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Microsoft May Be Planning New Music Service Zune
Feb 20th
Microsoft has never had much luck in the digital music space. Their Zune service was relatively ignored and I don’t know a single person who uses last.fm on their Xbox 360. The company may be planning to change that.
CNET got the exclusive scoop from insiders that Microsoft is in talks with record companies to create a new music service to offer on Windows phones and Xbox 360. It remains to be seen if the rumored service will replace the company’s preexisting Zune service or if it will complement the service.
The sources said that the service is still being being planned out with negotiations under way. Microsoft is apparently wanting to launch the service later this year and would allow users to stream and download music.
The rumors suggest that Microsoft is also in talks with HTC and Nokia to implement the new service in their Windows phones.
With the service allegedly allowing users to stream and download music, it would set Microsoft in a much better position to compete with Apple and Google. Both companies already have their own music services on their mobile operating systems – iTunes and Google Music respectively.
Microsoft is obviously moving towards a more media-oriented operating system with Windows 8 and they are already there with the Xbox 360 and Windows phones. You can bet this new service will become a reality this year. It just remains to be seen if their proposed video service ala Netflix will ever take off the ground after negotiations were reportedly halted.
The ESRB Rates FEZ-it’s really-happening
Feb 2nd
The Polytron Twitter account has confirmed that FEZ will be receiving a rating of “E for Everyone”. The wonderful part about this news is that it further drives home the fact that development on the game has been completed.
That means we’ll soon be relaxing in front of our television sets, Xbox 360 controller in hand, jumping from platform to platform while rotating the world around us. When exactly is a mystery at the moment.
Sony Tablet P, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Kinect & more
Jan 11th
The Xbox Next and the PlayStation 4 may not come (not yet, at least), and Nintendo has promised not to reveal anything new about its next-generation console, the Wii U. But that doesn't mean that the gaming community won't find plenty to love about this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
CES 2012 may not (or it may; you just never know in the cloak-and-dagger world of electronics) bring announcements of next-gen consoles, but it will do plenty to alter the gaming landscape.
ULTRABOOKS
Start with the evolution of the PC as a gaming platform. With all the buzz around consoles these days, it's become easy to dismiss the PC, even if it does make games such as Crysis 2 look that much more impressive.
But that could change in 2012. In an attempt to go head to head with the Apple's MacBook Air, Microsoft will push the Ultrabook. These magazine-thin machines aren't meant for gaming, but the race against Apple will push laptop-makers to generate more power. Look no further than Lenovo's ThinkPad T430U, an understated ultrabook that will reportedly have optional Nvidia graphics capabilities. Count on it being able to run Diablo III.
GAMING ALL OVER
Expect Sony to make a big push into mobile gaming. The company just announced its AT&T data pricing plans for next month's PS Vita ($15 for 250MB, $25 for 2GB), and Sony reps confirmed for us that the Vita is "PlayStation's primary focus" at CES. The company has two key Vita titles, Resistance: Burning Skies and Unit 13, ready to show off.
Meanwhile, Sony also showed off the Sony Tablet P, a foldup tablet that will pick up where last year's Tablet S left off and link to the PS Store for Android. The Tablet P and Vita will both have access to the PlayStation Network. And Microsoft's new line of Windows 8 phones will all have Xbox Live functionality. Companies are going to do their best to get gamers gaming everywhere, which should make for plenty of fun.
MORE WAYS TO KINECT
Microsoft's Xbox 360 Kinect changed the legacy of motion-controlled games in 2011, allowing us to game and navigate menus with simple gestures. But plenty of tech dorks found other uses for the Kinect, hooking it up to computers and experimenting.
Now, Microsoft is following suit. On Monday, the company announced that it will release Kinect for Windows on Feb. 1, and it's billing the gadget as something that can be used for everything from gaming to teaching.
Xbox 360 New Metro UI, Cloud and dashboard update
Nov 16th
With the new Xbox Live dashboard update imminent we thought we would have one last look at what to expect. One area of interest is the ‘My Xbox’ section, which will soon have ‘Metro UI’ styling in its new ‘Social’ area. We can see why Microsoft has gone with this, as having a more social feel will allow you to see more closely what your friends are up to.
More often than not it is hit and miss letting your friends know what game you wish to play, thankfully ‘Beacons’ will let you inform your friends what you wish to play. We did find it amusing the other day when an image of the new Dashboard was leaked, as it suggested that Gears of War 3 was going to other platforms; that rumor was soon shot down.
To some knowing that the update to the Xbox Live dashboard will use Metro UI is important to them, but not as much as knowing the size of the Cloud storage. Examiner has now learned the official size of memory, it’s 512MB of storage, which is more than you get if you own a PS3 and use PSN.
Those new to the Xbox 360 will think that half a gig of memory is not that much, but it is ample for all your game saves. We don’t have an exact release date yet for the update, but there have been a few suggestions that point to November 15, 2011, which is tomorrow.
Call of Duty Elite Now Can Play for Xbox 360
Nov 9th
Stoked to get stuck in to Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer? The official Xbox app for the companion Call of Duty Elite service is now available to download from the Xbox Marketplace.
The app weighs in at 99.36MB and is free to download. Grabbing a copy and registering will net you two hours of double XP in multiplayer. You can also use it to upgrade your membership to an annual premium subscription for access to all Modern Warfare 3 DLC and the other Elite premium features. Here's the full feature list of free vs premium membership options if you haven't checked it out yet.
There doesn't seem to be any sign of a PSN equivalent as yet, but check back on the PlayStation Store tomorrow once the game has launched.
Modern Warfare 3 releases tomorrow, with many outlets holding midnight launch events for the new game. If you want to check out all the official goings-on tonight, check out the official Facebook app for launch night.
Xbox TV still launch by end of 2011
Sep 19th
Microsoft nonetheless intends to release it's in the past released dwell television set service to its System system because of the conclude connected with 2011. CNN reviews which during Microsoft's buyers morning before this specific few days, organization CEO Steve Ballmer demoed component to that that System TELEVISION SET service to fiscal analysts. That demo demonstrated just how a good System consumer with the Kinect control and also the future System version in the Bing se may only speak to find a specific Television show and then that present would then glimpse about tv screen.
Microsoft theoretically released blueprints to provide dwell television set to the system back in June during it's E3 2011 click discussion. Nonetheless, the business is still maintaining many of the service's details to themselves for the moment. Which includes offers like just what Tv shows in addition to networks would be a part of System TELEVISION SET in addition to any pricing details. Ballmer would state this specific few days which Microsoft is actually dealing with "dozens or maybe hundreds of extra online video media content suppliers" for any dwell TELEVISION SET service.Xbox 360 Accessories
Several analysts believe that System TELEVISION SET will grant present cable tv in addition to satellite end users to access its products to the System. Donald Wertheimer, executive director in the Entertainment Technologies Facility in the School connected with Lower Ca, feels which sorts of any attribute, in addition to that console's Kinect in addition to Bing seek service, may present all those buyers an improved TELEVISION SET practical knowledge. This individual states that, "That's the chance right here with regard to Microsoft — can certainly they will talk with that content keepers to innovate in addition to that content themselves and still provide any higher-value practical knowledge to buyers? Should they can certainly, this may be major in addition to meaningful. ".
I like the Xbox 360 game new Ms. ‘Splosion Man Pinball Table
Sep 14th
I really like the new Ms. 'Splosion Man Pinball Table. It's fun, fast, easy to learn, and very rewarding. VERY rewarding. That's where the problem lies.
I have about 13 tables now, and after playing just two games of Ms. SM, I scored over 200 million points with it. That's higher than the combined total score of all of my other 12 tables together.
I feel like they gave too high of a score base to Ms. SM, thereby ruining the whole Wiznerd score, and forcing anyone to buy it if they want to stand any chance of beating any of their friends that have the table. Every other table gets a respectable 20-30 Million on a relatively good run.
Am I just too good at the Ms. SM table, or is it set up to score 10x the normal PFX2 table average? I didn't even beat it, but I think I was close on the 2nd game.
Yea Ms. Splosion Man seems to be a pretty high scoring table. A lot of the tables are quite different when it comes to scoring. The most high scoring and exploitable is Spiderman by far…
I like the new table, I just haven't put much time into it yet. I have beaten it and got all the cheevos for it, scored right at 250MM on my 2nd game.
It seems to be tuned for LONGER games than most of the others… I happen to like the shorter games and lower scoring tables better. The guys at the top of the leaderboards have put in 12 hour marathon sessions for those scores.
The superscore system is currently being reworked to have more "meaning" behind it. I don't know exactly what Zen has planned but it should be interesting.
Get some more practice on the other tables… Your scores will improve all around… and trust me 200 million is entirely obtainable on any of the tables minus Ironman and Extreme.
Secret Sauce Linking Xbox 360 Kinectimals and Windows Phone Is a QR Code
Aug 23rd
At a Seattle event, Microsoft demonstrated a way for Xbox 360 games like Kinectimals to share information with a Windows Phone handset. The connection uses a QR code that can be scanned by the handset and the Kinect.
Supposedly easy enough that a child could use it, the sync requires you to scan a QR code which opens the connection between the game and your phone. Once you’re done modifying characters or even playing the game on your phone, you can easily sync the data back to the console by generating another QR code that is read by the Xbox 360 Kinect accessory.
It’s a little cumbersome relying on a QR code, but this is an early step in bringing the mobile phone and console together. Hopefully, this process can be automated so the transfer is done on the fly with little to no user intervention.
Bad News The Witcher 2 on 360 delayed until 2012
Aug 2nd
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings was well received from fans and critics alike when it was released earlier this year for PCs. An Xbox 360 version is also planned, though that has now been pushed back into Q1 2012.
CD Project RED president Adam Kicinski said in a statement, “The extra time will allow us to polish the title to perfection, so that the game offers an ideally balanced, fantastic experience to gamers. As the launch of the game approaches, we will be sharing more details how it will be released on Xbox 360.”
The press release also mentions the developer’s ongoing legal battle with Namco Bandai over the distribution of the Xbox 360 version of the game will be handled in Western Europe, Asia-Pacific and Central/South America. Namco handled the PAL distribution of the PC version, but THQ is currently listed as the publisher for the 360 version in that region. xbox 360 headsets
Far Cry 3 Announced, Coming 2012 For Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Jun 8th
Ubisoft had some big news at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, including the third game in the highly praised Far Cry series. That’s right, Far Cry 3 has been announced for multiple platforms. It also happens to be another game that makes Activision’s Call of Duty series look like ancient pixels and digital poo.
The new game sees players in the of a reporter on a tropical island investigating stuff as usual, but it turns out some crazy militiamen are going buck crazy on the inhabitants and it’s up to players to survive the craziness and get off the island alive.
The official debut trailer was released for Far Cry 3 and it’s an intense experience that really rivals Battlefield 3 in terms of immersion. You can check out the new trailer below or visit the Official Website to learn more about Far Cry 3, which is due out next year for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
Microsoft announces Halo Fest
May 12th
Microsoft will mark Halo’s 10th anniversary with Halo Fest, a three day event taking place during the annual Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle this August.
Billed as “the largest and most expansive live Halo experience ever” over on Halo Waypoint, you can expect tournaments, exclusive panels and prizes.
Could it also see a new Halo title announced? Perhaps that rumoured remake of Combat Evolved?
“See why the last ten years of Halo were just the beginning,” notes the Waypoint post.
PAX takes place between 26th and 28th August at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. Entrance to Halo Fest is included with a
PAX prime badge. XBOX 360 Controllers
Foxtel On Xbox 360 Will Be Bad For Your Download Cap
Oct 20th
Foxtel launched its Foxtel on Xbox 360 service, which lets you access the pay TV channel via an Xbox 360 console without needing a set-top box. While the basic $20 a month price might sound appealing compared to full-blown pay TV, there’s a big risk involved, as Foxtel doesn’t have any unmetered partnerships with ISPs.
You can spend more money by adding extra channel packs or downloading on-demand content (Nick at Gizmodo has the full pricing details ahead of the November launch). However, no matter which bundle you select, you’ll need a generous data allocation. In response to a query from Lifehacker, Foxtel confirmed that there are currently no unmetered ISP deals in place for the service, so even BigPond customers will use up a bunch of data if they regularly watch Foxtel via their Xbox 360.
While there are a handful of unlimited and 1TB plans on the market, large amounts of TV consumption could have a nasty impact on your downloads. Is that a deal-breaker for you, or is a cheaper console deal still a welcome addition?
Apple Peel 520 for the iPod Touch will arrive US
Sep 11th
Casings and protective shells made for the iPhone or the iPod Touch are aplenty but for sure a lot of us may have come across the Apple Peel 520 at some point.
For the benefit of the people who have no idea what the Apple Peel 520 is, this is a special casing made for the iPod Touch made by Yosion.
It is a case that is capable of adding SIM card support, extended your iPod Touch’ battery life and can act as a dock connector for the Apple iPod Touch.
Once fully charged, the accessory’s 800mAh battery is capable of providing up to five hours of talk time and 120 hours of standby time.
The Apple Peel 520 will be coming to the U.S. soon for $60.
It makes you wish it would somehow be made available in the Philippines soon although that would not really be a remote possibility!
About the Final Fantasy XIII
Sep 2nd
Making its return is the highly popular sphere grid from Final Fantasy 10 where players spend experience points to raise a certain attribute. And also introduced (sort of) is the role system where characters set a series of roles for their players. The difference is that the characters can only use the abilities of a role as long as they are assigned that role. For example the “Ravager” role, in past games the “Black Mage”, holds the fire spell, however that spell cannot be used if the character is assigned to the “Medic” (White Mage) role. Later on in the game you gain the ability to change your characters to whatever role you wish.
Several reviews have stated that this game is very linear. That is a flat falsehood. These reviews were written by people who had not even gotten halfway through which is about the point where it opens up in every game. There are also various side quests which borrows from the “hunting marks” portion of Final Fantasy 12.
Visual and audio have never been better. After the first 30 seconds of the game it is clear that these are best graphics that have ever been used in a video game before. The voice acting has come miles from previous games. There is so much more passion in their words making it seem very believable and realistic.
The reason that this role is titled the best of the worlds is because this chapter was created by combining the best of all the games and adding in a little new. For example, the sphere grid from FFX (now called the Crystarium) and the gunblade (Squall’s weapon from FFVIII). To say the least this game was well worth the wait and is one of the best Final Fantasy games of all time.
Kinect for Xbox 360 launching on November 10 in Europe
Aug 23rd
While Microsoft’s new controller-free Kinect forXbox 360 will be hitting US shores on November 4th, we’ve just learned that it’ll officially land in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa on November 10th.
Sure, that’s a bit of a wait, but take heart in knowing that Microsoft’s targeting an October launch of its Xbox Live lovin’ Windows Phone 7 handsets in Europe compared to a November release in the US. Otherwise, we’re looking at the same 15 exclusive Kinect game titles already announced at E3.
A motocross and ATV racing game will comes out on October 19th
Aug 17th
A motocross and ATV racing game will comes out soon,it is called Nail'd which is a motocross and ATV racing game that lets you race against 11 other racers through woods, deserts, industrial areas, castles and even on the a dam.
If the games description intimidates you, you'll be happy to know that Nail'd is very easy to pick up and play. The controls consist of an acceleration trigger, a brake trigger, and a button that lets you activate a speed boost that can only be measured in scientific notation. The gigantic boost in speed (one that lasts about a whole 10-15 seconds, which is a lot more than it sounds like) is going to come in handy when making death-defying jumps.
Just to be clear, the jumps in Nail'd aren't the usual dirt mound bunny hop. In Nail'd, you crank the speed up to 11, go flying off a cliff, then hang on for dear life while you steer your vehicle in midair, away from windmills, boats, tree branches and other obstacles. While you shouldn't physically be able to steer in midair, Deep Silver went ahead and made sure that flying through the air is as easy as possible, so you can get out of the way of on-coming danger.
As you might expect the goal of the game is to win the race and endure the track for 3 laps, but you're also welcome to attack other racers, either landing on top of them as you descend from a monster jump, tackle them out of the air or shove them into environmental hazards. It's not just violent, it's fun in a perverse, sadistic way.
You can try Nail'd for yourself when the game comes out on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on October 19th.
The top 10 best-selling games in the U.S. in July
Aug 14th
The top 10 best-selling games in the U.S. in July, according to NPD Group, were as follows.
NPD did not provide sales figures for those ranked below fifth place.
1) NCAA Football 11, Xbox 360, 368,000 units
2) NCAA Football 11, PlayStation 3, 298,800 units
3) Crackdown 2, Xbox 360, 208,000 units
4) Super Mario Galaxy 2, Wii, 193,000 units
5) Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4, Nintendo DS, 141,700 units
6) Red Dead Redemption, Xbox 360
7) Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4, Wii
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies, Nintendo DS
9) New Super Mario Bros, Wii
10) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Xbox 360
Video game retail sales inch 1 percent lower in New York on July
Aug 13th
NEW YORK — U.S. retail sales of video game systems, software and accessories slipped 1 percent in July according to market researcher NPD Group. A lackluster summer game launch schedule partly offset strong sales of the Xbox 360.
Total industry sales slid to $846.5 million last month from $850.6 million in the same month a year earlier. But when counting "StarCraft II," which is excluded from these figures because it's a PC game, total industry sales actually grew 4 percent, according to NPD analyst Anita Frazier.
"StarCraft II" sold more than 1.5 million units worldwide in its first 48 hours in stores according to its publisher, Activision Blizzard Inc. NPD does not include the game in its monthly game sales data because it counts PC games separately.
NPD said hardware sales jumped 12 percent to $313.8 million in July. The Xbox 360 from Microsoft Corp. was the month's best-selling gaming system, thanks to the popularity of its new, slim format. Frazier said this was the first time since September 2007, when "Halo 3" launched, that the Xbox 360 was the top-selling gaming platform.
Both the Xbox 360 and Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 sold more units than expected, said Jesse Divnich, an analyst with Electronic Entertainment Design and Research. It's likely a sign customers are buying second, or even third consoles as they migrate from the Wii to the more powerful gaming systems.
Even so, Divnich added the Wii will be a strong seller over the holidays, as it has been since it launched nearly four years ago. Earlier this week, Nintendo said the Wii has sold 30 million units in the U.S., reaching the milestone faster than any other gaming console.
July's software sales, meanwhile, fell 8 percent to $531.3 million, not including "StarCraft II." Of the console games, "NCAA Football 11" from Electronic Arts Inc. was July's top selling title.
Sales of video game accessories slid 2 percent to $129.3 million. For the fifth month in a row, the best-selling accessory was the Xbox Live 1600 point card. The card, which costs $20, lets users pay for movies, games or extra game content through their Xbox 360 systems. The success of such cards "points to the activity that is happening in the industry outside the traditional retail channel," Frazier said.
Total industry sales for the year through the end of July were down 8 percent to $7.51 billion.
Xbox 360 Kinect will support Indie developers
Aug 5th
In an interview with Edge Magazine, Tsunoda confirms that Indie games will be supported but, "Obviously we're just focusing on the launch games at the moment. But you're going to hear more – it's a big part of Xbox. Indie games a big part of the platform, and timelines will come later."
Microsoft's XNA development platform will obviously have to receive an update for Indie developers to be able to begin using Kinect. Currently, there is no word on when that update might happen.
Microsoft has also said that while the launch games for Kinect focus on "casual" gamers, "core" gamers should expect games that fit their style within 18 months of its launch on November 5th, 2010.
Madden 11 demo and Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days demo released last week
Aug 2nd
Last week,The Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days demo was just released for Xbox 360. Here's the word from Major Nelson:
Play Kane & Lynch 2, a raw and brutal crime shooter that redefines the way you experience gaming, delivering an unmatched sense of realism and intensity. Demo includes relentless action in single player and online multiplayer. Play as psychopath Lynch, wanted by the entire underworld and on the run in the backstreets and rooftops of Shanghai. And play Fragile Alliance, the acclaimed multiplayer heist game based on greed, betrayal & revenge, now extended with more risk and more rewards. Get in, steal the loot, and get out in 4 minutes, but trust no one. For 8 players.
You can download the demo on XBLA.
And last week, EA Incorporated has released the demo of Madden NFL 11 for Sony PS3 and Microsoft Xbox 360, although the game has been monotonous for the last 10 versions, the latest installment will still be remarkable and enjoyable to play.
The Madden demo this year will be pit to the Indianapolis Colts against the greatest NFL team in the history, New York Jets.
Moreover, this year’s Madden will be more exciting and exhilarating because gamers will be delighted with the latest AI technology dubbed as “GameFlow.” The “GameFlow” option will let the gamers to utilize the ability of the Madden NFL 2011 GameFlow system, which in turn, will automatically choose the best play for the team. It is the same as the previous feature where Madden would direct a defense set-up for the team, which is basically wrong 70 percent of the time.
Crazy head presata DeathSpank Games for Xbox 360
Jul 15th
DeathSpank of Vancouver-based games hothead is developed, published today (July 13) of the PlayStation Network. On Wednesday (July 14), action role-playing game comes to Xbox Live Arcade.
Ron Gilbert, creator of The Secret of Monkey Iceland, led the development of DeathSpank, local cooperation in a game is one of its properties.
A press release from Electronic Arts, publisher of the game, he says:
Players who download the game will be released in the boots of powerful DeathSpank "Dispenser of Justice", "conqueror of evil" and "Heroes of the Oppressed, is embarking on his life long journey to seek and find a mysterious artifact known only as" artifact ". On his way to rescue orphans DeathSpank, the defeat of a local tyrant help aging adventurer, and dive headlong into an even deeper mystery.
In the Entertainment Software Rating Board is DeathSpank teen rating for "Blood, Cartoon violence, crude humor, mild language, mild Sexual Themes".
Slim Xbox360 outed in Italy
Jun 29th
We’re not sure if this is the real deal, or yet another elaborate fake, but the pictures posted on Italian site Console Tribe (Google translation) are pretty convincing in our book.
It has long been rumoured that Microsoft would follow the PlayStation3‘s lead and go on a crash diet (pun intended), but it remains to be seen whether the 360 will compromise functionality for a slimmer look like Sony’s flagship console.
The adverts reportedly appeared on a number of Italian web sites late last night but have since been removed.
If the images are to be believed, the new console will feature a 250GB hard drive and built in Wi-Fi.
We’re not sure if this is the real deal, or yet another elaborate fake, but the pictures posted on Italian site Console Tribe (Google translation) are pretty convincing in our book.
It has long been rumoured that Microsoft would follow the PlayStation3′s lead and go on a crash diet (pun intended), but it remains to be seen whether the 360 will compromise functionality for a slimmer look like Sony’s flagship console.
The adverts reportedly appeared on a number of Italian web sites late last night but have since been removed.
If the images are to be believed, the new console will feature a 250GB hard drive and built in Wi-Fi.
