Game-Room
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Microsoft confirms Game Room rating ceiling
Last week it was rumored that Microsoft's Xbox 360 and PC Game Room would "never feature" titles with an ESRB rating higher than E10+; today Microsoft confirmed to Joystiq the current plan is to only add titles that correspond to the application's ESRB rating. Rather than submit each individual title for review, Microsoft has opted to submit the Game Room application to the ESRB, netting it an E10+ rating, ensuring higher-rated titles would not see life in the virtual arcade. In a statement to Joystiq, a Microsoft representative said, "the 30 titles available for download at launch will carry either E or E10+ ratings; beyond launch we have no additional details to share at this time." Based on its statements, Microsoft's Game Room can only include titles that have been submitted to the ESRB in other forms (compilation discs, or through downloadable platforms). While it's possible for Microsoft to submit classic titles that have yet-to-be rated by the ESRB (such as titles released prior to the group's 1994 inception that have yet to receive a rating), the plan appears to focus solely on games already available in some capacity. Microsoft said that because titles featured in the Game Room are "classic arcade and console titles" the company will be able to add any individual titles to the Game Room without submitting new releases to the ESRB for review -- provided they are currently rated E10+ or lower. While Microsoft says it currently has "no plans" to feature arcade titles rated Teen or Mature, the company confirmed it would be able to resubmit the Game Room application itself to the ESRB for a new rating, if higher-rated titles are considered for future release.
Rumor: Xbox Game Room will not feature Teen or Mature-rated titles
According to a report on GamerBytes, Microsoft has submitted the upcoming Xbox and PC Game Room itself to the ESRB for a rating, rather than have each title re-rated by the board. The article claims that Microsoft's upcoming virtual arcade will sport a rating of E10+ -- meaning anything with a rating of Teen and higher will be left out of the Avatar hangout. Since each game release (regardless of platform or delivery method) must be rated by the ESRB, the process of rating the Game Room itself could save Microsoft time, allow the company to reach its promised goal of "over 1,000 titles," and halt leaks of future titles via the ESRB website. While the current crop of Game Room titles are too retro for the rating decision to matter, other classics like Street Fighter and SmashTV won't make the cut. (Although, both are already available on Xbox.) While the Game Room's current rating is bundled with the initial crop of 30 titles, it's unclear if the application's rating will ever change to accommodate more recent arcade releases. Joystiq has contacted Microsoft for clarification. [Via Kotaku]
Retro XBLA games must be repurchased for the Xbox Game Room
Bad news for those of you who have picked up some classic arcade titles on Xbox Live and can't wait to play them in Microsoft's new Game Room: It looks like you will have to repurchase anything you want to play with your avatar in the 3D environment. Game Informer learned this recently from a Microsoft rep, who went on to say that it's because the Game Room titles are different from the XBLA versions -- in fact, it sounds like they're more old-school and not "revamped," as the rep puts it. Fortunately, you will get a small price break: As previously announced, the games will sell for 400 ($5) to play on Xbox 360 and PC, 240 ($3) for the game on one platform or 40 ($0.50) for "two quarters'" worth of playtime. But for those of us who've already shelled out 400 for the Centipede/Millipede combo, it looks like we'll have to pull out the wallet yet again.
Xbox Game Room pricing, partners detailed
The pricing structure for Microsoft's newly announced Avatar-occupied Game Room has been detailed in an online fact sheet, and we'd suggest you stock up on Microsoft funny money. Players have three options: 400 ($5) grants a dual-platform license for one game (for unlimited play on Xbox 360 and PC), 240 ($3) gets you the virtual arcade cabinet on one platform (Xbox 360 or PC), or, for the old-fashioned types, 40 ($0.50) is just "two quarters" worth of playtime on a select title -- for the authentic arcade experience, minus the sticky floors. Additionally, when visiting friends' game rooms, you can "try" their games before you pump in Microsoft Points of your own. The Game Room itself -- developed by third-party outfit Krome Studios (Viva Piñata: Party Animals, Star Wars: Republic Heroes) -- will be free for users to download. Customization options are mentioned in the fact sheet, but pricing for these features is not addressed. At launch the service will include 30 original arcade titles -- with "over 1000" planned for the future -- from multiple publishers, including Atari, Activision, Intellivision, and Konami. (A list of 31 confirmed titles is posted after the break.) Games will be presented in 1080p (because that's why you bought that HD set) and will support multiplayer for up to two players, as well as cross-platform leaderboards and Achievements. Microsoft's Home Game Room is slated to launch this spring. %Gallery-81971% Source - "Game Room" Fact Sheet [.doc]
Microsoft announces Game Room for Xbox 360
This one leaked out a bit ahead of schedule along with the rest of Microsoft's big CES announcements, but Robbie Bach has now gotten fully official with Game Room for the Xbox 360, which promises to recreate the old school arcade experience for you (and your avatar). Set to launch "this Spring," it'll initially give you access to thirty classic arcade games, which you'll be able to buy once and play on both your Xbox 360 and your PC. The real action seems to be on the Xbox 360 though, as that's where you'll be able to challenge your friends to a "show down," although there unfortunately doesn't seem to be any betting of Microsoft points instead of quarters. Head on past the break for a quick promo video.
Xbox Game Room bringing arcades back to Xbox 360 and Games for Windows Live users [update 3]
Update 3: An online fact sheet [.doc link] from Microsoft reveals that the Game Room itself will be free, while games will range in price from 400 ($5) for a dual-license purchase of arcade classics, 240 ($3) for a single-platform license or 40 ($0.50) for "two quarters" worth of play. Users can try arcade titles for free within a friend's room. For full details, check out our follow-up post. Update 2: According to Major Nelson, Game Room users will have the ability to purchase games for their virtual arcade and play them on both their Xbox 360 and Windows PC. Additionally, new Game Room titles will be made available every week. Users will be able to invite Xbox Live friends into their respective (and customizable) rooms to show off their arcade collection. Stock up on Microsoft Points, kids. Update 1: During its CES 2010 keynote, Microsoft's Robbie Bach announced 30 arcade titles will be available in the Xbox Game Room when the service launches this spring for the Xbox 360 and Games for Windows Live. Original: Hours following a leaked interview featuring Robbie Bach, Microsoft has confirmed the existence of a virtual arcade room for Xbox Avatars via this trailer unveiled at CES 2010. The Xbox Game Room is slated to hit the Xbox 360 and Games for Windows Live this spring, allowing players to visit a virtual room filled with classic arcade titles. According to the video, users will be able to customize their arcade rooms (presumably for Microsoft funny money) and challenge friends to a plethora of original arcade versions of games such as Centipede, Outlaw, and Star Raiders. The news that Game Room will also launch for Games For Windows Live raises the question, will the service see Avatars added in the near future? As the upcoming arcade is centered around entertainment for your virtual identity, we'd hope the service would see an interface upgrade bringing it closer to the Xbox's current NXE, rather than locking our poor Avatars up inside of an executable program.
PSA: Watch Microsoft's CES keynote online tonight
If your interest in all things Microsoft extends to a barely gaming related keynote address, then we've got some good news. Major Nelson tipped us off that Microsoft will be streaming its 2010 Consumer Electronic Show keynote -- hosted by the zany Steve Ballmer and and Robbie Bach -- tonight at 9:30PM EST. Sadly, tonight's viewing has been sullied by the fact that we pretty much know what we're going to hear in the way of Xbox news. But, like our marathon sessions of Titanic, we won't let our prior knowledge ruin our enjoyment of tonight's big show. Also, the fine folks at Engadget will be liveblogging the entire event, if you'd prefer to read about all the excitement. Get some popcorn ready, and let's hope for more of this... oh, and this. Source: Watch Microsoft's CES 2010 keynote live, at 9:30PM
2010 Project Natal launch and Xbox Game Room leaked in CES interview
Microsoft's CES keynote doesn't begin for a few hours still, but it looks as it the crux of the consumer electronics news from it is already flowing. Purportedly, a leaked interview (that has since been yanked) showed Robbie Bach, President of the Entertainment & Devices Division, talking up two things of utmost importance. The first of which is Project Natal, which is Redmond's attempt to add full-body interaction to the game console. The news? It's looking like 2010 really will be the year said product hits the shelves, and it's seeming more and more likely that the well-known Natal moniker will stick for retail. The other bit is a so-called Xbox Game Room, which is "supposed to bring back that retro fun to gaming." That's fairly ambiguous, but we can't say that our interest isn't piqued. Hang tight for what we hope will be the official announcement later this evening -- the day has only just begun, you know? Update: We've got the full interview! Catch it after the break!
'Xbox Game Room' and 2010 Project Natal launch leaked in CES interview
[Update, 5:30pm: And off comes the rumor tag! Microsoft may have pulled the post but the original video is still live on its own servers, which you can find right here! We'll scrub through it for more information. Update, 5:47pm: Full transcript after the break.] Microsoft's Channel 9 developer community site accidentally posted a video interview with Robbie Bach, President of the Entertainment & Devices Division, several hours before the company's annual CES press conference. Initially tweeted by @ch9, the video was pulled, as evidenced by this tweet from none other than @microsoft: "Sorry, spoke too soon, or, tweeted too soon. This video later tonight." Vigilant tipster Iced_Eagle wrote us just after the video was pulled, giving us a quick breakdown. "Go to the 11:53 mark in the video to hear them start discussing Game Room," our tipster writes. "They aren't totally concrete on the details, but they talk about how this is supposed to bring back that retro fun to gaming." That sounds an awful lot like that consumer survey we spotted in October for a virtual Avatar arcade, one of the potential titles of which was "Game Room." You don't say ... Iced_Eagle also unsurprisingly reports, "In the video they confirm Natal is on for this year." Considering everyone from Ubisoft's Yves Guillemot to Microsoft's own Steve Ballmer have alluded to a 2010 release, we're not the least bit surprised. But if they're still calling it Project Natal in this video, that means we're probably looking to E3 for an official reveal, with branding and all. Microsoft's CES keynote begins at 9:30pm Eastern and we'll be delivering all the news straight from Las Vegas. [Thanks for the great tip, Iced_Eagle!]
Survey shows Xbox Avatar 'RetroCade'
If a consumer survey sent over to us by a tipster is to be believed, Microsoft is looking to bring a virtual Avatar arcade to the Xbox 360. Some of the potential names listed in the survey are "Game Room," "RetroCade," "Tower of ROM," and "Classics LIVE." Yeah, we're partial to "Tower of ROM" also. If the proposed service sounds familiar, that's because it's nearly identical to PlayStation Home's arcade spaces – like Namco's virtual arcade – just replace the dead-eyed dopplegangers of Home with the scrunchable avatars of Xbox 360. The second survey question sent to us asks, "Which of the following names would most compel you to purchase the product?" indicating that the "Tower of ROM" might not be a free space but could instead have a fee associated with it. While the survey doesn't give us much more to go on (besides a sinking feeling that we're not interested), we thought we'd ask you, Joystiq Biomass, to weigh in on the product's name. Let the fat cats in Redmond know what you think! %Poll-35228%
VRX's triple-screen racing simulator uses Xbox 360 Elite
Man, talk about leaving the Home Pro Racing Simulator in the proverbial dust. VRX has introduced a swank new racing sim of its own designed with a Forza Motorsports 2 theme and a trio of 37-inch Sharp Aquos 1080p LCD TVs. The frame is constructed from CNC machined polished aluminum, and envelopes the gamer by curiously including just one Sparco seat along with four Xbox 360 Elites, four copies of Forza Motorsport 2, an Xbox 360 HD DVD add-on player, camera / wireless headset, a Zune, force feedback wheel, and surround sound as well. Sure, brush it off as overkill if you please, but those who are sick of draining quarters dollars at the arcade can contact the company to experience the presumed sticker shock for themselves.
Heiron & Smith's Executive pool table sports LCD, PS2
While we've seen some fine marriages between game room entertainment and over the top electronic heaven, Heiron & Smith's flagship pool table just entered a league of its own. The aptly-dubbed Executive measures eight- x four-feet, sports Australian molded cushion rubber, Italian slate, handmade pocket nets, and some of the finest cloth England had to offer. The good stuff, however, consists of a side-mounted LCD TV, stereo with flat-panel speakers, neatly adorned PlayStation 2, racks for your books, games, and other media, and of course, a mirrored indention to stock the sauce. Unfortunately, it'll take a phone call to figure out how many thousands this thing will set you back, and unless you live Down Under (or own a barge), you won't be acquiring one anyway.[Via TechDigest]
A sign of the Mac gaming apocalypse?
Anyone else notice that Peter Cohen's monthly Game Room column is conspicuously absent from the September issue of Macworld? Has the preeminent Mac magazine abandoned gaming coverage in favor of more productive, ad-friendly content?Let's examine the facts. Peter's column has appeared in every issue for at least the past three and a half years without skipping a beat. However, the availability of top tier Mac games has been increasingly on the thin side -- even more so than usual. In the August issue, for example, Call of Duty 2 was the featured game. But like a quality starter with a bad bullpen, the bestselling WWII shooter was backed up by Flip or Flop Home Edition, Jets'n'Guns, and Lumox 2 - not exactly chart-burning stuff in the Windows gaming lineup. There was also a re-review of Quake 4 (but recycled content doesn't count). Macworld's Game Room web site, which includes Peter's blog, is still up and running and interestingly enough, Jason Snell's editorial in the September issue discusses the advantages of publishing online over hardcopy. Perhaps, the dearth of Mac games no longer affords the privileges of the printed page, and in the age of Boot Camp, Mac gamers must now seek sustenance in *gasp* PC Gamer. Or maybe Peter just took a much-needed vacation.
