A Yale student is suing US Airways for $1 million in compensation for his lost Xbox 360 and the emotional toll of attempting to recover it. He claims he had an Xbox 360 with a “specialized hard drive” and other fancy components worth more than $1,000 (is that the kind with the really, really loud drive noise?) in his checked luggage, and when he went to pick up his luggage it was considerably lighter than before, with the Xbox 360 and components found as the only thing missing. Sounds like no-fun-at-all, and the “run-around” he got with speaking to five different airline employees sounds equally painful, but we’re not sure how that all adds up to $1,000,000 — the maximum allowable by law in his state. US Airways says that not only does the federal limit of liability for lost luggage top out at $3,300, but that electronics checked in luggage are specifically excluded from liability. How kind.

[Via Joystiq]

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Man files $1 million lawsuit against US Airways for lost Xbox 360 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Mar 2009 11:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This one’s still a long ways from actually panning out, but Fudzilla is reporting that Microsoft could be about to phase out its standard Xbox 360 Elite console and instead fill out the top end of the scale with limited edition models like the recent Resident Evil 5 bundle. According to the site’s unnamed sources, Microsoft would get the transition started by simply letting inventory dry up beginning sometime in the second quarter of this year, during which time it would apparently limit sales of the console to North America and Europe. Then, once those have all been moved off the shelves, Microsoft would supposedly shift its attention to new, potentially even pricier, limited edition consoles, which themselves could well be limited to select retailers. In other Xbox 360 news, Fudzilla also says that Microsoft could soon be offering a new standalone hard drive that’s bigger than the 120GB drive now found in the Elite, although there’s no indication as to exactly how much bigger.

[Via Joystiq]

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Xbox 360 Elite being phased out in favor of limited edition models? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New 360 SKUs always seem to land on Target shelves a bit early, and the new Resident Evil 5 red Xbox 360 Elite limited edition is no exception — there it is, hanging out in Pembroke Pines, Florida. We don’t know if these are just out behind the counter or if the staff is just ignoring that DO NOT SELL BEFORE 3.13.09 sticker, but we’re certain some kind soul will let us know soon.

[Thanks, Morgan]

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Red Xbox 360 Resident Evil Limited Edition spotted in the wild originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Mar 2009 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is your Xbox 360 red in the face? No, not that kind of red, but facing that painstakingly loathsome red ring of death? Well, if group product manager Aaron Greenberg knows anything about the situation — and we’d imagine he does — then it looks like the guys at Microsoft have finally found a solution to many gamers’ worst nightmares. In an interview with Edge Online, Greenberg said that through repairs they’ve done as well as updated technology, the guys in Redmond are pretty confident that afflicted consoles should be nonexistent in the not so distant future and that they’ve “put the worst behind us on this.” So, breathe easy obsessive gamers, you needn’t worry about getting an infected console any more — we hope.

[Via Yahoo! Games]

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Xbox 360 red ring of death problems (finally) solved? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 01 Mar 2009 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony announced a landmark this week for its PlayStation Network: 20 million users worldwide, as of February 20. According to the presser, that breaks down to 5 million in the first 14 months of service, 5 million more 8 months later, and an additional 10 million the 7 months after that. There’s quite a few caveats to consider here, as that includes PSP and PS3 users as well as anyone who wishes to use the official PS forums, whether or not they own one of the aforementioned consoles.

However, more interesting to us is a note about the service generating $180 million life to date in revenue. It’s a stark contrast to Xbox Live’s reported $1 billion revenue since its 2002 launch, as of E3 2009. Based on figures from leaked to Seattle P-I this week, which said XBL had 10 million subscribers worldwide and a 56 percent Gold subscriptions rate in February 2008, we can do some fuzzy math. Assuming those Gold members paid the $50 annual subscription — or $4.16 monthly, the cheapest per month option — that amounts to $23.3 million for the month, not accounting for discounts or free Gold trials. Presuming no subscription growth for sake of argument — we know it’s growing — that’s $280 million annually, well over PSN’s life to date revenues. Say what you will about mean ol’ Microsoft charging for online play, the numbers seem to go in its favor.

[Via Joystiq]

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PlayStation Network snags 20M users, Xbox Live still way more profitable originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 18:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Curious what’s in that hot new red Xbox 360 Resident Evil Limited Edition box? Well, Major Nelson’s got you covered — he just posted up this quick video going over the contents. You’re getting the red 360 with 120GB drive, a red controller, black headset, HDMI, component, and Ethernet cables, a download code for Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, RE 5, and… the standard Xbox power supply. Yeah! We’ll hit you with a real unboxing when it all goes on sale — which just happens to be Friday the 13th, our favorite day in March.

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Red Xbox 360 Resident Evil Limited Edition “unboxed” by Major Nelson originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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var digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/xbox/Red_Xbox_360_Resident_Evil_5_Edition’; Looks like that red Resident Evil 5 Xbox 360 bundle wasn’t just some tripped out figment of your imagination. Just moments ago, the package popped up for Xbox Live subscribers, detailing a handsome red Xbox 360 Elite with a 120GB hard drive, Resident Evil 5, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, and a few other odds and ends (like a handful of cables). There’s an indication that you can pre-order the kit, but at this point, we’re not aware of any place to follow through. We’ll keep our eyes peeled, of course.

Update: According to the German press release we just received, the limited edition bundle will hit Europe on March 13th for €299 — likely $399 Stateside. Gallery updated with official press pictures.

Continue reading Red ‘Resident Evil 5′ Xbox 360 unveiled! (updated)

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Red ‘Resident Evil 5′ Xbox 360 unveiled! (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 05:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like that red Resident Evil 5 Xbox 360 bundle wasn’t just some tripped out figment of your imagination. Just moments ago, the package popped up for Xbox Live subscribers, detailing a handsome red Xbox 360 Elite with a 120GB hard drive, Resident Evil 5, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, and a few other odds and ends (like a handful of cables). There’s an indication that you can pre-order the kit, but at this point, we’re not aware of any place to follow through. We’ll keep our eyes peeled, of course.

Filed under: Gaming

Red ‘Resident Evil 5′ Xbox 360 unveiled! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Red Xbox 360 mentioned in PR, is probably real originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Totally rad, red Xbox 360 spied in Toys R Us fine print originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You may remember deviantART member Ricepuppet from his days dressing up his Xbox 360 in Domo-kun stylings. He’s back, combining our love for console paint jobs with all things Hello Kitty. No matching controller this time, but there’s more than enough stars, shades of pink, and cuteness to make up for it. The Sanrio charmer isn’t the only new mod he’s got, we also spotted consoles adorned with Halo Wars, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Chocobos (of Final Fantasy fame). Now how about we see some of that HK love plastered on a Rock Band drum set?

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Hello Kitty Xbox 360 dazzles while you frag originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Feb 2009 02:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bad news first: there might be a bit more competition than you expected for that home theater giveaway. Good luck bringing down Netflix’s shooting star though, as if last week’s good news train wasn’t enough comes news that over a million Xbox Live Gold members have already downloaded and activated the Watch Instantly app since its NXE debut last November. That’s more than 10% of Netflix’s just announced 9.4 million subscribers who’ve already watched over 1.5 billion minutes of TV and movies through their consoles. They’re not the only ones happy, while streaming may be eating into DVD rentals, Xbox Live Marketplace rentals are up 174 percent year over year. The streaming library is up to 12,000 titles, with a “growing percentage” in high definition, for the rest of the celebratory details check the full PR after the break. Nothing left for us to say but congratulations and hey, if you get a minute, could you fix Nilay’s HD streaming on the Xbox? Thanks.

Continue reading Xbox Live tallies 1 million Netflix Watch Instantly activations, 1.5 billion minutes served

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Xbox Live tallies 1 million Netflix Watch Instantly activations, 1.5 billion minutes served originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 03:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Notice something missing from your Xbox 360 ever since the NXE went live? Some HDMI-connected gamers lost all audio after the update, and a fix is finally on the way. According to Major Nelson, it’s due to arrive February 3 at 2:00 a.m. PST in a mandatory dashboard update that should address the issues experienced with some HDTVs. That problem with your idiot friend always triggering the witch while playing Left 4 Dead? Still unaddressed.

Filed under: Gaming, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Xbox 360 HDMI audio fix arrives tomorrow morning originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gridplane releases hazy NXE mockup that never was originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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According to “the Mole” — a favorite Ars Technica source for all things game related — has some curiosity-piquing info on the possibility of a Resident Evil 5-themed Xbox 360 headed to market. So says the site’s Deep Throat, not only will a demo version of the game come to US Xboxen first (a move that must seriously unnerve Sony), but following the sneak-peak will be an RE5 package hardcore fans will die for. According to Ars, we’ll see a custom red Xbox (with matching controller), a copy of Resident Evil 5, a special NXE RE5 theme, and a bonus Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD download. Of course, this is pure rumor right now, but if this package comes to fruition, we can bet on at least a few zombie-loving members of the Engadget staff getting in line when it hits shelves. Make it happen, people.

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Custom ‘Resident Evil 5′ Xbox 360 bundle on the way? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 22:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft’s newly-announced layoffs and declining profits aren’t the only bad news in Redmond — according to the company’s quarterly statements, Zune platform revenue decreased $100 million, or 54 percent compared to the same quarter last year, due to falling device sales. Mega-ouch. Not all is doom and gloom for the Entertainment and Devices Division, which continues to be profitable with a $151m haul: Xbox 360 and PC platform revenue increased six percent ($135 million) to $2,250 million. Meanwhile, Apple saw a three percent increase in iPod sales over the same period, so we’re anxious to see what Microsoft has planned for reviving the social.

[Thanks, Jason Wong]

Filed under: Gaming, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Microsoft reports $100M decline in Zune revenue originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/Netflix_HD_Streaming_Detailed_Device_Comparisons’; Netflix seems to be doing things right when it comes to the streaming game, partnering with several hardware companies in an attempt to make its service more or less ubiquitous — a pretty sharp break from the proprietary hardware approach taken by most of its competitors. That means Netflix subscribers have quite a few choices when it comes to streaming, and we thought we’d put the ones available now head-to-head and try to crown a winner. The good news? There isn’t a mediocre choice out there. The bad? Well, read on.

Update: We shot another video to answer some lingering questions about the Roku player, check it below.

Continue reading Engadget’s Netflix HD streaming shootout

Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

Engadget’s Netflix HD streaming shootout originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Jan 2009 11:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember Xbox 360 IPTV rollout? Though the wonderful fantasy of replacing our stodgy cable DVRs with an all-in-one Left 4 Dead playing / channel surfing beast has dried up like a raisin in the sun, Dave Zatz confirmed with Microsoft booth reps that BT is (still) planning on deploying the service, and despite the NXE the UI will retain the look of the current Motorola boxes pictured above. Now that U-Verse has delivered Total Home DVR and upgraded beyond 1 HD stream at a time, maybe they can get to work on this deployment next?

Filed under: CES, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Xbox 360 IPTV dream not dead yet originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ben Heck crams Xbox 360 controller into Atari 2600 joystick originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Suzuki Xbox dashboard mod for the undignified gamer on the go originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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