hits Brings You The Best For Less
>> Today from Gamerscore Blog.
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"Platinum Hits not only lets gamers enjoy a broad portfolio of titles at an amazing price," said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of Marketing Group for the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft.. "It also ensures that existing and new gamers alike can get the most from their Xbox 360 by owning a great library of blockbuster hits. So if you missed playing a game the first time around, now is a great reason to pick it up."
Next month's Platinum Hits release, starting at an estimated retail price $29.99 (U.S.), will include the following titles in the Americas:
· "Battlefield 2: Modern Combat™" (Electronic Arts)
· "Burnout™ Revenge" (Electronic Arts)
· "Call of Duty 2" (Activision)
· "Dead or Alive 4" (TECMO Inc.)
· "Fight Night Round 3" (Electronic Arts)
· "Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter" (Ubisoft)
· "Top Spin 2" (2K Sports)
· "Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis" (Rockstar Games)
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For more titles, read the press release at Gamerscore Blog, or visit Xbox.com's Platinum Games.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Wish 'Men in Blue' with Xbox 360
>> From techtree.com:
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As a precursor to one of the big events in Cricket, the World Cup 2007, which is slated to begin March 11, 2007, Microsoft Xbox 360 has announced its signature campaign, 'Good Luck India' wishing luck to the 'Men in Blue'.
'Good Luck India' will kick-off on Feb 23, running through Mar 2, panning across 8 cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkatta, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Pune.
As an intrinsic part of the campaign, a larger-than-life Xbox 360 console will be paraded across the country for fans to scribble their good luck messages.
Significantly, the campaign is part of the run-up to the launch of the exclusive Xbox 360 gaming title, 'Yuvraj Singh International Cricket 2007'.
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Full Story..
News-Source: techtree.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Vicious Engine Powers Xbox 360
>> From thegamefeed.com:
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Vicious Cycle Software has announced today that their next-generation middleware development platform has been approved for use on the Xbox 360 console Tools and Middleware Program. The Vicious Engine is a robust platform allowing game creation without the need for full-time programmers.
"The Vicious Engine's entry into the Xbox 360 Tools and Middleware Program reflects our continued dedication to providing developers with the tools they need to create great games for the latest video game systems," said Eric Peterson, president at Vicious Cycle Software. "Using the Vicious Engine, developers can focus on creativity and innovation rather than worrying over technical details."
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Full Story..
News-Source: thegamefeed.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows Available Now
>> From TeamXbox.com:
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There's a reason why gamers choose the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller over other gamepads; it delivers a mean combination of precision, speed and accuracy. Windows gamers can take advantage of the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller and other Xbox 360 wireless accessories with the Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows, which is now available on store shelves.
As a great gift for yourself or for fellow gamers, the Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows costs $19.99 (MSRP) and is available at retailers across North America including, GameStop, Wal-Mart and Circuit City. For gamers that need both a wireless controller and receiver, Microsoft is offering the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for Windows which includes both the receiver and controller in one package for $59.95 (MSRP).
The Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver for Windows opens up a whole new world of Windows gameplay by allowing the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller for Windows, Xbox 360 Wireless Headset and Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel to work on any Windows Vista or Windows XP (SP1 or higher)-based PC.
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Full Story..
News-Source: TeamXbox.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Doing The Time - But For What Crime
>> An older article caught my eye from LAist.
(Above: Photo of Jason's modded ankle tracker.)
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Jason Jones used to own ACME, the super-hip video game store on Melrose and La Brea that catered to celebrity clients ranging from Snoop Dogg to David Arquette. In 2005 he was pinched by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, who raided his store wearing full body armor and brandishing shotguns because Jones was suspected of selling "modded" Microsoft Xboxes that played pirated games. Seriously.
Charged with felonies under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Jones faced up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines after pleading guilty to felony copyright crimes in May, 2006. Instead, he received six months of probation. His current home is The Vinewood, a Hollywood halfway house for federal cons about to transition back to civilian life. Jones, 35, sat down to chat about being the only video game gangsta among the bank robbers and real thugs.
How did the other cons respond to you? I mean, your crime is pretty lightweight.
They all thought it was a joke. I'm the square. I like to think I'm a badass, but I'm not. You've got guys in here for heinous shit. Hate crimes, murder, kidnapping. I got shit from them when I first got here. Guys were like "what gang are you with?" and stuff like that. I was like, dude, I'm a guy who rides a skateboard.
How much are you allowed to leave the house, and what's your schedule like?
You're allowed 10 hours out every day, but only to work. They get $1,200 a head from the state to house you, then they take 25 percent of your earnings and make you work. Then they call your job twice a day and you have to call them four times a day. They berate you. It's really wack. Imagine if you're a real con trying to get a job. What bullshit!
Have you learned any major lessons being in here?
No, not really. I learned how one can rob a bank. I also learned not to fuck with homeland security.
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Read the full interview with Jason at LAist.
Tell us, how do you feel...
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Jan Xbox360 Sales Hit 294 000
>> Today from Reuters
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Microsoft Corp. sold 294,000 Xbox 360 video game consoles in January, a company executive said on Tuesday, citing preliminary research data.
That is nearly 18 percent higher than the 250,000 units sold in the same month a year earlier, according to Molly O'Donnell, group manager for Microsoft's entertainment and devices division that oversees the Xbox 360.
O'Donnell was citing preliminary figures from market research firm NPD, which could not immediately be reached for comment.
"Xbox 360 had a fantastic January, and we feel great about our position in the marketplace," O'Donnell said.
Microsoft's Xbox 360 competes with the PlayStation 3 from Sony Corp. and the Wii from Nintendo Co. Ltd.
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News-Source: Reuters.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Interview With Crackdown's Dave Jones
>> Today from Xbox.com
A small excerpt...
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If you are a new player coming into Crackdown for the first time, how are you brought in to the experience?
You're brought in and we're doing as much through user tests and voice over prompts as we possibly can so the agency is always talking to you. It will say "Right, we recommend you go up against Los Muertos first. Here's the first guy to go against and you're a good level, maybe you want to go and clean up some scum on the streets to get to level two and then do this guy." We'll talk you through that and if a player ignores it, that's fine but we do recognise that. He may go straight to the Shai-Gen district and these guys are nails compared to a level one or two agent but we say, "Agent, we hired you, we recommend you don't take them on. If you do, there could be dire consequences for you." We never say "don't do it," that's the cool thing. To some people, they're like "that's a challenge," and they think "I want to be the first player at the start of the game to take out Shai-Gen with no levelling." Now that, I don't know if it's possible or not. That's the nice thing - it probably is though.
Do you have any plans for downloadable content?
We have loads of ideas. We're just not quite sure which is the best one to go with first of all. We have some very unique ideas as well, I have to say. It's all the typical ones. The agency vehicles are a lot of fun for a lot of people. An agency motorbike would be cool - imagine with a motorbike all the cool stuff you could do. There's that, there's new gangs, there's loads of stuff we'd like to explore once we've brought the game out.
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For the full interview, head on over to Xbox.com.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Blaster360 Released To Testers And PCU Redesign
>> Today from Team Xecuter:
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We have FINALLY managed to get the Blaster360 shipped to testers (inc Xbox-Scene, Maxconsole etc) so you will now be able to see the product in action in someone elses hands. Probably the most heavily delayed and headache inducing product we've ever worked on lol
Shipping to retailers *would* have been next week but Chinese New Year is currently underway so we have to wait at least 10 days before the factory kicks in again :/
If you saw our preview install pics (link here) you will notice that the PCU (Power Control Unit) was fixed to the bottom of the ODD (Optical Disc Drive). That has now been changed and is a much cleaner and easier install as you can see from the following pictures. All those that have had pre-orders in for the last few weeks will soon be happy bunnies
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Awesome guys!
Source: Team Xecuter
Pre-Order Blaster360 ($70/€60): Divineo USA/CAN | ModchipStore USA/CAN | ShopNeo UK | MrModchips Europe/UK | Divineo Asia
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox Live Over WiFi While Driving
>> Today from Jake Ludington's MediaBlab
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Brandon Wirtz and I decided to fix that by building the ultimate in-car Xbox Live gaming experience. With Brandon driving his Jeep and me in the back with a video camera, we captured the whole experience of Brandon's roommate, Rose, playing Rainbow 6 Las Vegas and Uno (with Xbox Live Vision) while driving around Mountain View.
One of the things I love about being in Mountain View, CA this winter is free WiFi from Google. The entire city has WiFi provided by Google. So when you have too much WiFi and too much free time, you get a project like the one Brandon and I did this weekend. We outfitted Brandon's new Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with a 23-inch Samsung HDTV and an Xbox connected to Google WiFi via my laptop, ala my Xbox 360 wireless connection sharing tip.
Everything was powered by two inverters, although as you'll see in the video, we could have powered the HDTV screen and the Xbox 360 off of the same 400-watt interver. The laptop we used for the Internet connection ran off of battery power, although we could have easily powered it from an intverter as well. If you had none of the parts, the whole thing, including laptop, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 camera, HDTV and intverters would likely cost around $4000 to setup. If you already have a laptop, Xbox 360, etc, you could re-create our setup for the cost of a screen and mounting plate.
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Read more about it and view the video at Jake Ludington's MediaBlab.
Crackdown Interview With Phil Wilson
>> Today from XboxWay
XboxWay has posted a great interview with Crackdown producer Phil Wilson. Here is a small excerpt:
[QUOTE]
How do you feel about the Halo 3 Beta being attached to Crackdown?
Phil Wilson: That was an interesting one for us. It makes sense for Microsoft to do the Beta this way, and obviously with Halo 3 being a Mature rated title it did limit the types of games they could do this with. To be honest, if this is going to be happening I'm delighted that it's happening with Crackdown. It's obviously going to put more copies of Crackdown in people's hands and while we would hope that people are buying Crackdown for Crackdown, we're confident that if people buy it for the Halo 3 Beta they'll still have a great experience with our game. So it's all good.
Why is Crackdown different to other Xbox 360 games of its type, like Saints Row and The Godfather?
Phil Wilson: I've mentioned other GTA-style games already, but when you look at games like Saints Row and The Godfather the main difference we have is that Crackdown is a completely free-form game. Those other games gave you a level of freedom within an environment, but there was still a linear progression through the game. You had to do this and that to get there. In Crackdown it's really up to you. You can level up your character any way you want. You can take on any of the Gang bosses from the very start of the game. Even when you get down to t he level of the individual missions there are so many ways you can approach them depending on your skills and abilities. We're finding that as we see people play the game they're approaching missions in ways we didn't anticipate, which really shows how the game lets you create the kind of experience you want. Those are the kind of experiences you want to share with your mates, and we're hoping that a really strong community grows up around Crackdown as a result of that.
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Head on over to XboxWay for the full interview.
Xbox 360 Problems Surface In Australia And UK
>> Today from Smarthouse
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Rob and Barbara of Street Machine wrote "I have had my Xbox 360...for 7 months, since buying the Xbox 360 it has broken down 3 times. The 1st time it was sent away as it wouldn't load from the hard drive 2 months after purchase. When I got the machine back it still had the same problem.
I was then sent a replacement. After 5 months I started to experience red flashing rings during game play the system was also very hot after only 10 minutes of playing. The Xbox also freezes up and you can't shut it down. The only way to turn the machine off is by turn the power off at the wall. My Xbox 360 is now dead. When you turn it on even with out a game I have 3 red flashing lights on the display.
To be swamped with emails from customers with Xbox problems was not expected however one does not have to look far to find owners complaining, in great detail, about their hardware and support issues. A check of ConsumerAffairs.com or even the Xbox 360's forums reveal the extent of the problem.
PC World recently talked to Wes Nihei, editor of GamePro magazine, to find out what industry insiders were hearing about the situation. He said he too felt that a larger-than-average number of people were experiencing hardware issues, particularly with regard to the consoles.
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Read more about it at Smarthouse.
Signs of an Xbox 360 price-drop spotted?
>> From theinquirer.net:
[QUOTE]
An eagled-eyed reader sent us information that the 360 was being sold for a knock-down price - Premium consoles were being advertised at Core prices.
Makro is advertising Premium Xbox 360 packs for only £199 - the previous price of Core machines, which come without the hard-drive/wireless pad.
No other group seems to be offloading stock at this price yet, but it will be interesting to see if this is a simple one-off move by a large wholesaler to bring in the punters, or an unofficial price-cut from Microsoft.
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Full Story: theinquirer.net
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
MC360 1.02 XBMC Skin Updated
>> Today from Team Blackbolt
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MC360 for XBMC has been updated from 1.01 to 1.02. Fixes include Fullscreen Video information via the Title or White button and a small fix to the Xlink Kai(info) button. You can update via the SVN to Revision 25 or head over to the MC360 page to download the zip file.
You can discuss this in the official Team Blackbolt forums here, or use our comments function right here at the website.
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News-Source: Team Blackbolt.
Gates: 'Digital Decade Is Here'
>> From money.cnn.com:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) chairman Bill Gates unveiled a slew of new products and content partners Sunday in his keynote address kicking off the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show, vowing to deliver access to video and data no matter where the consumer might be.
"It's a dream if you're a sports fan or there's a sports fan in your house," said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division and the company's chief liaison to Hollywood. Bach and Gates alternated introducing new products during Microsoft's CES presentation.
In addition, Microsoft said that it has signed Lionsgate (NYSE:LGF) to its roster of programming contributors to Xbox 360 Live Marketplace, joining Paramount and Warner Bros. Bach hailed the addition of a library of video content to Xbox Live that either can be streamed or downloaded, noting that 100 million downloads of games, TV episodes and movies have been generated over the past 13 months; he did not offer a separate account of how video alone has fared since Microsoft signed content partners including ABC, Comedy Central and the CW as of Nov. 22. Xbox 360 also will provide an IPTV service that can deliver video programming, essentially functioning as a set-top box.
Although that doesn't put Microsoft in the video distribution business, it opens up the possibility that the company could partner with AT&T (NYSE:SBT) (NYSE:T) to offer a mix of voice, video, data and wireless. Microsoft already provides software for AT&T's IP-based rollout, raising the specter that the telco's current U.S. service, U-Verse, could eventually be bundled with Xbox 360.
IPTV video has DVR and video-on-demand functionality and also will enable seamless switching between video programming and games, and even blur the two, demonstrating functionality that allowed a community of users to talk to their Xbox even while its in TV mode.
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News-Source: money.cnn.com
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