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Public beta registration now open for the Xbox 360's 2013 Live update
It's that time of the year again, and we're not talking about the long Independence Day weekend. Microsoft has opened up public beta registration for the 2013 Xbox Live update, and this time around you'll need to log your interest directly through an Xbox 360 console. Xbox owners in Japan will be missing out, although they'll have the same opportunity "at a later date." There should be a tile on the dashboard home screen entitled "Xbox Beta Program," and with limited spots available, we recommend you sign up immediately if you'd like to participate -- last year's spots were filled pretty quickly. There doesn't appear to be anything exciting included in the beta; Major Nelson cites "updates to improve overall performance" and the option to purchase content with actual money instead of MS points. There may be more details in the beta FAQ when it goes live later today, but if you get into the program and find anything juicy MS neglected to mention, it hopes you'll honor the NDA which you'll agree to as part of the registration process.
Xbox SmartGlass now available in Google Play, brings console integration to Android
Hot on the heels of the Dashboard update for the Xbox 360, Microsoft's SmartGlass integration is now a reality for Android 4.0 users. The companion app branches out from the earlier My Xbox Live app for Android and allows direct control of some console features from Google-powered gear. While Windows Phone users will find the tightest integration of all, the Android port still lets users steer through the Dashboard, input text, browse the web (with zooming), search for local content, and control media playback. Players can still chat with their friends and modify their Xbox profile if they're not planning to lurk around the system all day. The interface is strikingly similar to past releases (including Android) and still demands at least an 800 x 480 screen for admission -- sorry, Wildfire S fans. You'll find a full roster of features after the break, and can hit up Google Play at the source link below for your own remote. Jon Fingas contributed to this report.
Microsoft announces Xbox 360 holiday bundles and $50 off promo for US market
With this year's holidays being just around the corner, it's only natural for companies to start tempting potential customers with cash-saving, too-good-to-pass deals. With that in mind, Microsoft, via the informative Major Nelson, announced earlier today its 2012 Xbox 360 holiday bundles in hopes of luring some folks in; among these are a 250GB console with Kinect, Dance Central 2, Kinect Sports, Kinect Adventures and one month of Xbox Live for $400, while there's also a 4GB, $300 option that comes with the same Gold subscription, Redmond's motion-tracking peripheral, Kinect Disneyland Adventures and Kinect Adventures. In addition, the Surface maker said retailers should start offering the console for $50 off MSRP, and that this limited time deal will also apply to the Halo 4 bundle which is due to come out on November 6th. Better yet, these new bundles and promos are available now -- so, for those living in the US, now could be a good time to snag one of Microsoft's renowned consoles.
Microsoft CEO Ballmer braces us for a 'fundamental shift' in strategy with more Microsoft-designed devices
Microsoft's Surface tablets could already be considered warning shots across the bow, signalling that a change in strategy was underway. For anyone who was in doubt, however, CEO Steve Ballmer has clearly spelled out in a shareholder letter that Microsoft now sees its own devices as crucial to the company as anything else. There's a "fundamental shift" in how the Redmond-based crew works, he says, and investors should expect that Microsoft will periodically make "specific devices for specific purposes" (like Surface or the Xbox) that show off services in the best light possible. Ballmer adds that plans in the long run focus on new device types and learning interfaces. The message is ostensibly a rosy one for the company's future, but there's also a subtext for hardware makers that have complained about competing against their OS partner: get used to it. Ballmer sees Microsoft-designed hardware like Surface as complementary to what third parties do, and his company isn't about to reverse course anytime soon.
Nielsen says game consoles get men to use TV more: hurray, we think
We're not sure if we should always cheer figures that reflect sedentary behavior. Still, chalk one up for greater (if superficial) gender equality. Nielsen finds that, as of this past March, men who owned a modern game console like the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 or Wii were using their TVs almost as much as women: while males in the broader population typically spend 37 fewer minutes in front of the big screen every day than females, that gap shrank to a negligible 11 minutes when console use came into play. Unfortunately, the agency doesn't say just what's getting men to tune in for that much longer. Gaming is the most likely culprit, but a raft of streaming video options could have some of those refined couch potatoes watching Hulu or Netflix instead of playing one more round of Gears of War. If consoles have people of all genders spending more time together, we're in favor of it; given that men still spend over twice as much time on consoles as women, though, it's clear there's still a bridge to cross if we want more of a balance in the kinds of TV activity we enjoy.
BBC iPlayer adds radio support to Xbox app
Well, they certainly made you wait for it, but the BBC has finally delivered on its promise, bringing radio support to its Xbox 360 app. When iPlayer launched on the console in March, patient customers were initially left without access to the national network's vast catalog of audio programming. With today's 22MB update that changes, but only so long as you're sticking with archived materials. You'll have access to the catch up feature, but no live streaming (so don't expect to get your breaking news through your Xbox). You'll also be able to pick up where you left off with previously accessed programs. If you've got an urge to find out about all the work that went into the UI design, hit up the source.
Microsoft permanently lowering Kinect price in the US to $110, slightly reducing it in other parts of the world
Well, it certainly looks like the news of that Xbox Essentials Pack isn't the only thing coming out of Redmond today. As the communicative Major Nelson unequivocally notes, Microsoft's officially dropping down the price of its "You Are the Controller" Xbox 360 add-on in the US to a mere 110 bucks. Additionally, he's also said there's a "permanently reduced" pricing scheme coming to other countries in North America, Latin America and the Asia Pacific regions (save for Japan) where the company's Kinect is available for purchase; meanwhile, folks in the Middle East, Europe and Africa seem to be out of luck for now, since there are no price-slashing plans for the time being.
Thrustmaster unveils Ferrari Vibration GT Cockpit 458 Italia Edition and Ferrari gamepad for Xbox 360, we go hands-on
It's been almost a year since Thrustmaster rolled out its first replica Ferrari 458 Italia racing wheel and pedal set for Xbox 360, and the company's finally outed its successor: the Ferrari Vibration GT Cockpit 458 Italia Edition. Like its elder, the GT Cockpit has an 11.2-inch replica of the Ferrari 458 Italia's steering wheel, with A,B, X and Y buttons in place of turn signals and an Engine Start button that's actually a d-pad. It also sports brushed metal paddle shifters and 16-bit resolution to ensure a realistic digital driving experience. However, the new wheel is attached to a base sporting a pair of stamped steel pedals via an adjustable steering column. The whole thing has metal underpinnings and weighs 22 pounds to provide stability as you virtually race around Sebring or Laguna Seca. Plus, it's foldable, so you can easily stow it out of the way when you're not doing your best Stig impersonation.%Gallery-162413% In addition to the GT Cockpit, Thrustmaster has also outed the GPX LightBack Ferrari F1 Edition Gamepad. It largely looks like a standard corded 360 controller, with a Ferrari-style white and red paint job (replete with racing sponsor logos), backlit thumbsticks and two rows of LEDs at the top of the controller. The LEDs are programmed to provide visual indicators for engine speed or braking power, and the thumbsticks have been tweaked to be more precise than those on other available 360 gamepads. The F1 gamepad's up for pre-order today for $49.99, and the GT Cockpit can be yours in September for $300. Wanna know more? Check out our hands (and feet)-on impressions after the break.%Gallery-162412%
Engadget's back to school guide 2012: gaming
Welcome to Engadget's back to school guide! The end of summer vacation isn't nearly as much fun as the weeks that come before, but a chance to update your tech tools likely helps to ease the pain. Today, we're getting our game on -- and you can head to the back to school hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back -- at the end of the month we'll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides -- and hit up the hub page right here! It's time to balance out that daily grind at school with some well-deserved leisure. Fortunately, many of our choices walk that fine line between work and play -- if you're willing to stump up some more cash beyond a normal laptop, you could get something capable of handling the latest PC titles. Some of our other choices may be a harder sell in the education stakes, but we all need some stress relief, right? And with bigger consoles nearing the end of their life cycles, there's never been a more wallet-friendly time to get involved. Jump in after the break for our favorite gaming choices. If all your money's been earmarked for learnin', then you should certainly enter our sweepstakes. Leave a comment after the break for a chance to win, and visit our giveaway page for all the details.
'Just for Kids' now available on the Xbox 360: Go, Netflix, Go!
Late last year, Netflix kicked off its plans to specifically cater the young crowd with its 'Just for Kids' entertainment section -- which, at that point, was nothing but a mere experiment. Still, the toons-filled project quickly found success amongst subscribers, and shortly thereafter it had made its way onto other platforms like the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3. Today, the Xbox 360's the latest gaming system to join the fun, as Netflix's announced the kids-only section is now available on Microsoft's popular console. Obviously you'll need both a Netflix and Xbox Live account prior to entering the hub and start streaming some Go, Diego, Go! -- otherwise all that's left to do is download the updated app before you (or your kids) can check it out.
Microsoft patent applications take Kinect into mobile cameras, movie-making
Microsoft has never been shy about its ambitions for Kinect's depth sensing abilities. A pair of patent applications, however, show that its hopes and dreams are taking a more Hollywood turn. One patent has the depth camera going portable: a "mobile environment sensor" determines its trajectory through a room and generates a depth map as it goes, whether it's using a Kinect-style infrared sensor or stereoscopic cameras. If the visual mapping isn't enough, the would-be camera relies on a motion sensor like an accelerometer to better judge its position as it's jostled around. Microsoft doesn't want to suggest what kind of device (if any) might use the patent for its camera, but it's not ruling out anything from smartphones through to traditional PCs. The second patent filing uses the Kinect already in the house for that directorial debut you've always been putting off. Hand gestures control the movie editing, but the depth camera both generates a model of the environment and creates 3D props out of real objects. Motion capture, naturally, lets the humans in the scene pursue their own short-lived acting careers. We haven't seen any immediate signs that Microsoft is planning to use this or the mobile sensor patent filing in the real world, although both are closer to reality than some of the flights of fancy that pass by the USPTO -- the movie editor has all the hallmarks of a potential Dashboard update or Kinect Fun Labs project.
Microsoft kicked off public beta for 2012 Xbox Live update, but quickly ran out of space
And just like that, it was all over. Shortly after the well-known, always-informative Major Nelson announced that this year's upcoming Xbox Live update had officially opened its beta doors to the public, he soon followed up with a note saying it was already "full and no longer accepting sign-ups." For the lucky ones, though, the public beta will give them early access to a slew of anticipated Xbox Live features, such as personalized dashboard recommendations, improved category / discovery features and, best of all, a look at Internet Explorer on Microsoft's entertainment console. Sadly, Major Nelson didn't say whether or not there's going to be more spaces opening up soon, but we'll keep you in the loop if anything changes.
AMD exec behind Wii and Xbox 360 graphics jumps the fence to NVIDIA
AMD has been suffering a conspicuous brain drain, with executives like ATI veteran Rick Bergman and CTO Eric Demers crossing over to tangentially or directly competitive companies like NVIDIA and Qualcomm. Chalk up another one for the list -- strategic development VP Bob Feldstein has bounded towards NVIDIA's (literally) greener pastures. The blow cuts deeper than usual through Feldstein's responsibility for graphics in most of the consoles from the past few years: he headed up work behind the Xenos chip in earlier Xbox 360s and the Hollywood core in the Wii, and he likely had some say in the Wii U's video hardware as well. While the staff shuffle won't directly affect AMD's Fusion processors or Radeon cards, it's hard to see much of a positive for AMD's future in video gaming, even in the light of rumors that the next PlayStation and Xbox might use some of Feldstein's work.
Microsoft's Xbox 360 $99 on-contract deal expands to Best Buy, Gamestop
The Xbox 360 pilot program's breaking out of its Microsoft Store-only confines and heading to more ubiquitous electronics retailers Best Buy and GameStop starting today. If you'll remember, Redmond intro'd this subsidized plan last month, giving prospective buyers within reach of one of its 16 participating locations the ability to purchase a 4GB version of the console for $99 with a two-year commitment. In exchange for those contract chains, gamers forking over the $15 monthly fee not only get the privilege of owning the console at a discounted, upfront cost, but also Gold level membership to Xbox Live. We'd caution you to think twice and do some hard math before you hand over the plastic, though. Tempting as that low-price barrier to entry is -- in total, a $460 value -- you might be better off grabbing this console outright at $420 or less.
Ben Heck makes Super Glove mod for Kinect, takes strain out of gestures (video)
Sick of trying to control your 360 using Kinect, semaphore and advanced flailing? Modgod Ben Heck, deciding he wanted to be more Minority Report and less lunatic, has been working on Power Glove 2.0 to improve the console's navigation experience. The prototype glove is tricked out with Arduino, an accelerometer, a gyroscope and some fingertip buttons. With the addition of IR and a little coding magic, the 360's interface can be controlled via subtle gestures, with increased functionality / style points also apparent. Check out the latest episode of The Ben Heck Show after the break for a detailed walkthrough of the project and a demo of the glove in action.
Xbox 360 250GB Racing Bundle totes Forza and a wheel, driving talent extra
Most Xbox 360 bundles focus on shiny colors over extra features. We'll take them any day, but we prefer functional pack-ins like that in the just-unveiled 250GB Racing Bundle. On top of Microsoft's higher-end console, you'll find a copy of Forza Motorsport 4 to build your racing chops and a Wireless Speed Wheel to give a slightly more faithful driving experience. The effect won't match that of a Motion Simulation TL1, but at $299, you'll have money left over to buy a real car when the Xbox bundle arrives in mid-June -- and only a slight premium over the usual 250GB console's $249 price tag.
Microsoft encourages students to buy a PC, gives them a free Xbox 360 in return
Students. PCs. Free Xbox 360. The Redmond team's at it yet again. Similar to last year's deal, Microsoft's hooking students up with a 4GB Xbox 360 if they drop some cash on one of its Windows machines. It's simple: shell out over $699 on a PC, or $599 if you're in Canada, and you'll be walking out with a shiny new console free of charge -- naturally, you'll have to do so at participating shops such as Best Buy, Fry's, Newegg, Staples, The Source and, of course, Microsoft's own stores. The promo is set to kick off here in the States on May 20th, while those living in the True North can take advantage of it starting today. And before you ask -- yes, you will need to show your scholar credentials to get in on the bargain.
Microsoft rolling out new apps to Xbox 360, including MUZU.TV and Manga in the US
You can never have enough apps, right? With that in mind, Microsoft's rolling out a couple of new applications to Xbox 360s in the US and Canada. For starters, those of you living Stateside will now have access to Manga Entertainment and MUZU.TV (also available in the True North); the first of which allows you to watch free video content from its catalog, while the latter has around 40,000 music videos ready for your viewing pleasure. In addition to the aforementioned apps, the Australia-only FOXTEL application has been updated with support for Redmond's Kinect, allowing Oz folks to control it with hand gestures or by voice. We've already seen the new apps pop up on our Xbox, so you should be seeing them hit your console any time now.
MLB.tv Premium for Xbox 360 now live in 18 more countries, CinemaNow adds rentals in the US
Feels like it was only yesterday that the MLB.tv app was landing on Xbox consoles in North America, and starting today, the application will be available to more baseball lovers around the globe. As Major Nelson notes (again), the Major League Baseball service is now live in Brazil, France, Germany, India, Italy, South Africa, Spain and the UK, among a few other nations. Naturally, if you're hoping to catch any ball games via MLB's Premium goods, you'll have to shell out a subscription fee along with having a fancy Xbox Live Gold account. In other 360 news, CinemaNow has made the switch from being a locker-only application to now offering TV show and movie rentals to folks in the US. You can check out what other countries made the MLB.tv cut at the Major Nelson site, link is down below.
Microsoft officially offering Xbox 360 4GB console for $99, two-year Live Gold subscription required
Whoa, Nelly! As rumored, Microsoft is indeed shattering the home console pricing paradigm by trying something that US wireless carriers have been doing for years. As of now, the official Microsoft Store is hosting up a coupon that'll enable prospective Xbox buyers to snag a 4GB console bundle for just $99 (a $200 savings versus the outright unit)... so long as you agree to pay $14.99 per month for two solid years. That monthly fee -- which amounts to some $360 over the 24 month term -- gets you on the Xbox Live network with a Gold subscription, but remember, Microsoft's maintaining the ability to "terminate this offer at any time." Looking to score one yourself? Hit the source link and visit that "Find a store" icon; hopefully there's a B&M Microsoft Store near your neck of the woods. Update: In case you're curious, yes, early termination fees will apply if you cut out of your two-year deal early. It's a prorated affair, with users asked to pay less the longer they maintain the contract. Those who part ways after only a month will have to pay $250, while those who cancel with just a month remaining will owe $12. All told, someone buying this and keeping true to the contract terms will pay $459 for the bundle and Live access, whereas those buying outright could snag it for $420 (or less, if scouring the web for cheaper Live subscriptions). The full ETF schedule is shown after the break. Update II: Joystiq has confirmed that, for now, this is simply a pilot program. These machines will be sold only through the 16 US-based Microsoft Stores, and we can only assume the marketing and finance folks at the company will be watching reception like hawks.
