Former XNA Community Manager Airs Quality Concerns

Microsoft's recent announcement that it would let community developers earn money for games they make with the company's XNA toolset came as good news to some, but former XNA community manager David Weller is concerned about the lack of quality standards. On his blog, Weller wrote:

Being an ex-XNA member, I can still say, without a shadow of doubt, that Microsoft is offering a groundbreaking game channel, and that some people stand a chance to make great money from the system. It's an exciting opportunity, but the danger for consumers lies in Microsoft's deliberate steps to avoid discussions regarding game quality, even during peer review.

It's similar, actually, to quality concerns about Xbox Live Arcade that ultimately led to Microsoft's announcement that underperforming titles would be delisted from the service.

Is it as big an issue on the separate community games channel? Said Weller:

Microsoft might have bagged a big PS3 exclusive at E3 with Final Fantasy XIII. But, Sony Computer Entertainment honcho Kaz Hirai really does not want any Xbox 360 exclusives. Like at all. Even abstractly! In an E3 interview with Swedenish daily Aftonbladet, Hirai reportedly says he'd take a bullet to the head over taking an Xbox 360 exclusive. Harsh! In the past few days, Microsoft and Sony have been trading barbs like crazy. It's like 2006 all over again. Anyway, here's the exchange, kindly translated by Kotakuite Mordochai:

Sony Computer Entertainment honcho Kaz Hirai is confused. Just look at his Giant Kaz Face, see how tranquilly baffled it is? That's some serious confusion. When Xbox bossman Don Mattrick said Microsoft would sell more consoles than the PS3 this generation, Hirai wasn't quite sure what that meant. How long does Microsoft think the generation is? Is the Xbox 360 going to be around for ten years like Sony claims the PS3 is? Questions, questions, questions. Here's Kaz's take:

Don Mattrick Says Nintendo And Sony Have Been "On Vacation"

Forget what you think about how those E3 pressers went, Xbox honcho Don Mattrick is here to tell you what he thinks. And what does he think? He thinks the other companies have been slacking off — that they've been "on vacation." No, not just "on vacation," make that "on an extended vacation." Here's the sound-byte:

I think we got more than 12 months’ work done, and others went on an extended vacation. Hopefully they got some good vacation photos, because they sure weren't showing up at work... Of course I'm going to be biased, but so far what I've heard is that Sony and Nintendo have disappointed. And Microsoft has been leading, innovating and driving a very comprehensive global programme... We're building momentum and we're on a scale that no other consumer electronics company or entertainment company has been able to achieve in nine years. It's been a very good show and I'm very pleased with what we've been able to accomplish. I think there was a lot of good work, a lot of innovation and a lot of news from us.

Oh, Don.

Mattrick: Rivals have been slacking off [MCVUK]

As can be witnessed by their decision to, after only a year, cut their losses and start offering the service for free, Microsoft's Games for Windows Live initiative hasn't exactly set the world on fire. But just because it hasn't, doesn't mean that it can't. What could help spice things up a little? How about, oh, the ability to play XBLA games on both your 360 and PC? Would that help? It's something Microsoft are obviously thinking about, because after being asked about the subject by 1UP's Shawn Elliot, Microsoft's Kevin Unangst replies:

There's lots of issues about price points and models and the benefits to publishers — you have different developers that do things on different platforms. It certainly interests us, and it's one of many things we talk about, the fact that we have a service that spans both platforms opens up all kinds of opportunities like that. When we feel like we have all of the right pieces together, and we have partners who tell us they want to do that, you can expect that it's something we'll look at, much more closely.

Interesting, no?

Games for Windows Head Kevin Unangst Explains Move to Free Live [1UP]

Xbox Live Makes Horror Funny This Fall

We know that directors James Wan (Saw), David Slade (30 Days of Night), James Gunn (Slither), Andrew Douglas (The Amityville Horror), and Marcus Nispel (Friday The 13th) can be scary, but how are they at making us laugh? Microsoft explores this concept this fall as they deliver original comedy pilots from the masters of horror to the Xbox 360. The concept was conceived by Gunn and Producer Peter Safran of Scary Movie fame, which makes a whole lot of sense, though I'm not sure the actual results will. So far my favorite pilot description is for James Wan's Doggie Heaven, in which a young man is shot to death only to wake up in the wrong afterlife. Hilarity ensues!

While most of us will have to wait until the fall, Comic-Con attendees will be able to catch a sneak peak at the “Horror Meets Comedy Xbox Original Short Film Pilots” panel on Friday, just a small slice of Microsoft's Comic-Con presence detailed below. McWhertor is on his way there today to check everything out, as well as purchase limited edition action figures for me which I will totally reimburse him for - promise.

E3 2008 kicked off Monday last week with a press conference from Microsoft that started out quiet and ended with a shot that rang out across the internet. While many people expected this year's event to be dominated by attempts to snag the more casual gamer with gimmicks like motion control, Microsoft instead stayed the course (with a few notable exceptions), building on their own concept of community and social gaming rather than going for the obvious aping. In case you missed our extensive liveblogging of the event, here's a run down of the big news out of Microsoft at E3 2008.

Or so say Microsoft! Speaking at Gamefest yesterday, Microsoft’s games division CTO Chris Satchell thinks the console's new dashboard, avatars and UI are more than a facelift. He sees them as a transformation.

What this does is reinvent the Xbox. I don’t think any one has ever done this before – transformed a console during its lifecycle.

You could just as easily say no console has ever felt the need to transform halfway through its lifecycle, either.

Satchell: 'We've reinvented the Xbox' [Develop]

Gamefest 2008: Microsoft's Satchell Talks Xbox 360 Homebrew Scene

Now, just about anyone can be a game developer — and get paid for it, too. At its Gamefest 2008 event today, Microsoft announced that community games made using its XNA tools will be downloadable via either PC or Xbox 360, and that the creators will get 70 percent of the revenues, as we reported earlier today.

We spoke to game developers' group general manager Chris Satchell about the new community initiative. "We realized there was so much creativity out there in the community," he said. "So many people had great ideas, so we needed to give them a toolset to express themselves… and then we had to give them that worldwide stage where they could show it. And then the final step is, why not let them benefit from it?"

Microsoft saw, Satchell said, that incredible innovation came from viral communities of indie game designers across the web, and hoped to capture some of that community for its users. Satchell hopes that community games will become viral in the same way:

GFW Live Goes Free, DirectX 11 Unveiled

Games for Windows - Live multiplayer features are free, effective today, Microsoft announced at today's GameFest 2008 conference in Seattle.

The move to free means that achievements, enhanced "truskill" matchmaking, cross-platform play with the Xbox 360, voice and text chat, friends lists, are all now free to Windows gamers. This change to free is for all Games for Windows LIVE titles, past and future.

Microsoft also announced plans to introduce Games for Windows - Live marketplace this fall, which will include free and paid downloadable game content, demos, trailers and "more." Finally, the company said they are working to streamline the interface for the PC and reduce technical requirements for developers. Too little, too late? Too early to tell, I say.

In other news from GameFest, DirectX 11 was unveiled.

CNBC's Jane Wells - Sony Is Winning, My Son Says So

I have to get me one of these "children" I keep hearing so much about. They seem terribly handy. Jack Thompson uses his to help expose the chinks in video game retail, our own Brian Crecente does some of his best work when dealing with the tiny person he helped manufacture - even CNBC reporter Jane Wells is getting in on the act, using her son to illustrate while Sony is going to win the console battle via humorous anecdote. Her 16-year-old son remained an Xbox 360 fan throughout the Microsoft E3 presser, but then Sony went and changed his mind.

Then he watched the Sony press conference, and the world as we know it changed. After hearing about “Metal Gear Solid 4”, as well as other PlayStation exclusives in the pipeline and the awesomeness of Blu-ray, he promptly packed up his Xbox 360 and all his games and went down to Game Stop to trade them in.

Alan Wake At TGS? "Not An Announcement"

Remember when we told you to pencil (yes, pencil) in upcoming Remedy title Alan Wake for the Tokyo Game Show? As Kotaku's own Mike McWhertor pointed out a mention that it would be at TGS appeared in a Windows branded contest that actually dates from last year. Over on the Alan Wake Forums, Remedy has posted:

The Microsoft Vista promotion referring to TGS took place in 2007, and is old news - we've had the winner over for taking the pictures already.

Sorry for the confusion and possible disappointment, but this was not an annoucement that Wake would be shown at TGS 2008. Remedy's team is just getting back from a bit of holiday and we haven't had time to chat with Microsoft on upcoming shows/showings yet.

Oh. Question: Then why didn't we see it at E3?

How far has Remedy comed on Alan Wake [Alan Wake via VG247]

The Xbox 360/Netflix deal may well be one of the more important things to come out of E3 last week. Streaming Netflix movies (at least for Americans) sure beats the Video Marketplace. Here, Microsoft's Larry Hryb takes us on a guided tour of the new service, including how quickly your 360 queue is updated once you make changes on a PC.

Shane Kim Wants Nintendo's Big Blue Ocean Too

Microsoft's E3. Was it fun for everyone or fun for just casual gamers? I think it was more about the casual gamer, Shane Kim? Not so much. Kim also isn't a big believer in Nintendo's big, blue ocean, it seems. Why stick to your own slice of the Pacific, when you can have it all.

Penny Arcade nails it in three panels. Then F@NBOY$ goes and re-nails it in seven. Well, they re-nail Nintendo's cringe-inducing presser, anyway.

Both full size strips are on the jump. Sorry to do that, but at front-page width you can't make out the words.

Alan Wake To Appear At TGS For Sure (Maybe)

Remedy's Alan Wake was noticeably absent at E3 2008, a void left even more dark and encompassing by the inclusion of titles like You're In The Movies. Fear not, fans of mysterious mysteries, as the Xbox 360 and Windows Vista title is going to make its next public appearance at Tokyo Game Show at the latest, according to one web site.

A Windows branded contest — one that actually dates back to March of last year(!) — tells us that we'll be seeing Alan Wake in Tokyo, at least in trailer form. It's entirely possible that we'll see the title as Games Convention, PAX or some other big gaming get together. But for now, pencil in a date with Mr. Wake for October. That's pencil, not pen.

"WOW" Be A Face In The Game [Microsoft - thanks, SS!]

Would You Play A Halo MMO?

RPS' Jim Rossignol, having picked up the scent of one of the internet's more far-fetched rumours, has done a little digging and come up with a few possible (stress: POSSIBLE) clues, all pointing towards the possible possiblity that Microsoft are working on a Halo MMO. And not a loot-dropping MMO, an FPS MMO. Before you go getting your speculative knickers in a twist, whether such a project ever comes to light or not is irrelevant, nor is it the point. It's simply interesting taking a look at Microsoft's first, fumbling steps in examining the genre again, one left poisoned and barren since the failure of Planetside.

Halo MMO: The Clues [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]