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XBLA: Limbo, Vampire Smile on sale; Deadliest Warrior, Scott Pilgrim next week
Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace schedule for the next couple weeks is up, with discounts on solid XBLA titles. This week finds Limbo and Dishwasher Vampire Smile for 50 percent off, at 600 MSP ($7.50) and 400 MSP ($5), respectively. Next week will have Deadliest Warrior and Scott Pilgrim fighting for your space bucks at 400 MSP apiece. New XBLA titles include Burger Time World Tour this week, with Fusion Genesis on November 9. Check out Major Nelson's post for all the details, which include DLC for Batman: Arkham City, Dead Rising 2 and Forza 4.
320GB HDD available this month for Xbox 360, $130 ups your storage game
Since its introduction, Microsoft's second generation Xbox 360 has had nary a stand-alone HDD option aside from the company's proprietary 250GB drive, priced at a spendy $130 -- this despite those occasional limited edition consoles packing a massive 320GBs of space. That's soon to change, however, as Major Nelson's announced a new 320GB HDD for the 360, set to be available this month. Possibly in an attempt to sweeten the deal, this platter maintains the 250GB's $130 cost of adoption, and comes pre-loaded with Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (sadly though, no Lego love for Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Slovakia or Japan, where the game won't be available). Notably, rather than dropping the 250GB drive's price, it's now curiously absent from the Xbox website (and we won't hold our breath waiting for it to pop up again either). Nothing like a good ol' fashioned pricing premium for official Xbox storage, right?
320GB hard drive coming to Xbox 360 S models for $130 this month
Finally, you can stop being jealous of your friends who waited until 2011 to buy a 360. The 320GB hard drive included in the Gears of War 3, Modern Warfare 3 and assorted other bundles will go on sale by itself later this month for $130. We know what you're thinking. "Joystiq, isn't that roughly 200 percent more than I'd typically pay for a hard drive that size?" That's true, dear reader, but Microsoft's got an ace up its sleeve: The hard drive comes with an Xbox Live download code for Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, a $20 value!* So now who's getting the great deal, huh? ... What's that? Still not you? You say a better pack-in would be a bottle of heinie lube? Well now that's just vulgar. *Note, that deal doesn't go for Japan, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia and the UAE, because the Force is illegal there.
Download the 'Achievement Unlocked' sound for your phone, you freak
For the achievement fanatics who have paroxysms of manic violence when they don't hear the friendly Xbox achievement chime for more than an hour, Dr. Major Nelson has your cure. Download the 'Achievement Unlocked' sound for your phone, then have your psychiatrist text you every hour, on the hour.
Xbox 360 to go forever matte as glossy is discontinued, fingerprints look for a new home
Say it ain't so! Within the next few weeks Microsoft will be phasing out its 250GB Xbox 360's glossy finish in favor of the murdered-out matte currently found on its 4GB models. Major Nelson recently took to his blog announcing the news amid apparent speculation that the pricier variant would actually be offered in both flavors. If you're a fan of shiny things -- and a lover of fingerprints -- Major says you'll still have time to pick one up as stock is shuffled, and also noted there'll probably be glossy limited editions in the future. Rest in peace dear glossy friend, our microfiber cloths won't know what to do with them themselves.
New Xbox 360 Bluetooth headset unlocks business casual achievement (video)
The new Xbox 360 wireless headset has a form factor that ought prove familiar to anyone who has ever watched a businessman chew out his secretary while ordering at latte at Starbucks. The peripheral connects wirelessly to the console via its standard radio frequencies -- its similarities to a non-gaming Bluetooth headset are more than just skin deep, however, with the earpiece doubling as just that, making it compatible with Bluetooth-ready phones and PCs. This one says "Xbox 360" on it, however, to help you avoid accidentally being mistaken for a stock trader. The headset will go on sale in November for $60. Also newly announced is the Xbox 360 Media Remote, which controls streaming content, CD / DVD playback, and live TV viewed through the console. The remote will be available for $20 around the same time as the headset. [Thanks, Jason]
Hulu Plus on Xbox 360 launches tomorrow, all members get a free week thanks to beef jerky
It's true, per Major Nelson Hulu Plus will launch on Xbox 360 tomorrow amid a slew of promotions, the first of which will provide free access to the service for all US-based Xbox Live members (free or paid) through May 6th courtesy of Jack Link's Beef Jerky. We should be able to get some hands on time with the app in a few. Until then you can imagine what it will be like to watch 24 The Confession in HD or every episode of Spaced through your console in between rounds of messin' with Sasquatch (explanation after the break). After spending some time with the app, it seems to work about as expected, mirroring the experience of Microsoft's Zune video on-demand without the need to pay-per-video. The Kinect implementation is similarly (and unfortunately) limited just like it was for Netflix, giving users the ability to browse only a list of preselected "popular" videos by gesture or voice. As seen in the video after the break, in-video commands work the same as well, so if talking to the TV is more convenient than grabbing the remote, you're in luck. We did find a slight issue with the picture quality, on many of the TV shows motion appeared jerkier and less smooth than other video apps on the 360, while it didn't have any of the pausing or dropping users have cited recently on the PS3, it was noticeable. The best news however, is that you don't even need a credit card to get in on the weeklong trial, so give the app a download and try it out yourself. Update: Now with screens plus details on the giveaways and a demo of Hulu Plus w/ Kinect after the break! %Gallery-122485%
Xbox 360's 'boot to disc' option is back, Gamercards get a makeover
Back in early November, just after Microsoft dropped a new, new Xbox Dashboard on us, the console's ability to load into games at startup -- known as the "boot to disc" option" -- was disabled. Sure, crazy workarounds existed (like, say, moving the cursor to "Play Disc" and hitting the A button), but what if you only have one thumb and limited time? As promised, the functionality is returning this week. Major Nelson announced as much this morning, noting that, like before, the boot to disc option will be accessible via System Settings on your Xbox's Dash -- users will be given a prompt for said update. Additionally, this Thursday, an update will be applied to Gamercards on Xbox.com. As pictured to the left, the yellow and light grey of Gamercards past will be replaced by a new black and dark grey color scheme -- we're calling them "Gamercards at Night" -- and they'll lose their "zone information." With any luck, a smoking jacket and pipe will be added in the coming months. A Gamercard's gotta accessorize! [Thanks, Freddie]
Major Nelson: Xbox 360 sold out in Dec., supply tight now
According to Xbox 360 hype man Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb, Microsoft isn't expecting to "win" December's hardware sales battle, as depicted in the NPD's monthly report (to be released later today). "I found out we ran out of consoles at the end of the month," Hryb tweeted, with a follow-up that added, "Jan/Feb supply is tight as well." That said, he's anticipating "likely amazing YOY [year-over-year] growth numbers for Xbox." In non-business speak, that means he's expecting last month's Xbox 360 hardware sales to have surpassed the figure recorded in December 2009. While that would mean more than 1.31 million Xboxes were sold in the final month of 2010, if Hryb's prediction is correct, it would also mark the second year in a row that the Xbox was bested by Sony's PlayStation 3 in one of the year's most important sales months. Either way, coupled with the many millions of Kinect units sold last year, Microsoft likely enjoyed its holiday -- though anyone who got a Kinect without an Xbox 360 was probably feeling scrooged.
Select Activision content on sale on XBLM until Jan 17
It's rare you can do something nice at the same time as you get a little something for yourself, but today presents just such an opportunity. Until January 17, you can get tons of discounted DLC, including some XBLA games, from an upstart indie called "Activision" through Xbox Live Marketplace. All the Call of Duty: World at War map packs are just 400 points, for example, and you can find the Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock "Linkin Park Pack" for just 480 plus our terrible, eye-rolling judgment. We know it can be daunting to spend your hard-earned dough on a no-name publisher, but trust us: We've been following these scrappy kids, and we feel pretty confident that they're going places. Peruse the full list of discounts after the break.
Xbox 360 Dashboard update is out!
It's out, right on schedule and it's a biggie. The new Fall 2010 Xbox Live Dashboad update is being rolled out right now in preparation for Kinect to hit shelves on November 4th (or November 10th in Europe). The update includes Netflix search, Zune music, an ESPN entertainment hub, and much much more. Since you probably overslept anyway and don't have time to do the update before heading into the coal mines, why not check out our in depth preview of the update from a few weeks ago. Go ahead, don't cost nothin'. Otherwise, Major Nelson has the full breakdown in the link below. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
North American Kinect launch window games rounded up
When you get your shiny new Kinect, what games will you get with it? Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb has provided a handy guide to the full Kinect launch lineup -- including launch day games and those arriving soon after. If you wagered there would be four sports minigame collections (Kinect Sports, Deca Sports Freedom, Game Party In Motion and MotionSports), you win! The seventeen-game lineup also includes three dancing games (Dance Central, Zumba Fitness, and DanceMasters), four exercise games (Your Shape: Fitness Evolved, The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout, EA Sports Active 2.0, and the aforementioned Zumba Fitness), and two 'boarding games (Adrenalin Misfits and Sonic Free Riders). See the full list after the break. Major Nelson notes that the Xbox 360 launched in North America with 18 games, just one more than Kinect is launching with -- bearing out Shane Kim's comment that Microsoft would treat the Kinect launch like a new system. Or, it would, if this list didn't count the Kinect games coming out weeks after the Kinect release date as "launch games" vs. the 360's 18-game launch day. In any case, the Kinect has a lot of choices, even if they're all within a few categories.
Xbox Live Update Preview Program now accepting sign-ups [updated]
Update: Microsoft has brought sign-ups for the dashboard update preview program to a close. A note on the Microsoft Connect site now reads "Thank you for your interest in the Xbox LIVE and Kinect Beta program. The program has reached capacity and we are no longer accepting applications." Microsoft is set to roll out some significant changes to its Xbox Live service this year, and wanted to run them by you first. An Xbox Live Update Preview Program is now accepting registrants online, and will grant selected users early access to the Xbox's updated user interface, the Xbox Live on-demand ESPN service, and the enhanced Netflix interface. This is not part of the Kinect beta test, so don't expect a camera to land in your mailbox unless you're also signing up for a reality TV show. As per Major Nelson's instructions, you can now sign up to Microsoft's Connect website and complete a survey, after which you'll be notified if you've been selected for the program. "Multiple thousands of participants" are sought at this stage, so you might just have a good shot at getting in. You should be aware of some caveats, however: Your ISP must support ESPN 3; you need a Netflix subscription to use the new Netflix search, and an Xbox Live Gold account will afford you "priority" during selection. The Xbox Live update will introduce a new audio codec for online communication -- if you're selected, your voice chat will become incompatible with the older version. Survey says: "Because you are participating in an exclusive pre-release program, you will not be able to voice chat with non-participants during the preview program period." Game chat should not be impacted, but you've already muted everyone on Halo: Reach anyway.
New Xbox 360 controller with improved D-pad confirmed, $65 on November 9
Hey, what's this? We just started hearing rumors this morning that Microsoft was planning a new Xbox 360 controller with an improved D-pad, and bang -- Major Nelson just went live with a YouTube video detailing the new piece. The new D-pad is a trick new patented design that's just as we heard from Joystiq: it's a disc in the normal configuration, but a quick twist raises the crossbars about a quarter-inch, making it eminently more usable. (That sound you hear is joyous weeping.) The analog sticks have also been tweaked to be slightly more concave, and -- wonder of wonders -- the ABXY buttons are now translucent monochrome instead of colored. Wild. The new matte silver controller will only come bundled with the Play and Charge kit for $64.99 when it launches on November 9 in the States and replaces the existing wireless controller -- it'll hit Europe around February. Yep, it definitely seems like a major upgrade, but we've got a couple questions: when will it replace the packed-in controller? What about all the people who just bought new Stealthboxes and got the older controller? And, most importantly, when can we have one to try out? We're pressing for answers and we'll let you know -- check the video after the break in the meantime. %Gallery-100796% [Thanks, Bill]
Xbox Live Gold price increasing November 1 in US, UK, Canada, and Mexico
Well, this is sad and unexpected: Microsoft's Major Nelson just announced that Xbox Live Gold will be getting more expensive in the US, UK, Canada, and Mexico starting November 1. A single month will go from $7.99 to $9.99, three months will go from $19.99 to $24.99, and the yearly sub will now be $59.99, up from $49.99. Yes, it's super lame, but to make up for it Microsoft's running a quickie "lock in" promo for a discounted $40 one-year Gold sub starting November 1 -- a nice deal if your subscription is set to expire around then, we suppose. We're definitely wondering why Microsoft is jacking Live prices right before launching Kinect and the gaming-focused Windows Phone 7, though -- we've heard theories ranging from an attempt to increase Entertainment and Devices revenue to a simple inflation adjustment. We'll poke around -- and we're guessing there's about to be a run on Gold upgrade cards. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Redesigned Xbox Avatar appears ready to Kinect with you
You know how sometimes people go "away" for the summer, and then when they come back they look ... totally different? Well, Major Nelson's Xbox Live Avatar didn't go anywhere but has seemingly undergone one such full body makeover -- as evidenced by the above comparison between the bobble-headed likeness (via Xbox Avatar Life) we had come to associate with the Xbox Live director of programming and his current Avatar. It would appear that Major's Avatar and perhaps other "VIP" Avatars are the (beta) test subjects in a forthcoming effort to transform the currently cartoonish Avatars into -- to put it candidly -- virtual figures that would look a lot less goofy in a motion-controlled sports game. Recently, Rare senior programmer Nick Burton told OXM UK that Xbox Live Avatars would be proportionally redesigned to better connect the physical movements of Kinect players to their on-screen Avatars. Presumably, this "Avatar 2.0" update would occur in time for Kinect's November 4 launch and possibly as part of the expected, annual fall update of the Xbox 360 UI. [Update: Check out further details of the Kinect Dashboard update here.] The new trimmer Avatars are visible in Rare's Kinect Sports screenshots below. %Gallery-97510% [Thanks, Vanessa and Anthony]
Borderlands DLC discounted for Xbox Live Deal of (Next) Week
Major Nelson's latest broadcast has filled out the slate of Xbox Live Marketplace updates for the next few weeks, including a hefty discount on three DLC packs for Borderlands. During the week of July 26, "Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot," "The Secret Armory of General Knoxx" and "The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned" add-ons will be discounted to 400 Microsoft Points ($5) each. Click past the jump to see the full list of impending Xbox Live Marketplace releases.
News article sparks debate among Community Managers
An article at GamePro caused a bit of a stir in the gaming industry yesterday, sparking discussion on a topic covered at this year's PAX East -- namely, that of the history of Community Managers and what their jobs entail. Now, there is a fair amount of background to AJ Glasser's article that we won't delve into, because the comment that many readers focused on was this one: "Before Xbox Live's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb -- who holds the ambiguous title director of programming for Xbox Live -- community managers were mostly forum moderators, people whose job entailed monitoring message boards and weeding out trolls. " Not so, said many current CMs. Familiar names such as Daeke and Aether began popping up in the comments section of the article, contending that Community Managers were much more than forum mods before Major Nelson came on the scene. The conversation began in the article's comments section and continued via Twitter with quite a few people in the industry lining up to join the debate. The discussion offers several varying opinions and is definitely worth following if you've got an interest in the role of community management.
Xbox Live Top 20: Modern Warfare 2, After Burner Climax reign supreme
Microsoft's Major Nelson has released his weekly report of Xbox Live activity today, featuring Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2 and Sega's After Burner Climax in the top spot. With one last activity update to be released before the Halo: Reach beta, we anticipate an upcoming fight in Xbox Live list's top three. Bungie's 2010 release Halo 3 secured second place for the sixteenth week in a row with EA's Battlefield: Bad Company 2 closing out this week's three-hole. On the Xbox Live Arcade list, the collective biomass of classic arcade titles solidified Game Room in second place for a second week in a row while Capcom's Final Fight: Double Impact closing out the top three. Other notable highlights include Ubisoft's Splinter Cell: Conviction jumping from ninth spot to sixth and EA Sports' FIFA 10 overtaking Call of Duty: World at War for fourth spot. The full breakdown can be found at Major Nelson's blog.
Fable 2 follows the breadcrumbs to Games on Demand
You've been able to download Fable 2 through Xbox Live episodically until now, but who has time for all that thumb stick manipulation, button pressing and dashboard navigation? Zeroes, that's who. Starting today, you can buy the game like a sane person: In one big chunk for $20 from Games on Demand. Additionally, Kung Fu Panda is now available for purchase through Games on Demand for $30. Major Nelson also announced that Fallout 3 is now available on demand in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, leaving India and Japan as the sole holdout territories that can't experience the joy of nuclear devastation with a single button press. Soon, guys. Soon. Xbox.com: Add Fable II to your Xbox 360 download queue ($19.99) Xbox.com: Add Kung Fu Panda to your Xbox 360 download queue ($29.99)
