Filed under: Gaming

Quite honestly, there’s absolutely zero proof that Intel and Microsoft are yapping it up in regard to Larrabee, but considering just how logical it sounds, we couldn’t help but pass along the latest whispers surrounding the two. According to those fabled “industry insiders,” The Inquirer has it that Intel is currently on bended knee asking Microsoft to integrate Larrabee into the next-generation Xbox. If it were to land such a deal, developers would — in essence — be forced to develop for Larrabee given the need for console titles, which could then make things all the easier for Intel on the PC side. Like we said, this is all speculatory for now, but so long as the dots continue to connect, we’ll at least give this one a fighting chance at materializing.

[Via Joystiq]

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Filed under: Gaming

It’s Friday the 5th, that means that the $200 Xbox 360 just became the lowest-priced console in the US (as it is in Japan) compared to the perpetually “sold out” $250 Wii and 80GB PS3 selling for double the price of diskless Arcade. With no new price cuts expected from either Sony or Nintendo, the holiday console wars are officially on. Picture proof of the $199 Xbox 360 Arcade in the wild after the break.

[Thanks, JerkyChew]

Continue reading Xbox 360 now cheapest console in the US — game on Santa

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Filed under: Gaming

It wasn’t any secret that the Xbox 360 was getting a price cut in the next week or so, and now it’s official — Major Nelson just confirmed that as of September 5th, the Arcade will be $199, the Pro will be $299, and the Elite will be $399. No motion controller, goofy Live starter pack, or tweaked controller to be found, but we’re not arguing with price cuts.

Update: Here’s the Microsoft press release.

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Filed under: Gaming

Japan’s Nikkei is reporting what we’ve been hearing Stateside for weeks: Xbox 360 price cuts across the board. Expected to go official sometime later today, the Japanese Xbox 360 Arcade will drop to just ¥19,800 or about $182 (tax inclusive, presumably) in hopes of boosting sales. The new pricing represents a near 30% drop from its previous ¥27,800 (about $256) price and undercuts the Wii sold locally for ¥25,000. Nikkei’s sources also claim that Microsoft will cut the prices on all three Xbox 360 models without going into specifics. If true then this bodes well for the US price cuts expected on September 7th.

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Filed under: Gaming

Japan’s Nikkei is reporting what we’ve been hearing Stateside for weeks: Xbox 360 price cuts across the board. Expected to go official sometime later today, the Japanese Xbox 360 Arcade will drop to just ¥19,800 or about $182 (tax inclusive, presumably) in hopes of boosting sales. The new pricing represents a near 30% drop from its previous ¥27,800 (about $256) price and undercuts the Wii sold locally for ¥25,000. Nikkei’s sources also claim that Microsoft will cut the prices on all three Xbox 360 models without going into specifics. If true then this bodes well for the US price cuts expected on September 7th.

Update: It’s official. Microsoft also announced a new ¥29,800 (about $277) price for the Xbox 360 with 60GB hard disk. The new price goes into effect on September 11th.

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Filed under: Gaming

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Filed under: Gaming

Correct us if we’re wrong, but the Lian Li XB01 chassis for the Xbox 360 marks a notable departure for the case mod industry. Far from making the 360 “more badass” or “more laptopy,” the Lian Li XB01 merely aspires to make the 360 what it should’ve been out of the gate: cool and quiet(er). The folks at bit-tech.net put one through its paces, and have discerned that it “looks pretty pimp.” They do note that the $150 case isn’t built with quite as high of standards as Lian Li is known for, and there were a few minor quibbles, but once they tossed the Xbox 360 innards inside and booted her up, it became clear what the XB01 is all about: the 360 run silently without a disc, and only makes a bit of noise with a DVD in. Unfortunately, as soon as you toss a game in the drive noise is once again deafening. Oh well, maybe next year we’ll get a 360 that doesn’t require earplugs to play… and at least hard drive-based games are right around the corner.

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Filed under: Gaming

The next Xbox 360 Dashboard update promises to be a big one, with a totally revised menu system, Netflix support, and Wii-like avatars, but so far Microsoft’s kept mum on when it’s coming — but we’d circle November on your calendars for now, since that’s what MS UK apparently told the crew at RPG-TV. It’s still not official official, but at least now you have something to look forward to in November besides awkwardly hanging out with people from high school over Thanksgiving.

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Filed under: Gaming

We’ve already heard plenty of talk about the Xbox 360 Arcade dropping to a mere $199, but a tipster to Xbox 360 Fanboy is now claiming that there’s more than just a price cut in store for the entry-level bundle, with it also supposedly in line to get a motion controller as a pack-in. According to the source, who’s supposedly “close to Microsoft’s marketing department,” the new bundle will include the usual Arcade games and 512MB memory card, as well as the forthcoming Fall update pre-installed, said motion controller, and some motion-controlled mini-games developed by Rare. Supposedly, it’ll be released in time for the 2008 Holiday season, which may or may not mean that it’s the same $199 Arcade bundle that’s rumored to be on track for a September release. That same source also says that the motion controller will be sold separately and bundled with an even more expansive list of games, but word on a price or release date for it seems to be a bit harder to come by.

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Filed under: Cellphones

Why lust after a Zunephone when you can have an Xbox 360 Sidekick LX? Based on an admittedly bizarre and entirely painful-to-watch video posted up in the read link, Soulja Boy is seen spazzing out over what appears to be a special edition Sidekick LX. The unit is branded (at least in the software) with Xbox 360 logos, and there’s also a copy of Resident Evil: Genesis on there that he toys with momentarily. So, the question here: is this thing legit? On one hand, Danger does have a thing for pumping out limited run Sidekicks like they’re going out of style, and plus, it would probably have a hard time convincing an A-list rapper to carry a prototype Sidekick. On the other, we’re really inclined to believe this is just a sad way for Soulja Boy to fill up his inbox with soulless emails. “SouljaBoyTellEm@tmail.com — holla atcha boy!”

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According to our good, dear, beautiful friends at Joystiq (and Radio Shack, incidentally) the Xbox 360 family is going to be seeing those rumored price cuts in the very near future. Falling right in line with that chatter we heard at the beginning of the month, a leaked Radio Shack circular seems to indicate that there will be reductions across the board for the console, with the 60GB version clocking in at $299, the Elite running you a cool $399, and the Arcade setup dropping to a totally affordable $199 (we’re looking at you, potential Xbox LIVE opponents). Sure this could all be some Photoshop wiz’s idea of a hilarious joke, but we’re keeping the fingers and toes crossed over here. Target date for truth? September 7th — so stay tuned.

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Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

Wait, let’s get this straight. We understood that the newfangled Xbox 360 controller would be limited in nature (though we never understood why), but now you’re telling us that North Americans will have to get lucky on the international second-hand market to obtain one? According to information spilled to Eurogamer, that’s the deal. Microsoft is reportedly loosing the pad in Europe, Asia and Latin America as a “promotional item” that ties in with Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer. Also, it’s very green, and only green. We’re still waiting to hear if Microsoft has plans to bring this stateside or use it to replace the existing controller entirely, but who knows, maybe the US edition will boast four analog sticks and a built-in LCD with real-time LIVE! status checking.

[Via Joystiq]

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Filed under: Gaming

According to gamesindustry.biz, Microsoft is confirming a slight revision to its Xbox 360 controller design. Apparently, the new iteration of the gamepad includes enhancements to its d-pad, which admittedly has always been somewhat lacking. In Microsoft’s words: “The new limited edition green wireless controller offers enhancements to d-pad functionality, which will add to the experience of playing games where the d-pad is the primary control mechanism.” We’d like to think that this d-pad tweak will finally give us an opportunity to level up in COD4 from Corporal to Lieutenant General in no time.

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Filed under: Gaming

It’s sad that the petty bickering between Activision, Harmonix, and Konami required console makers to step up and ensure that gamers didn’t end up with piles of redundant plastic instrument controllers, but things are starting to get better — just as Sony did yesterday, Microsoft announced that it’s requiring Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Revolution to be cross-compatible on the Xbox 360. The post on Redmond’s Gamerscore blog isn’t chock-full of details, but we’ll commend Microsoft and Sony for getting involved to make sure that all the lawsuits and infighting don’t adversely affect their customers — now if they could only find a way to make those drumkits actually fit into a living room, we’d be all set.

[Via Joystiq]

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Filed under: Home Entertainment

PlayOn wants to make sure you can get your daily dose of Barackrolls and Airwolf episodes beyond the desktop, while Hulu might not have a slick streaming set-top box of its own, this media server software turns flash video RSS streams into easily browsed folders for your DLNA-compliant hardware. PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and HP MediaSmart HDTVs being at the top of that list (with Nintendo Wii support planned by year-end) owners can grab the beta release of the software and stream low-res episodes of Psych, or any assortment of YouTube video they please. With Netflix support “just down the road” this could provide an end around for PS3 owners looking for streaming love, or Xbox 360 owners without Xbox Live Gold (we know you’re out there.) Bad news is the beta only lasts 60 days and there’s a $30 pricetag waiting at the end of the free lunch highway. Our experience was good, with no stutters in a Psych episode streamed via Wi-Fi to the PS3 (albeit with no choice of HD clips), but we’d wait for confirmation on the whole Netflix bit before dropping any dough.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

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Filed under: Gaming

It looks like the week ending August 10th brought a bit of a surprise to the sometimes predictable Japanese hardware sales charts, as the just released numbers have now revealed that the Xbox 360 has shot past the PlayStation 3, and by a wide margin no less. All told, Microsoft moved some 24,962 units during the week, compared to just 9,673 PS3s sold — a number that, by all accounts, is largely due to the release of the 360-exclusive Tales of Vesperia game, which itself sold over 100,000 copies. That still leaves the Xbox 360 well behind the Wii, however, with it moving an impressive 38,506 units during the same time period, although that was a dip of more than 6% from the previous week. In related news, the DS Lite regained its slight lead over the PSP, with it moving 60,434 units compared to the PSP’s 58,501, and Joystiq took a not-to-be-missed dip into the Bizarro world for it’s always insightful account of the week’s events — you can check it out at the link below.

[Via Joystiq]

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Filed under: Gaming

It’ll take some DIY muscle, but if you’re tired of sending your Xbox 360 back to Microsoft after suffering yet another Red Ring o’ Death seizure then this custom case is for you. Designed specifically for the Xbox 360, the $150 PC-XB01 chassis from Lian Li is now shipping globally with the promise of a silent, vibration-free, and cooler running gaming experience. And really, besides a bag of chips and 100mg of Guarana, what more could you ask for? Oh right, a warranty extension.

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Filed under: Gaming

Buh. So, this is getting confusing. According to sources over at ShackNews, the Rock Band 2 Special Edition bundle that was originally set to launch on September 14 exclusively on Xbox 360 will hit stores on October 19. For you fanboys keeping score, that’s the same date that the game will hit for other consoles. It’s still not clear if the game and instruments will still show up on retail shelves on September 14, but if you were looking to get your groove on in September, you may want to chill.

[Via Crunchgear]

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Filed under: Gaming

We’ve already seen walkthroughs of the new Xbox 360 Dashboard, but this is the first look we’ve had at a feature we’re sort of stoked on: the ability to install games to the internal hard drive from DVD. From the looks of things, it’s an extremely simple process to get the data moved over (despite the long waits for multiple GB files being copied), though it looks like you’ll still need the DVD on hand to actually play the game. Don’t believe a word we’re saying? Take a look at the video after the break and see for yourself!

[Via Xbox-Scene News]

Continue reading Xbox 360’s new Dashboard game install demoed on video

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