Microsoft Xbox 360

[pathogen]

At this year’s E3, Microsoft really only needed to make an appearance and show off a bunch of new Xbox 360 games.  That they did, but they also wheeled out a new PC gaming brand, talked about the game-friendly features of the upcoming Vista OS, and, best of all, introduced the world to Live Anywhere.  

Live Anywhere is a cross-platform online gaming service that is similar to what Xbox Live does today: maintains your friends list, allows you to track your games and game progress and compare that to the games and progress within those games of those on your friends list, access to MS’s Xbox Marketplace where you can download free demos and trailers as well as buy in-game goodies (weapons, armor, levels, etc.), send friends game invites, send text or voice messages, as well as other multi-media features.  Live Anywhere will be blended seamlessly into Vista and will also be available on any cell phone running Windows Mobile.  So, that’s 10 million Xbox 360 owners by this holiday, connecting to 230 million windows PC gamers, connected to 1 billion game-ready cell phones (of course, the PC gamers would have to be running Vista and the cell phones Mobile, but you get the idea of how big this could get).  

They showed a demo of someone sending a game invite from a X360 to a PC gamer and the two playing the same game against each other, cross platform.  MS announced that, like the recent RPG blockbuster Oblivion, many of their upcoming games will launch for both the X360 and the PC and that the online gameplay for those releases will allow PC and X360 owners to play together/against each other across both systems.  To illustrate how a cell phone could fit into Live Anywhere, MS demo’d someone sending a car from their upcoming racer, Forza 2, from a X360 to someone’s phone.  You couldn’t play the game on the cell, but you could see the car and tweak it out from there before sending it back or on to your own X360 (and you can also access the MS marketplace from you phone and, say, buy new parts for the car before sending it on).  Pretty sweet and a great way to incorporate an operating system that you’re already looking for ways to sell to the masses.  

After showing off new X360 trailers and telling the crowd that there will be over 160 X360 games on the market by this Christmas, Peter Moore seemed to be ready to bust out with Halo 3 news that so many people were waiting to hear.  When Halo 2’s official launch date was announced at E3, Moore dramatically rolled up one of his sleeves to show off a Halo 2 tattoo.  This year he did the same.  First he showed the Halo 2 tat, lest anyone forgot, and then he started rolling up his other sleeve.  However, instead of a Halo 3 tattoo, much to the surprise of the crowd, he had a Grand Theft Auto IV tattoo!  Then he made it know that the next GTA game would launch the same day on the X360 and the PS3 and that Rockstar and MS signed an exclusivity agreement to release episodic content only available on Xbox Live. That’s a big change from the years and year of exclusivity that only Sony enjoyed with Rockstar.  Considering that the last GTA game alone has made almost a billion $$$ (no kidding), that's a huge announcement.  



Moore also pledged continued support from Japanese developers to help penetrate the Japanese market and to please all of the RPG fans in the US.  He showed off the upcoming Xbox video camera and the X360 HD-DVD player for all of you crazy fools who can’t wait to watch Stealth in high definition.  Yeah, that’ll make that movie any less sucky.  

The X360 HD-DVD player:



That’s about it for the MS conference.  They announced/showed off what most folks expected and even threw in a few surprises.  Current X360 owners were happy to see that MS released a ton of new demos and game trailers on Xbox Live this week to celebrate E3 (some of those listed here).  One of those demos was for Lost Planet, an upcoming X360 game I’m personally all kinds of excited to get my hands on.  C’mon, giant bugs, big robots, and snow pirates!!!!  It doesn’t get much better.  Lost Planet is supposed to come over from Japan next year and after playing two missions in the demo, I can’t freakin’ wait.  SNOW PIRATES!!!!!!!!  

Official Xbox E3 coverage.

Jack Black Ready to Race on Xbox Live.

A moistened bint on the X360 tip.  

Current list of Xbox games playable on the X360.  More are available all the time.  The original Xbox and the X360 use two different graphics processors (GPUs) from two different companies (nVidia and ATI- really the only two players in the game and they are fierce competitors).  So, to compensate for the differences between the two GPUs, the X360 uses software (emulators) to fill in the holes, so to speak.  They are constantly adding games to the list of compatible games, but the level of importance of backwards compatibility differs wildly depending on who you ask.  Sony made a big deal about it when the PS2 launched, but that’s because there were only a few PS2 games available at launch and none were system sellers.  I can see the relevance of backwards compatibility, but concentrating on making older technology work on newer systems only holds the new hardware back.  Let it go, I say.  But that’s just me... and I’m retarded.  Yay.

[pathogen]

100GB HDD, $100 price drop lead Xbox 360 rumor avalanche

Source: Spanish game site Meristation.com by way of xbox365.com.

The official story: "Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation." -- Microsoft rep.

What we heard: Either Meristation.com is darn creative, or Microsoft has a serious leak problem. The Madrid-based game site claims to have received a laundry list of revelations from a chatty employee of the software behemoth's Xbox 360 division.

If true, the list augurs a host of major Xbox 360 developments in the coming months. Foremost among these is a price drop in October, shortly before the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Revolution go on sale. According to Meristation.com's source, the price of the premium Xbox 360 bundle will go from $399 to $299, while the core bundle will drop $80 from $299 to $219.

The Microsoft mole also reportedly had revelations regarding some Xbox 360 peripherals. S/he said that the console's HD-DVD peripheral will be $100 and arrive in September, the same month that its EyeToy-like camera will ship. The camera will cost $50-$70 and come bundled with a game, will allow for Webcam videoconferencing, and be called "My Eye on You." (Insert snide Orwellian Bill-Gates-as-Big-Brother aside here.) The source also says that Microsoft is readying a 100GB hard drive for the 360, but did not have a release date or price.

On the game tip, the Meristation.com mole said that Halo 3 will be at E3 in two weeks in trailer form. The game will reportedly ship in March 2007, several months before the Halo movie is slated to hit theaters.

Another highly anticipated Xbox 360 game, Gears of War, will arrive the last week of October 2006 on the crest of a massive marketing push, according to the mole. Microsoft is also reportedly in negotiations to get exclusive rights for a high-profile "urban game"--which the site speculates could be the next Grand Theft Auto.

Though the above rumors are more than enough craziness for an asylum's worth of insane gamers, the Meristation story has more. It says that Sega has struck a deal much like its one with Nintendo to make most Genesis games playable on the Xbox 360 via a "virtual console." The site says said functionality will be available as of October, along with another wave of all new Xbox Live Arcade games.

Meristation's rumorpalooza wraps up with the mention that two new Xbox 360 dashboards are in the works, with one designed specifically for kids. It also says that Microsoft has signed deals with Epic Records for Xbox-360-exclusive music content, and with NBC to televise Xbox Live tournaments. Speaking of Xbox Live, the story also says that the bandwidth devoted to the online service will soon quintuple.

There's no question that the Meristation speculation will cause palpitations in just about any Xbox fanboy or girl. But once the enthusiasm generated by the story dies down, skepticism sets in. The simple fact is, with Microsoft maintaining its traditional wall of silence, there is no way to confirm or deny any aspect of the story. However, if even half of the details are true, Sony and Nintendo will be playing a serious game of catch-up when their consoles launch later in the year.

Bogus or not bogus?: There's no way of saying for sure, but take heart: Microsoft's pre-E3 press briefing is just over two weeks away.

[pathogen]

Microsoft Extends Xbox 360 Warranty to One Year

This holiday season, shoppers can buy with added confidence as Microsoft expands its warranty coverage of the Xbox 360™ video game entertainment console from 90 days to one full year. Microsoft has announced that any Xbox 360 purchased in both the United States and Canada will include this added warranty coverage, and it even applies to those who have already purchased an Xbox 360 console and who are still within their first year of ownership!

Effective today (December 22), the one year warranty is now the standard for all Xbox 360 consoles. Customers that experience hardware issues with their Xbox 360 within one year of purchase will have their consoles repaired at no cost. Moreover, the new warranty policy is retroactive, so consumers that may have already paid for out-of-warranty Xbox 360 repair within one year of the console's purchase will be eligible for reimbursement of their console repair charges.

"Our number one priority for the Xbox 360 is customer satisfaction," said Jeff Bell, Corporate Vice President of Global Marketing for Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business. "Now, in addition to Xbox 360 offering features such as jaw-dropping high definition graphics, an amazing variety of more than 160 games, and social online and entertainment experiences found on Xbox Live®, this warranty upgrade is an exclamation at the end of an already compelling home entertainment offering."

Customers who have already paid for repairs within their first year of ownership can expect reimbursement checks for the amount of their console hardware repair in approximately 10 weeks. These will be automatically distributed, so customers do not need to proactively contact Microsoft. Customers who have any questions regarding this policy change or who have experienced any hardware issues should visit: http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/contact/ or call 1-800-4-MY-XBOX and speak to an agent.

This warranty extension only applies to the hardware and software of the actual Xbox 360 console itself. It does not apply to any Xbox 360 accessories, including any that may have been packaged with the console at the time of its original purpose. Xbox 360 accessories retain their original 90 day warranties.

[pathogen]

Original Xbox Games Playable on Xbox 360

List updated December 2006.

[cuddlyevil]

Our xbox 360 is being exchanged for the second time in less than a week (first it was a bad controller, now we have the red ring of death). I want a refund so freaking badly... 

[Butter]

The RROD concerns really put me off of buying a 360.  And a PS3 is just too freakin' expensive.

I have heard that anywhere from 10-20% of XBox 360 owners have experienced the red ring of death.  That's absolutely freaking crazy.

[cuddlyevil]

Yeah, we got a great deal on it (employee discounts = 20-30%, but it's also a reconditioned unit), but now it's looking like we should've saved our money and gotten one of the upper level models (have heard the halo model doesn't have all these issues). Oi.

[Kwyjibo]

Haven't had a lick of trouble with our wii....

[cuddlyevil]

That's nice Kwyj. I can't convince my husband that a Wii is another good system option and he refuses to buy a PS3 (which I totally support). I was all over the xbox 360 until the RROD.

[Kwyjibo]

He enjoyed paying that extra $150 so he could play the same old tired first person shooters, eh?  Oh, well.

Nintendo will never shake the stigma of being a kiddie system.  Every adult that's played ours has wanted one though.

[cuddlyevil]

Well, he's still got his gamecube and his N64 (which still runs pretty well), so he's a nintendo guy. But there are a few games that are on xbox that aren't available for the Wii and the HDdvd capability is pretty nice. He's just not sold on the Wii yet for some reason.

[Butter]

Graphically, the Wii is barely a jump over a Gamecube.  I'm not sold on it either, but everyone I've talked to that has one raves, and we bought one half for our kids anyway.  XBox 360 was too sketchy quality-wise, and PS3 was too expensive, so that's why we bought one.  I certainly don't begrudge anyone for getting a 360, because those games look AWESOME.  I would love to play some of those things.

Nintendo deserves its kiddie games designation as far as I'm concerned, because most of the games that come out for it are family oriented.  Is that bad?  Not necessarily.  But nearly all of the violent games are 3rd party releases that are not made for the Wii.  So if you want to play a good first person shooter, the Wii is not really for you.  Or a good sports game.  Or an adult-skewing action/adventure game (although Wii does have Resident Evil, so I'll give them that).

[cuddlyevil]

I certainly don't begrudge anyone for getting a 360, because those games look AWESOME.  I would love to play some of those things.

Yeah, the sad thing is, we couldn't get past bejeweled 2 (on the arcade set that came with the system). We got addicted, then it died 

[Hell Toupee]

He's just not sold on the Wii yet for some reason.

I sold my Wii to my parents for that reason... I only had 3 games that I played on a regular basis with it and nothing was coming out on it that piqued my interest (other than Super Smash Dojo, which I was only magianlly interested in). Once I finished Zelda, I only had Super Paper Mario, Zak and Wiki (which is the only game I really miss), and Warioware. Never tried Galaxy, but I'm not a big Mario person anyway.

The X360 is trickier. I have two, since my original crapped out on me (and I just got it back from repair), and I bought a new one. I bought the new one for a couple of reasons. Some of the newer models of the 360 have cooler chips with better heatsinks, which are less likely to RROD. My original machine was from launch and I was surprised it lasted 2 years. The new machine I received has a 65ns Falcon chipset in it which runs cooler, so I'm hoping for good things from that.

A couple of things that might help prospective 360 buyers:

1 - you can tell when your machine was manufactured by looking at the serial number on the machine... if you're looking to buy a 360 from a store (I recommend places where you can actually touch the box of the unit, like Best Buy... places like Target keep them behind glass where finding the Serial # isn't possible), you can find the serial number behind a flap on the back of the box...

"To know when and where your console was made, you need the last 5 digits of the serial number. The first of those five digits is the year in which it was made (5 = 2005, 6 = 2006, 7 = 2007). The next two are the week in which it was made (01 = 1st week, 02 = 2nd week up to 52 = last week of the year). You can use this calendar to pinpoint the exact month. The last two digits is where the console was assembled (05 = China, 06 = China and 07 = China).

The three manufacturing facilities that assemble the Xbox 360 are Wistron, Flextronics and Celestica. Wistron has ceased production of new consoles as of this summer."

2 - Look for the team and lot numbers on the side of the box. There are three teams: TMEM, FDOU, and C(something... I forget). The most reliable ones most people have been coming up with are the ones made by team FDOU. The next thing to check is the lot number. You want something at least 736 or higher. Lastly, check the manufacturing date (next to the serial number on the machine itself behind that flap). If it's in October or later, the more likely you are to have a Falcon chip rather than a Zephyr. If it says anything about Zephyr on the side panel where the lot information is, don't get it. It will not say anything about Falcon on the side panel if it is one.

This might help some people considering buying one, but the #1 point above will help people who are getting repaired machines back from MSoft, since the serial number will tell you just how 'new' that refurb you received is.

[c-lando]

The Greg got the Red Ring of Death after only having the thing for 2 months. He sent it off to be repaired, got it back a couple of weeks later and it immediately had a different problem with it (only read games as DVDs and told him to put a game in an Xbox 360 console if he wanted to play a game). He had to send it back a second time. They got it back to him within a week (during the holidays/end of the year - surprising!) and it has been OK since then. Oh...except he said it's missing something to do with the internet.