Microsoft

Two-Year-Old Girl Offered For Sale Over Xbox Live

Over the weekend, pranksters spammed Xbox Live users with a message advertising the sale of 23 year-old Christa Manos’ baby girl. The message included her phone number. Manos is not impressed. She was soon fielding angry, abusive phone calls from parents across the United States, some berating her for being a terrible parent, others content…

360 Avatars Go A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Western

It’s OK, Americans. Those European football shirts weren’t your thing. This, then, is your thing, a new “Western Wear” collection of avatar clothing that’ll have you reaching for an official Microsoft-branded six-shooter. Least, we wish it did. Something Deadwood would have been nice. Some big moustaches, gun belts, maybe a poncho or two. Maybe Lee…

Microsoft Sued For $90 Million Over Halo Patent Infringement Claim

New York based PalTalk Holdings filed suit against Microsoft over two years ago, claiming that the company violated two patents with its Xbox Live service, singling out the multiplayer infrastructure of its Halo games. PalTalk wants $90 million from Microsoft, a case which went to trial in Texas this week, according to a report from…

Xbox Live Arcade File Restrictions Just Don’t Matter Anymore

Once was a time Microsoft were very stingy with how big a game downloaded from Xbox Live Arcade could be. These days, though? Don’t worry about it, publishers, knock yourselves out. Old-timers on the 360 front will remember a time that Xbox Live Arcade games had to come in under 50MB. That 50MB was then…

Ensemble Says Goodbye With Halo Wars Concept Art

Now that Halo Wars is out the door and Ensemble Studios has gone the way of the dinosaur, former employees of the developer have seen fit to release some of the game’s lovely concept art. There’s some spectacular stuff here, worthy of desktop wallpapering, visual inspiration for many of the game’s gorgeous cut scenes. Perhaps…

Rumor: Xbox 360 Elite To Become Xbox 360 Extinct

Microsoft may be putting the Xbox 360 Elite out to pasture, letting stock of its high-end version of the console slowly deplete, saving the hardware configuration for limited edition releases only. According to Fudzilla, citing retail sources, Microsoft may be making the decision to whittle down its hardware lineup to accommodate retailer concerns and as…

Dubai Airport Getting Microsoft E-Zone

The Dubai bubble might have burst, but don’t tell Microsoft. The company is rolling out an Xbox 360 corner of Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 3 Emirates Business Lounge. The new “e-zone” is slated to get a custom Xbox 360 racing simulator — along with Microsoft Surface. At least business execs have something to amuse themselves…

Xbox Live Ushering In Weeks Of “Days Of Arcade”

Microsoft is kicking off the sequel to its Xbox Live Summer of Arcade, ushering in a batch of long-promised XBLA titles starting March 18. First up? Hasbro Family Game Night. Boom goes the dynamite! Alright, that may not get many of you as psyched as the impending release of Outrun Online Arcade or Lode Runner,…

Microsoft: 75% Of Parents Think Gaming Is Beneficial

Microsoft’s second annual Play Smart, Play Safe campaign survey results are in, with UK parents overwhelmingly agreeing that video games have a beneficial effect on their children and families. Microsoft’s Play Smart, Play Safe study polled children and parents in the UK on different aspects of the parent/child gaming experience. While the poll did reveal…

The New Xbox Experience Will Soon Be Mandatory

Most people are more than happy with the improvements the New Xbox Experience brought to the Xbox 360‘s user interface. Those unhappy, well, tough: it’s about to become compulsory. Up til now, those who didn’t like the looks of the NXE could, in theory, keep their consoles off Xbox Live and keep rockin’ the blades…

Why Did Only Xbox 360 Resident Evil 5 Go On Sale First?

The above picture was taken at major Japanese retailer Bic Camera on March 4. Resident Evil 5 does not go on sale on March 4 in Japan, but on March 5. While street dates are commonly broken in North America or places like Dubai, it much less common in Japan. What is bothering some Japanese…

Xbox Live Gold Membership Price Dropped (Temporarily)

Price conscious tipsters have been asking us “Did Microsoft just drop the annual fee for Xbox Live Gold membership?” Despite cheaper subscription rates showing on Xbox.com, Microsoft says the drop is “for a limited time.” “We are currently running a promotion in-dash that gives Silver members a special opportunity to upgrade to the full benefits…

Batman: Arkham Asylum Does Games For Windows Live

The official Games For Windows website proudly announces that the PC version of Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Asylum will be a Games for Windows Live title. This means Games for Windows Live players of Batman: Arkham Asylum will be able to earn Gamerscore points by unlocking achievements, and really that’s about it. There’s Live connectivity, but…

Netflix Outside Of The US? Yeah, Probably Not…

Is Netflix on 360 any good? Not being American, I wouldn’t know! One day, though, I’d like to see the service offered outside of North America. But that doesn’t sound likely. In an interview with Eurogamer, Xbox UK boss Neil Thompson has said: Netflix is a great deal in the US, and we’re looking at…

Have Microsoft Stopped Sending Out Boxes For 360 Repairs?

It’s been standard practice for a while now that, if your 360 broke, Microsoft would send you a box, so you could send your console back in. But a Consumerist report today claims otherwise. They cite the story of reader Zach, who says: My Xbox red-ringed for the second time this weekend. Which is almost…

Msoft: I Doubt We’ve Seen the Last of Master Chief

Speaking to USA Today, Halo franchise development director Frank O’Connor hints that we may have more Master Chief in store for us in the future. “I doubt we have seen the last of Master Chief,” O’Connor told the paper. The bulk of the article is about upcoming Halo 3: ODST, which O’Connor says is significantly…

Why Capcom Bet 360, And Not PS3 Or Wii

Sure, these days Capcom are true multiplatform developers, but for a while they, they were leaning 360. Dead Rising, Lost Planet, both were originally 360-only. So why did a Japanese developer make that call? Capcom talisman Keiji Inafune – the creator of Mega Man, Onimusha and Dead Rising – explains that, despite a lot of…

Europe Gets Red 360 Controller In Time For Resident Evil 5

Microsoft cleverly ties-in existing product to a major game release, timing the European debut of the red Xbox 360 controller to coincide with the release of Resident Evil 5. In a clever bit of release scheduling magic, the same limited-edition red Xbox 360 controller and play and charge kit that has been sitting on North…

The Halo Universe Expanded: Part One

In the first of a new series of videos dealing with the expansion of the Halo universe, members of Ensemble, and the gaming press talk Halo history. The Halo universe isn’t just Master Chief. I know, I know; that’s a hard fact for some fans to swallow. Between the novels, the first-person shooter trilogy, and…

US Xbox Service Ends A Calendar Day Before Japan’s

On March 3, Microsoft service repairs for the original Xbox ceases. The same happens for American users on March 2. While service repair ends, other technical support such as documents and content will be available to all customers. “If you have an original Xbox console that is in Warranty that requires a repair,” Microsoft stated,…