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Microsoft is looking to create a set-top box for media playback, according to one report. Continuing previous rumors, the software giant is working on a device that will allow users to sign onto Xbox Live and use its apps to view streaming video, effectively cloning the non-gaming aspects of the Xbox 360 game console into a relatively-cheap product.
A new Microsoft Xbox Live app, scheduled to launch on April 23, will allow users of the gaming and media service to order Pizza Hut products directly from the Xbox 360 console. The new app gives customers access to the restaurant's entire menu, and features full Kinect integration in addition to voice recognition, or regular game controller use.
Microsoft has confirmed that a number of Xbox Live accounts owned by current and previous "high-profile" employees have been accessed by hackers. The same group of hackers, known as Team Hype, are also said to be behind denial of service attacks as well as a case of "Swatting," convincing local police to send a SWAT team to a victim's house to conduct a raid, against a security reporter.
Streaming music provider Slacker has announced its availability on the Xbox Live service. The service allowing Xbox Live subscribers in the US and Canada to listen to millions of songs and hundreds of pre-programmed stations on an ad-supported basis, including a new videogame music soundtrack station curated by gaming culture blog, Destructoid. The app is now available through the Xbox Live Marketplace.
Microsoft's next console will need an Internet connection to operate, according to reports. A new version of Xbox Live will apparently be central to the console itself, and through registering physical games to an individual account, would render discs useless to anyone else wanting to play them, and in effect kill off the second-hand games market.
Microsoft has added an app that covers hockey matches to Xbox Live, joining existing sporting apps from ESPN, the NBA and others. The NHL GameCenter service will provide subscribers the option to watch hockey live and on-demand in HD, as well as the ability to personalize the service for statistic tracking, and a number of on-demand classic games from the history of the sport.
Today, ESPN on Xbox updated its app with a significant update. The program now includes all of ESPN's live network programming through WatchESPN including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, Buzzer Beater and Goal Line. Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers can watch the sports' network entire live lineup, including SportsCenter, SportsNation and the Mike and Mike Show, as well as ESPN’s coverage of the NFL, including Monday Night Football, MLB and the NBA.
Microsoft is celebrating the tenth anniversary of Xbox Live by giving some of its longest subscribers a free console. While a gift of hardware will not be made to all users of the service, Microsoft is also offering a free Xbox Live Arcade game to download, as well as allowing US-based members entry into a sweepstake for various prizes.
The market for video game recording is somewhat limited, and yet very demanding at the same time. Machinima directors and actors could use a recording tool, as well as professional gamers, or even just a journeyman gamer wanting to display his against-the-odds victory against the Xbox Live hordes. Not all games feature a clip-recording feature like more recent entries in the Halo series does, making delay-free third-party video capture and display virtually a necessity for such products. A recent release by computer video specialists Hauppauge updates a previously-released (and slightly flawed) product with enhanced recording resolution, as well as a no-delay passthrough feature. Does the HD PVR 2 Gaming Edition keep all its promises? Read our review and find out!
Microsoft is reportedly replacing its virtual currency with real-world currency, users of the latest Windows 8 beta claim. The Microsoft Points system, used on Xbox Live for purchasing downloadable content, is apparently absent from the Windows App version of the Xbox Video store, according to The Verge.
Aspyr is releasing popular shooter Call of Duty: Black Ops for the Macintosh. The game will include the First Strike downloadable content package, with the last two DLC packages available before Christmas as a single package for $25. The game requires a minimum 2.4 GHz processor, 4GB of RAM, and a Radeon HD 3870 or Nvidia 650M or greater. Until release, the three other Call of Duty titles are half off. Call of Duty: Black Ops will ship on September 27 and retails for $50 on the Mac App Store and Steam, or for $45 on Aspyr's GameAgent.
Google was one of many on Tuesday to reveal that it has signed a new deal with Twentieth Century Fox to bring over 600 titles to Google Play and YouTube. Dubbed Digital HD and available on the premium services, the shows and movies will be available to rent or buy, with many in high-definition. The campaign is highlighted by Fox's Prometheus, which can be purchased on Tuesday in HD for just under $15, a full three weeks before it comes out on Blu-ray, DVD, and video-on-demand services.
The Raspberry Pi miniature computer will be getting a camera add-on later this year. CNet UK reports that the credit card-sized Linux computer will see its first add-on in the form of a camera module with a 5MP sensor. The module plugs into the Pi and takes still pictures and video. The module is expected to cost between $20 and $25 and will likely arrive some time in the next three months.
Kinectimals, Microsoft's first game on iOS, has made its way to Google's mobile platform. The release schedule appears to follow Microsoft's habit of bringing titles to iOS before Android, as demonstrated by the My Xbox Live launch earlier this week. The company has also released an update to its My Xbox Live app for iOS.
In an attempt to get some more users hooked on its premium Xbox Live subscription service, Microsoft will offer it for free for five days, commencing on Thursday, April 19, and running until Monday, April 23. Partners like Hulu Plus, Netflix, and EPIX will also open their doors for free during the same time period. Depending on where users are, however, they will get various amounts of free app access during those five days.
Sony triggered an upset among gamers on Sunday with notice that it would be taking down the PlayStation Network for maintenance during 13 hours on Monday. From 9AM Eastern until 10PM, gamers won't have the option of playing any games online, checking their accounts, or using services like PlayStation Home and the PlayStation Store. Websites that need PSN, even including the official PlayStation blog, would also be switched off.
Microsoft and Netflix have delivered a new update for the Xbox 360 that brings new functions to the app, the former's Larry Hryb revealed. The revamped media streaming client includes the ability to skip forward an back through movies and shows with buttons. Users with Kinect can also perform this using their voice or by waving their hand.
Microsoft and Sony unintentionally posted simultaneous updates for their game systems overnight on Thursday. The Xbox 360 has received its promised fix for a color space issue, where certain apps and video playback would distort the colors. The upgrade is required to keep using Xbox Live and will translate to individual apps.
The Consumer Preview of Windows 8 will have a number of Metro-style apps preinstalled, The Verge has learned. They will include mostly simply-titled core apps, such as Camera, SkyDrive, Messaging, Mail, Calendar, People, Photos, Video, and Music. There may be even more than that, and all will be updatable from the Windows Store.
Microsoft took another loss to its Xbox divsion Friday after its Director of Xbox Live Policy and Enforcement, Stephen Toulouse, resigned from the company. Often known as Stepto, he planned to finish his term at the company on February 15. He stressed that the exit was amicable and a matter of looking for a life change, with no other companies in mind.
Apple has recruited an important executive from Microsoft's Xbox division, Robin Burrowes, reports say. Until this week, Burrowes was in control of Xbox Live marketing for the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) region. At Apple, he will be responsible for marketing the App Store for iTunes Europe. Other highlights on his resume include work on Microsoft's MSN, and time with music and movie retailer HMV.
Nintendo's Friday briefing in the wake of its tough quarterly results has confirmed that it plans to at last go head-to-head with Microsoft and Sony in a persistent online gaming network. Just called Nintendo Network, it will let gamers download chat and play with each other without needing friend codes in addition to getting game add-ons. On the Wii U, gamers will have personal accounts, presumably letting them transport their Mii, downloads, and other preferences across systems.
A potentially impactful rumor on Monday claimed that Microsoft will drop its Microsoft Points system. As of the end of 2012, the Windows Phone, Xbox Live, and Zune Marketplace stores would all rely on real currency, Inside Mobile Apps had heard. Developers being published by Microsoft were reportedly being told to prepare any downloadable extras to adapt to the change.
Microsoft and Google made both official and unofficial plans for their TV strategies on Wednesday. A leak uncovered by Reuters had Microsoft freezing its long-rumored plans for live subscription Xbox TV. The company had decided that the rates TV channels were asking for the Internet-only service were "too expensive" for the plan it wanted to offer, industry insiders said.
Microsoft has relaxed the Xbox Live Indie Games limits. Among the new rules, independent game developers have had the 150MB ceiling lifted to 500MB for CCGAME bundles for publishing on Xbox Live Indie Games. Independent developers can now also charge users between charge as little as $1 per game, instead of the previous $3 or $5 entry points.
Microsoft's live UFC app for the Xbox that launched in December suffered a number of hiccups when trying to stream UFC 141 on December 30, BitMob's Dan Hsu reported. Microsoft sent out 30,000 promotional passes for Xbox Live members to try out the app, which likely led to the technical issues many suffered with the app not loading. Other issues included resetting, crashing, moving to an earlier point in the fight with no ability to fast forward to live broadcasting, buffering, stutteringl and switching between standard, high or very low resolutions.
Gears of War developer Epic Games warned late this past week that Microsoft was pulling all "gun-like" avatar props from Xbox Live. As of January 1, the Hammerburst, Lancer, and other items wouldn't be available as a matter of policy, Community Manager Will Kinsler said. Any avatars bought before the cutoff would stay afterwards.
Microsoft has confirmed the existence of a bug with the fall 2011 Xbox 360 Dashboard that has been kicking gamers from Xbox Live. Surfacing as either Error Code 801540B7 or 80070571, the flaw both stops them from getting online and from accessing any content that hasn't been cleared to run offline. The bug tries to have users re-download their profiles and ask for help but is ultimately out of users' control.
Microsoft bucked expectations Wednesday by releasing an official My Xbox Live app for iOS (free, App Store). The app lets iPad, iPhone, and iPod users handle most of what they can do outside of gameplay and the Game Marketplace. It touts messaging, managing the friends list, comparing profiles and achievements, and customizing the avatar, as well as newer features like game Beacons.
Verizon has now made public some details of its Xbox 360 Live TV service first mentioned back at the start of October. Through their Xbox 360, Xbox Live Gold members will have the ability to access up to 26 live FiOS TV channels, depending on their subscription. They also need to be FiOS TV and Internet service subscribers.
Microsoft kicked off the tenth anniversary of the Xbox with a celebration page and bonuses. Everyone gets access to a free avatar prop for Xbox Live that provides a gift box that opens to reveal fireworks. Some downloadable games will also be on sale as part of the anniversary.
Microsoft on Thursday started giving beta users its promised fall 2011 Xbox 360 Dashboard update. The upgrade introduces the tiled, Windows Phone 7-like interface we first saw at E3 and organizes sections that would normally need hierarchical sections into groups. The interface is more optimized for the Kinect and lets users search for content across the whole Xbox and Xbox Live using voice, although a gamepad fallback is available.
Microsoft finished off the week with word that its promised live UFC games on the Xbox 360 would go live on December 1. Along with on-demand clips, it will give viewers the option of pay-per-view live fights much like they would on the web or regular TV. The first live event should be UFC 140 in Toronto with Jon Jones and Lyoto Machida.
Microsoft in sessions and talks following its Windows 8 preview has confirmed that its OS will have very high resolution display support. Developers are being asked to produce 100 percent, 140 percent, and 180 percent resolutions for artwork in anticipation of 250DPI and higher "HD" screens. The hardware itself should arrive within the "next couple of years," Steve Troughton-Smith heard during one session, but the OS had to be ready in advance.
Microsoft is preparing to offer a preview program for the upcoming Xbox interface, which was revealed in recent leaks. The beta preview, which was confirmed by Xbox Live director of programming Larry Hyrb, will enable a select group of users to take an early look at the revamped dashboard. The program is expected to be similar to the dashboard preview that was offered last year.
GameStop's plans to be involved in tablets will involve rebranding an existing Android tablet, company head Tony Bartel said in an interview Monday. Rather than make its own, the company will use its existing refurb center to adapt existing tablets and preload them. While he wouldn't name it, he explained to GamesIndustry that it was in testing.
Microsoft mid-Thursday took its ESPN Xbox 360 app live. The portal gives Xbox Live Gold members access to live college football and certain other sports normally shown on ESPN3. Viewers can watch up to two games at a time and voice control with Kinect if they have the camera controller.
As Microsoft continues to dish out more details surrounding the upcoming Windows Phone update, the company has announced a number of new features that aim to improve the gaming experience. The Mango release will enable gamers to unlock 'Avatar Awardables', items that can worn on an avatar's sleeve as a sign of achievement. The Xbox Live title Chickens Can't Fly is said to be the first game to support the feature.
Microsoft after a long delay said Thursday that its ESPN app for the Xbox 360 would get an update in late August. The new version will add the requisite voice control through Kinect as well as much more in multitasking. A college football scoreboard is always available, and a split screen mode lets fans either keep the scoreboard up during another game or even watch two events at once.
A fresh Nielsen study has back views that gaming was not only leading in smartphone apps but was increasingly an iOS-specific trend. About 64 percent of mobile app downloaders had picked up games, and 93 percent of those willing to pay for an app would do so for a game. Weather and social networking were the next most popular among all apps, but few explicitly wanted to pay for them.
A recent software update to the Xbox 360 console enables users to save data in the cloud and access it from other Xbox 360 consoles, an Xbox user informed Eurogamer. He successfully pulled his information from another Xbox 360 console, though this functionality is only available on some Xbox Live Arcade games. Microsoft promised to bring cloud storage to the Xbox at the E3 show in June.
New hints have emerged that Windows Phone 7 developers will be getting the Mango update on Thursday. The beta version is reportedly being cleaned up to work on regular devices and would be accessible through the developer-only AppHub. The WinRumors source was complemented by a Twitter update from Microsoft communications Senior Director Bill Cox on Wednesday morning that there was a "juicy surprise for tomorrow."
Developers may soon be able to take advantage of a new tool designed to port Xbox and Windows games to a variety of other popular platforms, including iOS, Android and web browsers.The utility, labeled ExEn, works with Microsoft's XNA software development kit, which is utilized by developers to create games for Xbox Live and Windows.
As part of a series of previews, Microsoft on Thursday gave a closer look at the Games Hub in Windows Phone 7 Mango. The revamp brings some of the features that had previously been locked away in the Extras app and now has 3D, moving avatars that react, including in side-by-side achievement comparisons. The Collection view is now optimized for quickly finding a game over icon size and pushes recently played games to the top.
New NPD data unveiled Monday night showed the video game business at a rare low with Microsoft getting the most benefits. Although it hesitated to give full numbers, it had the combined hardware and software sales in May at their lowest point since October 2006 based on a "light slate of new releases" led mostly by LA Noire and Brink. The Xbox 360 was the top system of the batch at 270,000 units and was up 28 percent, making up 34 percent of the revenue, while the Wii's continued fall was the primary drag on the industry.
During the course of today's WWDC 2011 keynote, Apple executives elaborated on a number of business milestones the company has achieved. The Mac App Store, for instance, is now claimed to be main channel for buying computer software, ahead of Best Buy, Walmart and Office Depot. The ranking does not reflect the actual popularity of Mac software versus Windows titles, the latter of which are often bought directly from publishers and developers, or through services like Steam.
Microsoft's rumored Xbox Live TV subscription is about to get its public showing next week, industry contacts reported Friday. Known as Diamond, it should be shown off at E3 as long as the deals are in place. Microsoft was reported by WinRumors as being in the same position as Apple, holding last-minute talks, and might skip mentioning it entirely if talks aren't done by the Los Angeles show.
Just like Sony's PlayStation Store, the Xbox Live Marketplace has gone down, albeit for a short period and unspecified and likely unrelated reason. The Xbox support team informed users over Twitter that the service is back up. During the outage, users were unable to browse Indie games from the Xbox 360 console or Xbox.com.
Microsoft's upcoming Mango update for Windows Phone 7 had even more features unveiled Sunday through the latest episode of the Windows Phone Dev podcast. The release is now due to have built-in instant messaging not just for Windows Live Messenger but AIM and Facebook as well. Microsoft's system would be smart and weave into the people hub, automatically detecting whichever is the best network and create group messages.
Microsoft hinted at plans for a 2011 version of its customary spring Xbox 360 update with sign-ups for its Xbox 360 System Update Preview Program. The new preview will be to help test an "updated Xbox 360 disc format" and, in a rarity, will give gamers a physical copy of software to try. The company didn't say what was changing or if anything else would be included in the spring update.
