Novedades para el XBLA para esta semana.

Dos juegos se adicionan esta semana. Un juego de Square Enix titulado: Death by Cubes. Y el famoso Vandal Hearts de Konami. Se esperan para este miércoles.

Contenido descargable para Forza Motorsport 3 de Autoweek

El sitio Autoweek.com anunció que el próximo 12 de enero habrá un contenido descargable para el juego Forza Motorsport 3 de Xbox 360 con los siguientes vehículos:

2010 Aston Martin One-77
2009 Audi R8 LMS
2009 Audi RS 6
2010 BMW Motorsport M6 Coupe
2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport
2010 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500
2009 Holden HSV W427
2009 Lotus 2-Eleven
2010 Pagani Zonda R
2010 Porsche Boxster S

El paquete tendrá un costo de 400 MP. El nombre del paquete es Autoweek Carshow Pack.

Fuente: Autoweek.

Xbox Live Video Marketplace se adicionan más países

Microsoft anunció el lanzamiento de su servicio de Xbox Live Video Marketplace en nuevos países. Las naciones que gozarán de esto son: Dinamarca, Finlandia, Noruega, Suecia, Holanda, Bélgica, Suiza, Austria, Australia y Nueva Zelanda.

Aún no hay fecha de lanzamiento para México. Esperemos sea pronto. :)

Nuevo trailer de Game Room de Xbox

¿Te gustaría jugar a la maquinitas? Si eres de los ancianos como yo, la nostalgia puede llevarte a comprar estos juegos que te llevan a una sensación "Home" de Playstation. Al menos, en la parte Arcade.

Las nuevas del CES 2010

Les dejo unas "breves" del CES.

- Microsoft announced the installed base on Xbox 360 has reached 39 million units worldwide, and over 500 million games have been sold worldwide.

- Microsoft mentioned that nearly 10 million users have accessed Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Last.fm, Sky and Canal using Xbox Live and Zune. During the holiday season, over 2.2 million users logged into Xbox Live at the same time.

- Currently there are over 20 million Xbox Live members worldwide.

- Microsoft's president of Entertainment and Devices Division Robbie Bash announced the Xbox 360 Motion Control System Project Natal will arrive in the Christmas season of 2010 in North America and Europe.

- Microsoft confirmed that DLC is planned for the 360 adventure game Alan Wake, which will be available in North America and Europe in spring 2010.

- Microsoft announced GameRoom for Xbox 360, which is a virtual arcade for avatars, players will be able to play classic arcade games in there. Konami, Atari, Activision and Intellivision will support the GameRoom service, and it is scheduled to launch in spring 2010 with 30 titles. New titles will be offered every week, and over 1000 games will be available over the next 3 years, the price is between 240 to 400 Microsoft points. In addition to classic game, original new contents will also be available.

Source: The Magic Box

Project Natal due holiday 2010

CES 2010: Video interview with Xbox division chief Robbie Bach spills beans on Xbox Game Room, confirms Q4 launch for motion-sensing system.

LAS VEGAS--For nearly a decade, one of the staples of the Consumer Electronics Show was the keynote address by then-Microsoft CEO and chairman Bill Gates. However, following his retirement in 2008, ringmaster duties at the software giant's press briefing have fallen to its new chief executive, the ever-energetic Steve Ballmer.

What surprises will Der Ballmer bring to CES this year?

Last year, Ballmer made headlines for two high-profile gaffes--reportedly announcing a new Xbox 360 would be released in 2010 (which Microsoft quickly denied) and then appearing to declare the console would soon offer Blu-ray support (which company reps promptly said it would not).

However, at CES 2009, Ballmer was on script, showing off features of Windows 7 and preaching the Microsoft doctrine of software solutions. However, there was little game news. The biggest "headlines" came from Xbox division chief Robbie Bach, who dated the Halo Wars demo and showed off the kid-friendly Kodu game creator at the Venetian Casino's Palazzo Ballroom.

This year's presentation, held at the Hilton right next door to the Las Vegas Convention Center, CES' venue, could encompass a variety of cutting-edge subjects. First and foremost among them is Project Natal, the Xbox 360 motion-sensing system introduced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo last June. The camera-based, controller-free system had the E3 show floor abuzz, and generated similar interest at the Tokyo Game Show three months later.

However, Microsoft remains cagey about Natal's release date, although it is all too eager to tout publisher support for the system. That roster includes such marquee names as Capcom, Ubisoft, Bethesda, Activision, and Electronics Arts--and possibly more, depending on the content of Microsoft's presentation this evening. Stay tuned.

[UPDATE]: Prior to Microsoft taking the stage, the company leaked out some of its CES address's biggest headlines. The company's Channel 9 anti-marketing marketing division posted (and then pulled) a video interview with Entertainment and Devices division president Robbie Bach in which the executive addressed a handful of news presumably intended to come out in the CES address.

First up, Bach confirmed Project Natal as one of the company's 2010 releases. While the motion-sensing camera peripheral had been largely assumed to be a 2010 launch for the company, Microsoft itself hadn't actually confirmed the date previously.

The other bit of news Bach discussed was the introduction of Xbox Game Room. In October, a Microsoft consumer survey floated the idea of an Avatar arcade where Xbox Live users would be able to play retro games from vintage consoles like the Atari 2600 and Intellivision. Bach touched on the Game Room in the leaked video, describing it as a place where gamers can play "30 or more" games along the lines of Centipede.

[6:29] In stark contrast to the Sony event, Microsoft's press event is being held in the cavernous Hilton Center, which seats thousands.

[6:30] However, organizers have jam-packed the seats together in narrow rows. It makes economy class airline seating look like the lap of luxury.

[6:31] On screen, animations of Microsoft's various products whiz by, including Xbox 360, Xbox Live, and XBL Avatars.

[6:31] Oh, and that whole MS Office thing too. Windows Media Center and Internet TV are also duly pimped.

[6:33] And down go the lights!

[6:34] …and the slides continue. Project Gotham Racing in 3D on the Zune is given a high-profile slot.

[6:36] Uh-oh--the lights going out wasn't for dramatic effect. "Ladies and Gentlemen, please stay in your seats. We are having a slight power problem…"

[6:37] Yep, all the central screens of the presentation are pitch-black, likely indicating the projectors' demands flipped a circuit breaker somewhere in the Hilton's bowels.

[6:38] The entire hall's lights go off, then come back on. The stage remains black before flashlights appear behind the screen, presumably being carried by panicked technicians.

[6:39] Looks like the found the problem--power is back, but they need another five minutes for tests.

A power failure has delayed Microsoft's presser--and likely means someone behind the scenes has been fired.

[6:40] The big screen is being lit up section by section now revealing…more animated ads!

[6:42] More lights are tested in sequence. Welcome to the A/V Club.

[6:44] So for those of you keeping score at home, that's one leak, one catastrophic power failure, two dozen frantic technicians, and several thousand fidgety audience members.

[6:44] More lights, more tests.

[6:46] Intensely powerful orange lights blast the crowd's retinas. Looks like something out of Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds remake.

And power has returned, which means the show should be starting soon.

[6:46] No death ray, sadly.

[6:52] Overheard: "Well, this doesn't inspire confidence."

[6:53] The lights go down…intentionally this time.

[6:54] The music stops, and on comes the official CES sizzle reel. This convention covers all manner of electronics, apparently. Fancy that.

[6:55] Attendee count is just 110,000 this year, apparently.

[6:55] The Black Eyed Peas start BLASTING. Now we really need that Death Ray.

[6:57] Consumer Electronics Association president Gary Shapiro comes out to give some remarks. Death. Ray. Now.

[6:59] "Innovation, creativity…more innovation than any in 30 years," says Shapiro. More razzle-dazzle about how innovative products will overcome the economic downturn.

[6:59] Shapiro introduces Ballmer…and then continues to talk about innovation.

[7:00] Did you know? Steve Ballmer joined Microsoft in 1980 as its business manager. Wonder how his stock options did.

[7:00] Shapiro going over Microsoft's business units, which do not include death rays…yet.

[7:01] BAM! Bright lights herald the coming of the Ballmer. He materializes from the haze in a red sweater.

[7:01] Ballmer says the electronics industry kept its focus during the Great Recession.

Let's play Ballmer!!

[7:03] To show how technology makes live better, a video of Saturday Night Live head writer Seth Meyers poking fun at technology. He singles out Xbox Live.

[7:04] "Before technology, I thought I was better at video games than an 11 year old."

[7:04] cut to Meyers in his living room, with a young voice screaming at him "You SUCK OLD MAN" over his headset.

[7:04] "Thanks, technology."

[7:05] After a few more wisecracks the video ends, and Ballmer is back.

[7:05] "We want to focus on the ever-evolving PC tonight, and the TV experience."

[7:05] Cue obligatory mention of cloud computing.

Seth Meyers blames technology for his ability to impulsively purchase a cigar store Indian on eBay.

[7:06] He then makes oblique mention to "new interface technology." Natal, perhaps.

[7:06] He promotes Microsoft's new search engine by yelling "Bing" about a dozen times.

[7:08] Says the global middle class, Microsoft's prime market, will increase dramatically over the next few years. (Glad the middle class is increasing somewhere…)

[7:08] Now he's recapping Microsoft's 2009 achievements, and Xbox is first out of the gate.

[7:09] Global Xbox 360 sales now over 39 million, with $20 billion in game revenue generated by Xbox products since 2001.

GameSpot sister site CNET.com has high praise for the Xbox.

[7:10] And now we're back to Bing, and how it understands user intent and anticipates what they want. It's not a search engine, it's a "decision engine."

[7:11] Bing maps can go from satellite view to one's front door with smooth video transitions…if you've installed Silverlight.

[7:11] Microsoft teaming up with HP to make Bing the default engine and MSN the default home page on all HP PCs in 42 countries.

[7:12] Obligatory mention of Sync, Microsoft's partnership with Ford.

[7:13] KIA will have something similar, called UVO. Fiat models have similar functionality.

[7:13] Now it's Zune-pimpin' time, with rave reviews of the devices splashed on the screen.

[7:14] The Zune 1080p video service will soon expand to other platforms besides Zune and Xbox Live.

[7:14] Now it's onto the new HTC Windows Mobile phone.

[7:14] Now it's time for Ballmer's favorite topic, Windows 7.

[7:15] They wanted Windows to be much faster, both at startup and performing tasks.

Ballmer is a big fan of the HTC HD2, which uses Windows Mobile technology.

[7:16] Some 3,000 Microsoft engineers, 50,000 partners, and 8 million beta testers helped Windows 7 be a success.

[7:17] Windows PC sales jumped 50% the week Windows 7 launched and 63% during Black Friday week.

[7:18] Ballmer declares Windows 7 as the fastest-selling operating system in history, with 94% of purchasers of the product being very satisfied.

[7:18] Some 300 million PCs were shipped in 2009, a 3% increase year over year.

[7:18] In 2010, industry research firm predicts 12% growth in PC sales.

[7:19] "The range of PCs with Windows 7 is virtually limitless," he says, with 4 million Windows applications overall--800,000 of which are for Windows 7.

[7:21] Ryan Asdourian from the Windows 7 team comes up on stage to demonstrate his favorite PCs.

[7:22] One of them is the Sony VAIO N, which has a Blu-ray player built in and a touch-screen.

[7:23] Dell Adamo XPS is the thinnest laptop on the market, thinner than 4 poker chips. This is Vegas, after all.

Windows 7 team member Ryan Asdourian shows off some of the newest PCs running Microsoft's latest OS.

[7:24] HP NV15 and Toshiba Cosmio 505 are among the gaming rigs they show off.

[7:25] He uses Dirt 2 to show off DirectX 11's graphical punch, emphasizing the realistic dirt when it wrecks.

[7:26] Now he shows off a 3D gaming laptop, and would have shown off a HDTV with a built-in PC--but the power outage blew the tube.

[7:28] Now they're showing off the Blio reader and how it helps students. They are showing an anatomy manual which administers quizzes and plays video inside an eBook's "page."

[7:31] Now he's sharing the book with Ballmer with via Skydrive, which lets users share data. The result is a slick animated presentation.

This is what it looks like when Seahawks fly.

[7:33] Asdourian shows off how to use Bing maps to scout out a bar near a Seattle Seahawks game.

Windows 7: Now with pizza support.

[7:35] Now he's showing off Windows 7 DVR capabilities, recording 4 HD shows at once, surfing Facebook, looking up stuff to in Vegas, and checking out an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia on Hulu.

[7:38] Shows off some photo-sharing abilities, which reveal that Adourian skydove into Qwest Field in Seattle in a Seahawks mascot suit.

[7:38] All these functions are part of Windows Media Center, which can be enhanced by Microsoft Media Room.

[7:40] This allows pay TV services like AT&T Uverse TV via Windows Media Center. Currently 4 million people worldwide enjoy the service.

[7:41] And soon many more since it will soon be available on the Xbox 360 to Uverse subscribers.

[7:42] Through a Media-room-enabled PC, ATT video service can also be streamed to Windows Mobile phones.

[7:43] In case you didn't get it yet, Ballmer plugs the PC once more.

[7:44] Now some Slate PCs are being shown running Windows 7.

[7:45] These table PC will take entertainment on the go. As example, he shows one running Kindle PC software showing…Twilight?

Ballmer showing off a new "slate PC" coming from HP. Reading vampire romance novels not required.

[7:46] Cue the next Meyers clip, a brief history of technology.

[7:48] …and its video games. It shows him playing Frogger. "Now the graphics on my 360 are so realistic, when my guy dies, I tear up a little." After staring for a few seconds, he implores the crowd, "Don't judge me."

[7:49] And here come the games, with Entertainment and Devices Division president Robbie Bach taking the stage!

[7:49] He isn't talking about games, though--he's talking about the entire spectrum of entertainment.

[7:49] The subject moves to the innovations on the Xbox platform over the past 5 years.

Robbie Bach takes to the stage.

[7:51] "2010 will be a landmark year for all Xbox customers for three reasons."

[7:52] 1) The best lineup of console-exclusives, including Mass Effect 2, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, and the first content packs for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which will be available on Xbox Live first.

[7:52] He also pimps Crackdown 2 and Fable III.

[7:53] And now a demo of Alan Wake, which Bach touts as a new genre.

[7:54] And hello Halo. Some 30 million units, 5 million Halo action figures sold, and 500,000 Halo soundtrack CDs sold.

[7:54] Cue Halo: Reach trailer…the same Halo: Reach trailer released last year.

And finally, it's time to talk some Halo.

[7:56] "Leave that lone wolf stuff behind, Spartan!" Bet he's a loose cannon who doesn't play by the rules.

[7:57] Bach reminds us that Halo Reach is launching Fall 2010, and Halo 3: ODST owners can get in on the multiplayer beta this spring.

[7:58] Onto Xbox Live, which has 20 million members.

[7:58] 200 million avatar outfits sold, 100 million music songs for Rock Band or Guitar Hero sold.

Welcome to the Avatar party!

[7:59] Obligatory Twitter, Facebook, and Last.fm reference--used by 10 million people to date.

[8:00] Instant-on streaming 1080p video from Zune Video Marketplace also gets a shout-out, and a quick demo of high-def streaming.

[8:00] Zune video available in 18 countries.

[8:01] "Atari, Intellivision--remember those?" Here comes the Game Room "surprise."

[8:01] Starting this spring, 30 original arcade classics will be available in customizable arcades.

Bach announces Game Room for Xbox Live.

[8:02] You can invite your friends to your game room arcade, which will have the original cabinets.

[8:02] Bach and Ballmers' avatars face off in an arcade.

[8:03] It will be available on both PC and 360, with new games each week--over 1,000 titles are in the pipe.

[8:04] Now Bach is talking about the Z axis being the final frontier of the "Natural User Interface," or NUI.

[8:04] Bach talking about massive effort behind this technology, looking for inventions with a 10 year horizon and a three year horizon.

[8:05] That latter group mentions muscle recognition, technology which Microsoft has patented.

[8:05] This has allowed them to remove the last barrier for gaming with…(wait for it)

[8:05] PROJECT NATAL!

[8:06] Video montage shows researchers from University of Cambridge and other places intercut with the Natal E3 demo.

[8:07] Lots of shots of early Natal work, which shows cruder version of the technology.

[8:07] "Natal evaluates trillions of body movements every second at 30 frames a second."

[8:08] Montage ends.

[8:09] It's official: Natal shipping holiday 2010 worldwide.

Here comes Project Natal.

[8:09] Bach makes a point of mentioing that the device will work with all existing Xbox 360s.

[8:10] And Bach is quickly wrapping up, recapping both his and Ballmer's comments.

[8:10] Looks like they are not bringing Natal out to show the unwashed masses…

[8:11] …and that's it! Check back tomorrow for all the latest from CES 2010!

Source: Gamespot.

Problems with NetFlix... in the U.S. o.O!

Online rental service confirms licensing issues are temporarily preventing many films from being viewable on updated 360s; online reports point to Sony.
It appears that the New Xbox Experience has hit a speed bump on the eve of its release. This afternoon, gaming blog Joystiq discovered that many Netflix films have been abruptly listed as being "not available on Xbox." The ability to stream content from the online rental service is a key feature of the Xbox Live revamp, which is set to launch Wednesday, November 19.

Your NXE movie queue just got shorter.
When contacted by GameSpot, Microsoft directed all inquiries on the matter to Netflix, the DVD rental and video streaming company based in Los Gatos, California. Steve Swasey, its vice president of corporate communications, was able to confirm that licensing issues are indeed preventing some video content from being available via the Xbox 360.
"Today, titles regularly come in and out of license and there is a natural ebb and flow to what we have on license at any given point in time," he explained. "In the case of Xbox 360, a few hundred titles are temporarily unavailable to be streamed via the Xbox game console. Those titles are still available to be watched on subscribers' computers and on TVs via other partner devices, and we hope they'll be licensed for Xbox 360 shortly."
Swasey studiously avoided mention of any film studios which may have licensing issues solely with Microsoft. However, GameSpot has confirmed with sources with access to NXE preview software that many of the unavailable offerings are from Columbia Pictures, a subsidiary of PlayStation 3 maker Sony. Curiously, though, Joystiq points out that some Sony Pictures films are still listed as being available for the Xbox, a condition that might change in the next few days.
Ironically, many classic films from Sony subsidiary MGM are currently available for download on Xbox Live Marketplace--for a price.

Source: GameSpot.

Infinite Undiscovery rating

A pesar de las bajas calificaciones en América de este título, no cabe duda que en Japón tuvo un gran éxito. La verdad, es que estoy muy interesado en adquirirlo y formarme mi propia opinión sobre este juego.

La revista Famitsu, una de las más reconocidas en Japón le dio un rating de 32/40. que lo coloca en un título bueno.

Ninja Blade's runner up for Ninja Gaiden??

Surrogate Ninja Gaiden replacement to arrive in 2009.

Silent and deadly: an unnamed ninja on his way to Xbox 360
Microsoft today announced Ninja Blade for Xbox 360, an action-adventure game that follows a modern-day ninja in his quest to rid Tokyo from a mutant, infectious disease (and you know how nasty those can be). No other information was divulged, but the game is scheduled for release some time next year.
The news comes three months after Ninja Gaiden creator Tomonobu Itagaki resigned from Tecmo, casting uncertainty on the future of the venerable hack 'n slash franchise, a void Ninja Blade seemingly hopes to capitalize on.
Though expected, the embattled Tecmo has yet to announce a sequel to Ninja Gaiden 2.

Source: GamePro

Xbox 360 concedes victory to Nintendo

Xbox vice president Don Mattrick acknowledged that regaining first place from Nintendo is unlikely, but he's confident in a second place finish over Sony.

Microsoft will do everything within its power to beat arch rival Sony in this generation's console war -- even if it's for second place.
In an interview with Business Week published on Wednesday, Xbox vice president Don Mattrick admitted the 360 probably won't catch Wii, but he still believes his company will outsell the PlayStation 3.
"I'm not at a point where I can say we're going to beat Nintendo," he said, before predicting, "We will sell more consoles this generation than Sony."
Microsoft has sold an estimated 20 million Xbox 360 units worldwide since November 2005. By contrast, Nintendo has sold 32 million Wiis in half the time, while Sony has sold 15 million PS3s during the same period.

Source: GamePro.

Cliff Bleszinski defiende a Too Human

Cualquiera pensaría que Epic y Silicon Knights quedaron peleados después de la demanda por el unreal engine. Cliff Bleszinski, una de las caras más conocidas de la compañía por ser el diseñador de GoW, al parecer no guarda rencor alguno.
Giant Bomb, página del conocido Jeff Gertsmann, tiene una reseña de Bleszinski sobre Too Human. Aunque acepta las debilidades en la historia, califica al juego con cinco estrellas. Además asegura que se envició más con este juego que con Bioshock o Call of Duty 4.
Si alguien todavía tiene interés por el juego a pesar de las críticas mezcladas, vale la pena checar los puntos de vista de uno de los diseñadores más reconocidos en la industria.

Fuente: Atomix

Too Human... Nobody is Perfect :(

After lots of magazine articles, tons of "coming soons" bunches of new technologies enhancements and a Demand against Epic Games, Too Human is here.

What does it have to offer? A mild mix of reviews for a total score up to date of 68. If you want to read each of them, they are here: http://www.metacritic.org/games/platforms/xbox360/toohuman

Xbox 360 beats this week PS3

TOKYO (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp's (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) Xbox 360 beat Sony Corp's (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) PlayStation 3 in Japan weekly sales for the first time two weeks ago, riding robust demand for a recent Xbox 360 title produced by Namco Bandai Holdings (7832.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), a magazine publisher said.
Microsoft sold 28,116 units of the Xbox 360 in the week ended August 10, compared with 10,705 units of the PS3, driven by the August 7 launch in Japan of Namco Bandai's "Tales of Vesperia" role-playing game, Ascii Media Works said.
Microsoft, locked in a three-way game console battle with Sony and Nintendo Co Ltd (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), has been struggling to stir up demand for the Xbox 360 in Japan.
During the week, the Microsoft machine still lagged behind Nintendo's Wii, which sold 41,044 units, according to an Ascii Media Works report dated August 14.
The Wii has been leading the global video game console market since its launch in late 2006 thanks to its easy-to-learn motion-sensing controller, low price and innovative software titles such as "Wii Fit" exercise game.
Namco Bandai plans to launch "Tales of Vesperia", an Xbox 360 exclusive, in North America on August 26.

Source: Reuters

Quick Ones from Japan... >_<

- Crunch Time Games announced a new shooter Shred Nebula will be released on Xbox Live Arcade on September 3, 2008, for 800 Microsoft Points.

- Microsoft of Taiwan confirmed that Final Fantasy XIII for Xbox 360 will not be released in Asia, the Xbox 360 version will only be available in North America and Europe.

Source: The Magic Box.

New Xbox 360 Experience

Xbox reinvented, evolutioned and create a new revamped experience for users in regards of PS3 new offerings...

Microsoft's not content. Despite ostensibly having one of the best user interfaces of all the major consoles, Microsoft is reinventing the Xbox 360's look. The underlying Xbox Live foundation will remain the same, but Microsoft wants to make life even better for users by making existing features easier to find and use, decluttering the marketplace, and vastly improving the social experience of Live.

The first major change to the system involves basic navigation. The top-level channels now consist of six items that closely resemble the menu structure of Windows Media Center: Spotlight, Games, My Xbox, Primetime, Community, and Videos. Each option contains additional functionality in submenu options and contains major innovations that we'll detail below.
Users who are familiar with the traditional five-bladed menu structures will be relieved to find that the old system remains intact--they appear whenever you press the Guide button on the gamepad. Pressing the button pops up a miniature version of the original blade system. The new miniblades will be accessible anywhere, even while in a game.
Primetime

Microsoft is banking heavily on its new Primetime feature, a brand-new area that gives users a whole new way to play games together. Virtual gameshows are the name of the game here. Microsoft has already demonstrated 1 vs. 100, a game of mental king of the hill against a hundred other opponents. Microsoft will introduce other gameshow-related games to Primetime. Some events will even feature live hosts and offer prizes to keep the gameshow charm. Primetime will let you either participate in the action as a competitor or play along silently as a spectator.

Videos

Microsoft has partnered with a number of content providers to provide thousands of hours of additional content in the Xbox Live video section.
Microsoft announced at E3 2008 that content from Netflix will be viewable via Xbox Live for Xbox Live Gold members. The deal allows users who subscribe to Netflix to watch movies and TV shows saved in their Netflix Instant Queue on their Xbox 360. You will have to visit the Netflix Web site to add or remove titles from your Instant Queue. Any Instant Queue adjustments you make through the Web browser will automatically update on the Xbox 360 within seconds.

Netflix currently offers more than 10,000 movies and TV shows available for instant viewing. Video playback will stream at near DVD quality, and users will also be able to rate movies they've watched via Xbox Live.
Content from companies such as NBC Universal, Universal Studios Home Entertainment, SCI FI Channel, USA Network, Constantin, and MGM will also populate the video marketplace. Videos will be available for purchase in either standard definition or high definition.
The user interface overhaul will also improve video navigation. Staggering the video thumbnails/box covers will make finding content much easier.

Community

Microsoft added a community channel to make socializing easier. The new channel lets you quickly find your friends, see what they're doing, and then make it easy to join in on the action. New community features will let you gather into parties and find new activities to do together. LiveParty allows up to eight users to band together with shared voice and text chat. Everyone in the group shares the same communication channels while playing games, watching movies, or participating in other events. If some users switch to a game that others in the party don't own, the group will still stay in communication with one another in the LiveParty.

MyXbox

The MyXbox section will give you a central location to edit personal items. From here you'll be able to add pictures, edit your profile, and view your achievements. Microsoft will also institute a new medal system so you can show off your most recent achievements. Medals are basically graphical representations of achievements, kind of like graphical badges or trophies.
Microsoft also decided to get into the personalization fray with user avatars. Much like how you can create Miis on the Nintendo Wii and user avatars in Sony's PlayStation Home, 360 users will be able to create virtual representations of themselves in Xbox Live. The MyXbox channel will let you customize your avatar's body, hair, and clothing style. Currently all avatar graphics are being designed by Microsoft's Rare Ltd. studio. Microsoft indicated that many aspects of avatars will remain free, but upcoming content might include premium content for options such as clothing.
In addition to simply looking pretty and providing an avenue for user expression, avatars will also be usable in upcoming games. Microsoft indicated that many third-party developers are excited at the prospect and are eagerly adopting the new feature. Future game achievements may also unlock upgrades such as new outfits for your avatar.

Games and Spotlight

The Games channel will let users easily find games to purchase and explore. You'll be able to find demos, full downloads, and game previews.
The Spotlight channel serves as a simple way to access what is essentially the most popular or important stuff on Xbox Live. The channel will have links to the hottest games, events, videos, and whatever else Microsoft wants to put in front of you. The system will be updated frequently to help users discover new and interesting content.
One of the not-so-cosmetic changes in the fall update will be the ability to let you play your games directly from the hard disk. The new feature will let users install all of the game content directly onto the hard drive to improve game load times. Microsoft reports that it has seen a 30 percent improvement in load times in internal testing. As an interesting data point, Microsoft went out of its way to tell a group of reporters that the full Devil May Cry 4 hard disk installation took roughly 10 minutes on the Xbox 360. The installation took twice as long when we conducted our own installation tests on the PlayStation 3. Another side benefit of having games installed on the hard disk is reduced noise, since the optical disc no longer needs to spin up. However, you will still need to have the game disc in your optical drive while you're playing it, presumably as a piracy check.
The new Xbox experience is certainly turning out to be a colossal achievement. The update could easily qualify as a new software product with the number of features and improvements it brings to the Xbox 360. We look forward to testing out all the new upgrades when Microsoft rolls out the update this fall.

Source: GameSpot.

Gears of War 2 será cooperativo.

During our recent visit to Microsoft to try out the competitive multiplayer in Gears of War 2, we got a sneak peek at one other mode in the upcoming game, horde. Once Epic's Cliff Bleszinksi ran through the competitive modes we covered previously, he gave us a sneak peek at some other multiplayer elements and talked co-op. We're finally able to spill the details on the new mode and other choice bits on the Gears 2 multiplayer experience.
Horde is essentially a cooperative survival mode that lets you and four friends work together to deal with increasingly difficult mobs of enemies that come in waves. In addition to the new mode we had a chance to check out two new maps, avalanche and day one, which added a new wrinkle to the multiplayer experience.
So, first off, horde mode. The new mode lets you and four friends test your skills against waves of enemies. Basically every wave will be made up of a set amount of enemies. Once you clear the wave you'll have a few seconds to prep and collect ammo and whatever pickups have been left by your foes or gear that respawns. The first waves are totally manageable and are made up of familiar enemies. However, as the levels progress things get crazy as new enemies such as the mauler boomer, butcher boomer, grinder boomer, and the flamer boomer. Each variation comes packing new weapons and gear that bumps up their threat and irritation levels to new heights.
However, you might look back fondly on the new boomers when you hear about what else is coming. The bloodmounts are new and exciting enemies which find locust riding mounts that bring a world of pain. If you're fast you can take out their riders, but these new foes are something else. At the moment the mode is being tweaked for balancing so specifics on the number of waves, right now Epic is thinking 50 or so, and exactly how things will play out are still being determined. We got pretty far in our play time, but things got pretty brutal. The biggest challenge is keeping your ammo stocked by collecting what's handy before enemies spawn in. The best way to survive is teamwork as your group can revive each other if everyone's attentive and fast on their feet. If you can't be revived before something horrible happens you'll respawn in time for the next wave if one of your team members survives.
One of the cool new twists to the mode is the stage interactivity on the two new maps we saw, day one and avalanche. Day one is set in a city center and paints a disturbing picture of how things went down on emergence day. Basically the stage is made up of a downtown city street, complete with movie theater. At its center is an emergence hole that offers an unpleasant surprise every so often: a rampaging worm that reaches out and chomps on anything that's unlucky enough to be close by.
However the avalanche level featured an even crazier interactive element, an actual avalanche that changed the layout of the level. Before the mighty rush of snow hits the level is a simple mountainside town. The boxy level is bordered by structures you can go in and explore with a center area that has a gazebo like structure with weapons to collect. The problem with the center area is, when the snow hits, you don't want to be there as you'll instantly die. While the snow is dangerous, there are some nice perks to it. The biggest perk is that the level layout is changed by the snow and you'll be able to access different weapons, including some from the new weapon class being introduced in the game, the heavy weapon class. We got to see two, the mulcher and the mortar, from the new class which is essentially an incredibly powerful but challenging to aim firearm. The mulcher is a chaingun like weapon that is a powerful close quarters weapon with so much kick it's tough to be too accurate with. The secondary fire to it lets you actually plant it in the ground and create a mobile turret with a limited range of fire. The challenge is that the weapon uses a heat system which will lock up the gun if you use it too often. To help you balance usage you can manually cool it by flushing heat. The new mechanic is called active cooling and works like the active reload system.
The mortar follows the same logic and lets you fire a cluster of powerful explosives that present a danger to anything around, including you. However, if you plant it in the ground you'll get a range finder and be able to take out foes at a far range which is incredibly handy. The downside to both weapons is that you'll move slowly with them and using them on the fly isn't super effective.
The visuals in horde mode and the new maps are obviously along the same quality lines as what we've reported. We would like to call out the visuals for the avalanche which are very cool. The heavy weapons are a little nutty but feature some impressive effects that sell their raw power.
Based on what we played, horde mode is a slick new addition to the Gears experience. The five player support is cool, although we do still wish for some two plus player co-op, and a lot of fun. Another cool tidbit we didn't get to see too much of was bot support in the game which sounds like another cool touch that Epic's adding into the game. Look for more on Gears of War 2 this week when Microsoft demos it live on our stage show Tuesday afternoon. The game is slated to ship this November.

Source: GameSpot

Trailer de Final Fantasy XIII

El Trailer que se presentó en la conferencia de Microsoft.

It's Official Final Fantasy XIII to Xbox 360 too!!!

Square Enix's formerly PS3-only RPG epic will launch day and date on Microsoft's console in North America and Europe; timed 360 exclusive hitting US Sept. 2, EU Sept. 5. By Tor Thorsen, GameSpot Posted Jul 14, 2008 2:04 pm CT LOS ANGELES--At the 2005 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Microsoft presented what it thought was a major announcement from a top Japanese developer, Square Enix. Unfortunately, the "news" proved a tad anticlimactic, considering that the game in question was Final Fantasy XI, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game previously released on the PC in 2003 and the PlayStation 2 in 2004. Despite a sizeable PR push, the 360 edition of the game was lukewarmly received by critics and consumers, who barely bought 213,000 copies of it in the US. Over the next three years, Microsoft would announce several more Square Enix games for the Xbox 360, including the exclusive Star Ocean: The Last Hope and the timed exclusive The Last Remnant. However, in many gamers' minds these projects were dwarfed in importance by the stature of two other Square Enix games: Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy XIII Versus, both PlayStation 3 exclusives... ...until today. This morning at its press briefing at the E3 Media & Business Summit, Microsoft stunned many in the audience by announcing that Final Fantasy XIII is now in development for the Xbox 360. Not only is the game coming to the console, but it will arrive on the same day and date as the PlayStation 3 edition of the game, with no timed exclusivity of any kind. However, when exactly that is remains a mystery, given that the graphics-intensive role-playing game still has no firm release date. "We believe that releasing an Xbox 360 version of Final Fantasy XIII will allow us to provide the game to even more fans in the two regions of North America and Europe," Square Enix boss Yoichi Wada told a stunned audience. No mentioned was made of Japan, where the 360 is far less popular than the PS3. Wada also used today's event to date the 360 release of The Last Remnant in all regions. The game will ship in North America on September 2, Europe and the UK on September 5, and Japan and Asia on September 11.

Source: GameSpot

Rock Band 2... Rocks too!!

While the original Rock Band is still going strong, Harmonix is already looking towards the next bit of kit that it hopes will be cluttering your place, with it now getting official with Rock Band 2 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. This time around, it seems the Xbox 360 will be getting a jump on things with a launch in September, with the PS3 version set to follow "later in the year." Both of those will, naturally, be coming with all new instruments, including the tasty Fender Stratocaster pictured above, but you will be able to use your current gear if you want to spare the extra clutter and save a few bucks. What's more, you'll also be able to carry over all your current downloaded content and, as IGN reports, you'll even be able to download and play new tracks on Rock Band 1 once Rock Band 2 is out. Of course, Harmonix is saving most of the details for E3 next month Here is more detail information: June 30, 2008 - Rock Band is ready for a comeback tour. Today, Harmonix announced Rock Band 2 is set to ship for Xbox 360 this September and PS3 later in the year. However, the official announcement of Rock Band 2 is sparse on details, so we went straight to Harmonix to learn more. We spoke with Lead Designer Dan Teasdale to get the full scoop on the mega-sequel. Teasdale gave us his thoughts on user-created content, improving accessibility, upgrading last year's model and more. Source: IGN.COM

60% of GTA IV games were Xbox 360...

Following the launch of Take-Two and Rockstar Games' critically lauded Grand Theft Auto IV on April 29, the question on many industry watchers' minds was just how well the heavily anticipated game performed and whether it lived up to its heady expectations. Take-Two kept the stats-hungry mob on edge a full week after, saying just yesterday that the game nailed its reported 6 million sales prediction, generating $500 million in week-one revenue.
While Take-Two kept the industry waiting, Sony, which sponsored a portion of the advertising spots for the game, chimed in a full week prior to extol the game's as-yet-unconfirmed performance. In a congratulatory statement bereft of any hard details, the PlayStation maker said GTAIV "drove sales of the PlayStation 3 entertainment system within the first 24 hours," and not much else.
It now appears that the reason for Sony's ambiguity was that the majority of consumers opted to pick up GTAIV on Microsoft's console. Today on Microsoft's marketing-team-operated GamerScoreBlog, the publisher dished on the stats breakdown for the 6 million copies of the game sold in its first week at market.
"According to retailers, more than 60 percent of all GTA games sold in the first week were the Xbox 360 version," the publisher's marketing team wrote on its blog. Sony had not responded to queries for comment on this claim as of press time. According to the hardware maker's most recent numbers, the Xbox 360's global installed base stands at 19 million, with the PlayStation 3 trailing at 13 million.
Microsoft also said that GTAIV has caused sales of its console to spike 54 percent week-over-week and that retailers' data indicates the game is attaching to new console purchases at a rate of 40 percent. GTAIV has also proven to be a hit with online gamers, as the publisher noted earlier this week that the game had unseated Activision's Call of Duty 4 as the top Xbox Live title for the week.