-
New Xbox App Helps Find Child Porn And Other “Illicit Hidden Materials”
A developer at Sam Houston State University has created XFT, a forensics tool designed to root out “illicit hidden materials,” including nefarious content like child pornography, buried on Xbox hard disks. According to a report from Discover, the forensics tool can unearth data stored on a modded Xbox, offering investigators “bit-for-bit information” similar to tools…
By Michael McWhertor Published May 1, 2009 -
Tart Up Your Xbox Media Centre With Some Skins
Despite dying off as a viable games machine a few years back, the Xbox is still good for something: the Xbox Media Centre. Problem is, the thing looks really boring. Lucky for any of you using the setup, there are ways to spruce things up a bit. Make the Media Centre a little easier on…
By Luke Plunkett Published April 8, 2009 -
Microsoft Sued Over Gay Bashing
According to a former employee of Lionhead Studios, being openly gay at a Microsoft-owned development studio can be just as bad as having an openly gay Xbox Live gamertag. Gay video game designer Jamie Durrant is suing Microsoft for £45,000 in ‘hurt feelings’ and lost pay, claiming discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. Durrant…
By Mike Fahey Published March 24, 2009 -
Fable Caused Burn Out, Game’s Developer Got Bad Ideas While Drinking
Making video games is no walk in the park. It’s hard. For those who worked in original Xbox role-playing-game Fable, it “destroyed lives”. In an interview with industry site Develop, Fable franchise designer Peter Molyneux explains just how bad it got during the creation of the first game: “If I’m honest, on Fable we just…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 17, 2009 -
Somebody Finally Made a 360 You Can Smoke Out Of
There it is. Somebody made a bong out of an Xbox 360. Not a PSP, not a DS, not a Wii, but a great, hulking 360. Let’s ignore the potential criminality of such a device and focus instead on the engineering. Something like this can’t have been easy. No, it’s taken planning, foresight, and a…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 12, 2009 -
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,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 27, 2009 -
Red Xbox 360 Mentioned Officially By Microsoft
Whoops! In an official Halo Wars email sent to retailers and games press in New Zealand today, Microsoft make official mention of the rumoured red Xbox 360 Elite console. The email was to announce a deal whereby anyone buying a 360 console in NZ would, for a limited time, receive a free copy of Halo…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 18, 2009 -
Microsoft To Buy Motion-Sensing Company
Here we go again. Fresh off speculation Microsoft were working on a motion-sensing controller for current generation hardware, seems the company is now in talks to buy a firm specialising in motion-sensing tech. Israeli site Haaretz reports that the makers of the Xbox console are in talks to buy locally-based company 3DV for $35 million.…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 17, 2009 -
Xbox Originals Gets Grabbed By The Ghoulies Next Week
You know why the call them Xbox Originals? Because you can’t call ’em Xbox Classics. Case in point, Rare’s first Xbox title, Grabbed By The Ghoulies is your next Xbox Original. Oh, I kid, Rare! The UK developer’s debut game under the ownership of Microsoft will drop on the Xbox Live Marketplace next Tuesday, February…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 13, 2009 -
Dead Space Was Developed For Xbox
EA’s horror title Dead Space has had a long gestation period. The game was originally slated for the original Xbox. The above clip was shown during a presentation called “Creating Horror and Immersion with the Art of Dead Space” that was given by the game’s art director Ian Milham at this year’s Animex game and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 13, 2009 -
No More Xbox Support For Japan
Starting March 3, Microsoft Japan will no longer service first generation original Xbox consoles (not Xbox 360s). This includes Xboxes that are under warranty as well as out-of-warranty consoles. Microsoft Japan, however, is offering an upgrade to those owners with still-under-warranty first generation Xbox consoles in need of repair: Swap that busted console for an…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 9, 2009 -
Xbox Helped Drone Pilot Be All He Could Be
A guy went from high school dropout to drone pilot instructor in the Army – not a position most 19-year-old enlisteds hold, by the way – thanks in part to his video game skills. In an interview, P.W. Singer, a former defense policy adviser to the Obama campaign, and the author of “Wired for War,”…
By Owen Good Published February 7, 2009 -
Xbox Murder Ringleader Seeks Retrial
Troy Victorino, the ringleader behind the Florida Xbox murders, says that the trial that ended in a death sentence for him wasn’t fair. His attorney Tuesday told the Florida Superme Court that Victorino should have been tried separately from co-defendants, who blamed the now 32-year-old, for their involvement. Victorino was convicted in 2006 on six…
By Brian Crecente Published February 4, 2009 -
“Bulk Of” Microsoft’s 1400 Job Cuts To Strike Entertainment Division
According to sources speaking with ZDNet’s resident Microsoft blogger, Mary-Jo Foley, “the bulk of [Microsoft’s] immediate 1,400-person cuts” are going to fall on the Entertainment & Devices Group. Which includes the Xbox team. We were told the same thing earlier today, and when contacted Microsoft PR issued the following statement: “This is a company-wide action,…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 23, 2009 -
Obama Takes Office, Video Game Analogies Start To Flow
The Obama campaign, fresh off an inauguration, just ran face first into federally-mandated technological obsolescence and what better way to express their frustrations than with a video game analogy? “It is kind of like going from an Xbox to an Atari,” Obama spokesman Bill Burton said of his new digs. Can you imagine how blown…
By Brian Crecente Published January 22, 2009 -
Lights, Camera, Stoked Screens
This latest batch of screenshots from Destineer’s Stoked highlight what goes on behind the camera and in the editing booth once you’ve finished carving your name in the side of a mountain. The whole point of Stoked is to get yourself fame points in order to appear in snowboarding films and magazines, and these screenshots…
By Mike Fahey Published January 19, 2009 -
Tired of “Mortal Kombat Killer”? How About “Xbox Taco Assailant”
Law enforcement near Orlando, Fla., have in custody a 19-year-old who refused to stop playing games to join his family for dinner and threw a taco at his mother after she unplugged his Xbox. Intrepid and indispensible local news resource WOFL-TV of Orlando reports that alleged Xbox Taco Assailant Zachary Moir is in the Volusia…
By Owen Good Published January 18, 2009 -
January Lips DLC Finds That Lovin’ Feelin’
With nine new songs from the likes of Fallout Boy, The Pussycat Dolls, and The Righteous Brothers due out in January, the Lips song catalog should exceed 70 songs by month’s end. Nine new songs are headed to Lips this month, beginning on January 16th when we’ll finally be able to recreate the bar scene…
By Mike Fahey Published January 15, 2009 -
A Buyer’s Guide To A Console Generation Past
Times are tough, money is tight, and new consoles & games are expensive. But older consoles and games? Much cheaper, and just as good! Think back to the years between, oh, around 2000-2006. A lucky few among you would have owned all three gaming consoles, but for the majority, a lot of great systems, and…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 14, 2009 -
A Control Pad For Those Who Roll Twenties
Or have “Magic Happens” stickers on their bumper. Either or. I have neither, but might still pick one of these up, if only to scare small children and sensitive house guests with. It’s called the “Dragon”, and while it doesn’t breathe fire, it does have eyes that light up. But that’s not the best part.…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 14, 2009