Kotaku 
Enter your username and password.
Denver, 1:35 AM
Tue Dec 1
53 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip us:
Editor-In-Chief:
Brian Crecente
| AIM | Twitter
Deputy Editor:
Stephen Totilo
| AIM | Twitter
Senior Editor:
Michael McWhertor
| AIM | Twitter
Senior Contributing Editor, Japan:
Brian Ashcraft
| AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editor, East Coast:
Michael Fahey
| AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editor, Oceania:
Luke Plunkett
| AIM | Twitter
Contributing Editor, Weekends:
Owen Good
| AIM | Twitter
Correspondent, San Francisco:
AJ Glasser
| AIM | Twitter
Columnist:
Leigh Alexander
Columnist:
Tim Rogers
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
08/12/09
08/12/09
08/11/09
08/12/09
08/11/09
It has a nice image as it is. There's no need to completely ruin any chance of it doing well outside of the gamer space by smothering it with green X's and cutesy avatars.
08/11/09
As for this "XBL Anywhere" that's been in vague talks, I would like to manage or use NXE and play my XBLA games from my laptop. If they were to hit the ground running with that, it would be a huge thing, IMO.
08/12/09
As for paying twice, that'd be ridiculous because if you recover your Gamertag on your console or GFWL, all rights to use whatever content are already tied to it.
I don't know how the licensing works with PSN since I don't have a PS3 (yet :P)
08/11/09
Europe will be told they are getting it shortly thereafter, but it will be delayed infinitely.
Japan will have shot down every cargo plane carrying XBox products.
Australia ...
Sheeeet, nobody cares about Australia.
08/11/09
08/11/09
08/11/09
08/11/09
08/11/09
08/11/09
You, good sir, are a racist, and I will be suing you on behalf of black people all over the planet for slander and emotional distress.
Good day to you.
08/11/09
08/11/09
08/11/09
It was a trap I set for you, and you fell for it. Prepare to lose the shirt off your back! (so I can then picture you with Jake "PoP" Gyllenhaal on a horse, hugging tightly)
08/11/09
08/11/09
08/11/09
08/11/09
Chatting, friends, face book, movie rentals, video play back of dvd's, MP3 play back, streaming video, games, device compatibilities, etc etc blablba.
Eventually you just have to ask yourself "isn't this just a gimped PC?"
And I don't really mean that in the way it was posed before, I'm not talking about power wise or anything, I just mean with the features offer, all they are trying to do is implement a OS that is a PC in your Xbox. With all this effort, is it worth it when...I have a computer?
And for the love of Kotaku gods please somebody don't bring up "I CAN DO IT ON MY COUCH", because I promise you that will just lead to a needlessly long topic about PC vs console, try to just comment on the point of is the effort worth it when it seems they are just trying to create this into a PC OS.
08/11/09
There will always be people that prefer more straightforward setups to endless customization, and in the case of anything tech related, the majority is definitely in the "keep it simple" category. Otherwise everyone would game on a PC.
08/11/09
I've always favored the PC as my gaming platform of choice, and I've owned quite a few consoles in my time (NES, SNES, PSX, N64, PS2, DS) but your point is absolutely valid. There are many features on the newer consoles that I simply look at and go "Cool, I guess. But I use my computer for that already."
There isn't much that consoles offer to make me want to switch, and new features like these certainly aren't going to grab my attention either. The only thing that makes me consider a switch is the game library available, but most games that I absolutely want to play are available on PC anyway (or will be a little after their release).
I just don't see how this sort of feature would grab anyone who was previously on the fence about a console purchase, especially someone like myself, who is already entrenched in a system that does all that and more. But then, I'm not a marketing guru, so more power to them, I guess :).
Edited four times in a span of 2 minutes for typos. I need sleep. Or caffeine. :)
08/11/09
Streaming I can understand as you can rent movies and watch them on your tv via netfilx and such.
However, it really is a gimped version of everything else such as facebook and so-on.
The Xbox is becomming more and more the bastardized PC, what with advertisements and now a ridiculous ammount of non-gaming related abilities.
08/11/09
08/11/09
I have a suspicion that the next generation of the XBox will literally be a Microsoft brand PC. Its not unreasonable to say that Microsoft would want to cut out the middle man on their OS and why not do it with a product that everyone knows about.
I'm beginning to think that Microsoft isn't so much as moving away from the PC to the console as they are turning the console into a PC. I mean why not just make the Xbox a mass produced PC and sell it at 500-700$.
08/11/09
08/11/09
I like game consoles, I own two out of the three current gen consoles but also have a pretty good PC. All these features that are being added to me seem silly, I'm not saying they shouldn't do them because then people could rightfully scream "It's not hurting you in anyway, just don't use them." What I'm trying to get at is, doesn't this current evolution seem like they consoles are trying to, more and more, become actual simplified PC's (Operating System wise, once again I'm not talking about power or anything)
08/11/09
I almost feel like Microsoft is moving toward two separate work environments: the PC, for the business user and the guy who works from home, and the XBOX, which is your "all-in-one-entertainment device."
It wouldn't surprise me if, after a while, the entertainment features of a PC (like Media Center, and Games for Windows LIVE (which is just XBOX LIVE after all) and others) were eventually rebranded as "XBOX." This way, customers would easily make the connection between a box that says XBOX (which means games and entertainment) and Windows, which refers to business-y things.
08/11/09
08/11/09
08/11/09
On the PC, you just count the days till WH and aimbot become available to opponents; and god forbid you pass over 65ms ping.
With the closed hardware, devs can do things the way they want, instead of speculating on performance and common-denominator functionality.
With the closed hardware, you get coverage by the devs, that have been making only console games; you also keep coverage by the PC devs that are transitioning into the scene, even if so many of them littering it with embarrassing code.
MS developed the XBL infrastructure, made deals for exclusive games, provided top-notch devtools - and now have nothing else left to do for the core crowd. Thus, instead of sitting on laurels, they are adding those extra functions like facebook.
Business-wise, a console is like a TV with only one TV channel: the platform holder can choose what ads to show you (in Store and Marketplace), while a PC is like browsing YouTube with AdBlock+ . So, it makes sense to try to keep you on that channel for as many tasks as possible.
08/11/09
EDIT: @Cogito: Heh, go figure I didn't see your reply until after I wrote mine. I think we pretty much agree. To add to that, Vista was a generally agreed upon as a let down for PC gamers, and if Windows 7 doesn't do better, I definitely see Microsoft shifting gears.
@somarix: There's still loads left to be done for the core crowd, which is what makes Microsoft's new focus on turning the 360 into a more general purpose multi-media device a little out of place. It's almost like they're stepping on their own toes.
08/11/09
No, just no. The online ping for consoles isn't magic. It still lags, and I constantly play PC games on 102ms ping and higher. If your trying to do it with 200ms, good luck. Most, consoles try to find people close to you anyway. For 360, because it's peer to peer, it makes everything lag when your playing with people from far away, badly. Some PS3 games use servers, but this also isn't magic, so people will still lag.
With the closed hardware, devs know their limits. That's it. All this means that if they want to do something really great, they have to figure out how to exploit this piece of hardware, rather then make it run in different general settings. I can tell you from personal experience, optimization is WAAAY harder then "Well, this is for the high end users".
If you don't believe me, try making a very simple game where two 8 shapes have a fight. Use pixel perfect collision. I guarantee due to your lack of coding knowledge it will lag like a bitch because your inefficient algorithms.
There is plenty more they can do for the core crowd as well, just because you have it nice doesn't mean you can't get more. And development tools aren't anything special, I have top notch development tools on my PC right now lol. (Yes, I have the stuff people use to make the internet!!)
08/11/09
I watch all my TV on the PC with megavideo, youtube, hulu, or various company websites that post full episodes for free. Sure, the TV will be around for a while to appease the hangers-on (after all, there are still people in the year 2009 that buy typewriters...yes, typewriters) but I think that TV will be integrated into the XBOX soon enough. Like I said above, it's becoming Microsoft's "all-in-one-entertainment-device," but whether that's good or bad I couldn't tell you; I just think it's inevitable.
08/11/09
[store.steampowered.com]
Data taken form a sample of roughly 15million people. All are gamers.
08/11/09
08/11/09
Admittly, if I must go for a optimization, it does help to know the exact hardware I'm dealing with in every scenario, but when I also have the option to make things a option I have more leeway.
08/11/09
Way to go MS!
08/11/09
08/11/09
Hmmm... HD Zune eh? I like the slimness of it and maybe it's time to get a new MP3 player. Still I should wait till my Creative dies. Mine is built like a beast so it'll be a while.
08/11/09
08/11/09
08/11/09
12/18/08
I really hope this is the often rumored 360 integration of the marketplace and Zune. I'd LOVE to have full access to my Zune subscription music on my 360 without having to turn on my Zune.
12/18/08
God, that'd be great. I won't hold my breath, but it'd be fantastically convenient. I don't have a Zune at the moment, but I'll most certainly be buying one soon. I do hate that the PMP war has been boiled down to Apple v. the world as some appear to view a Zune purchase as being tantamount to harboring anti-Apple views. I don't. I just strongly prefer the company of Zunes.
12/18/08
The Zune itself has a nice setup, the Zune Pass is a great deal imo... I really can't think of anything wrong with it.
For anyone in the market for an MP3 player, I'd definitely give the Zune a look. It's flawless integration into Windows and the 360 is a definite plus for me, as well.
12/18/08
12/18/08
12/18/08
I also dig the radio tuner as well.
12/18/08
The poster had some good and true points, and most of what people know about the Zune is false, and is always ripped on by Apple fans.
I don't own a Zune, in fact I own four iPods and am typing this on my Macbook, but everybody deserves a fair chance. Microsoft is stepping it up and even I'm considering a Zune (only if it has more storage).
12/18/08
My first MP3 player was a 120gb Archos Jukebox MP3. The thing was literally just a hard drive with a sheet metal jacket over it, with rubber bumpers on the corners. The thing got run over THREE times before it decided that it would die.
12/18/08
12/19/08