Ask X3F: Where have all the splitscreens gone edition

Ask X3F is back once again with loads of questions from you, our lovely, talented readers. This week, we cover questions about Lips (en Español), the hard drive data migration kit, license transferring and more. Sit back, get cozy, grab some cocoa, and enjoy. As always, we invite you to give us your feedback, and don't forget to lend a hand in the comment if you have a better answer than we do (which you probably do, considering how lovely and talented you are).

Got a question for Ask X3F? Maybe you have a story or some information you'd like to share? Send it all to ask [att] xbox360fanboy [dawt] com.

Merry Christmas!!!

I have a quick question regarding Lips. I bought the American (English) version and my wife and sister have been enjoying it a lot. (Sometimes, I don't have time to play L4D.) Anyways, both of them are bilingual like myself and I know that they would love to sing some songs in spanish as well. Where can I order it in spanish? I have checked an auction site and can't find it. Any ideas? Should I contact Microsoft? And I only want the game, no mics. Is that possible? Thanks for your help!

GT: Latin Trident.

We managed to find the Spanish version of Lips at Best Buy and Amazon. Unfortunately, Microsoft does not sell the game without the microphones and there are no indications that the company plans to do so anytime soon. So, it looks like you're stuck paying full price and you'll have another two mics on your hands. Who knows though, once the Lips microphone patch hits Rock Band, you might be able to get some money back by selling your extra mics on eBay. Either that or you'll have some handy spares if one of them breaks.

Why does Microsoft only allow you to transfer your licenses once every 12 months? I called customer support and their answer was piracy. I do not wear an eye patch nor is my name Jack Sparrow, so I am not a pirate. If they don't want to get rid of DRM, at least give me a system like the PS3 or iTunes where I can activate 5 systems. I lost my Castle Crashers data because my new console does not have the rights to play my game. Maybe the Major or Trixie can help?

The long and the short of it is that you're stuck. For whatever reason, be it piracy, profit or otherwise, Microsoft will not allow users to keep their content on more than one console. Unfortunately, there's nothing to be done about the licenses transfer process. You'll have to wait the twelve months until you're allowed to transfer your licenses again. However, you should still be able to play your Xbox Live Arcade games and access your downloaded content as long as your signed into Xbox Live. Unless your actual save game data is on another console, it should still be accessible.

We all know GTA IV took GOTY at Spike's VGA.
But, what you guys at X3F name Game of the Year?

Patience, dear fanboy. We will be revealing our choices for the best games of 2008 very soon. Keep an eye out for them next week. For what it's worth, none of us are likely to pick GTAIV.

How long does it take for a data migration kit to get from microsoft to my doorstep? i faxed the order form 3 weeks ago to switch my files from my 20gb hdd to my 120 gb hdd from my elite i had to buy when my pro finally quit. i have been hearing 2 weeks from my friends and i know microsoft has speedy service, so i am worried that mine has been left by the wayside. just looking for a little reissurance or perhaps someone with an idea of what i should do.

We have no actual experience ordering the migration kit, but three weeks seems like an awfully long time. We'd say it's time to call Microsoft and see what's up. Call 1-800-4-MY-XBOX and see if you can't figure out the status of your order (it might be difficult since Microsoft doesn't give any sort of order number). If you don't have any luck with that, you might consider asking customer support to send you one. Make sure you get some kind of reference number in case you have to call back.

Hey Xbox 360 Fanboy, I was wondering:

What is it with the lack of games on the Xbox 360 with offline split-screen? I have a twin brother at home, and it really bothers me that a good portion of games on the Xbox 360 that you would THINK have split-screen doesn't. Case in point: GRID, Flatout: Ultimate Carnage, Battlefield: Bad Company, etc. It's really sad to see that while there's online multiplayer, offline multiplayer is no where to be found in these games. I mean, is it really that hard to make an offline, split-screen multiplayer mode? If Halo 3 can do it, other developers can. It's just that most developers are too lazy to even think about those at home having friends, I guess. I guess the Xbox 360 is for those who have no friends due to the vast majority of games out there having only online multiplayer and no offline multiplayer. Games like Halo 3 and Gears of War prove that developers still care about classic split-screen/co-op gameplay. Are developers not caring anymore about the experience of playing together on one console, and rather you play alone with a bunch of strangers on the net? It couldn't be due to the advanced graphics of the Xbox 360 and the PS3. I find this trend very disappointing, and I hope it reverses soon, because it's getting harder and harder to find good games that my brother and I can play at the same time, at least on the Xbox 360, and the PS3 to an extent as well.

Thanks,
Skylar (Atlanta, GA)

This is a question we've considered many times. Obviously, we don't have one universal answer as to why certain games don't have offline multiplayer, but we'd guess it all comes down to development choices. More specifically, it probably comes down to time and money. Of course, one thing to remember with split screen games is that you're essentially duplicating all the geometry in the game up to four times. This is pretty taxing on resources, which means it's more difficult to do splitscreen in games with complex geometry. Again though, it's probably more likely that developers just don't have the time or money to implement splitscreen modes.

There are still plenty of games that do offer splitscreen modes though, and with the recent resurgence of co-op gameplay (Left 4 Dead, which has splitscreen, by the way), hopefully more developers will realize that nothing tops playing on the same couch with friends.

Hey guys thanks for helping me with my steam/firefox issue.

Anyhow, I just picked up a 60GB hard drive to replace my current 20GB I was wondering if their was an easier way then getting a memory card and manuely transfering each game save and arcade game. I do have one idea though, my buddy bought an elite a while back and I learned about the offer for the free transfer cable. You need an old console serial number and your current elite xbox's serial as part of the info to get the cable. I got a first gen xbox 360 that gave out a few months ago (I have a zombie console from microsoft) and I was wondering if the box as a serial number I could use to get the free cable? Or is that just illegal on my part somehow?

Thanks again guys
A.J. aka. Dizez66

We've actually been asking Microsoft about this issue for some time. We just discovered today, in fact, that the newer data migration kits will actually work with the 60GB hard drive. Older ones, apparently, are only made for the 120GB drive. Concerning your specific issue, the best advice we can give is to call up Microsoft customer support and request a data migration kit from them. Microsoft's mail-in order form really wasn't designed with this in mind and, frankly, we're still mystified by the fact that the 60GB hard drive doesn't include a data migration kit in the first place. It seems like a no-brainer that users will need to transfer their data when upgrading hard drives, and using a Memory Unit is a less than optimal solution. Anywho, yeah, we say call Microsoft.

another one for you this week...

Does the 360 upconvert standard DVDs to 1080p through HDMI? I found the following that says DVDs on the 360 are upconverted to 1080p through VGA and 480p through component but this link is two years old and prior to HDMI. Can you break down the current upconversion specs for standard DVDs for each 360 output - HDMI, compnent, VGA? Is there is any difference if you are playing the DVD in the HD-DVD add-on drive or the 360 drive itself (assuming there isn't)?

Thanks,
DW

We're almost positive that the 360 will upscale DVDs to 1080p via HDMI. VGA will upscale DVDs to 1080p as well (so long as your television can handle 1080p, of course). Component cables can only upscale DVDs to 480p. The resolutions supported by the HD DVD player via each connection type are exactly the same. In other words, using the HD DVD player won't give you any upscaling advantages.

That's it for this week, folks. Keep sending your questions to: ask [att] xbox360fanboy [dawt] com.