Console News For Wednesday, October 27th

Sony To Introduce Its Own Console Phone?

As reported by Engadget, it looks like Sony is looking to steal some of Microsoft’s thunder in the phone market with their own Playstation phone.  While still considered a rumour, I can’t but wonder if this is the reason why Sony has so drastically marked down the price of the PSP Go.

Microsoft has been working very dilligently to bring the XBox Live experience to the mobile platform with the introduction of Windows Mobile 7, and further extend the Live experience with their upcoming revamp of Games For Windows Live to unify gamers across all devices.  An entry by Sony with a Playstation phone could very well take a bite out of Microsoft’s efforts in re-entering the mobile market.

Of course, if Sony is to do this, then the real winner would be Apple Inc.  As a split of users determined not to buy an iPhone between Microsoft and Sony would only bolster their position as the number one mobile phone maker in the market.

Source: Engadget

NATS and Xbox Live

@majornelson‘s (Xbox Live’s Major Nelson) Twitter feed this morning links us to a Microsoft Xbox Engineering blog talking about NATs (Network Address Translation) and how strict and moderate NAT’ing can affect your Xbox gaming experience.  It’s full of plenty of extremely useful information of how Xbox devices under networks of certain NAT configurations will react to Xbox devices under other NAT configurations.

Of course it was written by an Engineer, so if you find the details to be a bit cumbersome, they included a very easy to follow diagram for the regular non-geek.

Source: Twitter, XBox Live Engineering Blog

 Game Pack 11 For Game Room Released

Microsoft has released Game Pack 11, the add-on for Xbox’s own classic video game emulator just a couple of weeks after the closing of Krome Studios.  The Microsoft dev team responsible for Game Room and the “regularly scheduled releases”.

I haven’t downloaded the pack to see what games are on it as of yet, but one fellow blogger seems to be quite taken with a Konami game that found its way into the release.

Source: Xbox Live, The Examiner

Sims 3 On Xbox 360 And Playstation?

EA has announced that the popular Sims franchise is now available for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.  So now you can date, get a job, be a criminal and set your virtual you on fire from the comfort of your couch!

Interestingly enough, there’s been a lot of news about problems with Microsoft’s Xbox Live guidelines and MMOs in the press lately.  With that said, you have to wonder if any of the guidelines were bent or broken to allow the Sims 3 to come to the Xbox?  Or is it a case of the subscription requirements in the other MMO games that are the real sticking point?

Only time will tell.

Source: Electronic Arts; MCVUK

Best Buy Sold Out Of Kinect Standalone Again

After hearing that Kinect was sold out on Amazon.com, I decided to check out the usual haunts and found that Best Buy is again sold out of the standalone Kinect unit, and still has not restocked their Kinect 250GB Console Bundle.

Newegg and Gamestop appear to still be taking orders however.  Looks like Microsoft continues to underestimate demand for their product.  This is the second time that the largest retailers of Xbox products have run short of Kinect Standalone units in just a few weeks.

Source: PunchJump; BestBuy

Console News for Tuesday, October 26th

Microsoft Spent $30,000 To Build The First Kinect Device

The New York Times has a very thorough article on Kinect, and the work that was done to make it happen.  One thing of particular note is the cost of the first Kinect device.  Over $30,000 was spent to build the intial unit.  Also, the article claims that, according to Don Mattrick, Microsoft’s President of Interactive Entertainment business, “the company has a product it can sell for $150 a pop and still turn a profit.”

I wonder how much of a profit they turn with the discounted Xbox 4GB Bundle?

Source: New York Times

PS3 and PC To Get Back To The Future, Xbox 360 Excluded?

NowGamer is reporting that while the upcoming Back To The Future game is set to release on the PS3 and PC, it is not slated to release on Xbox 360.  A quick check on Telltale Games’ forums indicate that there is in fact no current plans to release Back To The Future to Xbox Live Arcade.

Nuts.

Source: NowGamer

Red Dead Redemption – Undead Nightmare DLC Now Available

Zombies are what bacon is to any food.  It just makes it so much better.  And now you can get tasty tasty zombie cowboys for your RDR needs.  The new DLC touts:

All-New Single-Player Story – as the frontier’s last and greatest hope, it’s up to John Marston to eradicate the zombie outbreak and discover a cure;

Undead Overrun Co-Operative Multiplayer Mode – band together as a team of 2-4 players and survive endless waves of undead horrors in a variety of locations;

Four Distinct Zombie Classes – including the Undead rank and file, Bolters, Bruisers and Retchers that will test your mettle and accuracy;

The Blunderbuss – an all-new, all-powerful shotgun that not only uses zombie parts for ammunition, but adjudicates them in one shot;

New Melee and Projectile Weapons – set zombies aflame with the torch, cleanse them with Holy Water and lure them towards certain doom with Boom Bait;

Infected Open World – ambient challenges, zombified animals, mythical creatures and missing persons are scattered throughout the now-undead world of Red Dead Redemption;

All-New Soundtrack;

New Achievements and Trophies.

And all of it is now available on PSN for $9.99 and Xbox Live for 800 Microsoft Points.  Not a bad deal at all!

Source: Bezinga

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Demo Now Available On Xbox Live

You can now get your mits on quite possibly the NFS game to hit the consoles on Xbox Live.  Check out the demo and let me know what your thoughts on the latest addition to EA’s high speed franchise.

Source: Xbox Live

Microsoft Not Interested In HD Remakes…For Now

During an interview with Microsoft VP Phil Spencer, they asked if there were any plans to re-release original Xbox titles such as Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 in HD.  Spencer replied, “”We obviously have a lot of new things going on, so the thought of re-doing a bunch of things is probably difficult to just weave into the overall portfolio,” Spencer added. “If you can provide real value to the customer, there could be possibilities for that, but I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it.”

Honestly, I can agree with him.  While Sony is re-releasing PS1 and PS2 games on PS3 by way of BluRay disc or PSN, they have to with the lack of backward compatibility available in the newer systems.  Whereas there are very few games in the Xbox library that aren’t compatible with Xbox 360.  Likewise, many of the original Xbox games are being re-released on Xbox’s Games On Demand for public consumption.

I do know that with Halo: CE, the Games On Demand version is in HD and widescreen format.  But I don’t see MS releasing a completely revamped version for something that already works and is available for the time being.

Thoughts?

~W75

Console News For Monday, October 25th

Remedy On Why Alan Wake Took So Long

A recent interview with Matias Myllyrinne of Remedy stated in an interview with VG247 that it, “could be that we shared with the world too early,” and, ““To be fair, we did not think it was going to take this long to get right, so when we announced we did not think folks would have to wait for so long.”

He goes on to say, “The first Max Payne was a similar story too, but I think as long as you can live up to the vision you set to build people will still be excited and welcome the game when it is done.”

Considering that both games are epic in their own fashion, I think it’s safe to say that in this case, it was well worth the wait.

Source: VG247

How To Fix The RROD – Marine Corps Style.

All I can say to this is…Hu-Rah!  Apparently, the RROD is possible even in the middle of the desert.  And one Marine shows us how the Corps fix that little problem.

Source: Unrealitymag.com

Sony recalls Shuan Wtihe Skatebaording Doo Too Speeling Error?

 Strategy Informer is reporting that Sony has recalled the PS3 version of Shaun White Skateboarding due to a misprinted disc.  SCEA had this to say regarding the issue:

“There was a manufacturing issue with a misprinted disc at Sony Computer Entertainment America and the wrong version of the Shaun White Skateboarding PlayStation 3 game was shipped to retailers. We’re working with Ubisoft to correct the issue.”

Corrected copies of the game will be available in stores by this Thursday.

Source: Strategy Informer

Activision hiring PI’s to stop Black Ops Pirates?

I actually had to double and triple check this one before posting it.  Apparently, Activision has hired private investigators to track down pirates of the up and coming Call of Duty: Black Ops, and are “kindly” asking for the discs to be returned and to stop selling illegal copies of the game.

This is an unusual tactic for Activision, considering that they have a battery of lawyers ready to sue pretty much anyone and uses shady tactics when dealing with their own employees.

I’m positive no baseball bats were used in the recovery of those discs…right?

Source: Venturebeat

MS VP Says Kinect Pre-Order Numbers Are Good

Joystiq reports that during an interview with Phil Spencer, VP at Microsoft Games Studios, stated that Kinect, “Pre-order numbers are good,” and that, “The retail channel seems to be excited for what we’re doing. We feel good about our supply that we can build. I imagine we’re going to have to work hard to fill out the demand that’s out there, is kind of our sense, but we’re willing to work hard so that’s fine.”

Considering reports that retailers such as Best Buy, NewEgg, and Gamestop have had to resupply allocations for pre-orders, it might just be quite a sales rush come November 4.

Source: Joystiq

5 Squenix Games I’d Like To See On XBLA

To be totally honest, each console, the Xbox 360 and the PS3, both have their merits as a console.  When it came down to decision time for me to jump in, there were many reasons why I chose the 360 over the PS3, and I’m still to this day very happy that I did.

However, Squenix seems to still be very tight knit with Sony.  They’ve released quite a few games in the last few years that were either PSOne or earlier console releases that don’t seem to find their way to Xbox Live Arcade.  And this is really disappointing to me.

But if Squenix ever did decide to change their mind, these are what I’d love to see:

1) Final Fantasy VII (PS1) – Who can’t love this game?  Millions bought it.  I know I did.  And I still enjoy playing it to this day occasionally on my PS2.

2) Parasite Eve (PS1) – This was just announced to be coming to the PSN yesterday.  A cult classic in my eyes.  Awesome gameplay and a compelling story.

3) Chrono Trigger (SNES) – How can you forget the loveable characters and enjoyable storyline of this classic?  Squenix at its best!

4) Einhander (PS1) – A throwback to the good old sidescrolling shooter.  Awesome!

5) Kingdom Hearts (PS2) – Why this didn’t make it to the original Xbox is beyond me.  But an awesome game nevertheless.

Xbox.com Update – Play Dressup With Your Avatar Online!

As Larry Hyrb, Xbox Live’s Major Nelson, previously announced, Xbox.com received a facelift today.  And so far, the result is very nice and clean, with some excellent new features added.

One of the nice new features is the ability to now go online and not only purchase avatar clothes and props, but to be able to try them on as well.  I went straight to the avatar props and clicked on my Halo:Reach Falcon and my avatar immediately started playing.  So cool!

Surfing through the profile pages, I found it was fairly easy to navigate through.  Finding where I can redeem my codes, update my credit card info and view my game information easily.  There is also a Family Center link now available under the “My Xbox” menu, but it looks to still be under construction for the time being.

The Achievements Page got a bit of a touch up as well, making things a bit easier to read at a glance.  Your total gamerscore for the game and number of achievments acquired/remaining is a bit more in your face now.

Of course, the update is still continuing, and there will probably be a couple of bugs or glitches while they tweak things to make for a good experience.  So be sure to be patient.  I’m sure @xboxlive is going to be blowing up enough on Twitter as they work out the kinks.  Enjoy the update!

What’re your impressions?  Feel free to talk amongst yourselves.

~W75

Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360 On Tour In Canada

Hey Canadians!  Want to try out Kinect?  It’s on tour in Toronto and Montreal right now.

The deets:

Toronto – At 207 Yonge Street

Montreal – At 677 Rue St. Catherine O. (That’s St. Catherine Road West for those of you who don’t speak French.  Which in Canada I think is two of you.)

Schedule and further info here.

Source: Kinect Central Canada

Major Nelson Reveals Xbox.com Makeover Releasing Tomorrow

Larry Hyrb, Xbox Live’s Major Nelson just blogged new screenshots of the makeover coming to Xbox.com.  Per Major Larry, “Tomorrow, Xbox.com will be getting a massive facelift and I want to give you a preview of what you can expect.  In addition to support for the 9 new Xbox LIVE regions that will happen next month, Xbox.com will get a brand new look as well as some new features.”

Here are some highlights:

Browser based Avatar editor: Edit your avatar and preview avatar items before purchase

Combined views for messages, friend and game requests

Improved notification of your account subscription

Leverage Family Reports to understand what your family is doing and how they are using LIVE

Play web games with your Xbox LIVE friends on the web or on Windows Phone 7

Marketplace: More powerful search and more intuitive ways to browse and filter

Direct linky to screenshots are here.  Looking very nice if I do say so myself.

Per Major Nelson, the changes will begin to take effect at 0500 ET/0200 PT/0900 GMT tomorrow, October 20th.  While they make the updates, access to Xbox.com and the forums will be unavailable, but the Xbox Live service will not be affected.

Source: Major Nelson’s Blog

News for Tuesday, October 19th

AT&T Offering Free Month of Zune Pass With Win7 Phone

AT&T Wireless is offering a 30-Day trial of Zune Pass with the purchase of a Win7 Mobile Phone.  Dubbed the “Entertainment Pack”, you also get access to 30 days of AT&T’s Uverse services, as well as ilomilo, a new, cutesy Xbox Live game.

Source: AT&T; ilomilo

Best Buy Still Doesn’t Have Any New 250GB Slim/Kinect Bundles?

Apparently Best Buy is still having issues with procuring the $399 Xbox 360S Bundle with Kinect for pre-order.  With Microsoft stating that this is a bigger launch than that of the 360, you have to wonder exactly how many units have been pre-ordered, since the 360 only had 400,000 units available when it launched in 2005.

Source: BestBuy

Kinect To Launch With 17 Titles This November

Looks like the guys over at Wired UK have gotten the up-to-date launch list for Kinect this November.  Not much has changed with the exception of a couple more games from Konami.  With all of the sports and fitness games releasing at launch, there are going to be a lot of skinnier geeks this coming spring.

Source: Wired UK

Call of Duty: Black Ops Stolen From The Presses?

Apparently, some guy (or gal) in Alabama swiped a few copies of COD: Black Ops from the presser not too long ago.  Shortly thereafter, the enterprising thief sold the copies to a few upstanding gentleman on some of the forum sites dedicated to cracking and copying software.  One person in particular, “Ungodly Leaker”, who was responsible for the leaking of Halo: Reach apparently had posted that they received a copy as well. 

With almost 1.8 million pre-orders placed, this looks to be yet another very hot download for the less than ethical gamer.

Source: Escapist; VGChartz

Halo: Reach Stats Updated By Bungie

Bungie released updated statistics on gameplay and matchmaking this last Friday.  Some interesting numbers:

16,445 Man-Years have been spent playing Halo: Reach (Not to be confused with Dog-Years)

784,000,000 player-games have been played (1 game with 4 players is tallied as 4 player-games)

544,000,000,000 Credits have been earned (spend that money, playa!)

3,900,000 Screenshots have been uploaded (and plenty of them feature juvenile looks at Kat’s “bad side”)

5,970,000 total files have been uploaded (your bandwidth bill is in the mail)

300,000,000 Mountain Dews were do’d

If only the real world economy was based on Halo dollars…

Source: Bungie.net

Console News For Monday, October 18th

Weekly Sales Update: Microsoft Pulls Ahead of Sony for Year On Sales

Microsoft this week finally pulled ahead of Sony in sales for the year by 1,000 units for the year last week.  This comes after Sony managed to have a commanding 1 million unit lead before the 360S was released last June.  While it’s still anyone’s game with the Christmas season looming, things are looking well in Microsoft’s favor.

By the numbers:

Console	Americas	Japan	EMEAA	Worldwide
	118,030	51,427	92,225	261,682
	92,079	2,700	68,995	163,774
	70,156	18,659	69,405	158,220
	61,067	12,266	57,356	130,689
	21,449	34,747	29,503	85,699

Source: VGChartz

Total monthly sales for the Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 stand at 269,067, 308,145, and 343,265 respectively for October.  With a few weeks to go, it looks as though console sales are starting to warm up for the Christmas season.  Unfortunately for Nintendo, it doesn’t look like the Wii will be doing well this month, being behind number 2 placeholder Sony at 269,000 sales for the month so far.  This is a shortfall of almost 40,000 units behind Sony and a little over 60,000 units behind Microsoft.  This may turn out to be the first October that Nintendo has failed to sell more than 1 million units since launch.

Konami Dates Kinect for Xbox 360 Titles

Konami recently released a presser announcing the dates of their upcoming Kinect for Xbox 360 titles.  Konami, not to be outdone by upstart Harmonix in the dance ring is releasing Dance Evolution on November 10th along with CROSSBOARD 7, a racing game with animals.

On November 25th, Konami will release Sports Island Freedom under their Hudson Soft brand.  This title will add a few unique sporting events to the already sports packed game line-up including: Archery, Paint Ball, Beach Volleyball, Dodge Ball, Kendo, Mogul Skiing, Snowboard Cross and Figure Skating.

Source: GamersHell

Microsoft Spending $1 Billion on Kinect, Windows Mobile 7 Marketing

Microsoft is shelling out a lofty billion dollars on their marketing campaign for Kinect and Windows Mobile 7 to make sure it stays in the game of…gaming…and…phoning.  Money spent includes Ads on Nickelodeon and Disney (presumably for Kinect.  Unless they’re marketing phones really early nowadays),  product placement ads on Glee and Dancing with the Stars’, a Times Square Event and ads in various magazines.

What really makes me angry about this is that there are plenty of innovative products that Microsoft comes out with that just get thrown at the wall just to see if they stick.  Perhaps if they gave the Zune team a bit more than enough to cover money for lunch, they’d see more ZuneHD sales.

Source: TheNextWeb

Nintendo Wii Getting NetFlix Without A Disc

Following in the footsteps of the Xbox 360 and PS3, Netflix and Nintendo have announced that you will no longer be required to use a disc to stream your multimedia goodness on the Wii without the use of a disc.  Which is great, if you like watching your hi-def shows in 480p.  Good future proofing Nintendo.

Source: Business Wire

Fallout: New Vegas DLC Announced Before The Game Even Releases

Bethesda Softworks recently announced that Xbox Live will be getting the first New Vegas downloadable content before the PS3 will.  Now, call me old fashioned, but shouldn’t we be talking about the game before it launches?  And not its DLC?