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Week of January 4, 2009
Xbox 360 IPTV Initiative Isn’t Dead
>> From zatznotfunny.com:
[QUOTE]
Like Chris Lanier, I've been disappointed in Microsoft's apparent inability to deliver an IPTV solution onto the Xbox 360 platform... As announced during Bill Gates' 2007 CES keynote. We've heard relatively little regarding the fate of Xbox IPTV since then, and I imagine the lack of deployment is related to both technological challenges and carrier deals. So I cornered a Mediaroom rep today on the show floor.
Before handing me off to the PR team, she confirmed this initiative is still alive and well with multiple carrier field trials in progress. When asked if anything was going on in the US, she suggested I questioned AT&T.
The PR woman was at once both more forthcoming and more secretive. She indicated BT will be deploying Xbox 360 IPTV in the UK. While that's isn't entirely recent news and she didn't give any details on timing, I'm left with the sense it's definitely happening this year. And she had no comment on other partners or regions.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: zatznotfunny.com
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(Saturday 10 January 2009 23:52 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
CES 09: MS Responds To Sony's Console Add-On 'Peddling' Claims
>> From kotaku.com:
[QUOTE]
Earlier this week, Sony sent us an oddly timed media bulletin, trumpeting the PlayStation 3's value versus the Wii and Xbox 360. It also accused Nintendo and Microsoft of "peddling add-ons." What say you, Microsoft?
"First, I would say we absolutely would not want to trade places with Sony," said Aaron Greenberg, group product manager for Xbox 360. "We feel like being half the price of the PS3 served us quite well this holiday."
"The fact that we're doing this at half the price of their platform, we feel confident that we're delivering great value," he added. "I believe that we deliver more value for games and entertainment than any other platform on the market."
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: kotaku.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
CES 2009: Expect more regular updates to 360
>> From joystiq.com:
[QUOTE]
"Some of the benefits of the design of the new interface is that we can add new channels, new content, new features on a more regular basis," Xbox director Aaron Greenberg said. "It doesn't mean we won't group a bunch of these and do a big rollout, but I think you will see us do more regular updates and roll things out on a more regular basis."
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Full Story: joystiq.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
CES 2009: Microsoft wants to increase the 100-friend Xbox Live limit
>> From joystiq.com:
[QUOTE]
So, it's not quite the "ZOMG Friends List Increase Confirmed" announcement that we hoped for but Xbox director Aaron Greenberg came as close as we've heard to revealing that it's in the works.
When we spoke to him at CES today (more on that later) Greenberg told us "I can't commit to when that will happen, but that is something we want to do. It's definitely something we're looking at expanding and, as this social network grows, we've absolutely heard the pleas for that. It's on the list."
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: joystiq.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Fewer gamers want to upgrade, so MS will focus on current Xbox
>> From thenewstribune.com:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft Corp. will rely on its Xbox 360 game console for longer than the previous version because it's getting harder to get consumers to upgrade, the head of the company's entertainment unit said.
The software maker will focus on improving the Xbox360's games and features rather than rushing to introduce a new model, President Robbie Bach said Wednesday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: thenewstribune.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
BenHeck 3600 Controller
>> From benheck.com:
[QUOTE]
OK so yesterday I had my Facebook status as saying I was "being frustrated by potentiometers" - a rather normal day for me, really. For whatever reason this prompted one of my friends to suggest I build an Xbox 360 controller inside of an Atari 2600 controller shell. And I thought "That's dumb enough to work!"
A mere 5 hours later I had what you see above - the 3600 controller! This is an Atari 2600 controller with wireless Xbox 360 controller guts inside of it - batteries too. The big red "fire" button is "A", other buttons are attached to the top.
The 3600 controller was accomplished by using the guts of not a normal 360 controller, but those of a Guitar Hero 3 controller, of which I still have several laying around, many months after the fact.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: benheck.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Bach: Blu-ray Isn’t Wanted By Xbox Consumers
>> From endsights.com:
[QUOTE]
Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices division at Microsoft, responding to a question asking when and if the Xbox 360 would adopt Blu-ray technology, said that there were "a lot of reasons" why the company has no plans to do so-chiefly, low consumer demand.
"It's not a feature we get a ton of requests for," Bach said. "When you ask people the list of things they want to see us spending time creating in Xbox, Blu-ray is way, way down on the list."
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: endsights.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
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(Thursday 08 January 2009 16:07 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Microsoft's CES 2009 Keynote - Press Releases
>> Here the Xbox-related information from Microsoft's CES 2009 keynote press release. What's not in their PR, so I'll mention it here, is that Halo Wars will be available on February 28th with a demo hitting Xbox LIVE on February 5th.
[QUOTE]
Microsoft's president of the Entertainment & Devices Division, Robbie Bach, shared the stage at CES with Ballmer. Bach addressed Microsoft's unique ability to deliver entertainment on virtually any screen that consumers commonly use today, including the PC, TV and mobile phone.
Despite a tough holiday and economy, Xbox 360 registered its biggest year ever, driven by record sales at retail with 28 million consoles sold to date, an 84 percent jump in online consumer spending, and Xbox LIVE membership that has grown to 17 million active members.
"Not only is Xbox 360 one of the world's leading next-generation gaming consoles, but with partners like Netflix, it is one of the world's leading entertainment devices, period," Bach said. "With 28 million consoles sold worldwide, an active online community of 17 million members, and more than $1 billion spent on Xbox LIVE since the launch of the Xbox 360, it's clear that consumer demand for these great entertainment experiences has never been higher. We're only beginning to scratch the surface of what's possible with Xbox."
Bach shared how consumer demand for connected TV experiences is growing and announced the Mediaroom platform has reached nearly 2.5 million subscriber homes worldwide, an increase of more than 1.5 million new connections in the past year alone. The award-winning Microsoft Mediaroom is driving the future of television by enabling broadband service providers to deliver new connected TV and entertainment experiences to consumers around the world. Bach also unveiled a groundbreaking feature called Mediaroom Anytime that lets subscribers access previously aired shows directly from the Interactive Program Guide without any pre-planning or prior DVR recording.
Bach discussed how Microsoft is making it easier than ever for people to synch their entertainment content across the screens in their lives. This month, Microsoft and Netflix, the world's largest online movie rental service, will offer software that enables Windows Mobile customers to update and view their Netflix movie queue. Changes will appear instantly on Netflix on Xbox LIVE, extending the existing service that launched in November. Xbox 360 is the only game system that lets people instantly watch thousands of movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix, many in HD.
Bach also spoke about how Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE are transforming the way people enjoy interactive entertainment at home. This spring, Microsoft will introduce a new interactive entertainment genre with the premiere of the Xbox LIVE Primetime channel, which brings together the best of TV and gaming. Xbox LIVE Primetime will debut with an online version of the popular TV show "1 vs. 100" that enables thousands of gamers to play together with real hosts and compete for real prizes.
In addition, Bach talked about the outpouring of creativity from the Xbox community since the announcement of Community Games in November, with over 100 new games available for anyone to play. He highlighted an upcoming Xbox LIVE Community Game called "Kodu," launching in the spring, designed to help anyone from age 7 to 70 create their own video games.
[/QUOTE]
Microsoft also issued a press release specifically about Kodu:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft announced today that it will turn Xbox 360 players into creators with the release of their new game, "Kodu". Launching on the Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel, "Kodu's" easy to use game creation techniques will make building personal playgrounds simple for anyone, with the help of an Xbox 360 controller. During a keynote speech at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, 12-year-old student, Sparrow joined Microsoft's President of the Entertainment and Devices Division, Robbie Bach on stage to demonstrate the intuitive game that lets players choose from a variety of visual building blocks in order to develop their own unique creation.
This spring, "Kodu" will find its home among some of the freshest, most diverse and creatively independent games showcased on the Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel. "Kodu" is a pick-up-and-create game where anyone can build their own unique world in just minutes using a simple image-based creator menu that makes game creation simple for anyone, from ages seven to 70. "Kodu" created playgrounds are expressed in physical action-reaction terms, using basic concepts like vision, hearing and time to control your character's behavior. Players can start their own unique "Kodu" created playgrounds from scratch or, if they aren't in the mood to create, they can choose from several pre-loaded levels for quick play. With almost 200 different game-creation building blocks to choose from, the opportunities are endless.
"We've done everything possible to make sure that creating a "Kodu" playground is not only easy, but that it is also fun and engaging for people of all ages and backgrounds," principal program manager for Microsoft Research and lead "Kodu" designer, Matt MacLaurin said. "Since 'Kodu's' interface is intuitive and prevents common programming mistakes, we're making it easy for everyone to enjoy the magic of game creation."
Originally designed by Microsoft Research as a learning tool for young kids, "Kodu" is the newest game to keep minds of all ages sharp by developing logic, problem-solving and creative thinking skills. In fact, in 2006, Microsoft Research teamed up with Girls Inc. and the University of Santa Barbara to create an after school "Kodu" program to accurately measure the influence educational games have in the fields of math, science, and comprehension. The team logged hundreds of hours of "Kodu" research with creators from ages five to 45 to ensure that it is easy for beginners, but maintains a depth of content for those who are more advanced.
"What I love about "Kodu" is that I can do everything myself," Sparrow, who demoed the game, said. "It's fast to build and different from the other games I play. I can do cool, silly things in it!"
"Kodu" will join a host of family-friendly and casual games already on the Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel. Since its launch in November, the Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel has seen a lot of enthusiasm from both game-makers and consumers, where there are currently more than 100 independent, community-created games available for download.
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(Wednesday 07 January 2009 21:35 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Xbox Live hits 1.5 million concurrent users
>> From gamesindustry.biz:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft has followed up a spate of news on the success of the Xbox 360 over the Christmas period by announcing that the console's online service, Xbox Live, has hit its highest ever level of concurrent users at 1.5 million.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: gamesindustry.biz
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(Tuesday 06 January 2009 15:25 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
iPrep 101 v008.8
>> Klutsh released a new version of iPrep 101(info) a .NET application and collection of applications for use in flashing Samsung, BenQ or Lite-On DVD drives.
What's new/fixed:
* Updated Lite-On batch scripts.
* Ability to load only 1 firmware type.
Official Site: http://www.x-projects.org/
Download v008.8: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft sold 28 million Xbox 360s by end of 2008
>> From reuters.com:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft Corp sold 28 million units worldwide of its Xbox 360 video game console through the end of 2008, expanding the Xbox's lead over rival Sony Corp's PlayStation 3 console in worldwide unit sales, the company said on Monday.
Xbox 360 product management director Aaron Greenberg said 2008 "was our biggest year ever in Xbox history" despite a sluggish global economy that's battered U.S. retailers this past holiday season.
Rising unemployment and tighter credit have dented U.S. consumers' purchasing power and most retailers have posted dismal sales results in recent months.
Microsoft said global unit sales of the Xbox 360, which was launched about a year before the PS3, outpaced its rival by over 8 million units at the close of 2008.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: reuters.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Pachter estimates Wii 100pct up over xmas, 360 slight rise, PS3 slight drop
>> From videogaming247.com:
[QUOTE]
"I haven't done the work for NPD yet, but my guess is that 360 sales were flat or up a little, PS3 sales down a little, and Wii sales up more than 100%," said Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter
"That would end up around 1.2 - 1.3 million 360s, around 700,000 PS3s and around 3 million (or more) Wiis."
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: videogaming247.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
GameStop to stop accepting Xbox trade-ins on February 9
>> From destructoid.com:
[QUOTE]
GameStop will quit accepting trade-ins of original Xbox games, accessories and systems on February 9. The information comes from an internal memo sent out earlier this week. According to a few managers that we've talked to thus far, GameStop will continue selling Xbox stuff until the stocks are toast.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: destructoid.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox 360 Hits 8m In Europe News
>> From totalvideogames.com:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft has today confirmed that lifetime sales of the Xbox 360 across the EMEA region (that's Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) have topped eight million units, and that Christmas 2008 was the most successful in the console's history,
According to data from Chart Track, the Xbox 360 was the fastest growing console of 2008, doubling its quarterly performance over the same period in 2007, and extending its lead over the PlayStation 3 in the territory to one million units. However, despite a lead of six zeros the figure doesn't seem particularly impressive, given the Xbox 360's head-start over its Sony rival. We guess that price drop in 2008 really was essential!
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: totalvideogames.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Benq/liteon Batch Files, Build 2009.01.04
>> From Exobex on forums.xbox-scene.com:
[QUOTE]
If you liked X360SAM(info), now you can flash BenQ/LiteOn the same way!
This is a collection of batch files which allow you to "manage" flashing of BenQ and LiteOn firmwares in the same way that the batch files for X360SAM operate.
In other words, the batch files are the same as the ones for X360SAM and Samsung drives, except:-
1) they use FIRMTOOL instead of X360SAM
2) they use DOSFLASH 1.3 and DOSFLASH 1.7 instead of MTKFLASH
3) they're for BenQ and LiteOn drives instead of Samsungs!
CHANGES SINCE LAST VERSION (apart from the LiteOn ones, obviously)
* BenQ files use DFLASH13.EXE instead of DOSFLASH.EXE
* If FIRMTOOL.EXE encounters a problem, the resulting BHACKED.BIN is deleted as it probably has the wrong key.
* If you run BENREMOD.BAT then change your mind, it exits cleanly.
[/QUOTE]
Download: n/a
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
The Top LIVE Games of 2008
>> From majornelson.com:
[QUOTE]
Last year was a great year to be an Xbox 360 gamer as is evident by the quality of titles that Xbox LIVE members were playing. After a few days of number crunching, here are the top games for 2008 based on Xbox Live connectivity.
Xbox 360 Top Live Titles (based on UU's)
1 Halo 3
2 Call of Duty 4
3 GTA IV
4 Gears of War 2
5 Gears of War
6 CoD: World at War
7 Guitar Hero III
8 Battlefield: Bad Company Demo
9 Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Demo
10 Rock Band
Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions purchased)
1 Castle Crashers
2 Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
3 Braid
4 A Kingdom for Keflings
5 UNO
6 Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix
7 Fable II Pub Games
8 Duke Nukem 3D
9 Bionic Commando: Rearmed
10 Worms
The above arcade list is based on full versions purchased.
Original Xbox Top Live Titles (based on UU's)
1 Halo 2
2 Fable
3 Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
4 Counter-Strike
5 Fable: Lost Chapters
6 Doom 3
7 Conker: Live Reloaded
8 Splinter Cell Chaos
9 SW: KOTOR
10 SW: Republic Commando
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: majornelson.com
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(Sunday 04 January 2009 16:59 EST) - (Category: Xbox_Xbox360) - (Posted by::
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