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DJ Hero controller hands-on faceoff with an SL-1200MK2
Activision was kind enough to send over an early evaluation copy of DJ Hero, and while we haven't had a chance to dive deeply into the game yet, we thought you might want to see how the controller itself stacks up against one of our Technics SL-1200MK2s. As you might expect, compared to the legendarily tank-like construction of the MK2, the DJ Hero controller looks and feels exactly like the plastic game controller it is, although the wheel itself is nice and weighty and the buttons are pleasantly clicky. We definitely have some doubts about how this is all going to work when actually trying to mix tunes together, but we're eager to try it out -- in the meantime, hit the gallery for the full set of pics. %Gallery-72951%
Xbox 360 802.11n WiFi adapter floats through the FCC
See those two antennas? They can only mean one thing: lickity-quick 802.11n WiFi on Microsoft's unannounced Xbox 360 adapter. Of course, the FCC label reads, "Xbox 360 wireless N networking adapter," leaving little doubt as to its purpose. A spec bump that should push the raw data rate to at least twice what you've seen on 802.11b/g networks while offering more options for placement thanks to improved range. What, you do have an 802.11n network at home, right? It's IEEE official now, you know?
Xbox's Aaron Greenberg: Hulu on 360 like "asking out a really hot chick on a date"
Hey, our main dudes over at Joystiq sat down with Xbox's Aaron Greenberg recently, and there are some great bits of info in the interview. Aaron says the big Xbox price cut has been planned for months, so it's "just a coincidence" that it happened right on top of the PS3 Slim -- and he also says he's an avid Joystiq reader, so if Redmond had wanted to get the jump on Sony, they'd have been prepared. Other nuggets: the $99 WiFi adapter isn't coming down in price, the Netflix relationship is going well, and getting Hulu or Amazon Unbox on the 360 is like "asking out a really hot chick on a date, they don't all say yes." Yeah, it's a pretty great interview -- hit the read link for the whole thing.
Xbox 360 'Super Elite' with 250GB HDD glimpsed in South African retail ad
So much for secrecy. South African Xbox 360 distributor Comztek has told local gaming news site XboxGaming.co.za that the a 250GB "Super Elite" model is due there in October. Additionally, the Forza 3 bundle we saw heading to Germany is also en route to SA, retailing for R4,999 (US $646), or around the same price as the Elite before its recent global price cut. South African retailer BT Games has apparently also posted a flier in honor of the launch (pictured), offering a R500 discount on the Super Elite (non-Forza 3 bundle, presumably) with the trade-in of a slimline PlayStation 2, totaling R4,199 (US $541) post-discount, or a 120GB Elite for R2,999 after the same trade-in rebate. Let's hope the folks in Redmond have as much of a sense of humor about leaks as Sony does. [Via Joystiq]
Xbox 360 Pro and Elite price cuts confirmed in Target ad for next week
We just received a pair of pics from "next week's" Target Ad. As has been heavily rumored, the Xbox 360 60GB Pro system will be cut to $250 while the 120GB Elite will drop to $300. Knowing that Target's weekly ads run from Sunday to Saturday we fully expect to see the new pricing go into effect on Sunday the 30th. One more image after the break.[Thanks, Tyce]
Xbox 360 Pro 60GB for $230 during Woot Sellout
While it's no guarantee that a retail price drop is coming, seeing an Xbox 360 Pro selling for just $230 (plus $5 shipping) during a Woot Sellout certainly piles-on the evidence. The Woot model is your typical 60GB Pro (rumored to have reached end-of-life) with HDMI-out, wireless controller, headset, and component AV cable. However, instead of carrying a $300 price it costs about $70 less than your nearest brick-and-mortar will charge. The best deal you'll find until the rumored price cuts get official. So what's it going to be, slim, pull the trigger or wait?[Thanks, Joshua W.]
Did Microsoft delay its price drop announcement to avoid Sony's Slim Storm 2009?
You may have seen a post or three (or eleventy) over the past few days about Sony's newer, skinnier, cheaper PS3 Slim. Microsoft apparently did, and that might be partly why it chose to delay its own re-pricing announcement, a move it was apparently set to reveal yesterday at GamesCom -- but opted not to. Big Redmond is said to be killing off the Xbox 360 Pro and replacing it with the Elite at the $299 price point, a move it will want to make quickly because, for the first time, it's now the most expensive gaming console on store shelves. Whether the supposed delay was to let the dust settle on Sony's big news or was just to clear out some additional Pro inventory remains to be seen, but either way MS had better get a move on -- and maybe think about knocking an extra couple bucks off for good measure.[Via 1UP; thanks, jeremy23j]
Xbox 360 'only console to show growth this year' according to Microsoft
Dubbing itself "the industry's sole bright spot in 2009," Microsoft has spun some depressing console sale decline numbers from NPD into a self-congratulating piece on the Xbox 360's singular success this year. Through the first seven months of 2009 the console has shown 17 percent growth, despite July's losses for the Big Three's respective slabs of home hardware. Microsoft also points out that the 360 has been the number one platform for third-party sales through the entire year. Of course, this is nothing Sony can't rectify with a bit of dirt cheap PS3 Slim magic, right? Right? Nintendo meanwhile probably can't hear Microsoft's bragging through the thick, cash-lined vaults it's built for itself off the back of ceaseless peripheral sales.
Xbox Live dashboard update preview invites begin rolling out
You've already read our thoughts on the new Xbox Live dashboard update, and now it's time for those who put in their name for the preview program to join the fun. Microsoft today began sending invites that'll get you set up for the download, so that you can enjoy Avatar marketplace and a slew of new Netflix options (and irksome restrictions for Starz Play titles). Registration is still open if you still want a shot at nabbing it before August 11th. Didn't get an email? A second wave of invites is going out tomorrow, but also be sure to check the Connect site you registered at anyway, as Microsoft notes those who opted out of receiving emails will have no other way of confirming. [Via Joystiq]
Microsoft confirms new Xbox 360 Arcade systems are bumped to 512MB
There wasn't much doubt that Xbox 360 Arcade systems equipped with 512MB of on-board memory were now shipping, but Microsoft has now come out and confirmed as much to Eurogamer to put any last bit of doubt to rest. For those not familiar with the world of hard drive-less Xbox 360s, that's twice as much memory as before, although that of course doesn't mean all that space will actually be available to gamers. As Microsoft notes, "the Xbox 360 system software uses some of the included 512MB memory," so "less storage will be available to users." Of course, finding one of the newly-upgraded consoles will also be a bit hit and miss for the time being, but it's looking like any console manufactured after April will have the added boost.[Via Joystiq]
Jimmy Fallon rocks out with Project Natal
They weren't just setting up Project Natal on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon set last night for nothing, you know -- Microsoft's Kudo Tsunoda was on the show, giving a little demo to Jimmy, John Krasinski, and Stephen Moyer. The games were the same Richocet and Burnout Paradise demos we got to play with at E3, but hey, now it's celebrities looking silly on camera instead of us, right? Some are hypothesizing that everyone had to wear the red jumpsuits to compensate for the bright studio lighting and lack of a uniform background behind the players, but it could have just been a Fallon flourish. We're looking into it -- in the meantime, check the video below. Update: We just hit up Fallon's producer, who told us the suits were just for fun, so that's that. Also, anyone notice Fallon asking Kudo if this would ship in 2010 and Kudo declining to answer during some crosstalk? Good times. [Via Joystiq]
Project Natal prototype hardware pictured on Jimmy Fallon's set
Looks like our old friend Jimmy Fallon will be demoing Microsoft's Project Natal on Late Night tonight, and this backstage pic from rehearsal is the first shot we've seen of the prototype hardware anywhere. Of course, Redmond's made it clear that the final product will look a lot different -- probably something more like the press pic -- so don't get crazy over this, but at least everyone's burning curiosity has been satiated. Now, Jimmy, if you could just hammer out a ship date, that'd be great.
Microsoft ends Xbox 360 RROD "coffin" program, still paying for shipping
Getting an Xbox 360 RROD was never any fun, but at least getting it fixed was easy, since a quick phone call would get you a pre-paid "coffin" in which to send the broken console back for repairs. Not anymore -- although Redmond will still pay for return shipping, the company's beancounters have decided to axe the expense of sending custom packaging out to people who need repairs, meaning anyone who gets an RROD will need to pack things themselves. Not the end of the world, but we share Joystiq's take: just send it however you can, since MS is fixing it anyway, and then save the return carton in case something else goes wrong -- knowing the 360, it very well might.
EA VP says the Xbox 360 is "maxed out"
Microsoft might be busy extending and building on the Xbox 360's capabilities with Project Natal and all manner of NXE and Live updates, but it sounds like some of their third-party devs think they're running out of headroom -- in an interview with the Official Xbox Magazine, EA senior VP Patrick Soderlund said that "we've maxed out the 360 but we haven't maxed out the PS3." That's an interesting parallel to what Miyamoto was just saying about the Wii, of course, but it doesn't seem like the situation is entirely dire: Soderlund also said that he's "truly impressed" with the 360 and that he "would have a headache" if he were running Sony. Still, that doesn't bode well for Microsoft's planned 10-year 360 lifecycle if it's true -- we'll see if Redmond has something new for us before 2015 after all.
Tony Hawk: RIDE feets-on
Want to humble a videogame journalist? Ask him if he skates and, if he answers with a modest "a little bit," proceed to make him lose his balance and stumble off of your toy skateboard controller. That was the scene seen again and again at Activision's thumping booth on the E3 show floor, and we took our turn to get humiliated on the company's plastic deck, the feature piece of this October's Tony Hawk Ride. It's fun, it's hard, and it's a surprisingly (and somewhat embarrassingly) good work-out.
Halo 3: ODST's limited edition 360 controller
Sure, Microsoft might be moving past the controller entirely with Project Natal, but that doesn't mean it's not going to try and milk you for all you're worth with limited-edition frippery like the Halo 3: ODST-themed controller that comes with the $99 collector's version of the game. You know you're powerless to resist -- we know we are. Check a couple more shots after the break.
Microsoft's Project Natal demo video has us jumping with anticipation
We're itching to get our own, uh, body time with Microsoft's Project Natal real time motion-capture accessory for the Xbox 360, but until that happens we're eagerly soaking up every last bit of footage we can -- like this teaser video shown during this morning's keynote. Lots of little tidbits here, like voice and face recognition, custom texture scanning and mapping, video chatting, and all sorts of use-your-whole-body gameplay applications. Of course, we don't know how much of this is real and how much is TV magic, but it certainly seems like Natal's got tons of potential -- check the video after the break. [Via Joystiq]
Xbox Live gets 1080p Zune video store, Netflix browsing, Twitter and Facebook integration
digg_url ='http://digg.com/xbox/Xbox_Live_gets_TV_streaming_Netflix_browsing_HD_vid_store'; Microsoft is busy announcing a slew of upgrades to Xbox Live, and the biggest news so far is relaunch of the video service, now Zune-branded with 1080p instant-on streaming content in 18 countries. XBL is also now integrated with Facebook -- your Facebook account can be linked to your Gamertag, and games will support Facebook Connect for sharing content online. That's pretty huge -- but if that wasn't enough, you're also getting Twitter and Last.fm in the deal. Want more? Netflix users will now be able to browse the entire catalog instead of simply loading their queue, and Microsoft has also gotten its Party Watch system in order, so you'll be able to heckle videos with your online friends. Last but not least, there's now live TV streaming for UK and Ireland gamers, who'll get Premier League soccer live from Sky. All in all, a solid set of updates for XBL -- but we'll wait and see how that "1080p" video looks before we pronounce Blu-ray dead. PR blurb after the break.
$400 Xbox 360 Elite Games of the Year bundle with Halo 3 and Fable 2 gets official
Those of you guessing that our mystery Xbox 360 birthday prize was that rumored new Elite bundle with Halo 3 and Fable 2 were exactly right -- and now that Microsoft's gotten official with it we can share the full details. $400 gets you a 120GB Elite 360 with the two games, a free Netflix trial, a 12-month Live Gold subscription and tokens for the Halo 3 "Mythic Map" and Fable 2 "Knothole Island" downloads. Not a bad deal at all, especially if you're looking to upgrade to a Jasper unit -- anyone going to pony up?Update: Microsoft pinged us to let us know that the free Live subscription and DLC tokens were just for the giveaway bundles they made up for us -- the regular GOTY bundles just have the games and the Netflix trial. Lame, we know.
Mentor-branded 5-inch e-reader surfaces alongside PocketBook collection
Ah, the lovely world of rebadged e-readers. If you'll recall, we saw a nice trio of Astak Mentor e-book readers way back in May of last year, and now we're seeing a smaller, more curvaceous version pictured alongside those very devices. Early assumptions were that this new 5-inch model would also belong to PocketBook, but those rumors have already been laid to rest. What we're left with is a few solid images, a Mentor label and a mind full of mystery. It's almost like reading a Danielle Steel novel, but only in the emotional sense.[Via MobileRead, thanks Nate]
