Posted May 3, 2012 No. What they should do is to make all the E3 demos playable for the week of E3. Yes and that Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 8, 2012 Microsoft has it's own take on the Vitality Sensor. Microsoft is preparing to update its Xbox 360 dashboard software to include a cross-application exercise tracking system, according to our sources. Kinect Play Fit will allow Xbox gamers to track their exercise across most Kinect games, providing tracking metrics in the cloud. The software maker is also planning to release a hardware accessory, codenamed Joule, to accompany the Kinect Play Fit service. The Joule heart-rate monitor will let Kinect owners track their heart rate wirelessly and ensure any exercise is within a target goal for weight loss, strength, or cross-fitness workouts. Although EA currently ships its own heart rate monitor with EA Sports Active 2 for the Xbox 360, Microsoft's Joule monitor will be compatible with most Kinect games — but you won't need it to make use of the new exercise tracking feature of Kinect Fit Play. We don't have a solid release date for the Kinect Play Fit system, but sources familiar with Microsoft's plans have indicated to us that a future dashboard update will introduce the system. We expect the company to detail some of its Kinect plans at E3 next month, alongside more Xbox Live content deals and additional software enhancements for the Xbox 360. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 8, 2012 GT Bonus Round: Microsoft's E3 http://www.gametrailers.com/episode/bonusround/604?ch=2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 9, 2012 Andy and Dan wave goodbye. icrosoft has confirmed the cancellation of Inside Xbox in Europe.The news follows last week's cancellation of Inside Xbox in the US, and accompanies job losses at Microsoft's Xbox UK team. Explaining the decision, US community man Major Nelson wrote on his blog that the Inside Xbox Europe team had decided to ditch first-party produced content in favour of a third-party content model. "Following the news last week that that Inside Xbox in the US was to cease production, the team in Europe has been investigating what makes most sense for them and the Xbox Live community as they continue to strive to deliver the latest gaming and entertainment news for users across the region," Major Nelson said. "As such, they have decided to move away from the current first-party produced content model and transition to a third-party content model, which will provide timely and locally-relevant content to users across more of the EMEA markets. Whilst this means that the Inside Xbox brand will effectively be retired in Europe, the focus remains on continuing to provide the Xbox LIVE community with the latest and best in games and entertainment news and information." Dan Maher, aka MrPointyHead, former Xbox Live editor and one half of the Inside Xbox UK team, thanked fans for their support. "So, to be clear and succinct: Inside Xbox is no more, as are our jobs," he wrote on his Twitter page. "Your support during the last four years has meant the world to us." To be honest I hated those guys at the start, but as the years went on they really grew on me. I loved watching SUAM to see what stupid stuff they would get up to. This was killed off well before this announcement. When the new dash update happened these shows were hid out of view and a nightmare to find. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 9, 2012 Personally, I never even noticed stuff like that on the older (but not oldest) dashboard. I'm guessing they were hidden in that advert section. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 9, 2012 Personally, I never even noticed stuff like that on the older (but not oldest) dashboard. I'm guessing they were hidden in that advert section. On the last dashboard it was in plain view, you just had to scroll up or down when a new episode was released. It just feels like slowly but surely they are taking everything about gaming and hiding it or just flat out getting rid of it from the dashboard. I'm dreading Microsofts E3, as I can see it just being all about the TV shows/advertisement side of things and then a small portion being about Halo 4 and whatever else they have in the making, if anything. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 9, 2012 I'm dreading Microsofts E3, as I can see it just being all about the TV shows/advertisement side of things and then a small portion being about Halo 4 and whatever else they have in the making, if anything. Here's how I see it going: Open with Black Ops 2 demo Show a montage of third-party games Talk about new entertainment services Show off a new version of the Dashboard coming later this year, now with more adverts Reveal their cross-game Kinect exercise tracking thing; this is likely to feature an awkwardly scripted on-stage presentation Close out with Halo 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 9, 2012 You missed Skyrim: Dawnguard, which will certainly be part of Microsoft's conference (due to the timed exclusiveness). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 9, 2012 Thanks, I knew there was a bullet point I was forgetting. Throw it in before the entertainment talk. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 10, 2012 Surprised nobody's mentioned it but Inside Xbox has been canned in Europe, along with the Sentuamessage duo's jobs. Big shame, enjoyed that series a lot. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 10, 2012 Surprised nobody's mentioned it but Inside Xbox has been canned in Europe, along with the Sentuamessage duo's jobs. Big shame, enjoyed that series a lot. *Ahem* I have no idea what this Inside Xbox thing was, so personally I won't miss it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 10, 2012 Ah haha, it was lost amid another conversation and I skimmed right past it. I did enjoy the banter a lot and killing off first party content in any shape or form is always a worrying direction. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 12, 2012 I used to watch the sent u a message stuff, shame they have lost their jobs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 17, 2012 Rare getting ready for next gen. Following yesterday's revelation that Fable studio Lionhead is making an "MMO-like" RPG for the next Xbox, it has now emerged that Kinect Sports developer Rare is working on a raft of Durango games.Rare is hiring for "multiple" triple-A games for the next Xbox, according to a job ad. The job spec (spotted by Superannuation), calls for a senior product manager to help create "multiple AAA future console releases". It suggests Rare will continue to make games in the successful Kinect Sports franchise, but also branch out with new IP. The listing says the candidate will ideally have experience in the action/adventure or FPS genres. "Whilst continual development of their core releases will be maintained, the successful candidate will be joining at a time where the studio is looking to move into new areas and develop new IPs for future platforms," it reads. "You will have a successful history of releasing exceptional AAA games and these will ideally be in the Action/Adventure or FPS genre but this is not essential." Last month former Sega design chief Simon Woodroffe became the new creative director of Rare. "I am looking forward to getting stuck into making incredible games that will be worthy additions to the pedigree of the studio," he said at the time. Rare has in recent years focused on Kinect Sports, but over the years has released a number of Xbox games for owner Microsoft, including Kameo, Perfect Dark Zero, Viva Pinata and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. We've asked Rare for comment. This is nice to see. I have loved Rares output on the 360. Banjo Kazooie and the Viva Pinata games were outstanding and Kameo is still one of the best launch games I have played on recent systems. I even enjoyed the original Kinect Sports game. I know the glory days are gone but I still have a soft spot for the company. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 17, 2012 The Rare situation is really annoying - they own many franchises I loved on the N64 but have done nothing with them (I loved Nuts & Bolts but it isn't really a Banjo game, Kameo was also great). Still...some news places have mentioned Perfect Dark, but it sounds like they haven't even decided what kind of game they're going to make. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 17, 2012 Still...some news places have mentioned Perfect Dark, but it sounds like they haven't even decided what kind of game they're going to make. A good one would be a good start. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 23, 2012 US judge readies the ban hammer. A judge has recommended that the Xbox 360 be banned in the US.Courthouse News reports that Judge David Shaw said the International Trade Commission should use a cease and desist order to ban imports of the Xbox 360 Slim 4GB and 250GB models into the US because, in his view, they infringe on four patents owned by Motorola. He also wants Microsoft to post a bond equal to seven per cent of the value of unsold Xbox 360s in the US. The patents at the heart of the dispute revolve around how the Xbox 360 decodes video content. Motorola claims ownership on the tech powering this. Reacting to this latest decision, Microsoft argued the ban would not serve the public interest because it would leave consumers with only two home console options: the PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii. But the judge rejected the claim, saying it was more important to enforce intellectual property rights. Plus, he wasn't convinced Sony and Nintendo wouldn't be able to meet increased demand. Microsoft said the suggested seven per cent bond was unnecessary, and recommended it be reduced to 2.5 per cent. Motorola wants it increased to a whopping 100 per cent of the value of the unsold Xbox 360s. So what happens next in this long-running, complex patent dispute? If the ITC makes the judge's recommendation final, President Barack Obama will then have 60 days to review the decision. After that period expires, the next step is the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Earlier this month a US judge accused the warring factions of using the US District Court as "a pawn in a global, industry-wide business negotiation". Judge James Robart said both sides were clearly "driven by an attempt to secure commercial advantage". "To an outsider looking at it, it has been arbitrary, it has been arrogant and frankly it has been based on hubris," he said. A German court has already ruled in favour of Motorola, granting an injunction prohibiting sales of the console in the country. However, Robart issued a temporary restraining order preventing Motorola from enforcing that decision. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 23, 2012 It's already banned in Germany. These patent things are getting a complete mess: They're massively hindering the market. Especially mobile phones - all the lovely new HTC phones are currently held up in US customs. And the majority of them are over small things that have little impact on the actual devices (like Samsung phones were "banned" due to a tiny thing in the photo gallery app, which was replaced before the ban came into place so the ban never happened). It's also strange how these companies work together in other areas (for example, Samsung make a ton of components for Apple - including being the main provider for the iPad 3's screen and processor). I'm sure they'll reach the agreement before it happens. If not, the ban looks like it's due to happen at around the same time the Wii U is due to launch - which could be a big boost for Nintendo. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 25, 2012 Kinect 2.0 anyone? http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/25/leap-motion-gesture-control-technology-hands-on/ It's insane how accurate that thing is, especially the size of it as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 25, 2012 It's really very different technology from Kinect. Kinect is focused on a larger distance and detecting the entire body while Leap is short distance and just your hands. Looks like great technology, but it's a different application to Kinect. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 25, 2012 Kinect 2.0 anyone? http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/25/leap-motion-gesture-control-technology-hands-on/ It's insane how accurate that thing is, especially the size of it as well. More like mouse / touchscreen 2.0, but yeah very nice Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted May 25, 2012 Bit pointless (no pun intended ) as he still has to click the mouse to open the different programs. I hate motion controls though!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 5, 2012 Just a heads up you can get 4200 points for £25 http://emea.microsoftstore.com/UK/en-GB/Microsoft/Xbox-LIVE-4200-Points Enter JubileeOffer at checkout, free delivery will also be given. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 6, 2012 Now that i've got Mass Effect 3 out of the way (my thougths are in the usual thread), time to get on with the sheer backlog of games i have. Namely the entire MGS boxset, Skyrim and numerous Arcade titles (including Sonic 4 ep2 + Banjo Tooie) I got plenty to keep me going for the dry summer season of games. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted June 9, 2012 Just a heads up you can get 4200 points for £25 http://emea.microsoftstore.com/UK/en-GB/Microsoft/Xbox-LIVE-4200-Points Enter JubileeOffer at checkout, free delivery will also be given. Awesome! Thanks man! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
