Microsoft

IPTV On The 360? It’s Still Up In The Air!

2007. CES. Microsoft get a few people excited with mention of an IPTV service for the 360. British Telecom will be the first to offer it. Years pass, however, and we hear nothing. Until now! The subject has again popped up, again at CES, and…things haven’t gotten very far. Microsoft are still saying squat (SQUAT!!)…

By Luke Plunkett Published January 12, 2009

Braid Theme Costs Money, Braid Developer Sorry

The Xbox 360 has “premium themes”, which will tart up your 360’s menu in exchange for money. A premium theme based on Braid has just been released, and costs money. And Braid’s creator is sorry. Sorry that it costs you money, anyway (it’s a nice enough looking theme). Writing on the game’s blog, creator Jonathan…

By Luke Plunkett Published January 12, 2009

Here’s a Baseball Bat. Oh, by the Way, You Won

We’ve gotten more than one note that Grand Theft Auto IV bats are arriving as prizes for a contest no one was ever told they’d won. At least, that’s what we think this is. Maybe it’s a message? Way back in the 1980s I saw this episode of Philip Marlowe: Private Eye on HBO and…

By Owen Good Published January 10, 2009

Fable II Bug Fix Patch Finally Live

Lionhead’s announced that a patch finally fixing a slew of bugs – including the infamous unresponsive abbott in Monk’s Quest – has gone live today. And good news! No one will assassinate your child anymore! Here’s the full list of what’s fixed: • The Ritual/Monk’s Quest – Fixed the issue with the Abbott becoming unresponsive…

By Owen Good Published January 10, 2009

Nintendo, Microsoft Sued Over Parental Control System

All three current generation consoles have a form of parental lock-out controls. They’re a good idea. A good idea that has, however, landed Nintendo and Microsoft in court. Around Christmas time, 36 companies – including Best Buy, Dell, DirecTV, Motorola, Tivo and Wal-Mart – were sued by Guardian Media Technologies, who hold a patent for…

By Luke Plunkett Published January 9, 2009

CES 09: Microsoft Responds To Sony’s Console Add-On “Peddling” Claims

Earlier this week, Sony sent us an oddly timed media bulletin, trumpeting the PlayStation 3’s value versus the Wii and Xbox 360. It also accused Nintendo and Microsoft of “peddling add-ons.” What say you, Microsoft? “First, I would say we absolutely would not want to trade places with Sony,” said Aaron Greenberg, group product manager…

By Michael McWhertor Published January 9, 2009

CES 09: What Did Microsoft And Sony Bring To Vegas?

Games! Or, I should say, games. Mostly older games, but games nonetheless. CES isn’t the place for four year-old tech like the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. But that doesn’t mean they’re totally absent. Killzone 2, for example, is playable in Sony’s big booth, as is Resistance: Retribution. Microsoft brought pre-release builds of Warhammer 40,000:…

By Michael McWhertor Published January 9, 2009

Once Again, Microsoft Explains Why It Won’t Go Blu-ray

Blu-ray won the format war. One HD game console (the PS3) already uses the format. The other one (the Xbox 360) doesn’t. Microsoft says it plans to keep it that way. We’ve heard this before. Microsoft isn’t going Blu-ray. Still, Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft’s Entertainment & Devices Division, lays out three years why the…

By Brian Ashcraft Published January 9, 2009

Federal Trade Commission Weighs In On DRM – Gamers, Speak Up

Now’s your chance to tell the FTC how you feel about Digital Rights Management technologies – the Commission has opened up a comment form to the public. “All timely and responsive public comments, whether filed in paper or electronic form, will be considered by the Commission, and will be placed on the public record of…

By AJ Glasser Published January 8, 2009

Here’s Your 2009 Consumer Electronics Show Coverage

The 2009 Consumer Electronics Show officially kicked off today and our very own Mike McWhertor is feet down, hands-on at the show with an eye towards gaming do-dads, announcements and goodies. Even though we’re only one day into the show there has already been some interesting news shaking loose from the show. Here’s a break…

By Brian Crecente Published January 8, 2009

There Are 25 Million Copies Of Halo In The Wild

Yup, more from Robbie Bach’s supporting role during yesterday’s Microsoft CES keynote. While rappin’, he announced that since the release of the first Halo, over 25 million games in the series have been sold. That’s across all three games across both platforms, so we’re looking at an average of five million sales for each. Impressive!…

By Luke Plunkett Published January 8, 2009

Kodu CES Presentation Clip

Kodu is Microsoft’s crack at this whole user-generated content thing. Technically, it looks promising! But my Lord, XNA title or not, those visuals need some work.

By Luke Plunkett Published January 8, 2009

Free Gears of War 2 Flashback Map Pack Now For Sale

That’s Gears of War 2 Flashback Map Pack is now available on Xbox LIVE Markeplace. Remember that? The five maps are 400 Microsoft Points (US$5). Not a bad deal. These maps were supposed to be available for free only to those who purchased the game new at GameStop game retailers. Well, there the formerly free…

By Brian Ashcraft Published January 8, 2009

Microsoft Inch Further Up The LittleBigPlanet Bandwagon With Kodu

Remember last year, we brought word of “Buko”, an XNA title that Microsoft were quietly showing off which sounded suspiciously like LittleBigPlanet? Well it’s not quiet anymore, they just showed it during the CES keynote. Renamed “Kodu”, the game admittedly looks nothing like LittleBigPlanet. In fact, it’s not even really as much a game as…

By Luke Plunkett Published January 7, 2009

[Update] Halo Wars Demo Dated, Release Brought Forward

Microsoft’s Robbie Bach just announced during the company’s CES keynote that a demo for Ensemble’s swansong title, Halo Wars on the 360, will be made available for download on Xbox Live on February 5. What’s more, he announced that Halo Wars would be out on February 28, instead of the previously-announced March 3, bringing the…

By Luke Plunkett Published January 7, 2009

CES 09: Liveblogging Microsoft’s CES Keynote: Just The Games

Keynotes have changed. Microsoft’s 2009 CES keynote is being helmed by CEO Steve Ballmer, the first not to be delivered by founder Bill Gates. It’s also going to be light on video game content. That’s why we’re taking it easy this year. We’re expecting little more than some Halo-related announcements and word to drop on…

By Michael McWhertor Published January 7, 2009

Microsoft Dates PlayStation 3 Price Drop For Springtime

The PlayStation 3 will get a price drop in 2009. It just has to if Sony wants the console to keep up, install base-wise. Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg agrees and expects a cheaper PS3 within months. He tells Edge Online that Microsoft is planning on its console competition becoming more price competitive in 2009. Not really…

By Michael McWhertor Published January 7, 2009

Microsoft Planning “Significant” Cuts, Source Says Layoff Reports “Exaggerated”

Xbox 360 manufacturer Microsoft is reported to be jumping on the cost-cutting bandwagon, according to reports from CNBC. Said to be pursuing “significant” savings measures, spokespeople say that reports of mass layoffs are greatly exaggerated. Over the past week, reports from other sources, namely Fudzilla, pegged the Redmond giant as laying off as much as…

By Michael McWhertor Published January 6, 2009

New Ninja Blade Screens And Ninja Blade Facts

Microsoft has releases a storm of new Ninja Blade screenshots showing off just how silly Ryu Haybusa would look without the mouth piece of his Ninja Outfit. Sure the action looks intense and the enemies look immense…none of this matters when your main character looks like he rode the short bus to ninja school. The…

By Mike Fahey Published January 6, 2009

Gears 2 Should Be Fixed Later This Month

We loved Gears of War 2. Nearly gave it our game of the year award! But one thing we don’t like is that, for some people, the game’s online play is all screwed up. Epic are aware that it’s screwed up, have heard your shrieking, and have today responded. Posting on the company’s forums, Mark…

By Luke Plunkett Published January 6, 2009