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Xbox News is a site that brings you the very latest Original Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One news, the latest games and releases, Part of the
DCEmu Homebrew & Gaming Network.
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October 27th, 2009, 20:33 Posted By: wraggster
If you want to make Xbox 360 accessories you have to get approval from Microsoft first. Those are the rules. Unfortunately, the makers of the X-Arcade stick don’t have Microsoft’s blessing. However, they found a way to make their arcade stick work with an Xbox 360 and it’s a creative solution.
First, you need to plug a PlayStation 2 adapter to your X-Arcade stick. Then you plug that adapter into an Xbox 360 to PlayStation 2 adapter and link a wired Xbox 360 gamepad to it. Finally, plug the daisy chained device into your Xbox 360 and like magic the X-Arcade stick and any other PlayStation 2 accessories become Xbox 360 compatible. Want to connect two players to a dual stick? Better get two adapters and two wired controllers.
The X-Arcade is a sturdy arcade stick replica, but I’d still choose Hori’s arcade sticks over this solution because they fit in your lap.
http://www.siliconera.com/2009/10/27...sory-lockdown/
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October 27th, 2009, 19:42 Posted By: wraggster
This isn't exactly the same magnitude as last year's Z2K scare, but it's still an all-around bummer for all you Zune nuts. According to a spate of complaints posted to the Zune.net forums as of late, certain Zune HD units are not syncing their playcounts properly with the user's PC and Zune Social accounts. To be a little more specific, it seems that if you let a song play through on the device it will not be counted as played -- but if you skip to another tune before it has a chance to complete (but after 20 seconds or so), the play will be counted. A real pain, right? Of course, this is not only bad news for obsessive list keepers, but for Zune Social fans as well: if your listening habits aren't being properly tabulated, how are you supposed to make new friends and discover new music? Certainly not by going to noisy rock clubs and talking to people! Apparently a Microsoft Zune support team member has acknowledged the issue, but the company has made no statement relating to the bug -- or possible firmware fix -- as of yet. We'll keep you posted.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/27/z...re-fix-in-sit/
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October 27th, 2009, 19:36 Posted By: wraggster
I love Xbox Live, I really do. But man, how am I supposed to keep track of what usernames my friends are using? We need aliases, and we've needed them for a while.
On Adium, the AIM client I use, I put in aliases for everyone on my buddy list. How the hell am I supposed to remember everybody's ancient screennames that are references to something obscure from high school? Instead, they come up as, you know, their names.
On Xbox Live, I have literally no idea who some of my friends are. I have vague guesses based on their avatars, and I knew who they were when I added them, but everybody has such goddamned goofy usernames, it's impossible to keep track of them all.
Wouldn't it be easy to allow people to enter their real names as well and then give users a choice about which to display, the handle or the real name? Or allow people to create custom aliases for each person on their friends list? Because not knowing who your friends are kind of defeats the purpose of having a friends list in the first place, doesn't it?
http://gizmodo.com/5391018/hey-micro...live-gamertags
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October 27th, 2009, 16:23 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft has launched its streaming film and television content service in association with Sky TV for the UK and Ireland today.
The Sky Player for Xbox 360 will allow Xbox Live Gold members to watch programmes from 24 different channels live, with an additional selection of on-demand channels featuring key shows from the past month as well as over 400 movies on offer from the current Sky Movies channels line-up.
For Gold members that already have a subscription to Sky, the content will be free, depending on that level of subscription - Sky Sports and Sky Movies content will require appropriate accounts - although as with the PC-based Sky Player users will also need to pay a GBP 5 Multi-Room charge if they don't already.
Non-subscribers will be able to receive the service as an internet-only offering, not requiring the installation of a satellite dish, for a fee of GBP 15 per month for the basic Entertainment Pack, rising to GBP 50 for the full Sports and Movies pack, with ESPN access also included.
Meanwhile, for Xbox Live Silver members, Sky News will always be free, while a special Sky Player Retail bundle pack will be available in stores from today which will include one month of the Sky Sports subscription pack, a three-month Live Gold membership and a Media Remote for GBP 29.99.
"Today our customers enjoy film, music, videos and games on Xbox 360 and TV is another significant step forward in our entertainment vision," said Microsoft's senior regional director at Entertainment & Devices for the UK and Ireland, Neil Thompson.
"And now Xbox owners will have the variety and volume of entertainment along with unique services such as the avatar community which allow you to share, celebrate and chat - it is clear that Xbox 360 is taking entertainment beyond the living room with unique social interactive entertainment experiences.”
As well as watching content through the Xbox 360, users will be able to watch with other people on their friends list and have their avatars sit on a virtual sofa, side-by-side with others. At the same they'll be able to communicate via an emote wheel on-screen, with a number of pre-set avatar animations available, or talk directly through the 360's headset.
"What makes it really interesting is at this point, if you've got a headset on, you can be talking to that person directly," said Thompson in a media preview last week. "If you're watching sport, you can chat about what you're seeing. If it's a movie, you can chat about that. It's a whole new way of consuming entertainment socially.
"This sort of experience is unique to the Xbox Live service - you don't get this sort of interaction on any other entertainment service," he added.
Content will only be available in standard definition in order to ensure that the streaming service is as seamless as possible to the highest number of users, and will be available in three different quality levels - with a maximum line speed requirement of around 2mbps.
While the number of available channels currently stands at 24, it's likely that Sky will opt to add more channels to the offering over time, with a theroetical maximum of around 140, although it was noted that the 360 line-up is unlikely to extend that far as the "+1" channels wouldn't be included. There are no details at this time as to which channels may be added, but currently no UK terrestrial channels will be available at launch.
The full channel line-up is as follows:
Entertainment Pack
G.O.L.D.
Sky Real Lives
Sky Arts 1
MTV ONE
Sky Sports News
British Eurosport
ESPN Classic
Sky News
National Geographic
Nat Geo Wild
History
Eden
Cartoon Network
Boomerang
Nickelodeon
Disney Channel
Nick Jr
Sport Pack
Sky Sports 1
Sky Sports 2
Sky Sports 3
Sky Sports XTRA
ESPN (additional cost)
(Plus all sport video on-demand channels)
Movies Pack
Sky Movies Screen 1
Sky Movies Screen 2
(Plus over 400 movies on-demand)
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...360-sky-player
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October 26th, 2009, 19:25 Posted By: wraggster
Modern Warfare is one of the best first-person-shooters in recent memory. What if the sequel was not only a FPS. What if it was also a third-person-shooter?
Someone snagged an early copy of Modern Warfare 2 in France on the PS3 and streamed it on the internet. If it's real, the game appears to feature third person mode. If it's not real, then it won't. Easy as that.
http://kotaku.com/5389842/rumor-mode...-shooting-mode
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October 26th, 2009, 01:02 Posted By: wraggster
The first batch of people who signed up for the upcoming Preview Program Dashboard on the XBOX 360 went live last night. As always, the dashboard update is now leaked online, making anyone who has a flash drive have the ability to update. The last Preview Program worked by just installing the leaked update, so this time, Microsoft made sure that anyone who installs this update without the Microsoft invite will be blocked from the XBOX Live access until the official update comes out on November 17.
If you see an update leaking around the internet, don’t get tempted. Just wait it out, or maybe try signing up for the Preview Program once there is an open slot. Remember, no access to XBOX Live if you installed this!
http://www.justpushstart.com/2009/10...orking-on-xbl/
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October 25th, 2009, 20:39 Posted By: wraggster
News via http://www.eurasia.nu/index.php
modrobert writes: "Mputten over at the Xbox-Scene forums reports of new Xbox360 consoles with Philips Lite-On DG16D2S-09C drive which currently seems unreadable by DOSflash ('Invalid Drive Data'). Also, this model comes without the 2nd-GPU heatsink/heatpipe (like the early Xenon consoles). This is the European Forza3-pack Xbox 360 Elite with MFG 2009-08-17, LOT 0942 (Drive HW: A0A2, SW: 83850C).
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October 25th, 2009, 20:14 Posted By: wraggster
Yesterday in an interview with Gizmodo, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was asked if the company had any plans for adding a Blu-ray drive to the Xbox 360 and set the internet ablaze with his response, suggesting that consumers will eventually be able to purchase Blu-ray drives as accessories. Ballmer's comments come after a year's worth speculation and denials from Microsoft as to whether or not they would ever adopt the next-gen disc format after their failed endeavor with an add-on HD DVD drive, so naturally, our interests were piqued. Unfortunately, the glimmer of hope given to Blu-ray fans was stripped away when Microsoft's "Major Nelson" Hryb reiterated that the company has no plans for Blu-ray in, on, or around the Xbox 360, and that Ballmer's comments were in reference to PC accessories.
Despite the mass confusion, it seems Microsoft is sticking to its guns when it comes to Blu-ray and the Xbox 360. Why is Microsoft so staunchly opposed to brining the high-definition disc format to their gaming platform? Is it lingering bitterness from the failure of HD DVD? Hopes for a digitally distributed future? We explore these theories and more.
Convenience or Quality?
Traditionally, the home entertainment industry has thrived on advancements in audible and visual fidelity, but now for the first time, companies have couched quality in exchange for convenience with the advent of digitally distributed media. Although Blu-ray offers the highest quality audio and video available, more and more consumers are warming up to the vast array of readily available digital content offered by services like Netflix, VUDU, and others. While VUDU and others offer high-definition content, there are inherent limitations to digitally distributed media that prevent the format from matching hard copy high-definition formats, such as bandwidth caps, variable connection speeds, and compression. Audio/videophiles will go down kicking and screaming before adopting an inferior format, but a growing market of consumers, especially those who use online outlets like YouTube and Hulu, seem to be more than happy to trade audio/visual presentation for convenience, a fact Microsoft seems to have recognized long before the fall of HD DVD.
In November 2006, Microsoft launched the Xbox Video Marketplace, a service built directly into the Xbox 360 dashboard for the digital distribution of movies and television shows, which later became the launching platform for the company's partnership with Netflix, which added a library of over 12,000 streamable movies and television episodes. In February of this year, only three months after it was launched, Microsoft reported that over 1 million Xbox Live users had utilized the console's Netflix feature. While there is no doubt that user activity for the feature was attributed largely to the free trial offered at the time of the service's launch, it does suggest a large interest in digitally distributed content.
Digital is Cheaper
Despite monthly subscription fees for consumers and huge infrastructure investments for companies, digital media is ultimately a cheaper, faster, and more efficient method of distribution. The process of finalizing, manufacturing, and then distributing media to retailers is a lengthy and expensive process that requires the regular utilization of manpower, production materials, and time, whereas digital services are more reliant on IT and strategic partnerships. Although the cost efficiency of digital media hasn't trickled down to consumers in most cases, there are benefits for consumers beyond the almighty dollar, like, for instance not having to get off the couch, which saves gas, time, and the previously mentioned effort.
You also have to consider the cost of producing and purchasing hardware to support Blu-ray on the Xbox 360. Microsoft would have to design a new add-on drive for the console and you'd have to pay for it. On the surface that seems like a perfectly viable solution; Microsoft likes money, right? Why wouldn't they want your money? Of course they do, but their profits would be offset by the cost of producing, marketing, and distributing such an add-on, thus their strategy of strictly digitally distributed media is a much more profitable solution. Outside of the monetary gains for Microsoft, there is also the question of how much of a value of an add-on drive would be to the consumer. Clearly Microsoft has no intention of adding a built-in Blu-ray drive to the Xbox 360, so what would gamers stand to gain from an add-on? Blu-ray movie playback, of course, but the add-on drive wouldn't be able to play Blu-ray-based games, so what's to stop gamers from just picking up a cheap Blu-ray player?
Microsoft Likes to Play It Safe
There are two prevailing strategies in the tech industry: evolution and revolution. Many manufacturers take the cautious evolutionary route, building upon industry standards and the precedent established by competitors, while others take the plunge and commit to an emerging technology in the hopes that it will ultimately succeed. Microsoft seems to have found a nice balance of both with their strategy with the Xbox 360, building a strong foothold for the digital revolution but holding the door open for hard copy media. With Xbox Live Microsoft has taken a strong step toward a more digitally-enabled future, but should digital distribution for whatever unforeseeable reason fail, Microsoft could easily adopt a new hard copy format with the next Xbox or by revising the current generation.
Blu-ray is Sony's Game
Above all else, let's not forget that the Blu-ray Disc Association, the consortium of electronics giants that launched the Blu-ray format, was spearheaded by Sony. Sony placed all of their eggs in the Blu-ray basket, making it a staple of the PlayStation 3, and won, and although Microsoft later joined as one of the board of directors, it is still a house that Sony, in part, built. Of course that would stop Microsoft from embracing the format for profit, but as we mentioned, there seems to be little monetary incentive in producing an add-on drive.
http://uk.gear.ign.com/articles/103/1038663p1.html#
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October 23rd, 2009, 21:38 Posted By: wraggster
Even though the Sky Player is headed to Xbox 360s in the UK next week (October 27 to be exact), we have yet to see any kind of demonstration of the streaming television service. TechTV101 came across what looks like some footage (after the break), given to the site by an anonymous tipster. However, without any known source and with the ominous disclaimer "This is only representative of what Tuesday's launch could look like" on the site, we're going to call this a rumor just in case.
The demo shows the channel selection displayed not only in the familiar NXE interface, but also in a "guide" format like those used by cable and satellite boxes. Another NXE-type menu allows for choosing TV shows and movies by category. And yes, you are treated to an ad for Batman: The Brave and the Bold, along with other footage of the actual watching TV part in action.
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/10/23/ru...xs-sky-player/
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October 23rd, 2009, 21:13 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft has reported its first quarter financial results today, with a headline fall in revenue, operating income, net income and earnings per share - although the company did note strong consumer demand for Windows and Xbox products.
Overall revenue fell by 14 per cent to USD 12.92 billion for the three months to the end of September when compared with the same period last year, while profit dropped by 18 per cent to USD 3.57 billion.
Meanwhile EPS was down by 17 per cent to 40 cents, although USD 1.47 billion of revenue was deferred relating to Windows 7 business sales, which would have therefore meant an EPS of 52 cents - a rise of 8 per cent.
In total the Entertainment and Devices division - including the Xbox business - posted a modest rise in revenue to USD 1.89 billion, which translated into an operating income of USD 312 million - almost double last year's figure.
"We are very pleased with our performance this quarter and particularly by the strong consumer demand for Windows," said Chris Liddell, chief financial officer at Microsoft. "We also maintained our cost discipline, which allowed us to drive strong earnings performance despite continued tough overall economic conditions."
Microsoft stock jumped sharply on the opening of the US markets today and currently stands at USD 28.42, a 6.7 per cent rise on yesterday, at the time of writing.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ine-in-profits
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October 23rd, 2009, 16:21 Posted By: wraggster
Larry Hryb (aka Major Nelson) has claimed that Microsoft has no plans to introduce a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360, despite apparent comments to the contrary from CEO Steve Ballmer.
Writing on his popular blog, from his position as director of programming for Xbox Live, Hryb claimed that "Steve was referring to Blu-ray accessories for the PC. As we have said in the past, we have no plans to introduce a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360."
Ballmer's comments yesterday appeared to be unambiguous, as he answered a question about Blu-ray compatibility with the Xbox by saying: "I don't know if we need to put Blu-ray in there - you'll be able to get Blu-ray drives as accessories".
However, as many observed the rest of the interview did not appear to support the implications of his statement. Ballmer also has a record of making erroneous comments about the Xbox business, for which a Blu-ray peripheral appears to make little practical or strategic sense.
Highlighting Microsoft's continuing focus on downloadable movie content Hryb added: "In fact, the future of home entertainment starts very soon when Xbox 360 becomes the first and only console to offer instant-on 1080p streaming HD movies. With a library of thousands of TV shows and movies to choose from, Xbox 360 owners can instantly watch the movies they want, when they want, in the highest form of high definition."
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...y-on-xbox-talk
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October 22nd, 2009, 17:29 Posted By: wraggster
News this morning suggests Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has done it again, pre-empting official announcements by confirming to Gizmodo that the company is planning a Blu-ray expansion drive for the Xbox 360.
When asked if forthcoming 360s will get an internal Blu-ray drive, he replied: "Well I don't know if we need to put Blu-ray in there - you'll be able to get Blu-ray drives, can get Blu-ray drives as accessories."
It looks self-explanatory out of context, but then context is king, and if you watch the original clip it's easy to reach the conclusion that he was talking about buying yourself a separate player for the lounge if you fancy a Blu-ray player, and simply used the magic word "accessories" by accident. Especially as he then talks about video-on-demand being the future in the next sentence.
That said, there's no technical reason it couldn't happen. Assuming an external drive similar to the ill-fated HD-DVD add-on, the technical challenges of bringing Blu-ray to the Xbox 360 are significant, but most of the legwork has been done already. The HD-DVD codebase within the 360's dashboard features support for the same MPEG2, h264 and VC-1 codecs found in the Blu-ray spec.
The only question mark concerns the throughput levels the code is capable of: HD-DVD handled 30Mbps max, while Blu-ray ups the ante to 50Mbps. At the time of the HD-DVD add-on's launch, Microsoft talked about how a combination of both CPU and GPU power was required to handle the decoding. Assuming there's no overhead in the code, it could require significant re-engineering to get it up to BD specs.
Even then, Microsoft would be in the unenviable position of having to charge a premium for a BD playback solution fundamentally inferior to PlayStation 3 performance, most notably due to the limited surround sound options in the lower-spec HDMI 1.2 controller found in the Xbox 360.
Over and above that, Microsoft's strategy thus far has been to say that gamers don't need Blu-ray, and any kind of expansion device would suddenly be suggesting the opposite. Far from offering more value to the Xbox 360, it would immediately make the keenly priced all-in-one PS3 Slim far more of an attractive proposition. Validating Sony's decisions isn't Microsoft's style.
As for games arriving on Blu-ray for Xbox 360: forget it. Some figures bandied about at the time put the penetration of the HD-DVD add-on at a mere three per cent. A BD device would probably be more popular, but the take-up would still be far too low to risk muddying the waters with games available on multiple disc-based SKUs.
In a sense, the Xbox 360's reliance on DVD has defined the storage threshold for this generation. The vast majority of its first-party titles use just the one disc. Third-party cross-platform titles are, with the odd exception, invariably targeted towards the 6.8GB storage limit imposed by the Xbox 360 DVD, to the point where even the PS3 versions are much the same size. The success of the Microsoft console has defined the size of almost all cross-platform games this generation, effectively making the 25GB and 50GB storage limits of Blu-ray superfluous.
In terms of HD movies, Microsoft probably reckons its download-only strategy stands just as much of a chance of success as Blu-ray over the longer term as broadband streaming speeds increase. Its service is also inherently more suitable for the Xbox platform: it's immediate, it's available to all Xbox 360 owners out of the box, it adds value to Xbox Live, and, crucially, Microsoft will make more money from it. Releasing a BD peripheral gives the firm no recurring revenue stream and effectively share-steals from its own services.
Moving into the next generation, all bets are off. The next Xbox will require a higher level of storage and by the time that comes about, a Blu-ray drive will be the cheapest way to deliver that. In the here and now, any kind of move into the BD market would be too little, too late. And besides, Xbox 360 seems to be doing well enough without it.
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/di...nse-blog-entry
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October 22nd, 2009, 16:54 Posted By: wraggster
Peter Molyneux confirms motion support for his studio’s Xbox 360 RPG
Microsoft’s European creative director of Microsoft Game Studios Peter Molyneux has confirmed that Lionhead’s upcoming RPG Fable III will support the motion-sensing Natal camera.
News first came from Gamesbrief’s Nicholas Lovell, who was in the audience at Molyneux’s BAFTA seminar last night.
Seeing as Molyneux’s Lionhead studios, which was acquired by Microsoft in 2006, was behind Natal’s impressive E3 Milo demonstration, news that the developer is looking to integrate Microsoft’s tech into its next game is to be expected.
Whether Natal will be utilised in expense of or alongside the standard Xbox 360 joypad is yet to be seen.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...le-III-project
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