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The Real Voice Of Halo Is Not Who You’d Expect
This is veteran actor Jeff Steitzer. He’s done Broadway. Law & Order. Oh, and if you’ve ever played Halo, chances are you’ve heard his voice more than Master Chief’s, Sgt. Johnson’s and Cortana’s combined. Why? Because he’s the voice of the game’s multiplayer announcer, meaning any time you’ve heard a gravelly, distant voice grunt “DOUBLE…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 29, 2011 -
CultureTotal RecallThe Joys Of A Console’s First Moments
Know what I tend to remember consoles by? Not their games, or controllers, or even hardware casings. I usually remember them for their boot-up jingles. As silly as that sounds, those first few seconds of animation and music really set the tone for what the platform holder hopes is to come, and more than any…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 29, 2011 -
Forza 4 Has 500 Cars, Lets You Touch Them (And Drive With Your Face)
We’ve known that Forza Motorsport 4, when it releases later this year, will support Kinect as a control method. A marketing survey now hints at what some of those features might be, such as head tracking to move the game’s camera, and a casual mode that allows players to steer with their hands, similar to…
By Owen Good Published March 23, 2011 -
Which Game Companies Do You Trust?
In today’s episode of Speak-Up on Kotaku, commenter Kadin is curious to know which video game hardware and software companies have earned your trust over the years, and which have lost it. Where does your trust lie? Which of the big companies out there has earned your trust and which of them has lost it?…
By Mike Fahey Published March 23, 2011 -
Halo: Dawn Is The Fan Fiction That Didn’t Result In A Job
A few months back, Kotaku reader Jon applied for a job at Microsoft’s Halo arm, 343 Industries, for a cinematics editing gig. In an attempt to stand out from the other applicants, he created a Halo-based machinima. This is it. “The story tells of the war between the UNSC and the Insurrection, and the genesis…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 23, 2011 -
Overheat This Xbox And It WILL Catch Fire
When working with wood for this particular piece, artist Ben Winfield decided against making something clichéd, like a breadboard or a chair. Instead, he made a replica Xbox console. Before you ask, nope, it doesn’t work. Come on, you can’t make consoles out of wood! It does look great though, and when it comes to…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 23, 2011 -
Industrial Designer Dates New Xbox For 2015
The online portfolio of industrial designer Ben Peterson lists all sorts of projects he’s worked on or is working. One of those is apparently the next Xbox. In the past, Peterson’s work, like this concept “magnify” or electric kettle, made waves online. But an entry posted just yesterday in his online portfolio is bound to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 21, 2011 -
Microsoft’s “Future Of PC Gaming” Video Is Terrifying
Microsoft probably has many ideas on what constitutes the future of gaming on the PC. It’s too big a company not to. But this particular one is so horrible you may not want to even see it. Put together by the Windows Gaming Experience team, this video was originally made and released in 2010. So…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 21, 2011 -
Here’s Kinect — Working on a PS3 (And Playing Killzone 3)
This genie of Kinect modification is never going back in the bottle. Now a modder has figured out a way to get the Microsoft device to work with a PlayStation 3. This is Shantanu Goel, and his code is in a pre-alpha state, but you can see him navigating the Xross Media Bar, starting Killzone…
By Owen Good Published March 20, 2011 -
Keeping The HD-DVD Dream Alive
The other day while watching my high-definition copy of Blade Runner on my Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive, I received an Xbox Live message thanking me for keeping the dream alive. Oh come on, where else can you buy a copy of The Bourne Identity for $2.39? They called us foolish for supporting HD-DVD over Blu-ray,…
By Mike Fahey Published March 16, 2011 -
Microsoft’s Kodu Cup Contest Rewards Underage Game Developers
Today Microsoft fully launches its kid-friendly PC game development tool Kodu Game Lab, along with a contest that could win your child $5,00 cash, a new laptop, and a trip for two to New York’s Imagine Cup. We got our first look at Microsoft’s Kodu Game Lab back in 2009, finding it to be a…
By Mike Fahey Published March 16, 2011 -
PlayStation Network Hit By Earthquake. Fukushima Xbox Repair Temporarily Closed.
According to Sony, the earthquake has caused difficulty in connecting to the PSN, and it urges players to backup their data. Sony has apologized for any trouble caused by this, also sending it deepest regards to those affected by the quake. What’s more, Sony’s PlayStation information call center and repair center were both suspended by…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 15, 2011 -
Is The Zune Gone For Good?
Microsoft’s attempt to dethrone the iPod, its music, movie and video game-playing hardware known as the Zune, may have just been put out to pasture. Bloomberg reports the Zune HD, introduced in 2009, will be the last of its kind. Microsoft will reportedly continue to sell existing versions of the Zune, but won’t introduce new…
By Michael McWhertor Published March 14, 2011 -
The Xbox Live Arcade Lineup As Vintage Movie Posters
During PAX East this weekend Microsoft hypoed up their attractive upcoming Xbox Live Arcade lineup with a series of limited edition postcards transforming each title into a classic action movie poster. Can you tell which movies the posters came from? Limited to a print run of 700-or-so, chances of getting your hands on these sexy…
By Mike Fahey Published March 14, 2011 -
Hope You’re Ready For More Kinect Sports
Interested in the idea of Kinect Sports more than the rather basic game released last year? Maybe Kinect Sports 2 will do a better job. Yes, we’ve heard that – and this should really surprise none of you – a sequel to the Kinect social/sports game is currently in development. There’s no word yet on…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 14, 2011 -
A Look At Project Milo, Which Was Actually An Adventure Game
Despite being presumed dead in the water, Lionhead’s Project Milo was once one of Kinect’s most interesting titles. What originally appeared to be little more than an AI chat program eventually was revealed as an adventure game, something we’re only now getting our first real look at. These storyboard images obtained by Develop show some…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 12, 2011 -
Old Games Never Die (They Just Sit In Storage)
Old books are kept in a library. Old movies are kept in archives. But where are old video games kept? Don’t sweat it: they’re kept safe and sound. Or, at least, the ones developed and/or published by some of the industry’s biggest names are are, a great feature on Gamasutra finding out the archiving and…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 11, 2011 -
Xbox Japan Isn’t Giving Up On Kinect. There Is A Trailer.
That’s good. It also hasn’t given up on the Xbox 360. Xbox Japan is plucky! While the peripheral’s launch wasn’t exactly spectacular, the Japan arm is once again rolling out its Kinect trailer at locations across Japan. The trailer offers folks a chance to check out Kinect — a chance they had at Japanese retail.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 11, 2011 -
CultureTotal Recall
Microsoft Has Now Spent Over Ten Years In The Console Business
Time flies, doesn’t it? One day, you’re thinking only Sega and Nintendo are capable of building quality, successful gaming hardware. The next, you wake up to find that Microsoft is building a video games console. Yet it’s been eleven years to the day that the world awoke to such a scenario, as it was at…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 11, 2011 -
Xbox Live Labs Exchanges Your Time And Bandwidth For Avatar Goodies
Microsoft wants to enlist your help in testing the Xbox Live network, rewarding volunteers willing to donate up to six hours of Xbox 360 time with crazy mad scientist goodies once the testing’s done. Here’s how to participate. Xbox Live Labs is really a brilliant idea. Microsoft needs to test its network, so why not…
By Mike Fahey Published March 10, 2011