Microsoft’s slim-sized Xbox 360 will be on store shelves already this week, so what don’t we know? And is it a steal of a deal or not?
Microsoft – Xbox – Xbox 360 – Project Natal – Video game
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Xbox360 owners have the opportunity right now to download a two song demo of Green Day:Rock Band from the Xbox Live Marketplace. The demo contains two songs, Boulevard of Broken Dreams and Welcome to Paradise.
When you open the demo it shows a teaser image for Rock Band 3 with...
The pictures are purportedly of the new motherboard, and show a combined processor and graphics unit, a generally smaller size, and a SATA connector instead of a proprietary one, suggesting the new hard drive will be internal. [via Kotaku]
After two months of the game’s availability on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Ubisoft has dated the PC version of Assassin’s Creed II for March 5 in Europe and March 16 in North America.
Like the original before, it will be labeled as a “Director’s Cut”, packaging the full game...
Let’s say you’re a company that makes video games – sports games in particular – and you generate a nice recurring stream of revenue by putting out new versions of your sports games every year to coincide with the new seasons of each sport. But let’s also say that some of your customers don’t buy the newest versions because they’ve discovered almost endless replayability of the older versions thanks to online multiplayer features. What a pickle! Although EA would probably never say that cutting the online features of older games is a move to get people to buy the newer versions, that might be what’s on some people’s minds. So it’s with a heavy heart that I relay to you the February 2nd, 2010 kill date for the following games’ online services:
Yes, indeed, there are some old-ish games in there. But Madden 09? There are probably a fair amount of people still playing that game online who aren’t going to be too happy next month. [via Kotaku]
Happy 2010, people who count from Anno Domini using the Gregorian calendar! I greeted the new year by saying, sometime well after midnight, “Oh, it’s 2010 already.” I was playing the PC version of Call of Duty 4, which is demonstrably better than the Xbox 360 version I played two years ago. But that’s not the point of this here post. No, for I have one question to ask of the people who did go outside and celebrate: what were the “Happy 2010!” glasses like? You’ll recall that a few weeks ago, based on a segment from the Opie and Anthony show, we wondered aloud what kind of “Happy 2010!” glasses were going to make the rounds come December 31. The problem is that, because of the nature of the Arabic numerals, the glasses would either be tilted to one side, or there’d be no way to see effectively. (We were spoiled by the easy-to-wear 2008 and 2009 models.) Being that I didn’t leave the house, nor did I watch the TV to see the ball drop in Times Square—I had effectively rung in the new year by watching Dream/Sengoku’s Dynamite!! show from Tokyo on HDNet the night before—I have no idea how people responded. So if anyone has any “Happy 2010!” glasses stories they’d like to share, I’m all ears. And if you thought “Happy 2010!” was difficult, just wait to “Happy 2011!” rolls around.
Looks like Boxee will release an iPhone App to control its upcoming set-top box, developed jointly with D-Link. The App will be on display at CES next week. Oh, God, CES is next week. With any luck Las Vegas will mysteriously disappear à la “Lost” before the show starts. That would truly be ideal. Maybe now is when I can ask, publicly, what’s the big deal with Boxee? Am I mistaken in calling it a port of XBMC? Am I mistaken in calling XBMC a re-brand of Xbox Media Center? Am I mistaken in calling Xbox Media Center a re-launch of Xbox Media Player, which I dutifully downloaded from Xbins on Efnet back in the day? And wasn’t Xbox Media Player merely the Xbox port of mplayer? So Boxee = mplayer with a fancy skin and a few plugins. (As if skins and plugins are exclusive to Boxee!) Obviously people like the idea, but I don’t understand all the hype.
Microsoft is hinting Xbox Live gaming platform to Windows Mobile devices suggesting a serious mobile gaming strategy from Redmond.
Is the a video clip of a player apparently playing Half Life 2 via Microsoft's forthcoming motion-control interface for the Xbox 360 a preview of things to come?
Microsoft has confirmed it's working on Xbox LIVE integration for future Windows Mobile devices. In a job posting for a LIVE engagement program manager, the software giant hints at what is being planned. "We need a Principle Program Manager who can help drive the platform and bring Xbox LIVE enabled games to Windows Mobile. This person will focus specifically on what makes gaming experiences "LIVE Enabled" through aspects such as avatar integration, social interactions, and multi-screen experiences." Mobile Tech World spotted the job listing alongside another which details a role "working directly with a top Korean cellular phone manufacturer, who has made a large commitment to Windows Mobile." Clearly this is a subtle reference to LG.
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BioWare says it's next DLC expansion to roleplaying opus Dragon Age Origins will be available for Xbox 360 and Windows January 5.
The Xbox Live Arcade port of Perfect Dark still carries that frustratingly (well…) vague “winter 2010″ release date, but we’re beginning to see more and more screenshots trickle out from wherever these things trickle out from. Who knows. Anyhow, there’s a series of new screenshots on some dude’s Photobucket that may interest you. No, they don’t look as impressive as the last batch of screenshots. I don’t know what’s up. Multi-player seems to be limited to 8-man, with four per Xbox. Too bad Perfect Dark wasn’t as good as Goldeneye, but at least now it’ll run at more than 15 frames per second! Also, impromptu poll: should the word “screenshot” be two words or one, (”screenshot” vs. “screen shot”), or should it even be hyphenated (”screen-shot”)? via Reddit, the last bastion of reasonably fun and intelligent Internet discussion
Now this story comes to us from the NY Post, not one of the most tech savvy newspapers in our fair city. Also the thought that NYC detectives would “work with Microsoft” to track a stolen XBox is a bit hard to accept at face value, but apparently the story happened so kudos to Pelham Detective John Hynes and Microsoft for working together on this. At least a detective had a bit of fun learning about IP scanning. We should also totes send the detective a new XBox. Anyone live in Pelham, Bronx?
The Box Office supports pretty much everything, costs $99 after rebate and works at up to 1080p. The only thing that HardOCP didn’t like about it (and the thing that I don’t care for) is the interface. I’d love to see XBMC on this thing since the screenshots of the stock interface looks pretty bland.
Bronx man apprehended after stealing Xbox 360 and signing in with misappropriated Xbox LIVE login id.
- Refurbished 2GB Sansa Fuze for $23 (Woot.com) - Xbox 360 Arcade for $179 (Amazon via dealnews) - New Super Mario Bros. Wii for $40 (Best Buy via FatWallet) - Spaceballs Blu-ray for $9 (JR.com via dealnews) - Xbox Live points 10% off (Amazon via FatWallet) - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on Xbox 360 for $39 (Target via dealspl.us) - Free Blu-ray player with 42- or 46-inch Insignia HDTV purchase (Best Buy via dealnews)
As time progresses, it seems that the rate of gaming-related injuries rises along with it, with unfortunately no sign of slowing down. In the latest disturbing case, a drunken woman stabbed a 13 year old boy in the stomach, after he refused to stop playing his Xbox 360 console. The woman, 55 year old Isobel Mackenzie, has a history of bad child care behavior, the Scotsman. Last December, she had apparently failed to look after the boy in her care, the very same one she stabbed, after getting drunk. The boy relayed the events in this latest case, telling the court, "She hit me on the back of the head. I stood up and pushed her back.
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For many people, the decision to get a certain tattoo is based on a perceived notion of timelessness – the death of a good friend or family member, your spouse(s), barbed wire, etc. – and I think this guy nailed it, too. Unless something crazy happens, like a controller that’s somehow newer than the Xbox 360 controller comes out someday. Like I said, crazy. [Deviant Art via Geeky Tattoos]
Awww, schweeeeeet! This calculator says, “Hey, I need a calculator but I want people to know that I’m down with video games. Please don’t step, mess, or front. I got eight digits to work with, B.” Shaped like an Xbox controller, you’ve got a D-pad with add, subtract, multiply, and divide keys, number pad right in the middle of everything, functions on the right, and big fat CE and equals buttons. Oh and the shoulder buttons correspond to on and off. It’s $13 from an Australian store. The product page says that it’s almost sold out, which makes perfect sense since this product is somehow so dumb it’s cool. X-Cool Calculator [DealsDirect.com.au via Newlaunches]
It’s probably not a huge stretch to think that some people may very well be purchasing an Xbox 360 just to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Wal-Mart knows this and, as such, is offering a pretty enticing deal: Xbox 360 Arcade console, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and 12 months of Xbox Live Gold service for just $249. If purchased separately, you’d have the console at $200, the game at $60, and the Xbox Live service at $50. That’s a savings of… [counts fingers] …money! An even better deal, perhaps, is that for $349 you can get a 120GB Xbox 360 Elite console, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the Xbox Live Gold membership, and the two games included with the Elite console: LEGO Batman and PURE. Xbox 360 with Call of Duty- Modern Warfare 2 [Walmart.com]
Amazon.com has dropped the price of Assassin’s Creed II for Xbox 360 and PS3 down to $39.78, today only. According to the product description:
Kind of puts your own life in perspective, huh? Unless you’re a modern day assassin, in which case this game probably won’t interest you all that much. Assassin’s Creed II [Amazon.com]
Did you know that, at one point, Sony considered constructing the PS3 Slim around the concept of network storage? That is, instead of there being local storage (hard drive, memory cards, etc.) you’d store all of your data on Sony’s servers then retrieve said data over the Internet. Now that would have been radically different. Of course, Sony decided against the idea, primarily because it would have cost too much money to set up and maintain the required servers. It’s a shame, because as slim as the PS3 Slim turned out, it could have been so much slimmer! Well, all of this according to a recent interview with Nikkei Electronics Asia. Sony also said that it could have made the PS3 Slim even slimmer by moving the power supply (see: the Xbox 360’s power brick) outside the system. That was ixnayed, too, because it would have made it “harder to use freely.” I don’t know about you, but when I place a video game console in its spot, it doesn’t leave that spot until the next generation rolls around. So I officially don’t understand why Sony didn’t go with the power brick idea—it did with the PS2 Slim! Now, the network storage thing, yeah, that I can understand. Money aside, it’s a pretty foreign concept for console owners. “So I have zero control over my saved games? That’s not cool.” What happens if Sony’s servers explode and an earthquake knocks over the backup storage facility and a tornado destroys the backup’s backup facility? Then what?
Good news, people who play Modern Warfare 2 online multi-player. It seems Infinity Ward has fixed the dreaded “javelin exploit” that has plagued multi-player matches since the game’s launch. This patch is for the Xbox 360 version (the PC and PS3 versions have already been patched), and brings the game up to version 1.06. As a refresher, here’s the javelin exploit, complete with Benny Hill music. Can we let that song die already?
Tony Hawk: RIDE normally sells for around $120 while Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 usually fetches $60. These deals are good today only, and only for shipping via BestBuy.com – that is, no in-store pickup. Deal of the Day [BestBuy.com]
The NPD Group, the top game-industry research firm, has released its list of the top selling video game hardware for the month of November. Hardware sales totaled $1.05 billion for the month despite being down year-over-year by around 13 percent. The month's most popular console was the Nintendo DS selling over 1.7 million units and overtaking both the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft's Xbox 360. Sony's PlayStation 3 claimed the 4th spot on the list, selling over 710 thousand units. "All hardware systems realized an increase over October but one would expect that from seasonality alone ," said NPD's Anita Frazier.
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This is the third year that the competitive gaming league has held its Give Back Day. Here’s what MLG has to say about Histiocytosis:
If you want to learn even more about this disease and the Histiocytosis Association of America click here. So if there’s a gamer in your family or group of friends, check out the store here or hop on Xbox Live and help out a great cause. It’s a clear win-win.
Would it be foolish to begin this story with the words “poor Microsoft”? I mean, the company isn’t exactly hurting for money, and yet it looks like 2009 was the year that the Xbox 360 finally died in Japan. Not that the Xbox 360 ever really did well in Japan, but this year it looks like everything fell off a cliff. Look at this chart. It shows the sales of the various game consoles this year. You’ll immediately notice that sales across all platforms are down this year, which makes sense: the people who wanted a Wii probably hve a Wii by now, etc. The best selling console was the Nintendo DS (no doubt helped by the release of Dragon Quest IX), followed by the Wii, PSP (?!), PS3, PS2 (?!), and, lastly, the Xbox 360. That’s right: the nine-year-old PS2 has outsold the Xbox 360 in Japan in 2009. I’m not sure how much Microsoft cares, or should care. There weren’t too many (any?) Japanese games released exclusively for the system this year, so it probably wasn’t expecting… well, not monster sales, but respectable sales. And then when you figure in that the Xbox 360 is so obviously a system designed and executed with the North American market in mind, and that Japan has always been an afterthought for the system, then you see where I’m going with this.
EA announces sequel to popular sci-fi survival-horror, arriving on Xbox 360, PS3, and Windows PCs sometime in 2010.
Electronic Arts has confirmed that next installment in its Medal of Honor series is a modern-day shooter set in Afghanistan, confirming earlier speculation. The game will be released next year for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. The game centers on the Tier 1 Operator, "a relatively unknown entity directly under the National Command Authority who takes on missions no one else can handle." "Medal of Honor returns to the front lines, this time in today's war. For the first time in the franchise's 10-year history, Medal of Honor is leaving the WWII theatre and putting players in war-torn Afghanistan. Electronic Arts Inc.
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Call of Duty Classic, the hip and groovy new name for the ol’ standby that is (was? Tense: who needs it?) Call of Duty 1, is now available on Xbox Live for 1,200 Microsoft Points/SpaceBucks. I don’t know if there’s any improvement over the original version of the game. Anyway, here’s a video showing off the first 10 minutes of the game, which first came bundled with the omega version of Modern Warfare 2. I can hear 14-year-olds screaming, “Eeeew, it’s not even modern!” Fools.
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I’m afraid it’s time for me to upgrade my media center. My old Xbox just isn’t cutting it any more, between the composite input and the lack of processing power, it looks like it may be time to put the old reliable out to pasture and upgrade to something new. Is the Patriot Box Office Media Player the solution? Well HardOCP seems to think so, and I think it just might be.
Didn’t get what you wanted over the holidays? Still have a little money left in the bank? Here’s a handful of enticing deals for some lazy Sunday shopping.
Best Buy’s holiday-centric deal of the day is a two-for that finds Tony Hawk: RIDE marked down to $90 on Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii as well as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 marked down to $45 on Xbox 360 and PS3.
Cool merchandise. A great cause. Pretty much a match made in Valhalla. Today only, 