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Red Xbox 360 Resident Evil Limited Edition spotted in the wild
New 360 SKUs always seem to land on Target shelves a bit early, and the new Resident Evil 5 red Xbox 360 Elite limited edition is no exception -- there it is, hanging out in Pembroke Pines, Florida. We don't know if these are just out behind the counter or if the staff is just ignoring that DO NOT SELL BEFORE 3.13.09 sticker, but we're certain some kind soul will let us know soon.[Thanks, Morgan]
Engadget's Netflix HD streaming shootout
Netflix seems to be doing things right when it comes to the streaming game, partnering with several hardware companies in an attempt to make its service more or less ubiquitous -- a pretty sharp break from the proprietary hardware approach taken by most of its competitors. That means Netflix subscribers have quite a few choices when it comes to streaming, and we thought we'd put the ones available now head-to-head and try to crown a winner. The good news? There isn't a mediocre choice out there. The bad? Well, read on.Update: We shot another video to answer some lingering questions about the Roku player, check it below.
Pachter: $299 PS3 would outsell 360, put Sony back in the game
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/299_PS3_would_outsell_360_put_Sony_back_in_the_game'; A day after it was tabulated that PlayStation 3 was outsold by Xbox 360 nearly 2-to-1 in December, industry analyst Michael Pachter has told GameDaily he believes Sony would outsell Microsoft if it dropped PS3's price to $299 -- the going rate for the 360 "Pro" system."I think that PS3 will sell well once competitively priced," Pachter said, adding, "Should [Sony] price at parity with Xbox 360 ($299), I think that PS3 sales would exceed 360 sales, and eventually, they could catch up." Sony's cheer squad shouldn't get too charged up yet, though. Pachter also said that, "At present, it doesn't look like that is happening any time soon, so Sony should be prepared to remain in third place until well after they cut price."For its article, GameDaily spoke with several other analysts, all of which echoed the same sentiment: given its current standing and the state of the US economy, PS3 needs to be priced below $300 -- and, if it is, it will eventually overtake Xbox 360 in sales.
Stolen Xbox recovered by victim using controller, science
People will go to great lengths to steal your gear -- no big surprise there. In a nice, semi-ingenious twist, though, one Xbox 360 thief on campus at Missouri State has gotten caught by the dupe himself. Thievery victim Ryan Kestenbaum was able to connect the controller (which the crook had left behind) up to the console, which of course meant that it was nearby. He then went on a fantastic journey with the controller, allowing the LEDs -- which flash if the controller is out of range -- to guide him to the room of the thief. Kestenbaum contacted the dorm's advisor, and the Xbox was recovered, although it had sadly been reformatted and all of Ryan's saved games were gone. He said he plans on prosecuting the thief "to the fullest extent of the law," which we hopes means he'll be getting back the thousands of bottle caps lost. [Via Daily Tech]
Funcom re-reaffirms Conan 360 in addition to The Secret World
In a world of cut-backs and shutdowns, it's pretty easy to start worrying about things you never had the need to worry about before. Sometimes it can get so bad, that things need to be said more than once. Case in point: Funcom's Xbox 360 version of Age of Conan and their next MMO project, The Secret World. In a recent discussion with GamesIndustry.biz Funcom said not to worry about either projects, as they're both on track. The console Age of Conan will contain all updates to the PC version upon shipping -- which is a good thing, considering how buggy it was -- and The Secret World's development team is actually expanding.So while AoC on the PC is to remain their current primary focus, things are still moving forward with other projects. We only hope this is still the case in the next six-to-twelve months time, especially with how the global economy seems to be playing out. Having fun in Conan's homeland? Make sure to check out all of our previous Age of Conan coverage, and stick with Massively for more news from the Hyborian Age!
New Xbox Arcade units to pack 256MB internal storage
Now that the New Xbox Experience has been mostly-successfully pushed out, with its avatars, new interface, and updated marketplace, Arcade owners with less than 128MB of storage have been left out in the cold -- and the big M's "solution" of free memory cards wasn't exactly ideal. That's changing, however -- a MS spokesperson confirmed to Xbox360 Fanboy that new Arcade units will contain 256MB of internal memory. So if you've been looking to pick up a new 360 Arcade, feel free to get your Netflix HD on as soon as every last cord is connected -- if you're a subscriber, that is.
$99 60GB Xbox Live starter pack to be released next week
Hints of a digg_url = 'http://digg.com/xbox/99_60GB_Xbox_Live_starter_pack_to_be_released_next_week'; 60GB Xbox Live Starter Pack popped up in Europe in August, but according to GameStop and a leaked Circuit City ad, the $99 upgrade should land in American stores sometime next week. Just as we'd heard, the bundle will include three months of Live Gold, a wired headset, and a 60GB hard drive -- just the thing to meet that new 128MB New Xbox Experience storage requirement. Too bad Microsoft isn't going to discount this bundle quite as heavily as that $30 20GB package for Arcade owners, but we won't complain too loudly -- hell, if MS would just cut the price on that ridiculous $149 120GB unit, we'd be all smiles.[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
New Xbox Experience videos let you vicariously play dress up
You already know the Xbox 360 is getting new community features, a revamped dashboard, Avatars, and of course Netflix video -- all things we've been excited about since we saw them in action at E3 this year. There hasn't been much to go on since then, but we recently came across some short videos exhibiting Parties (which let users socialize and make plans while engaging in separate games and activities) and Avatar customization options; hopefully they'll hold you over until the features go live November 19th. We won't be held responsible for the brain deterioration caused by the vacuous marketing-speak accompanying the moving images, however. "It is where you get to enjoy entertainment -- that's the vision." Yes, it is.
The Daily Grind: Are consoles the future?
The MMO genre was born and raised in the PC culture. The reasons are obvious, of course -- personal computers have been connected to networks for a long time, the keyboard was more effective for communication before the advent of Voice-over-IP. That said, a lot has been done to make platforms like the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 more attractive for MMO developers and players.Funcom plans to release Age of Conan for the 360. DC Universe Online, The Agency, and Free Realms will all be available on the PS3. In fact, noted MMO developer SOE was not long ago moved into what is basically Sony's PlayStation division with the explicit intent to focus on console MMOs. Blizzard has hired workers with console experience to work on its unannounced "Next-Gen MMO." Clearly, this generation is going to greatly expand on the pioneering efforts of past console MMOs like Final Fantasy XI. Surely if the genre doesn't explode on today's consoles it will in the next batch, right?Are you looking forward to leaving behind the mouse and keyboard so you can lounge on the sofa with a wireless controller, or are you concerned that too much will be lost in translation? Maybe you think that attempts like The Agency will fail, and the bubble will burst before anyone even really notices it. There are a lot of problems, such as the expense and hassle of the process of authenticating patches in a tightly-controlled service like Xbox Live. Are problems like that deal breakers?
Xbox 360 price cut coming on September 5 -- Arcade now $199
It wasn't any secret that the Xbox 360 was getting a price cut in the next week or so, and now it's official -- Major Nelson just confirmed that as of September 5th, the Arcade will be $199, the Pro will be $299, and the Elite will be $399. No motion controller, goofy Live starter pack, or tweaked controller to be found, but we're not arguing with price cuts.Update: Here's the Microsoft press release.
Xbox 360 Dashboard Update to arrive in November?
The next Xbox 360 Dashboard update promises to be a big one, with a totally revised menu system, Netflix support, and Wii-like avatars, but so far Microsoft's kept mum on when it's coming -- but we'd circle November on your calendars for now, since that's what MS UK apparently told the crew at RPG-TV. It's still not official official, but at least now you have something to look forward to in November besides awkwardly hanging out with people from high school over Thanksgiving.
European Xbox Live Starter Pack said to be landing in November
While there's unfortunately no word on a release 'round these parts, it looks like Xbox 360 users in Europe can look forward to a relatively inexpensive means of upgrading their console, with this Xbox Live Starter Pack apparently set to land in November for €79 (or roughly $117). As you can see above, that'll get you a 60GB hard drive, a wired headset, and a gold Xbox Live membership good for three months. Not exactly everyone, but it'll no doubt be an attractive option to those that bought a Core or Arcade and suddenly found themselves having second thoughts about going sans hard drive.[Via Slash Gear]
Microsoft says Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour, and Rock Revolution instruments to be cross-compatible on 360 as well
It's sad that the petty bickering between Activision, Harmonix, and Konami required console makers to step up and ensure that gamers didn't end up with piles of redundant plastic instrument controllers, but things are starting to get better -- just as Sony did yesterday, Microsoft announced that it's requiring Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Revolution to be cross-compatible on the Xbox 360. The post on Redmond's Gamerscore blog isn't chock-full of details, but we'll commend Microsoft and Sony for getting involved to make sure that all the lawsuits and infighting don't adversely affect their customers -- now if they could only find a way to make those drumkits actually fit into a living room, we'd be all set.[Via Joystiq]
Xbox 360 Arcade dropping to $199 on September 7?
We've been hearing whispers that an Xbox 360 price cut is in the works, and now we're starting to see some evidence -- VGChartz scored this image of an unknown retailer's inventory system showing the 360 Arcade dropping to $199 on September 7th. There's no word on whether the rumored 60GB and Elite price cuts are coming as well, but they'd certainly be welcome -- and with Rock Band 2 scheduled to hit just a week later, we'd say next month is looking like a good one for Xbox fans.
Source: First images from 360 Avatar creator leaked
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/xbox/Source_First_images_from_360_Avatar_creator'; We've all seen the adorably customizable lookalikes that we'll be generating with the Avatar system, due out with the Xbox 360 Fall update -- but we've yet to see the actual system that will let you let you create your virtual representation. However, a "super secret source" recently sent our green and white sister site, 360 Fanboy, a couple of images containing the icons used in the Avatar creator. Assuming they're legit, they give a great indication of what aspects of your avatar you'll be able to manipulate. Based on the images in the gallery below, it looks like our dream of walking through Xbox Live's virtual halls as a morbidly obese man in a rabbit costume might just come true. [Thanks, DCB and SS1029.] Gallery: Avatar Creator Customization
Hacker stuffs a wired 360 controller in a DualShock 3 shell
Console modders out there have been doing crazy things with controllers for a while now, and while this latest piece isn't as crazy as the one-handed Access Controller, it's still good for a double-take -- check out this wired 360 controller shoehorned into a DualShock3 shell, complete with green LEDs. THe modder, RDC, says it works great, rumble included, but that there's no headset connector and the L2 and R2 triggers aren't analog -- both things he's hoping to fix in the next version. We'd suggest keeping the DS3 buttons as well -- while the colorful 360 buttons look pretty hot against that black case, we'd rather break this thing out and blow minds stealth-style.[Thanks, Aguiluz]
NPD says: A winner is Wii in the U.S.
One of the benefits of being a major company is that you get to find out things first -- like how much stuff you sold. When the NPD Group informed Nintendo of the most recent figures, the Big N sent a love text to our Joystiq overlords, bragging about their current sales standings in the U.S.But we already know that the Wii sells a lot, so what's the big deal this time? According to Nintendo, NPD figures confirm that the Wii has surpassed its competitors as the North American console leader. As of today, the Wii has sold almost 10.9 million units, which was enough to give it the edge over the Xbox 360. Of course, there's much more to being the king of consoles than selling a lot of hardware, as you need the software to match. However you feel about the Wii's game library, though, this is quite an accomplishment for the little white console that could.
Xbox 360 Fancast E3 08 Special: Day 2
Wow. We're really still doing these. Ahem. It's late, once again, but it's still E3 and that means you get another special edition of the Xbox 360 Fancast. Today we talk about our impressions of the XBLA offerings at E3 (Castle Crashers!), Halo Wars, Silent Hill Homecoming, and much much more. Oh, and yes, we're still super tired and super loopy. Enjoy.[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3).[Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in Zune Marketplace (MP3).[RSS MP3] Add the Xbox 360 Fanboy Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically.[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.Hosts: Richard Mitchell (SenseiRAM), Dustin Burg (SuperDunners), Alexander Sliwinski (Sli Xander)Produced by Richard MitchellMusic: Intro/Outro: "Electromooq" by Uma Floresta.For fans: Xbox 360 Fancast Facebook group
Microsoft brings Netflix streaming to the Xbox 360 for Live Gold members
After months of speculation and rumors, Microsoft just announced that it's partnering with Netflix to allow Xbox 360 owners to stream movies from their Netflix queues for no extra charge. Microsoft says the 360 will be the only game system that allows Netflix access for no additional cost -- which isn't entirely accurate, since it sounds like only Live Gold members will get access. Streaming movies can also be shared with your Live party, allowing you to watch content together. Users will have instant access to their Netflix instant access queues, but it's not clear what resolution the content will be streamed at -- we'd guess it's roughly the same DVD-quality res that Roku's Netflix streamer is getting for now, but hopefully that'll change when the service launches in the fall with the new dashboard.
Microsoft announces Lips karaoke game with motion-sensitive mics
We pretty much knew it was coming, but Microsoft just officially announced the Lips karaoke game official. Just like we'd heard, the singalong title will come with a motion-sensitive mic that lights up in time to your voice. The game interface is somewhat similar to Rock Band or Singstar, where you have to hit various pitches accurately to rack up points -- but in addition to the game content, you'll be able to sing along to your own music off a Zune or iPod.
