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Week of December 14, 2008
What Xbox Wants to Be When It Grows Up? No Browser but Hulu Deal?
>> From bits.blogs.nytimes.com:
[QUOTE]
But when Mr. Kim talks about opening Xbox, he isn't really talking about allowing the device to connect to any content available. There are no plans, he said, to build an Internet browser, such as is available on the Wii, that could help navigate to find video on the Web.
"We are about delivering higher-quality experience, not having the most varied experiences," he said.
He argued that while there might be hundreds of video sites, most of the activity was concentrating on a handful of sites like Hulu and YouTube. So his first instinct is to cut a handful of deals that integrate the Xbox more deeply into such sites.
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Full Story: bits.blogs.nytimes.com
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(Friday 19 December 2008 18:28 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
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Big video game fans prove crucial to the industry
>> From Associated Press:
[QUOTE]
For the video game industry, core gamers are proving crucial. Their willingness to regularly, loyally buy new titles -- no matter what -- gives the industry a better chance of success than other businesses that rely on discretionary spending vulnerable to the recession.
"As long as hard-core gamers have a job, they will continue to buy games," said IDC video games analyst Billy Pidgeon.
The industry's ability to lean on core gamers is a bit of a twist, because video game makers have been working hard to grow by expanding their mainstream appeal.
Families and people who haven't picked up a game controller in ages, or ever, have flocked to the easy-to-master Nintendo Wii since its 2006 launch. Taking note, Sony Corp. and Microsoft Corp. have been expanding what their game consoles offer, adding movies and TV shows, to attract people whose idea of the perfect Sunday afternoon doesn't involve shooting aliens. Software publishers like Ubisoft Entertainment, Activision Blizzard Inc. and Electronic Arts Inc. have boosted their titles aimed at young girls, families and women over 35, who have helped push game sales higher.
Yet some analysts believe it will turn out to be core gamers -- who might be more reliable consumers of their favorite form of entertainment than movie buffs or sports fans, for example -- who keep the industry afloat as the rest of us cut back.
Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Morgan, estimates that core gamers buy roughly half of all video games.
"They may be wealthy, they may be poor, but they have no clue we are in a recession," Pachter said.
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Full Story: Associated Press
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(Friday 19 December 2008 00:01 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Job posting reveals Zune-Xbox integration
>> From cnet.com:
[QUOTE]
There's a job listing for a user experience designer to work on the Zune Device UI, Zune PC Client and--hang on a second--Zune Xbox.
Zune Xbox? Of course. Both Xbox Live and the Zune Marketplace use Microsoft's own pseudo-currency, Microsoft Points. Xbox Live already lets you download video content and stream movies-on-demand from Netflix (if you're a subscriber). You can plug any MP3 player into the Xbox 360 and listen to a mix of your music as you play. So why not take all these pieces to their logical conclusion and let you access the Zune Marketplace from Xbox Live? Integration would be particularly useful for Zune Pass subscribers, giving them another device on which to use their unlimited monthly listens and 10 permanent downloads.
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Full Story: cnet.com
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(Thursday 18 December 2008 23:53 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
EA Caught Using Xbox360 Gameplay in Wii TV Spot
>> From adweek.blogs.com:
[QUOTE]
An Electronic Arts commercial for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 has been banned in the U.K. in its current form for using Xbox 360 footage to promote the Wii version of the game. In the ad, Tiger is seen swinging a Wiimote, and the whole ad is overset with the Wii logo, but the graphics are Xbox. In its defense, EA said the Wii footage was not "of broadcast quality."
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Full Story: adweek.blogs.com
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(Thursday 18 December 2008 15:35 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
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Xecuter CK3 Tool v1.2.3
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(Wednesday 17 December 2008 15:42 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
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Microsoft Confirms 'Resident Evil 5' Demo Tampering
>> From worthplaying.com:
[QUOTE]
On Thursday WorthPlaying broke the story of US players finding that their downloaded Resident Evil 5 demos were mysteriously corrupting as soon as they logged in to Xbox Live. Capcom provided a statement in the original story and Microsoft has also provided us with an update.
"Earlier this week a demo of 'Biohazard 5', known in the US as 'Resident Evil 5', was released on Xbox LIVE in Japan. While the content was only intended for download in that country, a number of gamers outside of Japan were able to access this demo for a period of time. By putting measures in place to ensure it could only be downloaded in Japan the demo version was effectively reset, meaning that it is only supported by LIVE in the correct region. We look forward to being able to offer our gamers a chance to experience a US demo of this eagerly anticipated title soon."
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Full Story: worthplaying.com
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(Wednesday 17 December 2008 13:49 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
MS: Scratched 360 Discs Affect 'Less than 1pct'
>> From edge-online.com:
[QUOTE]
Following the filing of a class action lawsuit revolving around scratched Xbox 360 discs, Microsoft said Tuesday that only a very small amount of users have experienced the problem.
"While we have had some users contact us with concerns about scratched discs, it is much less than 1 percent of the total Xbox 360 user base," a Microsoft spokesperson told Edge in a statement.
The rep continued, "Xbox 360 is designed so that it will not damage a game disc as long as the console is not moved while the disc is spinning. Too much movement of any game console, not just Xbox 360, can cause scratches on a disc."
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Full Story: edge-online.com
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(Tuesday 16 December 2008 17:35 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Square Enix: 360 easier to work with
>> From computerandvideogames.com:
[QUOTE]
Speaking in the latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine UK, the Last Remnant director said he's crossing his fingers that his next project will be on the Xbox 360.
"It's been the team's first time working with Xbox 360 and the Unreal Engine," he said. "In both cases the experience has been a positive one. In fact, as we've only just finished work on Last Remnant I don't even know what my next project is going to be at Square Enix. However, I'm very much hoping it'll be for Xbox 360 as it's been a lot easier to work with than PlayStation 3."
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Full Story: computerandvideogames.com
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(Tuesday 16 December 2008 13:20 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Xbox 360 leads PS3 by 1m in the 5 Big EU Countries
>> From eurogamer.net:
[QUOTE]
Xbox 360 currently has a combined lead over PlayStation 3 of around one million sales across five key European territories - the UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy.
The installed base totals suggest that Sony is catching up on Microsoft, which launched Xbox 360 over a year earlier than PS3.
But following a price cut in September, Microsoft's figures have jumped and the platform holder can be confident of holding its lead into the New Year.
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Full Story: eurogamer.net
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(Tuesday 16 December 2008 13:17 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
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Gamasutra's Best Of 2008 Top 5s
>> * Gamasutra's Best Of 2008: Top 5 Surprises
- Nintendo's Wii Selling Over 2 Million In November.
- Phil Harrison Becomes Infogrames President.
- Rock Band Creators Harmonix Partnering With Beatles.
- EA Partners With Grasshopper Manufacture.
- Final Fantasy XIII To Hit Xbox 360.
* Gamasutra's Best Of 2008: Top 5 Disappointments
- Wii Software Is Still Weak
- Rampant, Unrepentant Piracy
- The Holiday Glut
- Lack Of Critical Vocabulary
- We Are Not Recession-Proof
* Gamasutra's Best Of 2008: Top 5 Downloadable Games
- PixelJunk Eden (Q-Games, PlayStation 3)
- N+ (Metanet Software, Slick Entertainment, Xbox 360)
- Braid (Number None, Xbox 360)
- Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 (Bizarre Creations, Xbox 360)
- World Of Goo (2D Boy, Wii/PC)
* Gamasutra's Best Of 2008: Top 5 Overlooked Games
- Roogoo (SpiderMonk Entertainment, XBLA/PC)
- Culdcept Saga (OmiyaSoft/Jamsworks, Xbox 360)
- Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection (FarSight Studios, Wii/PS2/PSP)
- Pure (Blackrock Studio, Xbox 360/PS3/PC)
- Soul Bubbles (Mekensleep, DS)
* Gamasutra's Best Of 2008: Top 5 Gameplay Mechanics
- Braid (Jonathan Blow/Number None; Xbox 360). Mechanic: time manipulation
- Left 4 Dead (Valve/Valve South; PC, Xbox 360). Mechanic: cooperative player assistance, AI director
- LittleBigPlanet (Media Molecule; PS3). Mechanic: real-time level editing
- Mirror's Edge (Digital Illusions CE; Xbox 360, PS3). Mechanic: first-person parkour
- Spore (Maxis; PC). Mechanic: procedural character creation
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(Tuesday 16 December 2008 00:17 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Unlike Sony, Microsoft Not Planning To Profit On Avatar Clothing Sales
>> From multiplayerblog.mtv.com:
[QUOTE]
The day before Home launched I got a (clearly unrelated) briefing from Xbox product manager Aaron Greenberg and I brought up this topic. I asked: When/how/how-often will we see cheap clothing options for our Xbox 360 Avatars available for paid download?
"I don't think there's where you're going to see a tremendous amount of revenue," Greenberg said, phrasing his expression of Microsoft's disinterest in selling Avatar clothing in way that argues there's no profit in such a technique. Recently, Microsoft gave away the first batch of new Avatar clothing for free. They don't think they're leaving money on the table.
The kind of Avatar upgrading that Microsoft is interested in will involve gamers unlocking items for their Avatars through the games they are playing. The tools for this are now in the hands of developers. So when will we experience the first results? "As soon as developers get it done," Greenberg said.
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Full Story: multiplayerblog.mtv.com
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(Monday 15 December 2008 21:28 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
(UK) Zavvi drops Xbox 360 price to 98GBP
>> From gamesindustry.biz:
[QUOTE]
Entertainment retailer Zavvi has dropped the price of the Xbox 360 Arcade unit to GBP 97.64 in the UK. [instead of 129.99]
The chain, which is facing supply issues following the collapse of distribution business EUK, is also selling the Premium Xbox 360 for GBP 127.22 [instead of 179.99] and the Elite 120GB unit for GBP 195.73 [instead of 229.99].
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: gamesindustry.biz
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(Monday 15 December 2008 14:39 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Suit: Microsoft knew Xbox 360 could damage discs
>> From seattlepi.nwsource.com:
[QUOTE]
A document unsealed in a lawsuit last week suggests that Microsoft employees knew before putting the Xbox 360 on the market in November 2005 that the video game console could damage game discs.
Most of the declarations in the court case are sealed, but a newly unsealed motion (read it here) seeking class status quotes from the sealed declarations of Microsoft employees.
It quotes Hiroo Umeno, a Microsoft program manager, who said in a declaration, "This is ... information that we as a team, optical disc drive team, knew about. When we first discovered the problem in September or October (2005), when we got a first report of disc movement, we knew this is what's causing the problem."
Because of the complaints, Microsoft considered three possibilities to fix the problem, but rejected all of them.
One solution would have increased the magnetic field of the disc holder, but it was dismissed because it could have interfered with the disc opening and closing mechanism. Another solution -- slowing the speed at which the disc was rotated -- was rejected because it could have increased the time required for a game to load. A third solution, installing small bumpers, was too expensive. It would have cost between $35 million and $75 million.
Eventually, Microsoft did institute an Xbox 360 disc replacement program that sends out new discs to customers if their discs are damaged for any reason. The program only applies to Microsoft titles and costs $20 per disc.
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Full Story: seattlepi.nwsource.com
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(Monday 15 December 2008 00:53 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Microsoft Corrupting International Resident Evil 5 Demo Downloads?
>> From worthplaying.com:
[QUOTE]
When the Resident Evil 5 demo hit in Japan on December 5th last week, enterprising gamers quickly realized that the demo could be downloaded in US and Europe simply by signing on to Xbox Live with a Japanese gamertag. The demo not only ran perfectly on US and European systems, it was also fully localized meaning that US players saw English text, heard English voices and saw the Resident Evil 5 logo rather than the Biohazard 5 logo. Resident Evil is known as Biohazard in Japan.
About a day after the demo's release, Xbox Live started doing an IP check before the download could be initiated, preventing anyone outside Japan from downloading a new copy of the demo, even if they used a Japanese gamertag. The demo could still be played however, with all features available, including online co-op play. Because of its small size (less than 480MB) the demo was also easy to copy from system to system.
Then, sometime in the last 24 hours, players with the demo noticed two things. The first was annoying, but understandable. Non-Japanese Gamertags were immediately logged out of Xbox Live when booting up the demo. This prevented anyone outside Japan from playing online. The second issue however has started to raise concern.
After logging in to Xbox Live with a non-Japanese Gamertag and attempting to start the Resident Evil 5 demo, Xbox Live actively corrupts the demo code rendering it completely unplayable - even in offline mode.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: worthplaying.com
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(Sunday 14 December 2008 00:14 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
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