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Microsoft is (Not) Helping an Xbox Live Hacker “Develop His Talent” [Update]
Around a month ago, Xbox Live users were alerted to a phishing scam on popular online title Modern Warfare 2. You’d think this was the work of nefarious group, but no, it was a single perpetrator. Who Microsoft is now working with? According to Microsoft’s Paul Rellis, the culprit responsible has been caught, and discovered…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 26, 2011 -
Magic Turns Old Pixel Characters Into Modern HD Characters
A pair of researchers, one from Microsoft and the other from The Hebrew University, have come up with something that will be either a game purists’ salvation or worst nightmare, depending on tastes. Johannes Kopf and Dani Lischinski are the men behind an algorithm that is able to take an 8-or-16-bit pixellated image—like those found…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 25, 2011 -
Last Xbox Creator Leaves Microsoft (and Why That’s Depressing)
Entertainment & Devices is the division of Microsoft that makes the cool shit. Xbox, Zune, Windows Phone. Courier. J. Allard was its figurehead for years. He left. And now Otto Berkes, the last original Xbox founder, is gone too As the Seattle Times reports, Berkes didn’t just help create the Xbox, along with Ted Hase…
By Matt buchanan Published May 25, 2011 -
One Year Later, Did Microsoft Keep Their E3 2010 Promises?
Can you believe the hype you hear from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo at each year’s big E3 circus of video games? Year after year, the big three make promises about their consoles and their games. Do they deliver? Each year, we check. Microsoft, last year we had to scold you for some of your unbelievable…
By Mike Epstein Published May 24, 2011 -
Kinect Googly Eyes, Crimson Alliance, Kinect Me and More Outed By Aussie Ratings
Microsoft may be running shorter on genuine new surprises for this year’s E3 expo, as Australia’s ratings classification board shines a light on new, unannounced Xbox 360 and Kinect games. That said, I’m dying to find out what Kinect Googly Eyes is. Kinect Googly Eyes is just one of a handful of new titles tied…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 23, 2011 -
What Can We All Learn from the Xbox Live Banning of ‘Pound Her Stank’?
Xbox Live technical support will be extra busy over the course of this week and the next as a new software update rolls out, bringing sweeping bans to those with modified consoles. But one fresh account banning from this week is more educational than the rest. An Xbox Live member with the gamertag “pound her…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 20, 2011 -
Standalone Alan Wake Followup Coming to XBLA?
The site XBLA Fans, citing “an extremely trusted source,” says Alan Wake: Night Springs will be an Xbox Live Arcade release and not a retail release. XBLA Fans says it has seen screen captures of the game. This is not entirely unforeseen; earlier this month, Wake studio Remedy told Eurogamer that another installment in the…
By Owen Good Published May 19, 2011 -
Stay In School, Buy a Windows PC, and Get a Free Xbox 360
Microsoft wants U.S. high school, college, and university students to be productive, but not too productive. That’s why they’re giving away a free 4GB Xbox 360 to students purchasing a Windows 7 PC priced at $699 or higher. Play is just as important as work when it comes to your education. Some might even say…
By Mike Fahey Published May 19, 2011 -
Xbox 360 PayPal Shopping Starts Now!
Today’s Xbox Live update includes expanded PayPal shopping options. The functionality is being rolled out today and “throughout the next couple of weeks”, depending on where in the world you live. The update also includes a power consumption auto-standby feature for consoles that are idle for an hour plus. [Major Nelson]
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 19, 2011 -
Turns Out Kinect Can Read Sign Language
Kinect’s patent application said the device could recognize American Sign Language. Microsoft then backed off the claim, at least for the initial generation of the device, saying that sort of application would be supported in later models. Then people started developing open-source Kinect drivers and doing all sorts of cool things with them. And lo…
By Owen Good Published May 18, 2011 -
Chainsaw Dudes In Half at Your Next Family Game Night with Gears of War: The Board Game
The visceral thrill of Gears of War is (indeed) coming to a tabletop near you with Gears of War: The Board Game, the latest video game to board game adaptation from Fantasy Flight Games. They’re the people who have turned video games like StarCraft and Civilization into board game form, but they also do plenty…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 18, 2011 -
Microsoft Says Xbox 360 Disc Read Problems Caused by an Older Update
Yesterday, Kotaku Australia reported that a software update for the Xbox 360 was causing some consoles to stop reading game discs, which Microsoft was addressing in the form of all-new replacement Xbox 360s and free Xbox Live subscriptions. The original report believed that the issue was related to the forthcoming software update for Xbox 360…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 18, 2011 -
Avatar Kinect Out “Later This Spring”
Originally pegged for a May 27 release, Microsoft’s official statement on the release of Avatar Kinect simply states that the new technology/social program (for up to eight people at a time) will be out “later this Spring”. [Microsoft Press Release]
By Luke Plunkett Published May 17, 2011 -
Report: Forza World, Dance Central 2 and Kinect Games for ‘The Hardcore’ At E3 2011
Microsoft may have had some of its Kinect-heavy E3 2011 showing spoiled a bit early by a Eurogamer report, which pegs “at least 10 non-sequel Kinect games” for the show, including some aimed squarely at the “hardcore” Xbox 360 crowd. Eurogamer‘s unnamed sources point to reveals of Kinect Sports 2 and Dance Central 2, a…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 16, 2011 -
The Day That Xbox Live Customer Service Cared
We only ever hear negative things about customer service, because a satisfied customer rarely spends time gushing over their experience on the internet. Commenter KillerIri5h is an exception, raving about his Xbox Live customer service experience in today’s Speak Up on Kotaku. So like many people, I’ve fallen on hard times financially. I’m an artist…
By Mike Fahey Published May 16, 2011 -
The Modern Warfare 3 Files: Exclusive First Details on the Biggest Game of 2011
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is coming Nov. 8, 2011, Kotaku has learned, delivering with it mammoth battles that engulf a dozen cities around the world including New York, Paris and London. Multiple sources have shared details of the game’s story, art, sounds and game modes with Kotaku, noting that the game will reshape…
By Brian Crecente Published May 13, 2011 -
Where You’ll Go, How You’ll Kill, and Who Will Die in Modern Warfare 3
We’ve been gentle so far in our revealing of what we know about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. We’ve tip-toed through the minefield of spoilers, and tried to reveal only facts anyone would want to know. That ends here. What follows is a detailed summary of what we understand are the events of Modern…
By Brian Crecente Published May 13, 2011 -
Modern Warfare 3 Multiplayer Features Battles in Brooklyn, Clash in Mogadishu
Packed with 15 levels set in locations around the world, from Manhattan to the catacombs of Paris, Modern Warfare 3‘s near-future campaign looks to be an experience that will top anything seen before in a Call of Duty game. Multiplayer, too, seems to be shaping up to be an experience packed with new maps, experiences…
By Brian Crecente Published May 13, 2011 -
Xbox Live Indie Studios Can Now Pick Their Publishing Dates
The Xbox Live Indie Games channel just put through a key change that should help publishers with marketing efforts for their games. Now, once a title has passed peer review, the developer may pick the date it publishes to the service. What this means for consumers is that collaborative events such as the Indie Games…
By Owen Good Published May 12, 2011