A Harmonix representative has confirmed the US retail price and release date for their upcoming Rock Band game.
Online retailer Amazon.com recently changed the listing of the game to reflect a price of USD 169.99 [£83] for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game, with a release date of November 23. According to a GameSpot story, a Harmonix representative confirmed that Amazon's information was correct.
The Xbox 360 and PS3 bundles include a wired drum kit, guitar, and microphone along with a copy of the game. The 360 Stratocaster guitar controller will be wired, and the bundle will include a USB hub. The PS3 Stratocaster guitar will be wireless.
The PS2 version will sell for USD 159.99, and won't be available until December 10 according to the Harmonix spokesperson. The game and instruments will also be sold separately.
Calls to Harmonix were not immediately returned.
UPDATE: An EA public relations manager has confirmed that the date and price were reported correctly. No word yet on an official UK release date or price.
Activision has popped a fresh pack of Guitar Hero II songs onto Xbox Live.
It features tracks from three bands you have probably never heard of: Detonation by Trivium, Ex's and Oh's by Atreyu ("ARTAAAAX!") and Bury the Hatchet by Protest the Hero.
There's a trailer so you can have a listen before you buy. The Indie Label Pack costs 500 points (GBP 4.25 / EUR 5.82).
Bungie has responded to claims that Halo 3 doesn't run in a high-definition resolution by saying saying it's "practically impossible to discern the difference".
The developer confirmed the lower 1152 x 640 resolution on its website, but went on to clarify that it used two frame buffers to create its final image - an unorthodox technique used to improve dynamic lighting range. Obviously.
"This ability to display a full range of HDR, combined with our advanced lighting, material and postprocessing engine, gives our scenes, large and small, a compelling, convincing and ultimately 'real' feeling, and at a steady and smooth frame rate, which in the end was far more important to us than the ability to display a few extra pixels," reckons Bungie.
"In fact, if you do a comparison shot between the native 1152x640 image and the scaled 1280x720, it's practically impossible to discern the difference. We would ignore it entirely were it not for the Internet's propensity for drama where none exists.
"In fact the reason we haven't mentioned this before in weekly updates, is the simple fact that it would have distracted conversation away from more important aspects of the game, and given tinfoil hats some new gristle to chew on as they catalogued their toenail clippings."
Halo 3 was released last week on 360, smashing sales records and receiving high scores across the board - especially from us, earning the much coveted 10/10.
Bungie has hidden secret Ninja Gaiden items in Halo 3, and here are the first shots of them in the flesh.
Players who've already put too many hours into Halo 3 are running around wearing a Hayabusa-style helmet with a ninja sword on their backs. And it's causing a storm in the forums...
The sword isn't a usable weapon - so don't get too excited - but it looks cool. And all you have to do to get it is earn all 1000 Achievement Points. So that means you need to locate all the near-impossible-to-find skulls and the helmet is yours too. Easy that!
Maybe this is why we hear loads of people asking other gamers to help them get multiplayer achievement points BY CHEATING? Shame on all of you! Getting the Overkill achievement will happen in its own good time...
While we're still hard at work on XNA Game Studio 2.0 we've managed to also bring you a new round of content on http://creators.xna.com for the month of September!
Samples
Collision with a Heightmap
This sample demonstrates how to move objects along a heightmap, useful when creating a game that requires interaction between moving objects and terrain. It is based on the Generated Geometry sample, which creates a landscape from a bitmap.
Custom Model Class
This sample shows how to go beyond the limits of the Model class that comes built in to the XNA Framework, loading geometry data into a custom class that can be extended more easily to cope with specialized requirements.
Mesh Instancing
This sample shows how to efficiently render many copies of the same model, using GPU instancing techniques to reduce the cost of repeated draw calls.
Shatter
This sample shows how you can apply an effect on any model in your game to shatter it apart.
Utilities
Curve Editor
This utility provides an easy-to-use visual editor for creating curves for use with the XNA Framework Curve class. The curve control used to display and edit curves inside the editor can also be imported into your own applications.
Input Reporter
This utility displays input data for all controllers connected to the system. The utility supports multiple controller types, including flight sticks, dance pads, and guitars.
Xbox 360 Controller Button Glyphs
This utility is a set of images that represent the buttons, thumbsticks, and triggers on the Xbox 360 Controller.
Articles
Ship Game Article - 3D Collision using the BoxCollider library
This supplemental article introduces the BoxCollider library provided in Ship Game. BoxCollider is a collision detection and response library that features an octree implementation, collision response with friction effects, and prebuilt collision-aware camera classes.
Enjoy the new content and stay tuned to our blog as we'll have more information coming on XNA Game Studio 2.0 very soon!
Tmbinc released the initial version of his linux 'gpu' library for Xbox360 on x226.org:
Triangles on the 360, MANY OF THEM - about 40 million per second, or even more if you write clever code. (But this is not a depth of field, just a blurry screenshot
I finally polished my GPU stuff far enough so I can risk a release. You need to compile your shaders, so you need Tser's shader compiler (which uses part of the windows XNA libraries).
So, without further words: gpu-0.0.3.tar.gz and romextract-0.0.1.tar.gz (to extract the required ucodes from flash). Have fun!
Ok, some further words: I didn't implemented any standard API yet, right now, the functions are on a very low level, directly above the hardware. Just take a look at gpu.c, and try to understand the example code. Then you should be able to do something more.
You might also be interested in xenkit, which is based on gpu, and adds X11 support and some demos.
The value of the computer game market in Japan, at 292.8 billion yen, was 21.7 percent higher in the fiscal first half to September than a year before, largely because of the success of Nintendo Co Ltd's Nintendo DS, magazine publisher Enterbrain said.
Sales of Nintendo's Wii and Sony (NYSE:SNE) Computer Entertainment Inc's PlayStation Portable 3 (PSP3) also helped the market expand, Enterbrain said.
Enterbrain conducted a survey of the market between March 26 and Sept 23.
The hardware market expanded by 33.5 percent to 138.3 billion yen and the software market increased by 12.8 percent to 154.5 billion yen, Enterbrain said in a written statement.
In the hardware market, Nintendo sold 3.478 million Nintendo DSs and Nintendo DS Lites in the fiscal first half and Sony Corp unit Sony Computer Entertainment sold 1.07 million PSP-1000s and PSP-2000s.
In the software market, Nintendo sold 819,237 sets of Mario Party 8 for the Wii and 789,091 sets of one of the series of the Legend of Zelda game for the Nintendo DS, Enterbrain said.
Halo 3 has claimed the number one spot in the UK all-format charts, in a strong week for new releases.
However, it is not the fastest-selling game in UK history, as many had expected. According to Chart Track, that record still belongs to Rockstar's 2004 release Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, with Halo 3 second.
Chart Track also stated that Halo 3 had doubled sales of 360 hardware to the highest level this year.
EA Sports' multiformat football update, FIFA 08, entered the chart in second place behind Microsoft's Xbox 360 blockbuster. Last week's top two - Tiger Woods 08 and MySims - claimed fourth and third places respectively for EA.
Other new entries in the top 10 were Juiced 2 at 5, and Sega Rally at 7. EA's new skateboarding franchise Skate just missed out, debuting at number 11. Activision's Enemy Territory: Quake Wars also failed to make the top 10, entering at 16.
The remainder of places in the top 10 were taken by Nintendo (with More Brain Training, Super Paper Mario and Wii Play) and Activision's Transformers licence.
THQ's Ratatouille did not fare so well, entering the chart at 39. However, the Pixar film on which it is based has yet to be released in the UK.
As well as the 360 itself, there was one other notable beneficiary of the Halo effect: Microsoft's racing sim Forza Motorsport 2, which soared 22 places, from 35 to 13.
Microsoft has distanced itself from rumours that it will be splitting with Halo developer Bungie, claiming it never said anything of the sort.
"There's been no such announcement," a spokesperson told us. "We continue to celebrate the tremendous success of the global phenomenon that is Halo 3."
The unsubstantiated claim came from a blog linked to the Seattle Post-Intelligence, which heard from an unidentified "friend in the know" that an announcement on the separation was imminent - apparently Bungie is fed up with just making Halo games.
But the holes in the evidence are vast and varied: the author of post that started it all is Jacob Metcalf (enjoying some publicity) who isn't a member of the usually reliable Seattle Post-Intelligence newspaper, which has consistently distanced itself from user-posted information in blogs.
It also takes a leap of faith to believe that the relationship between Bungie and Microsoft is as bad as this rumour suggests, what with Halo 3 breaking all sorts of records and receiving wide critical acclaim. MS is also the owner of the developer, so a split isn't as easy as it sounds.
Fishy, though, is a reluctance for both Bungie and Microsoft to officially rebuke the rumours and state outright that it isn't true.
World in Conflict won't be coming to Xbox 360 until next year, Sierra Entertainment revealed today.
The acclaimed real-time strategy port was previously expected sometime later this Autumn, but has been held back for unspecified reasons.
Internal studio Swordfish is creating the console game, under close supervision from PC developer Massive Entertainment. Among the changes will be remapped controls to fit the pad, as well as a new HUD better suited to couch-based commanders.
World in Conflict was released on PC on September 19th, and received a glowing account from us for its stunning take on the RTS genre and lavish production values.
Customers picking up a special edition Halo 3 consoles have reported seeing the new 65nm "Falcon" processors inside.
These cheaper and smaller CPUs use less power, leading to suggestions that units using them will require less cooling as well as be quieter and more reliable.
However, we're still waiting for confirmation from Microsoft that it is the Falcon processors people are seeing, and if so, which consoles feature them.
The unconfirmed word is that 360s sporting them were build on 24th August this year by Canadian outfit "FDOU". Apparently if the barcode sticker on your box shows a lot number of 734 or greater, then you could be in luck.
Or you can get hands-on and try to look through the bottom of your console at your heatsink. Falcon CPUs have no heatpipe, supposedly, so you won't see a coppery pipe if you have one. You can even whip your heatsink off and check to see if your CPU was made in Canada, if you like.
Even if Falcon chips are being put into new consoles, there is still considerable debate as to the actual effect they will have on the performance of the system. It is worth pointing out that many of the overheating problems leading to the infamous red rings of death are caused by the GPU, and not the CPU.
KOEI sends word that a demo of its historical slasher Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' war will hit Xbox Live and PlayStation Network this Thursday, ahead of its retail release in November.
In case you missed it, the generically-titled action game tells the tale of the 14th century conflict over the English succession to the French throne. Epic battles are promised, including appearances from historical celebs like Joan of Arc and Prince Edward. No Jodie Marsh, though.
Supposedly it's quite good as well; PSW mag has given it a hearty 8/10.
Microsoft has said Tetris Splash will be tomorrow's Live Arcade offering, and will cost 800 of your hard-earned points (GBP 6.80 / EUR 9.30).
It's a variation on the classic puzzle theme, one that has six-player free-for-all and team matches over Live. Or you can play on your own and mix things up with new T-Spin and Combo modes.
As with all the other retro revamps on Live Arcade, Tetris Splash will have polished-up graphics, leaderboards and 12 achievements to unlock (netting you 200 Gamerpoints if you can get them all).
You'll also be able to download "exciting" themes for your dashboard and "unprecedented" background aquatic creatures.
So, a touch expensive, but probably predictably addictive. Expect our thoughts on it soon.
With Halo 3 finally out of the way, Microsoft's mammoth PR machine can finally focus on its next big gun Mass Effect, starting with this new character bio.
Nihlus Kryik, one of the Citadel Council's most decorated Spectre agents, reads Microsoft's blurb, has unquestionable skills but is a bit of a hot head. A confidant of Saren, the main villain in Mass Effect, Nihlus has apparently learned a trick or two from the old master.
"Eventually, he stepped out of his mentor's shadow and established himself as one of the Council's top agents," the bio continues. "Since then, Nihlus has completed countless missions as a Spectre, each one more difficult and dangerous than the last.
"Though his methods aren't as brutal as Saren's, he will not hesitate to efficiently and thoroughly eradicate anything or anyone that stands in his way."
The Discovery Channel as exclusivly released a Halo short directed by Neil Blomkamp, this one looks good, its shows a battle between Marines and Brutes, along with a suprise ending!
latest round of Xbox Live stat crunching from Major Nelson reveals that Halo 3 has already topped to "Live Activity" rank listing for the week beginning September 24.
"The King has returned. Go Halo 3!", one commentator on Nelson's blog was moved to shout.
Bungie's sequel released last week and the only way to avoid bumping into it was to shove yourself into cryogenic freeze.
Halo 3's swift ascension to the throne means previous king Gears of War has been knocked down to second place in the Live Activity ranks, followed by Rainbow Six: Vegas, Madden NFL 08 and the CoD 4 beta.
Guitar Hero II, BioShock, Forza Motorsport 2, Call Of Duty 3 and Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Demo) lie in the bottom half of the top ten.
Major Nelson's list in numbered form is here, for those of you that like that sort of thing.
Weekly hardware purchases double; console outsells Wii for first time in 26 weeks (in the uk)
The release of Halo 3 has had a dramatic impact on sales of Xbox 360 hardware, doubling the previous week’s sales to the highest level of 2007.
According to ChartTrack, the system even managed to outsell Nintendo’s Wii for the first time in 26 weeks – a full half year.
Some 68 per cent of Xbox 360 software sales in the week were of Halo 3.
The release pushed overall software sales of Microsoft’s format to its highest sales week ever – comfortably beating the previous best of week 51, 2006.
Since we have an exploit in the hypervisor (kernel 4532 and 4548) and recently found a way to downgrade to these kernels, some hackers over at the XBH forums are working on a way to boot homebrew code on the Xbox360. Linux was already done via the linux bootloader, but for homebrew we'll need another bootloader obviously that will allow to boot 'unsigned' xbox 360 code.
From Arnezami on XBH:
For the last 4-5 weeks I have been working very hard to reboot the xbox into an unsigned kernel/hv. And I've been making quite some progress. Smiley
I am now capable (using the KK exploit as starting point) to reboot from the moment the CB section starts the CD section up to POST 0x6C (!) in the boot process. Meaning that all three cores are running in an unsigned kernel/hv at that point.
What I'm doing is loading the CD section back into memory (where it would normally be during boot) and restart it. This CD section is changed to contain a kernel/hv patcher (which I now use to debug the kernel startup). So in fact I can already change the kernel/hv at will
The difficulty has been (and still is) to restore the xbox into a state it was during boot. Most of the cpu/mmu related stuff have been restored now and thats why it already goes that deeply into the boot process. But some problems still remain (possibly interrupt/southbridge related). I'm still working on those. I'm also thinking of modifying what I've created into a more replicatable and managable form so others can take a look at some of these issues too (to speed up the progress).
Anyway. If we are successful in re-booting into a (patched) kernel it should also be possible to re-boot into any kernel (including the new ones). If we can do that we can (for example) avoid the whole fuse-burning dilemma (essentially by faking it). For that we would probably also need a second NAND (or some other storage device like a memory card) to store the new kernel/dash/kv/settings etc but thats something to discuss later on.
Back to work...
Complete Power and Charging System for Xbox 360 Wireless Controllers.
The Power Combo 360 includes:
- Charge Station 360 - dual port rapid battery charger
- 2 NiMH rechargeable batteries
- Power Kit 360 - play and charge cable with 11 foot (3.2m) cord
Features
• Up to 25 hours of play time on each battery
• Play and charge your wireless controllers simultaneously
• Charge 2 controller batteries in 4 hours
• Everything you need to keep your controllers charged at all times
• Eliminates the need for costly AA batteries
This limited special edition of the XCM 360 Black Knight case feature a big X shape hope on the top of the case which gets lit up by a LED kit in Red.
The LED kit is plug and play and easy to install.
It gives you a special look that will amaze anyone in the dark!
The aurora vent lighting system creates more than one illusion: first, that your Xbox is emitting an unearthly glow, but also that you took a lot of time to create a custom LED array for your Xbox vent lights. Instead, this product snaps into the custom LED holders included with the product, and plugs into the onboard power without any soldering.
Can be installed on the case bottom or top (for underglow or vent glow)
Clear or Black PCB holders that snap into the vent holes of your Xbox 360 PCBs are self adhesive and non conductive when used as underglow.
Kit Includes:
2 LED PCBs, custom sized for the Xbox 360 (1 short, 1 long)
1 Energizer Y cable (for using onboard power)
Black PCB Holders (for black cases)
Clear PCB Holders (for clear or OEM cases)
A video projector including Wii connection cable but also compatible with any video source (any console, DVD player etc.) to play or watch movie in sharp definition on any wall/screen. Compatible with PAL/NSTC format, universal power adapter to use anywhere, high resolution... it includes all the features you expected, and comes with a low price tag!
Specifications & extra information
- Projection size: 12 to 80 inches
- Projection distance: 1.1 to 5.5 yards (1 to 5 meters)
- Compatible with PAL/NTSC
- Universal 100/240V adapter with power plug adapter (Europe/USA)
- Resolution 960 * 234
- 8-120 ANSI Lumens
- Lamp type: 50W, 1000 hours
- Compatible with iPod Video
- Smart design and compact size
- Special for Wii console use (AV cable included)
- Sharp picture, low lux, high resolution
- Compatible with any A/V (Audio/Video) signal output port
- Mega power amplifier and stereo speakers built-in
- Built-in contrast, color, brightness and volume adjust function
- Compatible with various systems like Playstation 3, Playstation 2, Xbox 360,
Xbox, Gamecube, DVD player, MP4 player etc
features
Dynamic weather system: Now racing through a track can mean facing an unexpected rain storm or snow flurries in the middle of a race. This results in changing physics when powering around a corner on the wet or icy surface in Shanghai and St. Petersburg or any of the game’s 10 other locations.
Flair and driving style: Pass your opponent at full speed as you pump your fists and exhibit more emotion as you earn recognition with the revised Kudos system. The Kudos will be worthwhile too, because the new A.I. personalities will be able to perform bold new driving maneuvers as they race side by side with other drivers.
Iconic cars: New vehicles are lined up and ready to be driven, including the 2004 TVR Sagaris, 1965 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, 2005 Vanwall GPR V12, 1993 Toyota Supra Turbo, 2005 Gumpert Apollo, 1997 Panoz GTR-1 Coupe, 2006 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, and 1957 Maserati 250F.
description
Right from the starting line, Project Gotham Racing® 4 creates an emotionally-charged racing experience, where you become attached to your careers, profiles, and vehicles. There are several new features that embody this emotional experience, the most significant being the new career mode.
Get ready to be rewarded with a growing fanbase that cheers you on, reacts to your every move, and supports you through victory. Just imagine hearing the roar of the crowd as you cross the finish line with your own style and flair.
features
Epic story: The thrilling conclusion to the epic Halo trilogy.
Next-gen advantage: Taking full advantage of the power of Xbox 360™, Halo 3 expands on everything that has made the Halo franchise great, adding a wealth of technical and gameplay advancements.
Evolution of design: Next-generation high-definition visuals, enhanced A.I., an advanced real-time lighting engine, and new weapons, characters, and challenges are just a few examples of Halo 3's evolution of design and technology.
Unparalleled experience: Ultimately, these improvements provide gamers with an unparalleled experience and, in the end, tell an even more compelling and engrossing story.
Online multiplayer: The most complete online multiplayer experience ever conceived.
Only on Xbox 360.
description
The epic saga continues with Halo® 3, the hugely anticipated third chapter in the highly successful and critically acclaimed Halo franchise. Master Chief returns to finish the fight, bringing the epic conflict between the Covenant, the Flood, and the entire human race to a dramatic, pulse-pounding climax.
Halo 3 represents the third chapter in the Halo trilogy—an international award-winning action series that grew into a global entertainment phenomenon, selling more than 14.5 million units worldwide, logging more than 650 million hours of multiplayer action on Xbox LIVE®, and spawning action figures, books, a graphic novel, apparel, an upcoming film adaptation, and more.
The epic saga continues with Halo® 3, the hugely anticipated third chapter in the highly successful and critically acclaimed Halo franchise. Master Chief returns to finish the fight, bringing the epic conflict between the Covenant, the Flood, and the entire human race to a dramatic, pulse-pounding climax.
Halo 3 represents the third chapter in the Halo trilogy—an international award-winning action series that grew into a global entertainment phenomenon, selling more than 14.5 million units worldwide, logging more than 650 million hours of multiplayer action on Xbox LIVE®, and spawning action figures, books, a graphic novel, apparel, an upcoming film adaptation, and more.
features
Halo 3 themed artwork from renowned artist Todd McFarlane
Two different themes: Spartan with Master Chief, or Covenant Brute
Limited edition exclusive Halo 3 figurine comes with the controller
High-quality, scratch and wear-resistant controller surface
Award-winning 2.4 GHz RF technology provides a range of up to 30 feet
Integrated headset port for Xbox LIVE® play
Adjustable vibration feedback for longer battery life
Hook up to four Wireless Controllers and four Wireless Headsets simultaneously per Xbox 360 console
Available for only a limited time
description
Play Halo® 3 Like You Mean It. Really get into the game with this Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Controller. There are two different controllers available, both showcasing stunning original artwork from comic book master Todd McFarlane. Go for the Spartan theme featuring Master Chief, or the Covenant Brute featuring a Brute Chief. This controller comes with an exclusive collectible Halo 3 figurine from McFarlane Toys, and the controller is only available for a limited time. Hook it up with the Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Headset and make Master Chief proud.
This limited release of Halo 3 will come with a highly collectible Spartan helmet case with 2 bonus discs full of exclusive content.
First Disc:
Contains the main game.
Bonus Disc:
Exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and videos, including a high-def "Making of Halo 3" documentary, exclusive gamer pics and dashboard themes, a vast gallery of concept and production art and a fully playable classic "Halo"-themed mini-game.
Legendary Edition Disc:
Exclusive storyboard art collection from Halo 3's cinematics, Halo cinematics reloaded containing remastered, high-def versions of Halo and Halo 2 cinematics with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound plus commentary. Expanded digital bestarium guide to creatures, cultures and worlds of Halo 3. The Cortana Chronicles, a video hosted by Jen Taylor, and all new exclusive machinima from "Red vs. Blue" and "This Spartan Life".
features
Halo 3 themed artwork from renowned artist Todd McFarlane
Two different themes: Spartan with Master Chief, or Covenant Brute
Limited edition exclusive Halo 3 figurine comes with the controller
High-quality, scratch and wear-resistant controller surface
Award-winning 2.4 GHz RF technology provides a range of up to 30 feet
Integrated headset port for Xbox LIVE® play
Adjustable vibration feedback for longer battery life
Hook up to four Wireless Controllers and four Wireless Headsets simultaneously per Xbox 360 console
Available for only a limited time
description
Play Halo® 3 Like You Mean It. Really get into the game with this Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Controller. There are two different controllers available, both showcasing stunning original artwork from comic book master Todd McFarlane. Go for the Spartan theme featuring Master Chief, or the Covenant Brute featuring a Brute Chief. This controller comes with an exclusive collectible Halo 3 figurine from McFarlane Toys, and the controller is only available for a limited time. Hook it up with the Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Headset and make Master Chief proud.
features
Limited edition graphics with a Halo 3 logo and color scheme
Enhanced audio and voice quality over Xbox LIVE®
Up to eight hours of battery life with a built in rechargeable battery and charging cable
Removable ear grips with two size options for maximum comfort and stability
Communicate wirelessly with a range of up to 30 feet
Hook up to four Wireless Controllers and four Wireless Headsets simultaneously per Xbox 360 console
Available for only a limited time
description
Be Master Chief. Now you can practically be Master Chief with the Xbox 360™ Limited Edition Halo® 3 Wireless Headset. For the Halo® fanatic who is looking for an untethered and immersive gaming experience, the ergonomically designed wireless headset sports a Halo 3 logo with a visor gold power button, all in Master Chief green. The Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Headset is only available for a limited time and can be paired up with the Xbox 360 Limited Edition Wireless Controller for the ultimate Halo 3 gaming experience. The headset utilizes the same 2.4 GHz radio technology employed by the award-winning Xbox 360 Wireless Controller. Experience unparalleled clarity and performance without wires to tie you down. Take command wirelessly, and show the world your gaming loyalty with the Limited Edition Halo 3 Wireless Headset.
Choose your car, grab the wheel, and send Mattel's miniature machines come racing into your Xbox with Hot Wheels: Beat That! Players can choose from 30 awesome cars authentically modeled from the design specs of official Hot Wheels car models as they compete against friends or the computer AI on an assortment of tracks that run through bedrooms, backyards, and similar neighborhood settings. Each course offers multiple loops, drop-offs, ramps, and jumps, as players race across multiple laps in a variety of life-sized environments to make it first across the finish line!
Now is your chance to prove you have what it takes to go all in! The ultimate World Series of Poker rival, Phil ''The Brat'' Hellmuth, is out there just waiting to be beaten. But first, you have to build the bankroll and the skills to take him down. Start off with the early tournaments and work your way up, competing against some of poker's greats, including Johnny and Chan. Join the likes of Chris ''Jesus'' Ferguson, Mike ''The Mouth'' Matusow, Greg Raymer, Annie Duke, Phil ''Unabomber'' Laak, Humberto Brenes, and Marcel ''The Flying Dutchman'' Luske. Go for the bracelet and the $10,000 top prize!
features
One wire for both digital audio and video
Experience high-definition movies and games at up to 1080p resolution
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound output
Optical/RCA Audio adapter included for non-HDMI supported stereo systems
Plenty of room with the 6.5 foot (2 meter) long shielded cable
description
Unleash the digital high-definition capabilities of Xbox 360™ with the Xbox 360 HDMI Cable. Experience digital high definition of your video and audio all in one cable. Enjoy movies and games at up to 1080p resolution, and superior audio via the Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound output.
Utilize the Optical/RCA Audio adapter for enhanced sound in non-HDMI supported stereo systems. Feel confident connecting your console to high-definition equipment with the quality you expect from an authentic Xbox® product.
There's just nine days to go until Project Gotham Racing 4 emerges from the garage of Eurogamer's favourite Scousers, Bizarre Creations. In case you missed it, the Xbox 360-exclusive racer just scored a mighty 9 out of 10 in Tom's review. And to celebrate, Eurogamer TV is showcasing direct-feed footage of Mr. Bramwell's crazy skills in action.
The track in question is Instituto Politecnico, and despite dense fog, Tom hauled his supercar around for a flawless race. All of which he then saved and uploaded to Xbox Live using the nifty On Demand feature. The big show-off. Realistic weather effects, of course, are a major new feature of this second outing of the Gotham series on 360.
And there will be more gorgeous Gothamness elsewhere in the Eurogamer empire this week, with Eurogamer.de hosting a video of a flashy race around central London, while Eurogamer.fr takes a m0t0rb1k3 - all-new to PGR4, of course - for a spin around Shanghai.
Retailers in the US are taking pre-orders for a new Xbox 360 Arcade bundle, due for release later this month.
The Arcade bundle consists of a Core unit, a memory card, wireless controller and five Xbox Live arcade titles including Pac-Man Championship Edition and Uno.
Toys R Us and Amazon.com both have the deal listed, with a price of USD 279.99 – the current asking price for the Core unit.
In the US, leading retailer GameStop has removed listings for the Xbox 360 Core, leading to suggestions that this new Arcade bundle will replace the existing USD 279.99 SKU.
Microsoft was not available for comment at the time of writing.
What started as a dodgy internet rumour is starting look more and more legit; reports are steaming in from various publications backing what we heard yesterday, that Halo developer Bungie is splitting from its parent company Microsoft Game Studios.
8BitJoystick's original source - who doesn't work at Bungie but "knows" someone who does - said that Microsoft has agreed to allow Bungie to become an independent studio, but MS will keep the rights to its cash cow Halo franchise. The source claimed that the split stems from increased friction during the rush to release Halo 3.
Since then other sources tapped up by Team Xbox ("It is more complex than simply Bungie leaving Microsoft or Microsoft letting Bungie go," it claims) and Game Informer (Bungie is "tired of Making Halo, and didn't want to do future Halo games," says its source) have added to the speculation.
The latter report goes on to claim that as well as keeping the rights to the Halo franchise, Microsoft also has "the right of first refusal on future games", which means MS has the first shot at publishing Bungie's future titles.
Perhaps it isn't just a dodgy rumour then? With all the carnage spreading across the internet, an official announcement either way can't be far off.
The boss of Buzz! developer Relentless Software says he's flattered by the controller accompanying Microsoft's Scene It? Xbox 360 quiz game, which bears a remarkable resemblance to Buzz!'s own big-button peripheral.
"It would be easy for me to poke fun of the similarities, so I won't. What's interesting is that when we first talked about Buzz! people didn't understand why we wouldn't just use the PlayStation controller and saw little value in a bespoke peripheral", David Amor told CVG in the latest instalment in our Creative Minds series when queried about the Scene It? controller.
Quiz series Buzz! has become a multi-million selling franchise on the PS2 platform, and Microsoft is obviously hoping to nab some of the market share with Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action on Xbox 360.
Amor went on to say that since the success of Buzz!, the value of the bespoke controller has been recognised.
"...there are lots of subtle tricks we've learnt to use in the games that make them so playable - it looks very straightforward but you'd be surprised at the things that do and don't work", he explained.
"There's more to it than meets the eye. We've had to 'unlearn' a lot of lessons that are employed in more 'hardcore' games."
Our full interview with David Amor will be hitting the site later this afternoon.
XCM is well known for its high quality tuning products and cases.
This is a full Xbox 360 case shell in Ruby Red colour, including a sexy red smooth controller shell.
Gamasutra reports on hints from around the internet adding up to a new sku for the Xbox 360. The new box, the 'Xbox 360 Arcade' pack, is essentially a core pack with an emphasis on Xbox Live Arcade titles, for a low price.
"Now, a new listing on Amazon, and a separate page at on Toys "R" Us' retail site that has been consequently removed, indicate an October 25th release date and $279.99 price point. The package shot shown at Toys "R" Us prominently features the five-game Xbox Live Arcade pack-in, with icons for Pac-Man and UNO lending more credence to the Ars Technica rumors. Microsoft has yet to confirm any details of the new model, nor has the company officially declared that the Core model - which originally was marketed with no hard drive, external storage, or HDMI output at the same $279.99 price - has been discontinued."
When the game is on the line and the ball is in your hands, what will you do? Will you penetrate, drive the lane and rise above the rim for a monster dunk, or find an opening on the perimeter and sink a game-winning three? Take control of the game with a full arsenal to win the one-on-one match-up from every spot on the floor with NBA LIVE 08.
Providing an unrivaled level of authenticity to the sport, NBA LIVE 08 introduces hot spots, where real NBA shot data is used to illuminate the locations on the floor where your players are most effective. Couple this with all-new signature go-to Moves that capture the essence of the NBA's best, and you can now play the game on a console like you see it from the stands.
Pass the ball inside and rule down low with 'own the paint' post play. String together combos of fakes and shots to fool your defender into committing and create space for the game-defining bucket.
On the perimeter, in the paint, and with unparalleled depth, dominate with your go-to move with NBA LIVE 08.
description
More Crime-Solving Action
Break down the evidence and bring suspects to justice in five all-new, bizarre crimes. Unravel longer cases, search bigger crime scenes and uncover hidden evidence in unique locations like never before.
Go Deeper into the Evidence
Master new forensic tools and find more evidence than ever. Use the new Garage Lab to examine large pieces of evidence like cars and trucks. Recreate gunfights with ballistic lasers, uncover shocking secrets with video analysis, and much more.
The Ultimate CSI Experience
Experience your very own CSI episodes as you piece together clues with the real CSI actors. Take part in dramatic interrogations, create grisly crime reenactments and explore atmospheric crime scenes inspired by the show.
Now on Next-Gen Consoles
For the first time CSI fans will be able to play on the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo. Use the Wii Remote™ to navigate through a crime scene or experience cinematic-style graphics on the Xbox 360. The user interface has been completely redone with a console audience in mind so that it is more user-friendly and more like the show than ever.
After a prolonged period of uncertainty concerning possible format exclusivity, Gamespot reports that Namco Bandai will release both Ace Combat 6 and Beautiful Katamari exclusively on Xbox 360 later this month in North America.
Both are titles that, bar for one outing on Game Boy Advance for Ace Combat, were formerly PlayStation exclusives.
Quirky roll-‘em-up Beautiful Katamari will be released in the US on October 16th at a budget price of $39.99, whilst Ace Combat will arrive a week later on October 23rd.
No news on any European release dates have yet emerged, though it had been suggested at one point that Beautiful Katamari could end up being a download only title.
features
Famitsu Wave Magazine
Japan's No.1 selling video game magazine
Check out all the latest game news every month
Includes a DVD disc featuring latest game footage
description
The Famitsu Wave is Japan's No.1 selling video game magazine. It features all the latest video game news and pictures from Japan's upcoming video games.
Each magazine includes a DVD disc with video game footage. The DVD disc is NTSC Region 2 encoded.
Halo 3 continues its world domination by taking the top stop in Japan after selling 59,000 units in its first week of release. Not as good as its UK total of 466,000 but still MS should be happy considering how much trouble the 360 is having in Japan.
Halo 3 is one of six new entries in the top ten, as Sony's consoles software sales sees a resurgence after months of Nintendo domination.
Microsoft has revealed that global sales of Halo 3 have reached over USD 300 million [£147m] in its first week of release.
And the company claims that according to retail sources, sales of Xbox 360 hardware have more than doubled compared with the weekly average.
"Halo is truly a cultural phenomenon, and the launch of Halo 3 is an important milestone for Xbox 360 and for videogames as entertainment and as an art form," commented Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft.
"Halo 3 embodies our vision for the future of entertainment, where some of the world's greatest creative minds will deliver a new generation of interactive storytelling," he said.
Microsoft stats reveal that more than 2.7 million people have played Halo 3 over Xbox Live in the past week, with the first day of release seeing a total of 3.6 million hours of online play, increasing to 40 million hours by the end of the first week.
This project will help you change a cheap wireless router into a wireless receiver for your Xbox 360. The total cost of this project can be as low as twenty or thirty dollars, compared to the one hundred dollars Microsoft wants for their little wireless dongle.
This tutorial assumes you already have a wireless router to send out wireless access to the Xbox 360.
Parts Needed:
* Xbox 360, any version
* Three Feet or more of Cat 5e Cable (Ethernet Cable)
* Wireless Router
* DD-WRT firmware
Microsoft and BioWare have opened up the Mass Effect Limited Collector's Edition box to show us all what's inside.
First out is an essential guide to the universe known as a Galactic Codex. In here you will find all sorts of details about aliens and places you should visit as you save humanity. You can get a taste of what to expect on the Galactic Codex part of the official site.
Next to be wrestled from the box of memorabilia is an art book made up of concept sketches of the future, which have helped BioWare piece together a convincing sci-fi world. Some will be good, others may have been drawn by me.
And last but not least is obligatory DVD featuring videos focusing on storytelling, art, and general behind the scenes bits and pieces.
It's enough to make you want to wipe out all organic life in the galaxy every 50,000 years, which, coincidentally, is exactly what you're trying to prevent in the game.
You can find out much more about this hotly awaited role-playing game in our Mass Effect gamepage - like an interview with BioWare boss Greg Zeschuck, or over on the official website.
Failing that, you can always phone me up and ask.
Mass Effect will be released exclusively for Xbox 360 on 23rd November.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, in association with PC World, is inviting the UK public to vote for their favourite games.
The inaugural PC World Gamers' Award, to be presented at BAFTA's 2007 Video Games Awards, is the only game to be voted for by the public at this year's ceremony taking place on Tuesday 23 October at Battersea Evolution in Battersea Park, London.
The list of finalists is as follows:
Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training (DS) (Nintendo/Nintendo)
FIFA 07 (PS2) (EA Canada/Electronic Arts)
Football Manager 2007 (PC) (Sports Interactive/SEGA)
Gears of War (Xbox 360) (Epic Games/Microsoft)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (PSP) (Rockstar Leeds/Take Two)
Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3) (Insomniac/Sony Computer Entertainment Europe)
Wii Play (Wii) (Nintendo/Nintendo)
The public can vote for the award here. Each eligible voter will be entered into a drawing to win prizes including four pairs of tickets to the Awards show, a day at EA's development studios, a PS3, an Xbox 360, a DS lite, the top 10 chart games, and 3 Pyramat wireless gaming chairs.
"The great thing about the PC World Gamers' Award shortlist is that it reflects the real diversity of games being played by the public," said Hilary Bevan Jones, chairman of the Academy, "and I am sure everyone will look forward to tuning in to watch the ceremony on November 4 at 11pm on E4 to see which one is victorious."
The Academy will recognise excellence in Artistic Achievement, Technical Achievement, Gameplay, Innovation, Original Score, Use of Audio, and Story and Character as well as achievements in the genres of Action and Adventure, Casual, Multiplayer, Sports, Strategy and Simulation in addition to Best Game.
"We are extremely proud to be once again associated with these great awards, and this year as headline sponsor," said Chris McShane, head of trading for PC World.
"Working within the gaming industry is extremely exciting and this year's awards will show the best of the industry’s talent – may the best games win!"
Jeff Minter has said he is currently working on redesigning PC scrolling-shooter Gridrunner++ for Live Arcade.
It will be a "much more involved game" than the previous version, according to his blog, and feature sparkly new graphics and new three dimensional shapes.
Gridrunner++ is a, yes, psychedelic shooter where you control a little spaceship with your mouse. It continually fires vertically as you scroll through different levels, where you have to blow up nasties using various collected power-ups.
Minter already has it working on the 360 pad, and is currently ironing out gameplay details before he works on the pretty side of things.
Until then, you can head over to his Llamasoft site to download the demo of Gridrunner++ for a taste of what to expect. Or you can pop over to his Stinkygoat livejournal to keep up to date with how the animals on his farm are doing or how fancy his new iPod Touch is.
Jeff Minter and Llamasoft recently released Space Giraffe on Live Arcade, which received a mixed bag of reviews for its often over-crowded scenery - causing simple people like me to wonder what on Earth had just killed me.
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men isn't even out the Eidos front door yet but the company has revealed a sequel is already in production.
It sees major potential in the series too, MCV reporting that Eidos is pumping more cash into marketing the game than it's ever done with any game in the Tomb Raider series.
Jane Cavanagh, CEO of Eidos parent company SCi, said SCi believes Kane & Lynch has the potential to be a franchise for adults that is respected and loved in the same way as Hitman.
"We've already got Kane & Lynch 2 in production, which just goes to show the belief we have in it as a long-term franchise", Cavanagh added.
Developed by Hitman studio IO Interactive, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men is out on November 23 on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.
A demo version of Bee Movie Game, the new movie tie-in title from Activision, is now available for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace.
Based on the Dreamworks animated film of the same name, the interactive incarnation of Bee Movie is an action-adventure game in which you navigate Barry B. Benson through the streets of Manhattan and other scenes from the movie in a mission to save the bees' honey production.
Bee Movie Game will be available this fall for the Xbox 360, PlayStation2, PC, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.
You might or might not know, but I will be leaving home (Ireland) to go travel the world for a year (Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and Japan). And so I will not be about the running the site no were near as much, if at all.
I have been with the DCEmu team from the very start, and I have loved every minute of it ( bar the really crap times, but lets not talk about that).
So I wanted to reward all the thousand of visitors/ members of DCEmu with a prizes give away! (Xbox 360 owners only, sorry)
Whats up for grabs? 2 Xbox Live Arcade games, Joust and Robotron!
How do I enter? Simple just post in this thread (you have to be a member to post, but signing up is free) Your top 5 Xbox 360 games. The winner will be picked randomly, duplicate posted/entry's will be disqualified!
I will pick 2 winners randomly Sunday night/ Monday GMT.
Bungie is to become an independent company again, Microsoft confirmed today.
The platform holder said it will retain an equity interest in the Kirkland, Washington-based developer.
It will also continue to publish games based on the Microsoft-owned Halo IP and other future properties developed by Bungie.
Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, said the company was "supporting Bungie's desire to return to its independent roots".
However, he added, Microsoft "will continue to invest in our Halo entertainment property with Bungie and other partners, such as Peter Jackson, on a new interactive series set in the Halo universe".
"We look forward to great success with Bungie as our long-term relationship continues to evolve through Halo-related titles and new IP created by Bungie," he added.
Bungie studio head Harold Ryan described the move as "an exciting evolution" of the relationship with Microsoft.
"We will continue to develop with our primary focus on Microsoft’s platforms; we greatly value our mutually prosperous relationship with our publisher, Microsoft Game Studios, and we look forward to continuing that affiliation through Halo and beyond," he said.
Bungie's most recent game, Halo 3, achieved USD 300 million in sales in its first week, Microsoft said yesterday.
In Japan, console hardware sales stand as follows:
PSP: 102,809
DS Lite: 72,895
Wii: 24,143
PS3: 13,105
PS2: 12,980
Xbox 360: 5,215
Game Boy Micro: 229
Gamecube: 73
Game Boy Advance SP: 49
Game Boy Advance original: 41
DS original: 30
The PSP has seen a major drop by about 175,00 from last reading but still in the lead. DS Lite increases slightly by 2,000, Wii drops 845, PS3 and PS2 rises by some 1,000 each. Xbox 360 also rises by 3,500 and Gamecube by 43.
Activision has told us that persistent Call of Duty 4 fans from the UK have forced the publisher to release a special edition box here - just like we forced it to do a Beta Test here.
And boy oh boy has it got some treats in it. Best of which is clearly the two-and-a-half hours of SAS footage that details the elite soldiers' history from their formation in the Second World War up to modern day conflicts.
There's also less interesting stuff like a "Making of" documentary and level walkthrough by developer Infinity Ward, plus an absolutely spiffing hardcover art book with lots of lovely concept pictures from the game - most you probably have never seen before.
You PC owners will have to download your guide from BradyGames on the Internet, but otherwise everything will be the same.
The special edition featuring an SAS DVD made by actual real soldiers with guns will go on sale alongside the normal game on 9th November. Prices are bombing baddies at around the GBP 39.99 mark for PC and GBP 49.99 for 360.
Figures released by GfK Australia show Nintendo's DS console enjoying a healthy lead over its rivals in the hardware stakes.
According to a report on GameSpot, the numbers, which represent total sales for the third financial quarter, put DS sales at 139, 483, bringing the total install base for Australia to 730,076.
The next best quarterly performance, from Sony's PlayStation 2, was less than half the DS figure, shifting 66,228 - although the PS2 install base dwarfs the other consoles' total numbers put together.
Nintendo's other piece of hardware, the Wii, was in third place, with the Xbox 360 in fourth, the PlayStation Portable in fifth and the PlayStation 3 in sixth position.
Here are the numbers in full:
1. Nintendo DS: 139,483 (730,076 total)
2. PlayStation 2: 66,228 (2,118,646 total)
3. Nintendo Wii: 61,027 (167,899 total)
4. Xbox 360: 40,467 (222,136 total)
