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Microsoft Confirms that 2 GB is the New 50 MB
My how they grow fast, don’t they? Originally, Microsoft said that Xbox Live Arcade titles should be 50 megabytes or less. Today they’ve bulged well past the 1 GB barrier. Microsoft has confirmed that 2 gigs is the new max. At Tokyo Game Show, IGN brought up the ballooning size of XBLA games in an…
By Owen Good -
Seven Japanese Developers Discuss Their Visions of Project Natal
Microsoft has released seven quick-take videos of top-flight Japanese developers discussing Project Natal and the opportunities they see in it for the next generation of game development. Keiji Inafune, of Capcom, sees Natal as a way to expand the means of control beyond the “limited interface,” a standard controller. Tecmo’s Keisuke Kikuchi sees Natal as…
By Owen Good -
Brutal Legend and Forza Demos Hit Xbox Live
Two highly anticipated demos make their way onto Xbox Live today, with Brutal Legend escaping from preorder exclusive hell and Forza 3 edging closer to the finish line. Free up some hard disk space as two of the most eagerly awaited games get their demo on. The heavy metal action of the Brutal Legend demo…
By Mike Fahey -
EA Stock Soars On Microsoft Buyout Rumors
Rumors can be powerful forces in the economy, as evidenced by an 8.1 percent rise in Electronic Arts stock today following unsubstantiated rumors that Microsoft was interested in buying the publisher out. What analysts and strategists are calling “unsubstantiated chatter” had a profound effect on EA stock today, rising 8.1 percent to $20.01 during Nasdaq…
By Mike Fahey -
360’s New Wi-Fi will be $100; Old WiFi to get Price Cut
The 802.11n adapter whose development Microsoft recently confirmed will cost you one benjamin. The existing 802.11g adapter will get a haircut and cost $79.99. That’s according to Ars Technica’s trusty, and unnamed, “Mole.” The new adapter, and its ability to stream 1080p video, is tied to Microsoft’s upcoming Zune video store update to Xbox Live…
By Owen Good -
Firmware Update Hits the 360
An Xbox 360 firmware update went live overnight/early this morning. Although it lays the foundation for the 360’s Facebook and Twitter capabilities, no new features are included in this download. Major Nelson confirmed the new firmware in a late-night post; also, for any of our friends who were up late and gaming and found the…
By Owen Good -
Get Your Free Halo 3: O.D.S.T. Premium Theme
Your Xbox 360 looks fine while playing Halo 3: O.D.S.T., but what about when you stop playing and return to the dashboard? Microsoft has you covered with a mostly free premium theme. It’s a new Halo game, and to celebrate, there’s a new Halo theme, featuring the sights of O.D.S.T.’s New Mombasa. It’s yours free…
By Mike Fahey -
Halo Composer Wrote Jingles for Flintstones Vitamins, Tidy Cats
A profile by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, calling Marty O’Donnell the John Williams of the Halo series, turns up this tidbit: He wrote the Flintstones Vitamins jingle (which you now have stuck in your head) and his kids sang the chorus. That’s not news to hardcore fans (it’s all over the Halo wikis), but O’Donnell’s past…
By Owen Good -
Get Cash Back On Your Xbox 360 Elite
Microsoft sweetens the deal on the newly $299 Xbox 360, offering a $50 rebate on all Elite consoles purchased between now and October 5th. It’s 14 days of savings! Simply purchase an Xbox 360 Elite at the regular price, visit http://www.xbox.com/eliterebate (once it goes live), jump through whatever hoops they require you to jump through…
By Mike Fahey -
Microsoft Confirms 802.11n Wi-Fi Adapter
An FCC listing last week showed it had reviewed an official 802.11n wireless adapter Microsoft’s developing for the 360. A flier in an Italian Gears of War 2 pointed to the same thing. The company has formally confirmed its existence. Microsoft gave the statement to Joystiq earlier today but did not divulge a release date…
By Owen Good -
One Web Series’ Success on XBL Doesn’t Mean Others Will Follow
“The Guild” might be a hit on Xbox Live, but don’t look for it to inspire many imitators. A senior Microsoft executive says the sponsorship deal it was able to wangle was rare, and such deals are hard to swing. Ross Honey the general manager of global content acquisition and strategy in Microsoft’s media and…
By Owen Good -
Frankenreview: Halo 3: O.D.S.T.
Halo Wars showed us that a Halo game in a different genre can do moderately well without Master Chief, but a first-person shooter? Can O.D.S.T. pull that off? Master Chief is such an iconic gaming figure that it almost seems wrong to have an FPS with the Halo name on it without him. It’s like…
By Mike Fahey -
Rare: “We’re Long Past the Stage” where Goldeneye Deal is Feasible
The long, sad tale of bringing the groundbreaking shooter Goldeneye to Nintendo’s Virtual Console, or Xbox Live Arcade, appears to have ended long ago, with a whimper. Addressing a reader question about Goldeneye ever getting an agreement between Nintendo and Microsoft, releasing it to current generation consoles, Rare said, alas, no. That was some time…
By Owen Good -
Scrapped Halo MMO’s title: ‘Halo Universe’?
Dylan Cole, an artist formerly with Ensemble Studios, has on his personal Web site some concept pieces for a canceled Halo project that may or may not have been called “Halo Universe.” Ensemble of course was the muscle behind a Halo MMO that was greenlighted and then scrapped sometime last year. Cole’s pictures (two are…
By Owen Good