A modded 360 already!

Llamma's Adventures in Xbox 360

One that's sure to make the women in your life happy.

I debated about posting this because of it's content, but it is console related after all :)

Joystick Vibrator

It's happening May 9th. Hmm, close to my wedding anniversary - do you think I should get this for my wife's gift? :)

Nintendo Revolution May 9 Unveiling - Gizmodo

A new PSP firmware is available - so expect to see new homebrew later this week :)

PSP Firmware 2.6 Released - Gizmodo

This is an interesting article. At first it looks as if some guy hates the 360 so much he goes on a tirade.

But the comments start flowing in - tons of support for M$ and the new console.

the author then ponders - is this perhaps a Sony employee bashing the new console, or is it a M$ employee trying a little free publicity promotion - bashing the console in hopes of a ton of comments that speak to the opposite?

Sounds like it's been done before by both companies (using negative publicity to in fact promote their consoles) but no one knows for sure which this is...

Column by PC Magazine: Is Microsoft Up to Some New Tricks?

A guy at this forum shows how to keep your 360 from freezing up - he thinks its cause it overheats and he could be right - he says since doing this it's been much better

GameSpot:Video Games PC PlayStation 2 GameCube PSP DS GBA PS2 PS3 Xbox 360 PlayStation 3

This time it's a working Gamecube linux port

Main Page - GameCube-Linux

No surprise really - Nintendo is losing money.

Citing lower sales and higher research costs, nintendo reports a drop in profits of over 20%

Nintendo reports profit dropped 21 per cent in fiscal first half - Yahoo! News

Sort of.

You can make 360 locate and read from the PSP. Essentially it acts like an external drive to the 360. More details here:

Joystiq Guide: PSP on the 360 - Xbox 360 - xbox360.joystiq.com

I liked this article. It takes an interesting spin on the 360 (note the analogy - spin...360...I'm so clever :) )

Anyways it talks about how most of the "new" 360 games are actually recycled versions of games that are already better. To quote the article:

"How much more incrementally fun is Ridge Racer 6 than Ridge Racer 5, or even the original Ridge Racer?"

This, and many other points made in the article, are interesting. What happened to original games? Why do we have these games that span I, II, III, IV and even further?

And what of the gameplay? As the author of the article notes, with some of the really old games there were dozens of different ways to complete tasks, yet with many of today's games there's only one.

It's really worth the read 'cause it gets you thinking:

Xbox 360 Has Nothing On Atari 2600 - Forbes.com

Apparently. xbox-scene.com has tons of posts from new users who complain that the console routinely crashes on various games, including xbox live. Read more about it here:

Xbox-Scene News: Xbox 360 Crashing Like Mad?

Want a portable NES? Here's how:

zerosign.net � Portable NES in a GameGear

The link says it all:

360 Insider � Play some Xbox 360 multiplayer without Xbox Live � Xbox 360 hacker hacking mods modding modchip games news blog forums

cool!

GamesFirst! || How To Get Podcasts on Your Xbox 360 | Xbox 360

If you care to do a little modding that is:

PSP Sony PlayStation Portable - News Updated 24/7: GPSP (GPS front end program for PSP)

Looks like some retailers are starting to get supplies of Xbox 360 gear and games. Amazon has quite a selection of games and peripherals for Xbox 360. Here is a list of the games and peripherals available at press time.

Games:
Call of Duty 2
Madden NFL 2006
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
Project Gotham Racing 3
Perfect Dark Zero Limited Collector's Edition
Perfect Dark Zero
GUN
Condemned: Criminal Origins
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006
NBA Live 2006
Kameo: Elements of Power
FIFA 2006
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
NHL 2K6
NBA 2K6
Amped 3
The Incredibles 2: Rise of the Underminer

Peripherals:
Face Plate - Woody
DC: Justice League Controller

Link for more information

Get used to it. All we're going to here about for the foreseeable future is 360 this and 360 that.

So lets start with: What's inside the 360?

AnandTech: Inside Microsoft's Xbox 360

Microsoft has revealed the Xbox compatilty list for the Xbox 360. Well over 200 Xbox games will be compatible with the Xbox 360. One caveat at the bottom of the list indicates that not all testing has been completed, but the list represents the games they expect to work. From what has been reported, the hard drive option will be required, which could mean that more games could be compatible in the future.

I was estatic to see that Yourself!Fitness will be compatible with the Xbox 360! The complete list (as of time of publishing) is available. (Via Link)

In case you were concerned that you 13 year old would be playing that game rated 14 and over... :)

Nintendo Revolution to Include Play Controls - Gizmodo

By: Richard Allen

A user known as dopeboyfresh67 spilled the goods on BestBuy's Xbox 360 launch allocations by each store. His original post contained images but we have gathered the information together into an Excel spreadsheet. Stock looks very slim with some locations getting as few as 30 units, a select few locations will have over 200 units (Bellevue WA Store 498, Hawthorne CA Store 104 and Dadeland FL Store 557). It appears Microsoft is anticipating the Pro system to out sell the Core system. These documents indicate over 75% of the stock will be Pro systems (with the 20GB Hard Drive).

According to this list about 48.8% locations will receive 50 units or less, 51.2% of locations will have 51-99 units, 4.2% of locations will have 100-199 units and a mere 0.4% of locations will have 200 or more units. If earlier reports are correct BestBuy will score about a 10% take of the entire domestic launch stock. To find out the projected inventory levels for your local BestBuy, head over to BestBuy's store locator and find out your local store number.

By: Richard Allen

It looks as though consumer retail giant Circuit City will have certain packages of the Xbox 360 available on Friday November 18th at 2PM EST. Nearly 4 days before the official launch date. Interestingly enough the least expensive package available will only set you back a measly $489.95. Both the "Premium" and "Core" Xbox 360 consoles will be featured in 2 bundles. The Gold packages will include a 64MB memory unit, Additional wired controller, Project Gotham Racing 3 and Need for Speed: Most Wanted. The Platinum packages will include an Additional wireless controller, Universal remote, 64MB memory unit, Madden NFL 2006, Perfect Dark Zero, Project Gotham Racing 3 and Need for Speed: Most Wanted.

I was not able to get a straight answer as to whether or not this was an online only offer. One of the friendly operators put me on hold and asked someone and said it was an online offer only. I called back a few minutes later and another operator said it would be available in store as well.

coldforged.org � Blog Archive � Xbox 360 High Definition FAQ

By: Richard Allen

It appears Nintendo and Sony aren't the only industry leaders working on a true 3D controller. Microsoft has a working proto type for the "XWand". This interesting device seems to serve a more general audience with applications for more of an everyday use.

Here is a quote from the Microsoft Research site that explains the technology:

"The XWand is a novel wireless sensor package that enables styles of natural interaction with intelligent environments. For example, a user may point the wand at a device and control it using simple gestures. The XWand system leverages the intelligence of the ubiquitous computing environment to best determine the user's intention.

Work on the XWand can be divided into two broad categories: the design of the hardware device, and the design of the user experience and software system that uses the hardware device. Prototypes of both halves of the system have been developed.

Hardware device

The XWand hardware device includes a custom printed circuit board (PCB) with a variety of off-the-shelf sensors, including a 3-axis magnetometer, a 2-axis MEMS accelerometer, and a 1-axis piezoelectric gyroscope. The output of these sensors is collected and formatted by an onboard PIC microcontroller and passed to a 418MHz FM transceiver. A base station (not shown) receives data packets from the wand at about 50Hz, and passes the sensor readings to the host PC via RS-232. The wand also has 2 visible LEDs for feedback, a pushbutton for user input, and two IR LEDs for position tracking.

The magnetometer and accelerometer readings may be combined on the host side to obtain the true 3d orientation of the wand with respect to the room.

The IR LEDs support 3d tracking via external cameras. The PIC is programmed to flash the IR LEDs at a predefined rate, such that simple image processing software on the host PC can recover the 2d position of the wand in each camera view. This 2d information from multiple cameras is combined to find the 3d position of the IR LEDs.

The RF part on the wand may send as well as receive data. Presently the wand uses a call/response protocol, in which the host PC sends a request for data, and the wand sends a data packet back. The bi-directional aspect allows for sending commands from the host to the wand to, for example, turn the on-board LEDs on and off, and it allows for multiple wands to share the same frequency."

Now it remains to be seen if they impliment this kind of technology with gaming, but it is interesting to see that each of the 3 contenders have some ideads that are nearly identical. Call it the creative community consciousness.

Got a ton of NES games you like but don't want to haul out that old console? Why not try this: Build yourself an NES Micro. Click on the link below for detailed instructions.

benheck.com

Microsoft swung into full-scale marketing mode last week, opening its stylish and swanky Xbox 360 Lounge in Tokyo. Dozens of celebrities were limo'ed in for the evening unveiling – including legit industry heavy-hitters like Metal Gear's Hideo Kojima and Capcom's Keiji Inafune – as well as the usual gaggle of game journalists and members of the media. Cameras rolled, industry insiders grinned, and Yuji Naka seemed oddly giddy throughout the whole thing. It was the kind of affair that seemed trite and phony – yet tinged with the undeniable, unbiased excitement that always seems to accompany the imminent launch of a new console.

Just a controller's throw from the pricey, upscale shops of Harajuku, the Lounge is part of Microsoft's effort to drive sales of the upcoming Xbox 360 in Japan, a market where its predecessor was humiliated. In 2002, Microsoft's Xbox (released in late February) sold 327,699 units in Japan. That same year, Sony's PS2 moved a whopping 3.7 million units. In terms of software market share, Xbox tallied a measly 0.5 percent, compared to 55.2 percent for PS2 and 12.4 percent for Gamecube. Even Sega's flagging Dreamcast outpaced Xbox, earning 0.8 percent of the software market. And things only went downhill from there. In 2003, Xbox sold about 97,000 units – only marginally better than the ancient PSOne (61,000) and JVC's WonderSwan Crystal (47,000). In 2004, that number dropped to about 40,000 – or, just 10,000 more than Nintendo's non-SP Game Boy Advance. Over this three-year period, Microsoft sold roughly 464,000 units in Japan, compared to 9.2 million for PS2 and 2.59 million for GameCube. It's no wonder that not a single Xbox game has ever managed to crack the Japanese yearly top 50.

However, Bill Gates' chunky, black box has performed much better in America. Microsoft claimed 468,000 consoles sold in November 2002 alone. And in the two-year period from 2003 to 2004, Xbox sold over 7 million units in the U.S. Compare that to PS2's 10.9 million over the same period, and one can see that – in America, at least – Microsoft's got it going on. So, why the collapse in Japan?

"Games like Halo and Splinter Cell don't really appeal to me," said Matsuo Taiki, 20, a student observing the crowds outside the 360 Lounge. "However, some people like them. I would like to see more variety for Xbox 360. Games that will appeal to more Japanese players."

Indeed, the very games that propelled Xbox sales in America turned off Japanese gamers in droves. In a land where shelf space is dominated by anime-style RPGs and dating sims, Western-flavored first-person shooters and the latest iteration of Madden aren't just unusual, they're unwanted. And while Xbox Live was (and is) certainly a hit with American gamers, offering a robust, well-engineered online service that trumped Sony's similar efforts, it was a non-factor in Japan, where online gaming – outside of a cell phone – simply isn't very popular. Finally, there is the typical Japanese gamer's historical bias against Western games. Aside from the few non-Japanese titles that enjoy moderate success there (GTA comes to mind), the majority of American and European titles either flop or are simply never released. For a system engineered in the U.S. and whose library consisted largely of U.S.-developed games, this was a problem.

But in this, the latest battle of the never-ending "console wars," Microsoft seems prepared to come out blasting. Redwood recognizes the importance of conquering Japan, the industry's second-largest game market.

"The Japanese market is the most important key for the Xbox [360]'s global strategy," said Yoshihiro Maruyama, general manager of the Xbox Division in Japan, at a recent press conference. "Microsoft is committing fully to its success in Japan."

Any missteps the 360 might make in Japan could spell doom for Microsoft's "global strategy." Fewer hardware sales mean fewer 3rd party titles in development. Lackluster 3rd party support means lackluster consumer interest. And if Japanese gamers are reluctant to pony up their yen for the 360 (which will reportedly retail for the equivalent of $350), then Microsoft may once again find itself with a console that soars in the U.S., but stalls in Japan.

In a recent interview with GamePro.com, Maruyama commented: "Unlike the U.S., the Japanese market has always been a winner-takes-all market. My goal is to be number one in the Japanese market. Unless you become the number one console, you cannot keep making money."

The potential lack of sales in Japan may be comparatively small versus the Xbox 360's almost certainly strong performance in the U.S. But when you're talking about a "global strategy" and fighting for every dollar on an industry-wide, $25 billion battlefield, a few percentage points can mean a great deal.

This time, however, Microsoft has taken care to sidestep the landmines encountered during the first go-round in Japan. Most importantly, the 360 will boast a stable of Japanese developers from the get-go. Koei, Konami, Square Enix and some 40 other developers have signed on to develop games. Director Tetsuya Mizuguchi, head of Q Entertainment and creator of United Game Artists/Sega's Space Channel 5 and Rez, will release the 360-exclusive Ninety-Nine Nights. Japanese developer support seems solid. The 360's library should have enough non-Western flavor to pique the interests of Japanese gamers. And while Microsoft is (smartly) sticking firm to its commitment to online gaming in Japan, the company has taken a decidedly different tack with the design of its new system. Co-developed by a firm in Osaka, the system's shell is slim and curvaceous, not at all like the oversized, utilitarian frame of its forerunner. It's hoped that the new design and the soft, white color will appeal to Japanese gamers.

"It looks cool!" squeals Yumi Nanaho, 19, when asked about the system's appearance. "It seems like they want to take a sexier approach this time."

Perhaps most importantly, the new system will flaunt one feature that Sony can't hope to match: a head start. With Microsoft launching in Japan on December 10 and the PS3 launching sometime in "Spring 2006," the Xbox 360 looks to have up to a six-month cushion before the competition hits store shelves.

For now, though, Microsoft's immediate focus is on locking down a blockbuster launch and keeping the drinks flowing at the Lounge. In these early days of the next-gen war, Microsoft still enjoys the luxury of buoyant optimism. But even with a six-month lead and a healthy roster of Japanese titles, most analysts predict the 360 will have a tough time keeping up with Nintendo's Revolution, let alone the PS3. Japanese gamers seem similarly pessimistic. In a damning Infoplant survey, just 5.8 percent of respondents said they had an interest in buying the Xbox 360, compared to 72.3 percent for the PS3. It's going to take quite a few trendy videogame lounges (and maybe a Katamari Damacy exclusive?) to change that number.

By: ac - Courtesy The Console Wars

This page has a look at some of the 360 prototypes that didn't make the cut. It's interesting to see how much they all look like the one that did.

Next Generation - More Prototype Xbox 360 Designs

So you have that that old console and are not sure what do so with it? Why not check this page out:

Pong Owner's Manual - a photoset on Flickr

Consoles that play both Jap and American versions of games:

Boing Boing: Brazil's game-console market

That's what investment firm Merrill Lynch is saying - because of the cost of the PS3 and the fact that it comes out months after the 360 that people will prefer the M$ console.

The article goes on to say that when the PS3 does come out the 360 will likely have dropped to about 1/2 the cost of Sony's new console. Read more below:

Merrill Lynch: Users likely to prefer Xbox 360 over PS3 - Yahoo! News

GameSpot:Video Games PC PlayStation 2 GameCube PSP DS GBA PS2 PS3 Xbox 360 PlayStation 3

Mixed reviews about this so far....

Sony Media Software - PSP Media Manager

Businessweek Online has a really good interview with Legendary designer Shigeru Miyamoto. In it he talks about everything from super mario bros. to today's new titles.

Online Extra: Meet Mario's Papa