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Poll: How are you enjoying HD Netflix streaming on the Xbox 360?
Now that HD Netflix streaming has finally arrived on the Xbox 360, we have no doubts whatsoever that legions of you have already given it a spin. We've heard mixed impressions right out of the gate, but we're hoping some of the first day glitches have worked themselves out by now. At any rate, how has your experience been so far? Are you impressed with the quality? Are there any aspects that could be improved upon? Break off a paragraph or three in comments below. %Poll-22731%
NXE creating HDMI headaches for UK Xbox 360 owners?
The path to Netflix-enhanced glory hasn't been entirely trouble free for everyone, this time it's posters on AVForum noticing a distinct lack of audio on Xbox 360s connected to their HDTV by HDMI. So far suggested solutions for the afflicted include plugging in the hard drive while the system is on, or waiting several minutes before switching the monitor to HDMI, and repeating them every time the system is started. It's not the first time we've heard of UK-centric HDMI weirdness, any of you hearing a whole lot of nothing while gaming (that's not attributable to hard drive installs)?[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Microsoft: NXE Avatar clothing updates will be free ... for now
We've known for some time that Microsoft has been planning additional clothing and accessories to differentiate (and bizarre-ify) your New Xbox Experience Avatar. In fact, on Wednesday, MS announced that new Avatar content will be rolled out biweekly for six months. Today we know that, at least for now, it will be free. Germany's Xbox product manager, Boris Schneider-Johne, told dreisechzig.net that the early offerings will be free of charge. After that? "What's going to happen as of spring is yet to be announced," he said. We do know that for-pay and sponsored Avatar goodies are definitely on Microsoft's mind, as evidenced in remarks made by Xbox Live chief John Schappert in August. [Via X3F] Curious about the New Xbox Experience? Check out our ridiculously informative nine-video feature, covering everything from Avatar creation, Netflix integration, and the 8-player party system to installing games to the hard drive, the new Marketplace, the Blade-like "Guide" interface, and more!
Engadget Podcast 119 - 11.21.2008
Back for more, eh? Well you've come to the right place -- the Engadget Podcast! Join Josh, Paul, and Nilay as they take you on a magical journey through the trials and tribulations of the BlackBerry Storm, investigate the legal situation of the Apple-cloning operation known as Psystar, dish on the latest Zune and Xbox happenings, and lament the forthcoming death of FireWire as it cedes its high-speed throne to USB 3.0. And just think, access to this treasure-trove of information is yours free of charge! Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Paul Miller, and Nilay Patel Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: Paranoid 00:02:25 - BlackBerry Storm review 00:32:35 - Psystar's antitrust claims against Apple dismissed 00:53:59 - Microsoft revamps Zune Pass: keep ten tracks per month forever and ever 01:02:43 - Microsoft ratchets down pricing on flash-based Zunes 01:02:39 - NXE hitting 360s with red ring, freezing and sorta-sexy-avatar issues? 01:06:45 - Goodbye, FireWire 400 Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) LISTEN (OGG) Contact the podcast 1-888-ENGADGET or podcast (at) engadget (dot) com.
NXE reportedly causes sound issues for HDMI users
There's quite a thread going at the AVForums in which several 360 owners are saying that the New Xbox Experience has caused their Xbox 360 consoles to lose all sound. The problem seems to be isolated to those who use HDMI to connect the console to their television sets, although one user has complained of the same problem using a SCART connection. For the moment, a quick fix has been discovered that seems to work for many people. If you are experiencing this glitch try the following: While the Xbox 360 is turned off, remove the hard drive. Turn on the Xbox 360. Once the Dashboard loads, replace the hard drive. Reportedly, this fix only lasts while the Xbox is on. Once you turn it off, you'll have to repeat the steps above to make the sound work again. We've contacted Microsoft and the company is aware of the issue. We'll update this post when we receive more information.[Thanks, Daniel H]
That was quick: Avatar machinima (sort of)
The NXE just launched earlier this week, and already we have some of the first videos of people using Avatars to craft machinima. Okay, so maybe it isn't so much machinima as it is an amusing use of the limited control players have over Avatars, but it's funny so bear with us. Sure, you might have played around with your Avatar. You might have twirled its head around until it got dizzy. Maybe you figured out that you can slam its face into the screen if you zoom in close enough while taking your gamer picture. But, did you know that your Avatar can sing and dance? It's true. Just check out the video above (and another embedded after the break) and see for yourself.
First wave of new Avatar clothing will be free
You can calm your "will new Avatar clothes cost me Microsoft points?" worries, because Microsoft is committed to offering the upcoming Avatar fashion choices for free ... for now. Talking to German website dreisechzig.net, Boris Schneider-Johne (Microsoft's Xbox product manager in Germany) confirmed that the first few weeks of new Avatar clothes will be available for free, but doesn't go as far to say that all Avatar clothing in the future will be available for no charge. "More costumes will be made available for free in the next weeks" says Schneider-Johne, adding "what's going to happen as of spring is yet to be announced." So, feel free t put those Microsoft points back in your pocket ... for now.
Xbox 360's lack of Sony Pictures films streaming on Netflix "unrelated" to competition
You probably recall that two days ago, when the new Xbox Experience launched, sadly, about 300 Sony Pictures films were unavailable for Netflix Watch Instantly on NXE, thus quashing your hopes of streaming The Karate Kid series. At the time, it seemed possible that missing titles were due to the fact that Xbox 360 manufacturer Microsoft and Sony are direct competitors. Well, according to a Sony spokesperson, the problem isn't specific to the Xbox, nor is their beef competition-related in any way. Sony also says it is in talks with the several "relevant parties" to work out these vague licensing issues, though there was no word on when the issue would be resolved. We really do hope it's soon because we're dying to see how everything turns out with the Cobra Kai.[Via Joystiq]
The 'Rich and Famous' list of celeb Avatars
Our Joystiq counterparts put together a photo gallery of New Xbox Experience Avatar awesomeness. It's a photo gallery of the the gaming community's (rich and famous) elite, side by side with their custom Avatars. Go ahead, take a browse for yourself. You'll spot Xbox celebs like Major Nelson and the entire GSB crew as well as N'Gai, Godfree, CheapyD, FourZeroTwo and many more. Also, please excuse the numerous Joystiq and X3F blogger pics, because we're neither rich or famous. But we have to fuel our own personal egos somehow ... right?Ed. Note: Xav has been added. Rest easy, kids. Gallery: NXE Avatars of the Rich and Famous
Sony on 360 Netflix issues: 'Not specific to Xbox'
We're sure it happened to many of you out there who had preview access to the New Xbox Experience. You configured Netflix to run on your 360 and (naturally) the first thing you added was the anime film Paprika to your streaming queue. Who wouldn't, right? Let's say you watched most of the film and, for one reason or another, decided to finish it the next day only to find that it had been unceremoniously yanked from your queue. Early speculation held that the reason films were yanked was because they were owned by Sony which, as perhaps you've heard, is in direct competition with Microsoft.Sony has spoken to MTV's Multiplayer and, according to them, competition has nothing to do with the films being pulled. According to a spokesperson, "This issue is not specific to Xbox or any other individual platform." The spokesperson added, "Sony Pictures is currently in discussions with the relevant parties to resolve certain licensing matters related to the distribution of its motion pictures. Given the ongoing nature of these discussions, we don't think it is appropriate to comment further at this time." So, licensing problems it is then. Let's just hope these problems are resolved soon because we you really need to finish watching Paprika.[Via Joystiq]
NXE hitting 360s with red ring, freezing and sorta-sexy-avatar issues?
If you wouldn't mind looking up from that avatar creation screen for a second -- yes, we're aware of how much that t-shirt selection means about you as a person -- you might notice that your Xbox 360 is dead. At least, a few hapless souls on the Xbox forums seem to think NXE is to blame for such atrocities. Numerous folks are reporting variously bad red ring configurations, random freezing and a huge pile of blockbuster titles that won't just play themselves. The biggest problem is that Microsoft isn't universally treating problems caused by NXE as an "oh, our bad" sort of situation, and at least from anecdotes we're seeing has charged quite a few folks $100 to fix their freshly-out-warranty Xbox 360s -- not to mention separating them for weeks from their precious murder simulators.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]%Poll-22676%
Sony Pictures: Netflix issues 'not specific to Xbox'
That's right, Xbox 360 owners. Speaking to MTV Multiplayer, Sony Pictures has insisted that its collection of films hasn't been yanked from the Netflix streaming list just to spite you and your whirring, off-white system. "This issue is not specific to Xbox or any other individual platform," said a Sony Pictures spokesperson. As reflected in Netflix's comments on the sans-Sony situation, it's all just a matter of licensing. "Sony Pictures is currently in discussions with the relevant parties to resolve certain licensing matters related to the distribution of its motion pictures. Given the ongoing nature of these discussions, we don't think it is appropriate to comment further at this time."Sorry, conspiracy theorists. It seems a big film company actually does want you to watch its wares, regardless of your platform of choice. Well, as long as it's not a telephone. Get real!
NXE Avatars of the Rich and Famous
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/xbox/NXE_Avatars_of_the_Rich_and_Famous'; ...Well, OK, they're not that rich. Hell, if you want to get persnickety about it, they're not even particularly famous outside of a particular sphere. But you're reading Joystiq, so we're going to assume you're in said sphere and present you with some e-celebs, accompanied by their new NXE Avatars. Consider it a companion to yesterday's avatar look-a-likes.Along with those digi-stars, you're also going to see a lot of guys from Joystiq, because we know most of those guys and they have to do whatever we say. If you're a celebrity left off the list (or just know the gamertag of one) feel free to ping us: tips aat joystiq dawt com.[Update: We've added a ton more people, including 1UP's own Garnett Lee! Check it totally out.]%Gallery-37492%
Bungie: Just say 'NO' to NXE install of Halo 3
As we reported last week, Eurogamer noticed something fishy about its NXE HDD install of Halo 3 when investigating the performance of titles using this new feature: it was awful. Turns out that, with today's roll-out of the New Xbox Experience, more and more people are discovering this. Bungie has weighed in on the topic, revealing that, because of the way the game's designed, it really shouldn't be installed to the 360's hard disk.In a post on the Bungie forums, engineer Mat Noguchi explains that the slower loading after a full HDD install is a direct result of how the game was designed to use the HDD in the first place. "When Halo 3 runs, if a HDD is present, we copy maps from the DVD to the utility partition on the HDD," says Noguchi. "And as a result, it means that even if Halo 3 is already installed to the HDD, it will still copy maps to the utility partition."The problem: copying from the HDD to the HDD is slow. "Ultimately this is because for the HDD, you read and write through the same mechanism, i.e., the hard drive read/write head, and those reads and writes cannot occur simultaneously through a single mechanism," Noguchi explains. The moral of this story: don't install Halo 3 to the HDD and you'll be much, much happier. Bungie has no plans to issue a post-NXE launch fix because, as Naguchi writes, "The risks of doing that and the resources required has to be carefully considered against what could really be a rather insignificant change to the player experience."[Thanks, David] Curious about the New Xbox Experience? Check out our ridiculously informative nine-video feature, covering everything from Avatar creation, Netflix integration, and the 8-player party system to installing games to the hard drive, the new Marketplace, the Blade-like "Guide" interface, and more!
NXE how-to: Avatars in XBLA games
Now that your NXE Avatar is dressed and ready for ... Hey, yeah! Just what is an Avatar for? Well, if you're not ready to drop 800 on A Kingdom for Keflings, we're afraid your options are seriously limited. What you can play with are several older Xbox Live Arcade games, which should be updated with limited Avatar support. Specifically, Uno, Bomberman Live, Hardwood Hearts, and Hardwood Spades -- disc-based Scene It? Box Office Smash is also due to receive an update enabling Avatar support today.The Uno update will install itself just as any other XBLA title update has in the past (and we can confirm this), but the other three games require additional attention. Gamerscore Blog has laid out the process in a simple 1-2-3 and 4-step guide. We attempted to update Bomberman Live earlier today, however, and were not prompted for the initial update. We can only assume that the update's absence is linked to the current condition of Xbox Live Marketplace (read: wonky). We got hit with the "8000ffff" error -- that's Xbox's way of saying: Try again later. Curious about the New Xbox Experience? Check out our ridiculously informative nine-video feature, covering everything from Avatar creation, Netflix integration, and the 8-player party system to installing games to the hard drive, the new Marketplace, the Blade-like "Guide" interface, and more!
Avatars now available in Scene It? Box Office Smash
With all of the NXE excitement going around, it might have been easy to forget that Avatar support is now available for Scene It? Box Office Smash. It might have been easy to forget, except that we're totally reminding you about it right now. All you have to do is pop the game in and download the title update. Voila, instant Avatar support. And now, if you'll excuse us, we'll just go back to waiting for Avatar support in Left 4 Dead*. The freaky machinima possibilities alone will be worth the wait.*Avatar support for Left 4 Dead is not in the works and is something we made up (unfortunately).
OXM UK: Old Dash themes 'butchered' by NXE
When it was first announced, one of the most-asked questions re: the New Xbox Experience was, "Will my old themes work with it?" Microsoft's answer was "yes." The UK' Official Xbox Magazine's answer is, "Er ... not really."The magazine's staff has – along with creating a frighteningly accurate Avatar of Amy Winehouse – rounded up some of the themes that "work" especially poorly with the NXE. Its choices are strong, but have you found any more egregious examples? Or, conversely, which ones work especially well? Of course, there are always Themes 2.0. Curious about the New Xbox Experience? Check out our ridiculously informative nine-video feature, covering everything from Avatar creation, Netflix integration, and the 8-player party system to installing games to the hard drive, the new Marketplace, the Blade-like "Guide" interface, and more!
Bungie addresses Halo 3 NXE install performance
You may recall that a recent Eurogamer article profiled the performance of several popular Xbox 360 when installing them to the hard drive (one of the new features of the NXE). While some games received improved performance and shorter load times and others saw little to no improvement, it turned out that Halo 3 actually fared worse when installed to the hard drive. Apparently Eurogamer wasn't the only outlet to notice the difference, as Bungie has officially commented on the issue and explained why the load times are actually longer when Halo 3 is installed. The answer lies in how Halo 3 loads map data. Each map is cached onto a certain part of the HDD that is reserved for game use. Once the game is installed on the HDD, it has to read the data on one part of the drive and write it to the reserved section. While data can be read from the DVD at the same time the HDD is writing data, the HDD can't read and write at the same time. As such, loading from the HDD takes significantly longer. Bungie advises gamers not to install the game, especially if you play online, as all other players will have to wait the extra time it takes to load and cache each map. [Via Evil Avatar]
The New Xbox Experienced
Protip: Click on a phrase in the image above to view the related video. Did ya hear? NXE is out today! And we wanna know how it's treatin' you! Take our poll, and then take a gander at our extensive video preview after the break (use the image above for easy navigation). %Poll-22648% *Not just plain old boring "love" -- we're talkin' the "you love your Avatar enough to wish Mini-Me jokes were still funny" kinda love.
Top 10 things to do with the NXE
Now that you have had ample time to mess around with today's newly released New Xbox Experience, we figured we'd point out a few NXE features that you may not have discovered.Major Nelson created a list of the "Top 10 things to do when you get the New Xbox Experience", which pretty much covers a lot of the NXE's new additions and hidden bits. Didja know you can delete your zero Gamerscore games from your profile? Did you remember to look through the new Community Games? What about installing a game to your hard drive? Go get edjumicated!
