Microsoft

This Gloriously Cheesy MIDI File Was Windows’ Greatest Hit

For the longest time, I had no idea that Canyon.mid was even recognized as “a thing” by the internet at large. And then, Harmonix’s Dan Bruno posted about it (always a fount of random internet yuks, that guy), and I realized that Canyon.mid is kind of famous. But then, of course it is. For a…

Yup, the Flood Will Look Really Gross in Halo 4

We’ve already seen how the creepy cosmic symbiotes from the Halo games will come back in 343 Industries’ upcoming release. These new screenshots offer added detail as to how they engage with Spartan soldiers in Halo 4‘s multiplayer Flood mode. Previous visual interpretations of the Flood never really gave me the shivers but this new…

Obama Might Have Lost The First Debate, But The Xbox Did Even Worse

General consensus is that Mitt Romney won the presidential debate last night. President Barack Obama came in second. Jim Lehrer’s moderating skills were a distant third. But Microsoft’s Xbox Elections 2012, a platform that promised to let viewers watch the debate on their 360s and witness as audiences react in real time, might have performed…

Confessions Of A Teenage Xbox Hacker

In some ways Juvi is just an average eighteen-year-old. He speaks in short, brusque sentences. He works as an artist at a tattoo parlor. He was born in the U.K., but he now shares a loft with his girlfriend in Spain. He spends a lot of time on the Internet, and he sometimes says mean…

Rapper Gets Kicked Out of Microsoft Store Mid-Performance After Smashing The Computers [Update]

There are many things in the world that go together beautifully. Chocolate and mint, for example. Or coffee and anything. Then there are some things that are much more questionable. Like, say, The Microsoft Store and live performances. Especially live rap performances on the shelves where the expensive computers sit. Cleveland-based recording artist Machine Gun…

Um, What’s This Secret Star Wars Game on Xbox Live Arcade?

For whatever reason, web designers Gifted Apollo went trawling on Xbox.com, and scooped up the image files for pretty much every Xbox Live Arcade game on the server. Even the ones that aren’t out yet and which we know nothing about. Like Star Wars: First Assault With no announcement or official word from Lucasarts on…

Xbox Live Wants You to Be a Better Citizen So It’s Giving You an Avatar Costume if You Watch the Presidential Debates

As someone who gets hit all the time with the “HEY I COME HERE FOR GAMES NOT POLITICS SO KEEP THAT TO YOURSELF,” comments, I’m going to straight-up be a hypocrite and say to Xbox Live that, hey, I come here for games and not politics and so keep all this presidential election coverage off…

Xbox Live Now Offering Rewards Worth 25 Cents

Are you an Xbox Live Gold subscriber with a Gamerscore of more than 3,000 but not more than 10,000? Well, good news for you! You’ll now get a “Special Gift*” during your birthday month! * Actual value of gift is not more than 25 cents. If you have a Gamerscore over 10,000, you get a…

Man Loses Xbox Account To Thief, Confronts Thief On Internet Forum

On Sunday night, Eric Graff put his son to bed. He flipped on his 360 and got ready for a session of Borderlands 2 with some friends. But when he tried to log onto his Xbox Live account, the password wouldn’t work. His account had been hacked. And then Graff did something usually reserved for…

In Paranormal Activity 4, Kinect Shows Just How Scary Product Placement Can Be

The way Kinect works is that it sends out all these little beams of light. That’s how it can read movements and know when you flail about your living room. Those tracking dots are also perfect for creepy horror movies—and Microsoft product placement. The latest trailer for Paranormal Activity 4 shows off the Kinect. One…

Dragon Ball Looks Exhausting on Kinect

Dragon Ball Z is coming to Kinect as Dragon Ball Z for Kinect. They really should’ve called it Dragon Ball Z: Total Body Workout. Not sure who the gentleman playing is (or for which press outlet he writes for). If he lets me know, I’d be more than happy to add it right here! Kotaku…

Strange Xbox Live/Time-Warner Outage Now In Its Second Day

This is the best part of Internet outages—when the Internet service provider blames the hardware, and vice versa. The customers really don’t care what the problem is. But a “a subset of Time/Warner ISP users” that haven’t been able to connect to Xbox Live since noon yesterday still can’t get into the system today. The…

Six-Hour Xbox Live Outage Strikes Some Time-Warner Subscribers

For six hours now “a subset of Time/Warner ISP users” have had problems connecting to Xbox Live, says Microsoft. The problem appears to be regional. Kotaku staff have had trouble connecting in New York, but were able to get online in the Southeast. There is no word on what the trouble is or who it…

Some Halo 4 Campaign Screens to Start Your Friday

We’ll have more on Halo 4‘s campaign mode later in the day, but for now, here’s a collection of screenshots from the game, some in first-person, others not, all of them looking very purple Good to see 343 have at least stayed faithful to that particular aspect of the Bungie legacy.

Check Out Clips From The Entire Halo 4 Soundtrack Right Now

Thanks to the magic of iTunes, Halo fans can now get a substantial taste of Neil Davidge’s music for the upcoming Halo 4. The soundtrack has been listed for preorder on the British store, and you can listen to short samples of each of the 15 tracks. I’ve been looking forward to hearing the soundtrack…

There’s a New Halo 4 Trailer Today, Too

For those who like their gaming media and news a little less Japanese in origins today, here. A new trailer for Halo 4, showing off all the guns and weaponry that the Covenant – who you’re still fighting, in some small way – are packing in the game.

Microsoft announces a renewed trademark for Killer Instinct. Wonder what that means for Rare’s cult fighting game?

Take a Good Look at the New Enemies of Halo 4

Looking at this 10 minute video from 343 Industries, makers of the upcoming Halo 4, it’s clear that the mark of Forerunner technology is in something like a break action shotgun that, like, actually breaks apart and re-forms as it is reloaded. You see the same kind of telekinetic influence in other concepts of the…

Here’s To Looking Good in Halo Battle Armor

The world is getting a new Halo game this year, Halo 4. That’s pretty exciting, I reckon! Many gamers love Halo, but some don’t just stop at playing the games. They love dressing up in Halo combat gear. And why wouldn’t they? Here’s a sampling of some—certainly not all—of the finest Halo armor cosplays the…

The Next Xbox Could Transform Your Living Room Into One Massive 3D Display

It’s not quite holodeck technology, but it’s not far off. A patent filed back in March by Microsoft describes advanced display technology that extends the gaming environment from the television to all four walls of a room. Imagine playing Call of Duty or Gears of War and being able to see an enemy approaching from…