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Vision camera? Don't forget your free game
Maybe Uno isn't your thing. Texas Hold 'em just doesn't do it for you. Would you rather control a weird totem pole thing by waving your arms and looking like a jackass? Really? Then TotemBall is for you! TotemBall (see video above) lets players guide their character through levels using gestures in conjunction with the Live Vision camera. It should be noted that our own Ken Weeks had some trouble controlling the game in the bad lighting conditions of E3. Hopefully the final version will provide us with a tighter experience -- and another reason to be excited about the Vision camera. The game should be available for download on September 19th, Vision's official launch date. Also, if you haven't picked one up already, the camera will be available in two packages: Standard Kit ($39.99): - Xbox Live Vision Camera - Xbox Live Headset - Xbox Live Gold 1 Month Trial - UNO (code for download) and TotemBall (on Sept. 19) Gold Kit ($79.99): - Xbox Live Vision Camera - Xbox Live Headset - Xbox Live Gold One Year Subscription - UNO (code for download) and TotemBall (on Sept. 19) and third game (TBD) - 200 MS Points [Thanks, Rivithed]
Uno patch makes a match
I was so busy reveling in Microsoft's XBLA announcements last week, I forgot to mention that Uno's broken ranked matchmaking system has finally been patched. That gives you a couple weeks to improve your ranking until the the Arcade world's attention turns from cards to combos.
UNO gets patch love for matchmaking
Thanks to the thunderous celebration and endless trumpeting that accompanied Microsoft's announcement of XBLA Wednesdays, not many became aware of an UNO patch sheepishly arriving on the scene. The update fixes a rather glaring fault in the game's ranked matchmaking system -- the glaring fault being that it didn't actually work. The update (downloaded automatically next time you play) also addresses "other bugs" and improves theme deck support. Though the game remains a Joystiq favorite and is amusingly inexpensive, developer Carbonated Games still deserves a specially designed + 32 card for letting these errors slip through. We might have been more forgiving had the game supported voice recognition. Seriously, it just has to recognize one word. Just UNO.[Via GameSetWatch]
XBLA goes brick n' mortar
XboxAddict is reporting that Microsoft is planning to start releasing Xbox Live Arcade titles at retail stores. Microsoft's hope is that simple games like Marble Blast, Smash TV, and Uno will appeal to the elusive "non-gamer" demographic. As an added bonus, these games will also avail the joys of Xbox Live to the less savvy 360 owners out there -- if you read this site, chances are this does not apply to you. Pricing and packaging have not been discussed yet. Though many suspect these games will be released in some type of compilation, I wouldn't be surprised if we see lots of single games at super budget prices. Maybe even in jewel cases like budget PC games. There are other uncertainties, too. Will these games install on the hard drive or run off of the DVD? If they install on the hard drive, what's to keep people from installing them on multiple 360s? Of course, the big question is whether or not we still have to buy two copies of Lumines.
Uno matchmaking fix on the way
UNO for Xbox Live Arcade (currently the game of choice for Xbox360Fanboy editorial meetings) is generally percieved as a successful take on the classic card game -- with one major flaw: gamers attempting to play a ranked match are thrown into their own lobby instead of being matched up, resulting in an annoying wait for competition. Fortunately Carbonated Games tells us a fix is near. UNO Program Manager Richard Thames Rowan posted the following response to complaints on K1lla's Xbox Domain:The UNO development team is aware of the problem that some people are having with matchmaking and has a fix going through certification right now. Hopefully, you'll see this roll out soon, so no need to email anyone.Finally, ranked matches without a 20 minute wait. There can be only one.
First impressions: Xbox 360 dashboard update
We installed the new Xbox 360 dashboard update the moment we awoke this morning, literally, before stepping out of bed. We fired up our 360 using the remote, only to have the system lockup while attempting to sign into Xbox Live. Maybe releasing the first major dashboard update on such an ominous date (6-6-6) was not such a great move after all ... But, a simple reboot successfully set the gears in motion, and the update was installed in no time (roughly 10 seconds).
360 rumor roundup: peripheral madness
So our good friends over at Joystiq have apparently buddied up to an "insider" at Xbox manufacturer Microsoft (sorry Bill, it wasn't our idea), plied him/her with some promotional swag and design ideas, and come away with details on all your favorite 360 peripherals, including the highly-anticipated Live Vision cam. Still set to launch on September 19th, the XLV camera will reportedly cost $40.00, and included in that price are a wired headset, the card-game-turned-Live-Arcade-hit UNO, and a free one-month Gold subscription to get you hooked on introduce you to the online service. Joystiq's mole also revealed the following price points for accessories to be released during the "holiday season": $60 for a wireless headset with 30-foot range, another $60 for a 256MB memory module, and $20 each for various game-themed faceplates or a wireless adapter to make 360 gear compatible with your Windows PC. We're still waiting to hear such details as the prices of the wireless racing wheel and HD-DVD add-on, or whether Microsoft will release an un-bundled version of the webcam, so here's to hoping that Joystiq's new friend comes calling again real soon.
$40 XBL Vision camera & UNO bundle detailed by MS source along with prices & dates for other 360 accessories
Our friendly anonymous source at Microsoft has provided us with a few more details concerning the 360 accessories announced back at E3.Perhaps the most important involves the bundling of the Xbox Live Vision camera with a wired headset, the popular Live Arcade title UNO, and a month of Live Gold service for $39.99 when it releases in the States on September 19, 2006.Granted, this is still an unofficial report (based on a leak of "official" info), so understand that you're probably not gonna get much confirmation from MS until they're good and ready to give it. If you'd like information on what other peripherals are coming out "Holiday 2006" (so sometime in the 4th quarter) and at what price, read on for more.
Xbox Live cam tester caught on camera
Even though the Xbox 360 camera ain't dropping until September, recent Xbox Live Arcade title Uno features Vision camera support. Cheap Ass Gamer daphatty ran into a camera beta tester while playing a game recently, only to fumble when trying to record it for posterity proof. So what did he do? He laid in wait, finally capturing (on camera) his prey. Camera tester Maestro1 had the camera turned on but -- in what was surely an attempt to psych-out his opponent -- had the camera directed not at himself but at his dog. Is Maestro1 invisible? Is the dog playing? Did he travel into the future to get the camera? Draw four? Aww shucks!(Blurry cam) video embedded after the break.[Thanks, SickNic]
Dos XBLA Uno screens
Uno (see the "no power brick required" edition in the pic above) inspires fond childhood memories for most of us, and summer camp night terrors for a psychologically scarred few. We already knew the card game classic was headed to Xbox Live Arcade. Now Xboxic has dos (that's "two" in Espanol) Uno screens grabbed from the debug version of Live. Couldn't they have included Kool-Aid stains on the cards for maximum accuracy? The screens come from gameplay footage posted at Xboxyde, but somebody got worried about their NDA and yanked the video.
