Microsoft

Japan Gets New “Value” Elite Xbox 360 Bundle

On October 29, Microsoft is releasing a new Xbox 360 Elite bundle in Japan. Packaged with Lost Planet Colonies and Ace Combat 6, this “value pack” is priced at ¥29,800 (US$330). Trust me, that’s a much better value when the US dollar isn’t in the toilet.

Our Hands All Over The Xbox 360 Dashboard Update

In case you missed them earlier today, our own Stephen Totilo spent some time with the preview for the next Xbox 360 Dahboard update, putting Facebook, Twitter, Last.FM, and streaming HD video to the test. Xbox 360 Update Hands-On: Facebook And Twitter Microsoft provided Kotaku with an early version of the November Xbox 360 dashboard…

Welcome To Halo Waypoint

Microsoft has released a new trailer and screenshots showcasing the Career Mode of Halo Waypoint, Xbox Live’s destination for everything Halo related, launching on November 5th for Xbox Live Gold and Silver subscribers. Yes, Xbox Live Silver subscribers will have access to Halo Waypoint, but only for a limited time. From the November 5th launch…

Windows 7: What Happened to Gaming?

In 2006, then Microsoft Vice President Peter Moore apologized for what he called a dereliction of duty to the company’s number one gaming platform: The PC. Now more than three years after promising, and some say failing, to deliver a PC gaming renaissance with the Vista operating system, Microsoft is set to roll out Windows…

Xbox Live Update Isn’t Limited to Just Twitter

The next Xbox Live update will deliver Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm, but, Ron Popeil style, wait, there’s more! According to an email from Microsoft, anyway. Get ready for news headlines and dedicated music stores in the Xbox Live dashboard. Since Microsoft expressly said we’re not forbidden from discussing this, why not? U.S. Xbox Live users…

Real Racers Talk Forza 3

In these two new videos, F1 driver Stephane Sarrazin and Takata time attack driver James Elterman discuss the level of realism Turn 10 has packed into Forza Motorsports 3. The story of James Elterman finding a cheap livery designer via the Forza community forums is inspiring, but I’m much more interested in watching Peugeot 908…

Rare: ‘Who Knows” Why Donkey Kong 64 Hasn’t Hit the VC

Who knows? Maybe it has something to do with Rare being owned by Microsoft, and it and Nintendo being unable to decide who divides the loot. But yeah, answering a reader question, they don’t know what the deal is either. Asked in the latest RARE Scribes mailbag why Donkey Kong 64 isn’t on the Wii…

Sign Up To Test Zune, Facebook, And Twitter On Your 360

As with previous major updates to Xbox Live, Microsoft is offering you a chance to try out new features like Zune integration, Facebook, and Twitter before everyone else gets their grubby paws on them. It’s the triumphant return of the Xbox Live Preview Program, and everybody is invited! Invited to apply that is, but Major…

Grand Theft Auto IV Is On Demand

Xbox 360 owners no longer need to leave their homes to commit heinous crimes, as Grand Theft Auto IV joins the Games on Demand lineup at a price that’s actually rather reasonable. Now the mean streets of Liberty City are only a 7GB download and $29.99 away from the net-connected Xbox 360 owner. The $30…

Facebook, Twitter Launch Nov. 17 on UK Xbox Live

This splash page on Xbox Live’s U.K. portal says its Twitter and Facebook service will launch on Nov. 17. We assume that includes the Last.FM update as well. Crecente got a look at Facebook on Xbox Live at Tokyo Game Show. A firmware update preparing the Xbox Live dashboard for the three services went out…

Big Halo 3 ODST Sales And The Return Of Master Chief

With Halo 3: ODST selling 2.5 million copies within two weeks of release, Microsoft talks to USA Today about the future of the franchise, merchandising, and the possibly return of Master Chief. The Halo franchise has sold more than 25 million copies combined so far, with Halo 3: ODST, the recently released standalone game, making…

Show Your NFL Pride On Xbox Live

If anyone was crazy enough to spend $4 on a tiny virtual football jersey it’s those whacky NFL Football fans. The Xbox Avatar Store now contains football jersey’s for each of the thirty-two current NFL teams, each coming in both male and female versions, courtesy of Madden NFL 10. From the amazing Philadelphia Eagles to…

Xbox 360 May Get Its Own Avatar Arcade

The Xbox 360 may be getting its own retro-themed arcade space, an environment that looks remarkably similar to the one competitor Sony offers in PlayStation Home. The above pictures come from a rumored survey hinting at an “AvatArcade.” The name AvatArcade, despite its awkward camel-capping, is one of the better naming options being surveyed, according…

Details About Project Natal Pricing Emerge

At an Microsoft event today in New York City, exec Robbie Bach talked about how the pricing for the upcoming motion controls Project Natal will work. According to Variety, Bach said that the pricing will start high and decrease over time. “Relative to Natal,” said Bach, “we’ll see how the pricing cost works out. But…

360’s Next-Gen Wireless Out Nov. 3?

GameStop is taking preorders for the Xbox 360 Wireless N adapter, whose existence was recently confirmed, but for which no launch date was given. It ships Nov. 3, says GameStop. For those not in the know, the 802.11n standard is a step up from the plebeian 802.11g. The other piece of news, this new product…

GTA IV, Left 4 Dead, Street Fighter IV Become ‘Platinum Hits’

Microsoft has decided that a fresh batch of Xbox 360 titles have earned the necessary amount of greatness to become “Platinum Hits,” garnering them a cheaper asking price and not so horrible, slightly modified box art. The new Xbox 360 Platinum Hits inductees are Grand Theft Auto IV, Street Fighter IV, Left 4 Dead, Saints…

Molyneux, Asked About Natal/Fable, Jokes About His Assassination

Sure, Peter Molyneux‘s studio is developing Milo, the proof-of-concept Microsoft used to unveil Project Natal at E3. But he’s clear he “never said” Fable III wouldn’t incorporate Natal. Then he jokes about being eliminated for discussing it. In an interview at the PICNIC Conference in the Netherlands last week, Molyneux’s interviewer basically stipulates that there…

Stardock Boss Hauls off on Games for Windows Live

A recent apparent full-throated defense of Glenn Beck hasn’t left Stardock CEO Brad Wardell with a shortage of vehemence. He lashed out at Games for Windows Live, its certification process and the payments it requires to keep games patched and running. In an interview with Shacknews, Wardell was asked if he knew why Microsoft wasn’t…

Microsoft: Motion Is the New Multiplayer

While Project Natal, and its ability to allow Xbox 360 gamers to play video games completely free of a controller, will launch as a niche of sorts on the platform, Microsoft believes it will one day become the norm. Motion control, Microsoft Game Studios’ corporate vice president Phil Spencer told Kotaku, will change what gamers…

Peter Molyneux Haaaates Demos

Designer of the Fable series, Peter Molyneux is not a fan of game demos. Don’t freak out just yet — he has a good reason why. “Now, I hate demos,” Molyneux tells website Edge Online. “I think demos are the death knell of experiences. Over the years I’ve done demos and they’ve either completely ruined…