Microsoft's 802.11n adapter for the Xbox 360 has surfaced in Costco's online store for a slightly discounted price of $88. The accessory previously popped up in GameStop's inventory slated for November 3rd, although the listing was later removed. Costco claims the adapter is scheduled for shipment a week later on November 10th.
Confirming earlier reports, Microsoft's upcoming 802.11n adapter for the Xbox 360 has landed in GameStop's inventory for $99. The accessory integrates dual antennas designed to maintain faster data speeds, while the improved performance should enable users to stream 1080p videos available through the new Zune movie service.
Microsoft has allegedly set a price of $100 to purchase the upcoming 802.11n adapter for the Xbox 360, an unnamed "Mole" told Ars Technica. The company recently acknowledged the device's existence, after it had been spotted in FCC documents. Dual antennae are expected to help the system stream 1080p content available through the Zune movie portal.
Microsoft this evening preempted its arch-rival Apple in the tablet game with the Courier, its own self-developed tablet. The rough example discussed at the Gizmodo Gallery event is shaped like a book and has two 7-inch multi-touch displays that fold up when the system isn't in use. It would also support a stylus for handwriting and include a 3-megapixel camera on the back. While not yet certain for final production, Microsoft also suggests that the Courier might use inductive charging to power the device without having to plug it in.
Microsoft today claimed a partial victory in its ongoing patent disputes with Alcatel-Lucent. Judges for the US Federal Court of Appeals overturned a $358 million award given to Alcatel for Microsoft's alleged infringing of a patent through a calendar grid feature in Windows Mobile, Money and Outlook. The officials maintained that Microsoft had still violated the patent but that the monetary damages didn't relate to the actual damage to Alcatel's business and that Alcatel hadn't provided the necessary proof.
Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer later on Thursday lightly teased an iPhone owner at a company meeting. According to witnesses that include Twitter anecdotes and a TechFlash reporter, the executive spotted a Windows team member using the Apple device to snap a photo and joked about his using the device before gently putting the phone on the ground and pretending to stomp it before moving on. He later made a similarly joking reference to the event during the presentation.
The TV industry needs to find a convincing online strategy or else risk handing the market over to Apple, Microsoft's UK managing director of consumer business Ashley Highfield warned this weekend. Speaking at an international TV industry festival in Edinburgh, the executive warned that TV could "face its iTunes moment" in two to three years and hand over control of online video to Apple. Without a quick shift in emphasis to TV on the web instead of traditional service, customers are predicted to flock to paid download services and bypass regular providers altogether.
Electronics producer LG today said it has teamed up with Vudu to integrate the latter's on-demand movie and TV services into its HDTVs. This will allow the Internet-connected TVs to browse and view a full library of content, including in HD. Currently, Vudu offers set-top boxes that need to plugged into a TV and network connection, which adds to the clutter and complexity of a living room, as well as adding another remote control. With the partnership with LG, Vudu hopes to make its service more accessible to customers.
The US Supreme Court today rejected an appeal by film studios and television networks of a New York court ruling that would allow a new type of digital video recorder service from Cablevision. A report says the justices refused to review a ruling made by a US Court of Appeals in New York that said Cablevision's proposed service would not directly infringe the copyrights of the media companies that produce the recorded movie and TV programs. No reason for the rejection was given.
Canadian rent-by-mail DVD service Zip.ca said today that it's in talks with Sonic Solutions, the owner of the Roxio CinemaNow movie download service, to bring the first large-scale movie download service in Canada. The partnership will allow PC and portable multimedia device users to download TV shows and movies, making it somewhat akin to the streaming feature Netflix offers its US customers; it's not clear if Zip would shadow this format.
When it ships later this year, the Zune HD could cost as much or more than the iPod touch by the time both updates are released this year, an additional leak said Thursday. An interview with a previous source on Neowin cautions that prices aren't "set in stone" but has the base 16GB model costing between $249 and $279, or at least as much as the Zune 120 does today. A current 16GB clickpad Zune costs $179.
Sonic Solutions, the company behind Roxio, on Thursday announced its streaming movie service CinemaNow will be made available for the Nintendo Wii. Sonic will partner with Fujisoft to bring the former's content to the game console via the latter's video-on-demand Everyone's Theater Wii service. While the announcement only covers Japan, its successful integration potentially leads to the service arriving in other countries as well. CinemaNow offers more than 1,500 streaming movies, short films, and concerts to buy or rent.
Microsoft quickly ended speculation today by confirming that it's shipping Xbox 360 Arcade units with 512MB of storage. The company tells Eurogamer that the extra capacity is there to "enjoy more experiences" on Xbox Live that include both essential saved game space as well as downloadable content and smaller Xbox Live Arcade games. It's not known if the 512MB version will be standard worldwide or only show in specific areas.
Photos of a new Jasper mainboard for the Xbox Arcade gaming console equipped with a 4-gigabit Samsung NAND flash memory module have been leaked on an enthusiast forum recently. The model in question seems to have been manufactured in Japan on April 9th, and uses the same Jasper platform debuted last year, albeit with twice as much onboard storage. The original Xbox Arcade Jasper mainboard used a 2-gigabit NAND flash module that gave users about 213MB of usable internal memory, with 16MB dedicated to kernel, keyvault, Dash and other operating-system related data.
Microsoft's Project Natal could not just be an add-on for the Xbox 360 but the foundation of a new Xbox altogether, according to fresh rumors. Those at 1UP hear that the full body motion controller will be the "cornerstone" of a new console and come with it. Details of the new Xbox itself aren't clear, but it's believed the machine could be an evolution of the Xbox 360 that has extra performance but which could still run legacy games. It would ship in fall 2010 and could be announced as early as the Game Developers Conference in March of that year.
Lionsgate, MGM and Paramount today launched an invitation beta for Epix, a hybrid cable and online movie streaming service meant to supplement rather than replace regular pay-per-view TV. Anyone with a cable package that includes the channel will get access to the studios' movies weeks ahead of their regular DVD releases for "free" but will simultaneously have access to streaming, 720p versions of those same movies for their computers. The approach is ad-free, even online, and automatically scales the bitrate up or down (to as low as 500Kbps) depending on the quality of the connection.
Microsoft VP John Schappert today said that the company's frequently delayed Xbox Live Anywhere service still exists but is rolling out much more gradually than was originally planned. Shown as early as 2006, the means of directly checking and messaging Xbox Live friends is still alive but is being treated as an evolution "unrolled piece by piece" over time. The Games for Windows initiative, which gives users an app that shows both Xbox 360 and Windows players, is considered part of that effort. Only the mobile client is missing, Schappert tells Gizmodo.
The Zune HD portable audio player, recently unveiled late last week, is unofficially expected to be released on September 5th, according to a recent report by long-time observer Paul Thurrott. The device had already been rumored for fall but would now launch relatively early in the year, roughly in time with Apple's yearly iPod updates.
Microsoft tonight confirmed the existence of the Zune HD, its first-ever touchscreen media player. The company readily acknowledges that the player is meant to compete against the iPod touch and will have a 3.3-inch, 480x272 OLED screen with a multi-touch interface. It earns its name through the first inclusion of a portable HD Radio tuner for digital broadcasts as well as HD video playback through a special dock. For the first time on a Zune, the HD will also use its Wi-Fi to browse the web and should come with a special version of Internet Explorer designed for touch.
Apple today landed another key employee with word that Microsoft's senior Xbox strategy director Richard Teversham has left his company to join the Mac creator. Although Microsoft itself will only confirm that Teversham has left for a "new opportunity" beyond the company, MCV understands that he has quit his employer of 15 years to take up an education-related position at a European Apple office. Why he has made the switch or his specific role at Apple haven't been made public.
ARM today said it should be the first to have truly console-like graphics on smartphone-grade devices. Detailing its plans to PC World ahead of this week's Game Developers' Conference, the company said its upcoming Mali-200 and Mali-400 chips will both have improved pure performance but will also support OpenGL ES 2.0. The mobile video standard is based on programmable shaders (effects instructions) that allow complex visuals like water ripples without overly complex code paths.
Sony will reportedly begin shipping a new PlayStation 3 bundle to Target stores starting on March 29th, set to include an 80GB console along with what are now Greatest Hits; the original MotorStorm racing game and Resistance: Fall of Man shoot 'em up. MotorStorm dates back to March of 2007 and was bundled on its own with a PS3, while Resistance is even older, having launched in November of 2006. The bundle is perceived to be a weak attempt to make the system more appealing by adding value to it, as Sony still refuses to discount, despite current economic conditions and lower-priced Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii rivals.
Microsoft is actively pursuing its hinted plans to directly integrate its Zune players with its Xbox systems, a recently unearthed job post for a User Experience Designer shows. A recruit hired for the position would be tasked with conceptualizing and developing the interface for not only the Zune players and PC client but also "Zune Xbox," alluding to a likely playback and possible music purchasing system for the Xbox 360 or later.
Dell announced its Black Friday sales this morning, all available for one day only and online. The deals include an Inspiron 1525 notebook for $559, which is $285 lower than the regular price, while the Inspiron 530s desktop is priced at $299, representing $80 in savings. A 19-inch Dell flat panel monitor, the SE198WFP, can be added to the desktop for $129, or $50 off. The 8.9-inch Inspiron Mini 9 netbook costs $299 today, which is $50 lower than regular pricing. The biggest savings is offered on the 42-inch Sharp HDTV, the LC42SB45U, which costs $779, or $620 off the regular price of $1,399.
Microsoft is set to launch its New Xbox Experience, beginning Wednesday. The update pushes beyond the standard-definition video stream and into the realm of the next-generation Netflix HD. Users will initially have access to 300 movie and TV show titles, with more to be added in the future. Although a Netflix subscription and Xbox Live Gold member ship are both required for the HD content, the system diverges from competitors by allowing unlimited streaming instead of charging for each viewing.
LaCie recently introduced a new connected hard drive called the Internet Space, available in 500GB and 1TB capacities. The multimedia drive can attach to home networks via its Gigabit Ethernet port, as well as share multimedia content on compatible UPnP or DLNA-certified players and adapters. This includes compatible game consoles such as Microsoft's Xbox 360 or Sony's PlayStation 3.
Microsoft is set to release the rumored 60GB Xbox LIVE starter pack, as revealed by GameStop's pre-order page. The package would include all tools needed for running the Live system, including a 60GB hard drive, headset, and 3-month free Live Gold subscription. The package will allow users to save games and profiles or download additional content. Xbox Live Arcade and Xbox Original game titles are available for download, along with demos, extra game content, or HD videos.
Newly released is the first beta of XBMC Atlantis, an open-source media center application. XBMC Atlantis can run on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and the original Xbox, and now also features a version that is bootable from a USB drive or CD. The interface has been updated with a new version of the included Project Mayhem skin, presented in full HD, and on the Mac, the release brings iTunes and iPhoto library streaming.
ION on Friday announced the release of the Drum Rocker, a premium drum set for the Rock Band 2 video game. The drum set is fully adjustable and configurable, allowing users to change the set-up of each drum and cymbal in addition to offering accessories. A drum module from third parties will even turn the gaming controller into a professional standalone electronic drum set.
It was announced today that Immersion Corp. will pay $20.8 million to Microsoft to settle a lawsuit regarding vibration technology used in the latter's gaming system controllers. As part of the settlement, Immersion will join Microsoft's Certified Partner Program. The now-discarded lawsuit stems from a previous settlement Sony and Immersion reached that saw Sony pay Immersion $121 million for use of its patented technology, with Microsoft claiming its sublicense agreement gives it a claim to a portion of the Sony/Immersion settlement that Immersion initially refused to pay.
Microsoft plans to halt the sale of any unauthorized Xbox Live software at the App Store, one developer claims. 1337pwn says that its Xbox Live Friends Application -- which lets people see what others are playing on their Xboxes of Xbox 360s -- was recently challenged by Microsoft, which is responsible for all facets of Xbox gaming. 1337pwn comments, though, that Microsoft appears only to be concerned about people turning a profit on its technology, as it has given permission for XLFA to be distributed for free.
Cynical Peak has released a new update to Rivet, its Mac software for the Xbox 360. The app lets users stream music, photos and videos to a 360 console, which normally requires the use of a PC and Windows Media Player. Mac folder structure is reproduced in the 360's media browser, and content can be pulled not only from iTunes and iPhoto libraries, but user-specified folders.
Price cuts for all versions of the Xbox 360 should be coming in September, say reports. A source for Ars Technica has claimed that the price of the basic 360 console, the Arcade, will fall to $200 next month, with the recently-launched 60GB model slipping to $300, and the 120GB Elite dropping to $400. The new cost of the Arcade has allegedly been confirmed by a new photograph, showing an inventory screen with a price change marked for September 7th.
Sans Digital has announced a new network attached storage (NAS) server with RAID and direct attach options, supporting connections to gaming systems. It is available in silver, the MobileNAS MN4L+, and black, the MobileNAS MN4L+B. The server offers digital media playback for the PlayStation (both PlayStation 2 and 3) and Xbox over UPnP and DLNA protocols, adding value to its home server appeal. It provides a Gigabit Ethernet NAS connection and can also be used as direct attached storage over an iSCSI connection. In addition to the iSCSI support, the unit also offers eSATA, FireWire 400 and USB 2.0.
Sony's PlayStation 3 video service (now part of Life on PlayStation) may not have extra support from other studios and will rely tightly on integration with Sony's own formats, according to sources speaking to Variety editor Ben Fritz. The console maker has allegedly talked to major studios about offering their movies through the PS3 and PlayStation Network but so far hasn't negotiated any deals, leaving the current offering only to Sony Pictures titles.
Widespread failures of launch-model Xbox 360s are mainly due to Microsoft efforts at cost-cutting, a Gartner analyst claims. Bryan Lewis, the latter company's VP of research, says that when Microsoft was originally designing its game console, it wanted to omit third-party ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) vendors from its graphics hardware, saving tens of millions of dollars. In designing its own graphics technology, however, it produced chips which regularly overheated, forcing recalls that cost the company over $1 billion.
A forthcoming system update for the Xbox 360 should make some fundamental improvements, according to an alleged internal source at Microsoft. Due later this spring, the update is expected to carry some 80 changes or additions, among which one is listed as "Support for titles to store installation data on Storage Device for faster loading." Unlike Sony's PlayStation 3, the 360 does not currently allow installation of game data to a hard drive; this is because Microsoft offers a basic 360 without any default storage, and it has insisted that all titles should support all 360s.
An improved Xbox 360 platform should arrive late this year, according to a Taiwanese publication. Industry news source CENS says that Microsoft has already begun contracting out the production of 65nm chips, which should form a part of the console's Jasper revision, said to be due in August. The timing is also said to be related to the depletion of chips for the current 360 design, dubbed Falcon. The Falcon's main processor uses 65nm technology, but most other components -- notably the graphics processor -- are built using 90nm manufacturing. A still superior design called the Valhalla is expected in fall of 2009.
Microsoft is turning to Pegatron Technology, a subsidiary of ASUS, to produce Xbox 360 consoles with integrated Blu-ray drives, according to reports. Exactly one month ago, Microsoft denied rumors of Lite-On producing a Blu-ray drive for its popular game console, but chose words carefully to avoid excluding other suppliers. The new account claims that Blu-ray Xboxes will ship in the third quarter, but at this stage it is not known exactly which markets will get the HD-capable consoles, nor at what price, or even if the launch is guaranteed.
Alcatel-Lucent today began court proceedings for the next of its lawsuits against Microsoft. The plaintiff argues in its complaint that Microsoft's Xbox game systems violate a 1993 patent relating to the code for generating video frames. The US/French partnership says that it will use its jury trial to demand $1.50 for every alleged misuse of the patent but is not yet clear as to which uses apply to the suit. The suit could potentially apply to each Xbox sold before the conclusion of the trial.
GarageGames recently unveiled Torque X 2.0, a major update to its 2D/3D capable game engine system, adding support for the Microsoft XNA 2.0 Framework, as well as several performance increases in 3D environments. The new engine supports LOD terrain with clip map texturing, and also adds DTS Mesh, and XNA Model support. A free version of Torque X is available, while the Pro version starts at $150 for independent developers.
Netflix has confirmed stories it is interested in streaming movies through the Xbox 360, Reuters reports. In February, rumors began circulating that Netflix would bring streaming to the Microsoft console, in order to help supplement its normal subscription service. Typically, Netflix customers receive DVD offerings by mail, as well as unlimited "instant" movie watching on a PC. The latter is only available with plans costing $17 or more per month though, and effectively tethers people to their computers.
The prices of European Xbox 360s will be cut substantially as of March 14th, a new report claims. The account cites a number of "well-placed games industry sources," along with a variety of UK retailers, who together suggest that the quoted date will see prices fall by €50 across the continent. The cut is also said to be applicable to all versions of the 360, including the Arcade, the standard model, and the high-end Elite. The latter two consoles should for example cost approximately £150 and £240 in the UK.
Some users of Microsoft's "Live" services have reported difficulties trying to sign in with their Windows Live IDs. According to The Associated Press the problem is affecting many services, such as the Xbox Live community, as well as the Windows Live Messenger application. The issue is not comprehensive, as some users are able to sign in to the services without an issue. Microsoft has acknowledged the problem, but did not mention when a fix would be available.
Quazal, a developer of network gaming code used in titles like Rock Band and Company of Heroes, has announced the shipping of Mac versions of some of its key software, in some cases enabling cross-platform play between Macs and PCs with "very little" extra programming. Net-Z provides a low-level multiplayer core, and handles authoring and integration; mechanics are defined through an object layer, saving developers from the need to define packets, sockets, and client-server messaging.
Microsoft's acquisition of Danger is worth approximately a half billion dollars, according to a source speaking with Om Malik about the deal. While Microsoft has remained secretive about the financial terms of the buyout, the company is now believed to have spent as much as $500 million to purchase the designer behind the Sidekick and its software. The tipster does not explain why Microsoft had been willing to make the high offer, which is unusual for acquiring a firm that does not manufacture its own hardware.
Consumer-friendly design, simple operation, and putting the consumer before business are among the lessons Nintendo, Sony and other gaming companies could learn from Apple according to an editorial by GameDaily. Unlike these firms, Apple "makes customers feel that they are more important than the company's business partners," holding standard pricing for iTunes song and TV show purchases despite industry pressure. Meanwhile, Microsoft has capitulated to media producers, meaning that the Xbox Live utilizes a confusing set of prices and rules for downloading TV shows and movies.
Microsoft has no plans whatsoever to produce an Xbox 360 with HD DVD drive built in, according to IDG News. Rumors to the contrary have circulated for some time, but Jeff Bell, Microsoft's VP of global marketing for interactive entertainment, says there is "absolutely" no HD DVD-equipped Xbox in the works. Microsoft has to date backed HD DVD over Blu-Ray, mainly through its optional add-on drive; Bell now says that the company is taking a neutral position, letting users pick which disc format they like through separate players. Microsoft also supplies on-demand HD through the Xbox Live Marketplace.
Nullriver has released the v3.2 update to Connect360, the company's transcoding application. The software allows Mac owners to stream media to their Xbox 360 consoles, which normally restrict content to a limited number of formats loaded from Windows PCs. Connect360 users can browse images from iPhoto, including RAW formats, and stream any music compatible with iTunes, including Internet streams but with the one exception of DRM-encoded tracks.
A considerable number of Xbox 360 consoles were sold during Thanksgiving week, Microsoft has announced. The company says that slightly more than 310,000 360s were bought during the period, which is typically devoted to sales for Christmas and Hanukkah shoppers. While this number is still less than the 350,000 Wiis quoted by Nintendo, it represents an amount greater than what Microsoft might normally sell in a month. Microsoft also says it expects to sell more games this holiday season than the figures for the Wii and PlayStation 3 combined.
