At Microsoft's E3 2011 press conference, we learned of the Forza Motorsport 4 release date. The next entry in the renowned Xbox 360 racing series will arrive on October 11th, 2011.
At Microsoft's E3 2011 press conference, several exciting bits of news have already emerged, including information on Ghost Recon: Future soldier and a Forza 4 release date. Now, Microsoft has revealed Kinect Sports: Season 2 for the Xbox 360. The sequel will feature six sports: golf, baseball, skiing, darts, tennis, and football. During a rather lively demonstration on stage, both golf and football were shown off.
We have arrived at the Galen Center in Los Angeles for Microsoft's pre-E3 2011 press conference. While some details about what is supposed to be revealed at the press event have already leaked it still promises to be a interesting show. Neowin.net will be live blogging the event on this news post so check out the post for constant updates.
While Microsoft's Kinect accessory for the Xbox360 launched last year to reasonably high acclaim, the selection of games that properly took advantage of the unit's capabilities had been lacking. After the announcements Microsoft has made this year at E3, that is no longer true. Welcome to the future of user interfaces.
Occasionally, a company will take a step back and redesign their products based on new innovations. Intel eschewed desktop Pentium 4 CPUs and went back to the architecture behind the Pentium M, and that gave us the wildly great Core architecture. Microsoft has done the same with Metro.
So there's this franchise called Halo, maybe you've heard of it. You know, the game about a supersoldier battling aliens? No, not The Chronicles of Riddick--I said Halo. Well, it's getting another sequel. That's right, Microsoft revealed Halo 4 at its press conference during E3's pre-show press circus--I mean press conference--this morning.
For over a decade the fans of Sonic the Hedgehog have boomed an outcry for a return to the classic sidescrolling high speed action. They acclaimed nay to finding the computer room, interspecies romances, or a red sea of furry anamorphic pals. This time around Sonic's new friend is Sonic: The classic 90's chili dog eating, family band playing, fastest thing alive version. Not wishing to alienate current gen fans, both the new age and old school Sonics are fully playable, and each travel through levels custom tailored to their respective play styles.
Sony clearly believes that 3D support for TV in the home is going to be a "big thing" in the near future. Its Playstation 3 console supports true stereoscopic 3D (Microsoft could perhaps do the same for the Xbox 360 but doesn't appear interested in putting this feature in) and a number of current and upcoming PS3 games support 3D. Now Sony is trying to get college students and families to get on board the 3D bandwagon with a couple of new products and a new feature.
Microsoft's site prematurely tips its hand for new Master Chief entry, "remastered" version of Combat evolved; Dance Central 2, Kinect game "Ryse" also shown.
Microsoft on Monday added YouTube, voice commands, television shows and more to its Xbox 360 with Kinect as the hot-selling videogame console matures into an entertainment center for all.
Microsoft opened the E3 video game conference with a rollicking keynote address that was heavy on bombast but light on meaningful announcements. But that doesn't mean the software giant doesn't intend to build on the lead it has established in this fifth year of the Xbox 360's life cycle: It showed off a ton of interesting new games, including many that take advantage of the popular Kinect motion-sensor add-on.
showcases the latest computer software and hardware, games and multimedia products here. Join the buyers club, check out news-related features and reviews, or visit the cafe for a gamer's paradise.
So the Fall 2011 Xbox 360 Dashboard update, complete with the new Metro tiled style, beacons, cloud saves, TV and more, has launched today. Most people around the globe should have received the update to their console by now, but have you checked out all the new features?
Video games in PC, Xbox, and Playstation format are sold on this web site call Adminalltimegames.com at some of the lowest prices. This includes XBOX360 , Playstation2, and most PC platforms.
Epic Game's upcoming shooter entering trial phase on Microsoft's console next month for owners of the Bulletstorm Epic Edition; debuts on Xbox Live on April 25 for GameStop preorders.
Today's the day you've been waiting for, meaning the 'you' that wants to discover how it all winds up for grumpy ol' Marcus Fenix and his posse. Gears of War 3 launched last night at midnight, for anyone fannish enough to stand in line in the wee hours. The critical consensus is something like "It blinded me with awesome!"--the whole package, that is, emphasis on the refined multiplayer stuff.
If you have an Xbox 360 game console but haven't had a chance to play the current beta version of Epic Games' upcoming sci-fi shooter Gears of War 3, it's time to get friendly with someone who has been in the beta test. Destructoid reports that starting today Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta players who have played at least one multiplayer match will get one token that can be given to a friend. That token will give your buddy access to the beta test.
Want to know how best to dismember your foes and generally be a proficient murderer in The Darkness 2? Then check out these top tips from Sheldon Carter, part of the Digital Extremes development team.
Microsoft announced today that it has sold 10 million Kinect sensors since the Xbox 360 accessory launched in November. In addition, Microsoft reported that over 10 million Kinect games have been sold. The global sales figures, according to a company spokeswoman, were tallied through the end of February.
Microsoft is on a roll in terms of its Xbox 360 business. During their final CES 2012 keynote address on Monday, the company announced that it has now sold 66 million Xbox 360 console units worldwide since it launched in November 2005.
Kinect for Xbox 360 was launched in November 2010. In a few short months, it has become the fastest-selling consumer electronics device in history. The device has captured the hearts and minds of millions. It has also sparked the imagination of creators around the world who see tremendous opportunity to create new experiences with the technology.
You know how Microsoft's Kinect broke a world record last week, selling somewhere in the vicinity of 10 million sensors? And how we've heard relatively little from Sony about PlayStation Move sales?
Your Xbox 360 avatar lives on your Xbox 360. And the internet. If you'd like him or her to live on a shelf in your office as well, you should speak to custom toy company FigurePrints.
Microsoft is reportedly adding services from two major cable providers to its Xbox Live line-up, which begs the question: Do we even need cable boxes anymore?
Microsoft is celebrating the successes of its Xbox 360 console in 2011 this week. But truth is, 2011 was a down year for the broader industry, according to the market researchers at NPD that are also the sources for Microsoft's cheering. Does that color the Xbox 360's relative strength in any way?
Ubisoft confirmed that Child of Eden is coming to North America on June 14 -- for Xbox 360. Child of Eden makes use of Microsoft's Kinect peripheral to allow a psychedelic controller-free shooting experience. You can also use a controller, but only if you're a square.
Gaming social network Raptr finds 30% of Xbox 360 gamers, 12% of Call of Duty: Black Ops PC players have also played Zynga titles, even as Facebook market has hit a plateau.
Crytek is backing a small team of developers creating what seems to be a social platform that borrows from Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Xbox Live while adding the game streaming abilities of OnLive.
This week we feature Syndicate and Twisted Metal demos, plus Double Fine Happy Action Theater, Dead Island: Ryder White DLC, and Iron Brigade: Rise of the Martian Bear DLC.
Maybe you can't stop playing Angry Birds, or that new one about the flappy bird skimming hills and groovy sunsets. Me, I'm still Doodle Jump's slave. You know how the game tracks wherever you've scored right-hand side? The right side of my screen looks like a ladder to wherever Doodle Jumpers go, each rung personally signed.
The former head of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division is getting back into consumer electronics again but in a new direction. The Wall Street Journal reports that Robbie Bach, who was one of the main people behind the rise of Microsoft's Xbox business, is now on the board of directors for Sonos. The company creates high end wireless audio systems that can stream music from a user's local library of songs. Sonos' systems also work with a number of streaming Internet music and audio services like Pandora, Spotify and others.
After growing up on an entertainment diet of X-Men and Xbox, high school and college-age students may find a textbook on cell biology to be a little, well, bland.
Microsoft announced a number of upcoming and hardcore games for its Xbox 360 console that will support its Kinect motion controller camera at E3 2011 earlier this month. However it looks like one game that was announced at the trade show, Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary, will also have some kind of support for the Kinect controller. The reveal came via a video interview at GameSpot with Microsoft Microsoft Game Studios's head Phil Spencer who stated, "Even games like Halo Anniversary has Kinect integration."
A few LinkedIn job listings for a "next generation console" may indicate a new Xbox from Microsoft is finally getting underway. Not that it'll happen anytime soon, but the question's been asked: Will next-gen consoles look like traditional client-powered set-top boxes, or the "dumb" cloud-computing devices companies like OnLive are rolling out? The job listings indicate the former.
The new design of the Xbox 360's dashboard and press releases touting "the future of TV" make it clear that Microsoft is transitioning the Xbox from a gaming console that also does home entertainment to a home entertainment box that also does gaming.
Microsoft announced Tuesday it will bring interactive ads to Xbox360 consoles using the voice- and gesture-recognizing capabilities of Kinect controllers.
Say what you will about Steve Ballmer's swan song CES 2012 keynote (and the ridiculous, mostly made-up hype preceding it), at least we got a launch date and price for Kinect for Windows. It's about time, too: Microsoft released the Windows SDK beta, which works with any Xbox 360 Kinect sensor, last June.
Kinect, launched last fall, has been dubbed a gaming game-changer. And for some youngsters who've never been able to play games before, it's been a life-changer.
The problem with Xbox Kinect - aside from a decent range of top-drawer titles - is the inability to play without a large living room and yards of space.
Much has been said about Kim Schmitz, otherwise known as Kim Dotcom, the recently arrested mastermind behind Megaupload. Most of it centers around his decadent lifestyle, which included a lavish collection of sports cars, yachts, and mansions. But there's a virtual prize he also greatly treasured, of which most are unaware. And which he also recently lost.
Microsoft tries to avoid a Sony-style PR blunder for a faulty firmware update by preemptively offering customers a new 250 GB Xbox 360 S and 1-year subscription to Xbox LIVE.
Microsoft has made adjustments to the way in which Indie games are rated and promoted on their Xbox LIVE! Arcade service. The old system used to allow anyone to go ahead and vote on a game, no matter whether they had actually played on it or not, this meant that a number of companies were falsely inflating their position on the charts and how they were being featured on the Microsoft service.
Microsoft knows that owners of Xbox 360 consoles will be spending a lot of time playing games over the holidays. So it has decided to offer those gamers some special price cuts on Xbox Live Arcade games for the next 12 days.
Microsoft has responded to yesterday's reports that the forthcoming firmware update could cause games to stop working, claiming the issue is related to a previous update instead.
Microsoft's Xbox Live online service for its Xbox 360 console lets its users download content like full games, movies, TV shows and more. But it looks like some of its users have tried to get some of that content illegally. As first reported by Eurogamer, Microsoft recently posted up a message on the official Xbox.com message boards informing Xbox Live users that some of its customers have been banned from using the service for such activity.
Microsoft's assault on BetaNews' Xbox 360 dashboard review continues. I awoke to find a take-down notice waiting in Gmail, for photos posted with the review. Few hour agos, our reviewer, a BetaNews reader, informed me that Microsoft had kicked him out of the Preview program for violating the NDA. But did he?
Here in the US, Microsoft's Xbox 360 business is still strong compared to Sony and Nintendo's console businesses. The company announced earlier this week that it sold 507,000 Xbox 360 consoles in June 2011, well above what it sold in June 2010 and over twice the amount its competition sold. Now in a new article at Industry Gamers an Xbox 360 exec said that Microsoft's first party game business is "superior" to that of Sony and Nintendo's.
According to a third party developer, Microsoft will no longer allow guns or gun-like avatar items to be sold or given away through the Xbox LIVE Marketplace, the software giant's online store for its Xbox 360 console. The graphical elements can currently be obtained to burnish the appearance of gamers' on-screen avatars, cartoonish characters that represent their online persona.
We have two of the latest generation ("S" versions of the) Xbox 360 video console in my house, a high-end version with a 250 GB hard drive and a lower-end 4G model (that I upgraded with a hard drive). The more expensive version has a glossy, fingerprint-collecting finish and awful, reflective chrome accents. But the lower-end version is paradoxically nicer looking, with a matte finish and no chrome accents. In fact, that's why I use the lower-end version for my personal Xbox: I think the higher-end version looks uglier.
If you compare games on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 there is very little to choose between them now. The PS3 was notoriously difficult to squeeze performance out of when it first got released, not because it wasn't there, but because the system architecture made it so difficult to utilize. But developers have caught up and at the very least equalized the platforms.
If you were holding out hope that Microsoft was going to launch a new Xbox game console by the end of 2012, your hopes are now officially dashed. Eurogamer.net reports, via a French language web site, that a Microsoft official has said the company has no plans to release a new game console this year.
Microsoft's Xbox 360 console is supposed to offer some kind of live television service before the end of 2011. But Microsoft has been pretty silent about the details surrounding the Xbox TV feature. Now a new rumor may offer a clue as to Microsoft's plans for the service. Digiday, citing "multiple" but unnamed sources, is reporting that Microsoft is in talks with both Comcast and Verizon about offering content from their cable TV divisions to users of the Xbox 360.
Microsoft's Kinect motion controller camera for the Xbox 360 game console can detect relatively simple motions and shapes generated by people in a room. But in a newly revealed patent application with the US Patent and Trademark Office, via GeekWire, Microsoft is proposing that a 3D camera similar to the Kinect could be used to figure out the size of the people it sees in the room. Once it has that info, the camera could be used to identify the age of each person in that location.
Microsoft Points are a current staple of the Xbox Live experience, but almost no one would describe them as particularly pleasurable to use. But now rumor has it that Microsoft might be doing away with the system altogether this year, opting for straight cash purchases instead.
Forget about the rumored Siri-enabled Apple HDTV, Microsoft is rolling out an Xbox 360 system update that uses the Kinect sensor to turn your voice into a remote control. You can use the new voice features to find games, movies, TV shows and music from a variety of content providers on Xbox LIVE such as Netflix, Hulu Plus (December 6), and the Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
In a surprise move, Microsoft on Wednesday released an official iOS client for its Xbox Live online service dubbed My Xbox LIVE. The app comes on the heels of the redesigned Xbox Dashboard interface that Microsoft began rolling out earlier in the week.
Today Microsoft has announced the rollout of the Xbox 360 Spring 2011 dashboard update, which will be making its way to all Xbox 360 consoles between May 19 and May 30. Microsoft is deploying the update in six waves throughout this period to ensure the best quality deployment, and as Microsoft's Larry Hryb (aka Major Nelson) points out, the update will be sent to your system just like any other console update.
Microsoft has officially announced a significant overhaul of the Xbox Live dashboard, introducing a host of new content as well as voice control and gesture features for the Kinect peripheral.
Microsoft has confirmed rumours that Xbox 360 users who find their console to be incompatible with a new Xbox disc format will be offered a replacement machine.
Microsoft continues to add new official hardware accessories for its Xbox 360 game console. Today the company announced two new additions to the Xbox 360 accessory family via Major Nelson's web site. One is the Xbox 360 Media Remote, shown above, and the other is a new Bluetooth wireless headset (shown in the video below). Both products will be released sometime in early November.
Microsoft announced the next update to its Xbox dashboard yesterday, bringing a host of new features into play, including the introduction of voice search using Bing on the console which will be integrated with the firm's motion sensor tech, Kinect.
Completely optional and voluntary network testing program runs today through March 27; open to US residents only; zero-point achievements, Avatar items gifted for participating.
A report that suggests Microsoft has some pretty strict policies on publishing Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Arcade games has come under attack by a Sony Playstation executive. Several days ago, Eurogamer reported that Microsoft's policies could allow them to refuse to release a game on its Xbox Live Arcade downloadable service if it appears first on Sony's Playstation Network. Microsoft also strongly suggests that multi-platform retail games have the same content across all of the game's version. If a PS3 game has any extra content, Microsoft reserves the right to not publish an Xbox 360 version of that game.
Microsoft's current policy of forcing Xbox Live Gold subscribers to make a phone call to cancel their accounts could be changing soon. A message on the Reddit site from an unnamed and unconfirmed Microsoft employee on the Xbox Live developer team claims that this policy could be changed sometime in 2012.
It appears as though Microsoft has revealed that their popular Xbox Live service will be built into "the PC" -- something that indicates it could very well be a part of Microsoft's next operating system, Windows 8. Mike Delman, VP of global marketing at Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business group, was interviewed by The Seattle Times at E3 and had this to say:
While Microsoft has had a huge success with its Xbox game console business in North America and Europe, the video game stronghold of Japan has yet to embrace Microsoft's two game consoles, the Xbox and the Xbox 360. It hasn't been for lack of trying. Microsoft has spent a lot of money promoting the consoles in Japan and secured a number of Japanese developers to make exclusive games for the console. Yet for whatever reason the consoles sales are well below those of Sony's and Nintendo's rival products.
If the Xbox Live network was a cable operator it would be the largest such operator in the world, with 35 million customers, which is why Microsoft is turning the Xbox into an over-the-top TV delivery device -- something it has dreamed of ever since it first made the Xbox one of its IPTV Mediaroom set-tops.
Hello, another vote of confidence for the Xbox 360 hanging around awhile yet: That's where you'll play Halo 4, despite rumors that the inception of Microsoft's second Halo trilogy would launch on whatever set-top platform the company's planning next.
it seemed like a good idea at the time. Microsoft wanted to give indie game developers a chance to see their creations sold on its Xbox 360 console via download but without have to go through the typical publishing hoops that are needed to get a game released on the regular Xbox Live Arcade service. The final result, launched in 2008, was called Xbox Live Community Games. The name was later changed to Xbox Live Indie Games.
Microsoft is planning a major revamp of its Xbox.com gaming site this week to boost its social-networking features and give certain areas a new Metro-based paint job.
Microsoft officially announced plans to offer Xbox 360 owners the option to watch live television programs in June at E3 2011. Now a new report from Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources, claims that Microsoft could finally release concrete details about the Xbox Live TV feature as soon as next week. The article repeats a previous rumor that suggests Comcast and Verizon have signed an agreement with Microsoft to offer their cable TV content on the Xbox 360.
Microsoft knows that avid fans will buy anything with the beloved Star Wars branding, which is probably why it plans to launch a limited-edition R2-D2 themed Xbox 360 console and Kinect sensor, to coincide with the launch of Kinect Star Wars this November.
It appears that the new Xbox LIVE update, which will introduce support for the new XGD3 disk format, might prevent a very small number of Xbox 360 owners from playing retail game discs.
Industry publications are abuzz with the idea that the next-generation Xbox, commonly referred to as the Xbox 720 in the media, is going to hit in the fall 2013 timeframe, powered by AMD's Radeon 6670 graphics chip. The new Xbox will hit the market nearly a year after Nintendo's own Wii U is expected to launch.
There are two questions that always come up when I get asked about the next Xbox console. The first is when it will arrive? and the second is what will Microsoft call it?
What a week! First Sony has a little trouble with its online security, and now Microsoft is issuing warnings about people running "phishing" scams over Xbox Live.
I reported last year that Microsoft had internally abandoned its Zune brand after the launch of the Zune HD and was working on a multi-year plan to phase out that brand going forward. This week, Microsoft has finally publicly hinted at what its plans are going forward: It will use Xbox as its sole entertainment brand. This makes sense as Xbox is Microsoft's only successful consumer brand.
The newly revealed Lumia 800 smartphone from Nokia will be offered by three UK wireless carriers sometime in November, but the one from Orange seems to have the best offer, especially if you are a console gamer. Orange is giving pre-orders for the Lumia 800 on its service a free Xbox 360 game console from Microsoft. The obvious link is that the Lumia 800 runs Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 operating system.
Fans of Microsoft's original Xbox game console might also remember the massive original Xbox controller that came with the console back in the fall of 2001. The device, also known as the "Duke" controller, wasn't the best designed in the world and Microsoft soon ditched it for a smaller "S" controller that was much more comfortable to hold. Yet a lot of players played their first Halo game with the original Xbox controller and now its possible that they will come back for a one time only appearance.
While officially Microsoft isn't saying anything about plans for a next generation version of its Xbox game console, that isn't stopping the rumor mill from generating what might be inside the third iteration of its best selling game hardware. The latest rumor comes from PC hardware site HardOCP who earlier this month said that it was hearing from unnamed sources that chip maker AMD was likely to provide the graphics chips for Sony and Microsoft's next game console (AMD is already confirmed as the graphics chip provider for Nintendo's Wii U console planned for release in 2012). That same article, however, stated that in Microsoft's case the CPU was likely to be a version of IBM's cell processor although that was not certain.
What will the next game console from Microsoft be like? There are lots of rumors floating about the Internet on this subject, already even though Microsoft might not launch the hardware until 2013 or 2014. Now a new rumor from MS nerd claims to have some interesting inside information about the next Microsoft game console.
With E3 2011 now about two weeks away, we are, as expected, seeing more and more rumors of what might be revealed at the big trade show in Los Angeles. Today Eurogamer is reporting via unnamed sources that Microsoft's Xbox 360 console could be getting full stereoscopic 3D support in an upcoming update and that it's expected to be officially announced during Microsoft's pre-E3 press conference on Monday, June 6.
Xbox 360 owners who are waiting to download the big Xbox Dashboard update for Microsoft's game console may only have to wait for another six weeks or so. Kotaku reports, via an alleged leaked memo from PayPal, that Microsoft is currently targeting a November 15 launch for the Dashboard revamp, which will be the third version of the Xbox 360 user interface.
Peter Moore wears his career on his sleeve...or, more exactly, his arms. Sources differ on whether the Halo 2 tattoo he famously brandished at the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo is still there or not, but regardless of its current status, it reflects the brash personality he's brought to Sega, Microsoft and Electronic Arts during his time at each outfit. In August he was promoted to COO at EA, the position he used to have at Sega of America, making him once again one of the most powerful men in the game business.
More TV and entertainment services have popped up on Xbox LIVE this week, with Dailymotion, UFC, and Vudu HD Movies now available in the United States. These and other providers--services availability varies by region--have bolstered the ever-growing set of services that Microsoft has begun adding since the latest Xbox 360 Dashboard Update went live earlier this month.
A statement Microsoft gave to Eurogamer reveals that the soon-to-be released Xbox 360 firmware update, announced by Major Neslon a little over a month ago, will not be compatible with every console. According to the statement, a "very small number" of 360s will lose the ability to play retail disc games upon updating the system.
In today's hit of game news, we find Sony posting a big loss for the last few months of 2011, despite strong PS3 sales, and the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer demo coming with free Xbox Live Gold access--for a limited time.
Sony has had quite the PR disaster on its hands after the exposure of its PlayStation Network. While Microsoft has, so far, not had its systems compromised to the degree that Sony is currently facing, the platform is not perfect either. A report out of Ireland states that a teen who attempted to hack Microsoft's Xbox is now working along side the company to help develop his skills for more legitimate purposes.
November 4 is the one-year anniversary of Kinect, which rapidly is evolving into more than a game controller and a huge present and future success for Microsoft. The technology also represents the company's profound push into natural user interfaces. Apple's Siri has buzz now, but it's from Redmond, Wash., not Cupertino, Calif., that the most inventive NUIs are coming -- and most likely will dramatically affect your life and anyone within your sphere of six degrees of separation.
When I look at the Splitfish FragFX Shark controller, I don't even know what to think. There's a mouse with Xbox buttons on the side, a nunchuk-esque 'thingy' that looks like a controller chopped in half and it's all supposed to come together to give a PC feel to games on the 360.
Let the saber-rattling begin. As the E3 rumor machine lumbers to life, prefacing a holiday season teeming with exclusives like Uncharted 3 and inFAMOUS 2 or Gears of War 3 and (maybe) Star Wars Kinect, price drops are once more on analyst and pundit minds.
Hackers reckon they have come up with a way to circumvent the security of Xbox 360 gaming consoles via an attack that allows them to inject unsigned code into the heart of the system.
Tropico 4's first expansion, Tropico 4: Modern Times has been announced. Slated for a March release, it will be priced at $19.99 for PC players and 1200 MS points on Xbox Live.
Today, Ubisoft announces the availability of Beyond Good & Evil HD, the award-winning action-adventure game from Ubisoft. Beyond Good & Evil is now back on Xbox LIVE Arcade for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, now with high-definition graphics. Play as Jade, a young investigative reporter, and expose a terrible government conspiracy. Wary of her government's promises to repel the aliens for good, she sets out to capture the truth behind the prolonged war. Armed with a camera, a dai-jo staff, and fierce determination, it's your job to save your planet and its inhabitants. Beyond Good & Evil HD will also be coming to the PlayStation Network later this year.
Back in November, I wrote 8 reasons you might NOT want to buy a Kinect. As a gift to those readers who complain when I write about government topics here on ZDNet Government, it was an article entirely devoid of civics value whatsoever. It was, however, a useful and entertaining read.
You may have noticed reviews show up on IGN's Xbox 360 and PC channels for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, but not on PS3. The simple reason is IGN was not sent early copies of the PlayStation 3 version, so an early review wasn't possible.
After Microsoft announced last month that Windows 8 would support the Xbox LIVE gaming and media distribution platform, a far-juicier rumor has also been gradually making the rounds: Windows 8 might be able to play Xbox 360 games. This isn't as crazy as it might sound: Xbox 360 games, though compiled for the Xbox's PowerPC CPU, use an API that's very similar to DirectX. Xbox games are relatively easy to port to Windows as a result, and the idea of Windows 8 natively supporting Xbox 360 games isn't too far-fetched at all.
Twitter celebrates its fifth birthday with a new site, Firefox 4 is out, and Microsoft begins planning for the next Xbox. (Video: 2 minutes 41 seconds)
A still-solid gaming and entertainment experience coupled with a revamped eye-catching design, internal 802.11n Wi-Fi, and more storage make this the best Xbox 360 yet.
You may have seen Microsoft's first ads for the Holiday 2011 season--I wrote up a somewhat caustic news article about them the other day, if not--one of which involves the Xbox 360 and Kinect. The theme this year is "It's a Great Time to Be a Family," and while applying that to the entire portfolio of Microsoft's consumer products is a bit of stretch, it's fair to say that the company's Xbox product line has reached an interesting point of maturity.
Monday morning at 9:30 a.m. PDT, Microsoft will kick off the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo with its media briefing from Los Angeles. Today, the company laid the foundation for its presentation by releasing some new statistics about the performance of its Xbox 360 console and its online service, Xbox Live.
It's a fairly well known and accepted fact that neither the Xbox nor Xbox 360 has lit up the sales charts in Japan. Microsoft simply has not been able to capture the interest of gamers in the home territory of Sony and Nintendo despite making attempts to reach out with JRPGs that weren't available on PS3 or Wii -- there was Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi's Mistwalker, The Last Remnant from Square Enix, and so on.
Xbox 360 was the highest-selling video game console in March, according to NPD Group, an independent market research firm. Xbox 360 has been the number one selling console in the United States for nine out of the last 10 months.
Microsoft's Xbox 360 console has had the ESPN video section for some time now but on August 25, the ESPN channel is going to get a big update. Gizmodo has posted up a preview of the update which is being called ESPN 2.0. The new version will still show live games featured on the ESPN 3 channel but according to the preview, the update will enable viewers to watch two games at the same time in 720p resolutions.
The upcoming update to the Xbox 360's Dashboard has been leaked, along with a video that shows off some of the features of the new user interface for Microsoft's game console. The file itself appears to come from an Xbox Developer Kit which Xbox 360 game creators use to help develop their retail game titles. Some select media outlets also have Xbox Developer Kits provided by to preview upcoming titles.
Although most games released on Microsoft's Xbox Live Indie Games fail to make any money, there is one rather large exception. That is FortressCraft, a rather blatant copy of the hit PC sandbox game Minecraft. Today FortressCraft's developer, PropellerGames, announced on the game's message boards, that FortressCraft has now become the first game released on the Xbox Live Indie Games program to reach and exceed $1 million in revenue.
We knew it was on the way, and now it's official. The Xbox Live Fall preview program is available for users who previously signed up, at least to add their registration keys to their 360 consoles to download the update.
Microsoft still intends to launch its previously announced live television service for its Xbox 360 console by the end of 2011. CNN reports that during Microsoft's investors day earlier this week, company CEO Steve Ballmer demoed part of the the Xbox TV service to financial analysts. The demo showed how an Xbox 360 user with the Kinect controller and the upcoming Xbox 360 version of the Bing search engine could simply speak to search for a particular TV show and then the show would then appear on screen.
Microsoft appears to be close to closing the deal on bringing Comcast and Verizon to the Xbox, with the console serving as a set-top box, according to Digiday.
Today, Microsoft announced that the latest Xbox 360 system "Spring" update is immediately available, on a rolling out basis. So some lucky gamers will get the update today, while others will have to wait. They're lucky as long as the update doesn't, ah, brick their consoles.
ZEN Studios & Twisted Pixel today announced a Ms. Splosion Man themed pinball table is coming to Pinball FX2 on Xbox LIVE Arcade this summer. Sploding with energy and full of punchy surprises, Ms. Splosion Man pinball represents the passion of two of Xbox Live's finest independent studios collaborative efforts, and the result is an insane level of fun.
Now might be the time to invest in a new Xbox 360 hard drive, if you are interested in playing id Software's latest game, RAGE. John Carmack confirmed to VG247 that the game takes an above average amount of space should you install it. In total, a massive 22GB is required in order to install the game. Normal 360 game installs are anywhere from five to six gigabytes, for comparison.
Microsoft has now released an announcement on Major Nelson's blog about Xbox Live TV. According to the Major Nelson blog, 40 providers are coming to Xbox Live TV. These include Comcast, Verizon FIOS, Bravo, HBO GO, and Syfy in the United States. In the UK, additional providers include BBC TV and Radio. Rogers on Demand in Canada, Telefónica in Spain, Televisa in Mexico, ZDF (Germany), and MediaSet (Italy) will be rolling out as well. 20 countries will be a part of the rollout this holiday season.
HBO, Comcast, VEVO, and others coming to Xbox LIVE. The streaming TV rumors were true, and Microsoft today confirmed that it will be partnering with a variety of cable television providers the world over to bring subscription-based television services to Xbox LIVE. The deal expands the Xbox 360's video services to include nearly 40 different providers, including HBO GO, Comcast, and Verizon FiOS in the US, with the BBC in the UK, FOXTEL in Australia, and Televisa in Mexico to name a few.
Microsoft is taking the wraps off its Xbox Live TV service. What's powering it? I believe it's a combination of Silverlight, Mediaroom IPTV and other elements connected to the company's "Project Orapa."
Earlier this week, Microsoft officially announced that it would offer live television services to Xbox 360 console members around the world. But at least some of those services will require a paid Xbox Live Gold membership in order to access these features. GiantBomb.com reports they received a note from Microsoft that partly answers which Xbox TV services will be free for all Xbox 360 users and which ones will need a paid membership to Xbox Live Gold.
Giving people more options is generally a good thing, and the announcement on Tuesday that Verizon would offer a couple dozen FiOS cable TV channels through a new Xbox Live app certainly isn't a bad thing. But it's also a reminder of all that we still lack when it comes to consuming what we want to consume, and not subsidizing piles of stuff we don't.
With talk yesterday of Microsoft getting a team together for Xbox 720, and AMD pushing graphics performance to new heights with the $700 Radeon HD 6990, it's fitting that Nvidia has just showcased a new Unreal Engine demo during an analyst meeting.
THQ today announced Warhammer 40,000: Kill Team, a third-person arcade title for Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. The game is due out in July and will cost 800 Microsoft Points or $9.99.