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Microsoft’s Explanation For What Caused Xbox 360 Factory Suicide Threats
Earlier this week, Kotaku told you about how a large number of employees at a Foxconn factory in China had threatened mass suicide having been “denied compensation they were promised”. Microsoft assured us at the time that it would look into the matter, and has informed Kotaku that it has now completed “an independent investigation…
Luke Plunkett & Brian Ashcraft Published January 11, 2012 -
How Cops Use Xbox Consoles to Catch Crooks
Did you know that in the US, police can use Xbox 360 consoles—and Xbox Live—to trace and catch criminals? And that there are often law enforcement officers posing on the service undercover in an effort to catch child porn offenders? A report on Ars Technica, using recently-leaked correspondence from a digital forensics mailing list, shows…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 11, 2012 -
Hey! You Can Grab Final Fantasy XIII-2’s Playable Demo Today
If you’re wanting to see just how different Final Fantasy XIII-2 is from its predecessor, you finally be able to check out a demo today. The playable snippets of Square Enix’s epic fantasy sequel go live on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live today. If you’re not in front of a console right now, the video…
By Evan Narcisse Published January 10, 2012 -
Xbox 360 Getting Fox News, Wall Street Journal
Hope you Xbox 360 owners in the US like your News Corp and Fox, because later this year there’ll be a range of apps bringing Murdoch-owned content like Fox News, IGN, The Wall Street Journal, Family Guy, House and The Simpsons to the console, all available on demand.
By Luke Plunkett Published January 9, 2012 -
There are now 66 Million Xbox 360 Consoles In the Wild
Microsoft announced just ahead of its CES keynote that the Xbox 360 has sold 66 million units worldwide. Kinect has sold 18 million. And there are just under 40 million Xbox Live users. That’s…a lot of people not connected to Xbox Live!
By Luke Plunkett Published January 9, 2012 -
Three New Hall & Oates Tracks in Rock Band? I Can Go For That
Call me out of touch, but I can think of nothing I’d rather go for than three classics tracks from rockers Hall & Oates coming to Rock Band on January 10. Some might call them the most important band in the history of music. Then they’d sober up, take a nap, and forget they ever…
By Mike Fahey Published January 6, 2012 -
Is the Xbox Live “Hacking” Problem Worse Than Microsoft Realises?
So late last year, people began to complain that their Xbox Live accounts were being “hacked”. Microsoft said no, they weren’t, but acknowledged there was an issue with unscrupulous types “phishing” for account info. “It’s not a hack, it’s really just a different way to monetise stolen accounts”, Microsoft’s Doug Park said at the time.…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 6, 2012 -
5 Reasons I’m Totally Not Nervous About Mass Effect 3
Man, what the heck is this guy on about? He is clearly just trolling for pageviews. I mean come on Kotaku, no one should be nervous about Mass Effect 3. There are so many reasons to believe that the game will, in fact, be the best Mass Effect yet. Hmm actually, let’s slow down for…
By Kirk Hamilton Published January 5, 2012 -
5 Reasons I’m Nervous About Mass Effect 3
I, like so many other video game enthusiasts, am something of a Mass Effect fan. I love the stories, I love the characters. I love the music, I love the constantly improving gameplay, I love my many Shepards. I even love the lore, convoluted and prone to satire though it may be. But if there’s…
By Kirk Hamilton Published January 5, 2012 -
Gotham City Impostors‘ January Release Date Was Some Kind of Joke
With the console beta test for Monolith’s downloadable dose of bat on clown violence still ramping up, Warner Bros. has gently pushed the release date for Gotham City Impostors from January into February. Someone notify Julian Day! Releasing simultaneously on Xbox Live Arcade, the PlayStation Network, and PC can’t be easy, so we’ll cut the…
By Mike Fahey Published January 5, 2012 -
Phantom Breaker Brings a New Flavor of 3D Fighting to North America
A new contender steps into the 2D fighting ring when 7sixty brings Japanese developer 5pb. Games’ brawler Phantom Breaker to the North American Xbox 360 this spring. A mysterious organization in Japan led by someone named Phantom has organized a fighting tournament the grand prize of which is a single wish. That’s as much of…
By Mike Fahey Published January 5, 2012 -
Behold the Awesome Power of Final Fantasy XIII-2‘s Moogle
They’re not just about floating about saying “Kupo” anymore. In Final Fantasy XIII-2, many of the game’s most important mechanics are Moogle-powered. I’m not a picky Final Fantasy fan. All I want is a lengthy adventure of some sort and an adorable little floating critter by my side at all times. So I think I’m…
By Mike Fahey Published January 5, 2012 -
Xbox Live Couldn’t Handle a UFC Match
The Xbox 360 getting UFC matches seemed like a good idea at the time. Pity Xbox Live couldn’t actually cope with all the people trying to watch one. Last Friday, UFC 141 was slated to appear on Xbox Live’s fancy TV service. It was such a big deal that Microsoft gave away 30,000 coupons so…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 3, 2012 -
Salvation Army Bell Ringer Shoplifts Video Games, BB Gun, Sex Toy
I’m trying to see what the real news is here: On one hand, a Salvation Army bell-ringer stole a BB gun, two video games and a vibrator from a Kmart. On the other, Kmart sells vibrators? Lest you think this is the Hitachi Wand, a “personal massager” that has some non-masturbatory applications, cops in Sterling…
By Owen Good Published December 30, 2011 -
The New Xbox Dashboard Is Stopping Some Users from Getting Online
Ever since the release of Microsoft’s new dashboard the other week, some unlucky users have been unable to get their consoles back online, something the company is promising to “resolve … as soon as possible”. “We have recently identified an Xbox Live profile data error that results in Error Code ‘801540B7’ for a small number…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 23, 2011 -
Asuka Leads a Girls’ Fight Out in This Street Fighter X Tekken Trailer
What do you get when you mix Chun-Li and Cammy of Street Fighter with Lili and Asuka of Tekken? I don’t know, some sort of giant woman creature with eight arms and legs? Spider-Woman? Forget it; it was a stupid question. Just watch the video. I’m not really sure what’s up with all of the…
By Mike Fahey Published December 22, 2011 -
Man and Niece Killed for a PS3 and a Tattoo, Prosecutors Say
The brutal murders of a 7-year-old girl and her uncle were apparently spurred by a tattoo-loving gunman and a plot to pay off his next bit of ink with game consoles, according to Indianapolis prosecutors. Jeremy Crane, 21, and his niece Kyleigh Crane were shot as they lay on the ground during a robbery turned…
By Brian Crecente Published December 22, 2011 -
A Clash of Two Game of Thrones RPG Trailers
Months have gone by and we never got a single good look at the Game of Thrones RPG in motion, and suddenly, not one but two trailers appear. You’ll see Mormonts, you’ll see the Wall, you’ll see a Red Priest, you’ll see Varys and you’ll see a lot of men with enormous necks and enormous…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 22, 2011 -
How Many Errors Can You Spot in 30 Years of Hot Christmas Toys?
The folks at Ultimate Coupons were nice enough to pass on this video game-dappled infographic featuring the top toys of three decades worth of Christmas holidays. In the true holiday spirit we only tear it apart just a little. It’s a trip down memory lane that begins in 1981, when Donkey Kong for the Nintendo…
By Mike Fahey Published December 21, 2011