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Microsoft says WM6 coming to T-Mobile in Q2
Microsoft dropped a semi-bomb by stating that its next-generation mobile operating system -- Windows Mobile 6 -- will be coming to T-Mobile USA shelves in the second quarter of 2007, according to Microsoft. This just-released information -- which had previously been embargoed by the software giant -- was given after an extensive pre-briefing on its capabilities to wireless industry analysts and press this week. Based on information from Microsoft officials, the latest version of Windows Mobile will be given first to T-Mobile here in the U.S. before any other wireless carriers get their official mitts on it. The question then becomes: Will T-Mobile USA immediately make the OS upgrade available to owners of current-generation WM5 devices? After all, there are "ten thousand" changes in WM6 from WM5 according to Microsoft. We hear some massive testing by T-Mobile USA in the near future.[Thanks, TJ]
Root Beer Tapper brings non-alcoholic fun to XBLA
Not to be confused with the highly controversial and equally disturbing hunting sim, Rude Bear Trapper, this Wednesday's Xbox Live Arcade release is none other than the classic study in bartending technique, Root Beer Tapper. Being the non-alcoholic version of 1983's Tapper, the game sees players tending to a bunch of surprisingly demanding bar patrons. Failure to deliver the beers, excuse us, root beers, to your dehydrated cowboy and football player patrons often results in a gross violation of personal space. Just imagine how rowdy the hard alcoholics must get!Appended to the Xbox 360 version of the game are the usual enhanced graphics, gamerscore points, online versus and co-op modes and, of course, a 400 point price ($5). Catch your mugs, tend your bars and tap your root beers this Wednesday at 1AM PST.
Edge: Rare working on original XBLA game
According to a news article on CVG, the latest issue of the UK's Edge Magazine contains mention of Microsoft-owned developer, Rare, working on a new and original Xbox Live Arcade title. Holding the reins of the mostly mysterious steed is one Nick Burton, who was previously involved with Starfox Adventures and the more recent Kameo: Elements of Power. Burton is collaborating with a team of ten others on the unnamed game which may or may not feature disturbingly proportioned, anthropomorphic characters.
What's inside the Big Box Project?
A malfunctioning Xbox 360, that's what. After being bathed in the dreaded red lights of doom for the second time, one Xbox 360 owner was decidedly unimpressed to learn that his second return would not enjoy the same level of service that the initial one did. Customer support informed him that a recent change in Microsoft policy did away with round-trip shipping boxes -- instead, he would have to provide his own packaging and pay for the shipping to the repair center. Irked by the policy change, our protagonist saw the opportunity for revenge when he was told of another Microsoft policy. It dictates that when the repairs are completed, the console is sent back to the customer within the same box it arrived in, at Microsoft's expense. Thus, The Big Box Project was born. "The mission is simple; to raise enough money through donations to send the largest box possible... a shipping container. I want a 40 foot solid steel shipping container with nothing in it but my poor little xbox 360."The site's creator suggests that if enough Paypal donations come through, the shipping container will be taken on tour, gathering up broken Xbox 360s across the country. Joystiq can't verify what happens to donations, but if you're going to lose money to a scam, at least make sure it's an amusing one.[Thanks chEv3lle.]
Gears of War a failure, sells a meager 3 million copies
Crushingly grim news emerged from Microsoft headquarters today, with the announcement that Gears of War had only managed to sell 3 million copies within the cavernous expanse of ten weeks. Further information imparted by the depress release (which had to go lie down for a bit) concerns the game's downloadable content. Last week's pair of new multiplayer maps saw a mere 750,000 downloads, with all content (including themes and videos) reaching an embarassing 1.5 million Xbox Live users.Having failed to meet their original goal of selling 3 million and one copies, the employees of Epic Games are now expected to tighten the belts holding up their slightly effeminate, jewel-encrusted pants. The Gears of War developer will surely need to crank out a hit soon if they hope to pay off Cliffy B's recent acquisition of 867,000 chocolate flamingos.
XBLA file size limit raised to 250MB? [Update: nope]
[Update: Looks like 1UP was off by just about 100 emm bees ... alright, exactly 100 emm bees. The official XBLA file size limit has been raised to 150MB, not 250MB.]It seems that the upcoming Castlevania: Symphony of the Night will no longer be the exception to the rule -- 1UP's Luke Smith reports that the Xbox Live Arcade file size limit has been bumped up from 50MB to 250MB. The move should allow less agile developers to slip beneath the Limbo pole without winding up in a painfully awkward position. Just ask last year's Lumines Live! how chopping a game into 50MB chunks can make microtransactions even harder to swallow.Luke also notes that with Microsoft's approval, certain games might even span 450MB. Returning to the earlier Limbo analogy, this would likely be reserved for developers that insist on wearing full suits of armor to the party. The relaxed rules may lead to games becoming more bloated, but the developer is surely better off worrying less about compression and more about, you know, making a good game. It's worth nothing that owners of the Core Xbox 360 are adversely affected by this decision, as they still find themselves restricted by measly 64MB memory cards (remember those quaint little things?). Microsoft is likely already working on larger memory cards, though even the rumored 256MB variant won't be able to hold many games, much less a 450MB title. [Thanks, Jonah!]
New Lumines Live! content out next Wednesday
When Lumines Live! emerged in October of last year, it ran headlong into a pack of outraged gamers who felt that the game's fragmented content and costs introduced an unwelcome element to the Xbox Live Marketplace -- a roving pickpocket you bump into between fruit stalls. New downloadable content is a touchy subject then, but it appears that next week's Live! offerings are a bit less backward and a bit less, well ... Evil!Three new packs will be available this coming Wednesday, the first of which contains the Heavenly Star skin. Perhaps the fact that it will be free to Gold subscribers until February 21 is to be interpreted as a sign of atonement. The other two, namely the VS CPU pack and the Puzzle/Mission pack fill up the gaping holes in the base download, each costing a not entirely outrageous 100 points ($1.25) each. That lasts until February 21, after which the price goes up to a thoroughly questionable 300 points ($3.75). Why raise the price after a month? The Gamerscore Blog labels these as "special promotional prices," which really just comes across as a temporary and thinly-veiled apology cringed out by the marketing department. So, why retract the apology then? The quest for more money seems tied to the obvious answer, but that's only if you felt that Lumines Live! got microtransactions completely wrong in the first place. All things considered, the game makes for a balanced example of what's wrong and what's right in the world of pint-sized payments:
Gates: If you want to play online, get an Xbox
var digg_url = 'http://www.digg.com/gaming_news/Gates_If_you_want_to_play_online_get_an_Xbox'; In the first part of an informative interview conducted by Mercury News' Dean Takahashi, Bill Gates responds to the suggestion that Nintendo's Wii may come out on top thanks to its unique controller and cheaper price tag. "Look at the graphics," he says. "Look at Nintendo's execution in terms of online capability. We have this thing that nobody has ever seen before. When you say to your friend, hey let's play online, you say then you have to buy an Xbox. That's what 10 million people say."When peer pressure isn't selling Xbox Live, Gates points out that endeavours like cross-platform Vista gaming and IPTV are pushing the online service forward. However, he also believes that "Nintendo did some things right," going on to mention Microsoft's acquisition of Rare and the "huge success" that was Viva Piñata. Though many critics believe the game is a return to prominence for Rare, its lacklustre sales may lead others to agree with Gates for the wrong reason -- "Nintendo did some things right" by selling the developer when they did.Be sure to check out the rest of the interview for some interesting tidbits on the Xbox 360's IPTV, the continued absence of a larger hard drive and how Sony "didn't know what they were doing" with the Cell processor.
And the Emmy goes to ... everyone, apparently
Representing the absolute pinnacle of foolish snobbery, we here at Joystiq simply insist on exclusively purchasing Emmy award-winning consoles. Unfortunately, this standard has grown considerably lax in the last few days, with Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo all being assaulted with pristine statuettes. It seems they're giving those things to anybody these days. Surely it's time for a recap of the Emmy saga?
Gates now sees Nintendo as primary competition
The Nintendo Wii's tremendous commercial success all around the world is having an impact on competing manufacturers who previously viewed the system as an outlying oddity aimed at a seperate market. In the past, both Sony and Microsoft have dismissed head-to-head competition with Nintendo, even going so far as to endorse the Wii as an incidental ally in their graphically superior grudge match.In a brief clip on a Japanese news station (embedded after the break), Bill Gates notes surprise at the Wii's success and labels Nintendo as Microsoft's "toughest competition" in the gaming arena. Of course, the statement doubles as a jab at Sony, now relegated to third place on the the Xbox 360 threat scale.According to Japanese sales charts, the coveted second place is still securely held by a largely shrugging Japanese populace.[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]
Enough talk, have at this Castlevania XBLA video
Warning: Watching this CES video may lead to excessive yearning and gnashing of teeth upon the realization that the game in question, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night is not yet available for download on Xbox Live Arcade. To cope with this inescapable sensation, distract yourself by contemplating your existence as a miserable little pile of secrets (sadly, Dracula neglects to mention exactly what a woman is). Joking aside, let's ask a serious question: are "fresher" console titles like this more welcome on XBLA than popular coin guzzlers?
Nothing new on XBLA this week ... but there is Ms. Pac-Man
Everything old is "classic" news now, with the Gamerscore blog revealing this week's Xbox Live Arcade release to be Ms. Pac-Man. Though many insist that it's far superior to the original Pac-Man, is it really different enough to warrant its own Wednesday release slot? In fact, wasn't it a free launch title for the original Xbox Live Arcade? Perhaps if we received the miss before (or instead of) the man, it wouldn't come across as just another hurdle to be leapt over in the race to fresher content.Not to incite the pellet-munching hordes, but it seems that both Xbox Live Arcade and Nintendo's Virtual Console regularly get the terms "old" and "classic" confused. We don't want all of the old games again, we want the best ones. True enough, not everyone agrees on what makes a quality arcade title, but taking greater care in choosing them in the first place would greatly enhance the lineups of both services. A true classic is something you'll pick up and play right this second, with nary a thought about graphics, sound or age -- and there aren't as many of those as you might think.In those respects, perhaps Ms. Pac-Man is a classic. However, its familiar trappings don't demand an immediate 400 point ($5) purchase, especially not with Pac-Man already sitting on the same service and Worms being pushed away another 7 days. Games like this and New Rally-X only dilute the XBLA experience and a quick succession of them could steadily lead to more and more apathy.Hell, it's not even that hard to defeat apathy. It just kind of lies there.
Gears of War update: more talk, less tagging
Epic's Mark Rein has divulged a list of issues that will be addressed by tomorrow's Gears of War update. The update, a prelude to Wednesday's new multiplayer maps, promises to fix the problem that left latecomers to a match without an audible voice. The noted aspect ratio bug that occurred with the Xbox 360's VGA cable has also been crushed beneath the weight of improved code. The full list of fixes reads as follows: Fixed aspect ratio distortion when using VGA cable with 4:3 displays at resolutions higher than 640x480 Fixed voice issue with new players joining Player Match games in progress Players can now get the Achievement for "Dish Best Served Cold" when using Troika turret to kill RAAM Fixed rare situation where host could loop countdown and never start match Fixed rare situation where players could get stuck after chainsawing in multiplayer Reduced Grenade Tag melee distance Enabled "Strict" NAT check on host to prevent possible connection issues Optimized server browser queries to return results more quickly and prevent scroll bars from hiding quality of service icons Reduced number of possible revives in Execution to match Warzone Removed host name from Ranked match server browser Disabled security cameras in Ranked matches Ranked matches now require balanced teams (3v3 or 4v4) Increased penalty for quitting a Ranked match to -50 points Added additional cheat detection code Additional housekeeping updates Those that find themselves exploding at an alarming rate should be pleased to learn that grenade tagging will now require more intimacy to be effective. Indeed, the ones closest to you always end up hurting you the most.
Play Halo 2, get invited to Halo 3 beta
Having failed miserably at obtaining entry into this Spring's Halo 3 beta program, you'll no doubt be pleased to learn of yet another opportunity to partake in first-person shooting and having your sexuality questioned by obnoxious brats. In fact, there are 13,333 such opportunities -- all you need to do is endure three hours of Halo 2 online. It's easy. Play Halo 2 online for three hours between Thursday, Feb. 1, 2007, 12:01 a.m. EST and Feb. 3, 2007, 11:59 p.m. EST. If you survive, rush to the official Halo 3 website and be part of the first 13,333 gamers to register in the "Rule of Three" program. If, however, you end up being number 13,334 ... well, you'll have to buy Crackdown. As previously reported, copies of Crackdown will contain invites to the Halo 3 beta program. Releasing on February 20, the game disc will act as a key to download the required data from Xbox Live Marketplace. Microsoft promises to release further information regarding the program for each region, though NTSC importers stuck in exotic countries may wish to consider the Crackdown route in the meantime. [Full press release after the break.]
Joystiq review: Assault Heroes (XBLA)
It really is quite unnerving how rapidly a game like Assault Heroes can expose a terrifying desire, possibly even an instinct, amongst every single gamer alive. Perhaps it's just common sense, but when something moves, we absolutely have to kill it. Whether it's a tank, an alien, a robot or just a poorly constructed mass of pixels meant to represent evil, taking a step towards us is rarely interpreted as a welcoming gesture. No, sir. That step was your last. That isn't to say we're a naturally violent lot. Some games simply slip into that easily accessible groove where things come rushing at you and your brain automatically makes sure that a bullet's gone out to greet them. Assault Heroes taps into this familiar area with some precision, much like a group of miners donning helmets and heading into a nostalgia mineshaft. They'll come back with the shiny things you adore, but it's not like you haven't seen any of it before. Maybe you've witnessed it in a necklace or ... let's just forget this metaphor. It's crap.
Novadrome crashing into XBLA this Wednesday
Oh, praise be to the man who first welded a cannon to the bonnet of his otherwise unimpressive vehicle. This week's Xbox Live Arcade release is none other than Novadrome, a game that straps combat onto a four-wheeled monstrosity and rams it into a concrete barrier. As twisted chunks of black metal rain down, recall that the developer, Stainless Software, once gave us controversy poster child of yore, Carmageddon. Though distinctly lacking in unfortunate pedestrian targets, the game boasts eight-player matches, 15 arenas (they're in "3D," apparently), over 20 different vehicles, plenty of weapons and, perhaps most importantly, "gladiatorial robot opponents." Novadrome costs 800 MS points ($10) and releases this Wednesday, December 20th at 9AM GMT (1AM PST). [Full press release after the break.]
Microsoft sticks a fork in Vista, it's done
Back in 2001, Vista was a faint -- but sparkling -- glimmer in the software giant's glassy eyes. Now, after multiple delays and feature reductions, Microsoft's latest release of Windows is ready for the world. Sure, it doesn't look quite like they thought it would, back when it was still called "Longhorn," but Vista is here and we're sure they still love it. Of course, Microsoft wants to treat the Vista launch as a console launch ... they've even gone so far as to hand off the Games for Windows marketing to the increasingly capable Xbox guys. Pretty exciting, right? PlayStation 3, Wii ... and Vista!Yeah, we're having a hard time getting excited too; however, if you want to play Halo 2 on your (capable?) PC, you don't have a choice (something about DirectX 10). Here's the skinny: The big businesses get it November 30th (because we all know how quickly major corporations upgrade to brand new Microsoft operating systems, right?) while consumers will have to wait until January 30th to either pick it up retail (which version?) or have it pre-installed on their latest beige box. Who's camping out?[Via Engadget]
Stop crying, Lumines Live! hits XBLA tomorrow [update 2]
About frackin' time news now, with the announcement that tomorrow's Xbox Live Arcade release is none other than Tetsuya Mizuguchi's plummeting block opus, Lumines Live!. Priced at 1200 MS Points ($15), the game features 12 different skins (or levels, for the uninitiated), 5.1 surround sound, online multiplayer, a bevy of single-player modes and a vaguely inspirational message transmitted through pulsating lights and spinning squares. So, what happened to all that stuff you had to buy seperately? It's called the Advance Pack. An optional download costing 600 MS Points ($7.50) will add 22 more skins into the game -- and that's it. Considering the value of HD graphics and enhanced sound in a game which heavily relies on hypnotic presentation, $22.50 for a new Lumines title with 34 skins doesn't seem like a terrible deal, certainly not to those still addicted to the original game. Of course, not being able to play it on the bus may come as a significant loss to you, not to mention the curious fact that the main game has fewer skins than the add-on. Stack blocks and defy sweeping timelines (if you're so inclined) on Xbox Live Arcade from Wednesday morning, 1:00AM PDT (0800 GMT). The full press release is embedded after the break. [Update 1: Now includes interview with Mark Coates, program manager for Xbox Live Arcade.] [Update 2: The Advance Pack is nowhere to be seen. Major Nelson says it'll arrive at a "later date."]
Sony moves a step closer to junk; outlook "negative"
Fitch Ratings (a company that assesses the risk level of debt) announced today that they have downgraded several types of Sony debt to "BBB+" (the debt is still three notches above the dreaded "junk" moniker, however). Fitch also slapped a "negative" outlook on the debt, indicating that future debt downgrades are possible as "Sony's financial profile [continues] to weaken in the next one to two years." Reasons for the downgrade include:
