Gaming News May 2008

NewsMay 31, 2008June 29, 20140

Greenpeace finds hazardous chemicals in consoles
Xbox Scene :: Saturday, May 24, 2008
From gamespot.com : Not content with prying open just the iPhone in its hunt for toxic components, Greenpeace has dismantled the three big game consoles to see what unpleasant materials they contain. The resulting report, “Playing Dirty,” is out today. The upshot: The PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii didn’t break any laws, but–as gamers will discover–they do contain dubious and arguably unnecessary chemicals. The research reveals that the three consoles contain a mixture of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), phthalates, beryllium, and bromine. Bromine and beryllium are a health issue for workers mainly during disposal and recycling, while phthalates have the unwelcome honour of being linked to sexual reproduction problems–especially in male mammals. Not something that gaming geezers will want to hear. Xbox 360 * The only console which Greenpeace found DINP phthalates in–bad news. They were found in the AV cable. * It had the highest concentration of any phthalates–27.5 percent of a type called DEHP in a power cable coating. * It also contained more PVC than the Wii and PS3. * On the plus side, the housing materials had lower levels of brominated materials. Full Story: gamespot.com

GameStop to Stop Zune Sales
Xbox Scene :: Saturday, May 24, 2008
From thestreet.com : Video-game retailer GameStop has decided to stop selling Microsoft’s Zune players at its stores due to what it sees as insufficient demand from customers. “We have decided to exit the Zune category because it just did not have the appeal we had anticipated,” said a GameStop spokesperson. “It (also) did not fit with our product mix.” GameStop made the decision about a month ago. GameStop said it will sell Zune players online until it clears out its inventory. Microsoft said Friday that the Zune continues to be carried by other big-box retailers. “We have a set of great partnerships that give Zune a strong presence at retail including Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart and others,” said Adam Sohn, director of marketing for Zune, in a statement. “We will continue to invest in retail partnerships and have seen good momentum online and at retail over the last few months.” Full Story: thestreet.com

Release This: Wii Fit, Haze, SingStar Highlight Eventful Week in U.S.
Gamasutra Columns :: Saturday, May 24, 2008
Gamasutra’s latest “Release This!” examines a week that sees Wii Fit and the first PS3 edition of SingStar debut in North America, while The Orange Box and MotorStorm Complete premiere in Japan.

Critical Reception: Nintendo’s Wii Fit
Gamasutra Columns :: Saturday, May 24, 2008
This week’s edition of Critical Reception examines online reaction to Nintendo’s peripheral-bundled fitness title Wii Fit, which critics claim is “absolutely worth giving it a try if you have a Wii, $90, and some extra pounds to lose.”

Xbox Live Arcade: Games File Size Limit to be Increased
Xbox Scene :: Saturday, May 24, 2008
From teamxbox.com : In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Xbox Live Arcade games portfolio manager, David Edery, has revealed that Microsoft plans to increase the file size limit for future XBLA games from 150 megabytes to 350MB. The announcement was made at the recent Nordic Game event in Malmo, Sweden. Full Story: teamxbox.com | gamesindustry.biz

Xbox Live ‘Gay’ Crackdown MIGHT Be Getting A Little Out Of Hand – MS Explains
Xbox Scene :: Saturday, May 24, 2008
From kotaku.com.au : Tonight, we get an email from another Xbox Live user whose gamertag has been barred because it violates XBL policies. The incriminating gamertag? RichardGaywood. The problem here? It’s the gamertag of a Mr. Richard Gaywood, a now-disgruntled 360 owner from the UK (and yes, we’ve confirmed this is his real name). *Update* Microsoft Explains “Gaywood” Ban from kotaku.com : We want the Xbox LIVE community to have the freedom to express themselves, but we also have a responsibility to create an inclusive, safe environment,” said Microsoft’s Stephen Toulouse. “While it may be clear to some that Gaywood is a legitimate surname, it may not be obvious to other Xbox LIVE members. In this case, a complaint was filed by a member of the community, requiring the Xbox LIVE team to examine the gamertag within the context of the Xbox LIVE Terms of Use. Based on the these guidelines, it was necessary for the gamertag to change.” Full Story: kotaku.com.au(1) | kotaku.com(2)

Calling All Community Games REDUX!
Xbox Scene :: Saturday, May 24, 2008
From the Team XNA Blog : With the launch of our Community Games on Xbox LIVE (beta), I’d like to issue a renewed call for our entire Creator community to submit their games written using XNA Game Studio 2.0 for distribution over Xbox LIVE. The newly launched site is in beta and we’re still looking at the official release later this holiday. There is no better time than now to take the system for a test drive. We have several different roles for all of our XNA Creators Club Premium members: – Create & Submit: Create your dream games or something wacky just for fun using XNA Game Studio 2.0 – Peer Review: Check out and review games submitted by your peers and help the community overall to create and share the best games possible – Play: XNA Creators Club Premium members in the USA can also download and play the games directly from Xbox LIVE Marketplace after games successfully pass Peer Review So whether you have a game and want to share it, simply enjoy reviewing games that others are creating and submitting or just want to play all the amazing games created by your peers – there’s more than enough for all our Creators to do! Over 20 games have already made their way to Xbox LIVE Marketplace and more are on their way!

Analyst: Price Drops to Come for Christmas
Xbox Scene :: Saturday, May 24, 2008
From next-gen.biz : Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter expects both the Xbox 360 and PS3 to shed $50 for the holiday shopping season, according to reports on his speech at the Electronic Gaming Summit. While Pachter is reported as expecting 19% industry growth in the US and 20% in Europe this year, that number will dip to 16% and 18% respectively in the following year unless each console drops another $100 off its price tag. Further price reductions would have to occur in 2010 to stop growth from declining to 10% and 7% in each respective market. Full Story: next-gen.biz

Shane Kim: ‘Our Competitors Don’t Recognize The Importance Of Relationships’
Xbox Scene :: Saturday, May 24, 2008
From gamasutra.com : At the Vancouver Game Summit, Microsoft executive Shane Kim delivered the keynote – in interview form. The Microsoft Game Studios boss was quizzed by The Electric Playground co-creator Victor Lucas. On Microsoft Game Studios’ role, Kim explained, “Our job, for the last four or five years, has been to become a first party that drives a successful platform. It’s very expensive to develop the high-end multiplayer HD content. It’s very difficult to rely on third party for these reasons – GTA is an exception. It’s not a matter of quantity, but a matter of quality. We really try to do things we believe in.” Kim indicated that acquiring external developers is not something “to look at lightly,” but it is on the table. “That’s always an option for us,” he said. Victor then brought up Bungie, which undertook a high-profile move to independence after being a subsidiary of Microsoft for several years. Said Kim, “We still have a strong working relationship with Bungie – you could even say stronger than it was before. In this industry, independence is a strong motivating factor. The good news for us and for Halo fans is that we’re still working with them. They love Xbox 360, they love Xbox Live, so it’s really not about publishing on other platforms. There are trade-offs on the creative and development side when you go multi-platform.” The exec was unwilling, however, to address when that system [Xbox Live Arcade – downloadable games] would scale up to offering larger, retail-sized games. “That’s a really complicated issue,” he admitted. “It’s a little more complicated to download full content. We are developing resources to manage storage, bandwidth, and all that, so it is inevitable, but I’m not sure of when that will be.” On dealing with third parties in general, Kim said simply, “Microsoft people are just nice people. There are some important constituencies out there. When we began, we were the new kids on the block, and we needed to work hard to earn trust. We’re fortunate in that some of our competitors don’t recognize the importance of relationships. Our communication becomes a huge advantage during launch and marketing with retailers.” Full Story: gamasutra.com

Microsoft Explains XBLA ‘Delisting’
Xbox Scene :: Saturday, May 24, 2008
From gamerscoreblog.com (Microsoft PR Blog): You may have seen the Next-Gen.biz article with Marc Whitten, and it may have left you confused. Don’t panic – we’ve seen your questions, and we have some answers for you. We’ve upped the XBLA size limit from 150mb to 350mb. We’ve stated that underperforming games on XBLA may be delisted. To be delisted, a game has to meet all three of the following criteria: * Been on the service for at least 6 months * Have less than a 65 Metacritic rating * Have a conversion rate of less than 6% Now, let’s get into your delisting questions: * Q: What’s “conversion rate”? * A: When people download a trial XBLA game, and then purchase that game, that’s called a conversion. So if less than 6% of all trials downloaded lead to full game purchases – that’s one of the 3 criteria we look at when deciding to delist a game. * Q: Why are you delisting games? * A: We have a LOT of XBLA titles onto the service. By filtering out the lower performing games, it will actually make it easier to find the games you really want. * Q: If I bought a game, and deleted it, can I redownload it even if it’s been delisted? * A: Yes, you can. Go to Download History under the Account Management section of marketplace (far left blade). * Q: Can I still play a game after it’s been delisted? What about playing online? What about leaderboards? * A: Yes, yes, and yes. The game will function normally even after being delisted. You can continue to play the game single and multiplayer, as well as use the leaderboards as you normally would. Hopefully this helps clear up some of the confusion.

Community Games on Xbox Live beta now live
Xbox Scene :: Saturday, May 24, 2008
From the XNA Team Blog : Today, we delivered on the promise we made at GDC to democratize game development with the launch of the newly designed XNA Creators Club Online Web site and the highly anticipated beta of Community Games on Xbox LIVE . When we announced this new service at GDC 2008, it was met with great excitement around the world. Now we’re pleased to offer you an opportunity to interact with this new site and test out the distribution pipeline to Xbox LIVE! If you’re a already a premium member , you will be able to join us in the Community Games on Xbox LIVE Beta immediately, where you can submit your games and review others games, and enjoy playing them on Xbox LIVE! If you are not a member, sign up today and get involved in making game development history. We’re extremely excited about what we have to offer – this effort represents, quite literally, several developer-years of work, and we’re proud to show it off! Here are a few cool things we encourage you to check out: 1) The Quick Start Guide will take you on a tour of all the features of the new site plus a guided tour of how the community games distribution pipeline works. 2) The new Education Content Catalog lets you find content quickly by type or development area 3) The new Role Playing Game Starter Kit – sure to stimulate your need for creating your own “old school” RPG-style game 4) The new Community Spotlight area, featuring interviews and articles from amazing community contributors (and sometimes a “celebrity interview”) We encourage you, no matter what your game development expertise, to visit the new XNA Creators Club Online Web site, at , to see the new changes for yourself! For premium members , we strongly encourage you to submit and review games of all types during the Beta. Our goal is to give the community the ability to fully test the functionality of these new features so that we can give you the best experience possible at the time of our final release. P.S. – Don’t forget to read the welcome note from our Community Team leader, Dave Mitchell!

Microsoft Still Working on Live Anywhere
Xbox Scene :: Saturday, May 24, 2008
From kotaku.com : During his talk at the Electronic Gaming Summit today, Microsoft’s Jeff Bell briefly, very briefly, touched on the long-lost, quickly becoming mythical Live Anywhere pipedream that Microsoft first mentioned at E3 in 2006. Bell said not to give up hope. “Live anywhere is not abandoned, it’s just not easy to do.” Full Story: kotaku.com

MS: Delist old XBLA Titles, No Spring Update, Fixing DRM Issues
Xbox Scene :: Saturday, May 24, 2008
From next-gen.biz : In this exclusive interview with general manager of Xbox Live Marc Whitten, Next-Gen gets all the first details on big changes to the service–including that there will be no spring dashboard update, and that underperforming XBLA titles will be removed. According to Whitten, XBLA titles that have been out for more than six months, have a Metacritic score of less than 65%, and have a conversion rate of less than 6% will be eligible for desliting. Microsoft will give three months of notice before these titles are removed. Whitten also told us that there would be no spring dashboard update for Xbox 360 owners this year, saying that resources were instead focused on “building the proper infrastructure and scale for the service.” There will however be a change to DRM policy and a tool released next month that will allow 360 owners to re-license content to a single console–finally fixing the issue that forced gamers playing XBLA games to be connected to Xbox LIVE if their 360 broke down and was replaced. Full Story: next-gen.biz (3 pages)

Saling The World: Wii Fit Sells Out in U.S.; Age of Conan Makes Strong PC Debut
Gamasutra Columns :: Saturday, May 24, 2008
Gamasutra’s latest “Saling The World” charts see Wii Fit exhaust its initial shipment completely in its first week of U.S. release, while Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures tops worldwide PC sales.

It Looks Like Microsoft?s ‘Lips’ are Still Sealed
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 20, 2008
From 8bitjoystick.com (): Microsoft’s Gamerday 2008 event is wrapping up and it looks like they are not going to show off either the “Newton” or “Lips” accessories at this event. They are still coming. They are real hardware projects that the engineering team at Xbox is working on. I don’t know when they are going to officially announce them. It looks like they are going to save all new hardware announcements for their media event before this years E3 media expo. Full Story: 8bitjoystick.com ()

Microsoft’s Kim: No Blu-ray Drive Coming for Xbox 360 (again)
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 20, 2008
From homemediamagazine.com (): Microsoft has nothing in development for any type of Blu-ray Disc add-on for the Xbox 360, said Microsoft Game Studios head Shane Kim, head of Microsoft Games Studios, during a roundtable at the company’s 360 Spring. “I know Blu-ray provides some visual boost for people who want a physical HD format, but we’re not seeing that format taking off, in general,” Kim said. “The DVD format is still doing well. Eventually, the price of Blu-ray players will come down to $150 and the value proposition of a $300 or $400 PlayStation 3 as a game console and movie player will be impacted.” “Video Marketplace helps us to speak to the more casual gaming audience,” said Kim, who added that he believes Microsoft chose the right strategy for distribution of entertainment via Video Marketplace. “There’s a lot more to our brand than just hardcore games.” Full Story: homemediamagazine.com ()

Moore: Leaving Microsoft ‘broke my heart’
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 20, 2008
From gamesindustry.biz (): EA Sports president Peter Moore has spoken of his pain at quitting his former role as Xbox boss, revealing: “It broke my heart leaving Microsoft.” “I thoroughly enjoyed working at Microsoft, [but] there was a real yearning for getting back to what we as Brits living in America call home, which is the San Francisco Bay area,” he said. “And you get to the point in your life where you say, do I live where I work, or do I work where I live? For me, I would rather live in the Bay area – nothing against Seattle – and there’s only really one job I would have taken to leave Xbox and that’s president of EA Sports.” Presiding over his new multiformat empire, Moore must now embrace all systems. “My goal is to grow EA Sports, and I need the PS3 to continue to gain momentum, I’ve got to readjust my brand on Nintendo Wii, I’ve got to look at what we do on PC,” he offered. Full Story: gamesindustry.biz(1) () | gamesindustry.biz(2) ()

Xbox 360 First System to Reach 10M in U.S. Console Sales This Generation
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 20, 2008
From the press release: Microsoft Corp. today announced that the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system has sold over 10 million units in the U.S., making it the first current-generation gaming console to break the 10 million mark in the U.S. The U.S. install base contributes to global sales of over 19 million, more than any other current-generation console. “This year will be the largest in the history of the video game industry, with Xbox 360 leading the charge in the U.S. and abroad,” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. “History has shown us that the first company to reach 10 million in console sales wins the generation battle. We are uniquely positioned to set a new benchmark for the industry.” This announcement comes on the heels of one of the biggest entertainment launches in history, “Grand Theft Auto IV,” on April 29, 2008. Gamers eager to experience “Grand Theft Auto IV” online helped boost Xbox LIVE global membership to over 12 million this month. Fueled by an unparalleled combination of access to friends and family, the best online gaming features, and the best entertainment content, the Xbox LIVE service has doubled in membership in only one year’s time. “Reaching an installed base of 10 million consoles in the U.S. is a significant achievement and an essential milestone on the road to market leadership,” said Billy Pidgeon, research manager at IDC. “Perhaps more important is the Xbox 360 worldwide online base — 12 million Xbox LIVE gamers is the largest community in the connected console games sector, which represents the greatest growth opportunity in the console market and where Microsoft has been the leader for two generations.” Xbox 360 leads with the industry’s highest software attach rate, more than any other console this generation, and is home to the best-selling games. With the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV in April, Xbox 360 is now the home to more than 16 platinum titles that have sold through one million units or more including hits like “Halo 3,” “Madden NFL 07” and “Madden NFL 08,” “Gears of War,” “Guitar Hero II” and “Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock” and “Call of Duty?2, Call of Duty?3 and Call of Duty?4: Modern Warfare?,” giving Xbox 360 two times more platinum-selling titles than the Wii and a 16:2 lead over the PlayStation 3 in game titles topping one million in sales.Games not only sell better on the Xbox 360, they play better, too: Xbox 360 has 91 titles with a Metacritic review score of 80 or higher, compared with just 22 titles for Wii and 50 titles for PlayStation 3.

‘Gay’ Player Name Banned By Xbox Live
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 20, 2008
From consumerist.com (): Reader Grant says that his gamer tag “theGAYERgamer” was recently banned by Xbox Live. He hoped that a call to customer support would sort things out but all he received was a confusing explanation from an Xbox Live supervisor. According to the supervisor, it wasn’t that she found the name offensive, but it was the “greater Xbox community” that found it offensive. We think you deserve a better explanation than this. Despite what this Xbox Live CSR told you, we’re not convinced that it’s the “greater Xbox community’s” job to classify offensive material. At best it sounds like this “supervisor” was trying to pass the buck. At worst, it’s downright homophobic discrimination. Would “theHETEROgamer” also be banned? Full Story: consumerist.com ()

Microsoft Says no new Slim Xbox 360s in 2009
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 20, 2008
From engadget.com (): Sounds like that rumor about a new, smaller Xbox 360 coming next year might have a shorter life than a red-ringing console. Specifying the release of “slimmed down SKU in 2009”, Microsoft representative let us know today that “While we don’t normally comment on rumors like this, we can tell you that we have no plans to release a new console in 2009”. Full Story: engadget.com ()

New Jasper Xbox 360 Probably Shipping First Week of September?
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 20, 2008
From seattlepi.nwsource.com (): I had a tip off today that August 22nd is when Microsoft is scheduled to finish the first batch of “Jasper” motherboard powered Xbox 360. This are going to use a newer cooler 65 nm GPU as well as a 65 nm CPU. They are expected to hit the stores on the first week of September 2008. I can’t totally vouch for the source of this particular tip off but it seems to jive with what I’ve heard elsewhere. Full Story: seattlepi.nwsource.com ()

Steve Ballmer dodges eggs at Hungarian University
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 20, 2008
From engadget.com (): Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was recently forced to duck for cover under a barrage of (three) eggs during a speech he was giving at a Hungarian University. Apparently, the disgruntled egg-tosser was angry with Ballmer for “stealing billions in Hungarian taxpayer money,” which he demanded that Ballmer give back “right now.” Full Story: engadget.com ()

Shane Kim ‘Confident’ 360 will Last 7 Years
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 20, 2008
From computerandvideogames.com (): Microsoft is “confident” that the Xbox 360 will live out at least a 7 year life-span, accommodating all three games in the Too Human trilogy, Microsoft Game Studios boss Shane Kim told CVG. “We said from the beginning that we expect the Xbox 360 to have a long tail,” he said. “Clearly we didn’t do that with the original Xbox, which was a strategic decision we made. Admittedly, we don’t have any experience doing this, but we’re pretty confident 360 will have a long tail.” Full Story: computerandvideogames.com ()

Xbox 360 Fails To Sell In India?
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 20, 2008
From contentsutra.com (): As far as India is concerned, the xBox is the x’ed Box, if this report () from CNBC-TV18 is to be believed. The console has apparently been such a dismal failure in India that Microsoft is reportedly winding up operations in several Tier-I cities. MS’ Entertainment & Devices Division (EDD) has also withdrawn the marketing budget for India, and Ashim Mathur, Marketing Head for the division has planned to leave the company. Mathur has denied any such development, and the company has, expectedly, given CNBC-TV18 a standard response, that everything is going according to plan. Full Story: contentsutra.com () | moneycontrol.com</a

Rumored Spring08 Update Touts ‘Motion Sensor’ Features, Game Installs, …
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 20, 2008
From kotaku.com (): If Microsoft follows the same schedule it did last year, the Spring system update for the Xbox 360 should be right around the corner. Today, an alleged and wholly unconfirmed list of changes included in the “Q2 2008” update was sent to us, supposedly forwarded from an internal source. The full list features about 80 new feature additions, tweaks and changes but was purported to be incomplete and subject to change. Some are simply interesting as curiosities, such as an option to purchase Xbox Live memberships for charities and the addition of a Media section for audio delivered through feeds, such as podcasts. Others sound more feature robust, such as Windows Live Mail integration and an expanded “Inside Xbox” with news, weather, entertainment, help and community features. Perhaps the most interesting additions are “Calibration options for motion sensor devices” for the Dashboard and “Support for titles to store installation data on Storage Device for faster loading” for Games. Full Story: kotaku.com () (incl. full rumored changelog)

New chess match for Microsoft, Yahoo
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 20, 2008
From moneycentral.msn.com (): Like a high school relationship, talks between Microsoft and Yahoo — called off earlier this month — have resumed. On Sunday, Microsoft said that it is “considering and has raised with Yahoo an alternative that would involve a transaction with Yahoo but not an acquisition of all of Yahoo.” Yahoo responded by saying that it is “open to pursuing any transaction which is in the best interest of our stockholders.” Full Story: moneycentral.msn.com ()

Xbox Live BanHammer Specialist on ‘theGAYERgamer’ GamerTag
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 20, 2008
From stepto’s blog () (FYI: MS employee): I’ve gotten some questions today regarding a recent name change my team issued against the gamertag “TheGayerGamer”. As I have mentioned before, the community brings content that may potentially violate the terms of use to our attention via the complaint system. For text and profile complaints we actually review every complaint against the Code of Conduct and Terms of Use to determine whether the complaint is accurate. We DO NOT take action based off the number of complaints, or how often people complain in a given day. All complaints we get into the system against a Gamertag or content are reduced to one so that our agents merely review the content against the terms of use. Whether it’s one complaint or 20, we will look at it the same way. That’s the metric we use and that we have publicly communicated that we use. And the Terms of Use clearly disallow content of a sexual nature: “[a member may not] Create a Gamertag or use text in other profile fields that may offend other members. This includes comments that look, sound like, stand for, hint at, abbreviate, or insinuate any of the following: profane words/phrases, sexually explicit language, sexual innuendo, hate speech (including but not limited to racial, ethnic, or religious slurs), illegal drugs/controlled substances, or illegal activities. Emphasis mine. We recieved a complaint on the Gamertag and determined that it did indeed contain sexual innuendo. Now granted, there could be an argument that the text is not pejorative to homosexuality and should therefore be allowed. But there is no context to explain that. Gamertags are visible to everyone and it would be hard for me to defend to a parent of a young child who saw it that the name did not contain content of a sexual nature. We view these situations objectively during our review under the terms of use. To answer the question another way, yes “TheStraighterGamer” or “TheHeterosexualgamer” would have gotten the same treatment and would have been found to be in violation and forced to be changed. We’ve actually done that to tags like that before. Racism, hate speech, bigotry, homophobia, all these things have no place on Xbox Live and are in violation of our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct. My team works hard reviewing the complaints every single day and taking action on them where appropriate. We also work very hard to be present in our LIVE community actively playing and looking for bad behavior so we can take action when we see it (for some proof of this you can check the Xbox Forums each morning for people complaining about their suspensions and that they were only ‘kidding around’!) The good news is that I have said before complaints as a % of our total users still remains a tiny tiny fraction. But be sure if you see bad behavior to let us know via the complaint system!

Critical Reception: Frontier Developments’ LostWinds
Gamasutra Columns :: Saturday, May 17, 2008
This week’s edition of Critical Reception examines online reaction to LostWinds, a $10 WiiWare launch title that critics describe as “Better than a lot of $49.99 Wii games.”

Saling The World: GTA IV, Mario Kart Lead US, Luminous Arc 2 Tops Japan
Gamasutra Columns :: Saturday, May 17, 2008
Gamasutra’s latest “Saling The World” charts see Grand Theft Auto IV and Mario Kart predictably leading U.S. sales, as Square-Enix’s The World Ends With You sells out, and Luminous Arc 2: Will debuts on top in Japan.

New XNA Creators Club Online web site coming soon
Xbox Scene :: Saturday, May 17, 2008
From the XNA Team Blog (http://blogs.msdn.com/xna/archive/2008/05/17/new-xna-creators-club-online-web-site-coming-soon.aspx ): [QUOTE] Next week, the XNA Creators Club Online site will be shut down for a short time in preparation for the launch of our new site featuring the Community Games on Xbox LIVE Beta (http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3545/sponsored_feature_democratizing_.php ). We’re excited about the new design and functionality of the improved XNA Creators Club Online web site, and we eagerly look forward to your return! In the meantime, please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this may cause during the outage [/QUOTE]

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Sony Games :: Saturday, May 17, 2008
This game inspired by the next movie in the Narnia series has the Pevensie children travelling back to Narnia, which is now ruled by another evil tyrant.

Kim ‘very happy’ Microsoft never launched a handheld
Xbox Scene :: Saturday, May 17, 2008
Speaking to eurogamer.net (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=140526 ) at the Microsoft Gamer’s Day, Xbox boss Shane Kim talked about a handheld Xbox: [QUOTE] “I’m very happy we didn’t get into it, because launching a handheld platform is like launching another Xbox 360,” he said. “You have to be fully committed, as an organisation, from a resource standpoint, to doing that.” “Frankly we’ve got a lot on our plate with Xbox 360 and Xbox Live. We don’t have any experience in that space. Our content assets don’t naturally lend themselves to driving success in that particular market. So we’re happy to let Sony and Nintendo slog it out.” [/QUOTE] Full Story: eurogamer.net (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=140526 )

Rocketmen: It Came from Uranus
Xbox Live Marketplace :: Saturday, May 17, 2008
The next chapter of Capcom’s Rocketmen: Axis of Evil has arrived! Rocketmen: It Came from Uranus, an expansion to the original digitally-distributed title, is now available on Xbox LIVE for 400 Microsoft Points.

April NPD: 360 188k, PS3 187k, Wii 714k
Xbox Scene :: Saturday, May 17, 2008
From gamasutra.com (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18678 ): [QUOTE] Hardware numbers were up 26 percent to $426.2 million, with the Xbox 360 continuing its slim lead over the PlayStation 3 after two months behind. As above, the DS and PSP saw sales fall behind the previous month, but the Wii held on to its lead, easily outselling both consoles combined. Wii – 714.2K (from 721K) Nintendo DS – 414.8K (from 698K) PSP – 192.7K (from 297K) Xbox 360 – 188.0K (from 230K) PlayStation 3 – 187.1K (from 257K) PlayStation 2 – 124.4K (from 216K) On the software side, April sales were up 68 percent to $654.7 million, with the release of Grand Theft Auto IV. The title sold a combined 2.85 million in its five days on the market, with the Xbox 360 version nearly selling double the PlayStation 3 version. [/QUOTE] Full Story: gamasutra.com (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18678 )

“Ask A Ninja” Episodes on Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace :: Saturday, May 17, 2008
These world-famous podcasts were made popular over the Internet, and now, celebrating ninjas, Ninja Gaiden II presents “Ask A Ninja” on Xbox LIVE.

Microsoft’s Take on April 2008 NPD Numbers
Xbox Scene :: Saturday, May 17, 2008
From majornelson.com (http://majornelson.com/archive/2008/05/15/april-npd-numbers-according-to-us.aspx ) (FYI: MS owned blog): [QUOTE] Microsoft’s Xbox 360 has sold 10.1 million units in the U.S., making it the first current generation gaming console to break the 10 million barrier in the U.S., and contributing to global sales of over 19 million. (April NPD data) By the numbers: Xbox 360 is the most significant contributor to industry spending and growth *188,000 Xbox 360 consoles were sold in April. (April NPD data) *Xbox 360 has a record-setting attach rate of 7.6 games per console, the highest attach rate in history for a console at this point in its lifecycle. (April NPD data) *Consumers have spent more than $9.7 billion on the Xbox 360 experience. (April NPD data) *Xbox 360 titles accounted for $186 million of all third party game sales this generation, or 53% of share. (April NPD data) *Xbox 360 games accounted for three of the top ten games in April, and secured the #1 spot with “Grand Theft Auto IV.” (April NPD data) *Not only are we selling more games, games play better on the Xbox 360. Xbox 360 has 91 titles with a Metacritic review score of 80 or higher, compared to just 50 for PS3 and 22 for Wii. *Grand Theft Auto IV” on Xbox 360 snags top spot in April, boosts LIVE memberships to over 12 million *In its first five days on the market, the Xbox 360 version of “Grand Theft Auto IV” sold 1.8 million units, outselling the other platform’s version by nearly 2:1 in the U.S., and making it the top selling game in April. (April NPD data) *Gamers eager to experience “Grand Theft Auto IV” online helped boost Xbox LIVE global membership totals to over 12 million this month. Fueled by an unparalleled combination of access to friends and family, the best online gaming features and the best entertainment content, the Xbox LIVE service has doubled in membership in only one year’s time. *Microsoft sales data shows Xbox 360 consoles saw a 54% lift week-over-week as a result of “Grand Theft Auto IV,” and retailers are reporting that roughly four out of every 10 Xbox 360 consoles sold included the sale of a copy of “Grand Theft Auto IV.” (Microsoft internal data) *Beginning this fall, Xbox LIVE will be the only place gamers can go for exclusive “Grand Theft Auto IV” episodes. *Grand Theft Auto IV” marked the beginning of what promises to be another landmark year for the Xbox 360 platform, with an all-star games line up in 2008 including “Gears of War 2,” “Fable 2” and “Viva Pi?ata: Trouble in Paradise.” Stay tuned for more announcements in the coming months. [/QUOTE]

Xbox.com and Indiana Jones Sweepstakes
Xbox Live :: Saturday, May 17, 2008
Enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win one fo five limited-edition Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Xbox 360 consoles.

Analysts Unmoved By 360’s 10 mln US Milestone
Xbox Scene :: Saturday, May 17, 2008
From next-gen.biz (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10485&Itemid=2 ): [QUOTE] On Wednesday, Microsoft announced that Xbox 360 has sold over 10 million units in the U.S. SVP of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business Don Mattrick stated, “History has shown us that the first company to reach 10 million in console sales wins the generation battle.” But analysts quizzed by Next-Gen question the logic behind the “first to 10 million wins” idea. Mike Hickey with Janco Partners says that he sees “little significance” in Microsoft’s announcement, calling it little more than “a corporate catalyst for a press statement and a last-chance chest-pounding moment.” “It’s unclear to us if Microsoft considers the Wii console from Nintendo to be a competitive product, but we expect the Wii’s installed base will likely eclipse the Xbox 360’s installed base in CY08, and eventually win the console war by a wide margin.” Michael Pachter with Wedbush Morgan Securities simply called Microsoft’s announcement “spin,” adding, “Nintendo will pass them this month.” [/QUOTE] Full Story: next-gen.biz (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10485&Itemid=2 )

Analyst: Underwhelming 360 Sales May Force Price Cuts
Xbox Scene :: Saturday, May 17, 2008
From gamedaily.com (http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/news/analyst-underwhelming-ps3-and-360-sales-may-force-price-cuts/?biz=1 ): [QUOTE] In the wake of the April video game sales data, EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich commented on what was admittedly even a surprise to NPD analyst Anita Frazier – that the hardware sales for both Xbox 360 and PS3 failed to reach 200K units during a month in which GTA IV was supposed to have driven console sales. “This would…be the first time that Xbox 360 sales dipped below 200K since July 2007, which ended up resulting in an Xbox 360 price drop the following month (August 2007). It wouldn’t be wrong to assume that Microsoft might follow a similar strategy as last year given that the Xbox 360 has dropped below the 50,000 units a week sold threshold mark,” remarked Divnich. [/QUOTE] Full Story: gamedaily.com (http://www.gamedaily.com/articles/news/analyst-underwhelming-ps3-and-360-sales-may-force-price-cuts/?biz=1 )

Everyday Shooter (PC)
Gaming Heaven :: Wednesday, May 14, 2008
“In 2005 Jonathan Mak began working on what he hoped would be an entertaining game with plenty of depth and ingenious design but after a portion of the development the result was, in his words “a complicated mess of rules and controls”. Well aware of what was happening Jonathan went back to the drawing board and thought about the games he used to love, and still does, top down shooters and their more recent evolutions. With these in mind development began again and the result is Everyday Shooter a title which was added to Steam this week for the excellent price of $9.”

Mario Kart for the Nintendo Wii Review
Futurelooks :: Wednesday, May 14, 2008
I remember playing the first Super Mario Kart on the old Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The graphics were nowhere near as good as they are today, but the first Mario Kart really opened up a whole new world of racing games. As time went on, I progressed to extract a fair bit of enjoyment out of sequels like Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart DS. If you’ve ever played any of these shell-filled racers in the past, you’ll know exactly what to expect from the latest iteration in the series: Mario Kart Wii.

First Guitar Hero IV Details Shed
Primo Technology :: Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Guitar Hero IV will follow closely in the footsteps of Rock Band, offering new instruments including a bass, microphone, and six-piece drumset that includes two cymbals. It is unknown whether or not the Guitar Hero IV instruments and Rock Band instruments will be cross-compatible.

Game Testing 2GB versus 4GB of Memory on Vista 64-bit
Legit Reviews :: Wednesday, May 14, 2008
“Our average frame rate increase of 1.6% in nine games was slightly higher than the 1.1% shown by Corsair in the three games they tested, but our test system was a little newer and we were running Vista SP1. Something else that we noted while running the benchmarks is that game loading times were also significantly enhanced by installing 4GB of system memory. While load times was not the focus of this article we noted that Crysis v1.21 loaded 54.1% faster (14.28s versus 22.00s) on the initial level load. After the level was loaded and then restarted (as if one died and started over) the load times were within a hundredth of a second…”

GTA IV: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
XS Reviews :: Wednesday, May 14, 2008
“As good as GTA IV is, in some areas, this reviewer has found it quite a let down in many others, so much so that I may not even finish the game; I haven’t decided if I can soldier through or not. While some of the issues I raise might be just personal gripes of my own, many others have complained about the very same issues I’m commenting on. This isn’t just an angry reviewer, taking a pot shot, these are legitimate problems.”

Watch Netflix Downloads On Your Xbox 360
Xbox Scene :: Monday, May 12, 2008
From gizmodo.com : [QUOTE] By installing the vmcNetflix plug-in to a Vista Premium Media Center computer, you can watch streamed Netflix content on an Xbox 360. It’s buggy, but it’s a lot better than watching Netflix on a laptop screen. [/QUOTE]

Full Story: gizmodo.com (http://gizmodo.com/389185/watch-netflix-downloads-on-your-xbox-360 )

MS: Sony Has Failed to Deliver on Promises
Xbox Scene :: Monday, May 12, 2008
From next-gen.biz : [QUOTE] Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg says “the days of Sony snowing the consumers and the press are over,” that the company has failed to deliver on numerous promises, and challenges Sony’s latest European PS3 sales figures.

“We have been fighting Sony’s promises from the day we entered the market,” Greenberg told Destructoid. “Three years ago at E3 they showed what PS3 games would supposedly look like with the Killzone 2 video, that we are now learning will ship four years later. That means that we will have shipped Gears of War and Gears of War 2 before they can even get Killzone out the door.

“Think back to GDC 2007 when Sony promised to leap ahead in online with the Sony Home unveil. Here we are two years later and multiple delays for a product that appears to have little to no buzz. Where are the achievements? The friends list integration across all games? Where is the long-promised video store? Where are all the other products using and networking with their CELL chip? How come Blu-ray did not result in better games? What happened with Sixaxis and rumble? Where is the complete 1080p game library we were promised? If Blu-ray as they said would be such a catalyst to PS3 console sales, then why have PS3 sales over the past couple of months not seen any lift since the format victory?” [/QUOTE]

Full Story: next-gen.biz (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10388&Itemid=2 )

Valhalla Xbox360 Will Come in New Slim Case?
Xbox Scene :: Monday, May 12, 2008
From tgdaily.com : [QUOTE] A more dramatic and perhaps visible change will happen next year: TSMC plans to begin producing the Valhalla chip, which will be the foundation of the mid-cycle refresh of the Xbox 360, thus called ‘Xbox 2.5’ or simply ‘Xbox 540’ (360+180), in fall of 2009. We learned that this new chip is apparently much more than a die-shrink and end up as a system-on-a-chip design. This change is likely to enable to redesign the Xbox 360 casing and go towards a slim-design, much like what Sony did with the Gen1 and Gen2 PS2. We believe that TSMC will use a 45 nm process for this Multi-Chip-Module package (CPU+GPU+eDRAM).

There are also some interesting pieces of information that Microsoft is shopping for a more efficient cooling solution – efficient in more ways than just one: Several people close to the cooling industry told us that Microsoft approached them and asked for better and cheaper cooling than what is used in the Xbox 360 right now. Some may claim that the current Xbox 360 cooler design is already as cheap as it gets, but we have no doubts that Microsoft will find a way to drop the cost once again. [/QUOTE]

Full Story: tgdaily.com (http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/37376/135/ )

Microsoft Appeals 899 Million Euro Fine to EU Court
Xbox Scene :: Monday, May 12, 2008
From bloomberg.com : [QUOTE] Microsoft Corp., the world’s largest software maker, asked a court to overturn or reduce a record 899 million-euro ($1.4 billion) European Union fine for failing to comply with an antitrust ruling.

The appeal was filed today at the European Court of First Instance in Luxembourg, Microsoft spokesman Jesse Verstraete said in an e-mailed statement. The company is attempting to seek clarity from the court, he said.

The European Commission, the EU’s antitrust authority, fined the company on Feb. 27 for failing to comply with a 2004 antitrust order. Under that decision, in which Microsoft was fined 497 million euros, the EU ordered the software maker to provide data to rivals to allow servers to connect to the Windows platform. Microsoft was required to charge reasonable royalties for the network data technology. [/QUOTE]

Full Story: bloomberg.com (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aFpXl7.5U_a4&refer=home )

Microsoft surpasses 2 million Zunes sold
Xbox Scene :: Monday, May 12, 2008
From thestandard.com : [QUOTE] It has been known for a while that Microsoft’s Zune is the number two digital music player in the United States. However, just how far behind the number one device, Apple iPod, has not always clear since Microsoft has been slow to release its sales numbers. Now we have some.

Since its launch in November 2006, the Zune has sold 2 million units. For comparison, Apple sold 10.6 million iPods last quarter. That equates to right around 2.65 million iPods sold a month. Since its launch in 2001, the iPod has sold, get ready: 140 million units. For the Zune, the phrase “distant second” comes to mind. [/QUOTE]

Full Story: thestandard.com (http://www.thestandard.com/news/2008/05/09/microsoft-surpasses-2-million-zunes-sold-apple-sells-2-65-million-ipods-month )

Release This: Narnia Sequel Premieres Stateside, Luminous Arc 2 Hits Japan
Gamasutra Columns :: Monday, May 12, 2008
Gamasutra’s latest “Release This!” examines a week that brings the U.S. release of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and Castle of Shikigami III, while Japan prepares for Luminous Arc 2: Will and its localized version of Battalion Wars 2.

Gears of War 2 Trailer
Xbox Scene :: Monday, May 12, 2008
The first Gears of War 2 trailer has been released: “Get your first glimpse into Gears of War 2’s stunning campaign in this clip with introduction by lead designer Cliff Bleszinski”

uxrip360 0.2a
Xbox Scene :: Monday, May 12, 2008
Klewan released a new version of uxrip360 – a Linux based Xbox 360 game dumper. What’s new/fixed: + tested on an exploitable kernel xbox using a H934A drive (thx zouzzz) *http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=zzTxfes5fDo *also verify that H934A drive work’s :) + read errors from disc will get retried, and after 10 fail’s you have the choice + detects now max blocks per IO automaticly (again a fix for another USB enclosure) + now most USB encluseres should work, as my cheap and my expensive one work now ;) + splitVid Conversion (-a convert-splitvid) + extract/inject stealth files from/to an iso: DMI, PFI, SS + ETA and MB/s are displayed on all progressbar’s + -a test display’s a few parts of Kreon’s Feature List (if kreon drive) + major code housekeeping, split up clean up etc…… + auto discover drive if “-D” is not specified (requires libHAL, on ubuntu atleast its standard) *initial by klewan *more asskicking version by f0rk + verify function: *gives you CRC of following components: SS-CRC, SS-RAW-CRC, PFI-CRC, Video/L0/L1 – CRC, DMI-CRC, GAME-CRC, XEX-Hash, Region-Flags, XEXMediaID, checks if image is splitvid (if splitvid verif’s CRC of L1 part is same as expected part of L0, if not present displays fat warning that only IX14 should be used), Checks if DMI matches SS, Checks if MediaID matches DMI, Checks PFI start LBA is correct, Checks if XBOX (string) is in DMI + progressbar from hell ™ + f0rk all-around cleanup 1001 patches ;) + PFI decode by f0rk based on redline + wolfieNUKE code on Xboxhacker + f0rk tried hard to explain me the difference between “long” and “long long” – atleast mine is the largest ;) + alot a code cleanup and small patches by “f0rk” Official Site: n/a (IRC: #uxrip360 on EFNET) Download (fixed version): here (http://dwl.xbox-scene.com/xbox360pc/isotools/uxrip360-0.2.tar.bz2 ) Full NFO/Readme: xbins.org (http://www.xbins.org/nfo.php?file=xboxnfo1664.nfo )

Age of Conan Beta Review Part 3
BiTT Daily :: Saturday, May 10, 2008
Your basic initial attack is fire, sound familiar? It’s not. I was thinking “big deal, another fire mage” … nope. First of all, when you torch an enemy and they grab their head, visually write in pain, audibly scream in agony… omigod… adrenaline rush. I’m sorry to my fellow healers, but there was joy…

Trials 2: Second Edition review
YouGamers :: Saturday, May 10, 2008
“The achievements reflect the whole design idea of Trials 2 – it’s almost laughably easy to pick up, but if you give it your little finger, it will bite hard and won’t let you go. It’s a truly “oldschool” game – always absolutely fair and predictable, yet devilishly difficult to master, rewarding pure skill. While these days most games can be completed with a walkthrough or cheat codes on hand, Trials 2 laughs at such things – it shows you exactly what you need to do in the form of high score replays, complete with the needed key presses displayed on-screen, and then taunts you to dare try pull the same thing off – and the only way to do it is to practice, practice and practice. ”

Iron Man (PC)
Gaming Heaven :: Saturday, May 10, 2008
One of this year’s biggest movies is set to be Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. and of course with a blockbuster this size comes the obligatory game tie in. Unfortunately while the film is entertaining and fun, the game ends up a mish-mash of instantly forgettable proportions.

You are cast as Shellhead and there are around 14 levels containing characters which were not in the movie such as Controller and Whiplash. Equally so, the game plot has very few similarities with the movie and when you combine this with the appalling audio quality it is a less than satisfying escapade.

Ubisoft comments on Assassin’s Creed DX10.1 controversy
Tech Report :: Saturday, May 10, 2008
We have been following a brewing controversy over the PC version of Assassin’s Creed and its support for AMD Radeon graphics cards with DirectX 10.1 for some time now, and we were perplexed by some of the issues involved. Fortunately, the tech lead for the Assassin’s Creed development team was kind enough to answer our questions about the nature of the game’s DX10.1 performance increases, what they mean for image quality, and what the future for DX10.1 support in the game might be.

Valve’s Source Engine Coming To Linux
Phoronix :: Friday, May 09, 2008
“There have been rumors since last year that Valve may be serious about porting Source games to Linux after Valve Software began seeking a senior software engineer with the responsibility of porting Windows-based games to the Linux platform. Valve Software has yet to officially announce Linux clients for any of its software, but at Phoronix we have received information confirming that Valve is indeed porting its very popular Source engine to the Linux platform.”

Wolfking Warrior XXtreme
Bjorn 3d :: Friday, May 09, 2008
In today’s gamer-friendly market there seems to be no shortage of gaming peripherals to choose from. Unfortunately for the games, however, not all peripherals are created equal – making it difficult and risky to choose. Today I hope to help with your decision by taking a look at the Wolfking Warrior XXtreme gaming keyboard. As an avid gamer that has always used a basic keyboard, the comparison will prove to be a great test for the latest Wolfking.

Age of Conan Beta After 24 Hours
BiTT Daily :: Friday, May 09, 2008
I rolled myself a Priestess of Mitra. So letâ€™s start with charactercreation. Overall I thought the variety of options for customizing mycharacter was quite high. I wonâ€™t say Iâ€™m in love with the finalproduct. I guess guys will be thrilled with the ability to make a hotbody for the female avatars. I was not so thrilled with my best effortsto make a cute face. I realize this is not a huge issue, I am merelyproviding feedback in the order in which I experienced each aspect. Iknow the Hyborian life was a tough one so the people probably werenâ€™toverly â€˜cuteâ€ anyway. This was only cosmetic and not a big deal.

Saling The World: GTAIV Repeats U.S. and UK Sales Victory
Gamasutra Columns :: Friday, May 09, 2008
Gamasutra’s latest “Saling The World” charts see Grand Theft Auto IV topping multiplatform popularity in North America and the UK, while Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit lead worldwide Nintendo Wii sales

Grand Theft Auto IV Xbox360 and LIVE Statistics
Xbox Scene :: Friday, May 09, 2008
From gamerscoreblog.com (http://gamerscoreblog.com/team/archive/2008/05/07/559006.aspx ) (FYI: MS owned blog): [QUOTE] The Gamerscore Blog would like to congratulate Rockstar on the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV. GTA sold over 6 million units, and broke the entertainment record with over $500 million in sales. I got some data from the US team, and I’m here to share that news with you: * Actual MS sales data from last week shows Xbox 360 console sales at retail went up 54% week-over-week as a result of GTA’s success * According to retailers more than 60% of all GTA games sold in the first week were the Xbox 360 version * Retailers are telling us that the game is attaching strongly to new console sales, with roughly 40% of new consoles selling with a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV Regarding Xbox LIVE: * In the first week, more than 2.3 million people played Grand Theft Auto IV on Xbox LIVE * GTA IV is now the number one played game on Xbox LIVE * Over the weekend, we saw the Xbox LIVE service reach 1 million concurrent users * Gamers have unlocked more than 12 million achievements worth over 100 million gamerscore points in GTA * Grand Theft Auto IV set a new record for time played, with the average gamer spending more than four hours playing the game on LIVE in the first week alone [/QUOTE]

Microsoft breaks ground for 5000-person Beijing R/D center
Xbox Scene :: Friday, May 09, 2008
From xinhuanet.com (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/07/content_8121501.htm ): [QUOTE] Microsoft China broke ground on Tuesday on a 280-million-U.S.-dollar research and development campus in Zhongguancun, Beijing’s high-tech region. The campus, with two buildings offering 101,000 square meters of space, is expected to be completed in 2010 and will be the company’s main overseas campus. About 5,000 employees will work at the facility. Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates had decided to build a research center in China after overseas revenues reached 60 percent of the total, which was in 2006, said Zhang Yaqin, board chairman of Microsoft China. [/QUOTE] Full Story: xinhuanet.com (http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-05/07/content_8121501.htm )

GTA IV Breaks Entertainment Launch Records
Xbox Scene :: Friday, May 09, 2008
From next-gen.biz (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10348&Itemid=2 ): [QUOTE] Retail sales of Grand Theft Auto IV topped $500 million during its first week on sale, surpassing the all-time entertainment records for day one and week one sales by dollar value. According to publisher Take-Two, Grand Theft Auto IV sold approximately six million units globally with an estimated retail value of more than $500 million in the first week. The game sold approximately 3.6 million units on its opening day with a retail value of approximately $310 million globally. Halo 3 set the previous videogame box office launch record, generating $300 million in first week sales, while Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End held the all-time entertainment launch record after grossing $404 million in six days. [/QUOTE] Full Story: next-gen.biz (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10348&Itemid=2 )

Five Things Xbox Live Needs to Address to Stay Relevant
Xbox Scene :: Friday, May 09, 2008
From blogcritics.org (http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/05/06/173911.php ): [QUOTE] The point of this article is to look at the huge success that is Xbox Live and review it in the context that they are not alone anymore. Digital delivery and integration is everywhere these days and I am not just talking about their rival service, the PlayStation Network. I mean services like Steam on the PC, Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch – heck every cellphone has a GUI launcher for their services. Xbox Live is a phenomenal service, but in light of the changes in the industry and customer needs/wants they need to move with the times to stay relevant. * Number 5 – Better, More Consistent XBLA Content is Needed * Number 4 – Clean up Xbox Live Experience * Number 3 – Make Buying Items Easier and Fairer * Number 2 – A Facelift Can Be a Good Thing * Number 1 – Make Xbox Live Gold Mean Something Again [/QUOTE] Full Story: blogcritics.org (http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/05/06/173911.php )

Latin Artist of the Month: Voltio
Xbox Live :: Friday, May 09, 2008
Xbox.com honors Latin Artist of the Month Voltio, who releases his third solo album this November.

Rock Artist of the Month: Death Cab for Cutie
Xbox Live :: Friday, May 09, 2008
Xbox.com honors Rock Artist of the Month Death Cab for Cutie, releasing their new album Narrow Stairs May 13, 2008.

Analyst Predicts Next Xbox in 2010
Xbox Scene :: Friday, May 09, 2008
From gamespot.com (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6185976.html ): [QUOTE] Pacific Crest Securities analyst Evan Wilson gave investors today a heads-up on when he believes Microsoft and Nintendo will unveil their next systems. “We believe that peak industry sales will occur in 2010, given that Microsoft will likely introduce its next console that year and Nintendo will likely launch before then. Further, 2010 is also likely to coincide with the end of the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP cycles.” [/QUOTE] Full Story: gamespot.com (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6185976.html )

Microsoft Gears Up to Release Xbox 360 with New Chips
Xbox Scene :: Friday, May 09, 2008
From xbitlabs.com (http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/multimedia/display/20080507132302_Microsoft_Gears_Up_to_Release_Xbox_360_with_New_Chips.html ): [QUOTE] Microsoft Corp. reportedly plans to release a new version its Xbox 360 video game system code-named Jasper in August and has already assigned IBM and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to make chips for the new game console. However, there are other important rumours: TSMC got orders to produce the chip for code-named Valhalla Xbox 360 design, which is rumoured to combine microprocessor and graphics chip in a single piece of silicon. The code-named Jasper design of the Xbox 360 game console will use ATI Xenos graphics and memory controller hub (GMCH) made using 65nm process at TSMC as well as IBM Xenon central processing unit (CPU) produced at IBM’s 65nm nodes. The new system design is projected to consume less electricity, use less complex cooling systems and also produce less noise. TSMC is chosen to make the 65nm GMCH chips, Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) is contracted to package and test the chips, and Nanya has won orders to supply flip-chip packaging substrates, reports China Economic News Service. [/QUOTE] Full Story: xbitlabs.com (http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/multimedia/display/20080507132302_Microsoft_Gears_Up_to_Release_Xbox_360_with_New_Chips.html )

Hip Hop Artist of the Month: Tyga
Xbox Live :: Friday, May 09, 2008
Tyga is a up-and-coming hip hop artist signed in 2008 by Young Money Entertainment and Decaydance. His aptly titled debut album No Introduction is set for release this spring.

Rumor: MS May Debut New Xbox 360 Motion Controller Next Week
Xbox Scene :: Friday, May 09, 2008
From kotaku.com (http://kotaku.com/388741/rumor-microsoft-may-debut-new-xbox-360-motion-controller-next-week ): [QUOTE] Rumors about Microsoft entering the waggle market with a specialized, Wii Remote concept swiping controller have been popping up for the better part of a year. Talk of a partnership with Gyration, speculation that Bungie had quashed a proposal for a motion controller tied to Halo 3 and murmurs that Rare was now tasked with leading the waggle wand brigade have been bubbling up frequently. Microsoft and Gyration have both denied or brushed off the rumors, but we’ve just heard it pop up again. According to sources that will go unnamed, Microsoft may be showing its Xbox 360 motion controller as early as next week to press, a controller geared specifically for Banjo Kazooie 3 gameplay. In fact, we’ve heard that select members of the press have already seen the controller–in use on the next Banjo Kazooie title–in action. [/QUOTE] Full Story: kotaku.com (http://kotaku.com/388741/rumor-microsoft-may-debut-new-xbox-360-motion-controller-next-week )

Zune 2.5 now available
Xbox Scene :: Friday, May 09, 2008
From majornelson.com (http://majornelson.com/archive/2008/05/06/zune-2-5-now-available.aspx ): [QUOTE] If you own a Zune, version 2.5 of their software is now available for download. It has a bunch of new features – including TV and Movies on the Zune Marketplace. The Zune folks have posted a list of the new features (http://www.zune.net/en-us/support/usersguide/gettingstarted/whatsnew.htm ) on Zune.net. You can either download the software directly (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=6136349F-2B32-4946-83B5-A09775531EF4&displaylang=en ), or you’ll be prompted for an update the next time your open your Zune software. [/QUOTE]

XNA Game Studio 3.0 Community Technical Preview (CTP)
Xbox Scene :: Friday, May 09, 2008
From the XNA Team Blog (http://blogs.msdn.com/xna/archive/2008/05/07/announcing-xna-game-studio-3-0-community-technical-preview-ctp.aspx ): [QUOTE] Today, we are delivering the first Community Technical Preview (CTP) of XNA Game Studio 3.0, giving you the ability to build games for the entire family of Zune media devices. This feature gives you access to the majority of the XNA framework APIs while retaining a seamless sense of integration with the Zune media experience. In addition, this release now requires either Visual Studio 2008 Standard Edition and higher (C# language support must be installed), or Visual C# 2008 Express Edition (http://www.microsoft.com/express/vcsharp/Default.aspx ). Keeping with Zune media experience, the XNA Game Studio 3.0 integration includes discoverability/access to user’s non-DRM music – allowing you to customize background soundtracks or create real-time visualizations. In addition, we’ve announced the ability to have multiple nearby Zunes wirelessly engage in an ad-hoc social gaming experience. A preview release of XNA Game Studio 3.0 is now available through the XNA Creators Club Online site (http://creators.xna.com (http://creators.xna.com/ )), with a final release scheduled for the holiday 2008 season. For those of you that prefer the shortest path to happiness, the direct link to the XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP is here (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=DF4AF56A-58A7-474C-BFD0-7CF8ED3036A3&displaylang=en ). There’s three other important things we want you to know before you dig in: * Either Visual Studio 2008 Standard Edition (http://www.microsoft.com/express/vcsharp/Default.aspx ) and higher (C# language support must be installed), or Visual C# 2008 Express Edition are required to install and run the XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP. Visual Studio 2005 SKUs are not supported with XNA Game Studio 3.0 and beyond. However, you do not need to uninstall Visual Studio 2005 or XNA Game Studio 2.0, as those products will work side-by-side with Visual Studio 2008 and XNA Game Studio 3.0 CTP. * This current CTP does not enable Xbox 360 game development. Only Windows and Zune are supported in this CTP. If you want to build and deploy games for the Xbox 360, you must continue using XNA Game Studio 2.0 for now. * This CTP doesn’t work in 64 bit yet. We plan to support it before RTM. [/QUOTE]

XCM 360 Core Cooler v2
Xbox Scene :: Friday, May 09, 2008
Team Xtender announced a new version of their ‘XCM 360 Core Cooler’: [QUOTE] XCM 360 core cooler version 2 can be used on all xbox 360 consoles (included the newest built in heat sink console) (http://pictures.xbox-scene.com/xbox360/xcm-core-cooler/XCM.core.coolerv2_LED_3.jpg ) the XCM core cooler v.2 also can be used with XCM High Speed air cooler (more efficiency and powerful) or independently, unlike another brand of external fan,external Xbox 360 fan can only cool the temperature of the Xbox 360’s outer surface but does not cool the temperature of the CPU/GPU; therefore, making them useless to combat CPU/GPU overheating. XCM 360 core cooler directly cools down the temperature from the core (CPU and GPU) of 360 console. [/QUOTE] Official Site: http://teamxtender.com (http://teamxtender.com )

Three Songs from Muse on Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace :: Friday, May 09, 2008
British trio Muse is returning to Guitar Hero for an encore performance with the release of a free three track downloadable song pack for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.

Country Artist of the Month: Dierks Bentley
Xbox Live :: Friday, May 09, 2008
Xbox.com honors Country Artist of the Month Dierks Bentley, who releases his first greatest hits album in May 2008.

Critical Reception: Nintendo’s Mario Kart Wii
Gamasutra Columns :: Friday, May 09, 2008
This week’s edition of Critical Reception examines online reaction to Mario Kart Wii, Nintendo’s racing series sequel that is “not perfect, but is still a must-buy game,” according to reviews.

Xbox 360 Inside Microsoft’s Surface?
Xbox Scene :: Friday, May 09, 2008
From gizmodo.com (http://gizmodo.com/388749/microsoft-surface-%252B-xbox-360–what ): [QUOTE] Stefano from onthetabletop attended CHI 2008, where several members of the Microsoft Surface team was there tossing around ideas. One of the more interesting ideas was shoving an Xbox 360 inside. Why would you do this? To allow the 360 to become an additional control input mechanism, possibly making RTS games SO MUCH EASIER TO PLAY. Will it happen? Who knows. [/QUOTE] Full Story: gizmodo.com (http://gizmodo.com/388749/microsoft-surface-%252B-xbox-360–what )

Mass Effect PC – Is Piracy The Better Choice?
Fast Silicon :: Wednesday, May 07, 2008
“DRM Systems do not work. Name a system that hasn’t been easily cracked by the stereotypical pimply nerd teen within days or weeks of an implementation. You can’t. They inconvenience legitimate users. They turn product purchases into merely permission to use an asset. They are always (as in ALWAYS) defeated within a very brief timeframe of their implementation, turning a huge capital investment by a content producer into the cyber equivalent of that film “The Money Pit” . And, they can easily make legitimately purchased content become a “cyber brick”. Do you think this cannot happen? Microsoft’s “Plays For Sure” anyone? “Plays For Sure” was an ironic choice of words for a system that has now left millions of people with content that, come September, will no longer play.”

Echocrome (PS3)
Gaming Heaven :: Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Echochrome is a puzzle game, however it breaks the usual tried and tested mould by letting the gamer change and alter the in game perception to solve the puzzles. These optical illusions are rather unique within the puzzle world and the focus is entirely based on wireframe style graphics.

A series of platforms are presented mid air against a backdrop of pure white. In the midst of these platforms is a wire frame persona who continually walks along the current platform, accompanied by four shadowy echoes of that figure in various sections of that particular level.

The Dog Island
Sony Games :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008

uxrip360 0.1a
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
A linux based game rip software… REMEMBER IT IS ALPHA!!! after you got a ‘final.iso’ use Schtrom3.4=> to verify your files (works with wine) and its also sugested to use XBC and XDVDMulleter(info (http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox360-tools/XDVDMulleter.php )) to verify it!! just to be sure (VirtualBox Share can be your friend!) best at this time is to use XDVDMulleter in virtualbox-osd and do a full CRC check against the online DB Verified to Work on Samsung-D162C 1 => Samsung SH162C 2 => Samsung-H943A (not verified) 3 => Benq-VAD6038 (not verified) 4 => Samsung D163B 4 => Samsung D162D SplitVid is not supported if you really need it (as if IX14 its not ‘required’). boot your windows and use XBC2.x to “Convert to SplitVid” (Verifiy of most tools works with VMware/VirtualBox) Anyone who wishes to make and contribute changes to the source can get in contact with the author @ #uxrip360 on efnet. Official Site: n/a Download: here (http://dwl.xbox-scene.com/iriez/uxrip360.tar.bz2 ) News-Source: xbins.org (http://www.xbins.org/nfo.php?file=xboxnfo1662.nfo )

Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit Demo
Xbox Live Marketplace :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Here’s your chance to experience the explosive energy, raw emotion, and cinematic gameplay of Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit. Play as Goku or Yamcha in this single-player demo.

Activision CEO: Slowing economy may lead to console price cuts
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
From gamesindustry.biz (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/kotick-slowing-economy-may-lead-to-console-price-cuts ): [QUOTE] The slowing US economy will pressure makers of video game consoles to lower their prices said Activision CEO Bobby Kotick. “With the rising costs of fuel and food and housing, it is more difficult to go out and buy a USD 399 console, and I think it’s going to put pressure on the console manufacturers to reduce their prices,” Kotick told Reuters. [/QUOTE] Full Story: gamesindustry.biz (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/kotick-slowing-economy-may-lead-to-console-price-cuts )

Saling The World: Mario Kart Wii, GTAIV Top U.S. Multiplatform Charts
Gamasutra Columns :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Gamasutra’s latest “Saling The World” charts find Mario Kart Wii taking an early multiplatform sales lead in North America, with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 editions of Grand Theft Auto IV trailing close behind.

echochrome™
Sony Games :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Available exclusively on PLAYSTATION®Store for the PC! Featuring an elegant black and white art design inspired by the works of M.C. Escher, echochrome™ is a puzzle game unlike any other. With gameplay based on optical illusions, players must utilize five simple laws of perspective to join walkways, hide dangers, and create new paths to reach the “echos,” or shadow guides. Once you’ve mastered the five laws, use them to create your own mind-bending levels to play and share with friends using the custom level editor. Key Features: Elegant Graphics – Simple black-and-white art style Unique Gameplay – Master perspective puzzles based on optical illusions across 56 challenging levels that are exclusive to the PSP® system version Canvas Mode – Create your own custom levels to play and share with friends using wireless Ad Hoc

Gamasutra Opinion: Why Microsoft Loses MMOs
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
From gamasutra.com (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18450 ): [QUOTE] The cancellation of Marvel Universe Online was a blow to MMO and comic fans alike. Still, now that the pain has faded somewhat, I think it’s clear that MUO’s death may be a good thing after all. Given the rumors of confusion on the dev team about what the game was going to be like at a fundamental level, pulling support from the project seems like a no-brainer. That said, I think MUO’s death highlights Microsoft’s sordid history with Massively Multiplayer games. If you look down the big list of canceled or never-released massively multiplayer games, Microsoft’s name comes up a suspicious number of times. The closure of Asheron’s Call 2 is probably the most high-profile of these. Mythica, True Fantasy Online, Vanguard, and now Marvel Universe were all dented by the Redmond giant’s deft touch. On a fundamental corporate level, I think that the company just doesn’t understand the whole MMO ‘thing’. The Xbox Live service is a known quantity at this point, and it’s probably one of the defining elements of this generation of consoles. That said, having the patience to see something like an MMO through to completion is a very different task. Even more than that, I think Microsoft’s short-sightedness when it comes to this genre has left a huge opening for Sony and the PlayStation 3. Though there are no firm plans in the public eye right now, the tide is rising for MMO experiences on Sony’s console. I think it’s possible that Microsoft has ceded this fight without even firing a shot. [/QUOTE] Full Story: gamasutra.com (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18450 )

Daily Show visits Liberty City
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
From joystiq.com (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/30/daily-show-visits-liberty-city/ ): [QUOTE] We can always count on relevant, genuinely funny video game coverage on The Daily Show with John Stewart. [/QUOTE] Full Story: joystiq.com (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/30/daily-show-visits-liberty-city/ )

Microsoft denies Blu-ray rumors, again
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
From gamepro.com (http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=182288 ): [QUOTE] “As we have stated, we have no plans to introduce a Blu-ray drive for Xbox 360,” said a Microsoft official in an email to GamePro on Monday. “Games are what drive consumers to purchase game consoles, and we remain focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster games available.” On Friday, the Economic Daily News (via Digitimes) reported that Pegatron Technology has secured an order from Microsoft to manufacture Xbox 360 models with internal Blu-ray drives for release this fall. [/QUOTE] Full Story: gamepro.com (http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=182288 )

Iron Man™
Sony Games :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Based on the blockbuster movie by Marvel Studios, Iron Man™ blasts onto the all major gaming platforms! Immerse yourself in hardcore shooting action and explosive combat from the film as well as exclusive content created just for the game. Customize your Iron Man suit and battle against armies of fighter jets, tanks, armored Super Villains and more. You are a One Man Army. You are Iron Man.

Microsoft: GTA IV to Light Up Xbox Live
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
From next-gen.biz (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10275&Itemid=2 ): [QUOTE] Grand Theft Auto IV’s robust online multiplayer features will drive Xbox Live memberships, Microsoft said Thursday. “GTA is unique because it appeals to such a large audience,” Xbox 360 group product manager Aaron Greenberg told Reuters. “It will likely be the best-selling game launched all year and we expect it will drive a lot of new members to Xbox Live.” [/QUOTE] Full Story: next-gen.biz (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10275&Itemid=2 )

Beat the Demo for a Kung Fu Panda Code!
Xbox Live Marketplace :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Beat the Kung Fu Panda demo and get an exclusive cheat code for the full game which will allow you to unlock characters in multiplayer mode.

GTA IV First Day Sales: UK 609K, USA 2.5M, EU 1.7M – 360 Beats PS3 except EU
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
From gamesindustry.biz (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/gta-iv-sets-uk-day-one-sales-records ): [QUOTE] According to Chart-Track [UK] estimates, GTA IV first day sales were 609,000 units – eclipsing the record of 501,000 units set by GTA: San Andreas in 2004. GTA IV also set a record for first day sales Xbox 360 software, with 335,000 units. The prior record, set last September by Halo 3, was 266,000 units. The PS3 version of GTA IV sold 274,000 units in the UK on day one. [/QUOTE] UPDATE: From vgchartz.com (http://www.vgchartz.com/news/news.php?id=1102 ): [QUOTE] VG Chartz has today announced that according to their early sell-through data, Grand Theft Auto 4 has sold a record 2.5 million units in its first day of sales. Data for the first day of GTAIV sales shows that the game sold roughly at a 6:4 ratio in favor of Xbox 360 to PS3 in the Americas. While that means the game sold better on Xbox 360, it had a higher attach rate on PS3. Sales have also been brisk in Europe, along with Chart Tracks report of 600,000 copies sold in the UK in one day, VG Chartz estimates that around 1.7 million units were sold across Europe and others on day one – the format split is roughly a mirror image of the Americas, with around 60% of all European sales being on PS3. [/QUOTE] Full Story: gamesindustry.biz (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/gta-iv-sets-uk-day-one-sales-records ) | vgchartz.com (http://www.vgchartz.com/news/news.php?id=1102 )

Yahoo investors seek Microsoft return
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
From reuters.com (http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN0228397020080505?sp=true ): [QUOTE] Yahoo Inc’s shares tumbled on Monday as investors punished the company for rejecting Microsoft Corp’s $47.5 billion bid, though the fall was cushioned by hopes a deal may still be possible. Shares of Yahoo fell as much as 20 percent in early Nasdaq trading before recovering some to trade at $24.47, still down 14 percent and far below the $33-per-share Microsoft offer. Analysts expect a flurry of shareholder lawsuits against Yahoo, even as the Web pioneer pursues possible deals with other Internet media and advertising companies, such as Time Warner Inc’s AOL Internet division. But Yahoo’s share fall was not as steep as the 30 percent plunge anticipated by some analysts, indicating there was still an “acquisition premium” built into the stock. At $24.47, the stock is comfortably above its January 31 close of $19.18, before Microsoft disclosed its unsolicited offer. [/QUOTE] Full Story: reuters.com (http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN0228397020080505?sp=true )

Iwata: Microsoft ‘Wiimote’ is no threat to Nintendo
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
From mcvuk.com (http://www.mcvuk.com/news/30437/Iwata-Microsoft-Wiimote-is-no-threat-to-Nintendo ): [QUOTE] Nintendo President dismisses impact rival’s rumoured motion-sensing controller could have on his business He said: “I am also aware of the [Microsoft Wiimote] rumour and have seen a fake image made by a fan on the web which looks like a Wii Remote with the rumour that such a controller may be launched, However there is no way for us to comment on such speculations. “All I can say today is, it is not that easy to develop software which leverages the characteristics of the Wii Remote. We are not concerned about what other companies may do but rather more concerned with presenting them with new ideas to our customers based on the prospect that our existing customers will surely get tired of the plays enabled by Wii Remote if we do not try to improve the experience. [/QUOTE] Full Story: mcvuk.com (http://www.mcvuk.com/news/30437/Iwata-Microsoft-Wiimote-is-no-threat-to-Nintendo )

R-Type® Command
Sony Games :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
In a desperate war against the mysterious alien race known as the Bydo, humanity sends wave after wave of fighters into Bydo space – none of which are ever heard from again. Mankind’s main hope now resides with a lone commander, sent to lead a small armada on a perilous mission into the heart of the Bydo Empire. Low on fuel and forced to scavenge resources and equipment from his surroundings, the commander must use all his cunning and wits if he hopes to succeed, let alone make it home alive.

Another Manufacturer Says Xbox 360 Blu-ray Coming This Year
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
From kotaku.com (http://kotaku.com/386372/another-manufacturer-says-xbox-360-blu+ray-coming-this-year ): [QUOTE] A report from Taiwanese news source Economic Daily News says that Pegatron Technology–a recently formed subsidiary of Asus that shouldn’t be confused with the Decepticon leader–has received an order from Microsoft to manufacture a Blu-ray equipped model of the Xbox 360. According to the report, Pegatron says that it plans to begin production on the HD version of the Xbox 360 soon, with plans to ship within the next six months, aiming for a pre-holiday release. The EDN report also mentions that a price cut for the Core (Arcade) version of the 360 is planned, but doesn’t provide further details on timing or adjustments. [/QUOTE] Full Story: kotaku.com (http://kotaku.com/386372/another-manufacturer-says-xbox-360-blu+ray-coming-this-year )

Take-2: GTA IV Sales Estimates Too Low – Play.com: 80sales/min
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
From gamesindustry.biz (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/feder-gta-iv-sales-estimates-are-too-low ): [QUOTE] Take-Two CEO Ben Feder has said that he believes analysts estimates for sales of Grand Theft Auto IV are too low. A number of analysts and research firms have taken a shot at predicting the success of the game, with Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter estimating the game will sell over 9 million units this fiscal year, with Take-Two shipping 6 million units in the first week to meet demand. “Our expectations are very high, higher than analysts give the game credit for,” said Feder, speaking to Reuters. [/QUOTE] From gamesindustry.biz (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/play-com-taking-over-80-orders-per-minute-for-gta-iv ): [QUOTE] Online retailer Play.com has revealed it has been taking over 80 orders per minute for Grand Theft Auto IV, released today. Stuart Rowe, chief operating officer for Play.com, has said that the game is likely to smash previous sales records in the videogame sector. “We’re experiencing trading levels similar to what we would see in the run up to Christmas, taking over 80 orders per minute at peak times. [/QUOTE] Full Story: gamesindustry.biz(1) (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/feder-gta-iv-sales-estimates-are-too-low ) | gamesindustry.biz(2) (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/play-com-taking-over-80-orders-per-minute-for-gta-iv ) Buy from Amazon: GTA IV (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FRU1UM?ie=UTF8&tag=finalfantasyx-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000FRU1UM ) $60 | GTA IV Special Edition (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000TG72OW?ie=UTF8&tag=finalfantasyx-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000TG72OW ) $90 | Xbox360 + GTAIV = 30usd off (http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Ffeature.html%3Fie%3DUTF8%26docId%3D1000220281%26pf%5Frd%5Fm%3DATVPDKIKX0DER%26pf%5Frd%5Fs%3Dhero-quick-promo%26pf%5Frd%5Fr%3D1ZYYWHBQ1G1XSHM12N9D%26pf%5Frd%5Ft%3D201%26pf%5Frd%5Fp%3D389863201%26pf%5Frd%5Fi%3DB000UQAUWW&tag=finalfantasyx-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325 )

How To: Quickly Contact Intelligent Life At XBOX Customer Service
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
From consumerist.com (http://consumerist.com/5007862/how-to-quickly-contact-intelligent-life-at-xbox-customer-service ): [QUOTE] Jason at Doombot has developed a process for reaching intelligent life at XBOX customer service. He discovered this easy 4-step procedure thanks to a XBOX 360 that enjoys not reading discs. 1. Call 1-800-4-MY-XBOX. 2. Get a reference number for your problem as quickly as possible. You may need to say “I already did that” when they try to make you do the troubleshooting script, just to expedite the process. 3. Hang up and call the escalated support number, 866-506-3826. 4. Talk to someone who knows what they’re doing. [/QUOTE] Full Story: consumerist.com (http://consumerist.com/5007862/how-to-quickly-contact-intelligent-life-at-xbox-customer-service )

Critical Reception: Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV
Gamasutra Columns :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
This week’s edition of Critical Reception examines online reaction to Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV, which debuts this week to a Metacritic-averaged score of 99 out of 100.

Actiga Signs Deal to Use Xbox 360 Wireless Technology
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
From the press release: [QUOTE] Actiga Corporation, a leading pioneer in active video gaming products and services, today announced that Qmotions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Actiga, has signed a North American licensing agreement with Microsoft Corporation, allowing Qmotions to incorporate Microsoft’s Xbox 360 wireless technology in its game controllers. Under the agreement, Qmotions will produce a full-range of products that will be officially endorsed by Microsoft. “This is a milestone event for our company that now enables us to design, develop and market a unique range of wireless products, bringing the excitement of action gaming to a whole new level on the Xbox 360 system,” said Amro Albanna, chairman and CEO of Actiga. “We are excited to have been chosen as a Microsoft partner, particularly at this early stage of technology development where the award of Microsoft’s wireless accessory agreement continues to position us at the cutting edge of technology.” “Our aim with the Xbox 360 system is to broaden the consumer videogame experience and ensure a perfect match between the console, the peripherals and the game,” says Scott Loomis, Xbox Third Party Peripheral Program Manager. “Qmotions has proven their commitment to providing a variety of innovative and high quality peripherals to enhance the video gaming adventure. We will work closely with Qmotions to ensure the best experience for our Xbox 360 players.” The first application of the technology will be seen in the second half of 2008 when Qmotions launches a new line of wireless active game controllers. The company’s first wireless product introduction will be the Qmotions-Big Air action game controller, a full size skateboard that operates with the Xbox 360 and is compatible with popular skateboarding games. [/QUOTE]

DFC: 360 Likely ‘Biggest Loser’ in Europe
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
From next-gen.biz (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10235&Itemid=2 ): [QUOTE] David Cole with DFC Intelligence is betting that PlayStation-loving Europe will soon be switching its loyalty to Nintendo platforms, with the Xbox 360 being left in the wakes of both rivals. What will Nintendo’s success mean for the other platforms? It is important to note that DFC Intelligence is also forecasting strong sales for the PlayStation 3 and, to a lesser extent the Xbox 360. This generation is not expected to be a case of one platform dominating like the PS2 did in the last generation. One factor that will increasingly take hold in Europe is what DFC has labeled the “second car in the garage.” In the U.S. over 40 percent of game households now buy two or more of the current console systems. By comparison, Europe has largely been a one car in the garage market. In recent years, that car has been the PlayStation 2. As the game market in Europe grows we expect to see more consumers buying two or more systems (although not to the extent of the U.S.) The Wii is forecasted to be the market leader, but with a market share less than 50 percent compared with the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Consumers will still need to play World of Warcraft, Grand Theft Auto IV, games on the go and so on. No one system satisfies all the diverse tastes in today’s market. It appears inevitable that, for the PlayStation 3, Sony will lose a big chunk of its PS2 user base. However, in the long-term, DFC Intelligence believes the PlayStation 3 will be a fairly strong competitor. The biggest loser in Europe is likely to be the Xbox 360. Microsoft has seen its self-proclaimed fall 2007 “greatest holiday lineup in videogame history” come and go with very little impact on the Xbox 360’s position in the European marketplace. To spur sales in 2008, Microsoft is being forced to lower the price of a system that is starting to look like a senior citizen as it approaches its third birthday. The Xbox systems have enjoyed much greater success in the U.K. than in continental Europe. In large part this is because the U.K. does not have a strong PC game market like those found in other parts of Europe. However, as in the U.S. and Australia where intense violence is more popular with gamers, U.K. gamers enjoy first-person shooter (FPS) titles and the Xbox 360 is clearly the leader in that category. Unfortunately, outside of the U.K., DFC sees the Xbox 360 continuing to struggle in Europe. [/QUOTE] Full Story: next-gen.biz (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10235&Itemid=2 ) (2 pages)

Hardware Analyst Breaks Down Cost Of Xbox 360?s 120GB Hard Drive
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
From multiplayerblog.mtv.com (http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/05/06/hardware-analyst-breaks-down-cost-of-xbox-360s-120gb-hard-drive/ ): [QUOTE] iSupli representative Krishna Chander expects the hard drive came from electronics manufacturers Toshiba or Seagate . When the hard drive ships to retail, it comes pre-loaded with starter software (i.e. Xbox Live Arcade trials) and “specific Gaming Instructions and some levels of the OS,” said Chander. Unlike an off-the-shelf drive that can simply be loaded into your standard PS3, Chander explained, the Xbox 360 drive’s pricing also includes color tuning and packaging. This begins to drive the price up from what you might see at an online retailer like NewEgg. The software-loaded drives are then sold to what’s called Value Added Resellers (VARs). These folks take the base drives and apply the casing and packaging. iSuppli expects VARs purchase the drives for $75, before charging $5 to add their part to the final package that ends up appearing at your local games store. These drives are then delivered to Microsoft. iSuppli believes the markup on the drives could be as much as $20, making the drives $100 a pop for Microsoft. Microsoft then sets a suggested price for retail. In this case, it’s $179.99. [/QUOTE] Full Story: multiplayerblog.mtv.com (http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/05/06/hardware-analyst-breaks-down-cost-of-xbox-360s-120gb-hard-drive/ )

echochrome™
Sony Games :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Featuring an elegant black and white art design inspired by the works of M.C. Escher, echochrome™ is a puzzle game unlike any other. With gameplay based on optical illusions, players must utilize five simple laws of perspective to join walkways, hide dangers, and create new paths to reach the “echos,” or shadow guides. Once you’ve mastered the five laws, use them to create your own mind-bending levels to play and share with friends using the custom level editor. Key Features: Elegant Graphics – Simple black-and-white art style rendered in crisp 1080p HD Unique Gameplay – Master perspective puzzles based on optical illusions across 56 challenging levels that are exclusive to the PLAYSTATION®3 system version Canvas Mode – Create your own custom levels to play and share with friends over PLAYSTATION®Network. Users can even submit their best levels from within the game right to the game’s developers, who then pick the best levels to distribute to all echochrome PLAYSTATION®3 users worldwide

Microsoft May Sweeten Offer for Yahoo After Discussions Pick Up
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
From bloomberg.com (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aTNNfYoGunWg&refer=us ): [QUOTE] Microsoft Corp., closing in on the biggest acquisition in its 33-year history, may seek to end an impasse with Yahoo! Inc.’s board by raising its takeover offer, a person familiar with the matter said. Talks intensified this week after Yahoo spent three months hunting for alternatives to the deal. The original cash-and-stock bid of $31 a share, or $44.6 billion, has fallen to $29.40 a share because of Microsoft’s declining stock price. A higher offer may win over Yahoo’s board, eliminating the need for Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer to go to shareholders with a hostile offer, which might have spurred an employee exodus. A deal also may halt Yahoo’s efforts to forge an online advertising partnership with rival GoogleInc. [/QUOTE] Full Story: bloomberg.com (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aTNNfYoGunWg&refer=us )

MS: 360 GTA IV Outselling PS3 Version 2-to-1
Xbox Scene :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
From next-gen.biz (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10281&Itemid=2 ): [QUOTE] Microsoft tells Next-Gen that the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV is outselling the PlayStation 3 version by a wide margin in the US, but Sony questions Microsoft’s claims. “What we’ve heard anecdotally from our retail partners is that the Xbox 360 version of the game is outselling the PS3 version by a margin of two-to-one,” said Aaron Greenberg, director of product management for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live during an interview Thursday. But a SCEA rep questioned Microsoft’s findings, saying that Microsoft’s two-to-one ratio “doesn’t line up” with what Sony has been hearing from its retailers. The rep declined to say exactly what Sony has been hearing from its retail partners until more concrete data can be compiled. [/QUOTE] Full Story: next-gen.biz (http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10281&Itemid=2 )

Release This: Boom Blox, R-Type Command Highlight U.S. Debuts
Gamasutra Columns :: Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Gamasutra’s latest “Release This!” examines a week that brings worldwide releases to a slow trickle, with Boom Blox and R-Type Command serving as highlights in the U.S. and UK.

Are Intel chipsets really capable of running DirectX 10 games?
Hardware Secrets :: Saturday, May 03, 2008
“That is the question nVidia is asking around. They just sent us some information about DirectX 10 support on Intel chipsets with integrated video. The conclusion is simple: DirectX 10 support isn’t relevant as on-board video doesn’t have enough performance to run today’s games anyway! See below the full e-mail we’ve got from nVidia. If you are interested in learning more about integrated (a.k.a. on-board) video from Intel it is an interesting read.— Rec”

House of the Dead 2 & 3 Returns Wii
Gamepyre :: Friday, May 02, 2008
This game port is well worth the money, and the replay options are many and varied. I don’t think I could ever get tired of this game, even if it is an old arcade style. There’s something fundamentally satisfying about watching a zombie’s head explode as it lurches towards you with the old hollywood classic shamble. Some of the bonuses you can unlock to play in the Original Mode are incredibly funny, (primitive meat, anyone?) and you’ll no doubt spend many happy hours trying to find every path you can possibly take, and every bonus you can possibly shoot from start to finish. I know I did.

Jack Keane (PC) Review
Gaming Heaven :: Friday, May 02, 2008
Jack Keane is a game clearly inspired by the classic Monkey Island from Lucasarts. Deck 13, the developer of Ankh have borrowed the traditional adventure fare, starring a brave chisel chinned hero (Keane), a hot headed love interest, silly pirates and a bad guy resplendent with camp moustache.

Luxor: Pharaoh’s Challenge Wii Review
Gamepyre :: Friday, May 02, 2008
All around, Luxor: Pharaoh’s Challenge is not a bad sort of puzzle game. Fans of the original PC versions should be satisfied with it, as it not only keeps all the original controls and game play, but adds new elements as well to improve the game play experience. For people like my wife (who adores puzzle games of all sorts) the replay value is worth the $30 price tag. When you want to just laze around the house and relax, it can provide hours of meaningless, colorful entertainment.

Audio Video News May 2008

OCMS News May 2008

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