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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.
THE LATEST NEWS BELOW
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October 31st, 2005, 23:09 Posted By: wraggster
Starting on November 4th, Microsoft will begin a tour of 60 Xbox 360s around the United Kingdom. In four venues across the UK, the Xbox 360 will be available to the public from 10am to 6pm, with gamers being given a 30 minute time slot to have a go with the Xbox 360. The venues will be placed at locations in Glasgow, Birmingham, Leeds and London, with the first venue being The Lighthouse, Scotland’s Centre For Architecture in Glasgow. Hopefully this isn’t the only chance that UK residents will get to play with an Xbox 360 before Christmas.
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October 31st, 2005, 22:46 Posted By: wraggster
The first solid shipment targets to be specified by Microsoft for the Xbox 360 have emerged, with the company's CFO Chris Liddell stating a target for the middle of next year - but warning once again that launch volumes will be low.
The US edition of Official Xbox Magazine reports this month that Liddell addressed a gathering of industry analysts after Microsoft's financials were announced last week, and told them that the company hopes to have 4.5 to 5.5 million consoles on the market by the middle of next year.
That figure - which is a worldwide figure, not just for North America - is particularly relevant since it could be read as the shipment figure for Xbox 360 by the time the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Revolution are looming on the marketplace, with both consoles expected to launch in mid to late 2006.
Liddell once again reiterated Microsoft's warning that launch volumes of the console may be low, with the firm focusing on keeping a steady flow of consoles into retail from launch onwards rather than delivering a large batch for day one.
This approach may well be a symptom of the firm's decision to launch simultaneously worldwide, which means that it's difficult for the company to manufacture enough units to satisfy demand at launch, but that it can ensure a steady flow post-launch as it doesn't have to stockpile for another regional launch somewhere else in the world.
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October 31st, 2005, 03:28 Posted By: wraggster
FreakDave released a new version of Surreal64 XXX -
a N64 emulator for Xbox (combining 1964, Project64 and UltraHLE) based on the original Surreal64 by oDD and Lantus.
Whats New
* Changed: Launchdata is not needed anymore
* Changed: Video plugins are now chosen after the emulator has been selected
* Changed: Pagesize is now 256k
* Changed: Rom is now entirely loaded into ram (only for 128Mb users)
* Changed: Removed Enable/Disable Controller option from submenu (Change it in the launcher)
* Changed: Shortcut for changing Paks : Hold both triggers and press left thumbstick
* Changed: Project64 and 1964 debug infos, now telling which emu is running
* Fixed: Rewrote CD/DVD detection code (tested and working)
* Fixed: Rom size was shown incorrectly
* Fixed: Bug in Basic Audio plugin
* Added: New and optimized VMM code (slight speed increase and maybe will fix crashes when going to ingamemenu)
* Added: Skin selection menu
* Added: Rom selection menu can now be controlled faster by DPAD Left Stick
http://freakdave.xbox-scene.com/
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October 30th, 2005, 02:47 Posted By: wraggster
...must be a quake (or 3) on the way!
It goes something like this, I sent a preview beta to a few people at the weekend and so far have had 0 (yep none) major issues reported. This could just mean that no one's tested it yet  but I know that's not the case.
So, things are looking on target for the release date I have in mind. In fact there are only a very few things left to be done.
I'd like it if everyone kept in mind that the first release will be very much a beta, the main emphasis has been on getting the main game of Quake 3: Arena to work. Meaning that I can't say for sure what mods etc will work or how well they might work.
I also hope that the results of the project are not a disappointment to some people, it's been (and is) a solo effort with me devoting as much times as I can spare to it.
Let the countdowns begin...
UPDATE: The question has been asked - is this going to be released as a whole game package or just an xbox executable?
The answer to that is - it's not going to be a whole game package (it's not just an xbe either mind)
You will need the data files from the pc version of Quake 3, you will also need to have the v1.32 point release updates. Also if you have any intentions of trying to play online you will also need a valid Quake 3 cd key.
So if you want to play it and don't have the necessary data files etc, you might want to nip out and see if you can find a copy of Quake 3 for the pc to buy!
http://carcharius.xbox-scene.com/
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October 30th, 2005, 02:45 Posted By: wraggster
We have released minor updates to both the skinned and non skinnned XBConnect(info). These updates fix a couple interface bugs reported by our users. Auto update will take care of installing this update for you. Our full installer of the skinned version includes two new Windows Vista skins as well.
XBConnect and 64 bit windows. We have some good news finally. We have our 64 bit driver for XP x64, and 2003 x64 (even works with SP1 in 2003 x64). I'm in the very early stages of testing its performance and writing an interface into XBC. Release date: when its done.
http://www.xbconnect.com/
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October 28th, 2005, 20:33 Posted By: wraggster
The latest financial report from software giant Microsoft shows that the firm's overall profits continue to soar, although major losses are expected from the Xbox 360 in the coming months, and Xbox revenues are declining sharply.
The Home and Entertainment Division, which houses the Xbox as well as the firm's PC games business and other media related businesses, saw its September quarter sales fall to $525 million from $634 million last year, and racked up a loss of $141 million - up marginally from $138 million last year.
Revenue from the Xbox is plummeting in anticipation of the launch of Xbox 360, it seems; the Xbox actually saw a drop of $132 million in revenue, while the PC games business drove a $23 million rise in revenues across the rest of the division.
Financially at least, the division is in for a tough time going forward as well, with the Xbox 360 set to inflict heavy losses in the early stages of its life, as would be expected from any such console.
"Historically, Xbox consoles have negative gross margins," the report says. In fact, all console manufacturers barring Nintendo traditionally rack up negative gross margins early in the lifespan of the hardware, although the systems are generally sold at break-even or better by the end of the lifespan - a milestone which the Xbox never reached due to using off the shelf components from Intel and NVIDIA.
"In fiscal year 2006, we expect Xbox console unit volumes and revenue to increase from fiscal year 2005 due to the launch of the Xbox 360," the report explained. "We expect operating expenses and operating loss to continue to increase as we near the launch of Xbox 360 as a result of launch-related activities and higher initial Xbox 360 console costs."
Speaking to Reuters after the results were announced, Microsoft CFO Chris Liddell also sounded a note of caution about initial shipment numbers of the console - saying that analysts are "expecting more of a launch spike than we were," which seems to suggest that the roll-out of the console may be even slower than previously anticipated.
Looking at the bigger picture, Microsoft had revenue of $9.74 billion for the quarter (up 6 per cent on last year), and racked up profits of $3.14 billion, up an impressive 24 per cent year on year; so while the Xbox may yet have to prove itself financially, the company can certainly afford to bankroll it for a while yet.
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October 28th, 2005, 20:32 Posted By: wraggster
GamesIndustry.biz has learned that the website for USK, Germany's videogame ratings board, is displaying a list of all the Xbox 360 titles it's been testing since the end of August.
While developers can submit betas for testing, they must have exactly the same content as the final version - which means all games on the list are completed or near to completion, and are likely to launch alongside the 360 when it hits Europe on December 2.
Key title Kameo, an action adventure from Microsoft-owned Rare, was submitted for testing back on August 15 and so is bound to be ready for launch. As is Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, Ridge Racer, NHL 2K6 and NBA 2K6 - all of which were tested in September.
Then on October 4, USK tested Project Gotham Racing 3 - suggesting that the racer will be here on launch day, despite the recent emergence of rumours to the contrary. It's likely to be joined by Peter Jackson's King Kong, Call of Duty 2 and GUN - all tested by the middle of October.
Final Fantasy XI was tested on October 21, and this week USK has been working on FIFA 2006 and Dead or Alive 4.
In addition, a number of Xbox Live Arcade games have been tested, including Bejewelled, Zuma, Hearts and Hexic, the Alexey Pajitnov-created puzzler that will come pre-installed on the Xbox 360 hard drive.
But there's one title that's conspicuous by its absence: Rare's much-hyped shooter, Perfect Dark Zero. This could suggest that it won't make it as a launch title, since there's now only just over a month left in which to get the game tested, manufactured and distributed.
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October 27th, 2005, 18:02 Posted By: wraggster
Typically the first generation of games released immediately after a video game console launch are graphically and technologically less impressive than games in later generations. A good example of this is the comparison between the original Halo (an Xbox launch title) and Halo 2 (which was released this past year).
Halo 2 is widely regarded as a game that pushes the original Xbox to the limits, whilst Halo looks aged in comparison. Despite the great increase in graphics and features when the two games are put side by side, developers haven’t been given any new hardware to work with. They’ve merely had the time to be able to take advantage of all the features of the same console.
With this in mind it’s not surprising to find that, according to The Inquirer, every single Xbox 360 launch title is single threaded. Apparently during a talk on multithreaded programming, a Microsoft speaker mentioned that all first generation Xbox 360 games will not take advantage of the Xbox 360’s two other cores. This probably isn’t worrying Microsoft too much, since they’ve given developers plenty of time to perfect their games before the PS3 and Revolution launch sometime next year.
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October 27th, 2005, 17:56 Posted By: wraggster
World of Warcraft developer Blizzard Entertainment has flatly denied rumours that it is planning to unveil an Xbox 360 version of the immensely popular MMOG at its Blizzcon event this week.
Fans of the title had latched onto a presentation on the Blizzcon schedule titled "Microsoft Next Gen Platform," and were hoping for a revelation about the firm's plans for the Xbox 360 console.
However, the company has now altered the schedule on its website to clarify the situation - with the slot now labelled as "The Next Generation of Windows", a discussion about the Microsoft Vista operating system on the PC - and has stated that there will be no announcement of World of Warcraft on the Xbox 360 at the event.
Thus far, Blizzard has given no indication that it intends to bring the hugely successful MMOG - which has over four million subscribers worldwide - to the Xbox 360 platform, although Blizzard VP Paul Sams told GamesIndustry.biz earlier this year that the company has had discussion with Microsoft about the possibility.
"We've been in contact with Microsoft," he confirmed. "World of Warcraft was really built with a focus on PC, and while I think it certainly could get to Xbox, it's not something that at this moment we've decided to do."
"It would require certain input devices," he continued. "You know, a keyboard or a mouse - those are things that are not standard, they're peripherals, and peripherals have historically not done well for any of the console companies unless you're talking about additional controllers or memory cards."
Blizzcon opens its doors in California tomorrow, and while WOW on Xbox 360 won't be there, attendees will get a chance to see the forthcoming expansion pack for the game, The Burning Crusade, for the first time. The pack extends the level cap in the game to 70 and adds two new races as well as a major new area and a new profession, Jewelcrafting.
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October 26th, 2005, 21:17 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft has revamped the official Xbox website to provide a comprehensive guide to Xbox 360 hardware, software titles and online services ahead of the console launch.
Xbox.com now features the 360 logo and a full rundown of pricing details, along with a list of accessories that will be available from launch day. The Games section has trailers for key 360 titles such as Battlefield 2 and Project Gotham Racing 3, plus a Downloadable Content page that currently bears the message "Coming soon".
The Xbox Live section has details of the free Silver service and fee-payable Gold Membership package, plus a guide to the Marketplace - "Your one-stop shop on Xbox Live for downloadable content, trailers, casual arcade games, card/board games, demos and more for Xbox 360."
One thing missing from the new site is a list of current-generation Xbox games which are backwards compatible with the hard drive-equipped Xbox 360. Speaking to MTV news recently, Xbox VP Peter Moore said the list will appear on the site within the next week or two. Visitors will be able to request email updates informing them when new games are added.
The website overhaul marks the latest move by Microsoft to gear up for the 360's imminent release - it will hit North American stores on November 22, with releases in Europe and Japan to follow on December 2 and 10.
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October 26th, 2005, 01:59 Posted By: wraggster
An enterprising modder has created what could officially be the first Xbox 360 case mod. His mod changes the lighting around the central “X” on the Xbox 360’s controller from puke green to an eye burning neon blue. It makes you wonder why Microsoft insists on the (to put it lightly) visually unappealing green for its Xbox line. Sure, it’s less of a distraction to the gamer than a blingin’ blue light shining in your face, but subtleness doesn’t have to be ugly!
http://llamma.com/xbox360/index.html
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October 26th, 2005, 01:55 Posted By: wraggster
It's becoming quite clear that when Microsoft purchased Rare Limited in 2002, it wasn't to make Grabbed by the Ghoulies or a remake of Conker's Bad Fur Day for the Xbox. Games such as Perfect Dark Zero and Kameo: Elements of Power, originally slotted for the GameCube, were pushed back for the launch of the Xbox 360 to give the console some firepower for day one.
Now it seems that there may have been another reason that Kameo and PD0 never made it onto the current generation of consoles: Rare was busy working on more Xbox 360 games.
In an interview with MTV, Peter Moore, corporate vice president of worldwide marketing and publishing for the Xbox, let slip that Rare currently has two more projects in the oven for the next-gen console. According to MTV, the projects have been in development for almost two years, and the games will be announced in spring 2006.
Though he didn't go into specifics about the games, expect them to be from different genres. Moore told MTV the games will "leverage Rare's incredible ability to broaden the demographic that are attracted to the consoles."
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October 25th, 2005, 22:28 Posted By: wraggster
Xbox 360 chief architect Peter Moore has already stated that there are no plans to stream full-length 360 titles via Live. However, there is great potential to introduce episodic gaming. Services like Xbox Live Arcade are definitely going to take a chunk out of retailers’ profits, but episodic gaming could completely change how we buy and play games.
By staggering the release of a game’s content into weekly intervals, publishers can create the same kind of frenzy and anticipation that avid television watchers experience. But is the Xbox 360 HDD prepared to handle this transition? Would new episodes replace old ones? How would this affect replay value? Once you own an episode, can you download it again? Questions, questions, questions…
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October 25th, 2005, 20:11 Posted By: wraggster
The first Xbox 360 demonstration units were shipped to Wal-Mart stores across the United States last week to great fanfare, and have since been plagued with reports of problems with the wireless functionality on the devices - which Microsoft has now confirmed is a known problem that it is working on a fix for.
The issue appears to be that the wireless controllers for the device (reports on this are confused, but as far as we can gather the pads are wireless but have a USB plug running into the back of them to keep them charged up) are interfering with wireless equipment used by many retailers, including product scanners.
This had prompted fears that the console - which operates on the same 2.4Ghz band used by home wireless networks and cordless phones - could also interfere with devices in people's homes, but according to Microsoft, this will not be a problem.
"This issue is specific to the equipment used in a few retail environments," a Microsoft spokesperson told gaming blog Kotaku earlier this week. "Microsoft has one of the most robust testing programs in the industry and has ensured that Xbox 360 meets all FCC/ETSI requirements and rules for operation in the 2.4Ghz band."
The problem appears to be that some of the devices being used by retailers are outdated technology that was built before regulations were introduced to make sure that gadgets on the increasingly crowded 2.4Ghz band play nicely with one another, so the presence of an Xbox 360 messes up their operation.
"We are working closely with our partners to provide a software solution that mitigates this problem within their retail environments," explained the Microsoft spokesperson. "Adjustments and tweaks to kiosks of any kind are quite common once they're deployed in a live retail environment and we consider making such adjustments a standard part of the launch process."
Xbox 360 pods are expected to appear in some UK retail outlets, as well as in other retailers around the United States, within the next week or so.
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October 25th, 2005, 19:34 Posted By: Cap'n 1time
From xbox-scene.com
One interesting thing about it is the ads at xbox.com... sure they look like normal ads, but right click. THATS RIGHT! IT IS IN FLASH. Does this mean that xbox 360 will have flash suport? am I talking about of my ass again? you decide.
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October 22nd, 2005, 23:06 Posted By: wraggster
Since I announced that I was working on this project I've had loads of people requesting to ‘beta test' the port. To all of those people I say thanks for the offer, but there won't be any early versions being sent to you. In my experience requests like these are, more often than not, just somebody trying to get hold of a copy so they can either leak it to the world at large before it's truly ready, or just show off to their friends etc. Very rarely does any quality beta testing information come back in these situations. Now, I have sent a few copies of an early beta out to people from the xbox scene that I trust and have worked with in the past. So there are people pointing out to me what's good and what might be improved upon. Until I decide to do a general release those are the only people that are going to get any advance versions, so please stop asking.
Time for a bit of good news - I know when it's going to be released!  . More precisely, I know when I would like to release it and am working towards getting the first public beta ready for then. I'm not going to tell anyone what that date is, so don't ask! Rest assured, there is a date and it's not all that far away.
http://carcharius.xbox-scene.com/
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October 21st, 2005, 21:58 Posted By: AntWak
Hi Gang
I have ordered my Xbox 360 and can't wait. I do have one question though and wondered if you could help....
I have been watching numerous demos for Perfect Dark Zero and usually, for each clip, there will be a "HD" version. I have watched the videos and the games looks great, but is this in HD?! I don't own a HD set and don't plan to buy one for a few years (when they come down in price). I am worried that the games won't look like they do on these movies on a normal set.
It's not just Perfect dark, Project Gotham looks great too, but what do they look like on a normal TV?
Any help would be appreciated
Thanks
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October 21st, 2005, 20:26 Posted By: wraggster
News from Divineo USA
Spider Programmer is the most advanced programmer for Xbox chip. With great software and high quality packaging, it is the perfect complement for your Spider chip and for other compatibles chips like: Aladdin, Aladdin EX, Aladdin Advance, Super Aladdin Live, Aladdin XT, Aladdin 2, Aladdin Xeno, MuppetX, DuoX, DuoX 2, DuoX 2 Lite, X-lite, X-chip, X-bit, Xecuter 2.6 and the Xecuter 3
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October 20th, 2005, 19:04 Posted By: wraggster
The first Xbox 360 demo pods have begun to appear in Wal-Mart stores across the US, giving shoppers the chance to try out playable demos of high profile next-generation titles.
According to Internet reports, the games on show are action adventure Kameo: Elements of Power, WWII shooter Call of Duty 2 and movie tie-in Peter Jackson's King Kong.
Photographs purporting to be of the demo pods suggest that they all use Samsung HD-TV screens and feature a slot at the bottom, next to which is displayed the message: "Insert your memory unit to download bonus content". Since memory units won't go on sale until the console itself launches on November 22, it's not yet clear what form this bonus content might take.
US website Joystiq has posted a list of more than 60 Wal-Mart stores where Xbox 360 pods are either already installed or will be arriving in the next few days. Notably the stores are located all across the country, suggesting that the demo pod promotion is not limited to particular states or regions.
Wal-Mart controls a huge 30 per cent share of the US videogames market, leaving Gamestop in second place - even after its recent merger with Electronics Boutique. The supermarket giant is no longer taking preorders for the Xbox 360 online, but the Wal-Mart website assures visitors that "The Xbox 360 will be available in Wal-Mart stores at 12am on Tuesday, November 22."
A representative for UK subsidiary Asda was unavailable to comment on whether Xbox 360 demo pods will also appear in stores over here. However, the company's commitment to securing a strong foothold in the games market is well known - Asda has previously stated its intention to become the UK's number one non-food retailer by the end of next year, and one of the key areas highlighted in an internal report regarding this aim was game sales.
An example of Asda's aggressive commitment to capturing the market was shown last month, when the supermarket slashed the price of FIFA 2006 to just GBP 24.97 on the day of release - undercutting GAME by GBP 10 and arch rival Tesco by GBP 5.
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October 20th, 2005, 19:00 Posted By: wraggster
As the war between the HD-DVD and Blu-Ray camps continues, Bill Gates has revealed that he favours neither next-gen format - arguing that both are doomed to extinction by the advent of digital distribution systems.
In a speech delivered to a packed crowd at Washington DC's Howard University, Gates stated: "The format that's under discussion right now, HD versus Blu-ray, that's simply the last physical format we'll ever have."
"Even videos in the future will either be on a disk in your pocket or over the Internet, and therefore far more convenient for you."
This might go some way to explaining why Microsoft decided not to put HD-DVD capabilities in the forthcoming Xbox 360 console - despite the fact that the Redmond giant has already come out in support of the format.
Although it's possible that a HD-DVD expansion could be released in the future -indeed, Gates himself has previously suggested that future versions of the Xbox 360 could include a HD-DVD drive - his comments seem to reaffirm the company's commitment to digital distribution of entertainment via services such as Xbox Live.
However, Gates went on to concede that there were major obstacles to be overcome before digital distribution became widespread, such as getting broadband into more homes - at present, half of Americans with an Internet connection still use dial-up.
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