Microsoft Backtracks On Xbox Live Arcade Delisting

The delisting of lower-selling Xbox Live Arcade titles will be deferred or even canceled as a result of the forthcoming New Xbox Experience dashboard, says Microsoft corporate vice president John Schappert.

In May of this year, Microsoft indicated that any title scoring below a 65 percent score average on Metacrtitic, and with a 6 percent or lower trial conversion rate, would be delisted after a three-month grace period.

Talking to consumer website IGN, Schappert claims that these original details were taken out of context and that the company had “set parameters by which we can delist games” – but had no actual plans to do so.

According to IGN, Schappert also suggests the new Xbox Live dashboard update that goes live on November 19th may make delisting titles unnecessary thanks to new sorting options that make navigation of available titles easier.

game console 1 Comments | Readmore...

Is Facebook The Next Big Game Console?

Why the social-networking site is a terrific platform for multiplayer games
The most unexpectedly rewarding game-related thing I did in 2007 was also the simplest: I finally gave in and joined Facebook. Within a month, I was throwing sheep at people via SuperPoke, comparing film tastes using the Movie Compatibility Test and playing the Scrabble knockoff known as Scrabulous. Those games made me wonder whether the next great console would be not the Xbox 1080 or the Nintendo Frii, but rather a well-populated social network like Facebook.
The social experience has been an important aspect of videogames, but for much of the history of this young medium, these social experiences have been isolated islands of play, whether taking place on a single couch or within a single game. That changed when Microsoft launched its Xbox Live online service in 2002 (Sony and Nintendo have since followed suit), creating an overarching social experience centered on gaming—as long as all parties own the same console and the same game. But with Facebook, these distinctions disappear. You're on a Mac and I'm on a PC? No problem—we just both need an Internet connection and a Web browser. When I send you an invitation to play, you'll be asked to download the required app if you don't already have it. I've already got more "friends" there (382) than on Xbox Live (31). That's because Xbox Live and its rivals are gaming networks first, predicated on users playing against either good friends or complete strangers. Social networks, by contrast, are often at their most interesting when they operate as a social lubricant among people who are only casually acquainted. I've played Rock Paper Scissors and Scrabulous with acquaintances and friends alike, and it doesn't require a $279 console. Even better, games on Facebook are generally asynchronous: you play your turn when it's convenient for you, and I play mine when it's convenient for me.
Sure, Facebook doesn't support the lavish games of a modern console. But its rising ubiquity—it's the sixth most-trafficked site in the United States, with 58 million users—and its accessibility could make it a force to be reckoned with in gaming. Microsoft, now a Facebook investor, seems to understand this; it recently gave Xbox Live users the ability to browse their buddies' Friends Lists. We'll see in 2008 if Sony and Nintendo catch on.

game console 0 Comments | Readmore...

PS3 2.40 firmware update pulled after bricking consoles

Over the past few days, there has been feverish excitement from the PlayStation Network (PSN) community about the new PS3 update, which came out yesterday.
The 2.40 update is supposed to provide PS3 users with better community tools for the XMB (Cross Media Bar) interface, as well as a trophy system for games, much like the Xbox Live Achievements. We were particularly looking forward to seeing an improvement in what the PS3 really needed -- the community.
The improved XMB lets you send messages and view them in-game, as well as other handy tasks. These would have been great features, as before you had to exit a game in order to communicate with anyone on the PSN -- unlike the Xbox 360, where all these features were accessible at the touch of a button on its 'blades' system.
Unfortunately, we couldn't get the update to download this morning. Going on the Web browser and checking out the update page didn't help either, as it just showed the 2.36 update -- disappointing.
We immediately hit the Internets to see if it was just us, and found out that Sony had pulled the update, due to serious bugs. Our sister site GameSpot reports, "Unfortunately, it appears as if the v2.40 update wasn't available for long. A rash of complaints on the official PlayStation message boards claim the heavily anticipated update caused many PS3s to lock up when owners attempt to load a game... Sony has apparently taken action by pulling the update from the PlayStation Network." Further research led us to a thread on the official PS3 forum. Some quotes from the posters:
"Well, I downloaded version 2.40 put in metal gear solid 4 and i get a black screen forever," complains ASickness. "2.4 bricked my console," moans Frito_Bandito. He goes on, "I was just planning on sitting down to a game of Metal Gear and a nice pop-up blinked on screen....2.4 update required. Did the update. After reboot I get the floaty ribbon thing and nothing else. It just sits there. So I turned off the console and held down the power button to do a reset - now I have a nice blank screen." TERRYxD94 helpfully adds, "good luck you guys cuz your ps3 is most likely goign to be dead."
There's even been a video posted to YouTube, showing how the PS3 bricks after 2.40:
So it seems Sony has badly messed up the update that was supposed to bring them on par with the 360. A post on the official PS3 blog by Sony exec Patrick Seybold says, "We are working diligently to isolate the problem for those few consumers and to identify a solution before we put the firmware back up." -Mykolas Kukulskis
Update: Sony has now released update 2.41, which is apparently bug-free.

game console 4 Comments | Readmore...

Xbox 360 gets UK price cut

Pick-and-mix merchants Woolworths may have jumped the gun with leaked catalogue photos appearing on the Internet a few days ago, but Microsoft has now made the rumours official and confirmed the Xbox 360 will be getting a price cut before Christmas.
From this Friday, UK customers will be able to pick up the Xbox 360 Arcade pack for £130, cut from £160. Those who have a few more pounds to spend can opt for the standard (also known as the 'Premium' or 'Pro') Xbox 360 console for £170, down from £200 and now including a 60GB hard drive, rather than the 20GB it originally shipped with.
The Big Bertha of Xbox 360s, the 120GB Elite, is also receiving a price cut from £260 to £230. In a statement announcing the price drops, Microsoft UK senior regional director Neil Thompson said, "Xbox 360 has now sold over 20 million consoles worldwide and due to its unprecedented success, we are now able to pass on the rewards of that success to the consumer with a new retail pricing from £130."
The move puts both the Arcade Pack and Xbox 360 Pro below the price of its nearest home console competitor, the Nintendo Wii, which is still selling for £180. Sony's PlayStation 3 currently retails in the UK at around £300.
Naturally, Microsoft was keen to promote the exclusive titles in its Christmas lineup, including Gears of War 2, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise, Scene It? Box Office Smash, and the UK-made Fable II.

game console 1 Comments | Readmore...