-
Dr. Ed Roberts, ‘Father of the PC’, Dies at 68
In 1975, Popular Electronics featured on its January cover a computer kit built for home enthusiasts, touted to cost at least $1,000 less than anything else. It was the Altair 8800. Its creator, Dr. Ed Roberts, died Thursday. Roberts’ creation is widely credited with kicking off the microcomputing boom of the latter quarter of the…
By Owen Good Published April 2, 2010 -
Would You Like A Gold-Dipped Xbox 360?
From the folks who gave the world the gold-dipped PS3 comes the gold-dipped…Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 and its controller have been plated with 24kt gold. King Midas is pleased. For those who might be in the market for a golden Xbox 360, know that the jeweler’s 24kt PS3 starts at US$4,999. Ballin’. Comparison shots…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 2, 2010 -
Gears of War Designer Won’t Carry Plastic Weapon On Talk Show
When game designer Cliff Bleszinski revealed Gears of War 2, he did it by ripping through a barrier with a Lancer chainsaw weapon at the 2008 Game Developers Conference. How about when he debuts his new game on Jimmy Fallon? “I shall not say ‘bigger better blah blah’ or carry any weaponry,” Bleszinski tweeted about…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 2, 2010 -
Microsoft Going After British Control Pad Company
Microsoft is taking a British peripheral manufacturer to court, alleging that the company – Datel – has “illegally copied” the publisher’s own Xbox 360 control pad designs. The case centres around two of Datel’s third-party Xbox 360 control pads, the TurboFire and WildFire, which Microsoft claim infringe upon a “number” of patents governing its own,…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 2, 2010 -
Why Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 DLC Launched Broken
When the Modern Warfare 2 “Stimulus Pack” downloadable content launched, it did not work. Surely there had to be a reason for that. Turns out, there is. Issues included: Multiplayer lobbies not working, images for maps not showing up and no option to play private matches. According to Xbox LIVE Operations Manager Eric Neustadter, the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published April 1, 2010 -
Why No Alan Wake On PC?
Supernatural thriller Alan Wake is being released on the Xbox 360, but once upon a time, it was also a PC game. That PC version is no more. Why? Well, the two teams responsible can’t seem to agree. Last month, publishers Microsoft released a statement saying the game was only coming to the 360 because…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 31, 2010 -
Former BBC Talk Show Host Confirms Fable III Role
Jonathan Ross, an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services in broadcasting, first mentioned role-playing game Fable III in May 2009. He said he “got asked” to do voice in Fable III. What was his answer? Via Twitter, Ross tweeted hours ago, “Gotta go. Am doing Fable3 today! What larks, Pip!” This…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 31, 2010 -
Alan Wake Motion Capture Expert Calls Heavy Rain “Visually Uneven”
PS3 exclusive Heavy Rain looks fantastic. Mark Carson, head of mo-cap specialist CaptiveMotion, told website VG247 that while the psychological thriller is “beautiful”, it is also “visually uneven”. Here’s the quote: “It’s beautiful and brilliant but visually uneven at points, which unfortunately is the nature of the industry because of the scope, budgets and time-frames…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 30, 2010 -
What Can 400 Microsoft Points Get You?
In a few hours, Modern Warfare 2’s first piece of downloadable content will become available. If you really, really must have it, chances are you’re going to have some spare change left over at the end of it. After all, the “Stimulus Pack” costs 1200 Microsoft Points, and many of you will be buying the…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 30, 2010 -
Rumor: Xbox 360’s USB Flash Drives Are, Yes, Expensive
Microsoft has a reputation for grossly over-charging for Xbox 360 storage solutions. Now that the console supports USB memory sticks, did you really think anything would change? A pair of listings on retail site GameStop indicate that Microsoft’s first-party flash drive offerings are running a little on the costly side. An 8GB stick is listed…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 30, 2010 -
No New Titles for Game Room Until Late April
New games will be added to the Xbox Live Game Room on a weekly basis – but those updates won’t begin until late April, according to a community manager in an official forum. That’s disappointing news for those anyone popped into Game Room after it launched last week, demoed a few free games and then…
By Owen Good Published March 29, 2010 -
Snoopy Flying Ace: High Road To Reminiscence
A brief hands-on with upcoming Xbox Live Arcade air combat game Snoopy Flying Ace at PAX East made me realize how badly I missed playing Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge. Snoopy Flying Ace, developed by Smart Bomb Interactive, is the follow-up to Snoopy vs. the Red Baron, a dog-fighting (sorry!) game for the PlayStation…
By Mike Fahey Published March 29, 2010 -
An Arcade In Every Home
I just got an arcade in my basement. It’s two floors of rooms, some themed to my favorite game makers, others made to look like a dungeon castle, a westen theme and even a room straight out of the 80s. The best part? It all fits neatly on my Xbox 360. The Game Room launched…
By Brian Crecente Published March 29, 2010 -
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