Xbox 360 [Notícias] XBOX 360

[pofxxx]

Xboxdumper v0.13 Released

Andrew de Quincey has released his Xboxdumper v0.13. Xboxdumper is a program allows files on an Xbox(360) hard disk to be dumped out. More info from the Readme:

Two basic commands are supported:

xboxdumper list <partition number> <xbox image filename>

This will dump the directory tree of the specified partition. (e.g. "./xboxdumper.sh list 1 xboximage.bin" )

xboxdumper dump <xbox filename> <output filename> <partition number> <image filename>

This will dump the file <xbox filename> into the file <output filename> from the specified partition number. The full directory path to the file using / or \ should be supplied. (e.g. "./xboxdumper.sh dump /voice.afs voice.afs 1 xboximage.bin" )

<partition number> may be between 0 and 4 inclusively. Partition 0 is not confirmed yet.

I will not supply images of the xbox hard disk, so please don't bother asking.

**UPDATE**: oz_paulb modified code to deal with Xbox360 images. See "XBOX360" define in the Makefile. Still a work in progress.

vamos ver como isto funca

 

[pofxxx]

The TeamXbox.com Guide to HDTV

Muito fixe

 

[blastarr]

Aquele Fight Night: Round 3 parece-me bem engraçado.

 

[pofxxx]

estou a puxar ja dou noticias sobre a demo

 

[thisempty]

fdx, o Fight Night tem uns gráficos soberbos!!!
Tive aqui a jogar a demo e fiquei de boca aberta com os gráficos.
Qto a jogabilidade ainda não tenho opinião pq nem conheço os comandos e tive só mesmo a experimentar, mas se fôr tão bom como o fight night 2, então temos um grande jogo!

Os socos em que fica camera lenta e mostra o sangue a sair da boca dos gajos!!! O som 5.1, e os gráficos!!!
Até agora é o pedaço de software em que mais vi "next generation" na 360.

 

[pofxxx]

Noticias do dia 06-01-2006

USB thumbdrives with pre-loaded gaming content

USB thumbdrives are nothing new, but these new releases from SanDisk are being specifically marketed at the Xbox 360 userbase. The Cruzer Crossfire range is aimed directly at console gamers, and the Xbox 360 is the only current console that can make real use of them (the PS3 is sure to follow, of course).

Available in colour-coded capacities from 512Mb to 4Gb, at prices ranging from 55 to 330 dollars, the Cruzer Crossfire thumbdrives could be used for quick and easily transfer of music, photos, etc from your computer to your console. So, what makes these any better for console owners than existing ranges of thumbdrives? They will come pre-loaded with promotional content. What exactly that content will be, SanDisk aren't telling us yet. It's likely to include wallpapers, music, videos of upcoming games, and if we Xbox 360 gamers are really lucky, maybe some Gamer Pictures for our Gamercards?

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The fastest 360 in Australia

The poor gamers way down in Australia wont see the Xbox 360 in stores until March 2nd, so the team over at Microsoft has pimped out a fleet of Holdens which will be traveling around the country. These cars are tricked out with 3 Xbox 360 Consoles and high-definition Samsung LCD screens. The four Holdens have spent the past 2 months undergoing the upgrades. Anyone down in the area on Jan 8th can see them at the Moonlight Cinemas in Sydney's Royal Botanic Gardens. I don't think you will have any problems finding one of them.

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Vivendi Universal Game Acquires High Moon Studios

VU Games has announced that they have acquired High Moon Studios. under the agreement, the organization of High Moon’s team will be retained as is.

High Moon Studios has been famous for their vampire-horror FPS “Darkwatch”. The senior members of the company are elites from Midway, Oddworld Inhabitants, Rock Star San Diego, and Sony Computer Entertainment.

Let’s hope the acquisition would bring us more excellent next generation games soon, as suggested in the Press Release.

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Xbox 360 Controller Driver for MacOS X

Colin Munro has released his MacOS X driver for Xbox 360 controller. Here is more information:

I have created a USB driver which allows you to use the XBox 360 Controller on an OSX machine, including support for the Apple Force Feedback library. I plan to release this as Open Source using the GNU Public License, but intend to tidy the code up a little first - so the initial release for people to try is binary only

The ZIP file contains an installer package, which when run will install the driver, along with a preference pane to test/configure it.

Currently, the following settings need implemented:

* I don't think settings are persistent
* More settings, e.g. trigger deadzone, button remap/
* Force feedback may elongate effects
* Force feedback (DirectInput-style interface) emulator may need more work
* Preference pane currently only tests rumble motors, by creating a force feedback interface but then just using the Escape functionality
* Driver needs to handle more possible errors.

Download: [Xbox 360 Controller Driver for MacOS X]

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More Info On Xbox 360 Modchip

Here comes more info on the modchip for Xbox 360:

* Name: I.C.E. Chip
* Price at $70
* 20–30 wires
* Install time around 25 minutes
* Boot Backups/ISOs/Full rips (What’s the difference? O_o)

Link
Não comentar a noticia, para não infringir as leis do fórum.

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Win Xbox 360 Live Gold Membership on DiTV Advert (UK)

A new reward level has been added to the Xbox 360 Sky Digital interactive advert and the first 50 gamers to complete it will win three months Xbox 360 Live Gold Membership.

Gamers will have the chance to crack it next week (starting Monday, 9th January 2006) and the first 50 people to do so will get three months Xbox 360 Live Gold Membership.

To get into the interactive game area, you need to Hit the interactive button, go to Sky Active and find 'Xbox 360' in the Sky Active A-Z listings. Once there it's up to you to puzzle it out. Press the help button to get some friendly advice.

The lucky winners Xbox 360 Live Gold Membership winners will be able to compete in huge virtual arenas against the hottest players in the world, chat with fellow gamers, use the matchmaking system to find players at your level and take advantage of exclusive privileges and rewards in the Xbox Live Marketpla

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Xbox Live Arcade - Street Fighter II Press Release - Features Revealed

Capcom, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today announced its first title for Xbox Live Arcade, Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting. In addition to several offline modes and numerous leaderboards and achievements, the game takes advantage of the new online features of Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the console’s powerful processing capabilities to create a seamless online multiplayer experience. Among several online game options is an exclusive mode called “Quarter Match”, which introduces a new way of relivingthe exhilarating arcade experience at home. Xbox 360 users can connect to the Xbox Live online game service and access Xbox Live Arcade to download a free, feature-limited version of the game which offers two playable characters for one match. When they are ready for the ultimate retro gaming experience, users can then unlock the full version of the game, enabling players to choose from all eight original characters as well as four boss characters, each with their own special endings and home levels.Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting will be available on Xbox Live Arcade in early 2006.

“We are extremely excited to partner with Capcom on Xbox Live Arcade,” said Greg Canessa, Group Manager of Xbox Live Arcade at Microsoft. “Street Fighter is one of the most recognized and successful game franchises in history and it is an absolute honor to bring the arcade classic Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting to Xbox 360 users across the globe. Offering this flagship title in Xbox Live Arcade and imbuing it with full Xbox Live support is the answer to many gamers’ dreams, including mine.”

Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting includes the following features:
• Online game modes
o “Quarter Match” – entirely new mode specifically created for Xbox Live Arcade
• This spectator-based system is a tribute to the title's arcade roots, allowing online competitors to use a “virtual quarter” to “buy into” heated two player matches
• “Quarters” are used to virtually represent players and pays homage to the arcade tradition of claiming the right to play the next game
• Recapturing the spirit of swarming crowds at arcades, onlookers can watch the current brawl in a game lobby as they wait to battle the victor
• Voice chat support allows players to discuss the battleand even trash talk the current fighters
• Competitors can highlight each other's “quarters” to check out their gamer tag data or add them as friends
• Before entering the game lobby, users can choose either the competitive or casual option which determines whether stats are tracked or not
o Quick Match – jump into a match quickly for instant action
o Optimatch – the best possible match is determined by sorting through a set of filters including number of rounds, turbo speed, chat on or off and friends only
o Create Game – the most popular method for coordinating invite-only matches among friends which allows you to choose among several settings and host games
• Offline game options
o Arcade Mode – simulates the single-player Street Fighter experience where gamers must work their way through a ladder of opponents until they face off against the final boss
o Vs. Mode – allows two friends to select characters and battle it out
o Training Mode – lets gamers practice their fighting skills against a CPU character
o CPU Battle – duke it out against a CPU opponent
• Comprehensive leaderboards
o Overall – the most coveted leaderboard showcases the best overall players from around the globe as determined by a simple point-based system
o Monthly – uses the point-based system to designate the best players in the past 30 days
o Best Character – rankings based on who is the best at using each game character
o Consecutive Wins – tracks winning streaks to see who has won the most matches in a row
• Achievements – complete more than 10 offline and online objectives
• Fully customizable control options – players can map attacks to any of the main buttons and have the choice to map all three punches and/or all three kicks to a single button which simplifies complex moves
• Updated menu screens provide easier navigation
• 5.1 surround sound
• Sound options control the volume of the music and sound effects

Wow, for all you old school SF2 players out there, time to brush up on your skills, looks like the trash talkin’ and butt kickin’ is on!

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Major Nelson: Hexic Not Hacked

Major Nelson has posted to his blog regarding the recent info floating around about the hack involving the Kiosk disk. Here is what he had to say:

There was some misinformation floating around last week that I wanted to clear up. Specifically, that folks are cheating at Hexic and earning achievements or getting high scores that they got by cheating. I got an email from the Xbox Live Arcade team where they told me:

“We’re seeing reports of people hacking Hexic HD using the European Kiosk disk hack. The truth of the matter is that we actually removed the code from the kiosk version of the game that awards achievements and Gamerscore and posts high scores so the reports are false. While Hackers can play the game and trigger the achievement awarded animation as if is still there but they don’t actually earn anything since they can’t connect to Xbox Live.”

So there you have it, keep working on your high score in Hexic with complete confidence that the folks above you earned their way to the top.

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Japan Xbox 360 Sales Increasing?

Japaneses gamers bought 12,300 consoles this week, more than double from last week

According to the Japanese hardware and software sale charts this week, the Xbox 360 is more popular in Japan than it was last week. The success is due in part to the release of Dead or Alive 4.

Dead or Alive 4 came straight in at 4th last week on the software charts, but has dropped to 11th this week, after a large amount of Nintendo DS games pushed it down the list.

However, the hardware chart tells a completely different story. Even though Japaneses gamers bought 12,300 consoles this week which is twice as many as the 5,674 which was sold last week, the 360 still has not hit the 100,000 sales mark in Japan.

Peter Moore noted at the CES, that the Xbox 360 will have 50 more games by June. Maybe with a few more great titles like DOA 4, the 360 might be able to get some steam and finally be declared a success in Japan

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Here is the first official photograph of the new X3 IR hardware. As you can see there is a serial programmer module which enables to ability to update the hardware with new infra red codes via the learning function. The software (X3 IR Manager) is currently at v1.1.6 and tweeks are still bing implemented. You should expect these in stores within the next couple of weeks - remember the first batch of customers will receive an X3 Pro Switch ($20 RRP) completely free of charge as a thank you for your patience and loyalty!* Xbox 360
It is great to see such a huge community input into the openeing up of the 360. Two websites of note (one a returning old freind) are worth keeping bookmarked, they have some interesting discoveries and observations.
www.xboxhacker.net
www.free60.org
Of course for the latest news and updates you should be looking at www.xbox-scene.com but we shouldn't have to tell you that.

For a completely "hacked" 360 don't expect anything on the scale of the first Xbox - at least not for a long, long time, however you can expect to see a hack of some sort soon - not only from Xecuter(info) but from at least one other group of guys we have spoken to. Unsigned code is looking unlikely atm but booting of raw dumps maybe quite possible - but no where near as much fun or scope as Xbox1 mods. Kudos to M$ for their security on this one, however there is always a way.....

On a non-hacking note, we have licenced a number of Xbox 360 hardware add-on designs to a couple of companies ready to be announced soon.

* X3 Config Live
We just noticed a nice Xbox 360 skin over at allxboxskins - go check it out if you have an X3
X3CL 360 Skin

In the meantime we hope you all have a successful new year.

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Gates and Ballmer about Xbox 360

CNet: How big a dent do you think you've put in Sony? ?

* Gates: We know what it's like to go second. We've tried that. And that was last time. Last time was very different in that, if I bought a PS2 and you bought an Xbox, we'd go to your house and play PS2, we'd go to my house and play Xbox.
So it works, when it becomes this "Live" thing, that you're accumulating your achievements and all that, and anybody can play with anybody. (If) I bought an Xbox, when you go to buy a machine--whether it's 2006, 2007--if you want to play with me in Live, which is what the thing is all about, then you need to buy that same machine.
So we've got that leading-edge group, most of whom won't buy two machines--some will, but they're telling their friends, look, connect up to me, and that's done with Xbox. So going first was more important in this generation than in any generation there has ever been.
* Ballmer: The Live advantage is...there's no Sony announcement for a Live equivalent type deal. We had, if anything, a cost disadvantage last generation. If anything, depending on what they do with (Blu-Ray disc support), we're not going to have a cost disadvantage this time.Fortunately I had some young kids around who were showing me around all this stuff," Gates said in an interview with CNET News.com. "I played a lot of Project Gotham, a lot of Hexic, a lot of Zuma."
Ballmer said Xbox 360 has been welcome at home.
"Unlike Xbox 1, my wife thinks it's a good addition to the house," Ballmer said, adding that Microsoft hopes to reach more women, as well as a broader age range.

Despite some early experience, neither Gates nor Ballmer claims to be a pro. The two came onstage at the Consumer Electronics Show here to show off "Fight Night: Round 3," from EA Sports, opting for a staged fight rather than a test of their own pugilistic skills.

 

[pofxxx]

Project Gotham Racing 3 Demo goes Live!
​

pena ja ter o jogo

I know this is the game most of you have been waiting for - Project Gotham Racing 3, definitely the slickest and most graphically impressive racing game to hit any console. Will it play as well as it looks? Well, now's your chance to find out. head over to Xbox Live and you'll find a new demo available... but it's a big 'un weighing in at a whopping 1.25 GB. So clear some space on your 360 and settle in for a bit of a wait as you download this demo of next-gen racing.

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High Definition Porn On The Way.... To The Xbox 360?​

If you think the XBox360 lacked a killer app, well you are wrong, it has one, HD porn.

If you think that it was just a fluke, check out HDHE, High Def Home Entertainment, a company that also does a lot of adult content. Along with Arrow Productions, they bring you Deep Throat in HD. On the XBox360. Only on the XBox360, at least until there is something else in retail that can play it.

They had a side by side with the DVD version of the film, and the quality difference was clear and obvious. In fact, it was quite astounding. The story behind this is that almost all copies of the movie out there since the 1970s were done off of a single old print, with scratchy frames, glitches and miserable washed out colors.

Arrow was in the middle of cleaning it up when they found the original masters, so they threw out what they had done and used the clean copy. They ended up with the first new copy of the movie in decades, all in glorious HD. For the XBox360. Only for the XBox360.

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Microsoft Abandons 90-Day Target​

In a report in today's Financial Times, the company shifted its attention to the longer-term target outlined at CES last week. The firm now says it will hit sales of 4 million to 5.5 million by the end of its financial year, in June.

Analysts believe sales of the console had hit around 1.3 million by the end of the Holiday sales period. But as January moves along, retailers have yet to see evidence of shortages easing.

Xbox 360 chief Peter Moore explained, "Nothing's perfect - you've got a complex piece of hardware that includes1,700 different parts. Every now and again the line will slow down because something's happened and there'll be a component that didn't make it that morning."

He added. "That's just the way of the beast, particularly when you are ramping up factories from ground zero all the way up to full capacity."

Microsoft wants to shift focus to the summer, by which time demand should have been met by supply, assuming consumer interest can be maintained. "[Manufacturer] Celestica coming online makes us feel real good about our ability to do 4.5m to 5.5m, and June is important because it's our fiscal year," said Moore.

Speaking for publishers, Brian Farrell, chief executive of THQ was phlegmatic. "We love product launches, but not necessarily for what they do in the first three to six months. Inventories have been fairly tight but I don't think that should have surprised anyone."

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An Answer From Team I.C.E.
​

Yesterday, we saw a fake picture on Team I.C.E.’s official website, and the reliability of the team has been somehow harmed.

But it seems Team I.C.E. is trying to show that they really have the guts. Today, they posted a news on their website:

“Retailer list is growing apply now to be listed quickly ! Previous pictures that were posted was due to a falling out between the team webmaster, and the team lead. Those pictures are confirmed fake, and not a prototype whatsoever, please delete them.

The final version will have nothing to do with those pictures whatsoever, and will be composed of an actel chip placed on a pcb board.”

Well… seems the drama has not reached its end. We’ll see.

Thanks for the email heads-up, Lawrence.

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Peter Moore Interview On CES 2006​

Game informer had an very interesting interview with Peter Moore on CES 2006.

GI: Last night one of your biggest announcements concerned an external HD-DVD drive. How are you going to connect this to your 360?

Moore: It’s actually several ways we’re working on right now. I’m not going to give you any details, but we built this box with a view to - and J Allard being the guy that really has done the thinking - to the flexibility of where life will be in 2007, 2008, 2009. We call it future proofing. So the ways that you can connect - there are a number of different ways - I don’t want to get into it right now. The most obvious sat right in the front there.Mais

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Hong Kong and Taiwan Xbox 360 release dates​

Microsoft have confirmed the Xbox 360 release details for Hong Kong and Taiwan. March 2nd will be the magic date for both territories, with Singapore also getting in on the action that day, and South Korea receiving their consoles a little earlier on February 24th.

Pricing looks favourable for the Asian markets, with the Core system costing the equivalent of 300 Dollars and the Premium coming in at 380 Dollars. Games will retail at around the equivalent of 38 Dollars. These prices are confirmed for Hong Kong and Taiwan only, so far.

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Final Fantasy XI Online Beta for UK gamers​

Issue four of the UK version of Official Xbox 360 Magazine hits the stores today, and features the UK beta for Final Fantasy XI Online. this is the only place UK Xbox 360 gamers can get in on the beta (as we reported with details here). Head to the newsagents and pick up a copy, then get online and register with Square Enix for access.

The magazine's coverdisc also features a first peek at Tomb Raider Legend for the Xbox 360.

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I.C.E. Mod Chip: More Evidence of Hoax?​

The I.C.E. ModChip is certainly the hot topic in the Xbox 360 world this week. If you look anywhere that covers the 360 you'll find cries of "It's real!" and "It's fake!" and "A dingo ate my baby!". We here at 360Updates choose not to weigh in on that side of the debate and simply bring you the "evidence" that is brought to our attention. This time it's the "diagram page" on I.C.E.'s website of the BIOS screen. While it seems all well and good at first, if you look closely (especially at the "B Back" icon at the bottom right) you can tell this image was clearly Photoshopped. Take a look for yourself:

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Xbox Game Saves Function on Xbox 360​

Rymez2k from the Xboxhacker forums has successfully transfered a game save from his Xbox to his Xbox 360 and the save was functional. The way he went about doing it, however, was rather complicated:

I have succesfully got a FIFA 2004 save loaded on my 360.
Basically the steps I took are as follows:

Loaded original FIFA 2004 Game in my xbox 1
Created a profile/save.
Went into Edit Profile and changed the Profile Name, First Name, Last Name, And MyTeam.

FTPed across the following directories on UDATA\4541003b and TDATA\4541003b to a directory on my PC.

Then loaded up linux PC (Which has the new FATX support.)
dd out the second partition 0x130EB0000 to the end to a file (Approx 14Gb)
dd if=/dev/sda of=Partition1.dd skip=4995776 bs=1024

then mounted this image using the loopback device
mount Partition1.dd /mnt/xbox -t fatx -o loop

Next I copied the UDATA and TDATA direcories over the current ones which are at \Compatibility\Xbox1

Unmounted the image and dd the image back to the hard drive.
dd if=Partition1.dd of=/dev/sda seek=4995776 bs=1024

Then loaded up FIFA on my 360 and I could load the profile I had saved earlier on my original xbox.

I intend to test this with Rocky Legends aswell as that is the only other xbox 1 game I have at the present moment.

Notes. 4541003b is the game code. These codes are easy to work out.

This procedure might help people who want to transfer saves over to their 360.

Also I won't supply any images/files so please don't ask.

Ensure you know what you are doing, I take no responsiblity if you trash your pc/360 drive.

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Gamers could influence next DVD format​

For the last three years, consumer electronics makers, computer companies and Hollywood studios have been choosing sides in the battle over the dominant format for the coming high-definition DVDs--Blu-ray vs. HD DVD.

Yet after all the jockeying by these companies, it may be the relatively low-priced video game consoles that tip the balance toward one format--or prolong the stalemate for several more years. That's because the new game machines from Sony and Microsoft will play high-definition DVDs and may spur discs sales far faster than stand-alone players.

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Xbox 360 Pricing for Hong Kong and Taiwan​

As the levels of anticipation skyrocket with less than 50 days remaining before its Asian debut, Microsoft today announced the Asia retail price for its Xbox 360, the next generation video game and entertainment system from Microsoft Corp.

Two versions of the console will go on sale in Asia in March carrying a price tag from US$380 for the Xbox 360 and from US$300 for the Xbox 360 Core System in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Xbox 360 will launch in Asia with a jam-packed portfolio of up to 15 games at an estimated retail price of US$38 each.
Gamers eager to feed their insatiable appetite for all things Xbox 360 can check out Asia's Jump In Community Site at www.jump-in.com.sg for the latest Asian news, views and information on Xbox 360 in the region.

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The Engadget Interview: Bill Gates​

The guys over at Engadget posted an interview with Bill Gates about the Xbox360. Here's a short excerpt:
* Engadget: Are you ready for Sony later this year?
* Bill Gates: Well, we think so. We've got a lot of things that they don't know that we're doing, so we'll keep them on edge a bit. We think that this whole thing has become very software centric; that is, the toolkits that let developers do their best creative work -- that plays to our software strength, as well as the idea of Live, where we had to learn a lot with Xbox 1, and the decision to require broadband, to go with VoIP, but we learned a lot about wanting to put things into the operating system so you can chat even while you're playing the games, it's really a level of richness that the games are built on top of that we didn't have that last time. We learned how to do that, we learned about contests and spectators, and so this is really a second generation of Live for us. It's very based on software expertise, so it will be interesting to see what Sony does in that dimension.
We also now have a situation where if your friend has already bought an Xbox and you go to buy something that you want to play with them, it's not like last time where at his house you play his game and at your house you play your game. Now it's all online, you've got your achievements and things, so it will be a fascinating competition.

* Engadget: It seems like you're very firmly behind HD-DVD. Do you want Blu-ray to fail?
* Bill Gates: I think the best thing would be to have a common standard for the industry that would include great things like Managed Copy. The studios have to be willing to take that risk to let consumers have that flexibility, otherwise I think they're just making a mistake that the next digital format may not get to critical mass at all, no matter which one it is. I also think the interactivity, there should be some alignment around that, but eventually there probably will be some coming together and it's not easy to predict when that will be.

 

[Parafuso]

INXS convidados para evento especial da Xbox Live

Os australianos INXS foram convidados para um evento especial da Xbox Live, «Game with Fame», que junta o público com convidados famosos, a ter lugar a 17 de Janeiro.

O jogo escolhido foi «Halo 2» e a sessão terá início às 19:00 horas (em Lisboa) do dia 17 de Janeiro.
A sessão especial só estará disponível para assinantes da Xbox Live e residentes nos EUA.

O «Game with Fame» já contou com artistas como Ludacris, The Strokes, Hoobastank, Incubus e Simple Plan.

Os INXS formaram-se em 1977 e tiveram discos de grande sucesso como «Listen Like Thieves» e «X». Em 1997, o antigo vocalista Michael Hutchence foi encontrado morto num hotel de Sidney, aparentemente vítima de suicídio.

Atualmente divulgam o álbum «Switch», o 11º da carreira.

In DiárioDigital

 

[pofxxx]

9-01-2006

Visual Effects Society Awards 2006 nominations​

The Visual Effects Society is the entertainment industry's only professional organisation. In Los Angeles yesterday, they anounced the nominees for all 20 categories in their fourth annual awards.

There are two videogame categories: Outstanding Real Time Visuals in a Videogame, and Outstanding Pre-rendered Visuals in a Videogame. With only four nominations in each category, the Xbox 360 has been strongly represented by receiving two of the four nominations for Outstanding Real Time Visuals in a Videogame - especially considering how recent the machine's launch has been.

Both of the Xbox 360 nominations are for EA Sports games: Madden NFL 06 Football (with credit going to Mark Mongie, Jim Spoto, Tommy Cinquegrano, and Dale Jackson), and NBA Live 06 Basketball (with credit going to Greg Juby, Tim Tschirner, Jim Perkins, and Alex Ferrier).

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DirecTV announces Xbox 360 support​

DirecTV, the US-based satellite television provider, today announced plans to make their television services available through your Xbox 360 system. They also plan to make it available to Windows-based PCs.

As well as helping PCs act as fully fledged PVR systems, this move adds over 150 television channels to the media options available on the Xbox 360. Now, if only some enterprising cable companies would take this idea on in the rest of the world ...

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Bill Gates - Halo 3 Will Ship When Bungie is Ready​

Bill Gates says he doesn't have any idea when Halo 3 will be released, claiming that it's up to Bungie.

The Microsoft chairman once commented that Sony would "walk right into Halo 3" when they launched PlayStation 3, drawing a lot of attention in the process. Former Xbox chief Robbie Bach had later claimed his comments were more "philosophical" in nature, but now it seems we have the real answer: it was "speculation", judging by Gates' reaction to the question posed by technology blog Engadget during the Consumer Electronics Show.

Asked whether Halo 3 would launch around the time of PS3, Gates replied, "No, I have to make sure that any speculation I did about that is -- it's up to the team when they want to ship that, and they're going to take their time to make that a super great product. So even we don't know when that will come out. That's one of many games that are just phenomenal that are in the works, but it's up to the artists to do it when they feel good about it."

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Team Xecuter Not Convinced of Team I.C.E Mod Chip​

Team Xecuter has recently taken a stance on the I.C.E modchip controversy that has been circulating the web. Xecuter states

“Our point of view is that this is not real, or possibly they had some success but discovered some new security structure in the 360 and are scratching their heads but of course posted the news too quickly.”

Reminding the public that well known teams will relase pictures, videos and technical info before a release to prove that the chip or mod is real, Team Xecuter is taking a cautious stance and calling this chip a fake. They go further and quote Devino from their recent statement as saying

"The 360 chip is 99% a scam, we had booked tickets to go meet them, we were ready to make huge prepayment and more after we meet the guys at their office and see the working X-Box 360 with back-ups they 100% confirmed they had and it was no problem to show etc. Now at last second they cancelled, with some lame reason, those guys are scammers I really believe. They did the same to Xenium, backed off and changed completely what they said."

Devino’s experience sounds more than suspicious to say the least. What do you think? Is the chip real or fake? Voice your opinions in the comments below.

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Modchip Battle Continues​

I know, you are probably tired of hearing about the I.C.E. modchip... probably just as tired as I am of getting news reports about it in my inbox. But my job is not to like the news, just to report it. So here's what's new on the modchip front:

First, we have a "proof video" released from I.C.E. showing them running a backup Xbox 360 game. Yes, I know, I know... that could be a kiosk disc or a copy of one labeled "Call of Duty 2". You can make up your own mind about this video, but if the PSP scene is any indication, "proof videos" rarely pan out and are usually the first sign of a hoax. You can download this video [here].

Speaking of the PSP scene, on the other side of the fence, we have well known PSP homebrew programmer Fluff (aka Naoneo) standing up for his opinion on I.C.E.'s modchip. Much like he did when there were many fake "proof videos" of the PSP being hacked floating around, he's created a satirical webpage in an effort to show how easy it is to create a hoax. This time it's in the form of "TeamSolix360". If you press Ctl-A on the front page, you'll be let in on the joke. You can also view his explanation of why he thinks the I.C.E. modchip is a hoax, and he has some pretty convincing things to say.

Here i will attempt to prove the plot of infinitymods.com to scam the scene into laying down cash for a non-existant product.

We're all aware that the only site in existance that has seen these supposed working 360 modchips, is infact infinitymods.com, now if we check the relations between both sites, we find that they're more than just product testers..

Let's go deeper.

In my personal experience of living in Toronto, Canada, for a few years, i can confirm myself that both registrants of either domain live within 2 blocks, the markers shown on the map above are aproximations, however due to the vauge information given for the registrants, they could very well be the exact same location.

If this wasn't good enough proof..
infinitymods.com - 64.21.181.130
icemodchip.com - 64.21.181.130
Clearly both sites are using the exact same host, Coincidence? i think not.

Now fobbed off as a "disagreement" of the webmaster and mod makers, the images have been removed, however we still have copies of the originally released images by icemodchip.com.

I have no doubts in my mind that infinitymods.com are using this whole thing for publicity and to possibly steal from resellers, thanks to their backwards idea of having to order in bulk to get a sample...
In all my years of working in a corporate environment, the concept of 'sample' was always to provide an example of the product so a seller may decide on if they should invest the money on a large order, not the other way around.

It's fishier then an essex girls crotch, and dressed twice as bad.

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PS2 due for a price drop, Xbox to follow?​

Analysts Chris Kwak and Jason Kraft of Susquehanna Financial Group analyzed the history of console price drops to determine that the PS2 is more than due a price drop (see graphic). They believe that there's a "very high probability" that the PS2 will be dropped in price this year, citing GameStop's Holiday 2006 sales conference call in which that company mentioned that Sony may drop the PS2 to $130 by E3 (second week of May) of this year.

Don't expect Microsoft to sit through a PS2 price drop quietly, though. The analysts expect the price of the original Xbox to fall by a third, from $150 to $100.

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Gamers could influence next DVD format​

For the last three years, consumer electronics makers, computer companies and Hollywood studios have been choosing sides in the battle over the dominant format for the coming high-definition DVDs--Blu-ray vs. HD DVD.

Yet after all the jockeying by these companies, it may be the relatively low-priced video game consoles that tip the balance toward one format--or prolong the stalemate for several more years. That's because the new game machines from Sony and Microsoft will play high-definition DVDs and may spur discs sales far faster than stand-alone players.

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Infinity Ward Preparing Patch for Call of Duty 2​

Infinity ward has been watching feedback on Call of Duty 2 and are preparing a patch for all those of you that are lagging. Not much word on when or what, but here is what they had to say:

“Infinity Ward is aware that some players have experienced challenges with lag issues and we are currently working with Microsoft to create an update that will resolve it. We’re tuning and testing possible solutions, so it’s too early to provide specifics. We are aware of the issues at hand and we will keep you posted as soon as we are able to confirm details surrounding an update. Thank You!

Sincerely,

Infinity Ward”

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Microsoft Stays Flexible - Blue-Ray Drive A Possibility​

Mcirosofts Xbox Corporate VP, Peter Moore, chatted with Japanese website ITMedia recently about the HD-DVD drive that has been announced for the Xbox 360. It is well known that Microsoft is backing HD-DVD as its format of choice, even, reportedly, offering cash incentives to PC makers to adopt Microsofts chosen format.

Even backing HD-DVD, however, Microsoft is remaining flexible and Peter Moore has stated that a Blue-Ray drive is an option for the Xbox 360 if the need arises. Moore admits that Microsoft is unsure of the final outcome of the format war, worst case being a repeat of the Beta vs. VHS war of the 80’s. The Xbox 360, being an external drive, can adopt the dominant format, whereas the PS3 will be stuck using only blue-ray (although there is no reason the PS3 could not use its USB ports for an external drive)

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Is your DOA4 Game Save Dead or Alive?​

Gamespot is confirming a report on their forums about a bug with Dead or Alive 4 that could result in your game save being wiped out - a serious gamer's worst nightmare. This sort of glitch could explain why DOA4's release date kept being pushed back without any official reason for the delay. Here's what the upset gamer had to say: Turns out this is a problem that a lot of people are having. The problem is that when you turn on your 360 with DOA already in the drive, the game will sometimes boot up before your XB profile has a chance to load. The game reads that there is no DOA4 data on the profile (since the profile isn't fully loaded yet), and automatically auto-saves as if it was the first time you played the game.

Now Tecmo is working on a patch to fix the problem, but in the mean while, go through these steps every time you play DOA4 to avoid this happening to you:

1. If the game is already in the drive, turn on your 360 with the open tray button.

2. Wait until your profile loads and you see all of your info on the gamer-card (to be on the safe side I would do some other stuff while still on the dashboard like looking at your achievements and games save just to ensure that the profile is fully loaded. Tecmo didn't tell me this, just my suggestion. I know I will be doing it.)

3.Put DOA4 in the tray and close it.


A Tecmo representative confirmed to Gamespot that there are problems with some copies of the games and that "We're aware of the issue you're referring to. We're working to identify and resolve the potential problem with the technical folks at Microsoft." The rep also claimed that a patch would be issued once a solution was found.

 

[Ansatsu]

Microsoft now admits it will not meet its target of up to 3 million Xbox 360 sales within 90-days of the console's launch.
In a report in today's Financial Times, the company shifted its attention to the longer-term target outlined at CES last week. The firm now says it will hit sales of 4 million to 5.5 million by the end of its financial year, in June.

Analysts believe sales of the console had hit around 1.3 million by the end of the Holiday sales period. But as January moves along, retailers have yet to see evidence of shortages easing.

Xbox 360 chief Peter Moore explained, "Nothing's perfect - you've got a complex piece of hardware that includes1,700 different parts. Every now and again the line will slow down because something's happened and there'll be a component that didn't make it that morning."

He added. "That's just the way of the beast, particularly when you are ramping up factories from ground zero all the way up to full capacity."

Microsoft wants to shift focus to the summer, by which time demand should have been met by supply, assuming consumer interest can be maintained. "[Manufacturer] Celestica coming online makes us feel real good about our ability to do 4.5m to 5.5m, and June is important because it's our fiscal year," said Moore.

Speaking for publishers, Brian Farrell, chief executive of THQ was phlegmatic. "We love product launches, but not necessarily for what they do in the first three to six months. Inventories have been fairly tight but I don't think that should have surprised anyone."


A coisa tá a ficar preta.

 

[blastarr]

Empregado da Sony (indirecto, pelo menos) diz que Xbox 360 é melhor:
(snif, snif, que é este cheiro ? cheira a carta... de despedimento )

I’ve spent some time the past year developing for the PS3. Actually it was a cinematic demo to be shown at e3 in 2005 at a closed door viewing.

http://media.ps3.ign.com/articles/6...091/vids_1.html

I was one of the few artists selected to work on it for the demo. My job was primarily asset creation. I was creating assets to populate the path where our camera would be flying during the demo. The company I work for is also working on a launch title that I am quite familiar with. In short, I’ve spent some time around the PS3 and or the teams developing for it.

I’ve really had to sit here and think for a long time about what my first comment about the PS3 would be. Will I say, its GREAT or will I give it two thumbs down. Well my immediate impression of the PS3 is…where is it? Seriously, where is it? They have a case, a controller and a dev kit. But the system still doesn’t even exist. So what is there to say? We received one of 5 PS3 dev kits in the United States some time ago. Several companies in the US as well as companies over seas were given the daunting task of creating a demo in less than 9 weeks on a first generation dev kit. Now I’ll be honest with you. What most companies do is fake the entire demo. I mean they come up with some great visuals and neat tricks and scripted events. In the end however, its not a real time demo and its not running ON the actual box. We were the only company to my knowledge that showed something that ran it live on the box. Even then it was a scripted event. You could not pause the camera and fly around the scene. So if you saw the demo once, you saw it again the exact same way the second time. Also this was on a brutally early dev box. You could always tell where the PS3 dev box was because it’s the room that had the f-bomb coming out of it half the day.

Lots of time has passed since that demo and the dev box has gone from a totally jimmy rigged computer and box of parts about the size of a small child, to a much more realistic size. Although its still the size of a normal pc. I have been pretty excited about the whole cell processing thing. I am not a very technical person but my understanding of it was pretty clear. (Multiple processors to handle individual events in parallel). Sounds pretty good to me! To hear people talk, you’d thing that a processor revolution was about to happen. So I’ve been pretty excited to say the least. Now in my opinion it doesn’t matter how good the PS3 is. If the XBOX 360 is better, then it doesn’t really matter how the cell processors work or how good they say it is. Realistically one of them will be better over all. Now I’ve spoken with people who are on the technical side of the PS3. I’ve also talked with people on the technical side of the XBOX 360. The consistent comment I am hearing from people on my end is, “The XBOX 360 is better”. They are saying that it is capable of just doing more. (shrugs) Now take that for what its worth. If you watch all the videos on the PS3 they will say how much more powerful it is than the XBOX and vice versa. Im just telling you what I am hearing. They proceeded to go into a lot of technical info that I don’t understand. So I just nod.

The game that we are creating for a launch title is a “just get it out” title in my opinion. It doesn’t look next generation. I don’t see how anyone could debate otherwise. It looks good. But it looks good for a game that has come out in the last couple years or so. I mean we are talking about a box that will be with us for the next 5+ years! In 5 years will the games we are making today look good? The only way for that to be possible is if the new games coming out for the PS3 are drastically improved. So good that they can stand the test of time until the next system comes out. We’ve all seen Gears of War for the xbox 360. If that even looks half as good when it comes out then I’ll be floored! The game we are making isn’t even in the same league as Gears of War. In fact there are many current games out that look just as good and are using the exact same specs. So, on our end we are either not pushing the bar or were just trying to “get a title out”. To be fair, this is a business. Sometimes you have to treat it as a business and not make the best title you can. The best title you can make usually costs 20-40million dollars/3 start overs and 4 years of your life. You just cant do that every time out. Its impossible. Our game just keeps getting moved back….and back…..and back…..and back. Again, where is the box? Where is the final system? When is it coming out? No one knows and in the mean time people in the industry are starting to get just a little salty. I mean I was at e3 2005 and PS3 was almost no where to be seen.

In closing, I started of VERY excited about the PS3. I was very confident that it was going to just destroy the XBOX 360 just on the name SONY alone. The more time that goes by the more I am becoming doubtful. Everything I’ve developed or seen developed has yet to be “next gen”. The poly counts are not really any higher, im not seeing sub surface scattering, im not seeing much HDR lighting. (or they are faking it and not really doing it), I’m not seeing next gen fluid dynamics or object dynamics. I suspect that you’ll be able to have more dynamic objects in a scene than before. But im not seeing games doing this yet. We dont have a controller, there is no network code and there is no box. Its still the size of a normal PC. Oh well, at least they have normal maps. Although I’m over the normal maps fad ok everyone!

I’m confident that the PS3 will have a few “crazy” games that show it off to its potential. But I would expect the full capabilities of the box to not show up until the system has been released PUBLICALLY for over a year. This is the extra time the developers will need with a FINAL system to truly make next gen games.

Confirmação de terceiros:

These comments are truly shocking in my opinion. Especially so, since this developer is employed by Sony. And he really is who he claims to be. His profile can be viewed on Sony Online Entertainment´s Station.com.

http://planetside.station.sony.com/community/team_profiles.vm
(Josh Robinson)

 

[Ansatsu]

For those that may not be aware, for the last several days rumors of PS3's supposed weakness have been spreading across the Internet, fueled via an article written by a (former) Sony Online Entertainment 3D Artist working on an upcoming Playstation 3 title. Having been posted originally on www.downinfront.tv (the article has since been removed), the article stated that discussions with several of the individual's friends and colleagues in the industry led him to the conclusion that not only was PS3 falling behind schedule, but that the XBox 360 hardware would ultimately be more capable as well.

His credentials are certainly valid: he's written a book, was one of the team members on game title 'Planetside,' and was one of an elite few that worked on an E3 PS3 demo that was shown behind closed doors at the show. Yet at the same time, in his writings he admitted that he was very distant from the technical side of things, being a 3D Artist rather than an engine coder, and that his own understanding of the spec differences between the two consoles was not very complete.

It is in that vein that we would like to present a rebuttal of sorts to the three main points of contention alleged in his original write-up:

1) PS3 games essentially equal PC games ported at the last minute.

Many PS3 developers have already gone on record and claimed to be trying to take advantage and 'become accustomed' to coding for the Synergistic Processing Element's on Cell, implying that in fact, devs are at this very moment attempting to approach PS3 from a Cell-centric direction rather than simply that of a PC port from an x86 architecture. In addition, comments made by Guerilla devs and Ninja Theory have implied that visuals on the order of their respective E3 demos are well within the realm of reason. It comes down to whether you wish to believe the words of devs themselves or the anonymous friends of a 3D artist at Sony Online Entertainment.

2) His sources say that the Xbox 360 is 'better.'

Again, he is citing anonymous sources within the industry, while at the same time admitting to his own limits with regards to the technical side of things. Who are these people? When did they tell him this? There is always the possibility that the individuals he spoke with did not have too much greater of an understanding of the consoles than even he himself did, and there is no reason to think that they may not have been the victims of the MajorNelson FUD campaign as were so many news outlets when it happened. (The original article is rather dated.) Context is needed as to who these individuals are, and when and what they spoke about. Until then, you have the words of many devs presumably more familiar with the hardware saying that PS3 should enjoy 'an advantage' over 360 to one level or another power-wise.

3) The individual in question claims that their demo - a demo he felt was 'weak' - was the only real one at the show.

He may simply not have been fully aware of comments from other devs indicating the 'real-timeliness' of the demos presented at E3. Though there may not have been explicit confirmation for all demos seen, the Terrain demo and the UT2K7 demo stand out as two that have been confirmed as real-time; the terrain demo performed on the Cell alone and the UTK7 demo on a high-end PC that as stated by Epic, should in fact be surpassed by the RSX and final PS3 hardware configuration. Other real-time demonstrations such as the Molina and Duck demo - though purely for conceptual purposes - show what level of detail and physics PS3 could be theoretically capable of through use of the Cell processor.

For those who have not yet read or encountered the original article, it is more than likely than not that it will never be reposted on the original site on which it originated.

Keep in mind also that this individual worked at Sony Online Entertainment vs Sony Computer Entertainment - a completely different division of the company primarily involved in PC gaming through titles such as EverQuest and Star Wars Galaxies. In fact, SOE does not answer to Kutaragi and the existent PS executive structure, but rather to the movie division of Sony; an important differentiator with regard to what sort of information this individual would have had access to in the first place.

We have not used the name of this individual during the course of this article because although we feel there are points on which he was unclear and/or mistaken, it is unfortunate the level of strife we imagine this firestorm is causing for him personally.

 

[blastarr]

Em nenhum desses 3 pontos há qualquer desmentido ou prova contrária àquilo que ele disse.

Aliás, todos os 3 pontos parecem querer apenas desacreditá-lo com afirmações ridículas como "ele trabalhou na Sony Online e não na outra Sony".

Quem escreveu este último artigo de pseudo-refutação parece bem mais biased do que o programador/artista que trabalhou no jogo e demo da PS3 (que nem teve problemas em deixar-se identificar).

Acho muito estranho que não se vejam os sinais que ele está a dar como indicações claras de que lançamento real, só no Outono, e mesmo então se calhar só no Japão e/ou América do Norte, deixando a Europa já bem para dentro de 2007.
Nem comando final, nem hardware final, nem spec's finalizadas, enfim.

Quanto ao comentário da Guerrilla Games (uma empresa holandesa - antes chamava-se "Lost Boys Games" conhecida por fazer jogos fraquinhos, mas que, depois da compra pela Sony e com um simples vídeo em FMV completamente no modo "guessing" quanto ao poder da consola, salta para a ribalta), tem pouca ou nenhuma credibilidade, depois de inicialmente dizerem que era o modo jogável acelerado a partir de 5fps, para depois reconhecerem que era puro Full Motion Video, sem relação com o jogo.

 

[Morpheus]

Do I smell cover up? Porque é que eu acho que o gajo apenas constatou aquilo que mta gente já desconfiava (que a porra da ps3 ainda n saiu de prototipo) e que mta gente continua iludida que irá sair esta Primavera. O gajo (que mto provavelmente já está nas ruas da amargura AKA desempregado) apenas disse o que sabe e ainda por cima vem alguem em jeito de cover up story a tentar refutar, mal mas pronto, o testemunho do jovem... tipico dos americanos e da Sony...

 

[DJ_PAPA]

Microsoft May Release Blu-Ray Drive for Xbox 360.
Microsoft’s Xbox 360 May Get External Blu-Ray Drive

Microsoft Corp.’s representative said in an interview with a Japanese web-site that the company’s approach to the next-generation DVD drive in the Xbox 360 console will allow the software giant to offer both Blu-ray and HD DVD external optical drives. While the intention of the company was not set in stone, the stance is pretty unusual for an HD DVD supporter.

“At present time, considering such part [external optical drive], Microsoft selects HD DVD. But since it is unknown whether HD DVD and Blu-ray wins [the format battler], we took the form, external drive, which allows us to change in future situations,” said Peter Moore, head of the Microsoft interactive entertainment division in an interview with ITmedia web-site.

The Xbox 360 external HD DVD drive is promised to be available in 2006. Besides, the company indicated that more than 50 new high-definition Xbox 360 games would be available by June 2006. The new drive will offer Xbox 360 owners the ability to easily enjoy HD DVD movies and will provide consumers with even more choices for experiencing high-definition content, in either physical or digital form, the company indicated.

It is unknown how much the external HD DVD or Blu-ray drives will cost end-users, but it is likely that the device will not be too expensive. Sony PlayStation 3, the arch-rival for the Xbox 360, will also be equipped with competing Blu-day disc format. It is possible that a combination of the Xbox 360 and external next-gen DVD drivez will be priced at the same point as the PlayStation 3.

Microsoft Xbox 360 console is based around microprocessor developed by IBM, high-definition visual processing unit designed by ATI Technologies, I/O controller engineered by SiS and some other key components. The gaming machine will provide a broad set of multimedia capabilities in addition to games. Depending on the bundle, Microsoft Xbox 360 costs $299 or $399.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/multimedia/display/20060112231012.html

 

[pofxxx]

Ubisoft Announces Monster 4x4 World Circuit​

Ubisoft has announced Monster 4x4 World Circuit for the Xbox 360. Which is scheduled to ship in North America in March of 2005. In this game you control the world's most powerful trucks as they go head-to-head at break neck speeds in off-road competitions all over the world. "Whether you're grinding through the desert of Egypt, crunching up snowy mountains in Russia, or smashing up trees in California to make the ride a little bumpier for the guy behind you, keep your eyes on the prize: The cash you earn on the circuit goes to customize your trucks and build up your ultimate Monster machine."

- Customize your machine: Personalize your truck's appearance with sweet paint jobs and decals and soup up its performance by maxing out its speed, jumping and destruction capabilities.
- Money makes the wheels go round: Win races, unleash spectacular stunts and jumps, and demolish everything in sight to win cash and upgrade your Monster truck to the ultimate stomping machine.
- Test your skills on 40 tracks: Tear through 40 Monster events in the hairiest off-road circuits your tires have ever seen.
- Show the world what you're made of: Smoke the competition as you blaze through exciting new locations all over the world, such as Egypt, Moscow, Barcelona, San Francisco, South Dakota and more.
- Dominate in every mode: Master your tricks in Quick Race mode as you taste all of the thrills, spills, twists and rolls of Monster Truck racing. Then turn up the heat in Single Race or Monster League Championship mode and leave your opponents choking.
- Challenge friends to multiplayer: Demolish friends in four-player split-screen races or crush their hopes of domination in four intense new mini-games.

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Dead Rising later than expected​

Capcom announced today that, disappointingly, their mass zombie-slaying game Dead Rising will be delayed until at least March of this year. It's still coming, it's just shambling towards release even more slowly than expected. We'll be sure to keep you updated.

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Far Cry Instincts Predator Announced for the Xbox 360​

Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced that its award-winning Montreal Studio is developing two new titles inspired by the recently released Far Cry Instincts video game Far Cry Instincts Next Chapter (working title) for the Xbox video game and entertainment system from Microsoft will introduce players to an entirely new story, characters and game features that reflect and improve upon the critically acclaimed elements of the first title.

Far Cry Instincts Predator for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft will feature both Far Cry Instincts Next Chapter and an enhanced version of the original Far Cry Instincts game. Offering the kind of lush and deep natural environment true to the Far Cry brand, Far Cry Instincts on Xbox 360 will captivate gamers with its enhanced graphical reality and gameplay. Giving gamers the opportunity to discover the Far Cry universe in an optimized, high-definition environment, the game takes advantage of Xbox 360's multi-core next-generation engine for improved performance. Gamers will experience advanced pathfinding and new enemy and vehicle artificial intelligence for improved chase scenes and more enemies on-screen at one time, allowing for more adrenaline-rushing fast-action sequences. Far Cry Instincts Predator and Far Cry Instincts Next Chapter are slated for release in spring 2006.
"Far Cry Instincts quickly became one of the most talked-about games of 2005 because of its blend of high graphical quality, wide open environments and immersive gameplay elements," said John Parkes, EMEA Marketing Director for Ubisoft. "Ubisoft is confident that Far Cry Instincts Predator for Xbox 360 and Far Cry Instincts Next Chapter for Xbox will be among the best games this year."

Foto 1

Foto 2

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Call of Duty 2 Multiplayer Patch is on its way​

As many of you may know, there have been a couple of issues regarding Call of Duty 2 Multiplayer. Infinity Ward will soon be releasing a patch to tackle some of the online issues.

According to a post on the Xbox.com forums, the patch will concentrate of the lag issue, and possibly several other problems as well.

In the meanwhile, we will all have to be patient knowing that these issues have finally been recognized and the process of patching them is underway. Still holding "best overall game" by IGN for its "suburb single player mode and rich environments." If the multiplayer mode is improved, comparable to say the original PC version, then an already great game will turn into something even better.

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Dead or Alive 4 Glitch Erases Game Saves - Tecmo Rep Confirms Problems​

Gamespot is reporting that there is major but with some copies of Dead or Alive 4. Apparently a user in their forums posted that he had unlocked most of the unlockables in the game after countless hours of gameplay. Then, out of nowhere, he booted up the game and all of his saved data was gone.

"All of my unlocked characters, costumes, leader-board achievements, online ranking, ALL GONE!"

There was speculation that this could have just been an isolated case of bad luck until the Tecmo rep appeard out of nowhere. According to Gamespot, this is what the rep had to say:

"We're aware of the issue you're referring to," the rep told GameSpot. "We're working to identify and resolve the potential problem with the technical folks at Microsoft."

So what can DOA4 players do in the meantime to ensure their hard-fought DOA4 victories don't vanish into thin air? Tecmo technical support says to do the following: (1) With your copy of DOA4 already inserted, turn on your 360 by pressing the "open tray" button. (2) Wait until all the information from your Gamer Profile is fully displayed on your Gamer Card, including achievements and other awards. (3) Close the tray again with DOA4 still inserted. If problems still occur, e-mail Tecmo technical support at [email protected].

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Frame City Killer Delayed - Summer 2006 Launch Now Probable​

Namco has officially delayed its upcoming Xbox 360 title, Frame City Killer. In order to give the game the time it needs to receive the polish everyone is expecting, Namco has moved the release to summer 2006. This news comes after a batch of leaked screenshots, that looked very poor, ignited a frenzy fevor within the gaming community.

1up contacted Namco and recieved this response regarding the Frame City Killer delay:

"Thanks for your interest in FCK. The game is slated to come out in the second half of 2006 (likely summer). No reason for the delay -- just polishing the game so our second Xbox 360 title looks great

Nunca vi nada assim , tb nao acredito muito mas , mais umas

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Xbox 360 Heads to Taiwan on March 2nd​

Microsoft will launch two versions of the Xbox 360 console for the Taiwan market on March 2. The premium edition, which will have a 20GB drive, wireless controller, headset and other accessories, will be available for NT$13,888, while the basic Xbox 360 Core System will go for NT$10,888, Microsoft Taiwan announced yesterday.

A total of 2,000 Core Systems and 1000 sets of software packages will be available for pre-sale order starting January 10, the company said. In addition, a total of 16-related Xbox 360 accessories will also be available with the console launch.

In related news, backed by strong support from Microsoft, a total of 15 R&D teams from Taiwan-based companies, including Soft-World International, Softstar Entertainment, Acer Third-Wave Publishing (Acer TWP), Interserv, and XPEC Entertainment, are now engaged in the development of software titles for the Xbox 360, with a title developed by Acer TWP to hit the market in the first quarter of this year, according to market sources.

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Battlefield 2: Modern Combat - New Screenshots!

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Full Auto - Official Website Open & Info​

Today, Sega has launched the official website for Full Auto. There is also a rumor saying that the demo of this game will be available for download on marketplace on January 25, 2006.

In Full Auto, the city of Staunton is held hostage by a mysterious group known only as The Shepherds. As a retired driver, you are coerced by the Shepherds into a series of lethal street races, where the cost of competing is far greater than anyone ever expected. "Unwreck," an new feature that makes mid-race "restarts" a thing of the past, allows players to rewind short periods of time. Botch a turn? Correct it. Miss a shortcut? Go back and take it. Under heavy fire? Use a second chance to evade the competition. Xbox Live support ensures significant replay value for gamers itching to take on human opponents in both grand-scale arena modes and full-throttle races.

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Halo 3 in 2007? Bigger Hard Drive Coming?​

IGN, gaming's self-proclaimed Nostradamus, is making a few predictions for the coming year on how the Xbox 360 will evolve. Seemingly based off of private discussions with industry insiders, the gaming publication has some pretty interesting things to say.

One of those rumors, or predictions, is that Halo 3, for all the excitement behind it, will be delayed until 2007. According to IGN, with Halo 2 being plagued by a long development time, approximately three years, it is likely that the team at Bungie will take its time to create something truly excellent and as a result will most likely ship the title in 2007.

Another prediction, and one that is grounded more closely in reality, is the great likelihood that Microsoft will begin to sell larger hard drives for the 360. With downloads over Xbox Live sometimes clocking in at hefty sizes, most people are finding their hard drives filling quickly. IGN predicts sizes of 40 and maybe even 80 gigabyte hard drives in the future.

IGN has a few more things to say about the coming year, check them out here. For accuracy purposes, check out last year's predictions here.

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Problems Being Reported in Chaos Theory​

According to Xbox Today, many fans of the popular Splinter Cell Chaos Theory game are fuming that their game is experiencing some problems on the Xbox 360. According to the article, the game, whose backward compatibility was delayed several months until Microsoft got it right, has several glitches that hamper gameplay.

Some users are reporting problems with the map update on the Xbox 360. Some users are even saying the maps are unplayable. Even though there is a fix for the problem, it means that you have to delete all your saved games in the process.

Coupled with Dead or Alive and Call of Duty issues, it seems we should all prepare for a flurry of updates coming fast.

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Full Auto for the Xbox 360 - Demo On The Way To Xbox Live Marketplace​

Sega America today told IGN it plans to officially release a playable, downloadable Full Auto demo on Xbox Live Marketplace on January 25, 2006.

For those who subscribe to Future's Official Xbox Magazine (OXM), this is the same demo, which includes two selectable hot rods, the ability to boost, rewind, and destroy everything in sight. To get a feel for the game, make sure to clear space on your hard drive come late January. This one is good, eye-peeling destruction.

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Updated Xbox 360 Game Release List From GameStop



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Japanese Xbox 360 Lounge - Operation Period Extended​

Microsoft has decided to extend the operation period of the Japanese Xbox 360 lounge located in Aoyama, Tokyo, until February 12, 2006.

“Xbox 360 Lounge” is a cafe, which has been in operation from November of 2005. In this cafe, you can by various kinds of drinks and sweets. There are several Xbox 360 kiosks deployed in the cafe for free play. When there was any Xbox 360 related press meeting, this place would become one of the promotion sites.

Though the original operation plan of the cafe is until the middle of January, Microsoft has decided to extend the deadline by 1 month, until February 12, 2006. The cafe opens at 11:00AM and closes at 10:00PM everyday. There is no regular holiday for the operation, but some unexpected closure related with events may also occur.

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Xbox the Best of Both Worlds​

We know that that the Playstation 3 will reportedly have more power than the Xbox 360, but accessing that power might prove difficult if developers have trouble harnessing that power through Sony's infamously bad development kits. We also know that, given Nintendo's history, it will most likely have a developer-friendly SDK to make game creating a simple affair, but it will lack the power to make games truly shine graphically.

According to Firing Squad, only Microsoft's Xbox 360 brings the best of both worlds into one platform. In an article entitled, 'Seven Things the Xbox 360 Does Better Than Anyone Else,' the website goes into great detail to focus on what the 360 has going for it heading into next-gen territory. It's a great read.

The 360's killer app, though, remains Xbox Live, and its awesome interface and smooth design. With both Nintendo and Sony not having yet released info on their online systems in great depth, we will have to wait to see what they do to counter Microsoft's huge advantage. Early on, expect the PS3 to try to mimic Microsoft's success.

P.S. If it isn't understood clearly, that guy's kung-fu chopping Sony's butt.

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600,000 Xbox 360 game units sold in U.S.
​

Microsoft Corp. has sold 600,000 of its new Xbox 360 video game consoles in the United States since its November launch, an analyst for market researcher NPD Group said on Friday.

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MceDivx360: Your Solution For Watching DivX Video On Your Xbox 360​

Why every company hates DivX? Maybe the piracy problem lies behind it. But that can’t stop us from looking for our own way to support it.

This is a tutorial on how to watch your DivX videos on your Xbox 360. The reason I didn’t use “streaming”, is because the solution is not streaming the video directly, but converting your DivX video into WMV stream on-the-fly.

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Microsoft Overrides Moores Blu-Ray Support Statement​

Despite an earlier statement made by Xbox Corporate VP Peter Moore, to ITMedia earlier this month, Microsoft has published an official statement denying any plans to support Blu-Ray technology in the Xbox 360. It would seem that either Peter Moore was speculating about Blu-Ray support, or Microsoft wants to keep this under wraps for the time being. Here is and excerpt from their official statement:

…Microsoft firmly stands behind the HD-DVD format as the best choice for our consumers. As we’ve said before, we're confident that HD-DVD will bring the excitement of high definition movies to the consumer faster and at a greater value. We believe that consumers have signaled what format they want to enjoy high definition DVD and we’re going to follow them down that path. The question of whether Xbox 360 has the flexibility to adapt to consumers’ needs is a different issue entirely. Xbox 360 is a future-proofed system – one that allows us to add features as consumers demand them – as evidenced by our offering of the HD DVD drive as an accessory. Current reports indicating that we have a back-up plan, which includes Blu-Ray support are incorrect. At this point, we’re fully committed to HD-DVD and have absolutely no plans to support other optical formats

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Worms To Xbox Live Arcade? Not Anytime Soon

It would appear that Worms was a game that Xbox Live was deffinitely interested in incorporating into Xbox Live Arcade. Unfortunately, the development never started for various reasons, but that does not mean it is out of the question. Here is a response from Team 17 when questioned about Worms on Xbox Live Arcade:

"Actually, MS did contact us about this last year and there have been forward moving discussions. We do see it as a pivotal and perhaps ideal place for the series to land, a view shared by various XB360 Live Arcade planning folks.

However, for one reason and another (to be honest, mainly our obligations with PSP/DS) the development didn't happen (actually we were on the XBLA dev list around E3 time) but now that we've experienced just how awesome XB Live is on 360, we've resurrected the conversations. I wouldn't expect it anytime shortly (and it won't be a quick port of Armageddon etc) but it is on the agenda.

Also, if it did make it, it'd be a 2D version with a lot of downloadable content - which is something Live Arcade is very cool about.”

Hopefully we will see Worms on XBL Arcade, but unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like it will be soon.

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Xbox360FanBoy: 5 Xbox 360 predictions for 2006​

If you were lucky enough to get an Xbox 360 in 2005, then you already know that there is much to look forward to in 2006. The console is bursting at the seams with the promise of good things to come. Only time will tell if developers can truly harness the power of the big white heat machine, but we're drawing a line in the sand now and making our predictions for what 2006 has in store for our fanboy family.

* 360 Prediction #1: There will be a significant marketplace overhaul.
* 360 Prediction #2: An iTunes-like service is headed our way.
* 360 Prediction #3: An unexpected peripheral will make Nintendo say, "We should have done that!".
* 360 Prediction #4: No user created content until 2007.
* 360 Prediction #5: Peter Moore and J. Allard will increasingly battle it out for Xbox poster boy status.

Muita informaçao

 

[pofxxx]

Top Spin 2 for the Xbox 360 ​

- New ScreenshotsSome new images of Top Spin 2 for the Xbox 360 have hit the web. Everything you loved about Top Spin is back and made even better.Take on, play as, or team up with 24 of the world’s top ranked professionals, featuring tennis stars like Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt and Roger FedererOver the span of multiple seasons, coach your player through training camps, junior championships, sponsored tournaments, and all four Grand Slam events. With Digital Identity, create realistic player models and customize them with the highest level of details. Hairstyles, shirts, shorts, shoes, etc. allow you to create a player with your look and your style.

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Worms To Xbox Live Arcade? Not Anytime Soon​

It would appear that Worms was a game that Xbox Live was deffinitely interested in incorporating into Xbox Live Arcade. Unfortunately, the development never started for various reasons, but that does not mean it is out of the question. Here is a response from Team 17 when questioned about Worms on Xbox Live Arcade:

"Actually, MS did contact us about this last year and there have been forward moving discussions. We do see it as a pivotal and perhaps ideal place for the series to land, a view shared by various XB360 Live Arcade planning folks.

However, for one reason and another (to be honest, mainly our obligations with PSP/DS) the development didn't happen (actually we were on the XBLA dev list around E3 time) but now that we've experienced just how awesome XB Live is on 360, we've resurrected the conversations. I wouldn't expect it anytime shortly (and it won't be a quick port of Armageddon etc) but it is on the agenda.

Also, if it did make it, it'd be a 2D version with a lot of downloadable content - which is something Live Arcade is very cool about.”

Hopefully we will see Worms on XBL Arcade, but unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like it will be soon.

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Get your Free Call of Duty 2 Faceplate!​

PyRo, one of our faithful readers, sent us an email today to let us know that Best Buy is giving away these Call of Duty 2 faceplates for a limited time when you buy a copy of Call of Duty 2 for the Xbox 360. If you were going to pick up the game anyways, now's the time to do it! Here are some close up, hi-res shots of the faceplate thanks to PyRo!

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TimeShift for the Xbox 360 - 3 High Resolution Screenshots - In Depth Development Info!​

Atari has just released 3 high resolution (1600 x 1200, approx 1.4mb), new screenshots of TimeShift. TimeShift empowers players with the gift of time manipulation, including the ability to slow down, stop and rewind the world around them, allowing them to move freely while opponents and game objects are frozen in time.Featuring complex time control puzzles as an integral part of gameplay, TimeShift takes first-person action games in an entirely new direction.

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Here I Go Again on My Own, Going Down the Only ...​

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer continues to quell the rumblings that the company's newly-introduced Xbox 360 will be overtaken by the as-yet unreleased Playstation 3 from Sony. In an article on Gameshout, the writer contemplates whether the claims have more to do with worrying over Sony's next-gen offerings, or in selling the 360.

"We knew Japan was going to be tough," said Ballmer, but "I'd still call the launch phenomenal. I think in this generation we can win. I'm not sure we're going to beat Sony in Japan this generation. Maybe. But we're going to beat Sony. We're off to a very good start. We're on track to sell between 4.5 to 5.5 million units by the end of our fiscal year, which is great."

Though Microsoft has had a rough time pleasing any market at this point, with Japan hesitant to buy and video game fans in the US and UK unable to find units at stores, even today, Ballmer maintains his rosy forecast.

Ballmer continued, "PlayStation 3 has a (Blu-ray Disc) drive built in, so who knows what the heck they're going to charge for the thing, because those are very expensive drives. Who the heck knows what the games are going to look like for PlayStation 3? So, a lot of questions. And Sony has no strategy for an online service."

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Star Trek Legacy: A New Frontier - Heading to Xbox 360?​

According to a report in the latest issue of Game Informer, Mad Doc is currently producing a new Star Trek title, Star Trek Legacy: A New Frontier. According to the article, Bethesda Software will be releasing this action / strategy game which will feature a time warping, generation shifting storyline where the gamer will be able to control all five of the Captains from the TV franchise. Of course the game will feature all the classic bad guys, including Romulans, Klingons and even the Borg.

As stated in Game Informer, the game will be released on the Xbox 360 with the possiblity of a multiplayer functionality over Xbox Live. All of this is expected to be ready for release by September 2006. There has, as of this time, been no official announcement concerning this title, but we will keep you updated as new info becomes available.

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Microsoft Pledges To Protect Kids on Xbox Live​

Microsoft has issued a statement confirming that the safety and security of Xbox Live users is "a top priority", and that it works closely with global law enforcement to ensure child safety.

The statement was issued following to reports that an adult Xbox Live user allegedly used the online gaming service to groom and molest a 14 year old boy.

"Safety and security, specifically child online safety, are a top priority for Microsoft, and we insure that Xbox Live is equipped with the tools that allow parents to monitor the activities of their children during online game play, including disabling voice communications," Microsoft said.

"Xbox Live is regulated by our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct which prohibit all illegal activities. We work closely with law enforcement around the world on child safety issues on the Internet and will provide any and all help to the authorities investigating this case."

Xbox 360's wide range of parental controls also allows parents to disable Live access entirely on specified profiles and limit access to games and DVDs based on particular ratings.

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New Zealand Takes An Xbox 360 Road Trip​

The Xbox 360 Roadtrip tours New Zealand throughout March, showcasing the next-generation gaming console in hi-definition on the giant Xbox 360 Bus. The Bus stops off in 13 centres as it rolls across the country, with live demos, celebrity game-offs and giveaways, plus the chance to get up close and personal with Perfect Dark Zero heroine Joanna Dark - and that's just outside the Bus.


Inside the specially-constructed Xbox 360 Bus (R16), pre-registered VIPs get priority access to a grand tour of the incredible power of Xbox 360, as well as a chance for hands-on gameplay on hi-definition Samsung screens. Places on the Xbox 360 Roadtrip VIP list are strictly limited and work on a first-come, first-served pre-registration policy - gaming fans can sign up at www.xbox360roadtrip.co.nz.

A map on the website outlines the Xbox 360 Roadtrip route, and gamers can pre-register simply by clicking on the nexus ball next to the centre closest to them and entering their details. Microsoft product marketing manager Tom Hunt says: "We're so excited about Xbox 360 and the amazing line-up of games at launch, we figure there's only one way to kick it all off - a quintessential Kiwi Roadtrip.

"Kiwis love Xbox - New Zealand has been one of the world's most successful territories for Xbox, with more than 140,000 consoles selling to date. And because we know gaming fans don't just live in the main centres, we're touring the country in the giant Xbox 360 Bus, taking it to the streets to give more people the opportunity to get the Xbox 360 experience.

"The Xbox 360 Roadtrip also showcases the mind-blowing games available at launch. In addition to the incredible exclusive titles from Microsoft Game Studios, there's a huge line-up from other publishers - I'm picking EA Sports' Fight Night Round 3 to be a big hit.

"From Northland to the deep South, the Xbox 360 Roadtrip will be the most exciting console launch New Zealand has ever seen."

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Preorder Full Auto, Get Faceplate​

I'm not sure what to think of the Full Auto demo that was packed in last month's Official Xbox Magazine. I'll withhold judgement until I get the final game in my hands. But at least to everyone else like me who's on the fence about buying the new game, there's an incentive to motivate us.

Sega will be offering a free Full Auto faceplate with the pre-order of its upcoming game. With normal faceplates coming in at $20 a pop, it may just be the right incentive to persuade a few gamers to shell out their hard-earned money for the title.

It it's as cool as the Call of Duty 2 faceplate, count me in. I can't wait for Halo 3 if Bungie and Microsoft decide they want to reveal a unique faceplate. Knowing them, though, I'll be paying for it, but it'll be worth it. Hopefully more companies will follow in this cool little trend.

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Medal of Honor: Airborne - Details Revealed​

Electronic Arts today announced details regarding Medal of Honor: Airborne, the next iteration in its long-running WW2 first person shooter franchise.

According to the company, players will assume the role of Boyd Travers, Private First Class of the legendary 82nd Airborne Division, as he battles his way across war-torn Europe beginning with the 82nd's first combat deployment to Sicily during Operation Husky through the harrowing jump into Normandy prior to D-Day until the triumphant crossing of the Rhine into the heart of Nazi Germany itself.

Each of the game's missions will begin with a "fully interactive" parachute drop into enemy-held territory. EA states that the ability to choose your starting point for each mission "dramatically changes the way each mission plays out" as the player will "view the entire operation from the air, and then control your parachute to choose your landing spot." Unlike previous games in the Medal of Honor series, players will have the ability to customize the various weapons they will have at their disposal. Furthermore, Medal of Honor: Airborne will feature a free-roaming environment and photorealistic characters to add to the "intensity" of the game.

As with previous games in the series, the Medal of Honor development team consulted with both military and historical experts in order get the most authentic feel for the game as possible. Consultants include Captain Dale Dye, who has served as the Military Technical Advisor for the last seven games in the franchise.

The game is tenatively scheduled to release for the PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox, and PlayStation 2 in Winter 2006.

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Splinter Cell: Double Agent Interview​

Shacknews got a chance to speak with Daniel Roy, the associate producer for the Xbox360 version of Splinter Cell: Double Agent. They mainly speak about the storyline and multiplayer gameplay, not much new info there but enough worth a read.

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UK Gets Dead or Alive 4 for the Xbox 360 on the 27th​

Microsoft today announced the eagerly anticipated fourth installation of the Dead or Alive series will be available in UK retailers from 27th January. Dead or Alive 4 is a true child of the next-generation, utilising all of Xbox 360's exceptional technological offerings and fantastic new features.

DOA4 offers the high level of fantastic game-play which has made the series so successful in the past. The fighting system has been completely revamped, now allowing even more strategy and mastery of your favourite characters. The brand new DOA countering system is the most challenging yet; it takes the game-play to a whole new level of sophistication, requiring precise timing and an intimate knowledge of your character's moves. Alongside the familiar cast, DOA4 introduces brand new characters to be discovered, complete with a variety of outfits and even hairstyles! The game also takes advantage of the Emmy award winning Xbox Live! service, offering huge-scale global online tournaments, detailed scoreboards, the ability to form new clans, and a new interactive lobby area featuring voice and text chat.

Xbox 360's superior graphics capabilities have enabled the developers at Tecmo to present intricate details, from the displacement of a single strand of hair as a character engages in action, to the course of an individual cherry blossom as it floats from the sky. Combined with the incredible high-definition 3-D visual detail, DOA4 also possesses a rich, in-depth storyline giving the players a chance to really put themselves at the centre of the captivating DOA universe.

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Blacklisted411 Blows Team Ice Fraud Wide Open?​

For those of you that follow hacking news, or are involved in the community at all, you will be well familiar with Blacklisted411. For those of you not familiar with it, lets just say that it is a well repsected internet publication that deals with hacking issues and news, issued in a .pdf format. With all this Team Ice modchip controversy swirling, Blacklisted411 has done a little bit of digging, and came up with a ton of info on “Team Ice”.

According to Blacklisted411, Team Ice consists of 1 guy, Evan, who has supposedly sent samples of his modchip to various resellers to test and evaluate before sales commence. The only problem with this is, he owns all the sites that are supposedly “evaluating” his chip. So, Blacklisted411 has gone out and dug up his ebay account, pictures, website info and much more. So, According to the recent publication, this is all over 1 scammer with multiple domains, all trying to back up his story, while he scams people on ebay and attempts to make a quick buck. Lets hear your thoughts in the comments below.

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Star Trek: Legacy for the Xbox 360 - First Screens​

The first 2 screenshots of Star Trek: Legacy have surfaced. This game spans the history of Star Trek, following the challenges facing the Starfleet from the founding days of Enterprise to the trials of the Captain Kirk's Star Trek crew to the bold unknown of Star Trek: The Next Generation.Gameplay campaigns will play out in all three timelines, with the Enterprise crew facing an entirely new enemy that has the power to travel through time. Also featured is multiplayer online for the game's complex and dynamic battles.

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The Outfit for the Xbox 360 - New Screenshots​

The Outfit delivers explosive third person WWII combat through an epic, story driven campaign, complete with the freedom of total destruction.The game allows players the option to choose from three playable squad leader personalities (or six in multiplayer), each with their own specific skills and abilities.Players will accumulate Field Units (FUs) and utilize it to call in Destruction on Demand, choosing between an extensive array of troops, weapons, vehicles and air strikes.

http://gamersreports.com/media/25/

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Media Player 11 To Stream Video To Xbox 360?​

Paul just sent us a screenshot of the latest Windows Vista CTP build, because he found something interesting for our Xbox 360 users.

On the setup screen of Windows Media Player 11, you will see a Xbox 360 picture in the step of “Share your library”. Does this mean you can share your media collection on your PC with your Xbox 360, including all the WMAs, MP3s, WMVs, and even AVIs in DivX/XviD?

As we reported before, you need to go through a very complicated process to be able to watch your DivX collection on your Xbox 360. We hope all of the inconvenience can be eliminated by MP11 when it’s out. ;-)

Thanks to Paul for the email heads-up!

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Taiwan Developers Ready for 360​

In anticipation of the Xbox 360 launch in Taiwan, developers there are beginning to commit to making games for the new system. According to an article in Digitimes, over ten developers are studying the feasibility of creating new content for the system.

XPEC Entertainment will be first to the market by launching the game “Spectral Force Chronicle,” first in Japan on April 28, according to the company. XPEC is currently the only Taiwanese company offering console games for the Xbox, PlayStation (PS), and Game Cube.

Fun Town will revise its existing “Ma-jiang” game, a traditional Chinese gambling game, for the Xbox 360 with a launch planned for the middle of this year. Softstar Entertainment will shift its PC games to the new game platform with the first one to be on the market at the end of 2006. Soft-World International plans to offer a MMORPG (massively multi-player on-line role-playing game) also at the end of this year. InterServ International is developing a new game specifically for the Xbox 360, with a launch slated for September 2007.

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Godfather Delayed for Xbox 360 and PSP​

Yeah, I guess we'll have to wait a little bit longer to play some Godfather on our Xbox 360 and PSP systems. EA recently announced the second delay for the game in about a year, with IGN saying that the titles most likely will not come out until later this summer.

According to the article, EA did not reveal its reasons for delaying the title further, but the author believes it has more to do with dealing with the different architectures of the handheld gaming system and the next-gen Xbox.

And here I was, looking to relive the dead horse head in the bed scene. But all is not lost. Versions of the game for the Xbox, PS2 and PC are still on schedule for a March release -- sorry Gamecube freaks.

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Support Blog for Broken Xbox 360s​

a, a blogger at 1up.com recently had the worst that an Xbox 360 can have happen to him or her: her 360 died. Yes, it died and there's nothing she could do to fix it. Enter Microsoft. Immediately after her unit stopped working, she contacted Microsoft and is now counting the days until she receives her unit in functioning condition on her blog. It is currently day two.

Gina, a hardcore video gamer with several Xboxes in her home and over 80 titles owned, had braved the elements on launch day to secure a unit, and she got worried when reports of Xbox 360 defects began ringing through the internet. Still, it had not happened to her.

"Then it happened. This Sunday I went downstairs to play, I hadn't had a chance to play in a week. I turned it on and logged in. I put in Call of Duty 2 and loaded my game. I got to a rural area and had a sniper rifle, I zoomed in on a bad guy in a building, getting ready to shoot and stop. The screen froze, I yelled for my fiance again and he came down. None of the buttons were working and the screen was stuck. He turned it off and back on and the 360 logo came up and then the screen went black. The 4 green lights that circle the power button weren't green. Three of them were red and the top right one was out." Even though she was able to turn it back on and have it functioning properly, when she popped Kameo in, all was lost again.

So if this is currently happening to you -- hopefully it isn't -- you can check out her plight as well and rest assured that you are not the only one suffering this terrible fate.

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Mini-Review of Demo FFXI Game​

The kind folks over at Team Xbox, concerned that Final Fantasy XI would end up stinking the Xbox more than it would do good, got to working and reviewing the upcoming demo included in the latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine.

The mini-review highlights all the strong points of the title, as well as some of the things the author wishes could have been changed in order to make it a little more welcoming to the next-gen audience, but, overall, he maintains a positive opinion about the title.

"Yes, this demo is a pain to even get up and running, and so may be the final version. The graphics are old-school, the soundtrack is MIDI-tastic, and you’ll have to pull out your reading glasses for the oodles of small font text you’ll have to read. Basically, by Xbox 360 software standards, Final Fantasy XI is a bit behind the times. But guess what? This is the first MMORPG ever to grace an Xbox! And for that, the optimist in me says that things will get better by the time this game is done."

It's a good read for those of you on the fence about the game.

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New Video on Xbox Live Shows How to Set Up NetworkFor​

all you people out there who only understand if pictures and video are involved, or if you're simply too lazy to pick up an instruction book, there is a video on Xbox Live that shows you the process to getting a home network up and running and working with the Xbox 360.

Though the video is not precise in scope at all, and doesn't go into the nitty gritty of networking, it is intended as a nice introduction to those who still don't understand all the complicated terms behind wireless networking products and what each does in a smooth network configuration. As most videos on Xbox Live, it is available in regular 480p and the bumped-up 720p.

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Team X-tender Launching New Line of Xbox 360 Faceplates​

Team X-tender has announced that they are currently producing their new line of custom faceplates for the Xbox 360:The first product that we will be offering is the XCM 360 (faceplate) which will include the following 10 initial colors: Ocean blue, Equinox black, Woodland brown, Apple green, Ruby red, Crystal clear, Amethyst, Sky blue, Crystal lemon, Crystal pink. These will all be transluscent colored plastic, allowing us to see behind the faceplates. The released versions will include all of the flaps, springs, and IR cover you'd expect from a quality faceplate. Suggested Retail is $19.99US (the white one shown is a prototype and isn't for sale when the first batch become available. (within the next 2 weeks)

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Timeshift Character Details Revealed​

Atari has released new details about the characters in it's upcoming Xbox 360 title Timeshift who will do their best to keep the timeline from being destroyed and protect life as we know it from being completely erased. There are also a few new high definition screen shots to prepare you for the future when Timeshift is released this Spring.

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Release Date - The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion​

According to CVG, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion now has a release date, March 24, 2006. This is the date for both the PC and the Xbox360 version of the game. Check out our previous articles and screens

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Imation - Blu-ray & HD DVD Disc Development Complete​

US company Imation has announced that they have completed the Blu-ray and HD DVD disc development, and will start to produce and sell the discs soon. The timing is perfect to the slated disc drives in the middle of 2006. The detailed release date and price is yet to be announced.

HD DVD standard is made up of:

* HD DVD-R 15GB (Single Layer) / 30GB (Double Layer)
* HD DVD-RW 15GB (Single Layer) / 30GB (Double Layer)

Blu-ray Disc standard is made up of:

* BD-R 25GB (Single Layer) / 50GB (Double Layer)
* BD-RE 25GB (Single Layer) / 50GB (Double Layer)

The company is also working on some coating for durability of the discs.

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Are You Excited About Street Fighter on Live?​

How many of you are excited about the impending release of Street Fighter 2 Hyper Edition on Xbox Live Arcade? If you're like me, you're pretty stoked about the idea of getting back to the good ol' days of arcade playing, when you could find some fierce competition.

Not everyone is excited about the game, though. And that includes Andrew Park, a writer at Gamespot who argues that the release is simply a rehash. Gasp! He challenges the idea that the game will appeal to everyone who liked it in the past.

According to Mr. Park, "Even after all these years, Street Fighter is getting dredged up yet again, in a fee-based format. This isn't an issue for most hardcore fighting-game enthusiasts, who will gladly pony up and will just as enthusiastically make snobby, disparaging remarks about anyone who doesn't think this is the greatest development ever. Though I'm a fighting-game enthusiast myself, I'm not so sure I agree with this."

Is Mr. Park missing the entire point to Xbox Live Arcade in providing older quality titles, or is he really on to something when he says he would like to see new games that don't rely on old formulas and cliches?

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Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter - New Screenshots​

In 2013, the U.S. Army will implement the Integrated Warfighter System evolving what we know as the modern soldier. IWS combines advanced weapon systems, satellite communication devices and enhanced survivability into one fully integrated combat system. The IWS program has been developed to meet these new threats head on. Now, it can be tested on the battlefield.

Embody Captain Scott Mitchell as he commands the Ghosts and Special Forces allies equipped with the IWS in the quest to save the president of the United States, recover stolen nuclear codes and eliminate a vicious band of renegade soldiers hell-bent on unleashing catastrophe. Amongst the major new features added to this edition is the new Cross-Cam eye-piece communication device, utilizing the power of the Xbox 360 to deliver constent and complete battlefield awareness.

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Xbox Live Facing A Major Update?​

Xbox Live has been the greatest online gaming service since its launch. Xbox 360 has taken the advantage of it by combining it with more functions and features. However, it seems Microsoft will be doing much more on it. According to internet reports from Norwegian website IT Avisen, Microsoft has been working on a major Xbox Live update, including bug fixes, tweaks and etc. Functions such as background downloading, webcams support, is said to be added in this update.

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Prey for the Xbox 360 - Weekly Development Update #2​

The “Prey Weekly Development Update” Number 2 has been posted over at the 3D Realms website. This week, they cover the upcoming press tour, some updates on programming, level design and they touch on the art. They also give a little bit of information on the mulitplayer aspect of Prey which they will be promoting at the press tour. All in all, there is a lot of information that will give you a good idea of where the game is at and what the game holds for us.

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Full Auto for the Xbox 360 - Preview​

Game Cloud has gotten their hands on a beta copy of Full Auto for the Xbox 360, and written up a preview. Aside from some framerate and collision issues, GC was very happy with the way the game is shaping up. If the last couple problems can be sorted out before launch, this game is going to be an addictive and fun title:

Overall our time with Full Auto was tons of fun and we think it’s shaping up to be exactly what Pseudo and Sega hope it will be; an addictive car combat game that looks great, plays fast and should keep people entertained for hours. We hope the final version lives up to the beta’s promise when it is released for the Xbox 360 on Feb. 14. Again, you can download a demo of Full Auto for free via Xbox Live on Jan. 25 to get a very small taste of the full version.

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Microsoft to Halt Backwards Compatibility Until March or April​

According to activexbox, Microsoft has stated that there will be a halt on any further backwards compatibility additions until at least March or April. This comes as a big disappointment to all those who were anxiously watching some of the upcoming Xbox titles such as Black.

We've been informed today that there are going to be no more Backward Compatibility updates released for the Xbox 360 until March at the earliest. Microsoft's David Reid has stated that the team who do the BC work are on holiday throughout January and will start work on priority titles when they return. But from what it sounds like, there will be only a few more updates released through 2006.

This will come as a disappointment to many new Xbox 360 users, not only because the lack of new 360 titles but also any new plain Xbox titles they may like the look of (Black for example) will not work on their shiny new 360. It is no wonder less Xbox games are being sold now.

 

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Quero aqui agradecer publicamente o excelente trabalho que o POFXXX tem realizado nesta thread. Nas últimas semanas que apenas leio esta thread e julgo estar par da novidades sobre a XBOX369.

Obrigado e continua!

 

[_Rock_]

Quero aqui agradecer publicamente o excelente trabalho que o POFXXX tem realizado nesta thread. Nas últimas semanas que apenas leio esta thread e julgo estar par da novidades sobre a XBOX369.

Obrigado e continua!

Concordo!
Acho que esta thread até devia ficar em sticky
Abraço

 

[Karski]

Não querendo estar a desfazer o trabalho do POFXXX mas qual é realmente o objectivo desta thread?

Meter as noticias que um gajo le nos outros sites? Ainda se fosse para discutirmos algo sobre a X360 podia ser que isto tivesse algum objectivo mas isto assim é simplesmente fazer copy paste das noticias que se lêm em outros sites.