Microsoft - Page 203 of 239

Xbox Live Director’s Account Hacked! (Are You Next?)

Larry Hryb, Director of Programming for Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE online gaming network, has had his Xbox LIVE profile hacked. Warning: NSFW language ahead. Known by his gamertag Major Nelson, Hryb was part of the Xbox 360 launch team and was one of the first game execs to have a regular podcast and blog. In his…

By Brian Ashcraft Published March 29, 2010

Halo: Reach’s Commendations, Credits & Your Concerns Explained

Bungie is mixing up Halo: Reach multiplayer with all new rules, adding the concepts of Credits, Rank, and Commendations; it’s all part of the Xbox 360 game’s new “Player Investment” system, which sounds way more exciting than the name implies. In Halo: Reach, Bungie is throwing out much of the old way of doing things,…

By Michael McWhertor Published March 26, 2010

Crackdown 2 Multiplayer Preview: I Don’t Have Your Goddamned Orb

It’s hard to get an accurate feel for the Rocket Tag online multiplayer mode for Crackdown 2 when every time I try to get a word in edgewise – oh dammit I’m dead. That’s pretty much how my ten minute session of Rocket Tag went down. I slipped into one of the last rounds of…

By Mike Fahey Published March 26, 2010

The Making Of A Video Game Fanboy

It’s nearly 2 p.m. Eighteen year-old Richard Stephen rolls out of bed in his Florida home and fires up his PlayStation 3 to play a round of PS3 exclusive God of War III. He spent the night before, flipping on his computer, wishing that Sony made an operating system so he didn’t have to use…

By Brian Ashcraft Published March 26, 2010

Microsoft: USB Memory Support Hits Xbox 360 on April 6, Xbox 360 Flash Drives Hit in May

Starting April 6 Xbox 360 owners will be able to use USB flash drives to store profiles, game saves, demos and “more”, Microsoft confirmed this morning. Posting on his blog, Xbox Live’s Larry Hryb said that the company has been testing the feature for a few weeks and that he thinks it’s is “great.” A…

By Brian Crecente Published March 26, 2010

Shenmue, Billy Hatcher, Meet The Xbox Live Avatars

I’m not saying this is worth paying for – no 360 avatar gear is worth paying for – but a Shenmue get-up for the little guys is certainly worth pining for. It’s part of a range of gear released to advertise Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing, and along with a bunch of other rubbish, there’s…

By Luke Plunkett Published March 25, 2010

Halo Creators Have Been Hitting The Mountain Dew

It’s understandable that game creators hold their franchises dear, and think the world of them. But Bungie’s hopes for the upcoming Halo: Reach might be going a little too far. Speaking with Industrygamers, Bungie’s Brian Jarrard has revealed he has some high hopes for the latest Halo game. High hopes indeed “Are there more stories…

By Luke Plunkett Published March 25, 2010

Xbox Game Room Is Live And Broken [Update]

Microsoft’s virtual space, Game Room, for hanging out and gaming has gone live for both Xbox 360 and Games for Windows. The early morning Game Room launch is fraught with tech issues. After downloading the two game packets in Xbox Live’s Marketplace, Game Room is not loading properly. When players attempt to load games on…

By Brian Ashcraft Published March 24, 2010

Microsoft: Natal Does Not Discriminate Against Living Rooms

There has been concern in Japan that only gianormous American living rooms are suitable for Microsoft’s upcoming motion control peripheral Natal. No need for concern, says Microsoft. According to website Techflash, “To be precise, you’ll want to clear an area extending at least 4 meters (a little more than 13 feet) away from the television.”…

By Brian Ashcraft Published March 24, 2010

Fable III Will Have “Episodes”

Upcoming Xbox 360 RPG Fable III may be following in the footsteps of its predecessor and going “episodic”, according to comments from the game’s creator, Peter Molyneux. “We’ve always had a feel for Fable as a game that’s got a big story, that starts in King Arthurs time and goes through this big arc so…

By Luke Plunkett Published March 23, 2010

The 250GB Xbox 360 Hard Drive Stands Alone

While Microsoft’s 250GB Xbox 360 hard disk is currently only available in North America as part of a console bundle, according to a new ad popping up on the 360 dashboard, that’s about to change. This “Make More Room for Entertainment” advertisement popped up on the Xbox 360 dashboard today, urging console owners to head…

By Mike Fahey Published March 23, 2010

Is Natal Too Big For Japan?

Not the device itself. The Natal peripheral is a small, slender add-on. But Microsoft has apparently told a group of journalists, including Techflash.com, that some space is required to use the motion controls. To quote Techflash: To be precise, you’ll want to clear an area extending at least 4 meters (a little more than 13…

By Brian Ashcraft Published March 23, 2010

Fable Designer On Not Getting Avatar (And Then Getting It)

Peter Molyneux, the game designer behind the Fable franchise, was invited on the set of Hollywood motion picture Avatar. He didn’t quite “get it”. “I went on the set of Avatar three times and thought, ‘Good grief, he’s got the same problem I have,'” Molyneux told the Times. “All I saw the first time was…

By Brian Ashcraft Published March 22, 2010

Xbox 360 Console Spammed With Child Pornography

A couple from Dublin, Ireland had to call the cops last week when their Xbox 360 console was spammed with images of child pornography. With their real names withheld due to the nature of the case, “Amy” said her boyfriend had been playing a game when a message from another user popped up. Upon opening…

By Luke Plunkett Published March 22, 2010

Is USB Storage In The Xbox 360’s Future?

Is Microsoft planning to drop its overpriced Xbox 360 Memory Units in favor of more affordable USB mass storage devices? According to documentation obtained by Joystiq, the answer is yes. Currently the only external storage solution for the Xbox 360 is the Microsoft-produced Memory Unit, a relatively expensive way to add up to 512MB of…

By Mike Fahey Published March 18, 2010

Rumor: New Xbox 360 Model Slims Down [Update]

These pictures apparently show the guts of a new model of the Xbox 360. The important bits? The fact that for the first time the console combines the CPU and the GPU in a single chip. Oh, and it’s small The pic above shows the board in question, with the chip part of a rumoured…

By Luke Plunkett Published March 17, 2010

What Are Halo Creators Making With ‘Bungie Aerospace’?

Halo creators Bungie are cooking up something new, something that, despite its new name, may not actually follow in the trail blazed by id Software’s John Carmack and involve shooting rockets into space. So what is Bungie Aerospace? Well, it’s not much more than a trademark spotted by Attack of the Fanboy while many of…

By Michael McWhertor Published March 15, 2010

Crackdown 2 Busting Heads In July

Ruffian Games and Microsoft do what they can to take care of the traditional summer gaming drought with Crackdown 2, heading to the Xbox 360 the first week of July. 2007’s free-roaming superhero cop game was a blockbuster hit, thanks in no small part to the inclusion of beta access to Halo 3 included in…

By Mike Fahey Published March 15, 2010

A Real Xbox 360 Coffin

When Xbox 360 conked out in the past, folks would send their Xbox 360s to Microsoft in cardboard boxes affectionately called “coffins”. Here is a real honest-to-goodness Xbox coffin. Designed by designer Alexis Vanamois, this Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death coffin is a final resting place for a dearly departed console. There’s even a…

By Brian Ashcraft Published March 15, 2010

Microsoft Seeks to Patent the DLC Upsell

A recent patent application describes a process in which an Xbox Live gamer, invited to a multiplayer session, but missing a critical piece to play (a map, a track, whatever), is offered and may buy it without dropping the invitation. There probably is something patentable in the technology that manages such an online state, which…

By Owen Good Published March 14, 2010