http://www.ps3news.com PS3 NEWS - PlayStation 3 News - PS3News - PS3News.com - PS3 Games - PS3 Hacks - PS3 Homebrew - PS3 Linux Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:50:02 CST en http://www.ps3news.com/XBox/xbox-com-launches-holiday-value-finder-1/ http://www.ps3news.com/XBox/xbox-com-launches-holiday-value-finder-1/ Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:50:02 CST PS3 News XBox http://www.ps3news.com/XBox/xbox-com-launches-holiday-value-finder-1/
Looking for a way to tell those in your life that you want an Xbox 360 for the Holilday? Xbox.com has posted their Holiday Value Finder Guide.

Scroll down and hit the Start Convincing button to answer some questions (Mad Libs style) and the website will kick out a personalized PDF (pictured below is a sample) that you can sent to that special someone in your life to let them know what is on your list this season.

Enjoy guys!]]> http://www.ps3news.com/XBox/microsoft-comments-on-the-next-xbox/ http://www.ps3news.com/XBox/microsoft-comments-on-the-next-xbox/ Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:57:33 CDT Starlight XBox http://www.ps3news.com/XBox/microsoft-comments-on-the-next-xbox/
When asked if his new role includes looking at how Microsoft is going to transition into the next console, Kim said:

"How [do] you think about next generation? What is that next generation going to encompass? How are you even going to define that? All of that is part of the equation. What kind of geographic expansion do we need to see? Is the world more of an online world than a hardware-oriented world? I think there are some really fascinating opportunities in front of us."

While the statement offers no details, it does suggest that Microsoft is at least exploring the idea of launching a digital system rather than a traditional expensive piece of hardware.

We're likely several years from the next Xbox, so enjoy this brief statement. It may be the last we get for a while.]]> http://www.ps3news.com/XBox/bill-gates-may-have-to-testify-in-xbox-fire-case/ http://www.ps3news.com/XBox/bill-gates-may-have-to-testify-in-xbox-fire-case/ Sat, 29 Mar 2008 17:36:21 CDT Starlight XBox http://www.ps3news.com/XBox/bill-gates-may-have-to-testify-in-xbox-fire-case/
The lawyer for the family of a teenage girl who was horribly burned in a house fire allegedly sparked by a faulty Xbox game console is threatening to have Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) chairman Bill Gates testify about the safety of his company's offshore manufacturing practices.

Attorney William Tinning said in a letter to Microsoft last week that he would seek "an apex deposition for Mr. Gates given his worldwide speeches about the inadequacies of capitalism and the need for his Warren Buffet-funded charitable trust to bridge the gap.

"This is in direct contrast with his business organization policies," wrote Tinning. Microsoft is "one of the largest employers of low wage earners in China for products built to the specification of his company which have resulted in massive recalls for safety issues," he added.

A copy of the letter has been obtained by InformationWeek.

Tinning said he would proceed with efforts to depose Gates unless Microsoft settles for at least $25 million.

Microsoft has denied responsibility for the fire.

In the letter, Tinning said Kayla Lazo "virtually became melted" in a fire that ravaged her San Diego, Texas, home in June, 2006. She lost a leg as a result of injuries sustained in the blaze and suffered numerous other traumas.

The family blamed faulty wiring in an Xbox they owned and sued Microsoft and electronics retailer Gamestop in November 2006. Also named in the suit, now being heard in U.S. District Court in Texas, is Ji Haw Industrial, which manufactures power cords for the Xbox in China.

Tinning said Microsoft has until April 18 to respond to his demand for a settlement.

The suit was originally filed by Lazo's mother, Bonnie Broquet, who has since died, according to public records. The lead plaintiff in the case is now Amador Lazo, the girl's father.

It's not the first time that the Xbox has been alleged to have caused a dangerous inferno.

The family of an Illinois infant that died in a house fire sued Microsoft last year, claiming that an Xbox video game system manufactured by the company and sold by Wal-Mart Stores overheated and sparked the blaze.

In 2005, a U.K. woman was reportedly pulled unconscious from a fire allegedly caused by an overheated Xbox system.

In February 2005, Microsoft announced a recall of more than 14 million Xbox power cords, citing fire concerns.]]> http://www.ps3news.com/XBox/Why-isnt-Microsoft-building-a-PSP-or-DS-rival/ http://www.ps3news.com/XBox/Why-isnt-Microsoft-building-a-PSP-or-DS-rival/ Thu, 07 Feb 2008 02:18:57 CST Starlight XBox http://www.ps3news.com/XBox/Why-isnt-Microsoft-building-a-PSP-or-DS-rival/
In the recent period Microsoft went from the acquisition-spree that characterized the burst of the "dot-com bubble" era to a more pragmatic approach to business. And by pragmatic I mean " building products in house".

Just think of this classical example. In 2000, Microsoft had two options in order to enter the increasingly profitable gaming market: one was to buy the ailing Nintendo, which at that time was valued at "only" $13 billion (compare that to the $70.89 billion today) and the other was to build its own console. Guess what: top representatives from Redmond thought that Nintendo was too expensive, so they went on with crafting the Xbox, which debuted in 2001.

Fast forward four years later and Microsoft unveils the second generation of Xbox, dubbed Xbox 360, after reporting a whooping $4 billion loss at the Xbox division. The new console, although extremely advanced for its time, is immediately hit with production problems (actually, production for the Xbox 360 began only 69 days before the November 22, 2005 launch) and with a high rate of failures.

One year later, Redmond enters the competition with Apple in the digital music industry, unveiling the Zune MP3 player. The manufacturing circuit includes Toshiba, which gives up its GigaBeat player in favor of Microsoft's. In 2007, the software and hardware behemoth unveils the second generation of Zune, but prefers to remove Toshiba out of the landscape and decides to manufacture the gadget "in-house".

There are more examples like this (Windows Mobile is one of them), but I think it's enough to give you an idea of what to expect from Microsoft in the near future: closed-source. This is the defining feature of Bill Gates' company and we'd be fools to think something is going to change while we're still alive...

How does the closed-source philosophy relate to the portable gaming market? I think you already know the answer: instead of letting Sony or Nintendo or SEGA or anybody else reap profits from the increasingly popular portable gaming industry, Microsoft would rather give up an arm and a leg... So the question is now: why the hell don't they build a portable Xbox or something?

I mean they've entered the competition with the almighty Apple in the music and MP3 market, but they're afraid of entering competition with Sony or Nintendo, where there's much more room... Lots of companies have tried to free the digital music from Apple's tight grip, but so far their efforts proved to be in vain. Is Microsoft so blind not to see that Zune is basically a flop and that they stand no chance in a market where the likes of Creative, SanDisk or Samsung dictate the rules?

To explain the idea mentioned earlier: there is much more room for Microsoft in the portable gaming domain because it only confronts two main rivals, Sony and Nintendo. Yes, those are powerful adversaries, with strong brands, huge install base and a lot more experience. But hell, they're only two, and their combined value doesn't even come close to Microsoft's ($276.88 billion), and it's not like the latter has no experience in gaming, right? Generally speaking, Microsoft owns the desktop (and laptop) market with the Windows platform, has a strong position in the fixed-console market, but obstinately refuses to come up with a portable gaming device, although it does have the money, the logistics and the people to invent it.

One other argument would be the cost of building such handheld. It would definitely be lower than the one Microsoft had to "endure" for the Xbox and the Xbox 360, and the profitability target would be a whole lot easier to achieve. Both Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable became profitable after their first year on the market. Currently, the DS is the second most popular console out there (fixed and portable consoles considered) with more than 66 million units sold, trailing only the PlayStation 2. The PSP sold more than 30 million units and, with the launch of the enhanced PSP 2000 model, it even surpassed DS' sales in Japan.

The subjective argument should also be taken into account: people WANT a Microsoft-built portable console. Rumors about a possible Xbox handheld have flamed spirits more than once and the interest such rumors get on the Web is proof enough that an investment in this domain is the right path for Redmond. I mean I can't believe Microsoft is so cocky to consider that if they have the PC gaming market in their back yard and a considerable portion of the console market too, they should just sit on their asses and do nothing. Nintendo is coming in fast, and Sony is by no means an enemy to be trifled with.

Nintendo has at least two hardware products to offer: the Wii and the DS, both insanely successful, both reaping huge profits. Sony has three: the PS2, the PS3 and the PSP. Microsoft has only one... Can Microsoft withstand the pressure with a product plagued by RRoD problems, with the launch of PlayStation HOME looming, with the imminent death of the HD DVD and with highly pessimistic predictions about sales for PC games? Hardly...

Actually, the Redmond giant needs a portable console not only because of profits, but because it needs to create the kind of "eco-system" its two Japanese rivals have created in their long history. You can still play PS1 games on the PSP or even on the PS3. You can still play NES games on the DS or the Wii, which economically speaking means more value for old games. Developers are thus interested in creating games for your console, since they can make profits on a longer period of time. This is one of the reasons for which Sony boasted with the "ten year life-span" for its consoles. By comparison, the original Xbox lasted only 4 years, while the Xbox 360 will probably last even less, considering the high failure-rate (close to 30%, caused apparently by the fact that it has been rushed to the market). Moreover, while Sony has the PSP interacting with the PS3 through Remote Control, the Xbox 360 has practically no interaction with other gaming devices, except for the controller, the headset and the HD screen.

Yes, it's true that Microsoft created the Xbox Live Arcade (for oldies but goodies) and that the service is one of the most successful online services at Redmond, but is that enough to keep the engine up and running? Is it enough that the Xbox Live is now "talking" to Games for Windows Live? How many of you PC fans have used Games for Windows Live in the recent period?

While I do agree that the Xbox 360 had a strong momentum on the market when both the Wii and the PS3 came out, I find it worrying (and so should Microsoft) that the aforementioned momentum has been literally shattered in just one year and 3 months by the Wii. Moreover, a leaked internal memo from EA predicts that Sony's next-gen console will surpass worldwide sales for the Xbox 360 this year, while Sony UK's boss David Reeves makes a bold statement, saying that PS3's install base in PAL areas will beat that of the X60 by this summer.

I'm not trying to portrait the Xbox 360 as dying console, because I'm not a console fanboy and because I like competition. Competition is the driving force behind good and reliable products and I'm actually glad that we gamers have more choices every year. But just as you probably, I wouldn't mind seeing the Big Brother from Redmond offering us even more choices for our favorite daily activity.

I just pray they don't make the same mistake as Sony, which instead of encouraging third-party applications for the PSP, closed the circuit by forcing gamers to buy the fiasco dubbed UMD...]]> http://www.ps3news.com/XBox/Phantasy-Star-Offline-Xbox-version-goes-dark-in-Japan/ http://www.ps3news.com/XBox/Phantasy-Star-Offline-Xbox-version-goes-dark-in-Japan/ Thu, 27 Dec 2007 12:37:09 CST Starlight XBox http://www.ps3news.com/XBox/Phantasy-Star-Offline-Xbox-version-goes-dark-in-Japan/
The last day online play will be available is January 31, 2008, five years after the initial launch date. When this happens Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst Episode IV will be the only version of original PSO that gamers in Japan can still play online.

Please note that this announcement is only for Japan. Sega has made no announcements about shutting down Xbox servers in other regions yet.]]> http://www.ps3news.com/XBox/XNA-Game-Studio-2-0-Now-Available/ http://www.ps3news.com/XBox/XNA-Game-Studio-2-0-Now-Available/ Wed, 12 Dec 2007 21:00:25 CST PS3 News XBox http://www.ps3news.com/XBox/XNA-Game-Studio-2-0-Now-Available/
Developers can now implement a wide range of Live features into their applications, such as matchmaking, which uses Live to find the best games for you to play based on your location and Internet connection.

Microsoft will also provide a free academic trial membership in the XNA Creators Club beginning in January, allowing faculty members and students to use XNA Game Studio 2.0 and X-Box 360 for instructional purposes. Under normal circumstances, a license to use XNA development tools on the X-Box 360 costs $99 per year, $49 per four months.

To quote: Microsoft Corp. today marked the next step in its initiative to democratize game development and unleash the creativity of the community with the release of the XNA Game Studio 2.0, the next generation of the popular game development platform for Xbox 360 and Windows. The new version builds upon XNA Game Studio Express, released one year ago, and includes the ability to create online, cross-platform multiplayer games for Xbox 360 and Windows using Xbox LIVE and Games for Windows - LIVE, respectively. XNA Game Studio 2.0 adds more than 15 new features and is available for download from http://creators.xna.com.

"When building XNA Game Studio 2.0, we wanted to offer everyone the opportunity to utilize the rich gaming environment of LIVE used by AAA developers for titles such as 'Halo 3' and 'Gears of War,'" said Chris Satchell, general manager of the XNA organization at Microsoft. "We accomplished our goal with this new toolset, and, best of all, it remains highly accessible to students, hobbyists and pros alike."

Many of LIVE's best features are supported by XNA Game Studio 2.0 with minimal to no coding necessary to activate them - features like matchmaking, which uses LIVE to find the best games for you to play based on your location and internet connection. Additionally, XNA Game Studio 2.0 fully supports game development with all versions of the Microsoft Visual Studio product line.

XNA Creators Club Academic Trial Memberships Now Free to Qualified Students and Faculty

Since its release last December, XNA Game Studio has been an incredible success, with 750,000 downloads, adoption by more than 300 universities worldwide and at least nine textbooks on the tools in development. In subjects from computer science to fine arts, introductory courses to graduate and research projects - XNA Game Studio is helping faculty members and students explore the boundaries of applied gaming technology in education. Along with XNA Game Studio 2.0, Microsoft will also provide a free academic trial membership in the XNA Creators Club beginning in January, allowing faculty members and students to use XNA Game Studio 2.0 and Xbox 360 for instructional purposes.

Time to Dream-Build-Play Again

From more than 4,500 entrants from around the world, four community games were awarded Xbox LIVE Arcade publishing contracts in this year's Dream-Build-Play game development competition. Microsoft will once again challenge aspiring game developers to create their dream games for a chance to win more coveted publishing contracts. This week Microsoft kicks off registration for Dream-Build-Play 2008 with the Silicon Minds Warm-Up Challenge. Registration begins on Dec. 14 and winners will be announced at the Game Developers Conference where details of the main challenge will be announced. Run in partnership with Microsoft Research's Machine Learning Group in Cambridge, England; Rare Ltd.; and Lionhead Studios, prizes for the Warm-Up Challenge will include the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to interview for an internship with one of those organizations.

"Artificial intelligence is so important to the games we make at Lionhead Studios, and we are very excited to see what the community can come up with in this Warm-Up Challenge to Dream-Build-Play 2008," said Peter Molyneux, managing director at Lionhead Studios. "We are always on the lookout for the best talent and believe that XNA Game Studio 2.0 will be a great platform for contestants to showcase their skills on." More information about Dream-Build-Play 2008 is available at http://www.dreambuildplay.com.]]>