Official Xbox 360? Thread...Part Deux

[Queasy]

Post all Xbox 360 stuff here.

Mods - Could you please lock the original? Thanks.

Link to Original Xbox 360 Thread

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6/8 - Reminder: Halo 3 Beta ends at midnight PST Sunday June 10th

A sad and gentle reminder that the Halo 3 Public Beta is coming to an end this weekend. In theory, it will come to a close at Midnight, PST on Sunday the 10th of June, a few days after it was originally scheduled to bite the bullet. Followers of the Beta Saga will no doubt remember that the extension was Bungie?s way of saying sorry for the initial 10-14 hour delay for Crackdown users.

The Beta has been a great success for us in terms of the sheer amount of data it allowed us to gather, for matchmaking, networking, general bug-bashing and of course some gameplay elements. As the Beta heads to the great software graveyard in the sky, it?s vital to remember that things you got used to during these short few weeks, are almost certain to change. Some of those changes will be subtle, nuanced, perhaps even invisible. Others will be less subtle ? with shifts in game types, weapon functionality, spawn points and map details. Don?t get attached to anything. But bluntly, most changes are going to be improvements, judging from the feedback we?ve seen.

That is, after all, the nature of a Beta. Find problems, eliminate them, test systems, make improvements. And that?s what we?ve done. The final shipping multiplayer game will be better for it. And you, dear player, will have contributed to that betterment.

Hopefully you?ve also had fun. We never want to ship anything that isn?t enjoyable. Hopefully you?ve enjoyed a small sample of what?s going to be a much bigger game.

Click through for more about an extra disc in some editions of Halo 3 and a sweet looking custom Halo 3 car for Forza 2.

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5/29 - Link - More Halo 3 Beta Map changes.

Last week in the Halo 3 Beta, we ushered Big Team Training into the fold and this week we're launching a ranked version of Big Team action. Additionally, we've added a nouveau classique to the Matchmaking Playlist -- Double Team Training. In Double Team Training, players will pair off and square off in 2v2 games of the Slayer and Skirmish variety. In case you've lost track of the Playlists during the truffle shuffle of adjustments and tweaks we've been making, here's the current breakdown:

Social Matches

* Big Team Training
* Double Team Training
* Team Training

Ranked Matches

* Team Slayer
* Big Team Battle
* Rumble Pit

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5/21 - Bungie making changes to Halo 3 Matchmaking Playlist this week.

Like any good chef we're making some changes to the recipe in the Public tastetest we call the Halo 3 Beta. This week we're making our first change to the Matchmaking Playlist . We're swapping out Team Training and adding in Big Team Training. In Big Team Training players will play 6v6 on High Ground and Valhalla. In addition to some existing modes look for some new modes in Big Team Training, like Multi Flag CTF on Valhalla. Additionally, we've made some slight tweaks to the Team Skirmish playlist that should add greater variety in the opponents you'll face.

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5/16 - September 25th Release Date Announced for Halo 3

We said Fall 2007, but did you expect Halo 3?s release date to be just two days into the Fall? On September 25, 2007 (just two days after the Autumnal Equinox), players will be able to finish the fight they started in Halo: Combat Evolved and continued in Halo 2. Halo 3 will release in Europe on September 26, 2007. Worldwide dates may vary slightly depending on local rules and conditions.

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5/9 - Link

I am happy to announce that the May 2007 Dashboard update has now been officially released and is in process of being rolled out across the LIVE service. For many of you, the next time you sign in to Xbox LIVE, you will be prompted to receive the update. A couple of things to keep in mind over the next few hours as the update is deployed:

* You?ll be prompted to accept the update when you sign into Xbox Live sometime in the next few hours. You will only receive the prompt for the update upon sign in. You won?t get it in middle of a game.
* Regardless of what you have heard, it's not geographically based. No one area of the world will get it before another.
* If you log out and then back in again, this won?t force the update?it will only anger people on your friends list who will see you sign in, then out, then in, then out ?
* Be patient, everyone will eventually receive the update

In addition to the LIVE Messenger integration feature in the new Dashboard, you?ll also see:

* New achievement pop-up with name and score value
* New Marketplace blade places content all in one place
* Friends playing now feature at Xbox LIVE Arcade
* Console can be set to turn off after downloads to save energy.

I want to say something about the last bullet point. What this means is that you can queue up your downloads and turn your console ?off.? When you turn it off during a download, you are actually switching your Xbox 360 into low power mode and the power light will blink very slowly as it continues downloading. After all the downloads are complete, the blinking light will stop and the console will automatically turn itself completely off. Downloads done.

Here is the press release that outlines the rest of the new features.

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4/30 - Link

Sources at equipment makers were cited by a Chinese-language Commercial Times report as saying that the Xbox 360 will be equipped with a 65nm-made Xenos graphics processing unit (GPU) in the fall and that corresponding foundry partner Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will see benefits.

The paper cited the sources as saying that an engineering version of the 65nm-made Xenos has been sent out and production will start in May. TSMC projected sales contribution from 65nm would amount to 5% during mid-2007.

On a separate note, TSMC announced the introduction of 65nm-made embedded DRAM in March. Embedded DRAM is one of the two dies that comprise the Xenos. In the 90nm version of the Xenos, embedded DRAM is manufactured by NEC.

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4/19 - New Backwards Compatibility Update - Panzer Dragoon Orta!!!

April 2007 Back Compat titles added/updated:

Tenku (Japan only)
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Avatar: The Legend of Aang (EMEA/ANZ)
Breakdown
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
Call of Duty 3
Cars
Crash Bandicoot 5: Wrath of Cortex
Daisenryaku VII
FIFA Soccer 2007
Full Spectrum Warrior
Guilty Gear Isuka
Innocent Tears (Japan only)
Jet Set Radio Future
King of Fighters 2002
King of Fighters: Neowave
Mad Dash Racing (Japan only)
Mech Assault 2
Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction
Nascar 2006: Total Team Control
NFL Fever 2004
Oddworld Munch?s Oddysee
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Petit Copter (Japan only)
Phantom Dust
Reservoir Dogs
Return To Castle Wolfenstein
Rugby League 2
Sengoku Warriors (Japan only)
Sonic Riders
Soul Calibur 2 UPDATED
Spider-Man 2
Star Wars: Republic Commando
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
Tony Hawk?s Underground
Ultra Bust a Move /ULTRA Pazzle Bobble
Unreal Championship 2

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4/17- Halo 2 Map Pack Released

The Halo 2 ?Blastacular Map Pack? is now available for download over Xbox Live. This pack is US $4.00, and it contains two maps: Tombstone and Desolation.

Since this is original Xbox content, it?s worth pointing out the following:

* You can not purchase these maps with MS points because all original Xbox games have no idea what points are. Therefore, you must have a valid credit card associated with your account in order to purchase the map pack. Please read this article which will show you how to make the changes to your account to add a credit card. All set there, but getting an error when downloading? this may help.
* Don't have a credit card? Head down to your local Visa gift card retailer (like a supermarket) and charge one up with just enough to cover the purchase.
* The maps are original Xbox content..so when you purchase them, they are tied the console they are purchased on. You can not go to another box and re-download them for free.

According to Frankie, the H2 playlists will be updated shortly to include the new mapage.

For more information on the maps (and screen shots) direct your attention to the thse two articles (one and two) on Bungie.net

Edit: Frankie has a new post on the maps here.

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4/11 - GHII packs released

Name: Guitar Hero Track Pack 1
Price: 500 Points
Availability: Not available in Asia
Dash Details: Bark at the Moon as made famous by Ozzy Osbourne, Hey You as made famous by The Exies, Ace of Spades as made famous by Motorhead, For all song credits please visit www.redoctane.com.

Name: Guitar Hero Track Pack 2
Price: 500 Points
Availability: Not available in Asia
Dash Details: Killer Queen as made famous by Queen, Take it Off as made famous by The Donnas, Frankenstein as made famous by The Edgar Winter Group, For all song credits please visit www.redoctane.com.

Name: Guitar Hero Track Pack 3
Price: 500 Points
Availability: Not available in Asia
Dash Details: Higher Ground as made famous by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Infected as made famous by Bad Religon, Stellar as made famous by Incubus, For all song credits please visit www.redoctane.com.

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4/10 -

Originally posted by: jlmadyson
Halo 3 Beta Dated: May 16th plus Video Doc

Make sure you check out the video doc. The second WMV is actually the larger file version. I believe it is on the marketplace as well. Anyhow, shield bubble, tripline, saved film, that is all I got to say.

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4/9 - Gears of War Update and "Annex" out today!

Later today, a Gears of War auto update is going to be available. I am not sure of the exact time, but here are some of the details of what the AU contains:

In Annex, gamers seize victory by keeping control over key map locations, or objectives, long enough to collect a winning number of points. Every map contains two to five identified objectives available for capture, with one objective active at a time. Objectives are based on map weapon-spawn locations and have a potential value of 60 points toward either team's score. Teams collect those points by maintaining ownership of an objective until all 60 points have been distributed. Every second that a team controls an objective, the team gets one point. When an objective falls to zero points, the next objective is selected at random.

And while defending their objectives against the onslaught of Xbox LIVE opponents, gamers may notice the following minor adjustments to "Gears of War":

*
VGA Cable Support: Monitor resolution widths greater than or equal to 1280 now render as letterbox. In particular VGA users running at 1280x1024 will now see the game in full 720p (1280x720) resolution in letterboxed form.
* Adjusted Assassination Multiplayer Gametype: Leader no longer has to unlock weapons and now has to be executed to die.
* Adjusted Boomshot: Splash damage to be more effective rendering targets down-but-not-out
* Adjusted Hammer of Dawn: Aiming will be more forgiving of moving targets
* Adjusted Roadie Run: Reduced frequency of accidently grabbing cover while running
* Kill Message Ticker: Ticker can now be seen while down-but-not-out and spectating
* General: Addressed a number of possible exploits in multiplayer

Hit www.gearsofwar.com for further details.

Again: I don?t know the exact time the AU will be released, but I?ll try to post a comment (or get e to do so) when it does go Live.

Edit: Remember, this is a rolling release. That means that it will take a few hours for everyone to get the prompt once we start rolling it out.

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4/9 - Spring Update Details Released

While the actual update is about a month away from being released, today we released official details on some of the new features and enhancements the free update will contain. In addition to MSN Messenger integration that you may have heard about, we also announced a new text input device coming this summer. Other features coming next month include:

* The redesigned Achievement notification pop-up (toast) will show the name of the unlocked Achievement and the gamerscore value. You?ll see this information the moment you earn an achievement. No more popping open the guide and interrupting your gameplay. (screenshot)
* Enhanced family settings features for Xbox LIVE communications enable different defaults for video chat and voice chat.
* A new Xbox LIVE Marketplace blade lets Xbox LIVE members access the content they seek - whether it is game content or TV shows and movies (available in the United States) - from one place.
* Updates to Xbox LIVE Arcade allow owners to see which Xbox LIVE Arcade games their friends are playing and join in the fun. Xbox LIVE members can also compare progress of leaderboard scores and Achievements directly with all friends on their friends list. The Tell a Friend capabilities have been expanded as well.
* A new option in Auto Downloads provides faster access to the entire collection of free, trial-version Xbox LIVE Arcade games.
* New progressive download controls provide easy access to optimal viewing options by letting people fast-forward, rewind, pause and resume as their video is downloaded from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
* Extension of the background download functionality will allow owners to set their Xbox 360 console to turn off automatically after downloads are complete.

I know you probably have a bunch of questions about these features, so I?ll work on getting a few guests on some of my upcoming shows to answer ?em.

One more thing, the update will also add the ability for the name of the game that is in your tray to show up on the dash. Oh, and it works for Xbox 360 and Original Xbox titles

Full Details on Xbox.com

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4/7 - Joystiq

After awaiting an official response all week on what Red Octane plans to do about defective guitars some customers received with their copies of Xbox 360's Guitar Hero II, we've received from several tipsters the responses they received from Red Octane. The response brings up nothing but more questions.

Red Octane writes to those with complaints about the guitar, "We have isolated this issue to two model numbers that can be found on the guitar's packaging. The numbers are 95065 and 95055. We are asking that customers who puchased [sic] their items from a retailer perform an exchange with that respective store (for a model number other than the defective two listed above). Customer's [sic] who purchased through our online story [sic] can complete an rma request for their defective item and we will exchange it for a fully function [sic] guitar controller. We do apologize for the inconvenience and will resole [sic] these matters."

Joystiq has been interviewing people all week trying to make sense of this entire issue as Red Octane is less than forthcoming with information. For example, here at Joystiq, we have a 95055 box, with a 95065 sticker placed over the UPC (originally 95055) and a 95065 guitar in the box - everything works fine so far (except star power activation is far less responsive than the PS2 guitar). Over at sister site Xbox 360 Fanboy, where they received a broken controller, they had a 95067 (that is not a typo) box with a 95065 guitar inside. At this point Red Octane acknowledges "defective" models as 95065 and 95055. If you have a defective model guitar, go ahead and return it with Red Octane's blessing.

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4/3 - MS Improves Warranty Service

Microsoft announced today it is improving the warranty for the Xbox 360 as well as adding new customer services.

"We recently announced that we changed the Xbox 360? warranty in the United States and Canada from 90 days to one year from the date of purchase. Now we're adding additional service enhancements, taking Xbox 360 customer service one step further."

The enhancements include Free Shipping, so when your console needs to be returned to Microsoft for repair your shipping costs are free; and Post-Service Warranty:

"If we repair your Xbox 360 within the original warranty period, you will receive either the balance of your original warranty, or 90 days, whichever is longer. In addition, we will now pay for the shipping both ways.

If we repair your Xbox 360 after the warranty period has expired, while you will be responsible for the repair costs, your repaired console will be returned to you with a new, one year repair warranty." original warranty, or 90 days, whichever is longer. In addition, we will now pay for the shipping both ways.

Additionally, Microsoft is implementing an expedited repair process that guarantees that upon receipt of the console, they will repair it and ship it to you within five business days. The company is also increasing the number of Xbox customer care representatives

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[purbeast0]

you should link to the old one and have a mod lock the other one as well, and post a link to this thread in the old one.

oh yah, and crackdown blows!!!

 

[mzkhadir]

Halo 3 release date and box shots : http://www.activewin.com/awin/comments.asp?HeadlineIndex=38087&Group=1

 

[Unheard]

Maybe I'll be tempted to post in this one.

 

[yllus]

Thank you. I can't even load the last page of the last thread anymore.

So I tried out the Crackdown demo on Xbox Live last night. It won't be on my "buy" list, but it was somewhat entertaining for its superhuman riff on the GTA sandboxed city idea. Might be more fun in co-op - haven't gotten around to that yet.

 

[blackdogdeek]

i downloaded the demos for saint's row, bfme2, crackdown and hitman yesterday. saint's row is great. i know it's just like GTA but i never played GTA.

i only bought my 360 this past saturday and i've only been playing free demos so far and it's awesome.

i :heart: 360.

 

[bigrash]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I licked the old thread!

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: bigrash
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I licked the old thread!

it's still there, you can still lick it all you want!

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: bigrash
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I licked the old thread!

How did it taste? How many licks did it take to get to the center?

 

[Fingolfin269]

Nice, I don't fear trying to load the thread anymore.

 

[jlmadyson]

Damnit no, I hate change.

Crackdown ftw!

 

[bigrash]

Originally posted by: purbeast0

Originally posted by: bigrash
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I licked the old thread!

it's still there, you can still lick it all you want!

Oh SNAP! I gotta think before I type

 

[jlmadyson]

Originally posted by: Fingolfin269
Nice, I don't fear trying to load the thread anymore.

Yea, that sob took forever and a day to load.

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: jlmadyson
Damnit no, I hate change.

Crackdown ftl!

fixed!

 

[Queasy]

For those that care - New content for the Video Marketplace - Would like to see more of this regularly but they are releasing new stuff at a decent clip.

I just heard from the Video Marketplace team that we have a bunch of new content posted, including a FREE episode of ?Skyland.? Plus, starting today, Lionsgate Studio is now a VM partner:

Here is a list of some of the new content on the Video Marketplace this week:

Skyland (Nicktoons) - Season 1, Episode 1 free until Monday 1/29 at 11:59PM PST
Wild World of Spike
Inconvenient Truth 2007 Academy Award nominated!
Lady in the Water (HD)
Beerfest (HD)
Wickerman (HD)
The Descent (HD)
American Haunting (HD)
See No Evil (HD)
Blair Witch Project (HD)
Requiem for a Dream (HD)
Cecil B. Demented (HD)

And later this week, the following movies will be available:
World Trade Center
Barnyard

Remember, the above content is only available in the U.S. We know you want it in your region (so do we) but we?re not there yet.

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: Queasy
For those that care - New content for the Video Marketplace - Would like to see more of this regularly but they are releasing new stuff at a decent clip.

I just heard from the Video Marketplace team that we have a bunch of new content posted, including a FREE episode of ?Skyland.? Plus, starting today, Lionsgate Studio is now a VM partner:

Here is a list of some of the new content on the Video Marketplace this week:

Skyland (Nicktoons) - Season 1, Episode 1 free until Monday 1/29 at 11:59PM PST
Wild World of Spike
Inconvenient Truth 2007 Academy Award nominated!
Lady in the Water (HD)
Beerfest (HD)
Wickerman (HD)
The Descent (HD)
American Haunting (HD)
See No Evil (HD)
Blair Witch Project (HD)
Requiem for a Dream (HD)
Cecil B. Demented (HD)

And later this week, the following movies will be available:
World Trade Center
Barnyard

Remember, the above content is only available in the U.S. We know you want it in your region (so do we) but we?re not there yet.

R

 

[jlmadyson]

ZootFly Backs Off From Ghostbusters Game

Thursday 25-Jan-2007 11:00 AM All references removed to 360 game and YouTube videos taken down at the request of Sony Pictures, dev tells CVG

The recently released Ghostbusters movies from an early-in-development Xbox 360 game have been pulled off the web at the request of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

All references to the game have also bee removed from ZootFly's website. When trying to track down the videos, YouTube greets you with, "This video has been removed at the request of copyright owner Sony Pictures Entertainment because its content was used without permission." Whoops...

CVG contacted the developer and was told that the videos were indeed removed at the request of Sony Pictures and all references to the game have been removed from its website while negotiations over the rights continue behind closed doors. Fingers crossed Sony doesn't pull the plug, it was looking good.

Sony ftl.

 

[jlmadyson]

Gears of War shoots into Japanese top 10

Epic Games' popular third-person sci-fi shooter grabs number seven in the charts, reports Media Create.

By Emma Boyes, GameSpot UK
Posted Jan 25, 2007 9:05 am PT

No one can argue that Gears of War hasn't been a massive success. The title has sold more than three million units worldwide--it was the third best-selling game of 2006 in the US, and 18th best-selling in the UK. It also won GameSpot's game of the year award, as well as becoming the most popular game on Xbox Live.

Now the Xbox 360-exclusive title can boast another feather in its cap--the game was released in Japan on January 18, although Western-developed shooter have historically not proved popular in the land of the rising sun. However, Gears of War managed to break into the top 10, selling 33,212 copies in its first week and debuting in the charts at number seven, according to Media Create.

There were a total of eight new titles in the top ten of the Japanese charts last week, with .hack//G.U. Vol. 3 making it to number one, having sold 136,790 copies since its release.

:Q

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: purbeast0

Originally posted by: Queasy
For those that care - New content for the Video Marketplace - Would like to see more of this regularly but they are releasing new stuff at a decent clip.

R

Yeah Yeah Yeah Figured why not since some were saying they can't even get the old thread to load anymore.

 

[R Nilla]

:thumbsup: for new thread (and I think it's "Deux" not "Deaux").

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: R Nilla
:thumbsup: for new thread (and I think it's "Deux" not "Deaux").

D'oh! You're right. :laugh:

 

[Kaido]

Well I finally beat Gears of War, trying it on Insane mode now. Great game, loved the unique style of 3rd-person shooting. Awesome graphics, easy enough not to consult a manual on.

On another note, today's Xbox 360 seems like yesterday's Playstation 2. Everyone I know who games has (or had) a PS2. Fast forward to today, it seems like all the gamers I know have a 360. I know two people who have a Playstation 3, and both of them play their 360 more than their PS3. I'm really impressed with the ergonomics of the controller, the incredible graphics, and the amount and variety of good games. I'm a big FPS fan and found it hard to switch to a console (keyboard/mouse vs. joystick controller), but the 360 has definitely made the transition easy. There are a truckload of games I want to play for Xbox1 and 360 - FEAR, Far Cry (beat the second one), GOW (beat that one), GRAW, R6 (Vegas), etc. Plus all the HD movie content coming out, along with the HD-DVD. I'll give it to Microsoft, they've finally done something right!

 

[jlmadyson]

Just ran across this tidbit;

PSM3 February 2007

From the rumour section
- "Shock news? PS3 'exclusive' Devil May Cry 4 will appear on Xbox 360..."

The best part in all this has got to be the back of the Magazine cover. Now that is classic. Killing em softly.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: jlmadyson
Just ran across this tidbit;

PSM3 February 2007

From the rumour section
- "Shock news? PS3 'exclusive' Devil May Cry 4 will appear on Xbox 360..."

The best part in all this has got to be the back of the Magazine cover. Now that is classic. Killing em softly.

LMAO - PSM3 just got 'nade-tagged.

 

[PricklyPete]

Originally posted by: Queasy
For those that care - New content for the Video Marketplace - Would like to see more of this regularly but they are releasing new stuff at a decent clip.

I just heard from the Video Marketplace team that we have a bunch of new content posted, including a FREE episode of ?Skyland.? Plus, starting today, Lionsgate Studio is now a VM partner:

Here is a list of some of the new content on the Video Marketplace this week:

Skyland (Nicktoons) - Season 1, Episode 1 free until Monday 1/29 at 11:59PM PST
Wild World of Spike
Inconvenient Truth 2007 Academy Award nominated!
Lady in the Water (HD)
Beerfest (HD)
Wickerman (HD)
The Descent (HD)
American Haunting (HD)
See No Evil (HD)
Blair Witch Project (HD)
Requiem for a Dream (HD)
Cecil B. Demented (HD)

And later this week, the following movies will be available:
World Trade Center
Barnyard

Remember, the above content is only available in the U.S. We know you want it in your region (so do we) but we?re not there yet.

Sweet...I've been itching to download a new movie from the service...and I've wanted to see the "The Descent". Looks to be my next purchase!