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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 -
This Spartan’s Greatest Challenge
As seen by reader Chris. Thanks!
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 18, 2010 -
The Growing Spectacle of Gaming’s International Spotlight
Last year featured Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Tony Hawk and Stephen Spielberg. This year there will be Cirque du Soleil and perhaps others. Each year in the days leading up to E3’s international gathering of video game makers and publishers in Los Angeles, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo host press briefings to lay out the year’s…
By Brian Crecente Published May 17, 2010 -
Project Natal Is…White? [UPDATE]
Released last year, this is the official concept promotional image of Microsoft’s upcoming motion control system Project Natal. It is black. Update: Microsoft comments, clarifies nothing. “Project Natal” is the code name for Microsoft’s controller-free motion controls that, as the promotional clip states, makes the players the controller. But even when the device was on…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 17, 2010 -
Swedish Retailers Spill Project Natal Price, And It’s Expensive?
At least three Swedish retailers are listing a price for upcoming Xbox 360 motion controller Project Natal, and it’s not good. While UK sources were telling MCV that the motion controller would run $80, perhaps less, the three Swedish retail sites are all listing the device for 1,499 SEK, which works out to just under…
By Brian Crecente Published May 16, 2010