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Nerd Artist Gives The Xbox A Long-Overdue Makeover
Artist Cory Schmitz has, just for fun, taken the idea of redesigning the Xbox “brand” and run with it. I like where he’s ended up. Maintaining the green and prominent “X”, just about everything else we associate with the platform’s marketing is gone, replaced with something far cleaner and more distinct. Just, literally, an X…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 22, 2013 -
The Xbox Team Just Hired A Very Classy Designer
Andrew Kim turned a lot of heads last year with a bold redesign of Microsoft’s corporate branding, a vision and set of logos far braver (and classier) than what Microsoft eventually came up with for products like Windows 8 and Surface. It was all unofficial “fan” work, of course, but things just got a little…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 20, 2013 -
Report: Microsoft Replacing Xbox Chat With Skype For Next Console
According to “A person familiar with the matter”, website CVG is reporting that, as part of Microsoft’s continuing efforts to consolidate Skype (which it now owns) as the standard communications platform for the company’s products, it’ll “become the default chat service on the next generation Xbox console”. What would this mean, exactly? Who knows, the…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 16, 2013 -
Free Downloads For Those Bitten By Buggy Walking Dead Game
Telltale’s The Walking Dead game may have won its share of year-end awards and accolades, but it’s not without some problems. Notably, the game can be quite buggy, particularly the disc-based, retail Xbox 360 version. The game’s designer Telltale is now running an amends program for anyone struck by “hitching” in the game, which is…
By Kirk Hamilton Published January 9, 2013 -
Xbox Support Staff Say They Were Fired After Posting About Their Jobs On Kotaku
If you do customer support for Microsoft, don’t post about it on this website. You’ll probably lose your job. Over the past week, I’ve been in touch with two former Xbox support staff. Both people, who asked that we not use their names, say they were fired for writing comments about their jobs on Kotaku.…
By Jason Schreier Published January 9, 2013 -
This Dude’s Penis Is Stuck In His Xbox And Other Amazing Xbox Support Trolls
Last week I wrote about a silly Twitter exchange between Xbox support and a prankster that pretended to have an issue with an Xbox when in fact he had a PS2. Someone suggested that I look at Xbox support’s favstar, which is a service that tracks a Twitter user’s ‘favorites’ with that account. Turns out,…
By Patricia Hernandez Published January 7, 2013 -
I Don’t Envy What Xbox Support Has to Put Up With
Xbox support has a Twitter account—it’s very helpful and responsive, in my experience! But sometimes, the stuff they have to put up with is so idiotic that I can’t believe how patient they are. I know I couldn’t be after this exchange on Twitter. [View the story "Xbox Support" on Storify] A bigger picture of…
By Patricia Hernandez Published January 3, 2013 -
Microsoft Just Bought a Company That'll Help the Xbox Win Your Living Room
Microsoft just bought R2 Studios, a company that Apple and Google were both after, to help the Xbox continue its assault on living rooms across the world. R2 Studios, which was founded by Blake Krikorian (the guy who also made the Slingbox), apparently “works on” technology related to distributing and displaying digital media on televisions.…
By Casey Chan Published January 2, 2013 -
You Don’t Often Get A Chance To Own An Xbox As Cool As This
Howard Phillips may be a Nintendo legend, but after he left that company in the early 90’s he would eventually find his way to Microsoft in time to play a key role in the launch of the original Xbox. Which explains why he’s now selling one of the coolest Xbox lots I’ve ever seen on…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 1, 2013 -
If Your Xbox Cloud Saving Had Issues Last Week, You Get A Free Month Of Gold Membership
Maybe you were playing a game on Xbox Live last week and you tried to save online. Maybe it didn’t work. Maybe you are cursing at the skies, wondering why you ever relied on this newfangled “cloud” technology when back in your day all you needed was a pen, paper, and a string of meaningless…
By Jason Schreier Published December 31, 2012 -
How To Sneak Behind The Wheel Of A Pelican Dropship In Halo 4
Ever since I crash-landed in one in Halo: Combat Evolved, I’ve had a soft spot for those big ol’ UNSC Pelican dropships. As it turns out, it’s possible for three players to team up in the campaign level “Reclaimer” and hop behind the wheel of one, despite the fact that the story doesn’t call for…
By Kirk Hamilton Published December 28, 2012 -
Dark Souls II Introduces a New Hero, a New World, New Multiplayer and a New Game Director
Dark Souls II, the surprise sequel announced at Friday’s Spike TV Video Game Awards, is going to be tough, its creators promised in a press release. That’s to be expected. But here’s a surprise: the series’ creator, From Software’s Hidetaka Miyazaki, will serve only as a supervisor on the sequel, while the game will actually…
By Stephen Totilo Published December 8, 2012 -
I’ve Played 4 1/2 Hours of BioShock Infinite. I’m No Longer Worried About This Game
We’ve all waited a long time for a new BioShock, an even longer time for one overseen by Ken Levine, whose Irrational Games studio created the original 2007 sensation. On Thursday in Los Angeles, I didn’t have to wait any longer. I got to play BioShock Infinite, from the start, on a PlayStation 3. I…
By Stephen Totilo Published December 7, 2012 -
Men Massaging Each Other With Video Game Controllers
The DualShock. When you look at the original PlayStation controller, you probably see an iconic game controller. These guys see something they can press into each other’s backs. Mitsuhiro Saitou, a writer from Japanese site Daily Portal, became a pro masseur. With his newfound knowledge of pressure points, he decided to see if the original…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 7, 2012 -
Skulk, Stab and Speed Through Dishonored’s Dunwall City Trials Trailer
Revenge may solve everything, according to Dishonored‘s marketing spiel. But it doesn’t fill the burning need to teleport, slow down time or possess enemies once you’ve finished Arkane’s masterpiece. Thankfully, DLC that lets you craft more gloriously choreographed kills hits next week. Get your glimpse of the Dunwall City Trials in the video above.
By Evan Narcisse Published December 6, 2012 -
The Xbox 360 Won’t Be Banned By a Silly Court Case
While it seemed unlikely, there was always the chance, however remote, that a battle of patents between Microsoft and Motorola could have seen the Xbox 360 taken off store shelves. A US judge, however, has ruled that this won’t be happening. The two companies have been fighting for years, with Motorola saying the Xbox 360…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 4, 2012 -
Another Report Says The Next Xbox Is Launching in November 2013
According to business news site Bloomberg, Microsoft’s next Xbox console will be released in time for the 2013 holiday season. That’s “according to people familiar with the company’s plans.” Those same “people” (so, not machines!) say it’ll be out in time for Thanksgiving sales. They also say Microsoft is still debating internally whether to use…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 29, 2012 -
Holiday Gift Guide: What Do You Buy The Xbox Gamer?
We’ve shared some PC gift suggestions—from keyboards to games—and gifts that will cost you under $25. But today we want to suggest games and accessories to match an Xbox 360. Our editors are chiming in below, but feel free to post suggestions. Pretty controllers are totally acceptable! And hey, don’t knock the battery charging station.…
By Tina Amini Published November 20, 2012 -
Microsoft’s New Xbox Game Charges By The Hour
Microsoft very quietly announced a new Xbox Live Arcade game today called Karaoke. On the surface, it sounds rather harmless; partnering with The Karaoke Channel, it lets users stream around 8000 songs from a central library, and you can use SmartGlass to queue up tracks and save a favourites list. The weirdness comes in when…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 19, 2012 -
Yes, the Wii’s Going Away But It Did Pretty Good Things For Mickey Mouse and Warren Spector
Epic Mickey was supposed to be one of the games that pumped new life into the Wii. The 2010 creation carried big expectations with it, namely that the Wii exclusive would be the third-party creation that showed how outside parties could make games as compelling as releases from Nintendo’s internal studios. Things didn’t work out…
By Evan Narcisse Published November 19, 2012