Matthew Gallant, of the site gangles, has typed up the history of the famous A and B buttons! Taking a look at Nintendo, Sega, Microsoft and Sony.

It starts from the revolution that was the NES controller with the break away from the joystick fad to the DS where the article's author was shocked to find it A and B instead of B and A. Though the basic functions have been kept the same, designs have changed. Sega and Microsoft consoles have been similar, also using the A and B theme. Yes Sony...

Microsoft is really trying to make the 360 a more attractive buy for people this holiday, now they will be bundling the 360 with extra games at no extra cost. The $299 Premium and $399 Elite will come with Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures, and Kung Fu Panda. And the $199 Arcade will came with Sega Superstars Tennis on top of the five Xbox Live Arcade titles that already come with it.

These holiday bundles will take effect later in the year, but take note that these bundles have ...

""Still waiting for Microsoft to officially admit the development of a slim Xbox 360 console? Just to make things clear: are you still wondering if Xbox Slim is myth or reality? Well, wonder no more, since the proof it’s here: it exists, it’s alive but it’s a bit… different.""

"Microsoft has once again poured cold water over the latest rumour that it’ll launch a Blu-ray Disc drive add-on for the Xbox 360.

A blogger going by the name of “Major Nelson” has posted an audio interview online with Aaron Greenberg, Microsoft’s Group Product Manager for the Xbox 360. In the interview, which took place at the Tokyo Game Show this week, Greenberg said: “We have no plans to integrate Blu-ray into the Xbox experience.”

Earlier this week, it was rumoured that a joint ventu..."

"Games like Final Fantasy XIII and Tekken 6 – once dead-on exclusives to the PlayStation brand – have jumped shipped thanks to Namco and Square-Enix finding a second abode with Microsoft. And as it was stated in the article about the Xbox 360 saving the PS3 from decimating developers, the multiple platforms has afforded both Namco and Square-Enix a comfortable alternative for making back their hard-earned bucks..."

We've already got the date for the new XBOX Experience, and now be pleased to see some screenshots of the new XBOX experience.

Ben Heck brings us a one handed controller for the PS2, PS3, and PC - with a 360 version on the way. It might be a little unwieldly at first- but it is safe to assume that this controller is pretty bad ass.

Even better- Ben is going to offer up guides on how to hack and mod his controller mod in the upcoming few weeks - stay tuned for that!

"The idea here is to stuff an Xbox 360 and LCD screen inside a Pelican 1490 case. There are no “through hole screws” so when closed the case maintains all of its sealing and protective properties. Thus the power plug and even DVD lid will be all on the inside surface of the unit when complete (requiring the DVD drive to be converted to a pop-open lid type rather than drawer, one of the trickier aspects of this job)."

Microsoft has revealed during the TGS 2008 that the New Xbox Experience, which is giving the dashboard a whole new look, will be coming out on November 19th, a little more than a month away.

"I like most of you wasn’t over-joyed when I heard that Microsoft would be introducing a new Mii like Avatar in the New Dashboard Experience. I like most of you found it to lack the gleam of a hardcore system and felt as though the Avatars were simply an attempt to reach out to casual gamers and make my beloved 360 into something cute."

With the Tokyo Game Show 2008 fast approaching, Microsoft have released the list of games that they will be showcasing which includes 23 playable games and 3 videos. Big-name games such as Star Ocean 4 and Fable 2 will be on hand at the event and can be played by those willing to wait in the queue for hours...

Be sure to check the full list of playable games at the source.

"Microsoft Corp's Xbox 360 outsold Sony's PlayStation 3 in Japan in September, beating the rival machine in monthly unit sales for the first time in Sony's home market, a game magazine publisher said.

Strong sales growth came after Microsoft cut prices for its game console last month.

Microsoft sold 53,547 units of the Xbox 360 in the four weeks to September 28, compared with 33,071 units of the PS3, data from Enterbrain showed on Friday."

"October 3, 2008 - Just about every weekday new content is released on Xbox Live Marketplace. There's so much to sort through, sometimes it's hard to know what's new and what's old. Each day, IGN brings you a list of the latest demos, in-game content, themes and gamer pics. Check back every weekday to see what's new on Marketplace.

Game: NBA 2K9
Content: NBA 2K9 Demo
Price: Free
Size: 547.71 MB
Dash Text: [ESRB: E (Everyone)] Relive the start of Game 6 in the 2008 NBA Finals with the of..."

"According to the Xbox 360 DVD Drive Database, it appears Xbox 360s outfitted with the much-anticipated Jasper chipset have finally started showing up in stores and at online retailers.

The key things to look for when buying a new Xbox 360 with the Jasper chipset is a manufacturing date (MFR) as early as 2008-08-06, Lot 8031 and up, and Team CSON. (You may have to bribe your local GameSpot salesperson to poke his or her finger through the serial number window of 360 box to inspect the manuf..."

"Welcome

By default, your Xbox 360 will start on this menu. Here you'll find "Online Entertainment," "Friends," "Express Yourself," where you can create and configure your avatar; and the "Nextflix" window.

Inside Xbox

This is Microsoft's channel that connects Xbox Live users to the community."

Gamestop may experience a drop in video game consoles soon if the word gets out... that a local store has been storing consoles in the bathroom.

That's right, one Gamestop was found to be storing their Xbox360's and PS3's in the store's bathroom facility. Is this the kind of treatment we'd want our console to go through before purchase?

Sadly the video that one customer had made was deleted, though the reasons are unknown the statement and picture (albeit blurry) are evidence enough for...

"Installing is easy as downloading the software to your pc, and then by going to your console and connecting to the PlayOn Media Server under your consoles respective settings."

"Video in Link"

"Microsoft revealed the outcome of their unofficial "Rock the Vote" poll Monday, and Barack Obama and Joe Biden have come out on top. The poll, announced in early September, tasked Xbox 360 owners with downloading Gamerpics that represented their choice of candidate. The "Obama \ Biden" Gamerpic took a 12% lead with 43% of the total, and "McCain \ Palin" finished at 31%. A large number of those polled didn't throw their hat into any particular ring, however, with "Undecided" at 13%, and "Other..."

"Ok boys and girls, Xbox LIVE is having a scheduled downtime on Monday, September 29 starting at 12:01am Pacific Time. It will be down for 24 hours as we prepare for the cool new stuff coming your way in the new Xbox experience.

Keep checking back for more information on the goodies we have in store for you this holiday.

*To clarify, Xbox LIVE will be down as will those sections on Xbox.com that rely on the service such as "My Xbox". Also, the forums will be viewable but you won't be abl..."

"Last week Microsoft made aggressive price cuts to its three Xbox 360 models, with the Arcade now retailing for just £129.99, and today the company has announced that six million Xbox 360 consoles have been sold across Europe to date.

Chris Lewis, Vice President, Interactive Entertainment Business EMEA, said: "We're very excited that more consumers in Europe are joining the ever-growing Xbox 360 community. We're now the best-value next-gen console on the market with an entry-level ERP of £1..."

"Microsoft has never said that the Xbox 360’s performance in Japan would win it the current generation console war. While Asia as a whole is “important”, according to Xbox 360 group product manager Aaron Greenberg, “you can win on a global basis by leading specifically in North America and Europe”.

But while Japan - where the 360’s installed base lags far behind that of Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Nintendo’s market-leading Wii - may not be as important to the Xbox business as other regions, th..."

"Joining Sonic are two retro classics: Jumpman and Boulder Dash. These two haven't aged well visually, being two of the most basic games on the Virtual Console, but they both offer some classic gameplay and are well worth a look. We'd have preferred the prettier NES version of Boulder Dash instead of the C64 version, but the gameplay is still extremely solid."

"September 19, 2008 - Just about every weekday, new content is released on Xbox Live Marketplace. There's so much to sort through, sometimes it's hard to know what's new and what's old. Each day, IGN brings you a list of the latest demos, in-game content, themes and gamer pics. Check back every weekday to see what's new on Marketplace."

Earlier today Europe announced that there would be an Xbox 360 price cut in Europe, and they official drop in price today. Good news for all you gamers who were wanting to get a 360. The arcade is now €179.99 / £129.99, the normal 360 is €239.99 / £169.99, and the Elite is €299.99 / £229.99.

"KENOSHA, Wis. — Two Kenosha boys of ages 14 and 15 are accused of beating an adult neighbor to death during a burglary that targeted a computer game device, among other items.

"It's pathetic," Police Chief John Morrissey said. "How can a 15-year-old and a 14-year-old boy murder somebody over an Xbox?"

Others could also be charged in the death of Capri Walker, 51, who was found dead at her Kenosha home about 6:30 a.m. Sunday, the chief said Wednesday.

Police have recommended charges ..."

"From today, at 9AM GMT (2AM PDT), you can play PopCap’s Feeding Frenzy 2 on Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360. Feeding Frenzy 2 will be available worldwide for 800 Microsoft Points (that’s US$10 / €9.60 / £6.80 / CAN$12.40 / AU$13.20).

Chomp your way through an underwater mystery! Play solo or with friends to dodge predators and eat your way up the food chain to save the sea in Feeding Frenzy 2. Play wild, wacky Party Games. Stay alive in Time Attack! Sixty spectacular levels, brand-new fish a..."

"Ubisoft's EndWar Community will be the central headquarters for all things EndWar, from forums and developer blogs to downloadable content and interactive missions. Members can gain points by participating in the Community to win exclusive EndWar swag and other great prizes, and it's all free.

Potential winners will be notified by the Community administrator and prizes will be shipped using the Contact Info (email, phone and address) provided during registration. Make sure your contact in..."

"If you've seen this already, forgive us, but we've been pointed towards a 'banned' Xbox 360 TV commercial that's been released on YouTube.

The ad, which was pointed out by The Guardian's Peter Moore interview, was apparently too risky to be broadcast on Television. That's what Microsoft's marketing department said, anyway...

"I showed it one morning to the head of corporate marketing at Microsoft and she said, 'over my dead body will you ever run this spot on TV'. I went ballistic," the..."

"What was the key lesson you took out of the failure of Dreamcast?
You know, failure's a tough word! It didn't quite get there. I was angry with Sony at the time, but in their shoes I probably would have done the same thing. They did a tremendous job – and it's a story they repeated in 2005 with Killzone – where they promised the consumer something they probably believed they were going to deliver, but they never did. PlayStation 2 - it was the emotion engine it was games coming to life, Real..."

"“Xbox 360 has now sold over 20 million consoles worldwide and due to its unprecedented success, we are now able to pass on the rewards of that success to the consumer," said Neil Thompson, Senior Regional Director, Microsoft UK."

"I just read an interesting theory about what the release date for the Fall 2008 Xbox 360 Dashboard might be October 28th.

The theory is that the game Scene It? Box Office Smash is going to be released on the 28th and since it is a Microsoft published game that is going to be the first game that is going to use the new Avatars feature it might ship at the same time as the Xbox 360 Dashboard update. They might include the dashboard update on the game disc so if it is played on an Xbox 360 t..."

"From September 30 in the US you'll be able to pick up a fancy, new RED Xbox controller for around $65 (£35). If that sounds a little step, it probably because the package includes the Play and Charge kit (that and the fact the pound is taking a kicking at the moment).

"The award-winning Xbox 360 Wireless Controller now comes in red, with newly designed black accents," says Microsoft. "Experience wireless gaming from up to 30 feet and enjoy nonstop play with the included Play and Charge cab..."

"Microsoft has rubbished rumours that an event will be held next week to announce a European price cut for the Xbox 360.

A picture of a supposed upcoming Woolworths catalog emerged last week, listing new 360 price points at £129, £169 and £229 for the Arcade, Core and Elite console respectively.

According to a report on site Gamer.tm these prices are real, and will be rolled out at a "European event" next week. Not so, says Microsoft UK.

"There is no European event next week," a compa..."

"The Xbox 360 is the worst for those hidden costs, although the others aren't exactly innocent either. When you consider this doesn't include what you actually bought it for - the games - it shows that this hobby is a costly thing indeed."

"Robert Delaware was the only named Microsoft worker (a contract employee) who talked — without permission — to VentureBeat for our story last week on the Xbox 360 defects."

"Todd Mitchell of Kaufman Bros. also blamed the weakening economy for the disappointing sales, noting that the mega-popular Nintendo Wii saw its weakest unit sales in six months.

"Shares of video game companies have been under pressure for some time due to just such fears," Mitchell wrote in a report. "We think that they will remain under pressure in the near term as investors adjust their expectations downward."

Sales of game software totaled just over $550 million for the month, accord..."

"An upcoming price cut could slash the price of the Xbox 360 Arcade console down to £129.99, a supposed insider at shop chain Woolworths has claimed.

A leaked pic from a supposed "upcoming catalogue" shows the new incredibly cheap Arcade asking price, along with new £169.99 and £229.99 price points for the Core and Elite console respectively.


The new price would make the Arcade SKU 49.99 cheaper than a Wii - and £170 cheaper than a 80GB PS3.

We spoke to staffers at Game and Game Sta..."

"Last Friday, Microsoft cut the price of all Xbox 360 editions, with the Xbox 360 Arcade selling for $199.99, the Premium Edition for $299.99 and the Xbox 360 Elite for $399.99. The price cuts were revealed well ahead of the official announcement through different ads and flyers."

"Results will be posted next week on Xbox.com, and everyone who downloads one of the gamerpics is entered into a drawing to win a Gibson guitar. The poll will be fun to watch, but the ability to register through your 360 is the part that's worth lauding. "With only two U.S. states providing online voter registration (Arizona and Washington, respectively), Xbox LIVE is going where young voters are, online—and simplifying the registration process," Microsoft stated."

"New consoles cost more. New games cost more. The gaming world is definitely expensive, but how is that affecting consumer behavior?"

"The Halo 3 Limited Edition comes with a 20gb HDD, a headset, and a play and charge kit whereas Microsoft’s Arcade system only comes with a bare bones console. Unfortunately, it looks like Hot Topic is already sold out, I wouldn’t expect them to get more in stock, especially at that price."

"Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter has jut posted his hardware sales estimates for August. And here they are:

* Wii - 550,000
* PS3 - 225,000
* 360 - 200,000"

"The quality problem negated much of the advantage of going first, and it has delayed the company’s plan to aggressively market the console and slash its prices. (Microsoft disputes this point; it cut the price of all three versions of its Xbox consoles by $50 to $79 on Wednesday. And the company believes it will sell more boxes than Sony will. But prices ought to be lower still during this stage of the console life cycle). That has stopped the company from reaching the broader market of consu..."

"September 5, 2008 - Just about every weekday new content is released on Xbox Live Marketplace. There's so much to sort through, sometimes it's hard to know what's new and what's old. Each day, IGN brings you a list of the latest demos, in-game content, themes and gamer pics. Check back every weekday to see what's new on Marketplace.

Gamer Pics
Game: N/A
Content: Righteous Kill Picture Pack
Price: Free
Dash Text: "There's nothing wrong with a little shooting - as long as the right peopl..."

"If there's one console maker that should worry about Xbox 360's multi-model price cut, it's Sony, claims analyst Jesse Divnich with Electronic Entertainment Design and Research.

"[Between Sony and Nintendo,] Sony should be the most concerned [about the 360's price cut]," he told Edge on Thursday. "...Going into this holiday season, the PS3 will not only have the highest price point, but also the smallest software library, weaker line-up of exclusive titles (compared to Xbox 360’s Gears of ..."

Japan's game and hardware sales from last week have been revealed, with Rhythm Tengoku Gold, a Ninteno DS game, coming first. One of the newest additions to the Japanese market, Afrika, came in second with 38,000 units sold. Rounding out the top five is J-League Winning Eleven 2008 Club Championship for the PS2, PSP Fate/Tiger Colosseum Upper for the PSP, and Wii Fit.

Over on the hardware side, the DS Lite sold the most, reaching over 56,000 units! Second was the PSP with 41k new owners, ...

"Following Xbox 360 March and July price cuts in Europe and Australia, respectively, comes more price reduction love for the Xbox 360 units in another region. No, not North America (at least not yet), but the console’s least profitable region, Japan.

All three Xbox 360 models are said to go down in price, with the Arcade dropping to JPY 19,800 ($183 or 125 EUR) from JPY 27,800 ($257 or 176 EUR), and the Premium and Elite systems expected to be slashed by 5,000-8,000 yen. This move will make..."

"Tecmo’s had its share of troubles lately especially with Tomonobu Itagaki, the creator of Dead or Alive series and developer of the Ninja Gaiden remakes, leaving Tecmo. Also Tecmo has not been as profitable as it once were back in the hey-days of it’s rein.

Now with huge publisher/studio Square Enix eating up Tecmo for breakfast we witness yet another case of a well known studio getting merged into a larger studio. Recently we witnessed the Activision Blizzard merger, as well as EA taking ..."

"Capcom marketing boss Michael Pattison said: “Apple has made several tweaks to their iPod system since its launch in 2001 driven by technological development, market forces and the needs of our consumers, and gaming first parties are no different.”

Gamecock MD Graeme Struthers added: “Changes in hardware offerings are pretty common in all other consumer manufacturing industries as each company seeks to gain a competitive advantage.

Both seem very good at getting their message out to the..."

"After a bumper week of Xbox 360 sales in Japan, brought on by the release of Tales of Vesperia, the Microsoft console has fallen back to reality with only 7,358 units sold for the week ending August 17. The previous week the Xbox 360 shifted 24,962 units and outsold the PS3."

"A leading gaming and entertainment platform just became a leading platform for change. Microsoft Corp. and Rock the Vote today announced a groundbreaking partnership that will allow Xbox 360 owners to register to vote, participate in presidential polls and voice their opinions to the presidential candidates. It will all happen through Xbox LIVE starting Monday, Aug. 25, the first day of the Democratic National Convention.

“Xbox is a natural partner to help us reach out to youth voters,” sa..."

""Take it for what it's worth, but we've received a tip from a source close to Microsoft's marketing department who has shed some light on the Xbox 360 price cuts that are rumored to be going down in a few weeks time. More specifically, the $199 Xbox 360 Arcade bundle.""

""The Xbox 360 controller d-pad has long been cited as the number one reason to buy Bionic Commando: Rearmed on the PlayStation 3. Now, 360 owners are finally getting the remedy they've been waiting for. It's a bitter one though."

"Eurogamer reports that a new controller that can register 32 directions of input through the d-pad made it onto the Games Convention show floor via a Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 kiosk, the game for which it is being specifically developed. Microsoft confirmed that ..."

"In a document for a House committee Microsoft has more or less admitted collecting data on its Web users. Redmond said that it began collecting data outside its own Web sites in 2006, when it launched a third-party ad network, and that activity accelerated after the acquisition of aQuantive in 2007.

Microsoft said that while it started by offering an "opt-out" option on all pages on which it serves ads starting in the Spring. Users were falling over themselves to sign up to give their da..."

"It has only been a few days since I happily scored myself an Apple 3G iPhone, and I must say it is a truly amazing phone. In the past few days I have been overwhelmed by the vast amount of applications you can download for free, or pay for on the iTunes store.

These apps seem that they can do almost anything you can imagine. You can even check on your Xbox live friends list! And play 3D games! So read below for my impressions of a few of the iPhone applications that are available now."

"It wouldn't be accurate to say that the sky is falling for Microsoft's one and only gaming console, the 360, but it may be time to look at what the company is doing right... and where it's going wrong. The Sony PlayStation 3 is beginning to chip away at the 360's lead in both software and hardware sales in the US, and that system only seems to be picking up steam. In contrast, the 360 doesn't seem to have much real momentum these days."

"The Xbox is giving consumers more gigabytes for their dollar - the Xbox 360 Pro console now comes with triple the storage space of the original 20GB Pro console, but at the same recommended retail price of $499 (RRP*). The new units are shipping into retails stores as of today."

"With two successful years of pomp and glitzy bluster under its belt, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts has announced that its British Academy Video Games Awards are set to return in March 2009, following a leave of absence this year.

With its videogames award ceremony scheduled for March 10 at the London Hilton, Park Lane, the Academy aims to "support, develop and promote the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and be..."

"This just in: Extreme Gamers spend more heavily than even heavy gamers. In the follow-up to last year's Games Segmentation II survey, industry-tracking NPD Group found that the highest order of gamers spend on average 45 hours a week playing games, having purchased roughly 24 titles in a three-month period. That's a marked increase from last year, in which the then-top Heavy Gamer demographic spent 39.3 hours a week gaming, purchasing on average 13.1 games over the same period of time.

In ..."

"Back in the good old days, games developers were bespectacled, hairy monstrosities that kept themselves safely locked away in perpetually dark bedrooms, their only relationship in life being a loyal devotion to endless streams of code for the latest Commodore 64 hits. While Jeff Minter does his best to keep those days alive, it cannot be denied that the birth of the Internet gave rise to a new breed of game developer: One with a captive audience, an opportunity to say whatever he or she felt ..."

"Last year saw record gaming sales at US retailers, but 2008 is on pace to crush those numbers. Heading into the back half of the year, the industry has already posted six straight months of double-digit software sales growth, and analysts are unified in expecting a seventh later this week when the NPD Group releases its US retail sales figures for July.

Lazard Capital Markets' Colin Sebastian was the most conservative of the usual NPD-prognosticating suspects, suggesting US software sales..."

"20. I don’t want to join a clan.
21. I like licensed games.
22. Game stories bore me.
23. I will not read a book or watch a film based on a video game.
24. I have no idea what a PokeMAN is.
25. I enjoy Bejeweled."

"'From the beginning of time, Xbox 360 and PS3 gamers have been dueling about who’s console is the more graphically powerful. In these skirmishes, terms like CPU, GPU, and RAM have been thrown around, but now those folks on the PS3 side of the fray have another weapon in their arsenal: disc format.

You may think that disc size has absolutely nothing to do with graphical quality of games. It all has to do with the raw power of the console’s CPU, RAM, etc., you might say; the discs are just..."

"It's an idea that's as old as iPhone/iPod Touch software version 2.0: the ability to track Xbox Live Gamertags on the Apple handheld. But Nicholas Pike is the first to do it with his iXboxLive application: for 99 cents you can have the ability to view anyone's Gamertag on the go.

The program has an "early" feel to it -- in our tests it's prone to lagging and system crashes, but it does a good job doing what it's supposed to do: displaying players' Gamertags, their Achievements points for e..."

"With QSF5.com’s ‘Exclusives Watch 2008′, we’re going to take a look at how many console platform exclusives could be found on the PS3, Xbox 360 and the Wii in the 2008 calendar year."

"There has been hardly any news on the exclusive content that Xbox 360 owners will get when the GTA IV DLC goes live. But according to GameTrailers, there will be some news regarding the DLC coming this Friday on GameTrailers TV.

Even more interesting is that GT TV will be interviewing Michael Hollick, who is the voice for the main character Niko Bellic and they will talk about the upcoming downloadable content for GTA IV which is scheduled to be released at the end of the year."

"Grand Theft Auto IV will be released for PC on 21st November in Europe, Rockstar announced today.

Pleasantly, that's just a few days after the PC version arrives in North America on 18th November.

Rockstar founder Sam Houser says it "looks and plays beautifully on PC and we can't wait for people to play it".

A PC version of the game has been rumoured since before the PS3 and 360 versions were even released, but Rockstar has never previously confirmed it.

The most telling sighting ..."

"Ah, the ill-fated Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death, how we fear thy ways. After all, with a 16% failure rate, it could happen to anyone. For some of us, it already has. Multiple times. And as much as we love spending a half hour coaxing Microsoft’s customer service into sending us a “coffin” (the sad cardboard box used to mail back your deceased console) only to receive yet another broken replacement, sometimes its easier to just give up. Well then, the least that Microsoft could do is give us a fe..."

"Guitar Hero III is about to be graced with an Interscope track pack featuring three artists from that respected rock and/or roll label. Here's what's on tap for next week:

* Flyleaf’s "Tina"
* AFI: "Carcinogen Crush"
* A remix of Marilyn Manson’s "Putting Holes In Happiness" by Nick Zinner from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Interesting selection, eh? The Interscope Track Pack, will be available on August 7 for download on Xbox LIVE and PlayStation 3."

"Namco Bandai Games Inc. on Tues. said that it will release a Special Edition version of Tales of Vesperia for Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360.

The Special Edition SKU will feature a SteelBook case and a 10th anniversary soundtrack CD.

The CD includes 25 tracks, with 14 songs from Tales of Vesperia, two from Tales of Phantasia, two from Tales of Destiny, four from Tales of Symphonia and three from Tales of the Abyss.

The product will be sold in limited quantities at select retailers for $6..."

"We already know that Rock Band 2 is going to make its debut on the Xbox 360 before any other console. However, we’ve gotten no word on just how long we’ll have to wait before it is released on the PS3 and Wii. However, thanks to a few snapshots from a retailer, we may have a better idea.

According to the screens, we can expect the Xbox 360 version to hit stores on September 14th. The PS3 owners will have to wait just over a month for their October 19th release, while Wii owners won’t see i..."

"It’s being reported that Square-Enix have not yet begun developing Final Fantasy XIII for the Xbox 360, mainly because their 360 development kits haven’t arrived yet.

Motomo Toriyama, the game’s director, said “We’re making the PS3 version first, and then porting to the 360 later. I’m telling [the development team] to not think about the Xbox 360 right now. We can think about it after the development kits arrive. Right now, we’re fully concentrating on the PS3 version”.

Final Fantasy XI..."

"This Saturday we've reported about the PC/X360 shooter Left 4 Dead possibly winging its way to the PlayStation 3. The scoop, which was actually a blurb in the latest issue of OPM, indicated that Electronic Arts would take on the task of porting the game to Sony's console.

As it turns out, the story was bogus, at least according to Vavle's Doug Lombardi, who made the following statement to clarify things: "There is no PS3 version of Left 4 Dead currently in production." Nicely said.

So, ..."

"This picture is confirmation of the earlier Ars Technica article from an informant stating that the Xbox 360 would drop it's price in September to $199.99 for the Core, $299.99 for the 60GB model, and $399.99 for the 120GB Elite model. This picture shows nearly irrefutable proof that those rumors are substantiated, and are set to happen in just over a month."

"It has always been the same, and it will continue to be the same. People also say that there’s no innovation in films and books, and then there’s a flash of writing, a clear blue sky, and you get a Harry Potter.


Here we are in 2008, and I’ll admit that in interactive entertainment, it’s an awful lot harder to be innovative just for innovation’s sake. Today we’ve got budgets to worry about, costs to recoup and audiences to reach. I used to do games where innovation was the core of the ga..."

"Ever notice something about Xbox LIVE? The people that are on it, they're mostly Americans. That's not necessarily a bad thing, is it? Of course not. So there's no need to get all bent out of shape when Europe Xbox exec Chris Lewis "the lion's share" of Xbox Live users are Americans. What's percentage of Xbox LIVE users are European? Says Lewis:

We don't normally break out the European element of our Live membership. I mean, I know what it is, but I don't want to get rapped on the knuc..."

"I’m disgruntled with Sony, I’ve been annoyed by Nintendo, but Microsoft is the only one of the big three that has truly pissed me off. My experience with my 360 has been more or less akin to that of being a beaten wife in denial. I'm currently on my 6th system and I’m so freaked out that it’ll break again that I sent in a questionable claim to Xbox support just to have a box and shipping info prepared just in case it goes.

So here’s a list of every wrong, perceived or real, that Microsoft ..."

""With Xbox LIVE Community Games set for release by the end of the year Microsoft will hopefully be delivering on that promise of "a huge amount of creativity pouring onto Xbox 360 and Xbox Live". The company has gone so far as to say, "community-created games on Xbox LIVE are expected to double the size of the Xbox 360 video game library”. If that is the case, there must surely be at least a reasonable number of innovative games in the mix.""

"When a demo is done properly, it can create a lot of buzz around an unheralded title. The early days saw Fight Night Round 3 stun 360 owners with its sharp visuals and crunching slow-mo knockout replays.

Later down the line Civilization Revolution, Lost Planet, Bioshock and Burnout Paradise all had stellar demos that did a great job of selling the game in question.

Sometimes it's too easy for developers to fall into a "here's the boss, now the demo ends" trap. Unfortunately, some develo..."

"Sure the service is good but how long can Microsoft get away with charging? The news that Games for Windows Live - essentially a PC version of Xbox Live - will now be available for free makes it increasingly difficult for Microsoft to justify charging a subscription to Xbox Live."

"We here at the ’Focus have openly embraced the "New Xbox Experience". I personally love the idea of a more modern Dashboard, but some of you non adopters loathe the change (some of you hate change period).

For you dissenting folk, there is no need to keep those feathers riled as Major Nelson affirms in his latest podcast that the same Dashboard we use today will in effect be there after the update. All the features seen today will be moved to the new guide level. A simple push of the same ..."

"During our guided demo of Microsoft's upcoming stable of XBLA games, Microsoft's Scott Austin informed us that all the games on display would be available in the next four to six weeks on Xbox Live Arcade. All of 'em."

"At the E3 2008 Microsoft Press Conference, Don Mattrick showcased the growth of Xbox Live over the last year.

According to Microsoft, there are over 12 million users on Xbox Live, up from 6 million reported last year.

A new Xbox Live member is added every five seconds.

Since November 2005 over a $1 billion has been spent on Xbox Live content.

There have been 500 million pieces of content downloaded on Live and over 10,000 movies and television shows are available for download.

..."