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Project Natal game titles outed ahead of E3, 'about a dozen' available at launch
Looking for some last-minute Project Natal scoopage before we head into E3 2010? You've got it -- the LA Times has dished out details on the first four gesticulariffic games for the Xbox 360's new camera attachment this weekend, and says nearly a dozen other Natal titles will be available at launch. First up are "River Rush" and "Obstacle Course," the titles that inspired Parade Magazine to haphazardly flail appendages about last week, but there's also info on "Living Statue," which lets the social butterflies on Xbox 360 send video messages using singing, dancing avatars as a go-between. No video of this last quite yet, but on the off-chance you're not tired of watching humans slap dust mites silly (we kid) you'll find an unrelated Natal demo after the break.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock axe gets the fingers-on treatment (video)
We saw this flame-adorned guitar imitator in pictorial form just a couple of days ago, but now the GH: Warriors of Rock controller has been investigated in full detail and on video. Notable changes include an easier to hit star power button, a flanged strum bar, and the replacement of the touch pad on the neck with a battery compartment (which will store the Wii Remote on that console's version). See if it lives to up to its promise of being a shredder's best friend in the video after the break. [Thanks, Dan]
Samsung i8330 'H2' for Vodafone leaked?
At the time of its release late last year, Samsung's H1 for Vodafone's then-new 360 service represented some of the sweetest featurephone hardware that money could buy, thanks to a 3.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen, WiFi, 5 megapixel autofocus cam, and 16GB of onboard storage. Those are still killer specs, but it's always onward and upward with these guys -- so we're not surprised to see rumors of an H2 model surface. Like the H1, this new handset (apparently with internal model number i8330) is said to run LiMo (release 3 this time) and packs an 8 megapixel camera with LED flash and HD video capture, 1GHz Cortex-A8 processor, and a WVGA Super AMOLED display. Super AMOLED sounds like a gimmick until you actually see a display in the flesh, then you realize that it's the real deal, so this phone could make some waves; it's tapped for launch before World Cup soccer starts next month, so we could see an announcement any minute now.
Robbie Bach: Project Natal a 'midlife kicker' for Xbox 360, 'absolutely confident' Courier innovations will appear elsewhere
Now that the proverbial cat's out of the bag, Tech Flash has caught up with Robbie Bach about his impending retirement from Microsoft. In a far-reach interview, the former President of Entertainment & Devices Division says he made his ultimate decision just last Thursday, and that while he and also-gone J Allard "had been talking [Allard's] situation for awhile," the conversation never went both ways and the timing of the departures is "pure coincidence... serendipity." Bach further claims that it was his choice and was not asked to leave, and as for pundits who might've thought he was in line for one day taking the reins from CEO Steve Ballmer, Bach downplays that possibility and says he never had interest and such discussions never took place. But enough business talk, what about some of the projects Bach oversaw? There were a couple choice quotes we noted from the report. First up is Natal, a motion-sensing project that he views as a "midlife kicker for the [Xbox] 360." For those watching a calendar, that would give the console an approximately nine-year perceived lifespan on the corporate side -- from November 2005 to 2014. Of course, we could be reading too much into that, but we could certainly believe it. On the subject of Courier, Microsoft's now-cancelled internal tablet project, Bach is "absolutely confident... a bunch of that innovation will show up in Microsoft products." It's a stronger wording that what we originally read, and given just how excited we were watching that leaked video, we can only hope his prophecy is foretold. Do yourself a favor and take 15 minutes to read through the interview -- hey, you're welcome.
Laser projector stuck to Wii Remote for faux 360-degree immersion
We can already see a hot new trend surfacing in the gaming hardware modding world: Hastily conceived designs featuring the handheld ShowWX laser projector. Yesterday, we saw what happens when the pint-sized display was adhered to an iPhone 3GS; today, we see how Nirav Patel managed to stick the projector (and a Spacepoint Fusion gyrometer) to a Zapper-equipped Wii Remote. The result is a somewhat disorienting 360-degree "virtual reality" display, which is just perfect for playing simple, open source first-person shooters with. Check out a video after the jump to see Patel's projectorgun in action. We'd hate to find ourselves on the business end of that bad boy. [Via Hack a Day]
SanDisk ships first licensed Xbox 360 USB flash drive
Seems that April 6th ship date that GameStop posted back in March was a bit off, but hey -- beggars can't be choosers, yeah? SanDisk has just announced that it's now shipping the planet's first licensed Xbox 360 USB flash drive, which just became useful for easily transferring gamertags, game saves, map packs, Arcade downloads, etc. from one console to another. The device is pre-configured for plug-and-play, and SanDisk is even throwing in a one-month subscription to Xbox LIVE Gold for good measure. Naturally, you'll be paying a premium for that Microsoft seal of approval, with the 8GB unit boasting an MSRP of $34.99 and the 16 gigger going for $69.99 (or £29.99 and £51.99 respectively in the UK). Hang tight if you can, though -- we get the impression that loads more are on the way from every other storage outfit, and you know what competition does to pricing. Don't you?
Microsoft gives us a look through Project Natal's eyes (video)
Ilan Spillinger, Microsoft's Xbox 360 VP, was on hand in Tel Aviv yesterday for a showcase of Project Natal. Although there wasn't much in the way of groundbreaking stuff, the resulting video does show off the motion control system's gender recognition (done through Natal's facial recognition ... you filthy child) and ability to track two players within the frame at the same time. A tipster from the audience tells us that earlier lag issues have been eradicated, although some jitter was indeed apparent when the second person stepped into Natal's field of vision. Either way, it's looking like Microsoft's Xbox 360 peripheral is progressing well toward its release near the end of this year. Go past the break to see for yourself. [Thanks, Roy]
Xbox 360 update brings long-awaited USB storage support, SanDisk ready to cash in
Finally, the day has come. At some magical point in time during today, all you Xbox 360 owners will be prompted to update to the latest firmware for your beloved console. Once the tidy little exchange of data with Microsoft's servers has been completed, you'll at long last be able to plug USB memory sticks in and exploit a bit of functionality that frankly should've been there from the start. So that's it, all your game saves, profiles and other 360-related trinkets can finally be taken on the move without resorting to lugging a HDD around. In the mean time, SanDisk's previously rumored Xbox 360-branded $40 8GB flash drive is looking all the more real, with Amazon now offering pre-orders at a slightly less crazy $35 price point. You know, in case the millions of USB storage options out there aren't doing it for you.
Mad Catz courts Xbox 360 dogfighters with pricy F.L.Y. 9 flightstick
Yo, Mad Catz. We both know there aren't a lot of good flight sims on the Xbox 360, but that's no excuse for releasing a bargain-budget stick like the Aviator as your first foray into the console space. It doesn't do Saitek's reputation justice, and fliers like us won't stand for it. We want something a little more substantial. Something like your fancy Cyborg X flight stick for PC... What's that, you say? You've done it? Fan-tastic. With nearly all the bells and whistles of the original stick but added buttons, a removable lap rest and completely wireless functionality, the Cyborg F.L.Y. 9 looks like just the stick to strafe our Xbox 360 budget this spring for $100. But hey, that's not cool -- what's with doubling the original Cyborg X's $50 price? Press release after the break.
GameStop listing shows SanDisk's Xbox 360-branded USB drives at outrageous prices
GameStop listings are about as accurate as a 14th century musket -- especially when it comes to release dates -- but that didn't keep news site GameSpot from capping the above screenshot. As you can no doubt read, the picture suggests that SanDisk will indeed release a specially-branded 8GB USB flash drive alongside the Xbox 360's USB storage update -- but at twice the normal price for a drive of that capacity. Our red hot rage at this injustice is tempered somewhat knowing there's no concrete proof the $40 figure is correct, but knowing SanDisk (and, frankly, Microsoft's own propensity for overpriced storage) we wouldn't be surprised to see several green thumbdrives pulling a premium at retail next week. Once more for the record: as long as it's larger than 1GB, smaller than 16GB and you format it using the Xbox 360 menus, any USB flash drive will do. Update: According to Major Nelson, it seems that USB flash drives larger than 16GB will work with the Xbox 360 update, but only 16GB of the drive's space will be available for the Xbox 360 to use. Thanks, willowtwf!
Steve Ballmer teases new Xbox 360 form factors, price points and options
Turns out Steve Ballmer's talk up at the University of Washington delivered even more saucy info than we were initially led to believe. In a transcript of the subsequent Q&A session, Steve is shown to have delivered the following statement on the topic of large-screen televisions and Microsoft's related hardware strategy: For that big screen device ... there's no diversity. You get exactly the Xboxes that we build for you. We may have more form factors in the future that are designed for various price points and options, but we think it's going to [be] important. It's safe to assume new form factors point to a smaller rather than larger 360 chassis, though the price points and further options he mentions are wide open for speculation. It wouldn't be unreasonable to forecast Microsoft pushing out its own slimmed-down console to match up with Sony's PS3 Slim, but we also shouldn't discount the idea of an Xbox 360 with Project Natal hardware integrated into its shell. In other words, we really don't know what Steve has going on under that shiny dome of his, we just hope it's as exciting as he makes it sound.
Vodafone spicing up HTC Legend with 360 services
Vodafone 360 has yet to come to Android -- but really, what's stopping it? Though it initially launched on some custom Samsung dumbphones, the megacarrier's cloud-ish social platform ended up spreading to the desktop and a couple of S60 devices, so there's no good reason we couldn't see it on smartphones across the whole range. Indeed, the company has now announced that the Legend will be loaded up with 360 services of some sort, but what's really interesting is that the Desire won't be, even though Vodafone will be carrying both models. It's possible that HTC wants to leave its top-of-the-range model as virgin as it possibly can be, but at any rate, just remember this simple guide, folks: if you hate 360 but you've got to get in on HTC's latest round of hotties, get the Desire; if you like it, get the Legend or prepare to live without it.
Project Natal coming in October, says Jonathan Ross (video)
As unexpected sources of tech news go, UK television presenter Jonathan Ross is pretty high up there. But lo and behold, the man's had a chance to spend some quality time with Microsoft's Project Natal setup and while he's not altogether impressed with the current state of it, his note on when it's coming out is the one thing nobody has known for sure yet. "Got until October" may mean an October release, or it may imply they can work on it through October in time for an early November release (something we heard earlier), but altogether we find this both credible and logical considering the natural urge to try and get the latest gaming tech in well before the holidays. Need more convincing? Skip past the break to see the Wossmeister having a whale of a time with that balloon-blocking game that's embarrassed many a journalist already.
Xbox 360 laptop brings retro looks to an eBay near you
If you thought only a semi-deity like Ben Heck could splice consoles into laptop-shaped cases, here's some evidence to the contrary. This week, CollinE from Ben's forums put the finishing touches to his own, rather professional looking, Xbox 360 laptop. Adorned in a red and black color scheme that features a throwback giant X on the top lid, his 360 stays true to the original console in almost all respects -- including the "wind tunnel" noise generated by Collin's five fans. The fact he also consulted our guide on how to do this is just a cherry on the top for us, and you can find a video tour of the hardware after the break. Should it take your fancy, the machine's now on auction with all proceeds going to the "make Collin's Christmas merrier" foundation. %Gallery-80885%
Datel sues Microsoft, wants its Xbox 360 market back
Seems like we just can't go a week without some corporate power plays or mudslinging making our pages. Back in October, Datel promised it would "remedy" the situation created by Microsoft's forthcoming (now present) Dashboard update locking out its higher capacity memory modules. The accessory company was the first (and only) third-party supplier of memory cards for the Xbox 360, but it seems that MS took a dislike to the MicroSD-expandable Max Memory units and has since taken the unusual step of downgrading the console to being able to read only chips up to 512MB, essentially taking Datel's 2GB+ wares out of commission. Yeah, classy. Datel's retaliation is in the finest Anglo-Saxon legal tradition, namely to assert antitrust concerns and to claim its right to act as a competitor to Microsoft in the memory market for Redmond's own console. It all sounds rather silly to us too, and could probably have been avoided by a rational compromise, but what's the fun in that?
Xbox 360 Wireless N adapter is really real, out this week in US for $100
Microsoft's releasing a Wireless N Networking Adapter for the Xbox 360? Get out of town! ... Oh, wait, we've seen it. Constantly. For the last two months. Ah well, let's just all be happy to see it finally appear on US store shelves, putting an end to this sordid saga and supporting 802.11a/b/g/n for a copper Lincoln under $100. As Joystiq reports, the old 802.11b/g model is slowly being shown the curb, with the current stock being discounted at $80 while supplies last. Update: Check it -- GameStop has it listed right now in stock. Huzzah!
Xbox 360 802.11n adapter rebirths on Costco site, ships November 10th for $88
You can't keep a phoenix down and this Xbox 360 wireless n adapter seems to be a bird of similar feather. After discretely showing up on US retail sites and subsequently managing to drop off into internet obscurity, the 802.11n-compliant peripheral has returned to the scene via Costco's site, this time with a November 10th shipping date and a more attractive than before $88 price tag. With only five days until the 10th, will this finally be the price and date that stick? Who knows -- but at least this time we won't have to wait long to find out. [Thanks, WeakSasco]
Exclusive two-tone Xbox 360 Play and Charge kit coming to GameStop
We still think those crazy Mad Catz Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 controllers are the coolest around at the moment, but if you're committed to staying first-party this new GameStop-exclusive Play and Charge bundle is right up there -- black carbon fiber with red inserts never did anyone wrong, you know? Pre-orders are up now in all kinds of countries for $70. %Gallery-75740%
New Xbox 360 Elite holiday bundle and Wireless Controller Game Pack announced
We'd been hearing that Microsoft had a new Xbox 360 holiday bundle in the works, and here we go: $299 will nab you an Elite, Lego Batman, and Pure. Not a bad deal -- and if you already have a 360, you can score a new controller, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, Lumines LIVE!, Bomberman LIVE! and Ms Pac-Man for another $60. The new Elite pack should be shipping to retailers today, but you'll have to wait until November to snag the controller bundle. Now if only Microsoft would see fit to bundle in some freaking WiFi, we'd be all set.
Video: a brief history of game console teardowns
Granted, none of these are teardowns we haven't already seen ad nauseam, but seeing every Sony and Microsoft console ripped to shreds and placed side-to-side in a series of glass cases is still a sight to behold. Peruse the display yourself, found at Tokyo Game Show and shown courtesy of the Museum of GAME Science, in a video tour after the break.
