Posts tagged with xbox

Xbox Modders Working To Circumvent Ban

Posted on November 14, 2009 8:21 AM

If you are one of the many Xbox Live users who were banned from the service, don’t give up hope just yet. It seems that some modders, probably the folks who modded your Xbox which resulted in the ban, are working on a solution that will return the firmware to a state that is almost the same as the stock firmware, meaning you’ll be able to use your console again. There are currently 2 fixes that are being worked on, namely the iXtremeLT and one from Xbox-Scene. The former isn’t really ready yet, and the latter works, but is extremely complex. Keep the faith, and hopefully the modders will package it into a package that’s simple to apply.

Xbox 360 console ban is irreversible

Posted on November 12, 2009 9:24 AM

Xbox 360 owners who found themselves cut off from Microsoft's Xbox Live service are on the path of no return as they will need to purchase a whole new console if they ever want to get their online action back again. According to Microsoft, banned machines will be permanently barred and "unable to connect to Xbox Live" as affected consoles do not have any recourse for terms of use violations. This amounts up to a million gamers missing out from Xbox Live - yes, that many people have modified their consoles to handle pirated games.

Hacked Xboxes Get Cut Off From Xbox Live

Posted on November 11, 2009 7:15 AM

In a move that certainly won’t go down well with a lot of people, Microsoft has started to cut off gamers from its Xbox Live service for modifying their consoles to play pirated games. It’s been estimated that as many as 600,000 games will be affected by this move. Microsoft describes it as a “small percentage” of the 20m Xbox Live users, but angering 600, 000 users can’t be a good move, albeit piracy isn’t very nice either. Do you have a modified Xbox console? Did this move affect you? Drop us a comment and let us know.

Amazon Matches Walmart $99 Xbox Deal

Posted on November 7, 2009 9:39 AM

Holiday promotions are great! Do you remember that Walmart was running an ad featuring a $199 Xbox 360 Arcade console with a $100 gift card? Well, Amazon certainly doesn’t want to lose out, and it has matched Walmart’s deal. There are only limited units, so you’d better get yours fast! The first batch has already sold out, but the deal should be running around at 12pm EST, 9am PST.

No Xbox 360 with Blu-ray

Posted on October 23, 2009 11:41 AM

Sorry for the false alarm folks - it doesn't look as though Microsoft will be rolling out the Xbox 360 with a Blu-ray drive add-on anytime soon, as the interview with Steve Ballmer was misinterpreted since Steve actually referred to Blu-Ray accessories for the PC. Well, that's that then - if you want a Blu-ray player, you can always pick up a (gasp!) Sony PS3.

Modified Pink Xbox 360 Controller

Posted on October 18, 2009 8:10 AM

We’ve seen the pink colored Xbox 360 controller that Microsoft is offering, but we have admit, it doesn’t come close to this one that modded by Flickr user 4apples. Apparently he created it as a gift for his girlfriend, and once she sees the controller, we’re fairly sure she’s going to be a very happy lady. What do you think of it?

ATI To Power Next-gen Xbox?

Posted on October 14, 2009 11:26 AM

There isn’t anything official on this just yet, but if our sources around the Internet are to be believed, it seems that AMD/ATI has already got the deal to power the next-generation Xbox console. This probably shows that Microsoft is satisfied with what it’s gotten from ATI so far, not to mention the new ATI GPU should help keep compatibility with legacy games. While a new Xbox was suggested to be available in 2010, it seems that it will be pushed back to 2012, so we’ll have to be patient on this.

$1.1m For A Sarah Palin Signed Xbox 360

Posted on October 4, 2009 5:22 AM

What would you buy if you had a spare $1.1m lying around, a nice sports car, a big house, or something exotic like an Xbox 360 signed by Sarah Palin (2 days before she resigned as governor)? We’ve seen some people try to flog off some weird stuff in eBay before, but asking for $1.1m for this is really wishful thinking. Of course, if we’re wrong and you DO intend to pick this up, don’t let us stop you from placing a bid over at eBay.

Xbox XCM Blue Blood Controller

Posted on October 3, 2009 9:24 AM

If you’re bored of your bog standard Xbox 360 controller, you would always consider modding it, but if that seems to troublesome and messy, then you could always go pick up a cool and already-modded one off the shelf. Enter the XCM Blue Blood, which is going for $29.99 and will certainly make your Xbox controller stand out from the rest of the pack. That being said, we do have to tip our hat off to the folks who take a lot of time and effort into modding their own devices.

Xbox 1080 prototype

Posted on September 17, 2009 3:28 AM

Carl Archambeault has come up with the Xbox 1080 prototype, where this concept will squeeze in all the firepower of the current (or perhaps even future) Xbox console into an impossibly small chassis, where it will be accompanied by a slide-out LCD display. No idea on what kind of media is suppose to be used with this console, and the battery must be nuclear powered to be able to keep on running whenever you're on a road trip. Guess it will be years before a concept like this is even a step closer to reality.

Microsoft 802.11n adapter

Posted on September 15, 2009 7:13 AM

Microsoft is preparing a new 802.11n adapter that will definitely find it a snap to stream 1080p TV shows and movies straight from the Zune/video store later this fall, where the adapter will probably find a home in your Xbox 360 to further cement its position as an indispensable member of your home living room. No idea on pricing or availability, which means we'll just have to wait for Microsoft to fill in the blanks for the general public.

Xbox 360 gets Left 4 Dead

Posted on August 19, 2009 8:36 AM

We're not talking about the game for the console here, but more of this DIY mod that clearly ups the gore ante where case mods are concerned. The bloody handprint on one side of the Xbox 360 clearly adds a mark of class, while well-placed acrylic windows on the other side let you see what's going on inside - perhaps a foretaste of a future where machines "eat" people up and churn out body parts? Creepy, to say the least, but it is guaranteed to turn heads whenever your mates drop by to have a game or two.

Xbox Micro mod

Posted on August 17, 2009 3:54 AM

Here's a mod that will definitely leave you drooling - the Xbox Micro measures a mere 1" thin, taking all of six months to create. The Xbox Micro won't be able to play the latest 360 games since this is but the original Xbox that has gone to the fat house and come back as a svelte new creation, turning even the diminutive Wii jealous in the process.

Portable Xbox is a certainty (says Microsoft)

Posted on July 20, 2009 10:12 AM

This is just a handheld concept (not from Microsoft)

Shane Kim (Microsoft, Corporate VP) has told kikizo that a portable xBox is only a matter of "when", signaling that Microsoft intends to get into that market. If we were Microsoft, we would be looking at re-using the hardware (Nvidia Tegra) and software from the Zune HD to build a game platform. We wonder if Microsoft will use Windows Mobile, which has been a pitiful game platform so far.

Shake Kim also capitalized on the Project Natal buzz, and re-iterated Bill Gates' view that Natal would be everywhere at Microsoft. He mentions that Natal leverages assets from the whole company, like the voice recognition and so on... We heard otherwise: the core team of project Natal is actually very small and these guys really deserve the credit that is due for pulling Project Natal off the ground and into the light. Anyhow, let's wait and see what Microsoft will do with the portable Xbox. That market is just too juicy to be left untouched.

Castrade Game Box

Posted on May 22, 2009 6:29 AM

Castrade has a spanking new device for all you hardcore gamers out there - the Castrade Game Box which aims to make connecting a console to a LCD monitor a snap. This box will be able to handle input from a variety of current generation consoles such as the Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 (and basically anything else that plays nice via a common video cable), where it will take that signal and scale it properly to an LCD-friendly resolution so that your console won't do the normal and revert to low quality video mode due to incompatibility. Not only does it handle video, it also audio inputs from a few proprietary console connectors, sending them out via a 3.5mm jack. There is no word on pricing or availability, and chances are looking good that this will have to be imported if you happen to live outside of Japan.

New Tony Hawk Game Comes With Peripheral

Posted on May 15, 2009 8:51 AM

I still remember the days where Tony Hawk appeared on my PSOne, and man, I had a field time trying to figure out all the various button combinations to make him perform death defying stunts that I can't do in real life. How times have changed in terms of hardware and software, and the latest Tony Hawk game kwown as Tony Hawk Ride will come with a brand new skateboard peripheral, making an appearance across the Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles. We wonder whether the Wii Balance Board will be able to substitude for a skateboard, but that's another story for another day - with this degree of interactivity, we suspect the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions will do better due to a similar level of interactivity with the Wii coupled with way superior graphics. What do you think?

Microsoft About MGS4 For Xbox 360 Leaks: Completely Uninformed'

Posted on May 14, 2009 2:39 PM

The old MGS4 for Xbox 360 rumor was revived on Twitter recently and sparked a new wave of speculation ahead of E3. Microsoft clarified things today by denying these rumors in an interview with Eurogamer:

"I can confirm that this post is completely uninformed and does not even come close to matching our news for E3" (Aaron Greenberg, Microsoft)

Too bad for Xbox 360 owners, we hope that Konami will eventually release the latest episode of this formidable franchise.

Related: "Solid Game Design" Hideo Kojima tells us how the Metal Gear Solid franchise was born out of technical constraints.

Microsoft Motion Controlling System

Posted on May 3, 2009 8:22 PM

Microsoft is rumored to have come up with a new motion controlling system that is touted to go head-to-head against the Nintendo Wii. It will work differently though, as the Xbox version will detect the body's movements while interpreting them onscreen instead of how the Wii operates. A couple of sensors and a webcam will pick up the player's body movements, and can be used in both games as well as video chats. No idea whether this idea has been finalized or not, and we can't help but wonder whether this system will make a debut at E3 which is happening just next month.