Microsoft - Page 221 of 238

Microsoft Handheld A Matter Of “When”

While there’s always been a lot of chatter surrounding the possibility of Microsoft entering the handheld gaming space, Microsoft themselves have always been rather evasive on the subject. Which is why these comments from Shane Kim are so surprising. In an interview with Kikizo, the Microsoft man opens up a little, saying “For us, it’s…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 17, 2009

Microsoft Gears Up For Fall Opening Of Retail Stores

Those Microsoft retail stores we’ve seen and been told about are going to stop popping up near Apple stores this fall, Microsoft told Cnet. “As we progress on our retail strategy there will be scenarios where we have stores in proximity to Apple,” a representative told CNET News. “We are on track to open stores…

By Brian Crecente Published July 17, 2009

Microsoft Closes Game Development Program

Microsoft have been getting into user-created gaming in a big way of late. First Xbox LIVE Community Games, then Kodu. Which means they have little use for their original games creator, Popfly. Released to minimal fanfare last year as a set of templates upon which people could build games with little or no programming experience,…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 17, 2009

Xbox Live Update: Games On Demand, Netflix Movie Party & More

Next week, Microsoft will be previewing some of the new Xbox Live changes it announced at E3, updates that include improvements to Netflix streaming, Xbox 360 games on demand, an Avatar Marketplace and a whole lot more. That preview will roll out to media and select Xbox Live community members starting Monday. It includes new…

By Michael McWhertor Published July 16, 2009

Crackdown Wasn’t The Success You Think It Was

Crackdown was awesome! And it had a Halo 3 multiplayer beta key included! So it did great business for Microsoft and developers Realtime, right? Nope. Not even close. “With Crackdown we sold about 1.5 million copies, but even at that we pretty much only managed to break even,” says Dave Jones, boss of developers Realtime…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 15, 2009

Gates Wants to Bring Natal Tech to PC

Microsoft’s Project Natal, the motion-sensing game controls for the Xbox 360 unveiled at E3, is also being developed for PC use, Bill Gates told Cnet in a recent interview. It doesn’t, however, sound like the PC applications for the tech are about gaming, at least not yet. “I think the value is as great for…

By Brian Crecente Published July 15, 2009

PC Version Of Alan Wake Is Up To Microsoft

Alan Wake is coming to Xbox 360, that we know. But will it also be coming to the PC? Maybe. Just maybe. But if it does, that’s a decision to be made by Microsoft, not developers Remedy. Alan Wake fansite BrightFalls claims to have received a statement from the developers, which reads: Thank you for…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 15, 2009

Microsoft Showing “Exciting Unannounced Project” At Comic-Con

Comic-Con’s not typically an event one attends expecting to hear about the latest game announcements, but Microsoft is bringing with it something as yet unannounced, according to an invite from the Xbox 360 maker. Microsoft will be showcasing the already announced Halo 3: ODST, Alan Wake, The Beatles: Rock Band, Left 4 Dead 2 and…

By Michael McWhertor Published July 14, 2009

Fight Historic Battles In The Next Halo Wars DLC

Explore the history of the UNSC/Covenant War through bloody battle this month, with four new skirmish maps for Halo Wars in the Historic Battle add-on pack. While the first round of Halo Wars downloadable content focused on new game modes, the Historic Battle pack is all about delivering new places to strategically kill the enemy.…

By Mike Fahey Published July 14, 2009

Microsoft To Launch Streaming Music Service, Could Hit 360

Microsoft have announced that they’re working on a streaming music service, similar to Europe’s Spotify, which should be ready to go by the end of this month. We’re interested because it could hit the Xbox 360. Peter Bale, executive producer of MSN, told The Telegraph that the Microsoft service would be similar to Spotify, “but…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 14, 2009

Indies Being Shut Out Of Xbox Live Arcade? [Update]

Having spoken with several “concerned” developers, Screen Play is reporting that Microsoft have begun to “dramatically reduce” the number of independent titles they publish on Xbox Live Arcade. It’s believed that the crackdown is a response to fears that there’s simply too much stuff available on the service, and that major publishers are behind the…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 13, 2009

Xbox UK Boss: The 360 is not a Child’s Toy

In an interview, Neil Thompson, Microsoft’s regional Xbox director for the United Kingdom, says console makers have a responsibility to educate the public on the meanings of game ratings and the ability to restrict them. Asked if most parents still held the impression that a game console is, primarily, a kid’s toy, “the simple answer…

By Owen Good Published July 12, 2009

Reviews

Kodu Game Lab Micro-Review: Baby’s First Game Development Kit

Who says you have to go to college for an expensive game developer’s education? Microsoft Research’s Kodu puts the power of a dev kit right in your hand for a mere $5. Kodu Game Lab isn’t a video game, per se, but a lot of the pre-packaged worlds that come with the Game Lab certainly…

By AJ Glasser Published July 10, 2009

Seems The 360 Avatar Editor Is More Popular Than We First Thought

Some people probably used the 360’s avatar creator when they first got hold of the New Xbox Experience, and that was that. One use only. But other people use it a bit more often. Xbox Australia have recently begun displaying their own localised version of the “top 10 games on Live” chart normally seen on…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 7, 2009

Dirt 2 PC Delayed For DirectX 11

The PC version of Colin McRae: Dirt 2 is being driven to December in order to make sure the title supports the hardware tessellation, multi-threading and Shader Model 5.0 technology coming in DirectX 11. DirectX 11 already? Most games are still trying to catch up to DirectX 10 support, but Codemasters wants to make sure…

By Mike Fahey Published July 6, 2009

Tecmo Koei: Xbox 360 Is Doing “Well” In Japan

Remember when the Xbox 360 launched in Japan? Boy, that was embarrassing! Microsoft has turned things around of late and found a small degree of success in the region. “Xbox 360 as a business is doing better than the old Xbox,” Tecmo Koei boss Kenji Matsubara tells game site Kikizo. “They have a good opportunity…

By Brian Ashcraft Published July 4, 2009

Microsoft Comments On 360 Dash Advertisements

Following the revelation yesterday that the company would later this year be placing advertisements on Xbox Live, Microsoft have moved to assure users that the ads will “enhance, not interfere” with their experience. Posting on his blog, Microsoft’s Larry Hryb has said: I need to let you know that you don’t need to worry about…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 1, 2009

Microsoft Sued Over Xbox Live

In 1994, Peter Hochstein and Jeffrey Tenenbaum patented a method for “communicating live while playing the same video game in separate locations”. In 2004, they sued Microsoft, accusing Xbox Live of infringing on that patent. Now, five years later, the case is finally starting to heat up. See, unlike many other cases of this ilk…

By Luke Plunkett Published July 1, 2009

Celebrate Your Independence With Double Gears 2 XP

What better way to celebrate Independence Day weekend than sitting inside an air-conditioned house gathering twice the normal experience points in Gears of War 2? With Title Update 4 dropping just in time for America to celebrate its independence from British tyranny, which seems a bit silly now that we look back, now is the…

By Mike Fahey Published July 1, 2009

Band Of Bugs Thrusts Your Avatar Into Battle

Be a part of an elite insectoid military force next week, when NinjaBee introduces Xbox 360 avatar support for strategy title Band of Bugs, along with an entirely new game released as DLC. Developer NinjaBee delivered one of the earliest avatar-supporting Xbox Live Arcade titles in A Kingdom for Keflings, and now they’re putting your…

By Mike Fahey Published July 1, 2009