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Week of July 8, 2007
Sears Mistakes: Sega Xbox360 Black Wireless Controller
>> What happens when Sears/Kmart runs the show?
Link (as long as they don't fix it ;)): sears.com
Thanks to nc88keyz for the news.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Encode360 v2.0 beta6
>> 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.
Encode360 2.0 beta 6 Changelog (Abridged):
* NEW: FLV & WMV Support
* NEW: Ability to Drag/Drop re-order of items in the encoding list.
NEW: "Enable / Disable Subtitles through FFDshow" to Advanced Settings
NEW: "Preferred Subtitles Language" Option to Advanced Settings. This is so that PreProcessing Scripts (such as the updated one for MKV files) can extract and use them
* NEW: ETA on Encoding Completion (Requested by damski)
* NEW: Shutdown PC when finished (Requested by Hitcher)
* CHANGE: Massive internal re-write. I had been putting this off for a while, but eventually I had to do it. I've compartmentalized all of the Encoder code into a separate class and re-written huge segments. This has eliminated a HUGE amount of the codebase, and made it a lot more flexible.
* CHANGE: Disabled .NET x86 directive. This means x64 isn't currently supported, until someone gets around to re-compiling specifically for 64-bit. Schlicky will hopefully do this over the next few days
* CHANGE: Huge overhaul to the Aspect Ratio handling code. Now works with Non-Square Pixel videos (Thanks to Zen)
* CHANGE: Seriously cleaned up Debug Information
* CHANGE: Rewrite to the PreProcessing Script code. New MKV PPS Scriptlet linked below. Extract to the Encode360 folder (will create a subfolder called MKV\)
* CHANGE: Logging now includes less useless details, and more important details
* CHANGE: Debug Info is no longer a Top-Most Window
* CHANGE: An error is no longer displayed if no subtitles were found in an MKV
* CHANGE: Updated MediaInfo to 0.7.5.0 (LOTS of media-detection bugs fixed)
* FIX: Framerate "Double" error could occur if not using English as your Locale Settings (thanks to Zen)
* FIX: Certain audio streams returned an invalid sampling rate which caused Encode360 to bomb out
* FIX: If Autoscale was not enabled and was a saved setting, the Output Resolution was always 0×0 unless you ticked and unticked Autoscale
* FIX: Non-Square Pixels were always detected, even when the source video wasn't
* FIX: Invalid duration times in a number of container formats, ie, MKV, OGM (which led to a host of other problems)
* FIX: Force 2 Channel Audio Downmix setting now saved
* FIX: Force Quality Based Audio Encoding setting now saved
* FIX: Better Exception handling when running PreProcessing Scripts
* FIX: Ratio division bug - see http://dcunningham.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=283
* FIX: If autoscale was disabled, Height / Width values were inverted resulting in a bad encode
MKV Subtitle Pre-Processing Scriptlet Changelog:
* NEW: Subtitle Language Support
* NEW: Support for additional subtitle formats: UTF, IDX, SUB, SRT, SMI, RT, TXT, SSA, AQT, MPL and USF
* CHANGE: Better debug output for troubleshooting
* CHANGE: Updated MKVToolNix
Official Site: dcunningham.net
Download: Encode360 v2.0 beta6 | MKV Subtitles Pre-Processing Scriptlet
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Top 5 Games Xbox360 Owners Want From Competitors
>> From live-360.net:
[QUOTE]
Well, exclusives are always a big thing in the game industry. Microsoft has some great exclusives, Sony has some great exclusives, and Nintendo has some great exclusives. Sometimes it makes you wish there was one giant peace treaty and we could all get the games, but hey.. thats business. Here at Live-360, of course we want some of our competitor's games. We boiled it down to a top 5 games that we want.
5. Killzone 2
4. Little Big Planet
3. Super Smash Brothers : Brawl
2. Metal Gear Solid 4
1. Super Mario Galaxy
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: live-360.net
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Joystiq impressions: HORI VF5 joystick for 360
>> From joystiq.com:
[QUOTE]
At Sega's Virtua Fighter 5 360 demo station at E3, there were two shiny HORI joysticks, which are being released alongside the 360 release of VF5. While we were (barely) bested by Sega's employee in our matches, we definitely enjoyed the hardware on which we played. The buttons and joystick have a nice, durable feel to them. The joystick has a definite tactile click to it, and it's not to loud either, which is nice. The buttons click solidly and the joystick inputs seemed spot on.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: joystiq.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
What the hell happened to E3?
>> From engadget.com:
[QUOTE]
Dear ESA,
We've been down in SoCal for E3 since Tuesday, and now that the show is all closed up and the 3,000 industry pros and journalists invited to attend are heading home, we can only ask ourselves one thing: what the hell happened to E3? We knew full well coming into this thing that the mammoth, gonzo interactive entertainment spectacle of years past may have been lost to the ages, but the hollow husk of a show you guys replaced it with is drab, depressing, and generally disorganized. In short, we're totally bummed.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: engadget.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Blaster 360 - Site Updated
Kotaku Peter Moore Video Interviews
E3: Peter Moore: HD-DVD's Death Exaggerated
>> From gamasutra.com:
[QUOTE]
In an interview with Gamasutra this morning, Xbox head Peter Moore responded to Peter Dille of Sony's comments to Gamasutra regarding the Xbox 360's sustainability, and Dille's statement that HD-DVD would be dead within months.
"If they want to have an opinion about something that's 10 years down the road, that's fine," said Moore, regarding Microsoft's commitment to the 360. "I don't want to get into a sparring match with them over this," he continued, but mentioned that speculation about the future is nothing more than that - speculation.
On the topic of HD-DVD, Moore was largely bullish. "On that mark I look forward to speaking with you at, say, CES next year," he began. "I was just looking at HD-DVD numbers over the weekend, and I think Toshiba may have an opinion about that."
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: gamasutra.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Engadget Interview: Peter Moore, head of Xbox
>> An excerpt of the interview with Peter Moore at engadget.com:
[QUOTE]
* Engadget: --compared to PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Dreamcast -- Xbox which went 180 days or so before its price drop and now the PlayStation 3. The PlayStation 2 went went 525 before a price drop, and its an enormously sucessful console and you're even pushing that number. Why 600+ days before a price drop? You could have hit those numbers with a price drop. Shame Kim said that a price drop is in the works.
* Peter Moore: I don't know what Shane said. Clearly people I think are misinterpreting what Shane said, but let me be very clear that 600 days should be good news for people, good news for the industry. One of the things were looking at the need for all of us to look into consumer segments. Yes, of course ultimately there will be a price drop -- we're not going to be more than 600 days or 1200 days at our current pricing. This business is built on getting your pricing in line. This is my point back to Sony. Getting your pricing in line to attract new consumers so that you continue to replenish your consumer base. There are people who sit on the sidelines until one $199 is the pricepoint. We've seen that in previous consoles. Sony has said themselves that 80% of their volume comes at $199 or lower, and so, huge news for our industry that we're still all pretty solid and our software prices are holding well, and what that means is that we can continue to invest into new games. We're very comfortable with our pricing right now. We have nothing to announce for pricing, but you guys will be the first to know when we do.
* Engadget: So could you comment on how you might price a product like that [Halo3 themed Xbox360]? Is it going to be a Premium price? (But its got HDMI.) Is it going to be Elite price? (But its got 20GB.)
* Peter Moore: The way we work with something like that, is that retail is well aware of the product, we're building out our pre-sale programs, and then there will be an announcement. It won't be months, it will be clearly weeks. What we need to do is, we owe it to retailers to not announce their price for them, clearly there will be a suggested retail, as there always is. It's a special edition. When I was at Sega we'd have have 8 SKUs going here at the same time. The Sea Man edition, the Hello Kitty edition, the Sega Sports edition. I mean this is nothing new in our industry. Its a limited edition, we run it once on the lines.
* Engadget: But are you guaranteeing or insuring that the systems that are rolling off the assembly lines now and the systems that will be returned to consumers will be fixed properly this time. It won't be a situation where there are multiple replacements.
* Peter Moore: Yeah. I mean, nothing is perfect, guys. And the other two hardware companies have their problems as well. I can't guarantee everyone in the world that we go fix one thing and then something else [won't] happen. No I'd be stupid to make that guarantee. But I feel very, very good about the quality of hardware now. You guys know this, every day in the factories where we are building these and where we are learning more about it. Sony's very good at it, Nintendo is very good at it, and we're very good at it. You're constantly tweaking, moving parts around, you're renegotiating with suppliers because your goal is to continuously raise the quality of the box, and bring the price down. Because you have to get your costs down to be able to move your pricing to the level you want. If your costs never came down, then price would never change.
* Engadget: So current units that are shipping now, what happens to them to address that problem?
* Peter Moore: Well we're certainly not shipping units that have problems. Knowingly should I say.
* Engadget: So at what point did you address the manufacturing problem? If I bought a unit 4 months ago...
* Peter Moore: There is no answer to that.
[/QUOTE]
Full Interview: engadget.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
E3: PGR 4's Lack Of 60 FPS A 'Conscious Decision'
>> From gamasutra.com:
[QUOTE]
"We looked at that," commented Adam Kovach, PGR 4's global product manager during an E3 demonstration. "We debated for a long time... we looked at what we would be giving up if we tried to go to 60 versus 30 frames a second. We don't want to lose the visual fidelity... we made a conscious decision that 30 frames plus all the effects in the game was far more important than having a pure 60."
He added: "If we take a look at 60 frames a second in Forza, which looks great, if you look at the visual fidelity with PGR - you look at the motion blur, all the particle effects, and everything that we put on the screen to ensure that's it's visually stunning - it's really a rich experience, not just a simulation experience."
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: gamasutra.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
E3: Sony's Dille: Xbox 360 Not Sustainable, HD-DVD Dead Within Months
>> From gamasutra.com:
[QUOTE]
Peter Dille (Sony): I don't want to be argumentative, but I take issue with Microsoft either having a long tail, or being profitable, because they've never done either. They've never made a dime in this business, number one, and number two, they've never had a tail. They've never been successful enough to have a tail! So the notion of a back half of the curve doesn't exist for them. They stopped the Xbox and I kind of feel for the guy that bought an Xbox the month before they said 'we're out of business, we're moving on.'
The reason I get a little emotional about that is it's in stark contrast to our approach. If we've got something that says PlayStation, we're going to stand behind it for 10 years, and deliver games like God of War II in the 7th year of the cycle.
With the Xbox 360 you've got an inconsistent design, some have a hard drive, some don't, and none of them have Blu-Ray, and the HD-DVD will be out of business in a matter of months. Is this a 10 year product? And by the way, it doesn't even work. Do they want to be selling it for 10 years and refurbishing them all for 10 more years? I don't think that's a 10 year product. You could disagree with me, or they could disagree with me, but I'd put that up against the PS3 any day.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: gamasutra.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XFPS Mini Guitar Production Pictures
>> From Team Xtender:
[QUOTE]
Initial product shots of our new product, the XFPS Mini Guitar.
At only half the size of the original, the XFPS Mini Guitar is easier to carry and best choice for gamers, using the real guitar wood for authentic gameplay.
This unit must be used with the XFPS 360 when used on the Xbox 360.
It's also compatible with the PS2 and PS2 Slim.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: www.teamxtender.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
New XNAExpress Mini-Game: Vector Rumble
>> From Team XNA (FYI: MS owned blog):
[QUOTE]
Another new Mini game, Vector Rumble has been released on http://creators.xna.com. Vector Rumble is a two-dimensional shooter, pitting up to four players against one another in a death match arena filled with asteroids and power-ups.
You can download Vector Rumble as well as all our previous Mini-Games for Windows and Xbox 360 by heading over to http://creators.xna.com.
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
E3: Nyko Wireless Guitar for Guitar Hero
>> From gizmodo.com:
[QUOTE]
Nyko had a bunch of accessories for all three consoles. First, a wireless Xbox 360 Guitar Hero guitar, which is still in the prototype stage and may not even make it to market. Their guitar may hit a whole three months sooner than the official Guitar Hero III wireless guitar, but there are a couple caveats. One, you need a wired controller to hook the whole thing up.
Instead of using the default Microsoft wireless controller scheme, which Microsoft's still being stingy about, Nyko's gone and made their own. It requires an adapter box (included), and a wired controller (it can be a regular controller or even a wired Guitar Hero guitar) to be plugged in while in use. The good news is that all the functions, including whammy and tilt star power actually works.
Nyko's still not sure on the price or whether they want to bring it to market at all, since the official controller will be wireless and won't have the limitation of requiring a wired standard controller.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: gizmodo.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
July 2007 Back Compat Update
>> From majornelson.com (FYI: MS owned blog):
[QUOTE]
While I've been crazy busy down here at E3, the team back in Redmond has been busy with a Back Compat update update. (yea, it was a surprise to me too!) The latest backwards compatibility update is now available over Xbox Live (or will be very soon.) This free update brings the complete list of original Xbox games that you can play on your Xbox 360 to way 300. Remember, your original Xbox games will look better than ever on Xbox 360 running in 720p and 1080i with anti-aliasing. You can also play cross-platform between Xbox 360 and the original Xbox over Xbox Live.
[/QUOTE]
Full list of new compatible titles: majornelson.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
E3 2007: Gears of War PC Content 'Unlikely' to Appear on 360
>> From advancedmn.com:
[QUOTE]
When questioned on the possibility of the exclusive Gears of War PC content appearing on the Xbox 360, we found that the while technically possible, the chances are looking rather dim. While Mark Rein dodged the issue more or less, we found Cliffy B to be a bit more cooperative. "If we didn't have any exclusives on the PC, why would anybody have the PC version?" When asked if the extra content was a timed exclusive, Cliffy replied with "to-be-determined."
Being the persistant folks were are here at AMN, we pressed a bit further. According to Mark Rein the chances of the PC content arriving on 360s is "unlikely." "I don't want fans hopes up..."
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: advancedmn.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
HD DVD group says outselling Blu-ray in Europe
>> From news.yahoo.com:
[QUOTE]
HD DVD video players have outsold rival standard Blu-ray players by a three-to-one margin in Europe's main markets so far this year, according to a lobby group.
The European HD DVD Promotional Group claimed it had 74 percent market share in Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland for stand-alone players, citing sales figures it commissioned from market research group GfK.
The figures were for stand-alone players only and did not include sales of games consoles such as Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3, which contains a Blu-ray player.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: news.yahoo.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
E3: Peter Moore vs. Rock Band: The Rematch!
>> From teamxbox.com:
[QUOTE]
After Microsoft's E3 press conference ended on Tuesday night, the gaming world was abuzz. Everyone was talking about EA's Rock Band, specifically the cringe-worthy performance turned in by Peter Moore, Microsoft's Vice President of Interactive Entertainment Business.
While we've got to admit that Moore proved he's got some, er, "cojones grande" just by strapping on that plastic guitar and cranking it up to 11 during his performance of The Hives' "Main Offender" with the folks from developer Harmonix, his skills just weren't up to par. Not only did he miss a bunch of notes, he committed the ultimate "party foul" by inadvertantly hitting the start button not once but twice.
That's why it was a bit surprising to see him climb onto the stage at The Troubador, the famed rock club in West Hollywood. Before we knew it, Moore was up on stage for Round Two.
Although he missed a few early notes, he quickly got into the proverbial groove, hitting a number of notes in a row and rocking out harder than any Microsoft executive before him. While everyone wondered whether Moore had spent the entire evening practicing or had just had a bad performance the night before, we all agreed that he had redeemed himself.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: teamxbox.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XFPS Mini Guitar Pictures
>> From Team Xtender:
[QUOTE]
Initial product shots of our new product, the XFPS Mini Guitar.
This is half the size of the original one, easy to carry and best choice for gamers, using the real guitar wood for authentic gameplay. This unit must be used with the XFPS 360 when you wish to use it on the Xbox 360. It is also compatible with the PS2.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: www.teamxtender.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Real-Life Picture of Pink and Light Blue Wireless Controller
>> Microsoft already announced in their press release yesterday that they would release the Xbox360 Wireless Controller in new colors (pink, dark blue and light blue) for $49.99 in October. Today joystiq posted a real-life pic of the light blue and pink controller:
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Overheard at E3: 'evidently, they do fail sometimes'
>> From joystiq.com:
[QUOTE]
Bethesda Softworks executive producer Todd Howard, in giving the Fallout 3 presentations, had two Xbox 360's on hand. One had the flashing red ring, but Howard noted it's because there were no AV cables plugged in.
As to why he had a backup console, he quipped, "I do have a backup should one Xbox 360 fail ... evidently they do that sometimes."
[/QUOTE]
News-Source: joystiq.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Bach Sold Stock as Xbox Problems Mounted
>> From next-gen.biz:
[QUOTE]
Regulatory filings indicate that Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division, has sold $6.2 million worth of company stock since May, a period during which mounting Xbox 360 technical problems have come to light.
While corporate executives often partake in scheduled selling plans to ensure they aren't perceived to be using insider information to sell stock for personal benefit, the report indicates that Bach's insider sales were not done according to a scheduled plan.
While Bach was unavailable for comment, Microsoft spokesman Eric Hollreiser commented on his behalf.
"Robbie Bach's past trading is completely unrelated to last week's announcement. ... [He] continues to hold a significant stake in Microsoft and remains confident in the long-term success of the company."
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: next-gen.biz
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
E3: Microsoft hints at European Elite pricing
>> From gamesindustry.biz:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft has said that the European price relationship between Xbox 360 Elite and Premium will be similar to the relationship between the two SKUs in North America.
"If you compare it to the price difference between Xbox 360 Elite and Premium in the US, you wouldn't be far off," UK marketing head Steve McGill told GamesIndustry.biz.
[/QUOTE]
Guess that means the Elite will be sold around 479 EUR in Europe.
Full Story: gamesindustry.biz
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft Plans to Cut Xbox 360, but not at E3
>> From bloomberg.com:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft needs to lower Xbox's prices, ranging from $299 to $479, to increase sales and lure customers who aren't interested in traditional combat and racing video games, Shane Kim, vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, said in an interview. He declined to say when a price cut may be announced. It won't happen at this week's E3 games conference, he said.
``We need to compete effectively for that customer and part of that is getting to the mass market price point for the console,'' said Kim. ``We definitely are working on that area.''
``A price cut would give the Xbox 360 an advantage over its rivals, particularly in North America where you have a choice of consoles to play the same game,'' said Etsuko Tamura, an analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities Co. in Tokyo. ``There's a lack of Xbox titles in Japan so a price cut here would have no effect.''
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: bloomberg.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
X79 Chip Back On Track - RRP 15usd
>> From Team Xecuter:
[QUOTE]
It seems that the news posted regarding a software only method to flash the Hitachi v79 drive was incorrect and a hardware mod is still required after all - so the X79 mod is back on track !
We have finished 3 of the 4 firmwares and will finish the design this week. The X79 will suppor all Hitachi v79 versions and will enable the drive to automatically switch to modeb and then you can read and write the firmware using software (like the Maximus Toolbox).
The RRP of the mod is set at $15 and you will be able to buy it shortly from most good stockists.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: www.team-xecuter.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
MS E3 Briefing: Halo3 SE 360, Elite Aug 24th in EU, Disney on MP, No Pricecut
>> The Microsoft pre-E3 Press Briefing has now ended, I quickly encoded a low-res/quality flv video below (re-cutting it took too much time, so briefing starts at ~01:57). Microsoft will offer a HD video download of the briefing tomorrow. You can also already download the MP3 of the briefing on majornelson.com. Realtime transcripts of the event are available on eurogamer.net or engadget/joystiq.
Some highlights:
* Briefing starts with lots of marketing stuff like marketshare, high attach rate, online purchases, live members (over 7 millions now) etc ... I'll pass.
* Only the xbox360 will have all 3 of biggest titles this holiday season (GTA IV, Madden 08 and Halo 3).
* New controller sold with game called 'Scene it' (based on the boardgame). Buzz-style button on the top, and the face buttons positioned in a line below.
* Sonic the Hedgehog and Golden Axe now available on XBLA.
* Microsoft will distribute Disney movies on marketplace in HD, starting tonight.
* By end of the year, video marketplace available in Canada and Europe too.
* Xbox 360 Elite coming to Europe on August 24th 2007.
* PGR4 demo shown, now also bikes. Coming in September. Also new demo of Lost Odyssey, also coming this year ... actually all games they show tonight will be coming out this year.
* Blue Dragon demo out on Xbox Live tonight.
* Viva pinata and Gears of War (with editor, new levels, etc) coming to Games for Windows.
* Demo and presentation of Call of Duty 4. Real-time playable demo shown, takes place near Chernobyl. Beta demo coming exclusive to Xbox360.
* Next Splintercell (called 'Conviction') coming exclusive to xbox 360.
* New GTA IV trailer shown. First 2 trailers were captured from a 360, not PS3.
* Capcom's Resident Evil 5 coming to Xbox360 too, not this year though.
* New demo of Assassins Creed by Ubisoft. Coming November 2007.
* Video of the 'Halo 3 universe' shown.
* Gray Xbox360 is real! It's actually more 'army green'. Will be a Halo 3 themed Special Edition console coming in September! DVD-bezel and HDD sides will be gold colored instead of silver.
* What we didn't get: price cut, MGS4 or FF XIII.
Here's the official press release of the E3 Briefing:
[QUOTE]
On the eve of the E3 Media & Business Summit (E3), against the backdrop of the Santa Monica, Calif., night sky, Microsoft Corp. tonight demonstrated its leadership in interactive entertainment when it showcased an unparalleled lineup of holiday blockbuster hits and exclusives for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system. Microsoft delighted a live audience of thousands, and many more watching the live online broadcast, with titles such as the epic finale to the groundbreaking "Halo®" series, "Halo 3"; the successor to the seminal "Grand Theft Auto" franchise, "Grand Theft Auto IV," featuring exclusive content for Xbox LIVE®; "Madden NFL 08" with stunning high-definition game play; and the widely anticipated "Rock Band," where players can perform music from the world's biggest rock artists with their friends as a virtual band.
The Best Place to Play the Most Exclusives and Biggest Blockbuster Games of 2007
Xbox 360 is a great place to play the next chapters of "Grand Theft Auto," "Madden," and "Halo" -- the best-selling franchises of the last generation. In fact, "Halo 3," "Grand Theft Auto IV" and "Madden NFL 08" are expected to account for one-third of all console new release sales in the U.S. during the second half of the year, according to a recent report by IGN Entertainment's GamerMetrics. Xbox 360 has an unprecedented lineup of blockbuster titles available by holiday 2007, including these:
* "Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation" (NAMCO BANDAI Games). "Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation" takes players up to the sky and into the heat of realistic air combat with next-generation audio and visual effects and online multiplayer action.* Available this holiday, only on Xbox 360.
* "Assassin's Creed" (Ubisoft). "Assassin's Creed" is the next-generation game developed by Ubisoft that merges technology, game design, theme and emotions into a world where players will assume the role of the main character, Altair, and will have the power to throw their immediate environment into chaos and experience the art of a master assassin. Available this November.
* "Beautiful Katamari" (NAMCO BANDAI Games). Marking the debut of Namco's beloved ball-rolling puzzle game on a next-generation platform, "Beautiful Katamari," the fourth installment of the "Katamari" series, features levels of quirkiness, cosmic animations and musical stylings never seen before. Available this October.
* "BioShock" (2K Games). "BioShock" is the "genetically enhanced" first-person shooter set in the ruined undersea metropolis of Rapture. Available this August, only on Xbox 360 and Windows®.
* "Blue Dragon" (Mistwalker/Artoon Co. Ltd.). From famed game producer Hironobu Sakaguchi comes "Blue Dragon™," a unique, epic role-playing game. Available Aug. 28, only on Xbox 360.
* "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" (Activision). The new action thriller from the award-winning team at Infinity Ward Inc., "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" delivers the most intense and cinematic action experience ever. The epic title also delivers an added depth of multiplayer action providing online fans an all-new community of persistence, addictive and customizable gameplay. Available this fall.
* "Dance Dance Revolution UNIVERSE™ 2" (Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.). The series' encore performance on Xbox 360 delivers new gameplay options along with a mix of songs from the 1970s, '80s, '90s and today as well as online play, downloadable music, enhanced graphics and accessibility for players of all ages.
* "Grand Theft Auto IV" (Rockstar Games). "Grand Theft Auto IV" is the next chapter of the award-winning "Grand Theft Auto" franchise, available Oct.16. "Grand Theft Auto IV" will feature episodic content through Xbox LIVE exclusive to Xbox 360.
* "Guitar Hero III™: Legends of Rock" (RedOctane/Activision). Fire up the fret board, crank up the amp and get ready to rock out on the new wireless Les Paul guitar controllers. "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" includes star-studded tracks by such legendary artists as Guns N' Roses, The Rolling Stones, Beastie Boys, Muse and Pearl Jam. Available this fall.
* "Halo 3" (Bungie Studios). The epic saga continues with "Halo 3," the hugely anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed "Halo 2." Available Sept. 25, only on Xbox 360.
* "Madden NFL 08" (Electronic Arts Inc.). EA's unstoppable football franchise returns for the '08 season in Hall of Fame fashion, featuring new players, modes, rosters and rewards to create the ultimate touchdown for pigskin fans. Available this August.
* "Mass Effect" (BioWare Corp.). An epic science-fiction action and role-playing game, "Mass Effect" will deliver an immersive, story-driven experience presented in a cinematic style with high production values. Available this holiday season, only on Xbox 360.
* "Naruto: Rise of a Ninja" (Ubisoft). Relive the hit anime and manga and experience Naruto's transformation from noisy ninja-academy dropout to respected ninja. Available in October, only on Xbox 360.
* "Project Gotham Racing 4" (Bizarre Creations Ltd.). "Project Gotham Racing® 4" will redefine the acclaimed "PGR®" franchise by delivering a unique, exciting racing experience complete with motorcycles and cars. Available this September, only on Xbox 360.
* "Rock Band" (MTV Games). "Rock Band" will allow gamers to perform music from the world's biggest rock artists with their friends as a virtual band. Available this holiday season.
* "Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action" (Screenlife Games/WXP). "Scene It?" brings the fun of movie trivia to players of all ages with new movie clips in high definition as well as five new puzzle challenges never before shown in a "Scene It?" game. It also ships with four new Xbox 360 Big Button Pads and will be available this holiday season, only on Xbox 360.
* "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction" (Ubisoft). In the latest installment of Tom Clancy's coveted "Splinter Cell" franchise, players will experience an adrenaline rush of gameplay where hunted down as a fugitive, you have no choice other than using everything in your environment to survive. Available this holiday.
* "Virtua Fighter™ 5" (SEGA). This new installment in the critically acclaimed series brings intense, arcade fighting action, an all-star cast of 17 fighters and, a next-generation first for the franchise, online two-player versus mode only on Xbox LIVE.
* "Viva Piñata®: Party Animals" (Krome Studios Pty. Ltd.). An exciting new party game based on the critically acclaimed Xbox 360 exclusive and hit animated TV series, "Viva Piñata: Party Animals" brings back the familiar piñata animals and invites players to compete in a host of mini-games against friends at home or over Xbox LIVE.* Available this holiday season, only on Xbox 360.
"Thanks to our amazing partners and our own studios, no company in video game history has ever had a lineup of blockbusters and exclusives like we will have by this holiday," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "We have a monumental library of titles hitting stores by the end of this year for Xbox 360 that will strike an emotional chord with every type of customer."
More High-Definition Content Coming to Xbox LIVE Marketplace, Global Expansion Announced
In a move that will add to the incredible popularity of Xbox LIVE Marketplace, Microsoft announced an agreement with Disney-ABC Domestic Television to make high definition and standard definition feature films from Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Miramax Films, and Hollywood Pictures available for rent on demand to members of Xbox LIVE in the U.S. A growing catalogue of current and library titles will be available this July with more blockbusters to come. Microsoft also announced the highly anticipated rollout of the high-definition video store on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for customers around the globe. Microsoft will begin bringing content to living rooms in Europe and Canada by the end of this year. Currently offering more than 2,350 hours of premium entertainment content from 28 networks and studios, and nearly 500 hours of HD content alone, this puts the U.S. on-demand, high-definition library for Xbox 360 at more than twice the size of the nearest cable provider.
In addition, Microsoft will be adding several new Xbox LIVE Arcade titles sure to be a hit this summer, including these:
* "Bomberman Live." A bomb-dropping action title featuring eight person multiplayer from Hudson Entertainment
* "Golden Axe." The classic action-adventure game with two-person multiplayer from SEGA, available for download now from Xbox LIVE Arcade*
* "Hexic® 2." Experience head-to-head competition in this action puzzler sequel to "Hexic HD" from Carbonated Games
* "Marathon: Durandal." The first-person shooter that was the precursor to "Halo" from Freeverse*
* "Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords." An engaging action RPG puzzle game from D3Publisher of America.
* "Sonic The Hedgehog." The classic platform game updated in HD from SEGA, available for download now from Xbox LIVE Arcade
* "Undertow." An underwater shooter with multiplayer for up to 16 people from Chair Entertainment Group
New Special Edition "Halo 3" Xbox 360 and Family Fun Accessories
The Xbox platform of hardware and accessories is thriving with American consumers spending more money on Xbox 360 than on any other next-generation platform (NPD, May 2007). At E3, Microsoft announced European availability of the premium Xbox 360 Elite starting Aug. 24 and unveiled several new additions to the Xbox 360 hardware and accessories lineup, all available this holiday season, including these:
* Xbox 360 Halo 3 Special Edition Console. In anticipation of this year's largest blockbuster gamer launch, Microsoft will offer the Xbox 360 Halo 3 Special Edition console. The console features an authentic Spartan green and gold finish and comes with matching Xbox 360 Wireless Controller, 20GB Hard Drive, Headset, Play & Charge Kit, and exclusive "Halo 3" Gamer Pics and Theme available via Xbox LIVE download. Available in September.
* Xbox 360 Messenger Kit. Chatting with friends and family on Xbox LIVE and Windows XP- and Windows Vista®-based PCs can now be done using the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit. This device easily connects to any Xbox 360 controller and provides thumb-stroke chat capabilities while maintaining gameplay functionality in one easy-to-hold device. The Xbox 360 Messenger Kit includes a Chatpad and Xbox 360 Headset, and will be available beginning Sept. 6. ERP $29.99 (U.S.).
* Xbox 360 Wireless Controllers available in festive new colors. Gamers can express their identity with new pink, dark blue and light blue Xbox 360 Wireless Controllers. These new colors will be available in October. ERP $49.99 (U.S.).
[/QUOTE]
And here's a special press release of the Disney movies coming to marketplace:
[QUOTE]
Whether you want to find adventure in a blockbuster game or lose yourself in a magical movie moment, you can get the ultimate in entertainment in your living room with Xbox 360® and Xbox LIVE™. Today at the E3 Media & Business Summit, Microsoft Corp. and Disney-ABC Domestic Television announced an agreement to bring feature films from The Walt Disney Studios to U.S. members of Xbox LIVE, the online games and entertainment network on Xbox 360.
Beginning today, consumers of all ages will have access to a growing catalog of new and classic movies from The Walt Disney Studios including titles from Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures and Miramax Films, on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, the leading high-definition-video download service. Xbox 360 owners will be able to rent popular Disney films on demand as they become available, such as "Bridge to Terabithia," Miramax Film's "The Queen" and Touchstone Pictures' "Déjà Vu."
"We're always looking for more ways to let people experience our films," said Dan Cohen, executive vice president of pay television and interactive media for Disney-ABC Domestic Television. "With the millions of Xbox 360 consoles in living rooms today with a direct, high-speed Internet connection, Xbox LIVE really has become a terrific device for the delivery of digital entertainment content."
As a result of this partnership between Microsoft and Disney-ABC Domestic Television, an array of current and library titles will be available this July, with more to come in both standard and high definition. Currently offering more than 2,350 hours of premium entertainment content from 15 partners, Xbox LIVE Marketplace is the only online service offering downloadable movies and TV shows in high definition. In a little more than seven months since video content was launched on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, there have been nearly 10 million downloads of entertainment content.
"Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE Marketplace truly offer something for everyone of all ages, gender or personal taste," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "With this partnership, we are able to feature blockbuster new releases as they become available, as well as an incredible array of classic family films that made Disney the icon it is today."
Xbox LIVE Marketplace content is available to all Xbox 360 owners. High-definition new-release movie rentals are 480 Microsoft® Points each, and standard-definition new-release movie rentals are 320 Microsoft Points each. Classic feature films in high definition are 360 Microsoft Points each, and classic feature films in standard definition are 240 Microsoft Points. More information is available online at http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/marketplace/moviestv/?WT.svl=nav.
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Frosty's BFM VGA BIOS Pack with PBL Metoo
>> FrostyTheSnowman released a new VGA package for Xbox1. From readme/nfo:
[QUOTE]
Purpose: I have created this package to assist those who have wanted to try native VGA on the XBOX, but did not want to flash their BIOS or change their softmod to do it. This release includes all current features and code from VGA Patcher v0.8 in the BIOS files included within this package.
Features:
* Includes BFM Versions of Xecuter, iND, & Evox BIOS Files (Prepatched w/VGA Patcher v0.8)
* Includes Phoenix BIOS Loader (Metoo Edition)
* Supports v1.0-v1.5 XBOX Consoles
* Supports Conexant Encoders
* Supports Focus Encoders
* Supports all HD resolutions, including 480p, 720p, and 1080i.
* Supports 'green screen' games!
* Compatible with all current modchips and softmods*!
NOTE: Softmods can only use the Xecuter X2 5035 BIOS. (use x2config.ini to point to your dashboard)
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: n/a, by FrostyTheSnowman
Download: n/a (might be illegal under EULA/DMCA/EUCD)
News-Source/Full NFO: xbins.org
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
MS E3 Briefing Rehearsing Shows Gray 360: 4th SKU?
>> From joystiq.com:
[QUOTE]
We don't know exactly what this means ... heck, we don't know what it means at all, but we thought it was too cool to not pass along to you. Eagle-eyed (and quick screen-grabbing) reader Rickard Gudbrand sent us a screen capture he took while looking through Gamerscore Blog's flickr photos of Microsoft's E3 rehearsal. The image shows the three Xbox 360 SKUs we all know and love, in addition to a mysterious fourth wheel that appears to be a gray 360. Making the whole thing even weirder, after Gudbrand commented on the photos' four boxes, the pic (and others showing the stage) appear to have been removed.
[/QUOTE]
Now first of all ... we're not gonna analyze this too much as we'll get the answer in a few hours, at 8:30pm PST to be exact.
Secondly ... for some reason ALL sites reporting this story claim they see a 'Gray', Core, Pro and Elite Xbox360 ... but unless I got completely blind today I can't spot the Core ... They all 4 have a HDD and Silver DVD-Bezel, so for me there's no Core shown there.
Third point ... it's not the first time we see a gray 360 ... the test units sent to magazines and website at launch were gray too, however those didn't have a silver dvd-bezel afaik.
Last point ... another picture of the rehearsing shows 3 white and 1 black 360.
Guess they might just have used a test unit for a some time during the rehearsing, and if there's really a new SKU or color coming we'll know it in few hours :)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Konami: PS3 Price Cut Not Enough, Metal Gear Solid 4 to 360?
>> From next-gen.biz:
[QUOTE]
Senior Konami executive Kazumi Kitaue has questioned whether the recent PS3 price cut will have the desired impact on sales. He went on to hint that Metal Gear Solid 4, long expected to be a PS3 exclusive and potential system seller, may also end up on the Xbox 360.
"Since Metal Gear Solid was born for the PlayStation, we would like to keep it a PlayStation game. But we might have to take some steps," Kitaue said.
[/QUOTE]
Maybe we'll know more after Microsoft's pre-E3 press briefing that will be held in a few hours.
Full Story: next-gen.biz
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Chatpad Messenger Kit will cost 30usd, release on September 4th
>> From xbox360fanboy.com:
[QUOTE]
Eagle-eyed fanboy reader lee\ sent in a tip telling us that our long awaited Chatpad has been priced and now has its own page up on Xbox.com. The Chatpad will be part of what is called the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit which will also include a separate headset and retail for $29.99.
The Messenger Kit's release date will be September 4th.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: xbox360fanboy.com | xbox.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Vote for XBMC in SourceForge.net 2007 Community Choice Awards
>> From Team-XBMC:
[QUOTE]
Team-XBMC has just received news that the XBMC (Xbox Media Center) project has been nominated as a SourceForge.net 2007 Community Choice Awards (CCA) finalist in no less than six categories. This is the second annual SourceForge CCA - last year the XBMC project won two of the categories; "best multimedia project" and "best game project". If you are a registered user on SourceForge.net (registration is free) then you have until July 20th (2007) to vote for the XBMC project in one or more categories. The winning projects will be announced at the SourceForge CCA party on July 26th (2007) during OSCON at the Jupiter Hotel in Portland, Oregon. The winners will also be posted on the SourceForge.net website before July 30th (2007). The prize: 'bragging rights' and the SourceForge.net CCA logo on the SourceForge.net XBMC project page.
The XBMC project has been nominated as a finalist in these categories:
- Best Project
- Best User Support
- Best Technical Design
- Best Project for Multimedia
- Most Collaborative Project
- Best Project for Gamers *
Registered SourceForge.net users can submit their votes for the XBMC project here. Team-XBMC would love if all XBMC fans would vote for the XBMC project in all categories in which we are nominated with the exception of the "Best Project for Gamers" category, as Team-XBMC does not consider this an appropriate category for this project.
[/QUOTE]
Like XBMC? Vote for their project now (free registration required) Thx!
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Globe-360 v2 Diagrams, Instructions and Application Manager
Maximus - FIRMWARE TOOLBOX V4.0
>> A new software flasher for the xbox360 dvd-rom, Hitachi-LG GDR-3120 ..
[QUOTE]
The credit on ixtreme firmware is for Commodore4eva, I only ported to 360 Firmware Toolbox(info)(info) to support all variants of 78/79 drives (and upper).
SPECIAL NOTE ON FLASHING HITACHI 79FK DRIVES:
Sorry for the confusion that the "79 flashing" video have caused, that video was uploaded by one no-more-beta-tester without my permision. I wake up this morning flooded by tons of emails for congratulations and I feel the need to clarify the situation.
It is possible to flash by software the 79 drives but needs the previous installation of a physical device (as the one proposed by team xecuter).
Hardware devices will be needed until a better solution arrives (our research never stop). Me and some friends have developed also a small device to allow the flashing, the info can be accesed here: v79 FlashKey
New in 4.0:
- Added: Smart Hack Patcher now implements ixtreme 1.2 (thanks to c4e)
- Added: Now Supports 100% BENQ Firmwares (spoof, key changing, etc)
- Added: Option to Restore Original Firmwares based on any dump you have
- Corrected: Several other bugs
- Added: OCX's included on the release (there are available on Microsoft site anyway)
[/QUOTE]
Note, this does NOT mean that you can dump and flash benq firmwares with fw toolbox. It simply supports reading the firmware and spoofing it.
Official Site: http://www.maximusgames.net/
Download: n/a (May be illegal under EULA/DMCA)
News-Source: xbins.org
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XboxMediaCenter (XBMC) 2007-07-09 SVN rev9530 build - T3CH
>> T3CH released a new SVN compile (rev9530) 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:
* AMT has been updated to pre0.98.7. Many cool changes in this new version!
* 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 2007-07-01 SVN Rev9489 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
Analyst: Xbox 360 Price Cut Imminent
>> From next-gen.biz:
[QUOTE]
Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter stated in a note to investors today that Microsoft will announce an Xbox 360 price cut tomorrow at the start of the revamped E3 Media & Business Summit, which takes place all week.
He said that the price cut will affect all three Xbox 360 models. The $299 Core pack will drop to $249; the $399 Premium pack will drop to $349; and the recently released $479 Elite model will drop to $399.
Such a price cut would be a likely move for Microsoft following the PS3 pricing announcement today. Sony dropped the price of the 60GB PS3 from $599 to $499 and announced an 80GB PS3 with MotorStorm bundled for $599. The price drop appears to be in response to lower-than-expected sales of the console.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: next-gen.biz
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft's next move? Code-name Falcon
>> From Dean Takahashi at mercurynews.com:
[QUOTE]
Here's a trade secret that Microsoft is unlikely to publicly acknowledge.
Sony's cutting the price on the PlayStation 3. How will Microsoft react? We'll find out soon. But a key part of the strategy is going to be a project code-named Falcon.
Falcon is the name for the latest internal electronics in the Xbox 360. It will have an IBM microprocessor and an AMD/ATI graphics chip that are manufactured in a 65-nanometer production process. These are cost-reduced chips that do the same thing as their 90-nanometer predecessors, but they're smaller.
Microsoft is in the process of qualifying the new Falcon chips and motherboard this summer. I expect it will launch Xbox 360s with the new Falcon innards this fall. That is why the company has been able to say that it has solved its manufacturing quality problems. Microsoft is likely to spend a little more money on heat sinks to make sure that the overheating problem doesn't resurface with Falcon.
The good thing about the smaller chips is that they will likely be easier to make in mass quantities and they shouldn't fail as often. Quality should automatically go up. That's what folks said about the 90-nanometer generation. But the 65-nanometer production process is a known quantity at this point at places such as IBM for sure and possibly at other suppliers such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. So rather than fix the problems with the 90-nanometer machine, Microsoft has the easier problem now of getting a 65-nanometer machine to work right. I suspect that is why Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment & Devices group, said on Thursday on a conference call with analysts that the company has "its hands around it at the engineering level."
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: mercurynews.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
360 Firmware Toolbox v4.0 WIP: iXtreme Flashable on HLG v78 and v79 Soon!
>> It looks like you will be able to flash the new iXtreme FW for Hitachi-LG GDR-3120L on v78 and even v79 drives via PC soon. The video below shows the new 360 Firmware Toolbox(info) v4.0 currently in development and how it'll allow you to dump and flash a HLG v79 drive directly from PC (so no desoldering of flashchip required). It's expected to be released very soon.
*UPDATE* Apparently this video is misleading and leaked by a beta-tester. You will still need a 3rd party chip to flash a v79 drive. Sorry for the confusion.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft pre-E3 2007 Briefing Details
>> From majornelson.com (FYI: MS owned blog):
[QUOTE]
Tuesday night is the big Microsoft Briefing, held outdoors under the stars. It will be held at Santa Monica High School Amphitheater.
The Xbox events team has completely converted the theater in to a very classy event space...complete with a HUGE HD outdoor screen on stage to show off all of the gaming goodness. I was also told they rigged up a huge surround audio system to complete the sensory experience. As long as the weather holds up it promises to be a pleasant evening.
Even though the event is invitation only, you can catch the entire briefing (and the pre-show) Tuesday night starting at 9p ET/6p PT on G4TV (check here to see if G4 is available in your area.) You can also watch the live Webcast on Xbox.com when the briefing starts at 11:30p ET/8:30p PT. Don't worry if you miss anything, we'll have a highlight video posted the following morning as part of Xbox.com's complete E3 coverage. Immediately after the briefing (or as soon as I can encode-n-upload) I'll have you covered with the complete audio of the briefing that I'll add into my iTunes, MP3 and WMA feeds. Later on in the week, you'll be able to download a Hi Def version (as well as a lot more E3 related content) from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace as part of the popular 'Bringing It Home' campaign.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: majornelson.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
C4EVA iXTRM HITACHI v1.2 Stealth rev2
>> A new firmware has been released for the Hitachi-LG GDR-3120L dvd-rom unit for the xbox360 ..
[QUOTE]
(v1.2) Hitachi rev2 - Small bugfix to memdump stealth
[/QUOTE]
As a sidenote, the original release will still be quite fine to use on xbox live. This patch is merely theoretical security, and not currently used. For those of you who were getting errors at the end of the batch file, this will fix it.
Official Site: n/a (commodore4eva -at- gmail)
Download: n/a (May be illegal under EULA/DMCA)
News-Source: xbins.org
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
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