Microsoft Xbox

The Next Xbox needs a Flawless Transfer

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 01:18:28 +0000

By the time the next Xbox comes out, weather it be 720, infinite or whatever it's called. Most people if not all would have likely invested 8-9 years in their Xbox 360.

Do you think Microsoft must make their next system to be able to carry everything over from the Xbox 360 including games and online info?

Dragon Ball Z Kinect

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 00:15:44 +0000

Start practicing your Kamehameha motion now because Namco Bandai is working on a Dragon Ball Z game that uses Microsoft’s Kinect sensor.

Dragon Ball Z Kinect was outed thanks to a rating Siliconera found in Korea’s Game Rating Board. Bandai Namco partners is listed as a publisher.

We imagine the game will have players hold an imagine Spirit Bomb overhead and two player mode will have the Fusion Dance.

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I, be willing to play that with kinect.

Xbox Live color playback issue patched

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:22:47 +0000

Xbox users may have noticed a mandatory patch preempting their power-up procedures today, the effects of which were either immediately apparent or completely unnoticeable, depending on whether a certain color display issue had reared its head. The patch doesn't apply to apps, however, so developers will have to implement the fix independently; a process that will take place "over the coming months," according to Major Nelson.

Technically speaking, "over the coming months" could mean any time between now and the heat death of the universe, but the fact that Microsoft has corrected its own services is a promising start.

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Next Xbox Code-name is Durango

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:19:41 +0000

Kotaku has heard from multiple sources close to the project that the code-name for Microsoft's next console is Durango.

Yup. Durango.

Note this is a code-name. Like the Katana (Dreamcast), Dolphin (GameCube) and Revolution (Wii) before it, it's not the name that will appear on the finished product when you finally get your hands on one.

It is the name, however, that you'll be hearing during the console's final development phase, that awkward time between it being first shown off and then actually released to the public.

Interestingly, it seems to also suggest a bit of a pattern in Microsoft's recent internal naming policies. While naming projects after places is nothing new, the company seems to be in favour of warmer climates these days; Kinect, before we knew it as Kinect, was called Natal, named for a city in Brazil. Durango, meanwhile, is the name of one of Mexico's 31 states.

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interesting name.

New Xbox Next Year Maybe

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:15:31 +0000

Microsoft France says the next Xbox will not be coming in 2012. French marketing director Cedrick Delmas says that despite several rumors about the system, it won't be released this year.

"We're in an industry that talks a lot, that likes telling stories," Delmas told French site Lepoint.fr. "I am not convinced that things will happen this year. The Xbox 360's cycle is not over at all. The proof is that we haven't price cut this year. Afterward, what will happen at E3, it's still too early to say. What's certain is that there will be nothing new in 2012."

Delmas also commented on the Wii U, which has already been confirmed to be coming this year. He says that Microsoft isn't looking to counter the Wii U directly.

"If we wanted to counter Nintendo, we would have to be in a position to release something immediately, and that is not at all the case," Delmas said. "We're not here to counter Nintendo and they're not here to fight the other manufacturers. Nintendo has put itself in a different cycle. It's going forward to its own rhythm, with success as we have seen with the Wii, and now it's their turn to present their innovation."

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keep on playing those 360s, nothing else to play for awhile.

Phasing out Microsoft Points?

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:21:39 +0000

Microsoft Points have long been a point of contention for Xbox LIVE gamers, requiring you to buy into the system before you can purchase much of the content available through the service. Users have been critical of the point system, which can be confusing to gamers simply looking to buy their games and content without the rigmarole of purchasing points, and frustrating when unusable points are left over.

Over the years, the use of Microsoft Points has spread beyond Xbox LIVE to other Microsoft services, including Zune Marketplace, Games for Windows, and Windows Phone. The system is engrained in just about every section of Microsoft's online purchasing presence, but that might not be the case for much longer.

It appears that Microsoft might be phasing out the system in favor of straight up money transactions. Inside Mobile Apps is reporting that by the end of 2012, real world money will be used for all transations moving forward. Any outstanding balances will be switched over to the account's local currency. The site cites publishing agreements between mobile developers and Microsoft, warning devs to plan accordingly for the upcoming change.

While this is lodged firmly into the rumor camp (Microsoft has given the standard "we do not comment on rumors or speculation" response), we can't imagine too many Xbox 360 gamers would be bummed out of Microsoft got rid of Microsoft Points. What do you think?

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Lack of Xbox Games

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:16:38 +0000

Microsoft has yet to reveal its full 2012 lineup of original games for Xbox 360. While Halo 4 is scheduled to arrive sometime this year, as is Fable: The Journey, we still don't have a solid map of where the system will head in the coming months outside of a handful of downloadable release dates.

In a new interview with Game Informer Magazine, Microsoft Studios Corporate Vice President Phil Spencer stated that the important aspect of the Xbox 360's future is "quality and impact, not number of releases in a year."

"Creating core IP (intellectual property), as many first-and third-parties have seen over the years, isn't an easy thing," stated Spencer. And it's the "equal amount of sweat equity and heart" that he feels will drive the company's games into the future. He added, "it will continue to be something that we focus on with new partners like Crytek and new people that aren't announced yet. We do think that it's fundamental that core gamers look at 360 as the place they want to play games."

Crytek is currently working on the Kinect-powered fighter Ryse, and we hope to learn more about Microsoft's unannounced partners soon. Additionally, Microsoft purchased Twisted Pixel last year, developer of The The Maw, Splosion Man, and Comic Jumper. The Gunstringer was their first retail release for Xbox 360.

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360�s Video Playback Issue

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:12:01 +0000

After a few months of people pointing the issue out, Microsoft has finally acknowledged that the 2011 dashboard update has created a problem with the console's video playback.

Xbox spokesman Larry Hryb has said the company is "aware of the colorspace issue" affecting "some Xbox video apps", and that Microsoft is "working on a fix".

Note he only seems to be addressing the issue of colours appearing "washed out", not the other allegations that third-party video apps are "no longer being rendered in native resolution".

"No ETA yet", Hryb adds, "but we hope to have an update soon".

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Stealing FBI�s Xboxes

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:36:25 +0000

There are things you shouldn't do when you're the police chief. One of them is stealing the Xboxes that the FBI planted in a car because they thought you were dirty.
Former East Saint Louis police chief Michael Baxton plead guilty yesterday to doing just that.
From the Belleville News Democrat's story about Baxton's plea:

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The federal agents decided to test Baxton, and on Oct. 5 they used a federal vehicle as a bait car. They bought five Xbox 360 gaming systems for $400 each, put them in the trunk and reported the car as stolen from Columbia.
Baxton responded to the call about an abandoned vehicle with an Alorton officer.
"Unbeknownst to Baxton, the unnamed officer voluntarily came forward to report other acts of misconduct occurring in Alorton and had been assisting the federal investigation from its inception. The unnamed officer was equipped with covert surveillance devices at the time of the theft - and he audio and video recorded the entire incident," the government's document stated.
When he found the gaming systems, Baxton directed the other officer to put four of them in Baxton's trunk, take the fifth for himself and destroy the box it came in. The court record states Baxton gave away three of the Xbox systems and kept one for himself.

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the guy must be crazy.

Achievements for Developers

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:34:45 +0000

Taking the notion of institutionalised rewards maybe a little bit too far, Microsoft has begun awarding achievements to developers.
Earlier today the company unveiled a beta plug-in for the Microsoft's Visual Studio development environment, which offers 32 achievements for developers based on how well they're coding. There are even leaderboards, and the achievements can be linked to a Facebook page.

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thats kind of cool.