238w ago - Per Major Nelson today: I know that many of you are excited to get your hands on the New Xbox Experience, which will go live all Xbox LIVE regions wide on November 19th.

Well, we're just as excited to as you are so I am happy to announce that I've been working on a little project that I think may interested you.

Working with various teams across Xbox, we've developed a program to allow a select few of you early access to NXE. How do you get chosen? The first step is to head on over to Microsoft Connect, sign in with your Windows LIVE ID and join the "Xbox 360 Fall 2008 Preview Program" by clicking on this link.

Once you do that, you need to fill out the "Xbox 360 Fall Flash Preview Sign Up" survey in order to be considered for receiving the Preview System Update.

We're asking a few questions about where you live, your home network, ISP connection and a few other pieces of information. We are looking for a good cross-section of our members in order to get the best feedback we can.

238w ago - Although still labeled as System Menu 3.3, this Nintendo Wii update officially includes the renaming of Wii Points to Nintendo Points and cosmetic changes to some of the menu icons.

Unofficially, the update is said to block the Wii Homebrew Channel and more as follows:

- This blocks new installations of anything fakesigned, that is, Homebrew Channel (both new installs and updates), wads (legal and illegal), Starfall, cIOS, anything that installs IOSes secretly like AnyRegion Changer or AnyTitle Deleter, xyzzy and DVDX (used for apps which have DVD support). This list is not exhaustive, but please add to it if you think of anything else.
- This also blocks access to /dev/flash. This means raw nand dumping utilities no longer work.
- If something is already installed then it isn't affected, like Homebrew Channel, etc.
- The homebrew developers are already planning how to work around this update.
- You currently need this update to access the Wii Shop Channel.
- If you already have the Homebrew Channel and DVDX, and aren't planning to install anything big that will affect your Wii, then you are most likely unaffected. Normal everyday apps such as Homebrew Browser are completely unaffected as long as you already have the Homebrew Channel.
- It updates all IOSes with...

238w ago - Per Mike Skinner of Team RamRod via PS Blog today:

Hello everyone! Team RamRod is here again this week to introduce some new High Velocity Bowling (HVB) goodness. I know it's gonna be tough to compete with last week's release of the FREE HVB Online Play update in North America, but we have more great news for our fans here in the States.

To all our fans in Europe who are waiting for the online action and new content, please know that we are working as fast as we can to release it to you as well.

Anyone that has played HVB knows that it is filled with an eccentric mix of characters and bowling alleys. Joe and Jill might be your average family playing in a common setting, but it's not everyday you can mix it up on the lanes with a biker who wants to be a Viking.

Most of you know that HVB hasn't had any new faces in the neighborhood for quite a while, so without further delay, I am proud to introduce everyone to our newest bowlers, Foxy Powers and Chastity Falls!

Foxy Powers
Foxy Powers is a retro revolutionary, who hails from Oakland, California. She spends her time challenging one sucker after another in her cool, dark den. Foxy has a powerful shot with a good spin. Downloading Foxy also nets you her special ball, "The Revolution" and her new...

238w ago - According to Shae5O9 from the official PS boards, Sony's PlayStation Home is being promoted as one of the PlayStation Network's features to gamers who are creating new PSN accounts.

Many are hoping that this means Sony will stick to their word and release the PlayStation Home Open BETA soon.

Jack Tretton, SCEA president, recently said that the PlayStation Home Open BETA will launch this November.

However, Kazuo Hirai, president and group chief executive of Sony Computer Entertainment recently said we will see the "Open BETA by the end of this year" which is slightly contradictory.

Needless to say, only time will tell for sure.

238w ago - IGN (linked above) has translated some new details from Famitsu about the Final Fantasy Versus XIII characters 'Noctis Lucis Caelum' and 'Stella Nox Fleuret'.

To quote: The names of the two were revealed at the Tokyo Game Show to be Noctis Lucis Caelum and Stella Nox Fleuret. Stella is described by the magazine as a princess in the Fleuret family.

She and Noctis are shown in the magazine's screens discussing their ability to "see light." This may not sound all that special at first, but in Versus XIII, it's an ability that Noctis suggests keeping quiet about. Stella appears to be more open about the matter, even asking Noctis when he gained the ability.

Wondering what the characters' names mean? Typical for the FNC series, the two names are Latin. The three parts of the hero's name mean "Night, Light, and Sky." The three parts of the heroine's name mean "Star, Darkness, and Sword." Darkness is also the meaning of Stella's country's name.

Director and character designer Tetsuya Nomura shared with the magazine a few additional details on the characters. Nomura feels that the trailer footage (which you probably haven't seen, unless you made it out to the Tokyo Game Show) tells us a lot about the personalities of the two characters.

Stella, for instance, is shown...