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The story of the Duke, the Xbox pad that existed because it had to
Denise Chaudhari had never touched a gamepad before stepping onto Microsoft's campus as a contractor. The first woman to join the Xbox team, Chaudhari had studied ergonomics and industrial design at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design but didn't have any experience with joysticks. That's part of why Xbox's Jim Stewart was so excited to bring her on board: Her ideas wouldn't be based on preconceived notions of what a gamepad had to be. It was early 2000, and the company was preparing to enter the gaming world with the Xbox. In Nov. 2001, the console was released in North America alongside the Duke, a controller that seemed comically large compared to its contemporaries. Within a year, the oversize gamepad was abandoned by Microsoft and replaced with a smaller model, but the Duke has had an impact on every controller since.
Microsoft confirms 3D support in Halo: CE remake for Xbox 360
Microsoft has been slower than Sony to jump on the 3D gaming bandwagon -- not surprising considering it isn't the one desperately pushing the televisions needed to experience them -- but today the company confirmed rumors that Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary will be playable in 3D. Joystiq experienced a demo at Gamescom in Germany, and reports that it only works with the game's updated graphics mode, and that the game's producer claims the framerate will stay consistent even in 3D. While there are already a number of Xbox 360 games that support 3DTVs, this is the first one we've heard developed by Microsoft, although Epic revealed earlier this month that the Microsoft-produced Gears of War 3 will support 3D. that's good news for gamers that have made the extra dimensional jump already, while those of us playing in 2D can hopefully still see performance improvements, especially while playing co-op -- we always bring a wingman / shoulder to cry on for The Flood.
Original Halo: CE to see a full HD (& 3D) remake on Xbox 360?
So far Microsoft's been pretty passive about jumping on 3D gaming, while several games on the Xbox 360 support it (NBA 2K11 after a patch last month, Call of Duty: Black Ops) there's no support in the system menus and not in any of its first party games, but that may be about to change. Our friends at Joystiq have learned that the remake of Halo: Combat Evolved they've been hearing about will ship this holiday season with new art assets ready for 1080p and 3DTVs. The biggest gameplay enhancement mentioned is online co-op, so we'd suggest calling your old college roommate and clearing a weekend or two around November 15th (the ten year anniversary of the release of the original game) just in case.
Zelda: Ocarina of Time mod for Halo PC
This really could be considered more PC news than Wii news, but we'll be damned if it doesn't look fun! If any of you out there own Halo: Combat Evolved on the PC, we would be lying if we said we weren't jealous, because the prospect of fighting other Links while riding Epona, tagging each other up with the bow and arrow, is too good. If you're interested in the idea, check out the video past the post break.
Get your own plasma rifle! [update 1]
Typically, Halo makes gamers think of things like guns, explosions, Marines, or "overrated." For eBay user wansitler, Halo's only meaning is "Arts and Crafts." This guy went to the trouble of precisely replicating a lifesize...um...replica of a Covenant plasma rifle from Halo. Actually, it's made of wood so, you know, it won't shoot searing hot plasma or anything. Still, if you'd like to own this interesting conversation piece/girlfriend repellent, it can be yours for the bargain price of US $175 -- or less if you go in for the whole "auction" thing.Any takers? Maybe these guys will buy it just so they can destroy it.[Via HBO]Update 1: Oops. Looks like someone already snatched up this wondrous piece of woodwork. Congratulations, pyrometheous. Now just convince your better half to let you mount it on the wall.
F$%# (bottle) rocket n00b!
Halo fan FyreWulff has created a replica of the SPNKR rocket launcher to celebrate US independence this year. The launcher -- still a work in progress -- takes on the trademark Halo design, including the "HOLD LIKE THIS" image on the side. Describing his project, FyreWulff said: "...This is not meant to be a 1:1 remake of the Halo rocket launcher. I'm basically "skinning" another (fake!) rocket launcher to look like it, as best as possible." The launcher will be used to fire holiday shells and bottle rockets this 4th of July. Whether you're a Halo fan or not, surely there is no better way to celebrate our country than by blowing up a small part of it. Follow the read link for more pictures. Anybody else have any cool holiday projects? [Via HBO]
