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Week of July 1, 2007
Asian Manufacturers About RRoD: Microsoft is too Cheap
>> From smarthouse.com.au:
[QUOTE]
Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, declined in an interview to say what specifically caused the failures or how high the failure rate has been, but Asian manufacturers of the Xbox 360 who have been pressured by Microsoft to lower costs by as much as 15% say that the problem is caused by poor Microsoft design and the Company buying low cost components in an effort to beat Sony.
Recently Microsoft adopted various strategies to be more cost competitive with its Xbox 360 game consoles, with moves including asking for a price reduction from Taiwan-based component makers and working with Lite-On IT for its add-on HD-DVD drive, according to sources in Taiwan.
One Asian manufacturer that SmartHouse spoke to on Friday said "Microsoft have known of this problem for a long time. They are trying to blame component manufacturers but it was a combination of bad design and them (Microsoft) wanting everything cheap. This is what caused the problem along with them wanting to beat Sony to market. A lot of manufacturers were pushed to deliver components without much testing of the components working together inside the console".
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: smarthouse.com.au (5 pages)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Globe-360 v2 DVD FW Mod
>> We received this news from the Globe-360 Team:
[QUOTE]
After one year of first release, my team is glad to present you the next-gen Globe-360 V2 drive-chip for X360.
With this release we have try to satisfy the two major request received from the customers:
- the upgradability of firmware without an external programmer
- less wires needed to the installation
We have solve the first with the directly integration of USB2.0 programmer who could access to the on-board and original flash in read-write mode.
For the second we have developed the exclusive EasyConnect flexible PCB. [8 wires to solder]
The diagrams and application manager will be published on the official web-site under the next week.
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
C4EVA iXTRM HITACHI v1.2 Stealth and Xbins Xbox Live Logger
>> A new firmware has been released for the Hitachi-LG GDR-3120L dvd-rom unit for the xbox360 ..
[QUOTE]
Defeats all current and some future Xbox Live detection attempts.
Thanks to all the beta testers,everyone involved for without their effort this would not have been possible. Keep up the good work everyone. Thanks also go to Fuzzylogic and GAryOPA. Always recommended: If your drive is flashed USE A RESTORE FIRST (Use the restore included on this package)
Two Commands (for flashing use only one: FlashIX):
FLASHIX.BAT: Flashes your drive with iXtreme 1.2 Fw Stealth (Media Detect 2,and Firwmare Stealth, (NO F900 Core)
RESTORE.BAT: Return your drive to original State, even if you have
firmware stealth in your drive
*RECOMENDATION: If you have flashed your drive in the past use RESTORE
first. If it is a brand new drive use directly the Flash command you
like.
[/QUOTE]
I would like to note that while this release contains all retail versions of the hitachi, v78 users will currently not be able to flash until fw toolbox is updated, or another program is created to flash that version. v79 is also included, though can only be flashed externally with a tsop programmer (or until a software solution is created). This firmware is released to the public tested, though we do expect bugs, as with any project. Please post in the forums to let us know your results.
Xbins Xbox Live logger!
We have organized a small project to keep our page here updated with (almost) daily logs of commands being initiated while connected to xbox live. This will let the public be aware of exactly what is going on with the security involved, and possible new detection routines created. Enjoy!
Official Site: n/a (Commodore4Eva -at- gmail)
Download: n/a (May be illegal under EULA/DMCA)
News-Source: xbins.org
Xbins Xbox Live Logger:http://www.xbins.org/xblive
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft's Red Ring warranty conference call transcribed
>> From joystiq.com:
[QUOTE]
Following yesterday's announcement that Microsoft would be expanding their warranty program to cover the Red Ring of Death issue for up to three years from the purchase date -- at a cost of $1.05 to $1.15 billion -- we tuned into their conference call with Robbie Bach, President of Entertainment & Devices Division, and other Microsoft executives.
* David Hilal (Friedman Billings Ramsey): A question on how many units have been affected out of the 11.6 million and is there a problem that's completely behind it?
* Robbie Bach: Yeah, so we're not going to discuss, nor have we historically discussed, return rates or specific numbers of units. Suffice it to say that with a billion dollar charge and the focus we're putting on this that it's a meaningful number. It's one that we take very seriously and one that clearly has our attention. In terms of going forward, we do feel like we understand the issues and have made the changes needed to dramatically reduce this problem going forward and that we think we have our hands around it at the engineering level, which is the important thing for us clearly to do. And in fact, as Chris inferred, if you look at our fiscal year '08 expectations those are on track with what we said in the past and that's because we feel comfortable with where we are on the engineering side.
* Alan Cook (Merrill Lynch): This product's been out for a little over 18 months. Can you tell us when the problem became apparent? Is it something that's just cropped up over the past few months? Or has it been around for the full 18 months?
* Robbie Bach: Well, for a little over the first year, this problem - this set of issues - wasn't visible at all. It's the type of problem that doesn't happen because you turn on the 360. Sometimes you have hardware problems the first time you turn something on and you have a problem right away. These aren't those types of problems. So for the first year-plus it was something that wasn't, frankly, really on our radar screen. But in the last couple of months, we started to see significant increases in repair requests, significant call volume, and significant attention from people. And so we geared up to respond to that appropriately. It is one of those challenges in terms of figuring how you can test for things that happen a year to 18 months into the life cycle of a product; it's the type of testing that we do today and we're gonna do obviously more of that going forward.
* Charlie Debona (Sanford Bernstein): I was wondering if you could comment on whether this was a design issue or an assembly issue. And to the extent it's an assembly issue, do you have any recourse to your manufacturers?
* Robbie Bach: You should think of this as an issue that's Microsoft's responsibility. The partners who have done assembly and component work for us have done good work; we're very proud of working with them; we're going to continue to work with them. So you should think of it as a Microsoft design issue. Again, since it's multiple things, I hate to even point at design. To get at the heart of your question, it's really our responsibility, not anybody else's.
* Charlie: And so is this something that you've now been able to engineer?
* Robbie: Yes.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: joystiq.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Rumor: Rock Band Guitar 20usd More Expensive on 360
>> From joystiq.com:
[QUOTE]
Nailing down a Rock Band peripheral price has been almost as difficult as explaining how Keith Richards is still alive. An employee of Game Crazy sent us a printout of the pricing list which they received on July 3. The only thing that really jumps out is the Xbox 360 guitar price being $20 more than the PS3.
The price discrepancy could go back to the issue from last year regarding Red Octane and their attempt to get a wireless guitar on the Xbox 360. Turns out to license Microsoft's proprietary wireless technology would have increased the cost of the wireless guitar and the company decided not to do it. Could $20 be the magic number being tacked on for the consumer? This would also assume, if the pricing is correct, that neither the drum set nor the microphone would be wireless given the lack of a price difference between the two systems.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: joystiq.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Sakaguchi-san Confirms New MMO/RPG News
>> From totalvideogames.com:
[QUOTE]
Attending a recent anime/manga event held in Paris, Mistwalker's Hironobu Sakaguchi [FF Creator, Blue Dragon] has confirmed to TVG that he is currently working on a new title for the Xbox 360. Described as "50% MMO and 50% RPG" and definitely not Cry On or Blue Dragon 2.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: totalvideogames.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox 360 Failure Rate? Do the Math
>> From gamepolitics.com:
[QUOTE]
Now that Microsoft has done the right thing about the Xbox 360's rampant hardware problems, one key question remains:
What is the failure rate for the system? MS won't say.
Now, math is not especially GP's strong suit, but if each repair costs MS $100, that translates to a staggering failure rate of 86%.
At $200, the failure rate is 43%. At $300 it's 29%. At $400, it's 22%
There is a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff we can't know here. But, based on the numbers, a failure rate between 29% and 43% would not be unreasonable. So maybe those 33% reports aren't so far off the mark, after all.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: gamepolitics.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Bill Gates to open CES 2008, once more
>> From tgdaily.com:
[QUOTE]
The Consumer Electronics Association today announced the first keynote speakers for its CES 2008 tradeshow. Microsoft co-founder and chairman Bill Gates will open the show with his traditional pre-show keynote.
The 2008 speech is believed to be Gates' last CES address before the executive's scheduled retirement sometime in 2008.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: tgdaily.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft misses 12 million Xbox 360 shipment target
>> From gamesindustry.biz:
[QUOTE]
Peter Moore has confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that Microsoft failed to meet its 12 million shipment target for Xbox 360, but said the company is optimistic about the coming holiday season.
In a conference call, Microsoft CFO Chris Liddell said 11.6 million Xbox 360 consoles were shipped by the deadline of June 30. Before downgrading its estimate to 12 million, Microsoft initially announced 13-15 million units would be shipped.
Liddell acknowledged that the figure is slightly shy of projections, but said Microsoft is still "happy with that number". He also stated that Microsoft expects its Xbox and entertainment and devices division to turn a profit for the 2008 fiscal year.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: gamesindustry.biz
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft Expands Xbox 360 Warranty: 3 years - Costs MS 1bln USD
>> From the press release:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft Corp. today announced that it will expand its global Xbox 360 warranty coverage. Any Xbox 360 customer who experiences a general hardware failure indicated by three flashing red lights will now be covered by a three year warranty from date of purchase. All other existing Xbox 360 warranty policies remain in place.
As a result of what Microsoft views as an unacceptable number of repairs to Xbox 360 consoles, the company conducted extensive investigations into potential sources of general hardware failures. Having identified a number of factors which can cause general hardware failures indicated by three red flashing lights on the console, Microsoft has made improvements to the console and is enhancing its Xbox 360 warranty policy for existing and new customers.
Microsoft stands behind its products and is taking responsibility to repair or replace any Xbox 360 console that experiences the "three flashing red lights" error message within three years from time of purchase free of charge, including shipping costs. Microsoft will take a $1.05 billion to $1.15 billion pre-tax charge to earnings for the quarter ended June 30, 2007 for anticipated costs under its current and enhanced Xbox 360 policies.
"The majority of Xbox 360 owners are having a great experience with their console and have from day one. But, this problem has caused frustration for some of our customers and for that, we sincerely apologize," said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division. "We value our community tremendously and look at this as an investment in our customer base. We look forward to great things to come."
For any customer who has previously paid for repair expenses related to the three flashing lights error message on the Xbox 360 console, Microsoft will retroactively reimburse them.
[/QUOTE]
And here's the open letter written by Peter Moore:
[QUOTE]
To our Xbox Community:
You've spoken, and we've heard you. Good service and a good customer experience are areas of the business that we care deeply about. And frankly, we've not been doing a good enough job.
Some of you have expressed frustration with the customer experiences you have had with Xbox 360; frustration with having to return your console for service after receiving the general hardware error message on the console.
The majority of customers who own Xbox 360 consoles have had a terrific experience from their first day, and continue to, day in and day out. But when anyone questions the reliability of our product, or our commitment to our customers, it's something I take very seriously.
We have been following this issue closely, and with on-going testing have identified several factors that can cause a general hardware failure indicated by three flashing red lights on the console. To address this issue, and as part of our ongoing work, we have already made certain improvements to the console.
We are also implementing some important policy changes intended to keep you in the game, worry-free.
As of today, all Xbox 360 consoles are covered by an enhanced warranty program to address specifically the general hardware failures indicated by the three flashing red lights on the console. This applies to new and previously-sold consoles. While we will still have a general one year console warranty (two years in some countries), we are announcing today a three-year warranty that covers any console that displays a three flashing red lights error message. If a customer has an issue indicated by the three flashing red lights, Microsoft will repair the console free of charge--including shipping--for three years from the console's purchase date. We will also retroactively reimburse any of you who paid for repairs related to problems indicated by this error message in the past. In doing so, Microsoft stands behind its products and takes responsibility to ensure that every Xbox 360 console owner continues to have a fantastic gaming experience.
If we have let any of you down in the experience you have had with your Xbox 360, we sincerely apologize. We are taking responsibility and are making these changes to ensure that every Xbox 360 owner continues to have a great experience.
This will take a few days to roll out globally, and I appreciate your continued patience as we launch this program. I've posted an FAQ that should address some additional questions, and we'll update it over the next few days.
I want to thank you, on behalf of all us at Microsoft, for your loyalty.
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Next-Gen.biz: The Console Piracy Squeeze
>> From next-gen.biz:
[QUOTE]
The pirate's world is hard to map. The producer's perspective, shown in apocalyptic adverts linking downloading movies to everything from the porn industry to international terrorism, sits ill at ease with many people's own experience of running off a copy of The Goonies for a friend. And yet this shadowy business has brought at least one industry to its knees, forcing music executives to rethink everything from distribution and pricing, right down to which bands to sign.
Movie executives are feeling the pinch, too, as revenues disappear and tomorrow's big hit turns up today via BitTorrent channels.
Not only does piracy throw established business methods into disarray, it also raises the thorny issue of digital rights management (DRM) - a topic that is starting to seriously sour the relationship between content producers, who view it as a matter of safeguarding an investment, and consumers, who more often see their rights to content they've already purchased being eroded.
Both piracy and DRM are issues that the videogaming world is increasingly having to engage with. A poll conducted by Joystiq in August 2006 found that, of the 8,689 gamers consulted, 23 per cent played pirated games, compared to just 11 per cent who rented them.
An earlier poll by Brunel University in 2005 was even bleaker: 84 per cent of UK teenagers admitted to owning pirated software.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: next-gen.biz (4 pages)
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(Thursday 05 July 2007 14:08 EST) - (Category: GamingGeneral) - (Posted by::
)
Xbox 360 Elite to arrive on October 11th in Japan - Europe Late August?
>> From tech.co.uk:
[QUOTE]
The Microsoft Xbox 360 Elite is to be released in Japan this coming October. Microsoft Japan made the announcement today, sparking even more rumours that a European release could be close.
The Xbox 360 Elite will hit Japanese shelves on 11th October. Microsoft will be hoping that it has the same impact there that it did when it launched earlier this year in the United States.
Back in March, we reported that the 360 Elite was set to launch in the UK at some point in the late summer. Then an HMV spokesperson spoke to Eurogamer, and said: "All we understand is that it's at some point perhaps around the late summer, but we don't know anything beyond that.
Then last week came the rumour that the Elite would launch in Europe on the 24th of August. That fitted in nicely with the earlier 'late summer' statement by the HMV man.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: tech.co.uk
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft boosts Xbox 360 component orders due to upcoming Halo 3 launch
>> From beyond3d.com:
[QUOTE]
Words on the street of Taipei has it that optical drive OEM Lite-On IT expects to increase its shipments of DVD-ROM drives for the Xbox 360 at the eve of anticipated launch of the third Halo game, Microsoft's biggest gaming franchise.
DigiTimes also reports that Lite-On declined to comment due to non-disclosure agreements that bind the company to their clients. Sources close to component makers, which supply Lite-On with DVD-ROM drive parts, said that they began to increase their shipment toward Lite-On in June.
In other words, the production of DVD-ROM drives has definitely gone up at Lite-On and the Halo (3) effect on the Q3/Q4 Xbox 360 sales has surely something to do with that.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: beyond3d.com | digitimes.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
EU Commission examines high-def DVD formats
>> From digitalartsonline.co.uk:
[QUOTE]
The European Union's antitrust regulator has asked Hollywood studios to turn over information about their negotiations with the developers of high-definition DVD formats, giving them until the end of this week to respond.
The European Commission is concerned that exclusive deals struck by some studios with the backers of either the HD DVD or Blu-ray Disc formats may be a sign of anticompetitive activity in the industry.
The Commission began looking for evidence of a possible infringement of E.U. antitrust regulations on its own initiative: there have been no complaints from companies in the industry, said Audrey Lemonnier, press officer for the cabinet of European Commissioner for Competition Neelie Kroes.
The Commission wrote to a number of major studios in the first half of June, asking them for information about their dealings with the technology developers, Lemonnier said Tuesday. She would not say which studios received the letters, or how many were sent. The studios have until Friday to respond, she said.
If the studios' answers give the Commission cause for doubt, it may launch a full investigation, she said.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: digitalartsonline.co.uk
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox Live Marketplace growing by double digits each month
>> From gamesindustry.biz:
[QUOTE]
Although Microsoft is still declining to reveal revenue figures for the Xbox Live Marketplace service, the company has said that it is growing by double digits each month.
That's according to a New York Times report which also said growth has been consistently in the double digits since the service began.
"The people we've partnered with see this as a good way to re-connect with the consumer," said Ross Honey, senior director of Microsoft's media entertainment group.
"We allow a consumer who's very engaged in games to shift, with the same box, to watching The Departed."'
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: gamesindustry.biz
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft Denies Forza 2 Causing 'Major' 360 Issues
>> From 1up.com:
[QUOTE]
This weekend, posts appeared alleging someone at Microsoft was deleting threads on the official Forza 2 forums. The offending thread was reportedly full of gamers claiming Forza Motorsport 2 was causing major problems with Xbox 360s. Forza 2 Community Manager Che Chou responded to the accusations in his Weekly Pitpass Report:
"We've gone and tested Forza 2 extensively against the hardware and have confirmed that the game itself does not brick Xbox 360 consoles. Although it might seem like the number of instances is high, especially if you go by forum reactions, it's actually a very small percentage that it's happening to and we acknowledge that it's very frustrating. In other words, there isn't really a software solution here.
...As for the recent controversy over a 'deleted' forum thread discussing Forza 2 and hardware freezing, the truth is that I moved it to a moderator's section for preservation and investigation. It has not been deleted (and I can easily prove it). The thread no longer served a real productive purpose other than as an excuse for folks to violate FM.net's terms of service with ad hominem attacks. However, thanks to the thread, we are acutely aware that it is a very real issue with a small percentage of our community but a problem nonetheless."
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: 1up.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Mexican Carlos Slim Overtakes Bill Gates as 'World's Richest Person'
>> From bbc.co.uk:
[QUOTE]
Mexico's telecoms tycoon Carlos Slim has overtaken Bill Gates to become the world's richest person, according to a respected Mexican financial website.
Mr Slim is now worth $67.8bn (£33.6bn), above Microsoft founder Mr Gates' $59.2bn, Sentido Comun says.
It said Mr Slim's wealth has rocketed into top place after the recent 27% surge in the share price of his largest company, America Movil.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: bbc.co.uk
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Confirmed: Microsoft buying vacant Nintendo site
>> From seattletimes.nwsource.com:
[QUOTE]
Nintendo of America is feeding a large chunk of land in Redmond to Microsoft, which seems to have a nearly insatiable appetite for office and parking spaces lately.
The unused, 28-acre parcel sits between Nintendo's North American headquarters and Microsoft's RedWest campus, which houses its MSN online unit.
Neither company disclosed the sales price. The property was assessed for 2008 at more than $26.5 million, according to King County records. Nintendo bought the property in 1987 for $601,277.
The transaction is set to close in mid-July.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: seattletimes.nwsource.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Chris Early appointed general manager for Windows Live
>> From gamesindustry.biz:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft has appointed Chris Early, currently the studio manager for Microsoft casual games, as general manager for Games for Windows Live effective July 9.
Microsoft reports that Early will work to "bridge the gap" between PC and consoles, which includes adding Xbox Live-type features to PC titles and assisting developers in integrating Games for Windows Live into upcoming releases.
Interim Xbox Live group manager Bryan Trussel will replace Early as head of Microsoft casual games.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: gamesindustry.biz
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
EDGE's Top 100 Games of all Time
>> From next-gen.biz:
[QUOTE]
A superb print collector's volume called Edge Presents: The 100 Best Videogames goes on sale today. Next-Gen has the online exclusive full list. Click through for the best 100 games of all time, as judged by the readers and writers of Edge, as well as game industry insiders.
Here's the TOP 10
10. Super Metroid
09. Tetris
08. Final Fantasy XII
07. Halo
06. The Legend Of Zelda: A Link to the Past
05. Super Mario World
04. Half-Life 2
03. Super Mario 64
02. Resident Evil 4
01. The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: next-gen.biz
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(Tuesday 03 July 2007 16:12 EST) - (Category: Xbox_Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
MC360 XBMC Skin SVN Revision 818
>> From Team Blackbolt:
[QUOTE]
Just a small update this week. Jezz_X added a couple of compatibility changes to MC360 and also fixed the YouTube script. You must obtain the script yourself and place it in your scripts folder for XBMC. We decided to drop it from MC360 so that the original creators could keep charge of updating it and we didn't have to worry about it. Hope you enjoy the latest offering. Don't forget you can say thanks by donating, there is a paypal button at the bottom of every page [of blackbolt.x-scene.com], every little helps!
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: blackbolt.x-scene.com
Download: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
N-American Retailers Estimate Xbox 360 Failure Rate High as 33 Percent
>> From dailytech.com:
[QUOTE]
In an effort to gain a more accurate picture of Xbox 360 failure rate, DailyTech decided to poll retail outlets that sell the Xbox 360 and with it the option to purchase an in-store extended warranty. Out of all Xbox 360 extended warranties sold, we wanted to know how many were claimed by consumers with defective consoles, thus giving us a more accurate failures percentage.
After contacting several retailers from various regions in North America, the responses were unanimous: the Xbox 360 is the least reliable gaming console in recent history. Current EB Games or GameStop employees who offered information did so under strict anonymity, as it is against company policy to reveal such information to the public. Furthermore, our sources confirmed that EB Games revised its Canadian warranty policies during early 2007 for consoles solely due to the failure rate of the Xbox 360.
EB Games held conference calls for its Canadian stores informing them of the new policy changes and revealing alarming failure rates of the Xbox 360. "The real numbers were between 30 to 33 percent," said former EB Games employee Matthieu G., adding that failure rate was even greater for launch consoles. "We had 35 Xbox 360s at launch I know more than half of them broke within the first six months (red lights or making circles under the game discs). Two of them were dead on arrival."
The failure rate nearing a third of all Xbox 360 consoles was found at other retailers too. A Best Buy customer service department manager, who wished to remain unnamed, said that failure rates for the console were "between a quarter to a third" of all units sold.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: dailytech.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox Live India to be Launched in September
>> From gameguru.in:
[QUOTE]
It's been a long time since Microsoft has launched the Xbox 360 in India. Gamers here were waiting for a long time to hear the words "Xbox Live India" from Microsoft. It seems that their wait is over as Microsoft is planning to launch the online gaming service in India.
The Xbox LIVE launch will take place simultaneously from 23rd to 30th September. All of this will coincide with the Xbox 360's first anniversary in India, which also falls on the 23rd. Xbox LIVE subscriptions will be available in 1 month, 3 month and 12 month denominations, and from what we hear, will be quite attractively priced. There may even be an Xbox LIVE bundle in the works, comprising a live subscription, a broadband internet connection and a game.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: gameguru.in
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Amazon and Microsoft Team Up to Help Indie Filmmakers Jump Into HD DVD
>> From the press release:
[QUOTE]
Amazon.com Inc. , and Microsoft Corp. today announced the 1,000 HD DVD Indies Project, designed to lower the barriers to entry for filmmakers to produce and distribute movies in the HD DVD format through the innovative manufacturing-on-demand technology of CustomFlix, a part of an Amazon group of companies. Jointly sponsored by Amazon and Microsoft, the project will provide free authoring and setup services for up to 1,000 selected indie titles.
The project will be spearheaded by CustomFlix, which will bring as many as 1,000 feature-length independent films to Amazon customers using the CustomFlix DVD on Demand technology, which produces and ships DVDs only as they are ordered. This model greatly improves the cost structure for independent filmmakers by eliminating the need for costly inventory.
[/QUOTE]
Full press release: money.cnn.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
2008 Football Games Will Run Smoother on the 360 than PS3
>> From xbox360fanboy.com:
[QUOTE]
1UP is reporting that all the heavy hitting football games coming out this year (Madden 08, NCAA Football 08, and All-Pro Football 2K8) will be running best on the Xbox 360. 30 frames smoother to be exact. 1UP says that they've confirmed with developers that the 360 versions of each football game will run at a buttery smooth 60 frames per second while the PS3 version will have to settle for 30 frames per second. What does that mean? Well, it means animations will be smoother, faster and less jarring than the PS3 version.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: xbox360fanboy.com | 1up.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox LIVE Bringing E3 Home
>> From the official press release:
[QUOTE]
For the second year running, fans around the world thirsting for a sneak preview of the Xbox 360 holiday games and entertainment lineup can get together with friends to experience the E3 Media & Business Summit (E3) -- the biggest video game industry event of the year -- in high definition from the comfort of their own homes.
From Tuesday, July 10, through Friday, July 13, Microsoft Corp. is bringing E3 home to owners of the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system through its second annual E3: Bringing It Home, which offers downloads on Xbox LIVE Marketplace of the hottest content from the show.
Connect to the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network and bring everyone together in the living room to enjoy the E3 experience with E3: Bringing It Home.
Xbox 360 owners will be able to download high-definition content direct from the show including the following:
* Microsoft's E3 2007 press conference -- beginning at 8:30 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, July 10 -- will be available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace in high definition later in the week
* Video updates direct from the show
* A selection of game trailers, themes, gamer pictures and demos will be available from the hottest E3 titles such as these:
* "Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation" (NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.)
* "Assassin's Creed" (Ubisoft)
* "BioShock" (2K)
* "Blue Dragon" (Microsoft Game Studios)
* "Burnout Paradise" (Electronic Arts Inc.)
* "CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE™" (Activision)
* "FIFA Soccer 08" (Electronic Arts)
* "Guitar Hero III" (Activision/RedOctane)
* "Lost Odyssey" (Microsoft Game Studios)
* "Madden NFL 08" (Electronic Arts)
* "NCAA Football 08" (Electronic Arts)
* "Need for Speed: ProStreet" (Electronic Arts)
* "Project Gotham Racing 4" (Microsoft Game Studios)
* "The Simpsons Game" (Electronic Arts)
* "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08" (Electronic Arts)
* "WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2008" (THQ)
In addition to all this content, there will be many surprises, so fans should stay tuned to the Xbox LIVE calendar for updates
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XboxMediaCenter (XBMC) 2007-07-01 SVN rev9489 build - T3CH
>> T3CH released a new SVN compile (rev9489) of XboxMediaCenter(info) for Xbox1.
This T3CH-compile is a complete snapshot of what is in SVN at the time the build was compiled, with just a few small additions.
Special Notes and Noteworthy/XML/Script changes:
* I'm including the XBMC Win32 PC environment.exe that is meant for skinners & python developers, read more about the concept here. It was built using Microsoft DirectX Summer 2004 SDK.
* I've tweaked the win32 run_me_first.bat so it runs and then unmounts the virtual drives when you exit.
For the full changelog (all added/fixed/changed/updated stuff) since the 2007-06-25 SVN Rev9424 build click here.
Keep in mind this is a SVN snapshot of the current development tree. It's not an official (stable) point release. Use only if you know what you are doing.
Official XBMC Site: www.xboxmediacenter.com (manual and FAQ)
Official T3CH Site: http://t3ch.yi.se (release RSS feed)
Download Binaries: n/a (built with XDK) | Download SourceCode: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
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