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October 3rd, 2005, 17:40 Posted By: wraggster
Surrey-based publishing giant Electronic Arts has signed an agreement with Namco to bring hotly anticipated Xbox 360 title Ridge Racer 6 to PAL territories.
The latest instalment in the RR series will feature more than 130 cars and 30 circuits, and a new World Explore mode designed to suit different driving styles. It will also be the first Ridge Racer game that allows players to race online via Xbox Live.
This isn't the first time EA and Namco have teamed up to publish a title in Europe, with deals involving cult hit We Love Katamari and PSP shooter Dead to Rights already signed and sealed.
There's no word on a release date for Ridge Racer 6, but series fans are hopeful that the game could be in the shops in time for the Xbox 360's European launch on December 2.
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October 3rd, 2005, 23:57 Posted By: wraggster
FreakDave released some new info about an upcoming Surreal64 XXX build
- a N64 emulator for Xbox (combining 1964, Project64 and UltraHLE) based on the original Surreal64 by oDD and Lantus.
We're sorry for the lack of updates, but life is keeping us busy. For all of you who are curious, here's the status of our latest build. Please note that this is still a WIP and some things may change until release.
Surreal64 XXX - Beta4.9 WIP Changelog:
* 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
* 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)
* Added: Skin selection menu
Some of you might wonder when we are going to release our newest beta.
To be honest: we don't know. At the moment we're trying to fix some memory bugs and implement screen resizing.
Oh, and we've managed to increase compatibility with some roms which didn't run before due to the stupid audio bug (Turok series, Shadowman, etc..).
http://freakdave.xbox-scene.com/
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October 4th, 2005, 00:25 Posted By: wraggster
Baldbouncer UK have released many new Xbox Accessories, heres the full list:
Xbox Air Cooler
<a href="http://www.baldbouncer.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?ref=2&products_id=165&affiliate_b anner_id=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.baldbouncer.co.uk/catalog/affiliate_show_banner.php?ref=2&affiliate_pbanner_ id=165" border="0" alt="Xbox Air Cooler"></a>
Wireless Xbox Controller
<a href="http://www.baldbouncer.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?ref=2&products_id=166&affiliate_b anner_id=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.baldbouncer.co.uk/catalog/affiliate_show_banner.php?ref=2&affiliate_pbanner_ id=166" border="0" alt="Wireless Xbox Controller (Dragon)"></a>
Super Joybox 10
<a href="http://www.baldbouncer.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?ref=2&products_id=167&affiliate_b anner_id=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.baldbouncer.co.uk/catalog/affiliate_show_banner.php?ref=2&affiliate_pbanner_ id=167" border="0" alt="Super Joybox 10"></a>
VGA Box
<a href="http://www.baldbouncer.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?ref=2&products_id=169&affiliate_b anner_id=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.baldbouncer.co.uk/catalog/affiliate_show_banner.php?ref=2&affiliate_pbanner_ id=169" border="0" alt="Component VGA Box"></a>
Xbox VGA Box
<a href="http://www.baldbouncer.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?ref=2&products_id=171&affiliate_b anner_id=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.baldbouncer.co.uk/catalog/affiliate_show_banner.php?ref=2&affiliate_pbanner_ id=171" border="0" alt="Xbox VGA Box"></a>
X Gunner MK2
<a href="http://www.baldbouncer.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?ref=2&products_id=174&affiliate_b anner_id=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.baldbouncer.co.uk/catalog/affiliate_show_banner.php?ref=2&affiliate_pbanner_ id=174" border="0" alt="X-Gunner Mark II"></a>
Xbox Dance Mat
<a href="http://www.baldbouncer.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?ref=2&products_id=178&affiliate_b anner_id=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.baldbouncer.co.uk/catalog/affiliate_show_banner.php?ref=2&affiliate_pbanner_ id=178" border="0" alt="Xbox Dance Mat (Non Slip)"></a>
Xbox Monitor
<a href="http://www.baldbouncer.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?ref=2&products_id=179&affiliate_b anner_id=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.baldbouncer.co.uk/catalog/affiliate_show_banner.php?ref=2&affiliate_pbanner_ id=179" border="0" alt="Xbox Monitor"></a>
Buy all these and more at Baldbouncer UK
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October 4th, 2005, 00:43 Posted By: Zale1
I had this thread up earlier today and it mysteriously vanished. I just wanted to know if there is an effort to port cassini to xbox in order to allow use of saturn isos on it? I know its open source so I'm sure it can be done with the right programmers. Does anyone know more on this subject?
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October 4th, 2005, 19:55 Posted By: wraggster
IGN is reporting on The State of the Xbox 360, detailing information on the next-gen console since this past E3. From the article: "Coming into the home stretch here, it's clear Microsoft has had its fair share of problems. The MTV event, though brilliantly conceived, was a hype-without-substance infomercial that impressed nobody, especially the most important people -- gamers. At the actual MTV event, I did an informal poll which revealed that three-fourths of the people attending were there only to see the Killers. E3 was underwhelming to put it mildly, and the summer months proved to be vacant of everything but rumors, leaks, and more rumors and leaks. The Tokyo Game show helped Microsoft's cause a little, and Microsoft finally revealed its Japanese pricing and the worldwide release dates, leaving one major news announcement left open - the day-and-date launch games. Apparently, Microsoft and friends are still working on these last details."
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October 4th, 2005, 19:56 Posted By: wraggster
Electronic Arts has announced that it will showcase five Xbox 360 launch titles at Microsoft's X05 event in Amsterdam today and tomorrow, and has named three more titles in development for the platform.
The five launch titles are Need For Speed: Most Wanted, FIFA 06: Road to FIFA World Cup, NBA Live 06, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 and Madden NFL 06. All five will be available alongside the console in the US from November 22nd and in Europe from December 2nd.
EA also stated that The Godfather, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat and Burnout Revenge remain in development for the Xbox 360 as previously stated, although release dates have yet to be confirmed. GamesIndustry.biz understands that Burnout Revenge is a port of the PS2/Xbox title released last week with Xbox 360-exclusive content additions, and should be released in early 2006.
EA Executive Vice President and General Manager of International Publishing Gerhard Florin called X05 "a great moment for us". "The visual richness and engaging gameplay are just two of the many reasons that gamers all over the world have something to look forward to this autumn with the Xbox 360 launch."
X05 takes place in Amsterdam today and tomorrow (October 4th/5th) and is expected to see Microsoft cement its launch line-up of between 10 and 15 games for Xbox 360, with new software announcements also on the cards.
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October 4th, 2005, 19:57 Posted By: wraggster
Robbie Bach says that Bill Gates' widely reported comment about Halo 3 launching against PlayStation 3 next spring was a philosophical one rather than a specific pledge.
Speaking in an interview with the IDG News Service this week, the head of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division said, "Halo is something we'll ship when it's ready".
Last May, Bill Gates said in an interview with Time magazine that the second wave of 360 titles would arrive in time to cause Sony problems. "It's perfect," he said. "The day Sony launches, and they walk right into Halo 3."
Bach argues that his boss was using Halo as an example. "Philosophically the point Bill was trying to make is that we’re not just going to ship and not have great stuff coming up," he told IDG.
Bach also commented further on the decision to offer the Xbox 360 hard disk as an optional extra, indicating that it may have been influenced by price sensitivity in parts of Europe.
Speaking ahead of X05, which takes place in Amsterdam today and tomorrow, Bach said of the decision not to include a hard disk as standard: "It's particularly important in Europe where parts of Europe are very price sensitive and the channels where games consoles are sold are predominantly mass merchants which again are very price sensitive... One size doesn't fit all."
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October 4th, 2005, 19:59 Posted By: wraggster
DC Comics's iconic embodiment of the American dream has historically had only two weaknesses: kryptonite and video games. While both tend to cripple the Man of Steel and render him as unimpressive as a kitten, Electronic Arts announced at Microsoft's X05 conference in Amsterdam today that it is aiming to rectify one of these problems. Next summer will see the release of EA's Superman Returns: The Video Game, due out on current-generation platforms and the Xbox 360 to coincide with the big blue boy scout's theatrical rebirth from Warner Bros. Pictures. Electronic Arts has put the project in the hands of EA Tiburon, the development studio behind the nigh-invulnerable Madden NFL franchise.
"We are creating a game that allows players to experience a real sense of flying, and master Superman's unrivaled super hero powers in order to save Metropolis," said EA Tiburon vice president and studio manager Steven Chiang. "Only Superman can meet challenges of this scale."
Developed in conjunction with Warner Bros. Interactive and DC Comics, the game will not only draw from the events of the Superman Returns movie, but will also incorporate storylines from the character's extensive comic book mythos.
"EA is capturing the rich mythology of Superman and the visual excitement of our latest film to build a uniquely thrilling videogame for our fans," said DC president and publisher Paul Levitz. "We are all working together to bring players as much of the Superman experience as possible."
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October 4th, 2005, 19:59 Posted By: wraggster
The rubber's about to meet the road for next-gen motorcycle racing, thanks to THQ and Climax Group.
The publisher and developer today announced that they're bringing their popular motorcycle sim series, MotoGP 2006: Ultimate Racing Technology, to the Xbox 360. Fully licensed by MotoGP rights holder Dorna Sports, MotoGP URT on the Xbox 360 will give Climax a chance to combine the sim-style gameplay on which it built the series with the power of a next-generation system.
"The next-gen technology allows us to focus on developing an incredible visual experience with the unparalleled sensation of speed and adrenaline that is an inherent part of MotoGP," said THQ executive vice president of worldwide publishing Kelly Flock, "while also retaining the depth of realism that our relationship with Dorna awards us."
The most recent installment in THQ's MotoGP series, MotoGP 3: Ultimate Racing Technology, debuted on the Xbox and PC in August to a warm critical reception. In a break from series tradition, MotoGP 3 incorporated an extreme street-racing mode with fictional tracks, bikes, and riders. The Xbox 360 installment will offer players an "enhanced extreme mode" and new tracks, bikes, and riders.
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October 5th, 2005, 00:39 Posted By: wraggster
As well as a raft of product announcements, Microsoft used tonight's X05 press conference to reveal that it has arranged for Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh to work as executive producers on the Halo film.
As well as contributing to its production, Jackson will also lend the use of his Weta film studio to work on the special effects. Like Jackson, Weta has previously worked on the Lord of the Rings trilogy and this Christmas's King Kong.
The Halo film, due out in 2007, is the product of a script by Alex Garland, who was paid $1 million for his work, and was shopped around to various film studios earlier this year before Universal and 20th Century Fox agreed a deal to work on it collaboratively with Microsoft.
The two film studios will split the revenues equally, while paying Microsoft $5 million and 10 per cent of the film's gross.
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October 5th, 2005, 00:40 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft defied expectations by remaining quiet on the specifics of its Xbox 360 launch line-up at its X05 press conference tonight, but did use the opportunity to announce an exclusive new RPG title from Bioware and several other titles that will "lead" on the next generation platform.
Bioware's RPG, Mass Effect, is the first game in a trilogy, while Ubisoft was also on hand to confirm that Splinter Cell 4 will be appearing on Xbox 360 as well as other formats, and id Software revealed that it would be releasing a Wolfenstein title - developed by Quake 4 collaborators Raven Software.
Project Gotham Racing 3, Perfect Dark Zero and Kameo: Elements of Power will form part of the console's "impressive Christmas portfolio", Microsoft said, but that's all we know for now.
In other news, Eidos' Tomb Raider: Legend will also appear on Xbox 360, Microsoft said, as will a new instalment in the MotoGP biking series from THQ, and there were trailer spots for the likes of Silicon Knights' Too Human, Real Time Worlds' Crackdown and others.
Microsoft will be pleased to have secured Bioware's support for the next generation in particular. Last time out, the developer's Knights of the Old Republic Star Wars RPGs and latterly its original effort Jade Empire helped give the platform holder real credibility in that genre.
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October 5th, 2005, 00:41 Posted By: wraggster
Along with new games and an update on the Halo film's progress, Microsoft's tonight announced a strategic long-term alliance with sportswear manufacturer adidas, encompassing a range of football (soccer) oriented initiatives.
The alliance will see Xbox 360 kiosks appearing in adidas stores worldwide and at grassroots football events leading up to next year's FIFA World Cup, while Microsoft will join adidas in supporting MTV's "Goal - Germany 2006" TV series, kicking off this November, which charts the progress of 10 young footballers trying to make it into their national squads in time for next summer's tournament.
The two firms will also engage in various cross-promotional exercises to herald the release of Goal: The Movie. Furthermore, adidas will install content on Xbox 360 consoles, while Microsoft will enjoy presence on adidas' FIFA 2006 World Cup mobile portal.
"The alliance between adidas and Xbox reflects the fact that sports, lifestyle and video games are inextricably linked," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of Worldwide Marketing and Publishing for Xbox at Microsoft Corp. "Xbox 360 is a place where all three of these elements come together to truly amplify the sport experience. We look forward to working with adidas on this exciting program."
Richard Prenderville, head of Global Media at adidas, added, "We are really excited by our alliance with Xbox 360. The innovation it is driving is something we believe in at adidas, and our collaboration will excite an entire audience who love to game indoors and out."
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October 5th, 2005, 19:26 Posted By: wraggster
Atari has announced that a new instalment in classic survival horror franchise Alone in the Dark is currently in development for the Xbox 360.
The game, which is scheduled to make its debut at the X05 event in Amsterdam this week, is being developed by first Infogrames subsidiary Eden Games. Previous titles developed by the studio include V-Rally 1, 2 and 3, Need for Speed: Porsche and Kya: Dark Lineage.
"Alone in the Dark will look and play amazing on Xbox 360," said Xbox corporate VP Peter Moore.
"The level of environmental interaction and graphical detail achievable on the system is staggering and will allow Eden to produce a game wholly worthy of the 'next-generation' tag, and provide an intense and voracious gaming experience."
Atari Europe marketing director Cyril Voiron added: "Alone in the Dark is a massive global franchise that has been at the forefront of the survival genre since its inception."
"We are supremely confident that Eden Games will deliver a visceral and gripping experience that will establish the Alone in the Dark franchise as the leader of the next-generation survival genre."
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October 5th, 2005, 19:31 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft has said we can expect to see "15 to 20" titles available when Xbox 360 launches in the US next month, although the only titles it's prepared to confirm are the five announced by EA yesterday morning and its three first-party headliners Project Gotham Racing 3, Kameo: Elements of Power and Perfect Dark Zero.
According to director of platform marketing David Reid, the reason Microsoft did not announce a concrete list of launch titles during last night's main address is that they are "currently in the final stages of certification".
Speaking in the boozy aftermath of the main X05 address, Reid told US website GameSpot, "there will be 15 to 20 Xbox 360 titles available on launch day," followed by half a dozen or so more by the end of the year. Along with its first-party titles and EA's launch prospects, others will be confirmed in the coming weeks.
Microsoft's Robbie Bach had previously told the X05 audience to expect the "best games and launch line-up" of any console to date.
Confusion reigned for a short while after the conference when a Microsoft press release headlined "Xbox 360 Launch line-up announced" appeared on a number of US websites verbatim. Closer inspection revealed that just Gotham, Kameo and Perfect Dark were confirmed for the "Christmas portfolio", with the rest of the release given over to details of other games shown at the event.
Those included a brand new exclusive RPG from Bioware called Mass Effect, as well as multiformat titles expected to "lead on Xbox 360" including a new Castle Wolfenstein game from id and Raven Software and Splinter Cell 4 from Ubisoft.
Other titles confirmed for or demonstrated on Xbox 360 at the event included Eidos' Tomb Raider: Legend, a new instalment in THQ's MotoGP biking series, Silicon Knights' Too Human and Real Time Worlds' Crackdown.
Intriguingly, Microsoft also used the X05 address to reveal that Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson will take a hand in its forthcoming Halo film, acting as executive producer along with his wife Fran Walsh.
Today, the second of X05, consists largely of executive and developer interviews.
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October 6th, 2005, 18:48 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft's chief Xbox officer Robbie Bach has thrown down the gauntlet to rival platform holder Sony, telling GamesIndustry.biz that the firm is ready for Sony to say "which market, what date" for the launch of PlayStation 3.
Speaking at the X05 event in Amsterdam this week, Bach said that Sony's vagueness about its plans for PlayStation 3 meant that Microsoft couldn't say for sure what size of lead it wanted to have in the market by the time the rival system arrives.
"Instead, really what I say is, whenever they launch, I'm ready," the bullish Microsoft executive commented. "They should just tell me which market, what date, and I'm happy to be there - and we'll already be in that market, it turns out."
Bach also reiterated Microsoft's claim that Xbox 360 is just as powerful as the PlayStation 3, which will launch at least six months after the arrival of the Microsoft next-generation system.
"I think the reality will be that a game on Xbox 360 and a game on PS3, that's cross-platform, the power that they're going to get from the PS3 and the power that they're going to get from the Xbox 360 are going to be about the same," he said.
"You know, we've done the math. We have silicon engineers too. We've done the math on their specs and our specs and we think they're about the same."
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October 6th, 2005, 18:59 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft has shed a little more light on backwards-compatibility on Xbox 360 revealing that a number of Xbox games will be playable 'out the Xbox 360 box' - sort of.
Speaking recently to GameInformer.com, Microsoft's Peter Moore has commented that Microsoft "will probably be in a position in about two weeks" to post a list of Xbox games that'll be playable on its next-gen console at launch on Xbox.com, although how many titles will populate this list isn't mentioned. Neither have game names.
Moore goes on to say that this list "will grow and grow and grow" and will "get updated as more and more games get through certification", suggesting that the company may be planning a larger backwards-compatible catalogue than previously expected.
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October 7th, 2005, 17:31 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft said it was going to be taking the Xbox Live service to the next level with the Xbox 360, and the company looks to make good on that right out of the gate. Today, Microsoft and GarageGames announced the first exclusive Xbox Live Arcade title for the Xbox 360, Marble Blast Ultra.
Marble Blast Ultra is the latest in GarageGames's Marble Blast series, an online arcade action game in which players navigate their marbles through moving platforms and dangerous hazards while collecting gems and power-ups. The game was designed with players of all ages in mind.
Gamers will likely need a hard drive-equipped Xbox 360 in order to download the game. A GarageGames spokesman said Marble Blast Ultra technically would be able to fit on a memory card, but only if the Xbox Live Arcade architecture would allow downloads directly to memory cards.
A specific release date hasn't been named, but the game should be available around the system's launch window. Pricing information for the game has not yet been released.
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October 7th, 2005, 21:43 Posted By: wraggster
Xbox corporate VP J Allard has criticised Nintendo's "freestyle" Revolution controller, claiming that he had a similar idea which was rejected after consultation with gamers and developers.
Speaking to US website Gameinformer, Allard said the controller was "Well intentioned" but argued that he couldn't see it being used to play sports or racing games.
"I don't think most Electronic Arts games are going to be played with that thing, I think they're going to be designed for the classic controller," he added.
"Four years ago I wrote an email treaty and said, 'Why aren't accelerometers in remote controls? Why can't I scroll down my channel guide with a gesture instead of up, up, up, up?"" Allard revealed.
"We did a lot of research with gamers, talked to a lot of game developers and said, 'Should we put an accelerometer in there and do the tilt thing?' And there wasn't that much enthusiasm around it."
Allard did note that the Xbox 360 remote control features A, B, X and Y buttons, and confirmed that "You're going to be able to play casual games on Live Arcade with the remote control."
He also conceded that Nintendo could make good use of the controller in first party games, and that it could prove a hit with gamers as a result. He went on to praise Nintendo for its innovation, suggesting that Microsoft might also consider producing a simplified controller in the future.
"Remote control, that's great," Allard said. "Let's take it one step further and do a simple controller. We've talked about it. I like the idea."
But that doesn't mean Allard is sold on Nintendo's version - "I don't know if I like the implementation because it ain't my remote."
"How am I going to watch a movie on Revolution? Am I going to have a different remote than that or am I going to have to use the four colored buttons?"
Allard's comments suggest he is less keen on the Revolution controller than fellow Xbox VP Peter Moore - speaking to GamesIndustry.biz at the Tokyo Game Show last month, Moore said he wanted to "give kudos" to Nintendo, adding that he could see how the device might bring lapsed gamers back to gaming and attract new consumers.
Allard hit back at critics of Microsoft's decision to offer two versions of the Xbox 360 in a separate interview with Edge Online, claiming that the move will be welcomed by consumers.
"Consumers like choice, and it's a very pro-consumer move on our part," he told the website.
"You buy the Xbox 360 Core system, you can build up to the premium system and you won't be left out of anything along the way. You can pace into this however you want, unlike any of the traditional categories," he said, citing the iPod Shuffle as an example of a piece of technology that can't be upgraded - leaving consumers who want an iPod Photo "screwed."
"There isn't a game on 360 that you can't play without a hard drive, so I think that's a good thing for consumers. We've made a commitment to broadening the audience," Allard stated.
He went to concede that some developers may have been disgruntled to learn that not all Xbox 360 consoles would come with a hard drive as standard, telling Edge Online: " Sometimes doing the right thing means doing the hard thing."
"Are there developers who are disappointed? Yeah, sure... It was a difficult one. I was the biggest fan of the hard drive and its potential, but the problem is that we sold 22 million Xbox consoles and 5 million, maybe 10 million just don't care about it."
But Microsoft picked up the tab for those unused hard drives, Allard pointed out - which raised the question of who should pay this time around.
"We can either ask the gamer to pay for it, pay for it ourselves, or prove that there's enough value in it and have the gamer say 'I want to pay for it'," he said, adding: "I think that's the right model."
"You know, being first you sometimes get some crap, and we've had some crap," Allard concluded.
"But I think it's very pro-consumer and very pro-developer, and I think that in five years everybody will look back and say that this was a very, very good move on our part to launch worldwide and to have the flexibility for consumers to decide on their products."
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October 7th, 2005, 21:45 Posted By: wraggster
With the launch of the Xbox 360 looming near, Microsoft's chief Xbox officer Robbie Bach has spoken of the firm's commitment to the original Xbox platform - with software launches expected into 2007.
Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, Bach said that "we're definitely going to ship Xbox hardware units into 2006. We've been very clear with publishers that we want them to do titles through 2006 and even into 2007."
He also revealed that Microsoft has been in discussion with key retailers to ensure that Xbox is not removed from the shelves to make way for the Xbox 360 when it arrives at the end of November.
"We're working with our retailers on shelf space, displays, and keeping interactives in stores," he said. "There are some space constraints but we'll manage around them - most of the retailers are actually expanding their shelf space, so I think that will be quite good."
However, Bach doesn't expect there to be any price drop to the Xbox in the near future, saying that the firm is "quite happy" with the level of demand for the console at its current $149 / 149 Euro price point.
He confessed that the Xbox hardware has never broken even over its lifespan, but argued that this has been something that Microsoft had planned for from the outset.
"We didn't design the hardware to be a break-even endeavour over the life cycle, we designed it to be the most powerful console, and to have an impact," he said. "We think it did that successfully, and it just required us to fund that. Now with Xbox 360 we have the opportunity to make that investment pay off. "
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October 8th, 2005, 00:56 Posted By: YourStillWithMe
Where do I (Can I) download emulators?
I'm not a COMPLETE noob on xbox ok i lied where can I get emulators for the xbox? That's ALL i need to know
i tried the xbox evolution homepage and saw all those emulators but i dont get how to get them i cant download them!!!!
I'm a PSP Hacking EXPERT pretty much so if you want help there or want to get into that PM me!
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October 8th, 2005, 01:41 Posted By: Benty666
Hi im pretty new to this, I now have enough information to soft mod my xbox.
Im just wondering how I go about putting emulators on my xbox?
Do I have need boxplorer, or will my soft mod dash have a file explorer. Is it possible to put emulators straight from my pc to xbox using my action replay memory card?
Or if I have an image for the emulator, could I burn it to a CD/DVD and extract it from CD/DVD to my xbox?
Like I said, im new to this so I have a lot of questions.
Thanks
Chris
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October 9th, 2005, 00:21 Posted By: Benty666
Hi
I'm getting ready to soft mod my xbox so I went out today and bought an action replay with the 8mb memory card but now I have a problem.
Im using the splinter cell hack and I can only transfer over one of the two files as I seem to run out of memory. Is there anyway I can get both of these files onto this memory card?
Thanks
Chris
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October 9th, 2005, 18:03 Posted By: wraggster
Opendash update-->
Just a quick note on what's going on. Currently getting OpenDash running on xbox in good condition. I'm still haunted by circumstantial input handling - sometimes it works, other times it doesn't. Development is very stuttered due to schoolwork and the beginnings of my honours project - a port of eCos to a ARM7 computer that is going to be part of a nano-satellite in the spring.
http://th0mas.xbox-scene.com/
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October 10th, 2005, 19:42 Posted By: wraggster
from GIBiz
Xbox corporate VP J Allard has confirmed that while Microsoft is doing all it can to meet demand for Xbox 360 at launch, there will be "some disappointment" for retailers and consumers.
Speaking to our sister site Eurogamer.net at the X05 event in Amsterdam, Allard said there was an ongoing discussion around the "allocation issue": "It's a dialogue with the retailers, and it's not just by territory, it's also by country, and so at an event like this we can actually get some feedback from the retailers... So we can adjust our allocations."
Allard blamed the potential for shortages on the constraints of trying to develop silicon techniques and include the most advanced technologies within the 360, adding that any such shortages will not be concentrated in specific regions.
"We decided we're going to take a little bit of heat on allocations, frankly, in all the territories rather than take a lot of heat in one or two territories," he said.
"So, we're not saying Europe comes four months later, we're saying Europe comes now, but with that combining it with the physics properties of the silicon means we're going to have some disappointment in terms of what we can provide to retail and ultimately to the consumers this year."
"But that's okay, because we want to get the market started. We want to get started on a worldwide basis, we want to do the right thing for gamers, for our publishers and for consumers," Allard added.
He went on to concede that the Xbox 360 launch won't go without a hitch - admitting that there are "logistics issues" to be dealt with.
"Do I think [the launch] will go flawlessly? I don't, but I think it's the right thing to do."
"It's never fun to work really really hard and then get heat from the media, from retailers, from the consumer because we didn't have enough of the things or because something wasn't quite as perfect as we'd like it to be in our execution, but the team signed up for it, because it's the right thing to do."
Allard declined to offer any details of the 360's launch day software line-up but did confirm that Microsoft is hoping for "All three of the first party titles to be there on day one."
"We're hoping, though. We're not going to sacrifice quality to do it," he said.
"If something's not ready we'll hold it back... I mean these games are not far from being done, and if they're three weeks after the launch or they're on launch day I don't think it makes a significant difference."
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October 10th, 2005, 19:43 Posted By: wraggster
Platform holder Microsoft may face a new piracy threat, as reports surface of ten Xbox 360 development kits being stolen from a warehouse in Duren, Germany, with the hardware believed to have fallen into the hands of hackers.
According to an article on Spiegel Online, the shipment of ten dev kits was delivered to a warehouse in Germany in unmarked packaging. The kits were supposed to be distributed onwards to developers in order to create games for the new console platform.
A few days after the shipment went 'missing', photographs of the kits appeared on the Internet, with the serial numbers edited out. Police raids in Austria and Germany recovered three of the units, but seven kits remain untraced at present as the investigation continues.
Microsoft's original Xbox console was plagued by piracy and modification, including the installation of mod chips which bypassed DVD region encoding and copyright protection measures. Pirated software and modified games which gave players an unfair advantage in Xbox Live matches have also been prolific on the Xbox.
In a recent interview with Gamespot.com, Microsoft's chief executive J Allard suggested that piracy on the new console was a given, which the company has already accounted for.
"The philosophy that we applied on 360 is 'It's going to happen," he said.
Allard also hinted that the inevitable bypass of security measures was less important to Microsoft from a financial perspective, but significant in its potential to ruin the online multiplayer experience for genuine customers.
The improved community gaming and media functionality of Xbox Live is a key strength of the new console, which Microsoft is hoping will attract a wider audience of casual gamers when the new console launches in Europe on December 2nd, 2005.
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October 11th, 2005, 11:16 Posted By: Benty666
I've just aquired Slayers auto installer 2.6. I would like to know how i use this disc to retore my original ms dash?
I've softmodded my xbox with EVOX but half-way down the page there is a MS dash button but when i scroll down to it, it just goes over it and onto the next one, as if it has been disabled.
My xbox is a UK release 1 and the dash has never been updated. Could this have something to do with?
Thats why I have the auto installer disc, i've heard it can restore your original MS dash so you can swap between EVOX and Ms dash.
Anybody know how to?
Thanks
Chris
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October 11th, 2005, 22:27 Posted By: wraggster
Ok, technically I was just one of many journalists at yesterday’s press preview event, but I did get a chance to spend a couple of hours with the Xbox 360. I wasn’t exactly blown away with every title I saw, but overall I walked away impressed. We’ll have a full review of the 360 once we get the review unit they’ve promised us, but for now a few quick initial impressions:
The event started off with a lengthy tutorial to show off the ins and outs of the console, particularly Xbox Live and its media capabilities. The integration with Xbox Live is excellent and permeates the entire experience — unlike with the original Xbox, it’s hard to imagine using the console without a broadband connection.
They also had iPod nanos on hand to demo the 360’s ability to play audio stored on a portable audio device (it can actually play MP3s or WMAs stored on any USB mass storage device), and how you could listen to whatever music you liked during gameplay.
The controller itself felt good in the hand and that button in the middle brings you straight to Xbox Live. You can jump instantly in and out of Xbox Live from any game without messing things if you want to check your messages.
The graphics and textures of Condemned were amazing, and Need For Speed Most Wanted was one of the most photorealistic games I’ve ever seen. Project Gotham Racing 3 was pretty sweet, too, the level of detail in each city was mind-blowing.
Somehow managed to repeatedly kick Major Nelson’s ass at Dead or Alive 4 (the game’s graphics were a bit too glossy for my taste).
Couldn’t get past practice mode in NBA Live 06 because of a bug in the build (we were playing on dev units), but it seems like they’ve managed to eliminate much of the herky-jerkiness in previous generation basketball games.
Kameo was a bit disappointing (supposedly it gets better once you’re in deep). Call For Duty 2 was engrossing, but like Dead or Alive 4, it also seemed like it could use a bit more texture.
The Xbox 360 doubles as Windows Media Center Extender and the demo I saw ran flawlessly, it was as if a copy of Windows XP Media Center Edition was running natively. They showed the Xbox streaming high def video off of a PC and it was perfect.
They also showed off Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Perfect Dark Zero, and King Kong, all of which I wouldn’t mind spending more time with.
Yeah, so the PS3 will probably have the edge over the Xbox 360 in graphics and sheer computational power, but after actually playing some of these games it’s hard to imagine all but the most diehard Sony fanboys holding out for the 5 - 7 months that’ll pass before Sony introduces their console. And at the end of the day that’s what Microsoft is after — to grab as much of the market before Sony enters the scene. Hate to say it, but as of November 22nd the Xbox 360 is going to be only game in town.
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October 11th, 2005, 23:24 Posted By: wraggster
News From Lik Sang
Release Date / Price Point
First out of the gate for this generation, the Xbox 360 hits America on Tuesday Nov 22nd, two days before Thanksgiving, then Europe on Friday Dec 2nd, and Japan on Saturday Dec 10th. As Peter Moore, corporate Vice President of Xbox, told IGN recently, "If there is a lesson I think we have learned in the previous generation it's that gamers want choice. Some gamers want simply to play a game and have none of the, in their estimation, some of the frills of the gaming experience, and price becomes paramount for them." Thus there is two different packs, the first of which, the Core System, includes a wired controller and standard AV cable for US$ 299. The Premium Bundle boasts a wireless pad, component HD-AV cable, detachable 20 GB hard drive, Xbox Live Headset, Multi-Media Remote, and free Xbox Live Silver membership for US$ 399.
The premium bundle will go for €399.99 (US$ 479) in Europe, and £279.99 (US$ 499) for the UK, while the Core System will be €299.99 (US$ 359) in Europe, and £209.99 (US$ 369) in the UK. For those who get the core system, without a hard drive, a 64M memory card can be purchased, and games now list the amount of space their saves take on the back of the box. Japanese players however, can pick up the full premium bundle at only 37,900 yen (US$ 334), and no core system will be offered there. The hard drive in every continent comes pre-loaded with a custom soundtrack, High Definition video including a "Making of Xbox 360" feature, and a free arcade puzzle game from Alexy Pajitnov, the creator of Tetris, titled Hexic.
The Games
Moving onto the games, while a final list of titles you'll be able to buy on day one isn't available yet, here's the 17 games announced by Microsoft and various third parties that they intend to try and ship at launch:
• Project Gotham Racing 3
• Kameo: Elements of Power
• Perfect Dark Zero
• Madden NFL 06
• NBA Live 06
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06
• FIFA 06
• Need for Speed Most Wanted
• NBA 2K6
• NHL 2K6
• Top Spin 2
• Amped 3
• Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
• Call of Duty 2
• Quake 4
• Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
• Gun
Absent from the list but still expected to release this year are the likes of Dead or Alive 4 (complete with Halo's Master Chief!), Peter Jackson's King Kong, Saint's Row, Full Auto, Condemned: Origins, Final Fantasy XI and more.
Currently the only title to require the hard drive is the last in the list, Final Fantasy XI. Those who do get the 20 GB hard drive though, can also enjoy backwards compatibility with the "best selling Xbox titles". While as it's achieved using an Xbox emulator running on vastly different hardware, this doesn't include all games, but Microsoft will release patches online to expand the compatibility library as time goes on.
The Controller
The 360's pad is similar in size to the Xbox S controller, but smoother, sleeker and lighter, in fact quite a lot lighter with the wired version. While there were no complaints about poor build quality with the original Xbox pad, the new controller is reported to feel a lot stronger. The rarely used black and white buttons are gone from the front, and have become two DualShock style shoulder buttons on the top. Past those is the two larger style triggers racing fans love, giving you a large range of analog control. Much to the delight of those who played Xbox for many, many hours, the face buttons are now more round and comfortable, and in the upper mid section of the pad sits the circle of light. With four different quadrants of light, this is used to show you which of four players you are, and could be for example, used to show which section of a split screen match you're playing in.
When an Xbox Live message comes through, which will pop up without interrupting or slowing down your game, you can press the "X" in the middle of the circle of light, to pause and respond. Likewise you can use it to jump straight into music, pictures, DVD playback and more. Moving on, down the bottom of the pad is the integrated headset port for Xbox Live play, which can be used with either the wireless or wired controller.
The 360 supports up to 4 controllers, and we'd assume has enough wireless channels to handle those 16 player link-up fests. Using 2.4 GHz wireless technology with a 30-foot range, the wireless pad is powered by two AA batteries, which lasts for up to 40 hours. Features include the ability to turn rumble mode on or off to save power, and the ring of light will change from green to orange when batteries are running low, and then to red for that last final warning. For those dreaded moments when the battery does run low, the optional Play & Charge Kit lets you recharge while you game. This also comes with a standard NiMH rechargeable battery pack, which lasts for 30 hours. Lastly, the ability to turn on or off the Xbox 360 console from the controller ensures short of changing discs, you'll never have to move one iota off the couch.
Online Functionality and Accessories
Switching to accessories, around the back of the console there's three USB ports, two of which can be used for PC control pads and hopefully a keyboard and mouse. 3rd party controllers and accessories may see a price rise this generation though, as Microsoft will be charging accessory makers licensing fees, and while that's not too uncommon, for the first time, encryption hardware has been built into the console making sure they can't sneak around this, since most companies currently do.
The Universal Media Remote is another nicely designed piece of kit. Starting with the ability to power your system on or off, this backlit remote features standard A, B, X, and Y buttons, plus control keys for your music, pictures, and more. Supporting progressive scan for DVD playback right out of the box, the remote has a handy control for opening and closing the tray, and gives universal TV and console functionality, including volume and mute buttons plus channel changing. For a limited time during the launch period of the console, the Premium Bundle will come with a free Media Remote, although it's a smaller version compared to the one you can purchase separately.
The optional Wireless Networking Adapter offers the choice of working on either 802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11a, and takes power straight from the Xbox, meaning no extra power brick. If you're going to stream video from your Windows XP or Media Center PC however, you need the hardware on it to support the 802.11a standard. The 360 will also let you transfer music from your PSP or iPod (perhaps in response to the huge number of Microsoft employees with Apple iPod's themselves?). While listening to any of your music, you can also check out 50 interactive, full-screen 3-D visualizers, designed by Jeff Minter of Llamasoft, well known in the visualizer world, and producer of the psychedelic Tempest 2000.
Heading online, Xbox Live Silver is the free edition, giving you a Gamertag and gamer card, the ability to talk with others using voice chat, and access to Xbox Live Marketplace right away. The marketplace lets you download game trailers, demos and new content. For example with Dead or Alive 4, you'll be able to purchase even more new costumes for characters as time goes on, and Microsoft's vision for the future is to let gamers create their own content, and then give or sell it themselves to others, all though Xbox Live Marketplace. If you upgrade to Xbox Live Gold, you get the multiplayer online gaming. This continues to grow on the 360, with Call Of Duty 2 for example allowing for up to 64 players online. Also through a Gold membership, you receive intelligent opponent matchmaking, access to all your achievements and statistics, video chat and video messaging.
While it won't be available at launch, the Xbox Live Camera lets you connect and chat while playing the same or different games, watching movies, listening to music, or other activities. With certain titles you'll be able put your face on characters too, or place it next to your name on leader boards, and EyeToy style games are of course on the way. With 640x480 VGA video resolution, and 1.3 megapixel stills, the images should look better than those of EyeToy.
Technical Specs
Speaking of resolution, entering the High Definition era, every single game will feature at least 720p and 16:9 widescreen. The Xbox 360 supports up to 1080i, which is a step down from 1080p that PS3 offers, although at this stage, finding something to display such a signal on is an expensive challenge. While the original Xbox was a 733mhz Pentium III, the 360 literally roars with three symmetrical cores running at 3.2GHz each. Using a type of hyper-threading, the system supports up to six threads running at once. Where 64 MB of RAM lay in the first Xbox, here there's 512 MB of 700 MHz GDDR3 RAM. The hardware was also developed with procedural synthesis in mind, a technique which can be used on almost anything, but trees make for a good example. When game developers only make one tree model, using procedural synthesis, the Xbox 360 can create forests full of trees, each looking unique. Along with their XNA set of tools, Microsoft aims to help keep next gen production costs down as much as possible while still retaining great graphics.
Along with the video requirements in games, every title must also support custom soundtracks. A 12x dual-layer DVD-ROM drive (16.2 MB/s) supports just about anything you can throw at it. Support for DVD-Video in progressive scan, DVD-ROM, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, WMA CD, MP3 CD, and JPEG Photo CD are all here. HD-DVD, which we talk about more further down, won't be in the Xbox 360, but hasn't been ruled out for a future re-release of the console.
Housing three USB 2.0 ports for digital cameras, portable music players and such, there's also two memory card slots built in. The overall size of the console is 83 x 209 x 258 mm (3.3 x 8.2 x 10.1 inches), finishing off with a total weight of 3.5 kg (7.7 lbs). The original Xbox was 90 x 324 x 265 mm (3.5 a 12.8 x 10.4 inches), and weighed 3.86 kg (8.5 lbs). Thanks to the concave design though, the unit is a good chunk smaller than the "X-brick", and better looking to, as you can add your own personal touch to the unit with interchangeable faceplates.
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October 11th, 2005, 23:26 Posted By: wraggster
Market analysis firm Wedbush Morgan Securities has published a new survey on hardware sales in the US and Europe which predicts that combined Xbox 360 sales in both regions will top 2.5 million by 2006.
The report's authors calculated the figure, which breaks down to 1 million consoles sold in Europe and 1.5 million in the States, based on the assumption that manufacturing began in August.
The report also assumes that 100,000 consoles per week were initially being produced, with that figure rising to 150,000 or more by the end of the year - making for a weekly average of around 130,000 consoles.
Wedbush Morgan also forecasts that Xbox 360 purchasers will buy two games at launch, and a further three games after two months - with the same ratio applying to rival consoles PlayStation 3 and Revolution when they go on sale next year. Xbox software sales will total USD 380 million in 2005, according to the report.
The survey focuses on current generation hardware too, revealing that PS2 has an installed base of 51 million units in the US and Europe. The figure for Xbox stands at 18 million, while for GameCube it's 13.2 million.
Wedbush Morgan predicts that Sony will slash the PS2's price tag from USD 199 to USD 149 on or near the Xbox 360 launch date - November 22 in the US, December 2 in Europe and December 10 in Japan. There's no suggestion that Microsoft might follow suit and reduce the price of the current generation Xbox, as Wedbush Morgan believes manufacturing costs are too high to make a further price cut viable.
The report also predicts that hardware sales will rise to 40 million this year - up from 35 million in 2004.
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October 12th, 2005, 02:27 Posted By: pakuma
its just that every time i start my xbox the error 21 shows up telling me to call customer support, the reason is this, i have a soft modded xbox and i set it up accidentally to do an autoupdate when xbox xtarts but i dont have xbox live or internet connection, so the error always shows up, i dont mind chnging my dashboard or formatting my drive but i just dont know how.
i was also told i could create boot disk, i have a evolutionx pack with bios files and different versions of the dashboard on my pc but i dont know how to use it or to create that boot disk
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October 12th, 2005, 21:05 Posted By: wraggster
source - http://www.joystiq.com/entry/1234000077063039/
was pleasantly surprised with Microsoft’s enthusiasm for the Xbox 360’s Live Arcade. The team is determined to do it right this time around—no hunting around for an installation disk. At launch, 12-15 games should be available, 15-20 by the end of the holiday season. Here’s a list of definite launch titles:
Hexic HD (original game from the makers of Tetris; comes pre-installed on the HDD)
Bankshot Billiards 2 (it’s pool)
Geometry Wars (upgraded port)
Joust (upgraded port)
Marble Blast Ultra (original title)
Mutant Storm (upgraded port)
Wiki: Fable of Souls (original title)
All of the Live Arcade games will feature HD (1080i) resolution—but for purists, most retro-ports will be available to play in their original glory. In addition, 75% of the titles will feature Live multiplayer modes, with quick match, optimatch, and create match capabilities. Plus, your progress in these games will count towards your “gamerscoreâ€; you’ll also have the opportunity to earn achievements.
What’s most promising about the Xbox Live Arcade is its potential to breath new live into fading genres, as well as lend needed support to the indie scene. Hopefully, we’re going to see some exceptional 2D platformers, shooters, and other genres popping up that are too expensive for publishers to release on disc for next-gen platformers. Games like Wiki and Marble Blast are evidence that the Live Arcade is gonna offer a fresh, albeit retro-based, gaming experience—these are not just ports, folks. If Microsoft succeeds in pointing users at the Live Arcade, I think we’re gonna find a lot of fun for a bargain price—not to mention, this will encourage Microsoft to build the library and pursue garage developers.
The features are there and the launch support is strong. Add online multiplayer to most of these titles, plus the ability to jump in and out of games (autosave), and you’ve got something legit. This is a service that will attract all kinds of gamers, for all kinds of reasons. Don’t sleep on it.
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October 12th, 2005, 21:08 Posted By: wraggster
A list of backwards-compatible Xbox titles for the 360 will go up on Xbox.com sometime next week, according to an interview with MS marketing VP Peter Moore (and J Allard) at GameInformer.com.
Moore had a lot of interesting things to say in the interview, but the things that stood out in our minds concerned 360 backwards compatibility. First, the list of BC titles will go up on Xbox.com and then get updated as more games “get through certification.†Also, auto-updates of newly compatible titles may occur in the background and you could possibly be notified via e-mail and/or the web. An ominous warning was given, however, that updates will continue â€[u]ntil consumers show lack of interest, then we will move on.â€
Considering the deluge of similar-sounding interviews and roundtables last week (most trying to get J to say something negative about the 360 launch), we hope you’ll understandable how we missed this bit of info from X05, but we’ll definitely make a report when the BC list (or the more important official launch list) finally gets released.
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October 12th, 2005, 21:28 Posted By: wraggster
Again it's been a while since I posted anything, unfortunately it's not because I've been too busy coding away.
I have been coding away, but I've also been waiting to take delivery of the shiny new Samsung LCD TV that I ordered a couple of weeks ago. So, rather than coding all the time I found myself checking the order status every 10 minutes to see if it had been sent yet!  Anyway it now arrived.
What's this going to mean for Quake 3? Well it might mean HD support, but I'll have to see how that goes. At least now it's here I can concentrate on coding again!
http://carcharius.xbox-scene.com/
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October 13th, 2005, 02:58 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft Japan officially announced today that beta testing of Final Fantasy XI for the Xbox 360 will begin with the console's launch in Japan on December 10. Gamers that purchase the limited edition Xbox 360 package will also receive a free FFXI beta test disc, while supplies last.
The limited edition Xbox 360 bundle is a commemorative launch bundle that includes the standard Xbox 360 package, plus a headset for Xbox Live. It's priced at 39,795 yen ($348), the same as the standard version.
Players who wish to participate in ironing out the wrinkles in the game before its official release will be required to sign up for Square Enix's PlayOnline service and Xbox Live's Silver package, both of which are free.
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October 13th, 2005, 03:57 Posted By: wraggster
Mr Modchips have got in stock (UK only) new Premodded Consoles with the latest Xbox Consoles and Modchips, heres the links:
<a href="http://www.mrmodchips.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?ref=20&products_id=84&affiliate_b anner_id=1" target="_blank">XBox Premodified with Xecuter 3 CE</a>
<a href="http://www.mrmodchips.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?ref=20&products_id=36&affiliate_b anner_id=1" target="_blank">XBox Premodified wth X2.6CE Lite</a>
If your after one i should get one quick as they sell out fast.
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October 13th, 2005, 19:00 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft vice president Peter Moore has conceded that organising a global launch for the Xbox 360 is proving to be a huge challenge, admitting: "If we knew what we were getting into, we might not have done it."
The Xbox 360 is due to launch in the US on November 22, with a European launch to follow on December 2 and a Japanese launch set for December 10. It will mark the first time that a console has launched in all three territories within a matter of weeks.
Speaking to the BBC, Moore said: "There's a reason no one has done this before and we are figuring that out."
"We're going to ship all around the world; how we're going to do that, I don't know. We're going to rent every 747 we can find," he added.
Moore went on to echo comments made by fellow Xbox exec J Allard regarding possible delays to software release dates if games aren't up to scratch.
"Games will arrive with a thousand bugs and get into the certification process," Moore said.
"They make it or they don't. It's no big deal if a game takes another week. The consumer will get a strong line-up."
Microsoft has yet to officially confirm a launch day software line-up, preferring to refer to the "launch window". Allard has previously stated that the company is hoping to get all three first party launch titles - Project Gotham Racing 3, Perfect Dark Zero and Kameo - into the shops "on day one." He admitted that there are no guarantees, however.
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October 14th, 2005, 23:51 Posted By: wraggster
New update, heres the scoop:
Thanksgiving weekend travelling led me to have a good amount of time to work on the OpenDash. Features fixed/added:
* Copy files, with progress bar.
* Copy entire directory trees.
* Multi-line text messages
* Skin/config separation.
* Skin switching on the fly
* Internationalization support (some text still hardcoded, most in config)
* More error checking before assuming something exists
* Fixing some memory leaks - still some missing
Still need to do a bit of fixing up, then I can release another windows build for skinners, fix bugs and add a bit more functionality on the xbox build, then release an honest-to-God xbox build  . I'm on a roll so this should all occur pretty quickly I hope, despite it being midterm season.
http://th0mas.xbox-scene.com/
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October 15th, 2005, 11:12 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft has finally confirmed the launch games for the Xbox 360...sort of. Speaking at the Digital Life tech show in New York City, Microsoft corporate vice president Peter Moore announced the list of games that will be available on the Xbox Live Arcade service for the Xbox 360 through the holiday season.
The Xbox Live Arcade service lets gamers purchase and download arcade-style games directly to their hard drives. The service is part of the casual games movement, aimed at a broad audience. Pricing has not yet been announced, but most games are expected to sell for fewer than $20.
The titles range from games from the days of coin-op arcades to new content from up-and-coming developers. Classics such as Joust, Robotron 2084, and Smash TV will be available, as will remakes of simple yet addictive games like Crystal Quest (a popular Mac game) and Geometry Wars 2 (originally tucked away in Project Gotham Racing 2). Hexic HD, by Alexey Pajitnov, the creator of Tetris, will come preinstalled on every Xbox 360 with a hard drive.
The list of games is as follows:
Game Title – Publisher
Astropop – Popcap Games
Bankshot Billiards 2 – pixelStorm, Inc
Bejeweled 2 – Popcap Games
Crystal Quest – Stainless Games
Feeding Frenzy – Popcap Games
Gauntlet – Midway Home Entertainment
Geometry Wars 2 – Bizarre Creations
Hardwood Backgammon – Silver Creek Entertainment
Hardwood Hearts – Silver Creek Entertainment
Hardwood Spades – Silver Creek Entertainment
Hexic HD – Microsoft Game Studios
Hoopworld – Streamline Studios
Jewel Quest – iWin.com
Joust – Midway Home Entertainment
Marble Blast Ultra – GarageGames
Mutant Storm Reloaded – PomPom Games
Outpost Kaloki – Wahoo Studios
Robotron 2084 – Midway Home Entertainment
SmashTV – Midway Home Entertainment
Wik: Fable of Souls – Reflexive Entertainment
Zuma – Popcap Games
Each game will have a free playable demo for gamers to try out. Microsoft expects 35 more games to be available by next summer.
Moore also listed the publishers that will be contributing games to the Xbox Live Arcade service. They are:
Atari
Bizarre Creations
Capcom
Codemasters
CTXM
Digital Eclipse
Electronic Arts
Empire Interactive
Gaia Studios
GameHouse Studios
Garage Games
Gastronaut Studios
Hamster
Harmonix
HipSoft
Hudson Soft
iWin
Konami
Llamasoft
Load, Inc
Mad Doc Software
Majesco
Microsoft Game Studios
Midway Home Entertainment
Mumbo Jumbo (United Developers)
Naked Sky Entertainment
Namco
Oberon Media
Pick Up And Play
pixelStorm, Inc
PlayFirst
PomPom Games
Popcap Games
Q Entertainment
RealNetworks, Inc
Reflexive Entertainment
Secret Lair Studios
SEGA
Silver Creek Entertainment
SNK Playmore
Stainless Games
Streamline Studios
Tik Games
Ubisoft
uWink
Vivendi Universal Games
Wahoo Studios
Wanako Games
Wild Tangent
Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360 will launch with the console on November 22. To access Xbox Live Arcade, 360 owners will need to have a working Xbox Live account.
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October 16th, 2005, 20:47 Posted By: wraggster
News From Lik Sang
A local Hong Kong manufacturer was showing off a new Gun for PlayStation 2 and Xbox that finally solves the long-lasting compatibility problems with the latest generation of televisions and screens. Be it with 100 Hz, Plasma or LCD, current lightguns for console games all have their issues, for several reasons related to the way they function. Coming with a different approach, this gun comes with a calibration module built-in. You point the gun to your screen and calibrate it by shooting at each of the four corners. After that, the screen area is properly defined and the sensor will also evaluate where you are shooting at. It relies on itself and therefore would work in theory with any type of screen from the past or from the future, even with a Retro-Projector pointed at a wall! Again, only a prototype was on the show, after failing in our theft attempts, we will have to wait until middle of November to get our hands on an evaluation sample, while the public release date is still unknown. Retail price will be set at US$ 39.90 according to the producer of the gun.
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October 17th, 2005, 18:49 Posted By: wraggster
Microsoft has announced an update to its Media Centre Edition of Windows, enabling customers to stream music, videos, movies, television and photos to any television set or device via the Xbox 360 console.
Will Poole, senior vice president of the Windows Client Business at Microsoft stated: "We introduced Windows XP Media Centre Edition three years ago with a vision to simplify the way people experience digital entertainment on their PC using something as familiar as a remote control. Now, Media Centre Edition and Xbox 360, together with offerings from hundreds of industry partners, are providing fantastic interactive entertainment experiences that can be experienced throughout the home."
The free update will be available to existing Media Centre Edition users via the Microsoft update website, and will be available shortly on new Media Centre PCs at retail. In addition to enabling high definition digital media streaming fro the first time, the update includes a number of functionality enhancements and new features for the Media Centre, as part of Microsoft's ongoing development of the digital media entertainment sector.
The new features include support for external DVD changers, enabling the management of up to 200 DVD selections from within the MC interface, displaying media information and cover art for all loaded DVDS. Away Mode will improve the power-saving features, enabling television recording, streaming and system tasks to be undertaken in a low-power mode, with support for the feature coming from hardware partners including Acer, Shuttle, HP, Gateway and more.
As the roll-out of High Definition Television begins to take shape, supported by the Xbox 360, Media Centre updates will include an HDTV tuner support, in addition to enhanced DVD burning features to convert HDTV to standard definition and burn media in one simple step.
The company now has over 75 content partners delivering dedicated content for Media Centre PCs, with further agreements from companies including MTV Overdrive, AOL and more committing to the content streaming service. Microsoft's next generation console has long been touted by the firm as the next step in multi-media functionality, providing a much broader service than simple gameplay and, hopefully, encouraging a more mainstream audience with its music, video and digital media features. The Media Centre update further reinforces Microsoft's commitment to connecting the content, and platforms for its next generation technology.
Brad Brookes, senior director of product management at Microsoft's Windows Client division commented: "The strategy here is quite simple. We want to create an environment based on Windows that will give consumers the ability to take their content to any device that was connected back to a Windows PC. The Xbox 360 us just the next evolution of that vision."
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October 17th, 2005, 18:50 Posted By: wraggster
Xbox UK boss Neil Thompson has confirmed that he is confident Microsoft will have a strong head start in the next-gen console battle, suggesting that the PS3 might not launch until spring 2007.
“I’ll be happy to compete whenever they turn up, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s not until spring 07,†he told trade magazine MCV.
“If they hit Xmas 06, then maybe it’ll be a very thin launch; a launch in name only.â€
So far Sony has only hinted that the next-generation PlayStation will hit the market in spring 2006, and it seems unlikely that the company will follow in the footsteps of Microsoft and attempt a global launch. They're more likely to follow the traditional model and launch in Japan first, followed by North American and then PAL territories.
But just when will the console arrive in Europe? Autumn 2006 seems likely to be the earliest date, with a 2007 release still a distinct possibility. As for how much the console will cost, estimates continue to vary wildly, with some industry figures predicting that the PS3 could retail for as much as GBP 499.
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October 19th, 2005, 20:47 Posted By: wraggster
News from Lik Sang
While the western world is all warming up with only 40 days ahead of the Xbox 360 launch, we receive regular enquiries from customers asking us when we will start taking preorders on the bad boy, or even sometimes, there are forum threads where we are accused of being Sony fan boys (!) because we already take preorders on the PlayStation 3 [and on the Nintendo Revolution, for that matter - double fanboy combo in your face], yet we do nothing about the great Xbox sequel despite the tremendous momentum it has built in the US and European market places - has Lik Sang turned into an anti-americanist place of some sort? Well, no.
The reason for us not jumping up and down about the 360 has nothing to do with its potential, its qualities or any kind of bias. It's more simple and pragmatical than all that: the product comes out in Japan last. What hardcore gamers have learnt to know is that Lik Sang is always first to get nextgen systems. Xbox 360 will prove this belief wrong for the first time. This was always true for Japanese systems from Japanese manufacturers and releasing in Japan early. This time around, Microsoft is releasing in both Europe and the USA within November, while Japan will not play the nextgen stuff from MS until 10th of December. We won't be first and we don't want to confuse consumers by letting you believe we could be. Hence, no preorders taken for now.
Shipping bulky systems from USA to Hong Kong then back to the western world wouldn't make a lot of sense and wouldn't make our offer competitive for our customers, who we strongly encourage to shop locally for this one. Exceptionally, it will turn out cheaper for your wallet. We prefer to be honest about it rather than building high expectations in the public on which we could not possibly deliver, seeing the circumstances.
Import Gamers who like it hardcore and want their Japanese games played on a Japanese system don't have to worry about a thing. Lik Sang will be stocking Xbox 360 Japanese systems from launch day (December 10th of 2005) as well as all Japanese launch titles exclusive to the land of the rising sun. All generic accessories, innovative gear and specialty peripherals to be released here in Asia - whether they come from China, Korea, Japan or Mongolia - will be stocked and sold here as fast as they are assembled together.
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October 19th, 2005, 20:50 Posted By: wraggster
800,000 in North America, 400 to 500k in Europe, remainder to Japan
Microsoft has given no official shipment estimates for the Xbox 360 as yet, but analysts are this week converging on 1.5 million units as the most likely figure for global shipments of the console by year-end.
Two key investment banks issued revised guidance for Xbox 360 shipments earlier this week, with Banc of America Securities maintaining its estimate of 1.4 to 1.6 million, while UBS Securities dropped its original estimate of 2.5 million to 1.5 million.
The revised estimates came after IBM confirmed that it was ahead of its targets in terms of manufacturing the PowePC-based chips used by the Xbox 360, with the chip maker set to meet Microsoft's requirements for the part in the current quarter.
Despite the positive news from IBM, both Banc of America's Gary Cooper and UBS' Mike Wallace maintain that shipments of the Xbox 360 will be significantly lower than many observers expect - with their conclusions being based on information from retailers and industry insiders.
The two analysts also agree to a large degree on where those units are going to go; Cooper expects that by the end of 2005, there will be 800,000 units in North America, 600,000 in Europe and the remainder will be in Japan, while Wallace also expects 800,000 in North America (350 to 400k of those on the launch day), with 400 to 500k in Europe and 100 to 200k in Japan.
Microsoft itself has repeatedly cautioned the industry that it expects the Xbox 360 to sell out ahead of Christmas, but has moved to assure retailers that there will be a steady supply of new units turning up in the weeks and months after launch.
While the analyst figures tend to suggest a slower than expected start for the Xbox 360, they're by no means negative for the industry as a whole - with sales of handheld and current-gen console hardware and software bound to make up any shortfall.
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October 20th, 2005, 02:05 Posted By: wraggster
Hardcore fans on the quest to see the next piece of coveted hardware in the gaming industry may imagine a scenario that seems a bit like a game itself: After journeying away from the safety of their own town, they reach a giant edifice seemingly radiating raw power, and enter its giant doors. A grizzled old man gestures with his arm towards an enchanting box, and speaks the magical words, "Welcome."
Well, that's sort of the case, except the magical words muttered by the geriatric are "Welcome to Wal-Mart." Reports across the Web say that several Wal-Marts have received their Xbox 360 demonstration kiosks, some already in action, some in the process of being set up.
Don't expect to stroll into your local superstore and start blasting some next-gen Nazis just yet. GameSpot called several West Coast stores and hit pay dirt only once. Wal-Mart store #2549 in Spokane, Washington, was the only one of the dozen or so stores phoned that had an Xbox 360 kiosk. When asked what was playing on it, the clerk said that it was running a demo disc, which featured Call of Duty 2 and some other games. It's unclear if any of the games are actually playable.
Other stores didn't seem to be aptly filled in on their kiosk situation. One said they probably wouldn't get one until after November 22, one said all they had was a picture of the console, and others had no idea. The one store that did appear to know the deal was in Lynwood, Washington (near Microsoft's headquarters). The rep seemed particularly informed and told GameSpot, "We should be getting ours in the next couple of days or so."
Gaming blog Joystiq.com has a growing list of stores that readers claim have the kiosk, and there doesn't seem to be any pattern to the distribution. Both coasts and everything in between is represented, with stores in New Jersey, California, Minnesota, and Utah on the list.
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October 20th, 2005, 02:08 Posted By: wraggster
Earlier we talked about the possibility that Microsoft may be faking a shortage of Xbox 360s in order to spur the American public to get out there and pre-order. Unfortunately, it’s looking very likely that there will be a shortage in the U.K. Olly linked us to his blog with his experiences of dealing with several game retailers around the U.K.
In one post Olly found that independent and smaller game retailers are being offered a total of four Xbox 360s to sell. Even bigger stores like Toys R’ Us only have around ten units for sale. The reason for this? Microsoft has only allocated 100,000 units to the UK in total. That’s in comparison to the PSP’s 250,000 units at launch; a console which is still suffering chronic shortages around 6 weeks after its launch.
So whilst it’s likely that the U.S. will avoid the majority of shortages, the U.K. may not be so lucky. But then that raises the question of whether a temporary shortage is a better situation than having the U.K. launch delayed by a month or more. Is the chance of being able to pick up an Xbox 360 (with temporary shortages) better than having to wait six months to even see one in a store?
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October 20th, 2005, 02:47 Posted By: wraggster
BaldBouncer have posted this new accessorie for the Xbox on their site:
<a href="http://www.baldbouncer.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?ref=2&products_id=194&affiliate_b anner_id=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.baldbouncer.co.uk/catalog/affiliate_show_banner.php?ref=2&affiliate_pbanner_ id=194" border="0" alt="Gamexpert Dual Analogue Controller Xbox"></a>
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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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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 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 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 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 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 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, 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 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 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, 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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, 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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