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iPad Up, PCs Down
The New York Times called it: Microsoft is no longer the most valuable tech company in the world, Apple is. “The most important technology product no longer sits on your desk but rather fits in your hand.” It’s good to see that hyperbole will always have a cozy home at the Gray Lady.
By Brian Crecente Published May 26, 2010 -
Report: Project Natal To Cost Too Much Money
Would you pay $149 USD for Project Natal? According to a report from Edge, that’s what current Xbox 360 owners should expect to pay when the much-hyped motion sensing camera from Microsoft launches later this year. Edge, citing a “trusted source,” the same individual who fed the outlet details on Gears of War 3’s coming…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 26, 2010 -
J Allard’s Parting Advice To Microsoft
J Allard may have left Microsoft, leaving us heartbroken in his wake, but he leaves with some solid advice for the lumbering giant of the electronics world. “Find a college student that claims we don’t get it and blogs tirelessly about our lack of agility”, he wrote in his farewell memo to the company. “Track…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 26, 2010 -
A Brief History Of Xbox Quitters
Microsoft has a storied history of losing some of its biggest and most recognizable Xbox executives, the suits who manned the company’s E3 and CES keynotes. Today, two more names joined that growing list, Robbie Bach and J Allard. They’re not the only ones to move on from the Xbox division over the past eight…
By Lauren Orsini Published May 25, 2010 -
Microsoft Shake-Up Tied To Xbox Timeline
The departure of two key men involved in the Xbox 360 from Microsoft won’t cause major changes in the Xbox division, a source close to Microsoft told Kotaku today. But the timing of the next steps for the Xbox brand was a factor. The source, who was not authorized to speak in any official capacity…
By Stephen Totilo Published May 25, 2010 -
J Allard, We Will Miss You
It’s official. Our most beloved Microsoft exec, James “J” Allard, is leaving Microsoft after 19 years. The Boston University grad tasked with injecting cool into the Xbox, Xbox 360 and Zune is moving on, leaving us with fond, hoodie-filled memories The man who once described himself and the original Xbox division as the “Eminem of…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 25, 2010 -
Father of the Xbox, Head of Gadgets and Fun Leave Microsoft [Update]
Sources have confirmed to Kotaku that both Robbie Bach, the current head of all things entertainment for Microsoft, and J. Allard, one of the top men behind the Xbox and Xbox 360, are leaving Microsoft. In a memo this morning to Microsoft employees obtained by Kotaku, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced that the two were…
By Brian Crecente Published May 25, 2010 -
Microsoft “Shaking Up” Its Gaming Division
According to a report on The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft is looking to “shake up” the management structure of its Entertainment & Devices Division, which among other things is the group responsible for the Xbox 360. What this actually means beyond the term “major organizational changes” is not disclosed, but it must be serious, because…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 25, 2010 -
Here’s Your Special Launch-Day Halo: Reach Hat
Halo fans who pick up Reach on its September 14 release date will score this attractive exclusive in-game Spartan Recon Helmet. Fans who wait until after launch day aren’t really fans, now are they? Just in case you needed incentive to pick up Halo: Reach on launch day, Microsoft offers it in the form of…
By Mike Fahey Published May 24, 2010 -
Maybe The Greatest Baseball Pitch You’ll See Today
Politicians. Actors. Singers, too. What do they have in common with Xbox Japan mascot Sanrokumaru? They have all thrown out the first pitch at baseball games. Sanrokumaru stars in a new series of TV ads in which he and the rest of the “Xbox Mission Department” attempts to secure titles like the new Virtual-On for…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 24, 2010 -
Xbox Live Unlikely to Approve Vagina Adventure Game
Micro-marines in condom helmets tromping through a landscape of pubic hair will not be part of your Xbox 360 experience, according to a Microsoft statement on Privates, a title being developed for the PC and Xbox Live Arcade. Zombie Cow, the studio, uh, behind Privates says the game may be irreverent in tone, it was…
By Owen Good Published May 22, 2010 -
Crackdown 2 Gets A Cartoon Series
Crackdown looks like a cartoon. I guess. With the cel-shading and everything. Not sure it needed an animated prequel series, though. What is this, 2008? It’s not like anyone cares about the fiction of Crackdown. About its universe. They care about setting people on fire, and collecting green orbs, and doing those things with their…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 22, 2010 -
The Father Of The Xbox Leaving Microsoft?
Say. It. Ain’t. So. Reports indicate that J Allard, a driving force behind the design of the Xbox (and the Zune) is leaving Microsoft, after his latest dream project was binned by the company. Having been the former pin-up boy of Microsoft’s video game consoles, especially in the lead-up to the launch of the Xbox…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 22, 2010 -
Fable III’s Kingly Collector’s Edition Is Xbox 360 Only
Microsoft confirms a holiday release for Fable III on both Xbox 360 and PC, but if you want a royal amount of Collector’s Edition swag, you’re going to need to go the console route. Last week’s box art wasn’t kidding when it proclaimed that Fable III was coming to the Xbox 360 and PC. Today…
By Mike Fahey Published May 21, 2010 -
Turning Executive Mistakes Into Art
Heeeeeeeeeey, guess what. Video game executives, whether on purpose or not, fib. And they do it all the time. What’s important is not to get upset! You need to get constructive, and turn those fibs into works of art. These fake propoganda posters, put together by Brian Altano and Brian Miggels for IGN, take some…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 21, 2010 -
Gee, You Guys Must Really Hate Using Credit Cards
According to retail research firm the NPD Group, the biggest-selling accessory in the United States is not a controller, memory card or chatpad. It’s a pre-paid points card for an online gaming service. Yes, for the months of both March and April, the top-selling accessory was a 1600 point Xbox Live card, the equivalent of…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 20, 2010 -
Aussie Xbox 360s Get Cable Television
Australian Xbox 360 owners will later this year get access to what Americans would call cable television, with a deal struck between Microsoft and Foxtel, a provider of satellite TV. While exact details like pricing and, more importantly, exactly what channels are available are thin on the ground, we do know that for a monthly…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 20, 2010 -
Exclusive Showdown Reveals…Pointlessness Of Exclusives
Here’s something to fire your synapses on a Tuesday night: a comparison of the average review scores of Xbox 360 exclusives vs PlayStation 3 exclusives. The figures, of course, do nothing to somehow magically settle the argument over which console has the “better” exclusives. So don’t go into this expecting them to. What they do…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 19, 2010 -
If You See This Gamertag, RUN
Daigo Umehara, fighting game superstar, isn’t only tearing up tournaments. He’s also kicking ass on Xbox LIVE. Beware! Daigo is, of course, famous for this clip. Let’s have a look at the Super Street Fighter IV worldwide “Player Point” rankings. Hrm, number one is Japan. “gameinn”? Now, let’s have a look at the global “Battle…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 19, 2010 -
You Just Got An Extra Day To Play Halo: Reach
While originally scheduled to end tomorrow – May 19 – Bungie has decided to keep the Halo: Reach beta open a little longer. “Our official plans as of now are to turn off the Reach beta on Thursday, 5/20 at 10AM PDT”, Bungie’s Brian Jarrard told Joystiq. Since an exact time for the beta’s shutdown…
By Luke Plunkett Published May 19, 2010