Microsoft Corp. is developing a new videocamera for the Xbox 360 console that will allow players to control games with the movement of their bodies, people familiar with the matter said, an effort to attract the casual players who have fueled Nintendo Co.'s recent success.
It took a little longer than expected, but Microsoft is finally ready to pit the Xbox 360 up against the major television networks.
Xbox Live Primetime, a scheduled series of interactive games that represents the video game industry’s first serious foray into the turf dominated by TV, will begin its slow-paced launch this week.
Xbox Live Gold subscribers will be getting more bonuses than just hate speech when the service's first Primetime title launches this spring. Yes, according to the game's official page on Xbox.com, 1 vs. 100 is going to be free for all Gold members. This is great news, as we probably wouldn't have bought it otherwise. No Saget, no sale.
Microsoft's third quarter may not have been the hotness, but the company's entertainment and devices division (that's Xbox) can have a very tiny fiesta to celebrate its sales victory. The mega-corp's revenues took a 6% beating, with net income down 32% over the prior year to $2.98 billion. The Xbox's (Zune, etc.) entertainment and devices division lost 31 million this quarter, after achieving a $106 million profit during the same time last year.
Starting in May, keep an eye out for the Xbox 360 Game of the Year bundle. This limited edition bundle will contain an Xbox 360 Elite and a copy of the award winning titles Halo 3 and Fable II for US $ 399. That’s the normal Elite Price plus two games at no additional cost. Check your local retailer for availability.
Just because it didn't flash the iconic red rings, though, doesn't mean it wasn't bad! If you got it, your console would display a system error warning, and it meant your machine was fried. Which is probably why Microsoft have decided to issue an extended warranty for the fault, similar to the one offered to red ring sufferers.
If this proves true then it should put some value back into the Elite. I would of liked to see the Elite become more Elite i.e. internal Wi-Fi etc etc but this is a good start and an exceptional bundle.
Word is that Microsoft will be jam-packing its existing Elite bundles with copies of Halo 3 and Fable 2, you know, just for fun. The best part is, the console won't be increasing in price. The bad news is that you're now furious if you already bought an Elite console.
Ars Technica says that we'll have confirmation on this rumor by the end of next week, so that leaves us little time for the confirmation/debunking party.
A research report from In-Stat predicts Xbox Live will generate a billion dollars annually by 2013. According to Edge, Microsoft announced last July that it had reached the billion dollar mark since launching the service in 2006. The $1 billion estimate includes advertising, download revenue and subscriptions.
Amazon.com has become the first retailer to begin selling Xbox Live Arcade content, previously only available through Microsoft's official website or the Xbox 360 Marketplace.
The beta service offers US customers Xbox Live Arcade game codes, Microsoft Points and subscription cards
14