|
Week of December 30, 2007
2007 Year in Review
>> This has become an Annual XS Tradition. Been doing it so long now that I forget how it got started. During the Xmas (x.. hehe) Holidays I sit down in-between Turkey day and News Years Day and collect and gather my notes from the year. I then re-read every single news post to put things and the timing into perspective. I will say one thing the way you guys read the news is a lot better than how I had to do it. Reading the daily news segments is a great way to absorb all of this. Reading a years worth in a sitting or two felt like cruel and unusual punishment.
It's not that it's boring, (ok.. sure.. some of it is..) but so much of the news (no fault of XS) is very repetitive. This is how I saw 2007. People, places, discoveries, announcements and events of interest and importance, at least they were to me. Like you, not every story was important to me, and clearly this review is slanted towards what I felt was important. With that in mind, I present the 2007 Year in Review.
January 2007 started the year with a bang with the interesting news and taped footage from the CCC Day 4 meeting showcasing the King Kong exploit. It was the first visual teaser that hinted at the future possibilities that only now, a year later are we really starting to realize.[Link] Talk and rumors about HDMI coming to the 360 were all the rage with the first leaked photos showing the built-in HDMI port revealed [Link] ,[Link] Robinsod over at the XBH forums found a way to boot his 360 with the original Kernel [Link], early work that later would give birth to other advancements like downgrading and upgrading to an exploitable Kernel that we can all rejoice in.[Link] We (XS) also hit another milestone with our 325000th member joining the forums.[Link]
February 2007 was a relatively quiet month, with the exception that new hardware started to appear. The then new BenQ drives arrived, appearing with some frequency in new production 360's.[Link] The new Hitachi-LG drives started appearing as well.[Link] The wireless receiver for windows makes it to market, promising to allow us to connect our wireless 360 devices to the PC.[Link] It works, but a lot of people claim it causes them more trouble than it's worth. Since the launch of the 360, MS has faced near constant media coverage of hardware issues, February was no different with the BBC exposing the 360 and damning it.[Link], [Link] The first Third party 360 power supply arrives, a welcome alternative to paying ridiculous prices for parted original power supplies.[Link] Interesting non-xbox news in February centered around the continuous efforts to backup HD-DVD and Blu-ray, successfully finding the "processing key"[Link]
March 2007 was the month that we saw real progress in exploiting the 360 emerges with "Hello World.." running via the Hypervisor Exploit [Link] and MS immediately react and attempts to block it.[Link] Homebrew starts making tangible appearances, with Mame360 and ScrummVM.[Link] Lots of Linux news including new Kernels, new Loaders, and booting Ubuntu and Live Live CD's [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link] First modchip (Infectus) with potential 360 hacking functions appears.[Link] (not limited to 360 functions however)
Microsoft also had a number of press releases and announcements in March. First up was "dream, build, play" initiative to encourage new game development, with a prize of $10000 U.S. to kick it off.[Link] Later in the month LIVE reached a record subscriber base with 6 million members.[Link] Games for Windows LIVE was announced, the first merging of a console and pc game world.[Link] The 360 Black Elite with HDMI rumours appeared, and were later confirmed with articles, interviews and photos.[Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link] the last of the MS news that month focused on the reports of Hacked LIVE accounts. Turns out it was mostly social Engineering and relaxed rules at MS that allowed people to get tricked out of their LIVE accounts.[Link]
April 2007 was all Microsoft with little else. Due to constant scrutiny and complaints from it's customer base and the media, MS launches the Disc Replacement Program [Link] in which they will replace only a few select titles trouble free from a list. MS then extends the console warranty to 1 full year plus some enhancements.[Link] Too little too late for some in my opinion as the 360 hardware is pretty much thought to be defective as a whole. In better news, rumours and confirmation about the Spring Dashboard Updates start hitting us, with the new Marketplace Blade, Messenger Integration, H.264 and MPEG4 Support, and PlayforSure announced.[Link], [Link], [Link] In news I'm sure MS wasn't pleased about, The Specialist graced us again with a newer version of his HDDHackr(info)(info)(info)(info)(info) tool, this time allowing us to buy affordable 120Gb drives instead of paying double for what MS wants us to use.[Link], [Link]
May 2007 was a big month for anyone who had, or intended to mod their DVD drive firmware to allow them to play backups. Commodore4Eva announces he's poised and prepared to combat potential MS bans with new features and functions of his upcoming firmware.[Link], [Link] Good timing too, as shortly thereafter MS strikes, and LIVE starts banning 360's from accessing LIVE [Link] and c4Eva strikes back with his new firmwares.[Link], [Link]
June 2007 MS finally responds to the EU requests for info as to why 360's are dying and why they are damaging disks. Funny thing though as they deny the 360 is damaging disks [Link] despite creating a program months earlier to replace scratched and damaged disks. MS finally starts to do something about heat issues in 360's with the addition of a second Heat Sink in repaired and new production 360's.[Link], [Link] Ironically, MS doesn't admit there is a heat issue in 360's either. Yet, they "fix" the heat issues they don't admit to.
360GameSaves.com released a Resigner that allowed the Game Saves trading scene to recover somewhat from the MS effort to stop it.[Link] Doesn't MS get the fact that you can't stop the scene from finding new ways to enjoy their Xbox, despite what MS intended?
Last but not least, XBINS, the central repository for all things homebrew or hackish in this scene reaches it's 5th year of operation.[Link] I can say with great confidence that without Xbins, we wouldn't have had the successful xbox homebrew scene. Other console scenes are highly disorganized, and suffer from a lack of support, backstabbing, and outright site wars. With Xbins blazing the way for Homebrew support, and Xbox-Scene.com and XBH doing what we do best this scene continues to thrive in harmony. Speaking of XBH, huge progress was made in June as XBH members figured out how to downgrade consoles with blown "efuses".[Link]
July 2007 wasn't a good month for Microsoft. Retailers were starting to get vocal, and citing high defect and return rates some as high as 33%.[Link] MS responds, while not admitting to what is actually at fault, they offer up the new 3 Year Warranty policy.[Link], [Link] However, it's really limited to the 3RLOD error. Any other issue is still limited to the 1 year warranty announced months earlier, unless you are fortunate to be in a country where 2 years is the minimum warranty allowed by law. Manufacturers start to speak out, and cite MS being far too cheap.[Link] In what I can only call the biggest shock of the year Peter Moore leaves Ms/Xbox days after E3 for greener pastures at EA.[Link], [Link], [Link] XBH members close the month out with more breakthroughs including changing the DVD Key/ Game region [Link] and begin research into the all important "Timing Attack".[Link]
August 2007 brought with it the single largest blow to hacking and modifying consoles scene, and this site for that matter. US Federal Agents raided 30 or so modchip shops over a dozen states using and abusing the DCMA and ICE.[Link] MS, ESA, and Nintendo respond, with the smell of the scene's blood fresh in the air.[Link] Alot of people had comments, ideas, and concerns, and voiced them at that time including XS staffer TwistedSymphony [Link], TeamXecuter [Link], and even I took a turn at the wheel with my interview with FallsInc regarding his ordeal with the Feds.[Link] In a separate unrelated raid in the UK, a well-known modder was raided and the local authorities there netted over 400 consoles and well over 5000 copied disks, as well as a cache of modchips.[Link] It was clear that times have changed and that it has become increasing harder to acquire modchips and/or modchipping services in parts of the free world.
August wasn't all doom and gloom however. XS made another milestone reaching 350000 members. While the scene had changed a lot, we were still pulling in 1000's of new members each and every month.[Link] The good news didn't end there, as the Timing Attack to downgrade any Kernel was successfully completed.[Link] Gotta love those guys. :)
September 2007, the month Master Chief Landed. Was anyone else as sick of the Halo 3 News as I was? The most hyped and anticipated game for Xbox ever launched on the 25th, with news pretty much all month long. Halo 3 generates revenue of 560 Million U.S.[Link] Halo 3 disc defect rates launch night [Link], and MS admits to the problem.[Link], [Link] Halo 3 registers biggest single day of sales in entertainment history [Link] and later records more than 300 million USD in first week sales worldwide.[Link] While the world is enthralled with Final Episode of the Master Chief trilogy, not everyone is ecstatic. MS confirms Halo 3 Launch caused LIVE downtime [Link], Bungie had to admit that Halo 3 didn't run in the advertised HD resolution [Link] and last but not least people were not happy with the gaudy Halo 3 controllers.[Link] Oh yeah, something outside of Halo 3 happened. Schematics and details for the Timing Attack PIC Interface [Link] were released, and the tools to perform the attack as well.[Link]
October 2007 continues the 24/7 all Halo related coverage, with rumours beginning and later confirmed by MS that Bungie had earned its freedom from Microsoft Game Studios.[Link], [Link], [Link]. The planned Halo Movie dies before ever getting started.[Link] Bungie threatens LIVE users with a ban [Link] preparing to deal a blow to cheaters. Major Nelson chimes in, and warns (unrelated issue) people to not share LIVE accounts for any reason, as it violates the Live TOS.[Link]
Law Enforcement worldwide didn't sit still in October either. Supreme Factory Hong Kong was raided by the authorities [Link] in a huge 3 day raid. Unrelated, but in the same vein news about Mr Modchips getting convicted of 26 modchip related offences is exposed.[Link] Now that I'm thinking about it, other modchip news of importance was the worlds first pics of the Infectus PIC that allowed for the downgrade of Kernels on a 360 was revealed.[Link] Does anyone else remember the days when TeamXecuter or TeamXodus were the names making news in the chip scene? C4Eva closes the month out with news that made BenQ owners quite happy, a new firmware.[Link]
November 2007 was a mixed bag of events and non-events. XBOX LIVE turned 5 years old.[Link]. A limited selection of Xbox 1 Games were now downloadable form the service. (yawn) [Link] Rumours of DivX and Xvid video support in the December dashboard update roll ashore [Link] and later confirmed making a lot of people really happy.[Link]
We've waited since Launch for this support. More so, it's definitely affected my usage of the 360 (increasing it) and of the Original Xbox modded with X3/Panel and XBMC (decreasing it). XS was proud to announce the long await return of the XS T-Shirts.[Link] Commodore4eva releases 1.4 firmware for all drives, and comments and speculates on the November Ban wave, suggesting people wanting to make reliable backups do so with the following: "use samsung with schtrom 360 xtract or XBC for the most reliable replica possible!!!! This *could* mean the difference from being banned on xbox live, or not." [Link] Shazam, shortly thereafter LIVE drops the third wave of LIVE BANS [Link] but MS without admitting anything starts unbanning some [Link]. Iriez clarifies with the current speculation from the inner circle.[Link]
What happens after you turn 5 years old.. stuff breaks down? Around December 21st LIVE started to really go downhill, with random disconnects from LIVE, problems with matchmaking in top games, and other hiccups. Broken [Link] and a week later still broken [Link] and rumours of compensation.[Link]
That pretty much sums up what I felt were the big events of the year. In many respects, a far quieter year then the last few. Maybe it's because the scene has matured with many of the volatile parties now retired or content to sit on the sidelines. Maybe it's because of the lack of progress in the homebrew scene. (or the appearance of a lack of progress.) Like last year, I didn't focus much on the month to month progress of the Kernel Hacking, or the DVD drive Firmware hacking. Same can be said for Linux and for some other areas. XBMC doesn't really get mentioned either, and XBMC is still a cornerstone of development in this scene.
The honour roll for important teams and individuals this year looks much like last years in my eyes. Firmware/Backups/Homebrew/Linux/Tool and Apps people and sites of importance during the year in no particular order: BadSheepy, Commodore4Eva, Tmbinc, Robinsod, Redline99, Schtrom, Ivc, Kreon, Caster420, Garyopa, Klutsh, Schtrom, Arnezami, Maximus, Team Modfreakz, Free60.Org and Xboxhacker.net for continuing the research and forward movement necessary to continue to grow the scene. For those I've missed who feel they should be included, my apologies. It is however the year as I saw it.
Let's all have a great new year, cheers to those listed above for making this scene what it is today. Thanks for sticking with XS year in and year out.
Screw the Warranty!
HSDEMONZ, admin
Xbox-Scene.com & PS3Scene.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Saturday 05 January 2008 23:48 EST) - (Category: Xbox_Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
New Line Follows Warner Bros. and Goes Blu
>> From blu-ray.com:
[QUOTE]
Following Warner's lead, sister company New Line has confirmed that it will support Blu-ray Disc high def releases exclusively. New Line has previously delayed their day-and-date new releases on HD DVD due to the format's lack of region coding, effectively making titles such as Shoot 'em Up, Hairspray, and Rush Hour 3 exclusive to Blu-ray.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: blu-ray.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Saturday 05 January 2008 15:56 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
GameSpot's Rumor Control about 360 Ultimate at CES
>> From gamespot.com:
[QUOTE]
* The official story: Both the Times and Stuff.tv's hypotheses make sense--except for one small thing. In a rare abstention from its tried-and-true rumor response mantra "Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation," the software giant is denying it has any plans for an Xbox 360 with an internal HD-DVD player.
"We have reiterated multiple times since launching the Xbox 360 HD-DVD Player that we have no plans to integrate an HD-DVD player in to the Xbox 360," a spokesman told GameSpot. "We feel that offering the drive externally is the best way to give consumers the ultimate choice to create their own high-definition experiences."
* Bogus or not bogus?: Officially bogus--for now--that Microsoft is making a 360 with a built-in HD-DVD player. However, if Microsoft licenses the 360 platform to Toshiba, expect the electronics giant to rush a HD-DVD-hardware-equipped device as quickly as possible to prop up the format's flagging fortunes in the next-gen video war.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: gamespot.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
CES HD DVD Event canceled due to Warner announcement
>> From dailytech.com:
[QUOTE]
It looks as though the fallout from the Warner Bros. move is coming fast and furiously. The DailyTech inbox was just moments ago greeted with the following message from a Toshiba representative regarding CES press meetings and the scheduled HD DVD press conference:
"Based on the timing of the Warner Home Video announcement today, the HD DVD Promotional Group has decided to cancel 1:1 press meetings at CES, in addition to the press conference that was scheduled for Sunday evening. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause...
We are currently discussing the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies and evaluating next steps. We believe the consumer continues to benefit from HD DVD's commitment to quality and affordability -- a bar that is critical for the mainstream success of any format.
We'll continue to keep you updated on new developments around HD DVD."
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: dailytech.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Toshiba Reacts to Warner's Announcement to go Blu
>> From the press release:
[QUOTE]
Toshiba is quite surprised by Warner Bros.' decision to abandon HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray, despite the fact that there are various contracts in place between our companies concerning the support of HD DVD. As central members of the DVD Forum, we have long maintained a close partnership with Warner Bros. We worked closely together to help standardize the first-generation DVD format as well as to define and shape HD DVD as its next-generation successor.
We were particularly disappointed that this decision was made in spite of the significant momentum HD DVD has gained in the US market as well as other regions in 2007. HD DVD players and PCs have outsold Blu-ray in the US market in 2007.
We will assess the potential impact of this announcement with the other HD DVD partner companies and evaluate potential next steps. We remain firm in our belief that HD DVD is the format best suited to the wants and needs of the consumer.
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft Sued over Xbox LIVE Outage
>> From news.com:
[QUOTE]
Three Texas residents filed a lawsuit Friday on behalf of themselves and others who have had trouble connecting to Xbox Live in recent weeks.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Houston, claims Microsoft's outages represent a breach of contract and negligent misrepresentation for which the software maker is liable. The suit doesn't claim specific damages, but notes the amount is in excess of $5 million.
In the suit, the plaintiffs allege that Microsoft should have known strong holiday sales would tax its servers. "Microsoft knew the increase in subscriptions would increase game-play on its servers, yet failed to provide adequate access and service to Xbox Live and its subscribers."
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: news.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Warner Bros. Goes Blu-ray Exclusive
>> From the press release:
[QUOTE]
In response to consumer demand, Warner Bros. Entertainment will release its high-definition DVD titles exclusively in the Blu-ray disc format beginning later this year, it was announced today by Barry Meyer, Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros. and Kevin Tsujihara, President, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group.
"Warner Bros.' move to exclusively release in the Blu-ray disc format is a strategic decision focused on the long term and the most direct way to give consumers what they want," said Meyer. "The window of opportunity for high-definition DVD could be missed if format confusion continues to linger. We believe that exclusively distributing in Blu-ray will further the potential for mass market success and ultimately benefit retailers, producers, and most importantly, consumers."
Warner Home Video will continue to release its titles in standard DVD format and Blu-ray. After a short window following their standard DVD and Blu-ray releases, all new titles will continue to be released in HD DVD until the end of May 2008.
"Warner Bros. has produced in both high-definition formats in an effort to provide consumer choice, foster mainstream adoption and drive down hardware prices," said Jeff Bewkes, President and Chief Executive Officer, Time Warner Inc., the parent company of Warner Bros. Entertainment. "Today's decision by Warner Bros. to distribute in a single format comes at the right time and is the best decision both for consumers and Time Warner."
"A two-format landscape has led to consumer confusion and indifference toward high definition, which has kept the technology from reaching mass adoption and becoming the important revenue stream that it can be for the industry," said Tsujihara. "Consumers have clearly chosen Blu-ray, and we believe that recognizing this preference is the right step in making this great home entertainment experience accessible to the widest possible audience. Warner Bros. has worked very closely with the Toshiba Corporation in promoting high definition media and we have enormous respect for their efforts. We look forward to working with them on other projects in the future.
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Benq Ixtreme v1.4.1
>> A new firmware replacement for the Benq VAD6038 Xbox360 drive..
Features:
(v1.41) Read Sector fix
(v1.41) 8x firmware dashboard speed fix
Some of you may have noticed your disc did not spin down once you went back to your dashboard with 1.4 8x, that should now be fixed. The Read Sector fix is a bugfix, though we are unsure if it has caused any complications in the past.
This release is not security related. The Xbox Live network is still using the same methods as always(media auth/timings) to determine whether your xbox360 is 'modified' or not. And as before, they still dont know what they are doing, banning innocent users along with modified consoles.
Official Site: n/a (by commodor4eva)
Download: n/a (May be illegal under EULA/DMCA))
News-Source: xbins.org
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Official Response from Microsoft on Xbox LIVE's Problems: Free Arcade Game
>> Here is an official message from Marc Whitten (gamertag: Notwen), General Manager of Xbox LIVE, on what has been going on with LIVE since december 21st:
[QUOTE]
Dear Xbox LIVE Members:
During this past holiday season you helped us break a number of Xbox LIVE records. This included our largest sign-up of new members to Xbox LIVE in our 5 year history and just yesterday you broke the record for the single biggest day of concurrent members ever on the service.
As a result of this massive increase in usage we know that some of you experienced intermittent Xbox LIVE issues over the holiday break. While the service was not completely offline at any given time, we are disappointed in our performance. I would like to take this moment to thank you each and every one of you for your patience and understanding as our team has worked around the clock to return the service to a stable state.
At the same time we would like to offer a token of our appreciation to all of you in celebration of record success for the service. And as a thank you for your loyalty during this holiday period, we will be offering all of our Xbox LIVE members around the world access to a full Xbox LIVE Arcade game that will be available to download free of charge. In the coming weeks we will be sharing the specific details of this offer with you.
Thank you again for helping make Xbox LIVE everything that it is today!
Sincerely,
Marc Whitten
General Manager, Xbox LIVE
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
New Official Xbox 360 Numbers: 17.7M Consoles, 8.1M Halo3
>> From majornelson.com (FYI: MS owned blog):
[QUOTE]
The PR team has just released some interesting numbers on where we are with the Xbox 360 that I thought you would enjoy discussing:
* We have sold more than 17.7 million Xbox 360 consoles worldwide
* More than 8.1 million copies of "Halo 3" have been sold since its launch (September 25, 2007)
* Mass Effect" reached 1.6 million units sold, in just six weeks (on sale November 20, 2007)
[/QUOTE]
Note: With 'sold' Microsoft means how many consoles *they* sold (read shipped) to retail stores and not the amount of the consoles sold to end-users/customers. According to the vgchartz estimates MS sold 16.03M consoles to end-users so far.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Thursday 03 January 2008 22:43 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Xbox Live Status Code 0x8016ABA5 Explained
>> With the Xbox LIVE issues the last few weeks (FYI: after 14days it's still not full solved) and the many problems reported to 'recover' accounts, Major Nelson explains how to solve status code '0x8016ABA5' yourself:
[QUOTE]
If you recovered your account and you are receiving the mysterious status code of 0x8016ABA5 allow me to help. This code indicates a problem with your billing information...so let's fix it. All you need is update your account information and you should be all set. All you need to do is use either of the below methods -you don't need to do both.
Remember to sign in with the Windows Live ID associated with the Gamertag that is giving you the error.
1) Update contact information on billing.microsoft.com
2) Update contact information on the console or Xbox.com
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Thursday 03 January 2008 22:40 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Next-Gen.biz Insider: 'Xbox 360 Ultimate' Rumors Unsound
>> From next-gen.biz:
[QUOTE]
An article in UK-based gadget mag Stuff said that by August 2008, Microsoft will release what the publication called the "Xbox 360 Ultimate."
When contacted by Next-Gen, Microsoft declined to comment on the rumor. However, a separate source close to Microsoft who wished to remain anonymous said that the rumored "Ultimate" is simply not on the cards.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: next-gen.biz
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Thursday 03 January 2008 17:33 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Microsoft Expected To Post 77pct Earnings Gain In Q2
>> From informationweek.com:
[QUOTE]
With a full year of Windows Vista under its belt and holiday sales of Halo 3 in the books, Microsoft should post strong results when it reports fiscal second quarter earnings later this month.
Microsoft disclosed Wednesday that it will issue the report on Jan. 24 after the close of Wall Street trading.
Analysts expect the software maker to post per-share earnings for the period of 46 cents on revenue of $15.9 billion, according to a survey by Thomson Financial.
By comparison, Microsoft a year ago reported second quarter earnings per share of 26 cents on revenue of $12.5 billion. Earnings for that period were offset by the company's deferral of $1.64 billion in revenue to the third quarter to account for a Windows Vista upgrade program.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: informationweek.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Thursday 03 January 2008 17:31 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
A roadmap for ending the high-def format quagmire
>> From cnet.com:
[QUOTE]
How many times over the past few months have you heard that "the worst is over" and the chances of the high-def format war finally coming to a close were increasing by the day? If you haven't heard it at least once, you're probably not reading the right stories.
But with all that going on, the war is officially a quagmire for both sides and the chances of getting out of this quickly are diminishing at an astounding rate. Consider this: as it stands, the Blu-ray camp commands roughly 49 percent DVD market share, while HD DVD is trailing slightly behind. To make matters worse, some reports suggest HD DVD may be gaining strength, although most buyers are sitting out.
So what's really going on with this war? Is there an end in sight? Even better, is there a solution in sight that can finally put this to rest? If you ask me, I think this could be over in a month if the Blu-ray camp follows three steps.
Step 1: Warner
Step 2: Slash prices on all players
Step 3: Get in contact with HD DVD's supporters and inform them of the bad news
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: cnet.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Wednesday 02 January 2008 23:52 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Konami's PR Denies MGS4 for Xbox360
>> From thegamereviews.com:
[QUOTE]
In a rush to get the word out, it seems that those who broke the story talked to everyone except Konami, who made this statement "For the record, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is a PlayStation 3 exclusive and there are no plans to develop an Xbox 360 version of the game."
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: thegamereviews.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Wednesday 02 January 2008 23:49 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
More internal HD DVD Rumors: Xbox 360 Ultimate
>> From stuff.tv:
[QUOTE]
This PS3-killer [Xbox360 Ultimate - autumn 2008] will benefit from almost three years of Xbox development, featuring 1080p HDMI output, built-in Wi-Fi, hi-def audio output, cooler 65nm hardware architecture and a near-silent fan.
It'll also have the ability to make the most of the by-then established Xbox IPTV service, which will mean recording TV shows to its vast 320GB hard disk and watching live TV shows via your broadband provider.
But the piece de resistance? It'll have a built-in HD DVD drive.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: stuff.tv
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Wednesday 02 January 2008 15:58 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Tmbinc about: 24C3 Presentation, 360 Linux Sound Driver
>> From tmbinc's blog:
[QUOTE]
The 24c3 is over now, and we really had a lot of fun. We brought 6 of our Xboxes, which allowed us to grab attention from quite a lot of people in the hackcenter :).
Axel, who already wrote the free60 X11 driver using a revolutionary (ok, let's say: "interesting") remote development method, started, together with Tom, hacking on a Xbox360 linux sound driver. The bad thing was that they had nothing more than a really short braindump of what I so far found out on the sound hardware (and that was really not much more than a list of registers associated with the sound). But some hours later, they had a first result: No sound, as we didn't brought speakers with us, but we just hooked up a multimeter to the sound port, and whenever they would "trigger" the sound driver, the multimeter showed some activity!
Luckily it was (almost) daytime, so we just bought speakers (and more DVDs for Ben), and voilà: sound! It was something uncontrollable, but some time later we had some code which we estimated to output a plain sine wave. But somehow we screwed it up, and the output was an interesting piece of music, just not a simple sine wave. Ilinuxp. On the other hand, it's a mystery for me how they could bring the hardware to output anything at all! Thanks a lot, you two! I will soon provide Axel a skype link so you can continue developing remotely ;)
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: tmbinc's blog
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Wednesday 02 January 2008 01:19 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Ten Worst Technologies and Trends of 2007
>> From extremetech.com:
[QUOTE]
The downside [of 2007] is that it was also full of disappointments large and small, from new memory technologies to nearly-broken operating systems (and we're not talking about Windows Vista). 2007 saw some hotly-awaited technologies sputter; they failed to live up to their lofty potential. That's not to say they never will; they just didn't by the end of this year.
10. DDR3
9. The VoIP Revolution
8. Safari for Windows
7. Mac OS X Leopard
6. Tech Piling Up in Landfills
5. The Never Ending Format War
4. DirectX 10
3. Games for Windows Live
2. AMD's CPU Lineup
1. Gaming as the Universal Boogieman
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: extremetech.com (2 pages)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Wednesday 02 January 2008 00:39 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Joystiq's year in Xbox 360 failures: 2007 Edition
>> From joystiq.com:
[QUOTE]
We enter 2008 with the current lifetime Xbox 360 failure rate at Joystiq standing at almost 100% -- we currently have one last man's console standing. Yup, that's right, and for those of you paying attention we hit 90% last month. A few of us experienced issues back in 2006, but almost every person on staff (including those who've left for other opportunities) -- with the exception of The One -- have experienced a Red Ring of Death, disc drive failure, or other non-user-error console bricking incident. There's no denying at this point that as much as we love the games, the Xbox 360 is the most defective console ever manufactured.
Check the full article for the staff's experiences with their bricked consoles. Like former Microsoft executive Peter Moore explained earlier this year, when failure is practically guaranteed at some point, all we can do is focus on the repair service.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: joystiq.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Wednesday 02 January 2008 00:17 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Rumor: MS to Compensate Gold Members for LIVE Downtime?
>> From thebitbag.com:
[QUOTE]
I got some info from my Microsoft contact after questioning whether or not Gold Members will get thrown a bone for all the downtime they had to sit through. While nothing has been officially announced, they have stated, "...we will definitely be doing something for our Gold members that weren't able to get online over the last week."
[/QUOTE]
Atm all the LIVE problems are still not fully solved although it should be going a lot better already. From Major Nelson:
[QUOTE]
As people have noticed, we have made good progress. We have a bit more work to do, but we're doing much better now. I know some of you still may be having issues, and we're working on those.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: thebitbag.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Tuesday 01 January 2008 10:56 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Rumor: MGS4 in Development for 360, 12-14m after PS3
>> From xboxfamily.com:
[QUOTE]
No, the rep will not be named, but this is pretty concrete. Speaking to a Konami rep at an undisclosed distribution meeting, I was told, after a lot of nagging, that yes indeed MGS was in development for the 360. The rep stated that Metal Gear Solid will be released for the Xbox 360 between 12 to 14 months after the PS3 version hits shelves. This is not a rumor.
I contacted Microsoft's own John Porcaro via email shortly after I spoke to the Konami rep to see if I could get anything from Microsoft's public relations team. Below is the response I received. Needless to say it's the most I've ever gotten out of MS PR team member.
"Thanks for the heads up, [name removed]. For anything that resembles any shift in strategy, or product announcement, or even news of something happening with a third party, we're always going to stick with "we haven't announced anything about " Every day we see rumors, most false, but some true, and we can't confirm/deny everything out there for any number of reasons.
I appreciate the note. I certainly will share everything I can, and I'll often rattle enough cages to get to an acceptable answer. In this case, there's really nothing we can say other than the obligatory "no comment.""
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: xboxfamily.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Tuesday 01 January 2008 10:10 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Gates' CES Keynote Rumors: License Xbox Platform, Internal HD DVD Drive?
>> From seattletimes.nwsource.com:
[QUOTE]
The line may already be forming in Las Vegas for the big event Sunday, the last performance of the Bill Gates roadshow before his role as chief visionary ends.
For those who won't be in Vegas or can't wait to hear the speech, here are guesses about what Gates may discuss in his last CES keynote as Microsoft's chief software architect.
With video games becoming one of the biggest forms of entertainment and a focal point of consumer electronics and the digital home, Gates will probably share the stage with Bach, the Microsoft executive in charge of the Xbox business.
They're likely to remind the retail crowd the Xbox 360 is holding its own, and the number of games sold per console is much higher than it is for Sony's PlayStation 3 or Nintendo's Wii.
Saving the best for last, Gates could end his CES run with a bang by making a blockbuster Xbox announcement.
I've speculated on my blog that Microsoft may be preparing to license the Xbox gaming platform to consumer-electronics companies.
In particular, Microsoft could work with Toshiba to develop a digital video recorder with a hard-drive, high-definition HD-DVD drive and Xbox gaming capabilities. They're already allied against Sony and other backers of the Blu-ray DVD format, and Toshiba could help Xbox finally penetrate the Japanese market.
Microsoft could also make a splash by announcing plans to give the Xbox 360 an internal HD-DVD drive, putting it on par with Sony's PlayStation 3 that has a built-in Blu-ray drive.
But then again, Gates may want to keep everyone in suspense about the next Xbox, in case he decides to return to CES after all.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: seattletimes.nwsource.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Tuesday 01 January 2008 00:20 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Kotaku Calling It: The Xbox 360 Won 2007
>> From kotaku.com:
[QUOTE]
Like Babe Ruth, I'm raising my controller in the air, calling the shot. (Granted, Babe Ruth called the homerun before it happened, but let's not sweat the details). I'm going to go on record and say what we're all thinking, but way too afraid to admit:
The Xbox 360 won 2007. The console might not have sold the most units or captured the attention of the mass media, but as a platform, it's provided the most complete experience of the year while executing titles with the most successful track record.
* The Most Games You Want To Play
* Xbox Live Is Still The King
* XBLA
* DivX Darkhorse
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: kotaku.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Monday 31 December 2007 22:42 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Gates picks challenging year to leave Microsoft
>> From seattlepi.nwsource.com:
[QUOTE]
Just as Microsoft's past year was characterized by launches, the next will be defined by a departure.
But even as Bill Gates leaves his full-time executive role, the company will be grappling with some of the biggest competitive challenges in its history, particularly on the Internet.
Here's our annual look at what to watch at the company in 2008.
* XBOX: The coming year will be pivotal in the video-game console industry, where Microsoft's Xbox 360 is competing against Nintendo's Wii and Sony's PlayStation 3. Entering the past holiday season, the Xbox 360 and Wii were neck-and-neck in worldwide market share, with the PlayStation 3 trailing.
Microsoft has said it wants its Home and Entertainment Division, which includes the Xbox business, to reach sustained operating profitability in the company's current fiscal year, which ends June 30.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: seattlepi.nwsource.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Sunday 30 December 2007 23:59 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Man arrested for stalking girls via Xbox Live
>> From gamerush.zoomshare.com:
[QUOTE]
In Spokane, Washington, a 20-year-old man was arrested on felony stalking charges after chatting to a 15-year-old girl on Xbox Live and eventually threatening to rape the girl and her sister.
At around 9:00pm Friday, Stetar sent a text message saying that he was driving by her house at the moment. The girl's parents in fact saw his car drive by.
At 9:36pm, Stetar sent another text message stating, "Tell the cops that I'm gonna rape you and your sister."
The girl's father called police, and officers found the suspect staying at a nearby Econo Lodge motel.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: gamerush.zoomshare.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Sunday 30 December 2007 23:52 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
The 20 Games that You Should Have Played for 2007, But Didn’t
>> From poisonous-pixels.com:
[QUOTE]
There are sure a lot of "best of lists" coming out of the woodwork now since the year is beginning to come to a close. And not surprisingly, many of the lists read basically the same. Many of the games that are on those lists are definitely must play games (Super Mario Galaxy, Call of Duty 4, The Orange Box), but whatever happened to the other games that were fantastic throughout the year like World in Conflict, Persona 3, or Lunar Knights to name a few. With just an avalanche of triple A titles hitting us at the end of the year, many excellent games were overshadowed by the sheer amount of press coverage and excellent PR campaigns that were given to those games that were at the top of those 2007 lists. So here are the games that are the ones that have been forgotten because they came out early in the year or worse, never got the credit that they deserved in the first place.
The Xbox360 games in the list:
02) Eternal Sonata (Xbox 360)
10) Overlord (PC; Xbox 360)
14) Bomberman Live (Xbox 360)
16) Virtua Tennis 3 (PC, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Sony PSP)
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: poisonous-pixels.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Spread News: PermaLink
| Add us on: Twitter - Facebook - RSS
(Sunday 30 December 2007 23:40 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
