News: X360 HD-DVD sells 100k (Xbox 360)

 

In the US.

Source: News: X360 HD-DVD sells 100k (Xbox 360)
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 09:28:00 GMT

Introducing XBList 3.0 -- XBL on your desktop

 

 

Good news for all the desk bound 360 fanboys out there, the newest version of XBList has just been released. For those unfamiliar with the program, XBList 3.0 puts your Xbox Live friends list right on your desktop in the style of an IM buddy list. It lets you check out what your friends are playing (with their gamer pictures intact), access your incoming messages, see incoming friend requests and game invites, and it will even take you directly to your messages or Live profile page. So, you may be stuck behind a desk all day, but at least you'll know what your buddies are up to. And with game invites intact, you'll never miss a match because you were checking your porn email. As if all that wasn't enough, the program also supports quick links to Achievement comparisons, Friends' Live profiles, and Halo 2 stats.
It really is a spiffy little application. We recommend you check it out. Also, the app is supposedly Vista compliant. Anyone with Vista let us know if it works.
[Via DCEmu]

Read 

 

Source: Introducing XBList 3.0 -- XBL on your desktop
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 12:30:00 GMT

The Texter reinvents typing on consoles

 

It's a fact -- playing MMOs on a console often sucks for a variety of little annoying usability reasons. Among my top gripes is slow text input. The only real alternatives are using a daisy chain of USB cords to bring a PC keyboard into your living room or use the slow-as-molasses onscreen keyboard at a whopping average 6 keys per second. This is one of the reasons MMOs are a niche PC market.

We've seen weird attempts to solve this problem (bulky 3rd party hardware and awkward controllers, remember the Jaguar?) so it was a pleasant surprise to happen upon The Texter, a little dongle adapter manufactured by a Florida company exhibiting at Otronicon in Orlando this weekend. It is essentially a USB keyboard emulator -- you use the analog buttons to enter text as specified on the two guide ring stickers. We spent some time with their new 360 version and found  it rather easy and unobtrusive to use for Phantasy Star Online. Alas! There is hope yet for MMOs on consoles!

Source: The Texter reinvents typing on consoles
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 14:06:21 GMT

Easter Egg Ads

 

Crouched in military fatigues, you peer through night-vision goggles and brandish a semiautomatic gun as you hunt down terrorists who've overtaken Las Vegas.
Incongruously, while patrolling a neon-decorated side street in the video game "Rainbow Six Vegas," you spot a jar of body wash. You spray the container with bullets, and voila! A 60-second video of whimsical bloopers pops up, and billboard advertisements of scantily clad women hawk Unilever Corp.'s Axe shower gel: "Score with Axe."

-- That Easter egg in video game may just unlock an ad
It's sad that when the game industry is showing record sales that they feel the need to bend over backwards to whore themselves out.
tagged: game, gaming

Source: Easter Egg Ads
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 14:25:00 GMT

You Call This An Adult Games Festa?

 

Boy, I must be sooo jaded! Microsoft held its Adult Games Festa last week in the Akihabara UDX 3D Theater. The event featured the Xbox 360's CERO Z rated games-as-porn titles like Gears of War, Dead Rising, The Godfather, Onechanbara vorteX and the upcoming Vampire Rain. A steady crowd was in attendance even though the Festa was 18-and-up and a photo I.D. was required to enter. Bikini model Mariko Okubo put in an appearance and uttered what every idol does at Xbox Japan events: "I haven't touched an Xbox 360 before this." While campaign girls on the street has "Xbox 360" stamped on their backsides, shiny leather gloves and a plaid corset is about as racy as it got for Ms. Okubo. She did put on the Xbox Live headset, and there were foreigners. How exciting.

Hit the jump for more "adult" gaming action. Brian Ashcraft

Adult Gaming [Game Watch Impress]

 

Source: You Call This An Adult Games Festa?
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 15:20:15 GMT

Microsoft Looking To Launch Xbox 360 In China?

 

According to Reuters and their unnamed sources, Microsoft is looking to start selling the Xbox 360 to the Chinese within "the next few months." Maybe even as early as February, according to some Shanghai retailers.

While it may seem like they're a little late to the game, it should be noted that the PlayStation 2 was released in the country as recently as three years ago.

Microsoft has planned to penetrate China since 2005, but has had to meet with approval from Chinese governmental regulators to begin shilling their chill white console onto the masses. When it does happen, it'll go a long way in helping Microsoft reaching their goal of "touching" 1 billion people with their machine. Michael McWhertor

Microsoft to launch Xbox 360 in China soon: sources [Reuters]

Source: Microsoft Looking To Launch Xbox 360 In China?
Originally published on Tue, 16 Jan 2007 00:40:24 GMT

Specialized 360 for IPTV in the works?

 

Filed under: News

Speaking with Major Nelson in his most recent podcast, Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg spoke of the possibility of a specially configured 360 built with IPTV and DVR functions in mind. When questioned about DVR functions and the possibility of a larger HDD, Greengerg said, "clearly the current way the Xbox 360 is designed is not for that ... we did not build this box to be a High Definition DVR." Greenberg further states that it's possible that consumers will eventually purchase some kind of IPTV upgrade (possibly referring only to a larger hard drive) or purchase an IPTV specific 360 "configuration" from a service provider. Greenberg points out that a larger hard drive is really only necessary for DVR functions and that it's possible to run IPTV without a hard drive at all.
While this doesn't necessarily mean we'll be seeing an entirely new 360, it may be the first time an MS representative hasn't outright deflected the possibility of a larger HDD, and that's saying something.

Read 

Source: Specialized 360 for IPTV in the works?
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 16:15:00 GMT

360 problems? Throw in the towel

 

Filed under: Fan stuff

Coming from Mike at the Xbox Domain is a new method for dealing with the Red Ring of Death(R). It's called the "Towel Trick." According to several readers, all you have to do is wrap your 360 in a towel (completely), turn on your 360 for a few minutes (up to an hour), turn off the console, remove the towel and let the 360 cool for a while, turn it back on, and voila, a revitalized 360. Keep in mind that your 360 will be hotter than bakery fresh cinnamon rolls when you remove the towel, so be careful if you try this. For that matter, if you do decide to try this, know that 360 Fanboy is not responsible for any evils this trick may bring you (setting your fabulous drapes on fire, for instance).
Our resident 360 is (knock on wood) still working fine, so we've been unable to determine if high quality Egyptian cotton will yield better results than garden variety water soppers. Again, try at your own risk, but let us know if it works.

Source: 360 problems? Throw in the towel
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 17:15:00 GMT

Play Xbox 360 on a pimped out toilet

 

Filed under: Culture, Hacks, Microsoft Xbox 360

What do you take with you when you go to the bathroom? A book? A newspaper? A portable game system? How about an eight-pound Xbox 360?

Yes, as NBC news reports, the "pimped out john" you see to the right includes an Xbox 360, as well as a flat-screen HDTV, a laptop, DVD player, Tivo, iPod dock and more. The one-of-a-kind super-toilet will be given away by plumbing company Roto Rooter to "re-introduce itself to a new generation." Not a bad start, but if you really want the new generation to pay attention, you really should get Christina Aguilera or Britney Spears involved somehow.

[Via Xbox360Fanboy]

Source: Play Xbox 360 on a pimped out toilet
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 17:15:00 GMT

Kotaku Magu: More Castlevania SOTN Coming?

 

With Castlevania: Symphony of the Night rolling onto Xbox Live, a new generation gets to experience the PS1 title for the first time. But it doesn't stop there, it seems. EGM has a small article (Thanks, Evan!) in the February issue titled "Second Symphony." The last paragraph reads:

Check back here next issue to get the exclusive scoop on the next Castlevania installment. Trust us—if you're a fan of SOTN, you'll want to sink your fangs into this killer exclusive.

Cockteases. Brian Ashcraft

 

Source: Kotaku Magu: More Castlevania SOTN Coming?
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 17:22:43 GMT

Crysis Coming to 360, Sort Of

 

Crysis director Cevat Yerli, to me, at CES, in answer to my question of when will we hear about console versions of the game: "We see [Crysis] as a painting. We have not finished the painting yet. As an artist, you paint one thing at a time. So when we're finished, we will re-evaluate what we should do next. What's important to us is to make the best PC game we can."

Okay, they're not talking yet. I get it. But apparently, that same day, somebody on the dev team actually went and told 1up exactly what their plans were. As paraphrased on this week's 1up Yours podcast (check the 22-minute mark): "With Crysis, the 360 game's not gonna be the same game, in the same universe [...] the 360 version is not gonna be the same thing. We're not even gonna try and replicate Crysis. [...] Same universe, some of the same story elements, but not a port of the game. Because it'd be disappointing..."

I lose this round!

Source: Crysis Coming to 360, Sort Of
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 18:36:17 GMT

Paperboy, Minigolf, and Root Beer achievements

 

Filed under: News, Xbox Live Arcade

Celebrating their one year anniversary, Achieve360Points.com posted the achievements for three upcoming XBLA titles. They've listed achievements for Paperboy, Minigolf Adventures, and Root Beer Tapper. Of course we'd all like to know when these new XBLA games are going to be released, but that's just asking a little much. We've always been huge fans of Paperboy with memories in or head of tossing papers through windows. But what's the draw to a game like Root Beer Tapper? Serving root beer to random bums on a lonely Friday night ... now that's living my friends.

Source: Paperboy, Minigolf, and Root Beer achievements
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 18:45:00 GMT

World's First Commercial XNA Game Released

 

When XNA was announced, it created all sorts of visions of hardcore gamers gathering in dark garages, pooling their brilliance to come up with the next Geometry Wars or Alien Hominid. To date, however, those lanky geniuses have remained stubbornly silent, so Greek developer Cheeky has stepped in to fill the void, releasing the world's very first XNA game.

Blobbit Push (which my brain insists on calling "Bobbit Plush," for some reason, thus ensuring nightmares for weeks to come), is a simple, but cute, arcade puzzle game that  pretty clearly points to  Cheeky's mobile gaming roots. Rescue the baby Blobbits from the evil Vernimb (who comes up with these names??) who have trapped them in, what else, crates.   Demos are available in XNA, Java and Mac Widget formats.

Blobbit Push Released, World's First Commercial XNA Game  [GamesIndustry.biz]

 

Source: World's First Commercial XNA Game Released
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 19:44:07 GMT

Guy Builds Real-Life Halo Suit for Military Use

 

That’s right, Troy Hurtubise has built the world’s first Halo-inspired military suit. It’s “crafted from high-impact plastic lined with ceramic bullet protection over ballistic foam, and features nearly endless compartments, morphine / salt containers, knife and gun holsters, emergency lights, a built-in recording device, pepper spray, ingestible transponder for those last resort scenarios, and there’s even a fresh air system powered by solar panels within the helmet.” One more picture after the jump.

Mr. Hurtubise claims the 18 kilograms (40 pounds) suit is comfortable enough to make road trips in (yes, he tried it), and if any major military would take him up on it, they could reportedly be produced for “around $2,000 apiece.”

[via engadget]

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Source: Guy Builds Real-Life Halo Suit for Military Use
Originally published on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 22:00:32 GMT

Castaway Entertainment Update...

In 2003, a group of team members from Blizzard North decided to leave the developer and form Castaway Entertainment. They got a publishing deal with Electronic Arts and started development of a new fantasy action-RPG but later the publishing deal with EA fell through. In the fall of 2005 they sent out a press release announcing that they were seeking a new publisher for their action-RPG but since that time there has been little to no news from Castaway. Today FiringSquad chatted on the phone briefly with with Michael Scandizzo, the president of Castaway, to get an update on the developer' status. Scandizzo has confirmed that their fantasy action-RPG is now on "indefinite hold" after failing to get a publisher for the title. However, the developer is still in game development with Scandizzo telling us that the company is currently working on an Xbox Live Arcade title for an undisclosed publisher. Scandizzo would not reveal any details on the game other than it would be in a different genre than the action-RPG titles they have worked on previously and that it is scheduled to be released sometime this year. Scandizzo also told us Castaway has been doing game design and online consulting work with a number of game companies but because of NDA agreements he could not reveal which companies they had served as consultants. Scandizzo told us that while their major action-RPG game project is on hold he said that they have hope that they will return to the gerne with an all new game design. FiringSquad will continue to keep abreast of Castaway's projects in the coming months.