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Week of January 13, 2008
Inside Source Reveal the Truth About Xbox 360 RRoD Failures
>> From blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com:
[QUOTE]
This past week I met and interviewed an individual who has worked on the Xbox 360 project for many years and they had some things that they wanted to get out into the public. I have the fullest confined in the integrity of my confidential source.
* Q: So what do you think the real failure rate of the Xbox 360 is? Some have estimated it as high as 30%. I got my Xbox in early 2007 and so far so good but what do you think the chance is that it's going to die on me one day.
* A: It's around 30%, and all will probably fail early. This quarter they are expecting 1 M failures, most of those Xenons. Some of those are repeat failures. Life expectancy is all over the map because the design has very little margin for most of the important parameters. That means it's not a fault tolerant design. So a good unit may last a couple of years, while a bad unit can fail in hours. I have a launch unit and have not had a single problem with it. And it's used a lot. But I don't know anyone else with a 360 that hasn't broken, except you now. There's no way to tell when yours might die. But the cooler you can keep it, the longer it will probably last. So stand it up, keep it in free air, etc. :Note : Xenon was the code name for the first Xbox 360 mother board.
* Q: In your opinion what do you think the main cause of the Red Ring of Death failures have been?
* A: RROD is caused by anything that fails in the "digital backbone" on the mother board. Also known as a core digital error. CPU, GPU, memory, etc. Bad parts, incompatible parts (timing problems) bad manufacturing process (like solder joints), misapplied heat sinks or thermal interface material, missing parts, broken parts, parts of the wrong value, missed test coverage. Any one or more, on any chip, or many other discrete components, would cause this. And many of the failures were obviously infant mortality, where they work when they leave the factory and fail early in use. The main design flaw was the excessive heat on the GPU warping the mother board around it. This would stress the solder joints on the GPU and any bad joints would then fail in early life.
There are also other significantly high failure rates in other areas, like the DVD.
* Q: How much more reliable are the current generation of Xbox 360 than the previous designs? Original Xenon, Zypher and Falcon.
* A: I've heard that the failure rates for the current design is sub 10%. Much much better, but still too high imoh. And those designs haven't seen much life yet, so no one knows if that failure rate will hold.
* Q: Do you think that the "Falcon" Xbox 360 design is the final Xbox 360 hardware iteration or will they come out with a redesigned Xbox 360?
* A: They will come out with new hardware at least once a year until they retire this design. That's the console financial model. Keep the features and functionality the same, reduce cost and price, and improve quality if needed. The 360 roadmap always called for SI die shrink and integration, since that's where most of the cost is. Right now they are working to get the GPU and CPU on the same BGA package for the next mobo. Could lower cost, heat, number of heat sinks, mother board size (maybe squeeze the PS inside too), etc. Too bad that they screwed up and forgot to retain the JTAG IEEE 488 test functionality, at least what little they had. Now it will be almost impossible for them to tell if that chip is bad if the unit won't boot in the factory. So they will have to trouble shoot by replacing the most expensive part in the system blindly. They keep repeating bad decisions, and everyone is afraid to push issues considered to be bad news.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com
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(Saturday 19 January 2008 16:18 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
IGN Xbox 360 Previews 2008: Predictions
>> From xbox360.ign.com:
[QUOTE]
IGN's Predictions for 2008:
* Gears of War 2 Won't be Announced at GDC
Unlike what most press sites will tell you, we're going to say that the game will not make its debut at this year's GDC. To say that it will is a natural assumption. It's a big show and people are expecting Microsoft to offer up some exciting game properties to satiate the insatiable appetites of their audience. Gears of War 2 fits in with those plans, but we're saying that we won't see the game for a few more months yet.
* Microsoft Won't Release a Blu-ray Player
As it stands, the Xbox 360 has two HD solutions for movies; HD-DVD and Xbox Live Marketplace. Adding a third, especially before the HD-DVD format is totally done and the digital download service hasn't had a chance to truly flourish, is unnecessary this year. Cross your fingers if you want Blu-ray but don't hold your breath.
* Microsoft will Continue to Try to Break into Family Gaming
We predict that Microsoft will still make valiant efforts with family-oriented games continuing to be announced through many of the large game shows, but they'll continue to struggle with consumers. Whether it's because of poor marketing (Scene It?) or the games themselves are poorly made (Sneakers), Microsoft will continue to fail when it comes to pleasing an entire family of players.
* Not Every Big 2008 Title Releases in 2008
Here's a short list of a few of the games that have the sort of ambition or history to make us second guess their release stability: Alan Wake, Fable 2, Resident Evil 5, Fallout 3, Last Remnant, APB, Huxley and Age of Conan.
* We'll Stop Getting Three Red Lights E-Mails by December 2008
Well, we're stepping out on a ledge to say that the Three Red Lights epidemic will have quelled by December 2008. By that time all Xbox 360s bought before a certain date will have fulfilled their destiny and kicked the bucket. Millions of gamers will have gone through the pain of repairing their system. It will be a great day indeed.
[/QUOTE]
Check out the full story (12 pages) with a list of all big titles expected in 2008: xbox360.ign.com
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(Saturday 19 January 2008 00:59 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Free XBLA Title for Downtime: Undertow
>> From gamerscoreblog.com (FYI: MS owned blog):
[QUOTE]
Recently, Xbox.com posted a letter from Marc Whitten, General Manager of Xbox LIVE, thanking subscribers for their patience with the service. We've implemented several improvements to the service, to help ensure ongoing reliability and performance. As the popularity of Xbox LIVE expands, we'll continue to closely monitor the service and make adjustments. As always, if you are having any problems, please contact your local support (1-800-4-MYXBOX in North America) so that we can assist you.
Marc announced that all Xbox LIVE members (Gold and Silver) around the world would have access to a full Xbox LIVE Arcade game to download free of charge. We're pleased to announce that beginning next Wednesday, 2:00 a.m. PST through Sunday, 11:59 p.m. PST, Xbox LIVE members worldwide can download the full version of the recent award-winning Xbox LIVE Arcade game, Undertow.
Developed by Chair Entertainment Group, Undertow is one of the highest-rated and best looking games available on Arcade. Undertow redefines aquatic based shooters through a mix of high-definition graphics, intuitive controls and multiple modes of game play action. The game features a full story driven-single player campaign, on and offline co-op, and multiplayer for 2-16 players over Xbox LIVE for Gold subscribers. Players battle for control of the oceans as one of three selectable races, each with four unique, upgradeable units. "Undertow" is available worldwide (normally 800 Microsoft Points) and is rated E10+.
[/QUOTE]
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
News Update on InFeCtuS2, Time Attack PCB, BenQ Compatibility
>> From Team InFeCtuS:
[QUOTE]
Dear customers,
we're glad to announce interesting news about INFECTUS and ARGON. Here's STEP by STEP all the news:
3- ONLINE THE NEW DIAGRAM ABOUT THE TIMEATTACK DOWNGRADE ADDON INSTALLATION: complete scheme for the connection to the nand X360 and the connection of the ADD ON TIME ATTACK X360 sideboard to the X360 CPU, available HERE.
 Click image for full resolution.
6- NEW INFECTUS PROGRAMMER 0.0.3.8 BETA2 completed supported by the INJECTUS programmer and fix of some functionality for TIMING ATTACK X360, downloadable here
7- BENQ DRIVER SCHEME AND TUTORIAL ONLINE: finally online the official scheme for the connection of INFECTUS2 to the BENQ drives and its TUTORIAL. Remember the INFECTUS2 chip is the only one that supports TRIAL FIRMWARE (3 firmware on board) on X360 BENQ drives.
TUTORIALS: Italian | English | Schematics
IMPORTANT! INFECTUS supports develope teams of alternative dashboards for X360, realizable by the X360 downgrade. If you are a developer please contact us and show your skills to us.
NEWS ABOUT PRODUCTIONS:
INFECTUS2: coming around January 22nd and good availability for now.
TIME ATTACK ADDON: stock available
079 KEY INFECTUS: stock available
[/QUOTE]
Read the whole news (incl. argon news that I left out 'cause it's only Wii related) on infectus.biz.
Buy Now: InFeCtuS2 | Time Attack PCB
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft's Take on the December NPD Numbers
>> From the Microsoft press release:
[QUOTE]
Xbox 360 Drives the Video Game Console Industry in 2007: NPD data released today confirms consumers spent more dollars on Xbox 360 in 2007, with more than $13.7 billion in total consumer spending. Xbox 360 won 2007 with $4.8 billion in total consumer spend compared to Wii with $3.5 billion and PlayStation 3 with $2.2 billion. This wraps up a historic year, with NPD reporting consumers have spent nearly 45 percent of total industry figures on Xbox 360.
Here is a quick snapshot of what is driving revenue for Xbox 360, based on the latest reports from NPD and Microsoft data:
XBOX 360 WIDENS THE GAP OVER PS3 WITH CONSOLE SALES: According to NPD, Xbox 360 sold 1.3 million consoles in December alone, and has steadily widened the gap between Sony's PlayStation 3 console sales. In December, NPD stated that Sony sold 798,000 PS3 hardware units. Since PS3's launch in November 2006, Xbox 360 has outsold PS3 by nearly 2:1 on average, bringing a total U.S. Xbox 360 install base of 9.2 million consoles, compared to and installed base of 7.4 million Wii consoles and 3.3 million PS3 consoles.
GAMES DRIVE INDUSTRY GROWTH: Xbox 360 robust games portfolio spans across the highest-ranked AAA titles to the largest collection of "Everyone" and "Teen" rated games. According to NPD, of the top 20 best-selling titles in 2007 for this generation, 11 were on Xbox 360; while only seven were sold on the Wii and two sold on the PS3.
* NPD reported that this holiday's leading multiplatform blockbusters continue to sell better on Xbox 360:
o "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" for Xbox 360 was the leading game last month with 1.5 million copies sold, outselling the PS3 version nearly 3:1.
o "Assassin's Creed" for Xbox 360 was the fourth best selling title, having sold 894,000 units. It outsold the PS3 version more than 2:1.
o "Guitar Hero III" outsold the PS3 nearly 2:1, having sold 625,000 copies.
o "Rockband" continues to rock the charts, selling 463,000 units for the Xbox 360 platform, compared to 174,000 units for the PS3
* To date, 33 third party games on Xbox 360 hit the top 10 list across all consoles compared to five third party games on PS3, and four on Wii. These results confirm that third party partners create better games and reap more sales on Xbox 360 than any other platform.
* In its fourth month on the market, Halo 3 continued its strong performance and was the sixth best selling title in December, selling another 742,000 units. In 2007, NPD projects that Halo 3 has sold 4.8 million units in the U.S. since its launch in September.
* Xbox 360 continues to lead in number of games sold per console, setting another record with an attach rate of 7.0 games per console.
XBOX LIVE SETS NEW HEIGHTS: Xbox LIVE's network is 10 million members strong and growing, achieving membership goals six months ahead of schedule. Only on Xbox LIVE can members experience the largest catalog of on-demand, high-definition content in the U.S., including movies and television shows from our most recent partners: Disney-ABC Television Group and MGM Studios.
We're not slowing down in 2008. The next versions of powerhouse franchises like "Grand Theft Auto," "Resident Evil" and sports games like "Madden", "FIFA", and "Pro Evolution Soccer" open up a new arena for game play on Xbox 360. This year we will make great strides toward improving our brand appeal to consumers interested in more physical game play. With titles like "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock," "Rock Band" and "Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action" we're creating interactive experiences on Xbox 360 for the entire family.
[/QUOTE]
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(Thursday 17 January 2008 21:45 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
(N-America) December NPD Numbers: 360 1.26M, PS3 798K, Wii 1.35M
>> From gamasutra.com:
[QUOTE]
December Hardware. The charts are as follows:
Wii - 1.35 million (from 981K)
Xbox 360 - 1.26 million (from 770K)
PlayStation 3 - 798K (from 466K)
Turning to full year results, the Wii and DS handily outpaced the rest of the platforms this year, with total industry spending up 54% to $7.04 billion. The full 2007 console sales follow:
Wii - 6.29 million
Xbox 360 - 4.62 million
PlayStation 3 - 2.56 million
This brings the North American life to date totals to:
Xbox 360 - 9.15 million
Wii - 7.38 million
PlayStation 3 - 3.25 million
"A lot of folks are curious about the performance of the HD-DVD add-on from Microsoft," she said. "Life-to-date, 316K units of that accessory have been sold, representing a 3.5% attach rate to hardware sales."
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: gamasutra.com
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(Thursday 17 January 2008 20:21 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
XBLA: How to Increase Trial, Improve Conversion Rate, and Sell More Games
>> From edery.org:
[QUOTE]
Having a free trial does not exempt a downloadable game from taking advantage of PR; not even in XBLA, where every game gets downloaded by a large number of people. Why? Two reasons. First, that "large number of people" could be a lot larger. 2x (or more times) larger, in fact. Just because a lot of people download every game that comes their way doesn't mean you can afford to ignore the people who don't. Plenty of consumers only think to download the titles they are familiar with -- that's why licensed IP is so popular with many publishers.
Second, conversion rates are influenced by anticipation. This is easy enough to understand. Imagine being faced with two games, both of relatively equal quality. One has been hyped in the press for months. One is unheard of. Your friends are all talking about the first game. You yourself have been looking forward to it. But the other game is just as good. Which are you going to buy?
The trial... it's not just the first five minutes of your game
It's surprising how many developers don't think about their game's trial experience until the very last minute of the development process. A downloadable game's trial is everything! If someone doesn't enjoy your trial, then they probably won't buy your game. It doesn't matter if you licensed the three greatest IP of all time and fused them into the holy trinity of game design itself. If the trial stinks, most people won't bother to lift the curtain on the full experience.
* Don't confuse or frustrate the player
* Don't make the player wait for the fun
* Don't make the trial too short
* Don't make the trial too long
* Intensify the player's curiosity
* Work that upsell message
* Show off your best features
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: edery.org
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(Thursday 17 January 2008 17:01 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Top MS Executives Are Leaving the Company Like Rats from a Sinking Ship?
>> From softpedia.com:
[QUOTE]
It all started in the second week of January with Microsoft confirming the departure of Bruce Jaffe, Corporate Vice President, Corporate Development. But Jaffe signaled only the beginning of what was to come. It is hard not to look at Jaffe as a trend setter, but the fact of the matter is that lately Microsoft top executives have illustrated an increased tendency to leave the Redmond company.
With Jaffe out to put his own start-up on its feet, the next on the list was Jeff Raikes, President of the Microsoft Business Division.
After Raikes, it was the turn of Charles Fitzgerald, Microsoft's General Manager of Platform Strategy, to leave the company in favor of a start-up.
And then there were four. Microsoft top executives continued to drop like flies with Short, Corporate Vice President for Windows Core.
And of course that in the background, there is the shadow cast by Bill Gates' own imminent departure as of mid 2008. Although with Gates it's a whole deal entirely as his transition plans out of Microsoft were announced as early as 2006.
[/QUOTE]
Note: And not so long ago the Xbox division lost Peter Moore to EA and J Allard to Zune (still at Microsoft however).
Full Story: softpedia.com
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(Thursday 17 January 2008 13:43 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Team Xtender Announces High Speed Air Cooler v2
>> Team Xtender announced a new version of their 'XCM High Speed Air Cooler' that will now also be compatible with the Xbox360 consoles with a HDMI port:
[QUOTE]
Introducing the new Highspeed air cooler v2, for Xbox 360, and compatible with the HDMI version console.
External Xbox 360 air coolers can only cool the temperature of the Xbox 360's outer Surface but do not cool the temperature of the CPU/GPU; therefore, making them useless to combat CPU/GPU overheating. The XCM high speed air cooler directly cools the 360 CPU and GPU. Using internal temperature measuring devices, this product monitors the temperature of the 360 CPU and GPU. XCM high speed air cooler's external controller will allow you to control the speed of the fan while it monitors the temperature of the 360 CPU and GPU. AUTO mode will automatically adjust the fan speed depending on the temperature of the CPU and GPU.
[/QUOTE]
Official Site: http://teamxtender.com
More Pictures: pictures.xbox-scene.com
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(Thursday 17 January 2008 00:32 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Tabulator: Xbox Live Video Marketplace vs. Apple TV
>> From joystiq.com:
[QUOTE]
Up until yesterday, the living room set-top box was simply a "hobby" for Apple; its fumbled Apple TV product did little to unseat the HD video rental download champ, the largely uncontested Xbox Live Video Marketplace. With a fresh splash of software for new boxes and a free upgrade for current users, Apple TV Take 2 is giving it another shot.
Of course, for an audience of gamers (that's us!), Apple's product has a particularly severe handicap but, on a strictly video entertainment scale, it manages to best the Xbox Live Video Marketplace in just about every category. Now we realize this is, in many ways, an apples to oranges comparison (sorry), but Microsoft isn't just competing for gamer dollars anymore and competition is growing (in fact, the at-home-rental set-top box industry will see another entrant later this year with Netflix).
[/QUOTE]
Check out the full AppleTV/Xbox360-VMP comparison table on joystiq.com
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(Thursday 17 January 2008 00:23 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Lawyer Speaks Out on Xbox LIVE Lawsuit
>> From mtv.com:
[QUOTE]
When three Texas gamers couldn't get online to play "Call of Duty 4" or "Halo 3" on their Xbox 360s last December, they decided to sue.
In a class-action lawsuit filed January 4, gamers Keith Kay, Orlando Perez and Shannon Smith claim that they and millions of other Xbox Live users suffered damages in excess of $5 million.
In his first interview with the press, the plaintiffs' lawyer, Jason Gibson, explained the gamers' side of things to MTV News.
"These are not guys looking to get rich," Gibson said in a telephone interview from Houston Tuesday. "They are in their late 20s and 30s. They are college-educated. These are not young kids who just turned 18 and [want] to sue for the fun of it. This is, to them, a real issue."
"When you have one person who is mad and they can't get a response, and they can't get their complaints addressed by a company like Microsoft, the only way to get their attention is in numbers," Gibson said. He said the company had to have known what was going to happen with the Xbox Live overload. "If they had not anticipated the sales, then they would not have put out that many units of the Xbox to begin with." Last week, Microsoft announced that Live had reached 10 million subscribers and claimed record-setting revenue for consoles sold in 2007, covering strong sales through the holiday season. Gibson said that proves Microsoft's priorities were out of order.
"They take the money for the subscriptions, but they don't make sure that the service is going to be there," Gibson said. "They kind of put the cart before the horse. To me, you make sure the service is going to be there. Make sure the product is going to be there. And then feel good about taking money for the service and the product."
Dennis said Microsoft could not comment on the lawsuit because the company has yet to be served. Gibson is in the process of doing so, after which Microsoft will have 20 days to respond to the suit.
With Gibson proceeding and Xbox blogger Hryb gagged from updating gamers about Live's status via his site and his Twitter feed, gamers will have a harder time figuring out just how well Live is working. When asked where gamers should go for status updates, Microsoft's Dennis said, "We will be communicating with our customers through our normal channels, such as Xbox.com and other means."
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: mtv.com
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(Wednesday 16 January 2008 19:15 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
iTunes HD Movie Rentals 1usd Less than XBL
>> From 1up.com:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft's continued expansion of the Xbox Live Video Marketplace is a calculated move hailing the delivery of content exclusively via digital downloads. HD movie downloads aren't widely available on the Internet yet, making XBL Video Marketplace's direct download options an alluring attraction, even if they do cost $6 a piece. Not limited to the Xbox 360's userbase, however, is Apple, who today announced the introduction of HD movie downloads over iTunes.
The initial library of HD movies on iTunes is relatively small, with only 100 available (and more coming). What's different on iTunes, however, is the price: $5 per HD rental. Sure, a single dollar isn't massive, but worth considering cumulatively. The difference, however, is iTunes' inability to stream an HD rental to your HDTV without the aid of the company's Apple TV box, which now costs $229.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: 1up.com
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(Tuesday 15 January 2008 23:09 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Microsoft Plans Big Announcements In GDC Keynote
>> From blog.wired.com:
[QUOTE]
Stevenotes? Meh. The suit-and-tie speech that's getting gamers riled up this morning is Microsoft's GDC keynote, which promises big news about the Xbox 360's upcoming year in software.
Corporate vice president of Live, software and services John Schappert, who joined the company in August coming from Electronic Arts, will deliver an address on Wednesday, February 20 called "A Future Wide Open: Unleashing the Creative Community." In an email announcing the keynote, the GDC described it thusly:
"Schappert's keynote explores the Xbox 360 platform's next step in democratizing game development, vastly opening up the industry for developers of all sizes. The session will set the strategy for Xbox 360 this upcoming year, revealing top developers' plans for the platform in 2008. Schappert will discuss how the increasing role of online gaming will continue to shape gameplay and game distribution this year. (emphasis ours)"
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: blog.wired.com
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(Tuesday 15 January 2008 15:12 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
(USA) Analysts: 1.45 million Xbox 360 consoles sold in December
>> From xbox360fanboy.com:
[QUOTE]
According to simExchange's predictions, they believe the Xbox 360 sold 1.45 million consoles in December with the Wii moving 1.73 million and the PS3 selling 854,000 consoles. And if their estimates are correct, then we must give the 360 a pat on the back for keeping its distance from the PS3 and closing the gap on Wii sales, even if there were "shortages".
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: xbox360fanboy.com
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(Tuesday 15 January 2008 00:44 EST) - (Category: Xbox360) - (Posted by::
)
Microsoft's Rumored Acquisitions Big for Xbox?
>> From xboxfamily.com:
[QUOTE]
What a week for acquisition rumors as Microsoft is rumored to be after peripheral pimp - Logitech and internet king - Yahoo.
Logitech has long been known as a computer peripheral maker that likes to dabble in console controllers and add-ons. Microsoft has scaled back it's own peripheral manufacturing over the last couple years. If Logitech were to be purchased by MS, it could mean we would see a host of new and quality gaming gizmos for the Xbox 360 and next generation of Xbox hardware. With a quality track record for racing wheels and controllers, there's no doubt MS could benefit from dipping into the R&D department of Logitech for gaming related peripherals.
Next up is the Yahoo acquisition rumor. This rumor has spread like wild fire since word broke from the New York Post. The reason gamers should be interested in an MS purchase of Yahoo is simple. Yahoo is the number one internet site in the world and the biggest competitor to Google on just about every front. Yahoo has R&D going on for just about everything imaginable that has to do with internet technologies. This includes digital delivery services of video and gaming content. And due to recent issues with XBL, we all know MS could use any new help they can get in bettering their online services.
Something to think about: MSN combined with Yahoo. MSN Zone (online gaming) combined with Yahoo games. The list goes on and thanks to the trickle down effect; it could only make Xbox gaming better.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: xboxfamily.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
HD DVD Not Dead yet: Lower Prices, New Marketing, Strong Q4 Sales
>> From the press release:
[QUOTE]
Toshiba America Consumer Products, L.L.C. ("Toshiba") today announced that it is stepping up its successful marketing campaign for HD DVD as it experienced record-breaking unit sales in the fourth quarter of 2007. Major initiatives, including joint advertising campaigns with studios and extended pricing strategies will begin in mid- January and are designed to spotlight the superior benefits of HD DVD as well as the benefits HD DVD brings to a consumer's current DVD library by upconverting standard DVDs via the HDMI(TM) output to near high definition picture quality.
As Toshiba achieved the #1 sales volume in the next generation DVD category with an approximately 50 percent market share in 2007, HD DVD is proven to be the format of choice for consumers. Coupled with an 80 percent plus market share of all next generation DVD equipped notebooks for the 4th quarter 2007, the HD DVD format has already paved the way to a high definition digital AV solution by eliminating the boundaries between the consumer's living room and on the go.
HD DVD not only creates the ultimate high definition entertainment experience, leveraging all of the promise of the format such as superior audio/video performance, Web-enabled network capabilities and advanced interactive features - it also has a high-level of compatibility with DVD. With DVD upconversion via the HDMI output, HD DVD players instantly make a movie lover's existing DVD library look better than ever.
New Marketing Strategy for Mass Market Adoption
Taking the holiday season sales based on promotional prices into full consideration, these new manufacturer's suggested retail prices (MSRP) are designed to meet the potential demand for HD DVD players in the U.S. market. Effective on January 13, 2008 the MSRP of the entry-model HD-A3 will be $149.99, the HD-A30, with 1080p output, $199.99, and the high-end HD-A35, $299.99.
Extended Advertising Campaign
Toshiba plans to execute an extended advertising campaign that will further enhance consumer awareness of the benefits of HD DVD and drive sales to retail among potential consumers. Advertising strategies will include television, print and online media channels. Toshiba will also work with its dealers and studio partners on joint marketing and promotional initiatives to promote HD DVD. Current promotions include "The Perfect HD Offer" - a mail-in offer allowing consumers to select five HD DVD titles for free from a selection of 15 with the purchase of any Toshiba HD DVD player.
[/QUOTE]
Read the whole press release here.
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
SeXbox Will Be Bigger In Japan
>> From kotaku.com:
[QUOTE]
Want some good times but can't afford a real 360? Japan's so got your back. And your unmentionables. The SeXbox is a bag of fun that, despite the 360-inspired trimmings, doesn't come with any controllers. Or cables. Or power bricks, or headsets, or even a 360 console.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: kotaku.com | akibablog.net
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
MS will remain tight-lipped on XBL status thanks to lawsuit
>> From xboxic.com:
[QUOTE]
Major Nelson, on his weekly podcast, has revealed exactly why nothing has been said for a while about the Xbox Live issues that remain. Thanks to the lawsuit filed in Texas, it means Microsoft can no longer update us on the situation due to legal issues.
This is a major blow for the Xbox community as it was at least nice to know that the issues were known about and were trying to be dealt with. Now we wait with baited breath for it to be fixed, without ever being told officially.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: xboxic.com | majornelson.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XboxMediaCenter (XBMC) 2008-01-13 SVN rev11320 build - T3CH
>> T3CH released a new SVN compile (rev11320) of XboxMediaCenter(info) for Xbox1.
This T3CH-compile is a complete snapshot of what is in SVN at the time the build was compiled, with just a few small additions.
Special Notes and Added/Noteworthy/XML/Script changes:
* added: the mask parameter of the httpapi command GetDirectory can now (in addition to taking the explicit file extensions) take one of the values: [music], [video], [pictures], [files]
* added: reset to defaults to plugin/scraper settings (skinners the button is id="12")
* added: Container.TVShowThumb to retrieve the show thumb in both season + episode listings.
* added: Scraper Settings support. Access via the set content dialog only tvdb/imdb currently contain settings. TVDB - dvdorder, userid (must be registered on site, will use your preferences), multi-language IMDB -full cast, thumb control and ability to input imdb site eg french.imdb.com, german.imdb.com (default akas.imdb.com)
* added: fallbacks for infolabels and infoimages. Ideal usage is: <label fallback="this is the fallback">$INFO[Player.Title]</label> (and same for texture).
* Like I mentioned last week, if you upgrade an old build by simply overwriting PM3 skin files, and you happen to use PAL16x9 you will have font issues. Same is true this week if you update from a build from 2007.
For the full changelog (all added/fixed/changed/updated stuff) since the 2008-01-06 SVN Rev11247 build click here.
Keep in mind this is a SVN snapshot of the current development tree. It's not an official (stable) point release. Use only if you know what you are doing.
Official XBMC Site: www.xboxmediacenter.com (manual and FAQ)
Official T3CH Site: http://t3ch.yi.se (release RSS feed)
Download Binaries: n/a (built with XDK) | Download SourceCode: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
KingKong-Linux SDA loader - Single DVD bootdisk
>> From Icekiller and StonerSmurf over at the xboxhacker.net forums....
[QUOTE]
I was getting sick of changing the KingKong dvd with the SDA loader DISC..
So I went hunting for the possibility to have 1 single dual layer DVD to do all my bidding...
After annoying Ssmurf on IRC he said it is very well possible but the only problem was that the dvd was in 'game' mode and needed to change to regular mode.
BUT you need to have Linux installed on your xbox 360..
so first use KingKong with the normal shader & the gentoo live cd install debian or ubuntu.
Just to be clear I maybe went through the motions but Ssmurf did all the hard work.. for which I'm grateful no more getting up to change the disc! Wink
has been tested on a xbox360 with a Samsung & Hitachi 47DJ with older xtreme versions. But seeing as you won't go on live anymore..[QUOTE]
Official Site: xboxhacker.net forums
Download: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
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