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Week of August 12, 2007
EU/UK Xbox 360 Pricedrop Coming August 24th?
>> An x-scene reader sent us a flyer from french retailer Carrefour indicating an Xbox360 pricedrop for Europe on August 24th. The ad shows the Xbox 360 Premium for 349eur (current official price is 399eur) and the core for 279eur (current official price is 299eur). You'll notice the retailer will even take an additional 25eur off the premium price with their 'fidelity program', probably to help clear their stock of non-HDMI Premium consoles.
The Xbox360 Elite is launching in Europe on that very same date ... while MS didn't announce an official price yet and retailers have been taking pre-orders for 500eur/330gbp, it's likely the official Elite price will also 'number-match' the new USD price ... meaning 450eur.
About UK (GBP) pricing ... the guys over at disposablemedia.blogspot.com got this info from their 'Microsoft insider' (who also confirms the August 24 date):
* Core 179.99 GBP
* Premium 249.99 GBP
* Elite 299.99 GBP
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Next Xbox Already in Planning
>> From eurogamer.net:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft EMEA veep Chris Lewis says the company is already working on its next next-generation console because "we have to".
"You can't sit back on your laurels in this business - the consumer won't let you, the developers certainly won't let us. So that's happening right now," he said.
The research and development practices of the console division are "no different than any other part of Microsoft" though, he insisted.
Advertisement
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Full Story: eurogamer.net
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Recent 360 and Live buyers get two free XBLA games
>> From joystiq.com:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft offers two free Xbox Live Arcade games if you bought a 360 and Live account over the past year. Fill out a short registration form and enter code "XBX0807" to qualify. However, the site is cagey about which games you'll get. The terms and conditions state that you'll receive an email code by September 30 to download the titles, but the offer "will be for games selected by Microsoft."
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Full Story: joystiq.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Analysts predict bounce in July NPD figures
>> From gamespot.com:
[QUOTE]
A pair of analysts is predicting that when the NPD Group releases its July sales figures next Thursday, they'll show that Sony's console outsold the Xbox 360 for the first time since its release last November. Wedbush Morgan Securities' Michael Pachter and the SimExchange's Jesse Divnich have released their expectations for July sales, and they've pegged PS3 sales at 160,000 and 165,000, respectively.
By comparison, Pachter believes the Xbox 360 tallied 115,000 sales for the month, with Divnich suggesting Microsoft's system netted 142,000 sales. Pachter said sales of the Xbox 360 could have been hurt temporarily by the company's recent warranty extension calling attention to hardware reliability problems.
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Full Story: gamespot.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
EA prioritizing 360 over PS3
>> From gamespot.com:
[QUOTE]
A representative with EA told the writer that as a release date nears, the company sometimes readjusts the manpower on the projects to complete the Xbox 360 version first.
With a larger installed base for Microsoft's console, the rep said it makes financial sense to get that version of a game out first and maximize potential sales. The representative also noted that in the last generation, it made more sense for the publisher to focus on PlayStation 2 versions of games over those on the Xbox because of the platform's massive installed user base.
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Full Story: gamespot.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
360 Premium with HDMI next week in EU?
>> From t3.co.uk:
[QUOTE]
We've just found out that the Premium version packing hi-def capabilities will also be dropping in the next seven days.
It's already out in the States, but Microsoft has said nothing so far about the UK version. We understand that it will simply replace the current version, although there's no news on whether there will be a price cut to match its US cousin.
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Full Story: t3.co.uk
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
CaveStoryX
X07 still on for Canada
>> From gamesindustry.biz:
[QUOTE]
Although Microsoft has decided against holding its annual X07 event in Europe this year, it's been reported that it will still be going ahead in Canada.
According to a blog post on Canada.com the invites were sent out several weeks ago for an event taking place on August 28 in Toronto.
The invite seems to point to the usual happenings, with "Microsoft Games Studios and top-third party publishers including Electronic Arts, Ubisoft and Activision among others" apparently in attendance.
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Full Story: gamesindustry.biz
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
MS Confirms: Australia Gets Elite on August 30th for 729.95AUD
>> From the MS press release:
[QUOTE]
To mark the beginning of spring [note x-s: in Australia spring starts in September], Microsoft is proud to announce the arrival of a new console in the Xbox 360 family. Launching on 30 August for a recommended retail price of $729.95, the sleek black Xbox 360 Elite video game and entertainment system comes with a 120 GB hard drive, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port, a HDMI cable, a black wireless controller, and an Xbox LIVE headset.
Initially available in limited quantities, the Xbox 360 Elite joins the Xbox 360 and Xbox 360 Core consoles to offer consumers three choices this spring. The Elite console complements the existing Xbox 360 hardware portfolio to fully cater for a wide range of consumer wants and budgets.
To complement the sleek black finish of the Xbox 360 Elite, additional Xbox 360 Elite accessories, such as the black Xbox 360 Wireless Controller, Xbox 360 Play & Charge kit and the Xbox 360 rechargeable battery, are sold separately.
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(Thursday 16 August 2007 22:50 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Achievement Locked Underwear
>> SplitReason, an online shop selling 'gears for gamers and geeks', contacted us about one of their new items ... the 'Achievement Locked Underwear':
[QUOTE]
Finishing Expert in Guitar Hero II. Defeating General RAAM on Insane difficulty. Achieving the Rank of Elite in R6 Vegas. All these and any other achievements you've accomplished on your beloved 360 pale in comparison to unlocking this one. It will take a steady hand and unflinching concentration, but we have faith, it is in fact unlockable.
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Official Site: http://www.splitreason.com/productdetail.php?id=457
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(Thursday 16 August 2007 22:41 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Gamefest: More XBLA Stats
>> From gamasutra.com:
[QUOTE]
At his GameFest lecture on Xbox Live Arcade development, platform manager Mark Coates revealed fascinating stats on the growth of XBLA games.
Coates revealed an average friend list number of 23 users, and statistics on both the top selling and most-played games currently on the service.
Looking specifically at usage in 2007, Xbox Live Arcade has seen the most players on Konami's arcade port TMNT 1989, followed by Worms and UNO. Looking at length of session, casual games rule, with Jewel Quest, Hardwood Spades and Catan ruling the category. Finally, by minutes, card games again took top honors with UNO and Texas Hold'em, followed by Worms.
Turning to sales statistics across fiscal 2007, Street Fighter II HF has taken the top slot in sales volume, besting former champ UNO, which came in second above TMNT 1989.
Coates also revealed that the average conversion rate was 18 percent across all titles, before showing sales volume over time.
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Full Story: gamasutra.com
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(Thursday 16 August 2007 06:59 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Halo 3 on PC not in development... yet
>> From computerandvideogames.com:
[QUOTE]
Should Halo 3 not come out on PC, we'll eat our own hairy backs. Like flagship Xbox games Halo, Halo 2 and Gears of War before it, it's clearly going to end up on Windows.
"I can tell you for a fact that there's not one line of code written for a PC version at this point", Bungie's Frank O'Connor has told GameSpot.
"We're not working on it, Microsoft hasn't even chatted to us about it yet. They realise the important thing is to get the 360 version [out] at this point."
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Full Story: computerandvideogames.com
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(Thursday 16 August 2007 06:53 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
The Mexican 8-Bit Xbox 360-Looking Emulator
>> From kotaku.com:
[QUOTE]
Kotakuite Erzengel spotted a NES emulator in a Mexican shopping mall that looks an Xbox 360. He writes:
"I was walking around a well known mexican mall, when i saw, in a "serious" store, this pieces of... well, the pic says it all. Its a Xbox-like 8BITS videogame system. In case you ask, the price is around US$28."
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Full Story: kotaku.com
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(Thursday 16 August 2007 06:51 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Encode360 v2.0 RC1
>> Dan released a new beta of Encode360(info) - an application which will convert virtually any video format to high quality WMV's which can be played by the Xbox 360 or the Microsoft Zune device.
What's new/fixed:
* NEW: Multi-core Support
* NEW: Preferred Language. Sets the default language for both subtitle AND audio tracks (for container formats using Haali such as MKV/OGM)
* NEW: Well, sortof. OGM Subtitles Extractor rewritten and now bundled as part of installer
* NEW: Support for ASS Subtitles through ffdshow (experimental)
* CHANGE: If FFDShow isn't found, clicking Cancel no longer exits the app
* CHANGE: Updated K-Lite Full Codec Pack to 3.3.0
* CHANGE: Updated MediaInfo.DLL to 7.5.1.0
* FIX: x64 Support (Thanks to balog and shlicky for assistance and fixes)
* FIX: Encoder wasn't cleaning up after itself, leading to memory leaks and dozens of systray icons
* FIX: FFDshow subtitles weren't being enabled if ticked in Advanced Settings
* FIX: If 'Output To' was a saved preference, you'd be prompted for a path every time Enc360 started, even though the path was saved too
* FIX: MKV PreProcessing Scriptlet would incorrectly parse certain subtitle streams and create a new folder instead of the actual subtitle file
* FIX: Installer would continue if Windows Media Encoder wasn't found
* FIX: Minor bugfixes
Official Site: dcunningham.net
Download: here
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(Wednesday 15 August 2007 22:15 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Games for Windows LIVE not only for Vista, also for XP
>> From gamerscoreblog.com (FYI: MS owned blog):
[QUOTE]
When Cliffy B demoed Gears of War for Windows at E3 2007 to a throng of enthralled attendees, he let drop at the end of his presentation that Gears would be available for both Windows XP and Windows Vista this year. That caused no end of speculation, ranging from using GameSpy for online play in the Windows XP version to only allowing multiplayer in the Windows Vista version to force gamers to upgrade.
You should all breathe a sigh of relief and know that Games for Windows -- LIVE will work on Windows XP. When the development team was working on Games for Windows -- LIVE, they focused on a single platform to ship the first iteration of online play, and that platform was Windows Vista. Now that Halo 2 and Shadowrun are out and available, the team has been able to go back and finalize the work done to make sure Games for Windows -- LIVE works on Windows XP. Which means that not only Gears of War will connect to LIVE on Windows XP, but so will the other games we announced that will support Games for Windows -- LIVE, like Universe at War from SEGA (which, incidentally, will also enable cross-platform play between Xbox 360 and Windows PCs).
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Full Story: gamerscoreblog.com
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(Wednesday 15 August 2007 22:03 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Using Xbox Live for Concept Testing
>> From next-gen.biz:
[QUOTE]
Owen Davis with Evolution Research says the future of videogame research may involve Xbox Live users playing games as early as the concept stage.
According to Microsoft more than half of all Xbox 360's sold worldwide are currently connected to Xbox Live. Another 85% of these gamers have downloaded content from the Xbox Live Marketplace. The opportunity here is a delivery mechanism for early stage game play footage across a popular and easily accessible platform. In the future it will be possible to quickly and securely deliver limited access to these types of media to a large number of gamers. After exposure to these media we will be able to effectively measure gamer interest in game play mechanics as well as other key measures related to game concepts. Data collection on the Xbox 360 is particularly interesting because of the range of input devices. Gamers will be given the ability to use their controllers to provide response to closed-ended questions. Use of the headset and vision camera will be utilized for important open-ended responses about their experience. Although this method of media delivery and data collection is not exclusive to the Xbox 360, the platform is already configured in a way that would allow rapid execution for this methodology with little modification.
The logical next step to concept testing is live game play testing. Traditional play testing involves a closed doors and a handful of gamers in a central location. Issues related to current console-based play test methods include turnaround time, geographic and demographic restrictions, and cost. Most important of all is the restrictive sample sizes. In the same way that PC-based alpha and beta game play testing changed over a decade ago so will console play testing.
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Full Story: next-gen.biz
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(Wednesday 15 August 2007 19:54 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Shortage of DVD components said to be emerging
>> From digitimes.com:
[QUOTE]
With sales of game consoles booming, especially for the Wii and Xbox 360, there has been growing demand for components of built-in DVD-ROM drives, and this has led to tight supply of such components, especially during the third quarter peak season for DVD burners/drives, according to industry sources in Taiwan.
Matsushita Electric Industrial, Sanyo Electric and Sankyo Seiki are the world's major suppliers of DVD pick-up heads (PUHs), the most important related components, the sources indicated. As the three companies have not been expanding their production capacities, the short supply of DVD PUHs may persist for a while, the sources pointed.
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Full Story: digitimes.com
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(Wednesday 15 August 2007 17:55 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Epic's Mark Rein about UT3, Users Mods and DVD Space on Xbox 360
>> From Mark Rein on forums.epicgames.com:
[QUOTE]
I continue to be disappointed that folks on the internet treat any positive thing we say about one platform as some sort of critique of another platform. We're a multi-platform company folks please come to grips with that. We like the PC. We like the 360. We like the PS3. We like the Macintosh. We like Linux. We will deliver UT3 for all of these platforms and it will rock on every one.
The simple facts state that the optical disc on the PS3 holds more data than the optical disc on the 360. If we exceed size of the 360s optical disc then we'll have to find alternative ways to get the content to 360 users such as making it downloadable. Adding a second DVD to a game like UT3 would be a challenge because when playing online you might not know exactly what map you're going to be playing next and we have to be able to accommodate users of the core system. So does that mean the disc on the 360 might have a map or two less? Possibly although it is too early to tell for sure. People love Unreal Tournament because we always ship it with tons of great content but that also makes it a bit of a disc hog - in a good way
Obviously, and as is true with most major games on 360 and PS3, you're going to be putting your hard drive to good use if you want to experience the full richness of content that UT3 will have to offer over the lifetime of the game. the fact that you can do this is a good thing.
I don't know the exact numbers but I suspect the version of Gears of War that most of our customers play today on their 360s, when you combine the downloadable content with the content on the disc, is larger than what we could fit on the 360's optical disc alone. So clearly there are perfectly good strategies to cope with this situation. We're all very used to downloading extra content for console games and with UT3 there will be lots of it for all supported platforms. In fact the cool thing about our engine is that when you make content for one platform it can run on all of them. If history is any indication, the vast majority of UT3 content won't even come from Epic - it will come from some very brilliant end users with lots of cool and innovative ideas.
When it comes to user created mods on the 360 - we will work with Microsoft to find a way to support them. We just don't have all the answers today and it isn't our chief priority at this very moment because we already have our hands completely full shipping UT3 on PC and PS3 as well as shipping Gears of War on PC. When we get those out of the way, and get a little time to spend with our friends and families, then we'll get back on this issue and figure it out.
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(Wednesday 15 August 2007 16:05 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Microsoft Embraces TSMC 90nm Embedded DRAM Process for Xbox 360
>> From the press release:
[QUOTE]
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. today announced that Microsoft has started production of the Microsoft Xbox 360 graphics-memory subsystem using the TSMC 90nm embedded DRAM process. Designed to meet the needs of volume consumer electronics devices, the TSMC 90nm eDRAM process features a high-density macro design (80Mb) and fast performance to 500MHz.
"Microsoft's selection of the TSMC 90nm eDRAM process for the graphics-rich Xbox 360 is an important validation of the capability and maturity of the technology," said John Wei, senior director of Platform Marketing, Advanced Technology Division of TSMC. "Furthermore, the production marks the successful continuation to an ongoing collaboration between Microsoft and TSMC."
"TSMC provides the proven manufacturing and chip implementation services required to build a competitive silicon component in volume," said Bill Adamec, senior director of Semiconductor Technology of Microsoft. "The TSMC 90nm eDRAM process is exactly what we need to further strengthen our position in console gaming and entertainment."
TSMC has been in 90nm embedded DRAM production since the first quarter of 2006, and the design team has developed versatile sets of memory macros that are being used in more than a dozen 90nm customer products.
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(Wednesday 15 August 2007 11:34 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
US Price Drop Boosted Xbox360 50pct in Weekly Sales
>> From vgchartz.com:
[QUOTE]
The week ending August 11, 2007 saw two significant events in the Americas. Starting August 8, the Xbox 360 price drop went into effect for all three Xbox 360 SKUs. Additionally, Sony's new $600 PS3 - with extra storage and Motorstorm - began to become widely available at retail.
Platform | 11-Aug | 4-Aug
Wii | 86,469 | 91,946 | -6%
PS3 | 41,499 | 38,852 | +7%
Xbox 360 | 52,484 | 35,005 | +50%
While the $479-$449, $400-$350, $299-$279 price drops boosted 360 significantly, it did not have same impact as Sony's $100 price drop in the initial week. However, with 360 closer to mass market, the increase in sales is likely more sustainable, despite a smaller increase in the initial week.
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Full Story: vgchartz.com
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(Wednesday 15 August 2007 11:31 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
XNA Game Studio 2.0 and Visual Studio 2008
>> From letskilldave.com (FYI: MS owned blog):
[QUOTE]
We'll probably make it a FAQ on the XNA Creators Club Online website, but I thought I'd offer some clarification: By the time XNA Game Studio 2.0 most likely releases, Visual Studio 2008 will not be officially released, but will still be in beta or release candidate form. For this reason we won't be releasing support for VS08 when Game Studio 2.0 is released. HOWEVER... this scenario is similar to what happened last year with Windows Vista. We released XNA GSE, but it didn't work with Windows Vista. We followed up in a few months with a refresh that included compatibility with Windows Vista. That is the "most likely" scenario for XNA Game Studio 2.0. So...yes, we appreciate the fact that you love Visual Studio 2008, but we will need you to have a little patience. The good news is that VS08 and VS05 will work side-by-side, so you're all set.
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(Wednesday 15 August 2007 00:28 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Gamefest 2007: Microsoft Approves PC-to-360 Map Editors
>> From 1up.com:
[QUOTE]
At E3, Microsoft Game Studios head Shane Kim told 1UP that Microsoft wants complete control over what's transferred through Xbox Live, thus preventing Epic Games from allowing PC-created mods to appear in Unreal Tournament 3. Sony has no such restriction, thus helping its appearance on PlayStation 3.
At Gamefest 2007, however, Microsoft's official line was less clear. To deliver user generated content, developers can take advantage of what's called Xbox Live Silver Platform (XLSP), where the data transferred runs through the publisher's servers, not Microsoft's. Publishers then become responsible for what runs through it, monitoring and policing offensive content, etc. Taking advantage of it, however, requires Microsoft approval.
During a Q&A session on the topic, someone asked Microsoft Software Design Engineer Zsolt Mathe whether this meant a developer could then construct a level editor for use on a PC but created levels playable that were then playable on Xbox 360. "Even though nobody has done that, I would highly recommend that," said Mathe.
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Full Story: 1up.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
EIF 2007: Xbox 360 Unreal Tournament III to get fewer maps?
>> From xboxer.tv:
[QUOTE]
Speaking at this year's Edinburgh Interactive Festival, VP of Epic Games Mark Rein indicated that Unreal Tournament III for the Xbox 360 might have to get cut down in order to cope with the limitations of the console's hardware. Answering a question from the crowd about whether disc size would be a problem with an Xbox 360 port, he stated that "We'll compress some things. But you know, we may have fewer maps on the 360 version...Blu-Ray has definitely given us a lot of legroom.
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Full Story: xboxer.tv
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(Wednesday 15 August 2007 00:10 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Gamefest 2007: XBL Arcade on PC by Holidays
>> From 1up.com:
[QUOTE]
In November, Microsoft will roll out a developer update for their Games For Windows Live tools in anticipation of Xbox Live Arcade games rolling out in "holiday 07." The panel did not, however, reveal what games will make the leap from Xbox 360 to PC.
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Full Story: 1up.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Gamefest 2007: 360 MMOs Can Require Hard Drive
>> From 1up.com:
[QUOTE]
In an unsurprising move (and already a precedent set by Final Fantasy XI, but ignored since), Microsoft confirmed at its Gamefest 2007 that studios working on server-based titles for Xbox 360 are allowed to require the hard drive for their games to run. Games allowed to participate in server-based's "bent rules" is decided on a case-by-case basis.
The requirement is primarily linked to hard drive limitations. "It's the consequence of having a limited size hard drive, with a lot of other things to fill it out," he says. Companies are allowed to expand the required size, but the game should always run on the original requirement -- users have to approve the change. If the requirement goes up, Microsoft is playing with the idea of allowing the ability to degrade -- those are Microsoft's words -- the experience. Their ideas, straight from their presentation:
* Lo-res models/textures
* Place certain areas off-limits
* Stream assests from server (slower loading)
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Full Story: 1up.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox 360 now the same price as Wii in Australia
>> From gamespot.com:
[QUOTE]
When Microsoft announced its decision to drop the price of the Xbox 360 in the US last week, Australian gamers only had one question on their minds: when would the same thing happen down under? The answer, it seems, is today. From August 15, the 20GB-enabled Xbox 360 Pro system will retail for A$579.95 ($486), down from A$649. And perhaps more significantly, the Xbox 360 Core system's price will drop from A$429 to A$399.95. At A$399.95, the Core system is now the same price as a Nintendo Wii in Australia.
McLean said the Xbox 360 Core system would continue to be a key product offering, and denied rumours speculating that the Core would soon be discontinued.
McLean also confirmed that 360 Pro units with HDMI slots would soon be making their way to Australia, although he declined to give a specific time frame. "We'll start to see the same thing in Australia. We're just reviewing our inventory position and when that will start to flow into the market. No specific details to give you on it, but what's happening in other regions in the world will certainly happen in Australia," he said.
As for the Elite and Halo 3 Special Edition offers of the Xbox 360, McLean said both would definitely be making their way down under.
[/QUOTE]
[FS] gamespot.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft's Bach Sold even more Stock before Xbox360 1.5B Repair News
>> From marketwatch.com:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft Corp. executive Robbie Bach sold $3 million more in company stock during the period leading up to an announcement about a costly flaw in its Xbox video game console than previously reported, according to a filing Monday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
MarketWatch reported in July that following an eight-month period when he sold no shares, Bach sold $6.2 million worth of Microsoft stock between May 2 and a July 5 announcement that the company would take a $1.5 billion charge related to Xbox repairs.
But according to the filing Monday, Bach had sold just over $3 million worth of company stock on May 1. Microsoft spokesman Eric Hollreiser said the additional $3 million in sales were not registered in a timely manner with the SEC "as the result of an administrative error."
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Full Story: marketwatch.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Almost a Third of 360 Owners Don't Know Xbox Live Arcade Exists
>> From biz.gamedaily.com:
[QUOTE]
We present data here from a national online survey of 1800 U.S. households, of which 149 owned an Xbox 360, over 64% of whom indicate they play games online with their Xbox 360. We also present data that shows that 70% of owners have used Xbox Live Arcade - both to try free games, as well as to buy games. However, the larger group (42%) have only tried out free games. While 28% have actually bought a game at XBLA
But remarkably, 30% of Xbox 360 owners report that they have never even heard of XBLA. Considering these buyers of the Xbox 360 are serious, if not hard-core gamers, and all the attention given to XBLA, it is surprising to us that still almost a third of Xbox owners are not familiar with XBLA.
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Full Story: biz.gamedaily.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
GameFest: 'How to Engage the Community, Without Outraging Them'
>> From gamasutra.com:
[QUOTE]
Community, in this Web 2.0 buzzword age, is on everyone's lips. Of course, with Xbox Live an integral part of the Xbox 360 game experience (and online gaming being the core of the PC's appeal to the hardcore for so many years) it's also something that has to be crucially addressed.
Therefore, at a GameFest panel in Seattle on Monday run by Microsoft's popular blogger Major Nelson - aka Larry Hryb - the panel discussion on the topic proved fruitful. The first question posed to the panel by Hryb was "How do we harness this YouTube generation for our own good?"
At this point, the panel was introduced. It consisted of David Weller, XNA Community Manager; Elizabeth Loverso, Director of Product Development, Red Storm Entertainment; Robert Bowling, Community Manager at Infinity Ward; and Jeff Pobst, Founder and Chief Executive Officer Hidden Path Entertainment, a new developer, which Jeff set up by mentioning, "We're focusing on some new titles that will be very community-focused."
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Full Story: gamasutra.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xport DidntXSpectrum v1
>> Xport released a new Spectrum emulator for the Xbox1:
Features:
* Emulates the Spectrum 16, 48, 128, Plus2, Plus2a, Plus3, Plus3e, TC2048, TC2068, TS2068, Pentagon, Scorpion, SE
* Excellent compatibility - ported from FUSE
* ZIP/Relax/SMB support
* Save states
* Rewind/Slowmotion
* All the other standard XPort features
Official Site: http://xport.xbox-scene.com
Full Readme: xbins.org
Download: n/a (built with XDK)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Gamefest 2007: 25M Downloads on XBL, Over 7M Members
>> From 1up.com:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft's Game Developer Group general manager Chris Satchell says there are currently more than 7.1 million Xbox Live users and, more surprisingly, those users have conducted more than 25 million downloads on Xbox 360.
Additionally, they're finding the attach rate for Xbox Live Arcade titles is more than 6-7 per user - and that number has doubled in the last four months. By the end of the year, Microsoft expects there to be over a hundred titles on the service; right now there are 77.
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Full Story: 1up.com
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Announcing XNA Game Studio 2.0
>> Microsoft decided to merge the hobbyist (Game Studio Express) and professional (Game Studio Professional) versions of XNA Game Studio into one package, XNA Game Studio 2.0 - now also with LIVE/network support for the hobbyists and more ...
From Team XNA (FYI: MS owned blog):
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Wow! It's hard to believe that a year ago on this blog we announced the first release of XNA Game Studio Express. Now, here we are again at Gamefest 2007 and, on behalf of the XNA Community Game Platform team, I am pleased to announce our next release: XNA Game Studio 2.0. Let's take a look at some of what's new in XNA Game Studio 2.0!
What's New with XNA Game Studio?
* XNA Game Studio 2.0 works in all versions of Visual Studio 2005. This includes Standard and Professional, as well as many other specific editions.
* The new and improved interface makes it easier for you to manage your Xbox 360 console.
* You'll find that managing and building content is easier and more consistent in XNA Game Studio.
* We've included project templates for content importers and processors.
* You can configure how content is processed with the new ability to set parameters on Content Processors.
What's new in the XNA Framework? Now you can:
* Create rich multiplayer games over Xbox LIVE using the new networking APIs.
* Create Audio more effectively with the new XACT editor!
* Host XNA Framework games easily inside a Windows Form.
* Use the virtualized GraphicsDevice: no more special code to handle device reset and recreate
* Take advantage of render targets that are more flexible, consistent, and easier to use. Xbox 360 and Windows now support multiple render targets (MRTs) as well.
* Easily nest one component inside another thanks to improvements in GameComponent.
* Enjoy many more enhancements and tweaks!
Most of our development on this version has been in response to your feedback. What you see here only scratches the surface of everything new in XNA Game Studio 2.0. As we near the release of XNA Game Studio coming late 2007, we'll have more information.
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Rumor: Red Ring of Death Hysteria?
>> From kotaku.com:
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When the console seizes up and dies, three of the "circle of light's" quadrants blink red, but when the video cable pops out four of the quadrants blink. Apparently, a large number of consoles returned to Microsoft with the dreaded Red Ring of Death were perfectly fine and just the victim of a bit of red ring hysteria.
There have been so many returns, in fact, that we've been told Microsoft plans on disabling the four ring error code on future builds of the console. No word on whether they will remove the three-ring coding as well.
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Full Story: kotaku.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft Makes Game Development Dreams a Reality
>> From the press release:
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At Gamefest 2007, the annual Microsoft Game Technology Conference, Microsoft Corp. today announced the highly anticipated winners of its Dream-Build-Play game development contest, which encouraged experienced game developers and enthusiasts to create innovative and fun-to-play video games for Windows or Xbox 360 platforms using XNA Game Studio. In a surprise announcement during the keynote address, an astounding four winners were invited to publish their games on Xbox LIVE Arcade. Tied for first place were David Flook of Ontario, Canada, and James Silva of New York with their respective games: "Blazing Birds," an action-packed, robotic sports game modeled after the game of badminton, and "The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai," a highly stylized game of mayhem and revenge. For their accomplishments, Flook and Silva were offered publishing contracts with Xbox LIVE Arcade, $10,000 (U.S.) each and several other prizes. Steve Olofsson of Sweden and Daniel McGuire of the United Kingdom received honors as runners-up for their games: "Gravitron Ultra" and "Yo Ho Kablammo!" respectively. Because of the amazing creativity demonstrated by these top four winners, the Xbox LIVE Arcade team also extended invitations to publish on Xbox LIVE Arcade to Olofsson and McGuire, along with $5,000 (U.S.) and other prizes.
A total of 16 others were recognized with third-place honors. More than 4,500 members of the gaming community from more than 100 countries enrolled in the Dream-Build-Play challenge. Final results have been posted on the Dream-Build-Play Web site at http://dreambuildplay.com.
"The games we received in the Dream-Build-Play competition are truly inspiring," said Chris Satchell, general manager of the XNA organization at Microsoft. "Created in just four short months using XNA Game Studio, these games demonstrate an incredible range of innovation, fun gameplay and technical achievement."
"We uncovered some remarkable talent with this contest and are pleased to include these original creations in our diverse library of games on Xbox LIVE Arcade," said Bryan Trussel, director of content and portals for Microsoft Casual Games. "It's aspiring, independent developers like these who are really driving our industry."
XNA Game Studio has seen a surge of momentum this past year, with more than 400,000 downloads of the tool and adoption by nearly 200 academic institutions globally since its release last December. In addition to the XNA Creators Club Online community at http://creators.xna.com, more than 50 new community sites in numerous languages have emerged around the world in support of XNA Game Studio, pushing the boundaries of game development further toward Microsoft's vision of true collaboration and democratization.
"Schizoid" by Torpex Games Showcased for the First Time
In his Gamefest keynote address, Satchell welcomed Bill Dugan, president of Torpex Games, to share a live demonstration of the highly anticipated action title "Schizoid," the first Xbox LIVE Arcade game to be created with XNA Game Studio. The game, which will be released later this year, establishes XNA Game Studio as a premier development platform for hobbyists, independent developers and professionals alike.
Microsoft Announces Game Content Usage Rules
Satchell announced that effectively immediately, some game content published by Microsoft Game Studios and owned by Microsoft is now available for noncommercial use by consumers. Under a license similar to the Creative Commons license, consumers may now use gameplay footage, screen shots and other gameplay elements from popular Microsoft Game Studios titles such as the "Halo" franchise, "Forza Motorsport" and "Age of Empires" to express their own imagination and creativity. Details on the game content usage rules have been posted at http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/developer/rules.htm along with samples of permissible and nonpermissible use.
New SOFTIMAGE|XSI 6 Mod Tool for XNA Game Studio
SOFTIMAGE|XSI 6 Mod Tool is new, free 3-D modeling and animation software for the creation of noncommercial game content. Based on the same toolset as the professional XSI 3D software, XSI 6 Mod Tool enables aspiring game developers to create compelling 3-D characters, levels and content designed for use with XNA Game Studio. Integrating natively with the XNA Framework Content Pipeline, XSI 6 Mod Tool comes with an enhanced user interface and training videos from Noesis Interactive, making it a perfect learning environment for newcomers to 3-D game content creation. "Softimage and Microsoft are committed to nurturing the next generation of game creators," said Leonard Teo, product marketing manager at Softimage Co. "With the free XSI 6 Mod Tool and XNA Game Studio, anyone can download these tools and learn how to make great games now. Students, enthusiasts and aspiring game creators now have a toolset similar to those used by professional game companies."
Gamefest 2007
Microsoft leads the industry in helping game developers create amazing games for Xbox 360 and Windows. Gamefest 2007, scheduled for Aug. 13 and 14, will feature nearly 100 sessions for game developers, producers and publishers to improve their skills, introduce them to new development techniques, and deliver powerful tools to help them build the best games possible and engage the community.
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Big Brother producer interested in Xbox Live
>> From gamesindustry.biz:
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Big Brother and Deal or No Deal production house Endemol sees great potential in emerging videogame business models including Xbox Live and digital downloads.
But the producer has no plans to expand into full videogame production or development in the near future, instead opting to partner with publishers on future projects.
"As we move into the digital distribution of content and the growth of services like Xbox Live and the digital distribution of games, we see that as quite an interesting outlet for our video-based content alongside games on the same platform," said Peter Cowley, managing director of digital media for Endemol UK.
"Xbox Live could be a great revenue earning distribution platform at some time in the future.
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Full Story: gamesindustry.biz
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ArsTechnica: How important is HDMI for consoles?
>> From arstechnica.com:
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The Showdown continues. Each week we pick a topic, flip a coin to see which OT writer discusses which side, and then we present it to you. This week? Ben and Frank argue about whether or not HDMI is a crucial inclusion for consoles.
Ben: Well, on my games and movies, if I showed you an image being pushed through component and HDMI I don't know how much of a difference you would be able to pick out. The real selling points here are 1080p for displays that can support it, and ease of use. The one thing I adore about HDMI is that it's one simple plug instead of the five you get with component. It's easier to hook up, and it's easier to organize all the cables on the back of your home theater. But again, how many people have HDTVs, how many of those people have 1080p sets, and how many of THOSE people care enough to deal with such slight gains? I like the fact that HDMI is there, and I'm not knocking the standard. But the important things to fix on the 360 are the red rings of death and the jet-taking-off sound the system makes when it's turned on. I think they should have focused on those things first and then added HDMI. HDMI at this point is much more of a talking point than a compelling feature for most people.
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Full Story: arstechnica.com
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XboxMediaCenter (XBMC) 2007-08-12 SVN rev9920 build - T3CH
>> T3CH released a new SVN compile (rev9920) 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:
* This build contains the fixed mplayer.
* 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 2007-08-05 SVN Rev9834 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
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Fusex V0.6 Spectrum Emulator
>> FuseX(info) is a Xbox port of FUSE, the Free Unix Spectrum Emulator, and will allow you to play ZX Spectrum software on your Xbox games console.
What's new/fixed:
* NEW: Zip support.
* NEW: Enabled graphics filters.
* NEW: Emulator settings loading/saving.
* NEW: Settings now saved per game (joystick setting and joypad config).
* NEW: Tape fast-fwd loading option.
* NEW: Tape control menu.
* NEW: Subdirectory browsing in file list menu.
* NEW: Re-Mappable buttons for emulator actions.
* NEW: Nice splashscreen and dashboard icon. [Thanks Antiriad!]
* NEW: Savestate slots now have an info panel to tell you what is in each slot.
* NEW: Snaps can be stored anywhere on the HD instead of just within FuseX dir.
* NEW: Wrote some proper documentation.
* NEW: Added more user-tweakable settings for RZX demo mode.
* CHANGED: UI is a bit nicer and more user friendly.
* CHANGED: Virtual keyboard looks nicer and can be moved with the analog stick.
* CHANGED: General optimizations. Should be less sluggish now.
* CHANGED: Joypad mappings menu is more user-friendly.
* FIXED: RZX loading _much_ faster.
* FIXED: RZX memory leak.
* FIXED: Big RZX files should now load.
* FIXED: RZX compatibility improved.
* FIXED: Sound stuttering (note: fix only works on PAL compatible boxes).
* FIXED: Vertical and horizontal line running through centre of the screen.
* FIXED: Lots of bugs.
Official Site: fusex.sourceforge.net
Download: Source code | Binaries (built with XDK)
Full Readme: xbins.org
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MC360 and Xbox Classic XBMC Skins - SVN Revisions 897
>> From Team BlackBolt:
[QUOTE]
Quick update today for both MC360 and Xbox Classic Xbox Media Center skins. Both have had the new Picture Info dialog menu's added plus a couple of smaller fixes. These releases bring the skins up-to-date with the latest XBMC T3CH release. Please remember that he donations page is available always for those that would like to donate a small gesture to us. Thank you.
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Official Site: blackbolt.x-scene.com
Discuss on our forums: Xbox Classic | MC360
Xbox 360 Elite Australian date revealed?
>> From palgn.com.au:
[QUOTE]
According to Australian online retailer Topshop, the Xbox 360 Elite, the slightly modified Xbox 360 that had a black matte finish, HDMI port and 120GB harddrive, does indeed have an Australian release intended. And it's not too far away.
With a European release set for the 24th August, the information that we found indicates that the Elite will see an Australian release on 30th August. Also, it will apparently retail for $AU729.95, $AU80 more than the Xbox 360 Premium pack was at launch. While it hasn't quite been confirmed, this suggests that the European price will be around EUR450/GBP300 or so, though one British online retailer is reporting a GBP330 price tag.
Another interesting tidbit that we found related to the Halo 3 Xbox 360. According to Topshop, the price will be $AU679.95 (EUR420/GBP280), which is still $AU30 more than a premium pack (though these can now be found much cheaper).
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Full Story: palgn.com.au
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Rumor: New 360 Power Brick plug?
>> From thevideogamingreport.blogspot.com:
[QUOTE]
This isn't really anything really groundbreaking, but I found a post on the Gamefaqs message boards stating that new xbox 360 power brick plugs no longer have the buttons on the side that you have to squeeze to remove from the console. Two other members have confirmed the existence of the new plug, with one stating his console was manufactured in June 2007, and both stated they purchased Elite consoles.
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Full Story: thevideogamingreport.blogspot.com | boards.gamefaqs.com
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