Xbox 360 and Microsoft Entertainment News and Notes

[NOTKyle]

All news, annnouncements, rumours, and awesomeness associated with Microsoft and company.

Have at it.

[Ocelot]

Japan is completely sold out of Xbox 360s thanks to Tales of Vesperia.

To all customers
We truly thank you for all your patronage in the past.
Currently, the Xbox 360 is sold out, and retailers are unable to restock their supply. This is a result of our own sales targets being exceeded by the actual customer sales. We deeply apologize for this inconvenience to our customers, retailers and business partners.
Here at Microsoft, we are moving forward quickly with console production, and plan to ship the standard Xbox 360 model out this September. Furthermore, we will sequentially be shipping out the Elite and the Arcade models. We ask that you please patiently wait until the console is shipped.
We truly thank you for your patronage hereafter.
Microsoft
Home and Entertainment HQ


That's pretty great news for microsoft. All I can imagine was they didn't have a lot of units stocked to begin with, and with that sudden surge of demand they were able to make this proud statement.

[Eradicator30]

Looks like more price drops are on the way:

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2008/08/radioshockelitedrop.jpg

It appears that two of the Xbox 360 SKUs will receive a $50 price drop by the week of Sept. 7, making the 60GB model $299 and the Elite $399, meanwhile, the Arcade will drop $80 to $199. A few of our retail contacts, some of whom have given us good intel in the past -- and who all work for separate corporations -- have sent us identical information regarding a price drop.

[NOTKyle]

$200 is a fucking steal for the Arcade.

It's a great move on Microsofts part.

[Le Goat]

That is pretty damn good. I bet they're doing it so others will think.. oh hey, i can get an arcade for 200 and a 120 gig for 100+ bucks.. IT'S CHEAPER THAN THE ELITE!

I know thats what I was just thinking.

[Rumpleforeskin]

This slightly pisses me off since I bought an arcade about 2 months ago. Oh well.

[Le Goat]

Oh shit...

Remember back in February when Gearbox Software big boss Randy Pitchford teased his studio's next project (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/02/05/gearbox-working-on-something-big/) as something "big"? Well, not just "big" but something that was "even bigger" than anything Gearbox is currently working on? Well, the kids at OXM sure remembered and they sent their spies deep undercover into Gearbox territory and came back with one heck of a rumor for their October issue: Gearbox is working on Halo 4 as a launch title for the next Xbox (NextBox?).

With Bungie admittedly uninterested in creating Halo games ad nauseum (http://www.joystiq.com/2007/10/05/its-official-bungie-branches-off-from-microsoft/), and Gearbox one of the industry's top FPS developers, we've certainly heard crazier rumors. And there are few licenses that would get a studio chieftain to inadvertently slam his own games in development. Whatever the project is, Pitchford has said he'll be directing it himself, adding, "When you find out what this is, you'll likely agree that I can't oversell this one." Nope, you probably couldn't Randy. Overselling Halo is Microsoft's job anyway; you guys just make with the shooting of the aliens (http://www.joystiq.com/tag/aliens-colonial-marines/) ... no, the other aliens.

[Warden]

That is fucking retarded. Don't we have like...5 years before the next....next gen system comes out?

[Draven X 23]

Well Microsoft wants to get the jump on the other 2 companies again. So maybe it will release its next system in 2011. Giving the 360 a 5 year life. Of course they tried that before and a lot of us have been rewarded with the RROD.

Of course they could just be starting on a game that will take 4-5 years to make.

[MDiver01]

well Brothers in Arms is taking 3 years

[Draven X 23]

Microsoft has won its claim (http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/18/microsoft-sues-immersion-over-alleged-breach-of-contract/) against rumble licensor Immersion Corp., receiving $20.75 million from the company, Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSBNG10039720080826) reports. The particulars of the case revolve around a 2003 sub-licensing agreement (http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_Payback_Time_Immersion_To_Pay_2075_Million_To _Microsoft_23071.html) between the two companies in which Microsoft was entitled to a portion of the cash that Immersion (http://www.joystiq.com/tag/immersion) eventually settled on in its case against Sony (http://www.joystiq.com/2007/03/01/sony-and-immersion-reach-settlement-feel-good-vibrations/).

It appears that everything is now ship-shake between all the corporations involved and we can continue enjoying the jiggles we get from our controllers.

Personally I hate Rumble. I find it to be annoying. Usually I turn it off when I can. The controller having a spasm doesn't bring me into the game. It actually distracts me from the game.

[G-Bus]

Well Microsoft wants to get the jump on the other 2 companies again. So maybe it will release its next system in 2011. Giving the 360 a 5 year life. Of course they tried that before and a lot of us have been rewarded with the RROD.

Of course they could just be starting on a game that will take 4-5 years to make.


I would like to think that they have learned from previous mistakes and will take the appropriate measure to ensure it doesn't happen again.

I think MS will unveil they're new box around E3 next year and see it hit stores late 2010/11

[Le Goat]

Personally I hate Rumble. I find it to be annoying. Usually I turn it off when I can. The controller having a spasm doesn't bring me into the game. It actually distracts me from the game.

You are such a god damn queer its amazing you can talk with so many dicks in your face. Really? You get distracted by a fucking vibration? Jesus...

[Dakar]

Man, I get distracted by a lack of vibration. It's really useful to indicate that you're getting the hell beat it of you without checking your health.

[Draven X 23]

You are such a god damn queer its amazing you can talk with so many dicks in your face. Really? You get distracted by a fucking vibration? Jesus...


Yes, unlike you I don't stick it in my ass.

[RedBEARD]

well Brothers in Arms is taking 3 yearsI really do not understand how games take this long to develop. You figure a company like Bungie or one of EA's subsidiaries has a couple hundred people working on a given project, plus techs (sound, music, production, etc.), testers, and whoever else. How is it then that this stuff takes 3+ years to finish, especially considering a lot of titles use existing engines/code to create them?

[Le Goat]

I really do not understand how games take this long to develop. You figure a company like Bungie or one of EA's subsidiaries has a couple hundred people working on a given project, plus techs (sound, music, production, etc.), testers, and whoever else. How is it then that this stuff takes 3+ years to finish, especially considering a lot of titles use existing engines/code to create them?

Bia mainly cuz the wanted to wait to use the new console power. If I remember correctly their engine is based off an existing one but heavily modified (rain and various body parts for example)... But some games just need to take their time for sheer scope and development. I thunk Bioshock would have sucked if it didn't take as long to come out as it did.

[Rumpleforeskin]

Man, I get distracted by a lack of vibration. It's really useful to indicate that you're getting the hell beat it of you without checking your health.


I agree. It's basically essential in racing games, as it lets you know if the grip of your wheels is starting to come loose.

[GreyFox1382]

I really do not understand how games take this long to develop. You figure a company like Bungie or one of EA's subsidiaries has a couple hundred people working on a given project, plus techs (sound, music, production, etc.), testers, and whoever else. How is it then that this stuff takes 3+ years to finish, especially considering a lot of titles use existing engines/code to create them?

A lot of it could be horrible management. golden axe has been in development for about 3 years and a lot of it was just that fact that there were too many cooks in the kitchen. too many people in management with different ideas constantly changing their minds.

[Draven X 23]

I read Nintendo has its main franchises in production and it should take 2-3 years.

I guess things just take time.

[Draven X 23]

Well I got my new 360 today. Only took them 2 weeks to replace the one I sent. But I got a free month Gold Sub. Card.

[One Under]

So I got RROD a couple weeks ago, I'm out of warranty, so I'm fucked.

Went up to gamestop, bought a "refurbished" console, and brought it home. It turns on fine, my hard drive works, but I can't get a fucking controller to connect. I've tried every trick I can find online, nothing works. Different contollers, battery packs, rechargeable batteries, regular batteries, plug and play, etc.

I'll turn the console on, press the wireless buttons on the console then the controller. They will begin flashing and the console will stop, but the controller keeps going (all four lights are flashing.) The weird thing is that when I turn off the console the controller turns off. And if I press the XBOX button on the controller, the system starts up, but the controller never connects (none of the quadrants light up individually, they all flash forever.)

Any ideas on something different to try? I have 30 days to take it back up there and exchange it, so if I don't figure it out tonight I'll take it back tomorrow and tell them to give me a new one.

[Kerjack]

Try taking it back to Gamestop, they should be able to test if they are having the same issue and if so should swap it out for you. Refurbished might mean no warranty but it still has to work when they sell it.

PS. Call them first, my guess is you don't even need to bring back the cables for them to test/swap it.

[One Under]

Try taking it back to Gamestop, they should be able to test if they are having the same issue and if so should swap it out for you. Refurbished might mean no warranty but it still has to work when they sell it.

Yeah, that's probably the smartest thing to do. I actually bought the 1 year warranty ($20) so if I still keep getting problems I can keep getting different ones.

[Jericho]

Fucking XBox

[Kerjack]

I'm still on my first production model. Although like I have said before it is going to die soon, drive failure. Keeps dropping the disc in the middle of play and doesn't always pick it pack up/seek in time before I get a dirty/scratched disc error.

[Jericho]

Consider yourself fucking lucky

[Draven X 23]

I just got my XBOX360 back from Microsfot a few days ago (actualy its a different 360) and had to get the controller to work.

Did you make sure to press the little white button on top of the controller? I had the same issues that you mentioned but once I hit that button it worked fine. I had to do it again the next time I turned my 360 on. But that was it.

[One Under]

I just got my XBOX360 back from Microsfot a few days ago (actualy its a different 360) and had to get the controller to work.

Did you make sure to press the little white button on top of the controller? I had the same issues that you mentioned but once I hit that button it worked fine. I had to do it again the next time I turned my 360 on. But that was it.

I've tried pressing the little button on 5 different controllers, nothing changes. I'm pretty positive it's the 360.

[Draven X 23]

Yeah take it back. No point if you can't get the controller to work.

[Kerjack]

Nope, I know the insides on the Xbox like the back of my hand but have never opened the 360.

[Eradicator30]

1UP News


U.S. Price Cut for Xbox 360 Confirmed

Least expensive "Arcade" version now cheaper than Nintendo's Wii

By Philip Kollar (http://www.1up.com/do/my1Up?publicUserId=5637999), 09/03/2008
http://media.1up.com/media?id=3602306&type=lg The rumors have continued to build (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3169723), but now thanks to a blog post (http://majornelson.com/archive/2008/09/03/xbox-360-price-cut-now-us-199.aspx) from Major Nelson, it's official: the Xbox 360 has received a price cut. Beginning Friday, September 5, the new pricing for the various Xbox 360 SKUs will be as follows:

Xbox 360 Arcade -- $199
Xbox 360 Premium -- $299
Xbox 360 Elite -- $399

This news comes just over a month-and-a-half after the 20GB Xbox 360 Premium model was replaced (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3168683) by a 60GB model, thereby putting the 20GB version on clearance for $299. Here's hoping you either held off on that or aren't too upset about losing that extra 40 gigs of memory. Of course it's also important to note that as with this weekend's announcement (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3169709) of a 360 price cut in Japan, the lowest-end 360 model is now cheaper than a Wii. Assuming Nintendo doesn't rush toward a price cut for the system they still can't produce enough of, the 360 Arcade may become the obvious cheap choice for parents during the holiday season.
Major Nelson points to an article (http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2008/tc2008093_970320.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_news+%2B+analysis) from Business Week that places this move in line with the upcoming launch of the new dashboard (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3168709) for the Xbox 360. If all of these plays toward a more casual market can actually pay off, Microsoft hopes to maintain their second-place position in this generation's console race.

[Draven X 23]

Ok can someone tell me if Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise came out this week? I know it was supposed to but I went to Best Buy and didnt see it. I asked the roamer and he said that they do not have it in the system while looking at me like I am crazy.

[Eradicator30]

Sept. 2nd is the release date. Sometimes the games are listed oddly in our system, so they may have had trouble finding it. Or he may have just been a moron.

[Draven X 23]

Most likely a little of both. So I just ordered it from Amazon.

[Mr. Brown]

Yeah it's out.

[emthreepeeoh]

When is the big firmware update going to be released? I keep hearing about it but no dates...

[Le Goat]

Hell of a read here...

If there's one thing former San Jose Mercury-News writer Dean Takahashi knows, it's Microsoft's gaming hardware. In 2002, his book Opening the Xbox recapped the making of the software giant's first entry into the console game industry. Shortly after Microsoft launched its follow-up, Takahashi followed suit with The Xbox 360 Uncloaked.
http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/images/2008/248/360rrod021_embed.jpg (javascript:open_blog_image_viewer('2008/248/360rrod021_screen.jpg');) It's little surprise then that Takahashi, currently a writer for Silicon Valley blog VentureBeat, would be the guy to go whole-hog into the saga of the Xbox 360 hardware's ongoing reliability issues. In a newly published feature (http://venturebeat.com/2008/09/05/xbox-360-defects-an-inside-history-of-microsofts-video-game-console-woes/) that Takahashi considers the final chapter of his Xbox 360 book, the reporter meticulously recounts how Microsoft launched a gaming system with unacceptably high failure rates and its attempts to address the problem.
In July of 2007, Microsoft publicly acknowledged the so-called "Red Ring of Death" issue (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6173633.html) and took a corresponding financial hit of more than $1 billion to fix it. Prior to that acknowledgement, Takahashi reports that Microsoft had taken returns on 1.2 million of the roughly 11.6 million shipped Xbox 360s. However, the problems responsible for that return rate had been around since before the console hit shelves.
Takahashi quotes a Microsoft engineer who raised the issue of hardware reliability in August of 2005, months before the system's November launch. At the time, 68 of every 100 Xbox 360s made by Microsoft's Chinese manufacturing partners were coming off the line nonfunctional. Worse still, when the first batch of the system's three-core CPUs rolled off the line, only 16 percent worked.
On top of that, Microsoft reportedly altered the design of the system repeatedly in the latter stages of development. The company added hard drives to most machines and made wireless controllers standard, further blocking cooling airflow inside the console. There were even issues with the QA machines that supposedly ensured the 360's system reliability. Takahashi reports that the machines would approve faulty units and were not properly debugged because Microsoft wanted to save $2 million on a $25 million contract with its third-party manufacturer.
"It turned out in the end that this was all going too far, too fast," an unnamed source told Takahashi. "They were adding too many features after things were locked down. That incremental feature adding just made it fragile."
The article goes on to say the post-launch shortage of Xbox 360 systems was due partly to Microsoft's inability to make enough functioning units to satisfy demand. In the spring of 2006, Microsoft had half a million returned or defective units sitting in warehouses, all while publicly stating that returns were within normal rates for consumer electronics.
Problems with quality control continued to plague the system, so much so that Microsoft actually ceased production of the Xbox 360 in 2007 between January and June to find and address the issue, according to the report. The production stoppage was also due to a surplus of systems at retailers from the prior holiday season, a fact which led to accusations of channel-stuffing (http://www.gamespot.com/news/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=25566045) on Microsoft's part.
As for what the ultimate culprit for the faulty console was, Takahashi reports it was a combination of factors. The ATI graphics chip had overheating issues, solder joints were prone to failure, and assembly and memory issues were widespread.
"The video game industry has never seen a consumer problem as bad as the 'red rings of death' and the size of the $1.15 billion charge stands as one of the biggest liability glitches in consumer electronics history," Takahashi wrote. "How Microsoft handled the flaw may provide a lesson for all modern electronics companies; that is, if you are going to promote the hell out of something, it better work the way you say it does, and you better have a strong customer support and engineering debugging team to back it up."

[Eradicator30]

1UP News


Microsoft Reduces Select DLC Prices For Limited Time

Mass Effect and Oblivion add-ons and more with lowered pricing.

By Kyle Stallock (http://www.1up.com/do/my1Up?publicUserId=5763889), 09/08/2008
http://media.1up.com/media?id=3607785&type=lg Are you finding the Shivering Isles (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3156209) expansion to Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3150341) or various additional downloadable content for Mass Effect (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3144257), Forza 2 (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3140435), Guitar Hero 3 (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3159776), and Beautiful Katamri (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3158823) to be too much of a strain on your wallet? Well turn that frown upside down, because Major Nelson reports in blog post (http://majornelson.com/archive/2008/09/05/extended-play-download-days-price-drop-on-dlc.aspx) (via Joystiq (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/05/select-xbox-live-dlc-discounted-until-end-of-october/)) that Microsoft is cutting DLC prices in an "Extended Play Download Days" promotion.
The full list of updated price points is available above. The new prices are in effect now, but unfortunately they aren't permanent. The DLC pricing will revert to its old, more expensive ways at the end of October, so get it while it's cheap.

[Le Goat]

It doesn't take a world-class economist to understand that Microsoft's recent price cuts to its full line of Xbox 360 systems (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6197209.html) would boost sales, but a Bloomberg article has put the size of the spike into perspective. The news outlet is reporting that retailers saw a 100 percent sales surge for the Xbox 360 last weekend across all configurations, with "some models" selling at six times the past weekend's rate.
Microsoft did not provide Bloomberg with exact figures, and it will likely be some time before the price drop's impact is fully understood. While the industry-tracking NPD Group is set to release its latest US retail sales figures this afternoon, those numbers will be for the August sales period, which cut off before the price drops took effect.
As had been revealed weeks earlier by retail fliers, Microsoft lowered the price of the Xbox 360 in all configurations last week. As of September 5, the 120GB Elite sells for $399, the 60GB 360 is $299, and the hard-drive-less Arcade has become the least expensive current-gen console on the market at $199.

[Ocelot]

Thinking of picking up that Mass Effect DLC- just happen to have 300 points left over from castle crashers.. but wondering if I should just save it as I'm not sure how Bringing Down the Sky really is.

[One Under]

Just downloaded the FIFA demo. Pro Evo is going to have to be way better than the shit they released last year if they want to compete with EA. I loved PES for a long time but FIFA is definitely keeping up if not surpassing it.

[Jack Bauer]

PES fucked up the online play last time around. it was far too laggy

[Jericho]

My buddy just called me to tell me he had to send his 360 in for the fourth time in less than a year...and he wasn't even angry. He expects this from his system. I can't begin to explain how infuriating that would make me as a console owner to become complacnt with the fact that my system will fail inevitably. Man, fuck X-Box

[Jack Bauer]

is he sitting the thing beside a heater wrapped in blankets. im only on my second xbox and to be honest if this one fucks up. i dont care as its only a small trip to work to get it swapped for a brand spanking new one. due to my first failure i was able to pick up an elite on the day of release for fuck all. the whole sending shit in would suck. do you guys in the states and canada, not get the shit swapped in the shops, and let them deal with the returns procedure

[Jericho]

is he sitting the thing beside a heater wrapped in blankets. im only on my second xbox and to be honest if this one fucks up. i dont care as its only a small trip to work to get it swapped for a brand spanking new one. due to my first failure i was able to pick up an elite on the day of release for fuck all. the whole sending shit in would suck. do you guys in the states and canada, not get the shit swapped in the shops, and let them deal with the returns procedure
He's pretty anal about it. He doesn't even let a speck of dust hit the thing. My PS3's been running fine since I got it in January. I'd be fucking pissed off if I had to deal with even taking it back to the store. I bought the thing, and it works, thank god. 4 times in a year? wtf, MS

[Angry Ass Messican Dude]

My buddy just called me to tell me he had to send his 360 in for the fourth time in less than a year...and he wasn't even angry. He expects this from his system. I can't begin to explain how infuriating that would make me as a console owner to become complacnt with the fact that my system will fail inevitably. Man, fuck X-Box

Most people are so satisfied with the 360's gamin abilities they don't give a fuck.

[Kerjack]

Most people are so satisfied with the 360's gamin abilities they don't give a fuck.

Seriously, and that just pisses the ps3 boys off even more

[evilash]

My 360 shit the bed after almost two years of owning it. I took it back to the store where I purchased it no questions asked. I got like $60 back because of a price drop from what I originally paid for it and got equal trade for the newer system with the HDMI hookup. My Wii has on the other hand been kind of testy since I first bought it and it stopped working a few weeks ago. I had to send it in to get fixed. My PS3 just collects dust so it should last forever.

[Angry Ass Messican Dude]

Yes same here. My PS3 rarely gets used at all.

[Jack Bauer]

I was thinking of picking up a PS3 for christmas

[Angry Ass Messican Dude]

I'd only suggest it if you have a 1080P TV and want to play blu-rays. Since you have a 360 I'm sure you'll want to continue getting the multi console games for it like I do.

I've been playing the SOCOM Confrontation Beta which is the only reason I even bought a PS3 was for that franchise, and it is so clunky it's terrible. It seriously operates like a PS1 shooter. It's like driving a Yugo after Riding in a McLaren(COD4 Halo ETC) I'd go so far as to say it doesn't operate as well as Halo 1. Plus the graphics on it are way fucking shitty.

[Jack Bauer]

yeah i have a 42 inch hd tv with all the sexiness included. was thinking of using it as my standard blu ray player but i dont know if its worth it. wouldnt mind playing MGS4, although most of the other games i have are on the 360. my two bosses have both consoles and both seem to use the 360 alot more than they would there ps3. think im gonna go for it. may as well wait for the 160gb version to be released though

[Angry Ass Messican Dude]

It would be kinda cool if the steaming porn sites worked on the PS3 browser, and if it could upconvert the porn to HiDef. Then the PS3 would actually be worth the monies. And my couch would be really stained...

[Kerjack]

Hold out and wait to see if Little Big Planet holds up to being as awesome as it looks to be. If its anything other then steller run like hell and stay away until we find out if God of War 3 lives up to its name.

Those are the last two games I can think of that might still make this system worth owning.

[Angry Ass Messican Dude]

I paid 600 dollars for a pretty DVD player basically.

[Kerjack]

Shit I don't even use it for that. I use my *cough*HDDVD*cough* player instead because I like the remote better.

[Rumpleforeskin]

Most people are so satisfied with the 360's gamin abilities they don't give a fuck.


This is sadly true. When my second 360 broke down, the first thing I did was go out and buy an arcade edition to play while the other one got shipped off. I didn't even blink.

[Jack Bauer]

I think the only thing the PS3 has got going for it is the bluray drive. imagine if HD had of won.

[evilash]

I dig the HD-DVD player on my 360. When they pulled out, I was able to pick up a crap load of awesome movies for really cheap. I don't even use my PS3 for a Blu-Ray anymore. It's hooked up to the 42" LCD in my gameroom, that I rarely spend any time in unless friends are over. I have my 360 hooked up in my media room and I've got a Samsung Blu-Ray on it that I use.

[PWalk]

I had an opportunity to pick up the HD-DVD drive for the 360 recently and balked at it. For $50 though I guess I should reconsider it.

[Kerjack]

For 50 bucks it buys at the very least a nice up converting DVD player with a handy remote for both the player and the X-box.

[Rumpleforeskin]

It's actually a good player (better than most stand-alone HD-DVD players), and you can get HD-DVDs cheap as crap, including a bunch that haven't even been announced for Blu-ray yet. The downside is that you have to have the Xbox running during the movie, which can be fucking annoying. Then again, if you have a surround sound system, it shouldn't matter.

[Le Goat]

http://media.1up.com/media?id=3614408&type=lg
You may recall that back in July, Bungie hinted (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3168583) that a new game announcement would be coming during E3. This tease was later elaborated on their website, where a countdown appeared along with Bungie's usual flare for cryptic, unintelligible messages, this time delivered via a character known as the "Superintendent." Gamers everywhere were naturally on the edge of their seats to see what Bungie had in store for them next... until Microsoft suddenly cancelled (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3168848) the announcement under mysterious and seemingly inexplicable circumstances. But that's in the past -- what's important now is that this "Superintendent" has reappeared on Bungie's site, with an all new cryptic, unintelligible message in a news post (http://www.bungie.net/news/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=15526). Obviously, this would seem to suggest that their cancelled E3 game announcement may finally be arriving soon. But as you can see for yourself by reading the message, well... it's hard to say what the hell any of this actually means.
The message reads in full:
<\\> UNSC OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE <\\> CLASSIFIED SIGNALS ARCHIVE [ONI.SEC.PRTCL-1A]
<\ OPENED PER OFFICIAL REQUEST [DARE.V.500341(S1)]
\ SOURCE: URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE A.I. [SUPERINTENDENT]
\ RECEPIENT: PROWLER "TOKYO RULES"
[COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]
>> NOTATION KEYWORD SEARCH: "EMERGENCY" "DATA" "CORRUPTION"
>> (...) ~ QUERY RUNNING
>> (..)
>> (.) \ VTT TRANSCRIPT AS FOLOWS...
[SUPERINTENDENT]: "METROPOLITAN EMERGENCY!"
[SUPERINTENDENT]: "METROPOLITAN EMERGENCY!"
[SUPERINTENDENT]: "METROPOLITAN EMER--!"
[COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: "We know. Personnel are en route. Can you?"
[SUPERINTENDENT]: "DETOUR! PROCEED WITH CAUTION!"
[COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: "--put Kinsler on the line?"
[SUPERINTENDENT]: [UNITELLIGIBLE > DOG GROWLING(?)]
[COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: "Sorry, what?"
[SUPERINTENDENT]: "BE A HERO! REPORT VIOLATORS!"
[COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: "Oh, come on... "
[SUPERINTENDENT]: "METROPOLITAN EMER--!"
[COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: "Listen. We have a report of core data corruption."
[COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: "I need you to upload your?"
[SUPERINTENDENT]: "PARDON OUR DUST!"
[SUPERINTENDENT]: "YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK!"
[COMM.DUTY.OFFICER] "--logs for the last twenty-four hours!"
[SUPERINTENDENT]: "KEEP IT CLEAN!"
[SUPERINTENDENT]: "KEEP IT CLEAN!"
[SUPERINTENDENT]: "KEEP IT CLEAN!"
[COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: [UNINTELLIGIBLE > PROFANITY (?)]
[COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: "We're sending a team, alright?"
[COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: "Until they arrive, all additional comm needs to route through me."
[COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: "Repeat and acknowledge."
[SUPERINTENDENT]: "OBEY POSTED LIMITS!"
[SUPERINTENDENT]: "YIELD TO UPHILL TRAFFIC!"
[COMM.DUTY.OFFICER]: "I'll take that as a 'yes'..."
[SUPERINTENDENT]: "PLEASE REMAIN CALM!"
\ ~ QUERY COMPLETE
\ ARCHIVE CLOSED \>
And what does any of it mean? As if we know? The one thing that is worth pointing out is that, as any Halo (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3144308) fan probably knows, the mention of the "UNSC Office of Naval Intelligence" directly ties this Superintendent character to the Halo universe (the UNSC is the combined military force for humanity in Halo's future setting). This then leads us to believe Bungie's new game might also have some sort of Halo tie, which would then lead us to believe their game makes up another of the (at least) four Halo projects (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3169984) Microsoft currently has in development. And we also already know that Microsoft's Don Mattrick casually confirmed (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3168822) during E3 that Bungie was working on a new Halo game.
Well, that's our best attempt at any kind of detective work with this thing, anyway. Anyone else have any ideas?

[RedBEARD]

I know from having read the HALO novels that prior to the war with the Covenant and even the SPARTAN program, the UNSC was more or less like the US when it comes to being an assumed body for handling any "unruly" types that popped up throughout the galaxy. They relied on teams of shock troops back then, so maybe this is that squad-based shooter we'd heard about? Maybe the "Superintendent" is some kind of AI?

[Le Goat]

Or maybe you need to get out more red!

[Angry Ass Messican Dude]

\ SOURCE: URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE A.I. [SUPERINTENDENT]

[RedBEARD]

Or maybe you need to get out more red!My 360 has never told me that it "needed some space" - I'll stick with what I've got.

\ SOURCE: URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE A.I. [SUPERINTENDENT]AND I DIDN'T EVEN READ THAT GOBBLTY-****!

[Le Goat]

liar. you totally read it

[RedBEARD]

There's a video out on the Bungie Marketplace right now that seems to feature a scene at New Mombasa (or some other city, could even be some new section of Headlong). It's the "KEEP IT CLEAN" stuff, but the tagline is something along the lines of "Prepare to Drop - A New HALO3 Campaign Experience".

[Le Goat]

I figured as much.

[Le Goat]

I must say, I'm kinda wanting to see this pretty quick. Sounds a bit interesting...

Impending Avatar-based dashboard update for 360's online component will include animated backgrounds, interactive buddy lists.
All signs are pointing to a November rollout (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6198132.html) for Microsoft's Xbox Live dashboard overhaul. The redesign, officially known as the New Xbox Experience, will bring with it a host of changes to Microsoft's already well-liked online hub, including an avatar-based community system, integration with Netflix's on-demand movie download service, and the ability to install games to the console's hard drive, among other features.
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2008/269/XBL3723_embed.jpg (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6198253.html?tag=latestheadlines;title;3#)See these bubbles, now imagine them moving. (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6198253.html?tag=latestheadlines;title;3#)

One topic the hardware maker has been quiet about is how dashboard themes and friends lists will factor into the redesigned online hub. Today, Microsoft's Sara Nicholson parted the curtain a bit further on these features via the publisher's Gamerscoreblog (http://gamerscoreblog.com/team/archive/2008/09/26/ntmsxe.aspx), offering a host of screenshots and a few details on what gamers can expect from their themes and how they'll interact with friends.
No longer just static images, Nicholson noted that themes will be dynamic, meaning that they will both change as users cycle through pages and be "subtly animated." Nicholson then gave an example of the "signature theme," which pictures bubbles that move, shrink, and grow in the background. The themes will also factor into the friends lists, with buddies' avatars being pictured alongside images unique to each theme.
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2008/269/XBL2789_embed.jpg (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6198253.html?tag=latestheadlines;title;3#)A new look at an old Gears theme. (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6198253.html?tag=latestheadlines;title;3#)

As for the other friends list features, Nicholson said that avatars will "rally" when players host Live parties. Friends' statuses can also be ascertained by their current actions. If a friend is playing a game, his or her avatar will beckon to the player to join in. If the friend is offline, that person's avatar will be "snoozing."
Previously noted by Microsoft, themes purchased for Xbox Live's current dashboard will still be usable with the upcoming update. According to Nicholson, "They'll look even better over the new UI."

[Triumph]

I remember seeing somewhere that it would be out in November sometime. Seems way too far away.

[opasewq]

Earlier today in Tokyo Microsoft finally announced the date that everyone will see the new XBox Live Experience. Gamers around the world will get to experience the new XBox Live as of Wednesday, November 19. Originally announced back at E3, the new XBox Live Experience features a completely redone and revamped XBox Live. Gamers will have their own avatar to customize as they see fit as well as a host of new features to experience.

[Le Goat]

Movie, Photo Sharing Could be Added to New Xbox Experience

Online movie parties are "certainly the aspiration," says Microsoft.

By Kris Pigna (http://www.1up.com/do/my1Up?publicUserId=4547494), 10/12/2008
http://media.1up.com/media?id=3631698&type=lg
There are plenty of new features coming with the New Xbox Experience when it launches on November 19, but one that won't be included is the ability to share movies and photos with your friends online. But according to Xbox director of marketing Albert Penello, that's a feature that could easily be added in the future thanks to the soon-to-be revamped structure of the Xbox dashboard. When asked (http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/10/10/photo-video-sharing-xbl/) by MTV Multiplayer (via Joystiq (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/12/movie-sharing-not-part-of-nxe-launch/)) whether the ability to have online movie parties -- perhaps by sharing streaming Netflix movies with other friends who are also Netflix members -- would eventually be added to the service, Penello simply answered, "Yes. Those types of things are certainly the aspiration."
One major change the new Xbox dashboard is bringing is that it'll make the service entirely server-based. This means it'll be far easier for Microsoft to add these types of new features in the future, as they can be plugged in without having to issue a new patch.
"You know, we talked about photo sharing," said Xbox senior strategist Rob Gruhl. "That's something that, hey, if we want to do photo sharing, we just build that app, drop it in, party enable it and we're good to go. If we wanted to do movie sharing, build an app, party enable it, drop it in. Really, it's [the new dashboard] just laying the foundation for our next wave, our next step. Continuing to fill it out, continuing to build it."
Makes you wonder what other sort of features Microsoft may have planned for the future... New Xbox Experience Too Big for Hard Drive-Less 360s

128MB requirement causes Microsoft to promise "storage solutions" for those without hard drives.

By Kris Pigna (http://www.1up.com/do/my1Up?publicUserId=4547494), 10/11/2008
http://media.1up.com/media?id=3628326&type=lg
There's a lot to look forward to in the upcoming New Xbox Experience (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3170304) -- set to launch on November 19 (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3170465) -- but for those who own Xbox 360s without a hard drive or a 256MB memory card, you may have to go through a few headaches before you can download it. Speaking (http://www.xbox360fanboy.com/2008/10/10/ms-to-offer-nxe-storage-solutions-to-those-in-need/) to Xbox360Fanboy, Microsoft's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb revealed that the full download size of the NXE will be 128MB, which will make it too large for a "small percentage" of 360 owners sans hard drive. Major Nelson did, however, promise that a "storage solution" will be made available for these users... but refused to provide any details for now. His full comment follows: "The new Xbox experience will require 128MB of free space. A hard drive is recommended for the optimal experience, to take advantage of some new features, and to be able to enjoy the great movies, TV shows and games available on Xbox LIVE. While we expect the majority of consumers to download the New Xbox Experience without a problem, a small percentage of Xbox 360 owners do not have enough memory to accommodate the update. To help ensure all Xbox LIVE members are able to download the New Xbox Experience and enjoy its new features, Microsoft will be offering storage solutions to the Xbox LIVE community. We are not sharing details of this offering yet. Be sure to check xbox.com for more details in the coming weeks."Presumably, these details will be made available before the required update launches on November 19 (we hope). The main issue here does indeed seem to be the fact that the NXE is a required dashboard update, as it's uncertain what a 360 owner's options will be if they simply don't have the means to download it. Guess we'll find out whenever Microsoft details their solution.

TGS 08: Microsoft May Not Stick to Spring/Fall 360 Updates

"I don't know if we are going to tie ourselves to a spring/fall release schedule," says John Schappert.

By Kris Pigna (http://www.1up.com/do/my1Up?publicUserId=4547494), 10/11/2008
http://media.1up.com/media?id=3628323&type=lg
The New Xbox Experience (which you can read all about right here (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3170304)) is bringing the most substantial changes to the Xbox 360's dashboard yet seen -- which is a good thing, because it may be the last major update we see for a while. At the Tokyo Game Show earlier this week (via Kotaku (http://kotaku.com/5062081/microsoft-coy-on-future-spring--fall-upates)), Xbox Live corporate vice president John Schappert said Microsoft may move away from the strict schedule of spring and fall 360 updates that they've traditionally stuck to in the past. "I don't know if we are going to tie ourselves to a spring/fall release schedule as much," said Schappert to a gathering of reporters. "I think one of the things that I worked with the team with when I joined -- let's do a big release. Spring and fall sounds like there is a lot of distance between the two but there is an awful lot of... it's pretty hard to make a new dashboard because you have to certify it against every revision of the hardware, and there's a bunch of different specs. It's a pretty time-consuming and challenging thing to do. Which is why we only did it twice a year."
But apparently, as Schappert went on to explain, even twice a year may still be too often. "I like staying focused on bigger and more impactful releases, so maybe it will be twice a year, maybe less frequently," he said. "You know, to be determined. I think it's going to be more about: What's the next big launch? What are we bringing? When can we bring it? How can we do it in a big way?"
Some of what could be coming in the next big update is new customization content for the avatars, and a search field to immediately find exactly what you're looking for on the constantly expanding Xbox Live Marketplace. "Don't worry. We already have plans well into next year about what we're delivering next," Schappert said.
Hopefully, we won't have to wait a whole year to see it.

[Le Goat]

I saw this earlier today and was blown away by it. If this becomes a staple I am going to fucking disown my 360

It's a well known formula: Internet plus anonymity equals jerks who will curse up a storm just for the sake of cursing. As any Xbox 360 gamer knows, it's a particularly nasty problem on Xbox Live... but has Microsoft actually developed a way to shut these fools up for good? According (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081020-microsoft-gets-patent-for-real-time-f-bomb-bleeping.html) to Ars Technica, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has approved a patent (http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=7,437,290.PN.&OS=PN/7,437,290&RS=PN/7,437,290) for "automatic censorship of audio data for broadcast." Which would probably lead most reasonable people to wonder: How the f*** is that even possible? As the description of the patent states, "an input audio data stream comprising speech is processed by an automatic censoring filter in either a real-time mode, or a batch mode, producing censored speech that has been altered so that undesired words or phrases are either unintelligible or inaudible." A more complete description of how the process works follows:
"The automatic censoring filter employs a lattice comprising either phonemes (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/phoneme) and/or words derived from phonemes for comparison against corresponding phonemes or words included in undesired speech data. If the probability that a phoneme or word in the input audio data stream matches a corresponding phoneme or word in the undesired speech data is greater than a probability threshold, the input audio data stream is altered so that the undesired word or a phrase comprising a plurality of such words is unintelligible or inaudible. The censored speech can either be stored or made available to an audience in real-time." Elsewhere in the patent, it is explicitly stated this technology could be used for censoring chats in online games: "For certain types of broadcasts, it would be preferable to employ a more automated approach that avoids the need to pay for or provide a human censor to monitor the broadcast, while still enabling the audio data to be censored at an appropriate level. For example, in massive multiplayer games, it would be impractical to employ a human censor to monitor the multitude of voice chat sessions that might be occurring at one time."
What's most curious about this technology is the claim of it working in real-time. Chatting over Xbox Live or through something like TeamSpeak on the PC happens more or less instantly, with little delay between when you say something and when everyone else hears it (as there are during live television broadcasts, giving censors time to bleep words before they go out over the airwaves). As such, this automatic censor program would, potentially within a second, have to immediately detect an undesirable word and replace or remove it before it reaches the ears on the other line.
If this program actually works and becomes available for online games, it raises a couple of interesting questions. Would it be an optional filter? Would the ESRB make it mandatory for online games that aren't rated Mature (and once and for all remove that silly "Game experience may change during online play" warning)? What if someone speaks incoherently and the program detects and alters words that aren't actually explicit? ("So I was with my girlfriend last night, and I introduced her to funk for the first time. She enjoyed it. She enjoyed the funk all night. I mean, just wild amounts of funk all up in her ear.")

[Le Goat]

http://media.1up.com/media?id=3634900&type=lg
Remember when Microsoft announced (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3166413) their Community Games initiative back in February, where amateur developers could create and release games over Xbox Live using the XNA development tools? Microsoft has remained quiet on the service ever since revealing a fuller set of details (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3168929) at Gamefest 2008 in July, but it turns out they haven't forgotten about it either -- they've confirmed that the service will finally be launching on November 19 as part of the New Xbox Experience. Speaking to Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb in a video interview (http://majornelson.com/archive/2008/10/17/new-xbox-experience-community-games.aspx), XNA community manager (and 1UP alum) Kathleen Sanders explained how the service will work. Among the details revealed is that it'll be a new, separate channel all its own (pictured above), so community games won't co-mingle with XBLA games. Besides the fact that any amateur developer can create and submit a game for peer review, one of the main differences between XBLA certification and community games approval will be how long the approval process takes. "Unlike Xbox Live Arcade games, when a creator creates a game, from the time that they submit it for peer review to the time it appears on Xbox Live, is 48 hours. So it's a little bit quicker than the process of creating a game for Xbox Live Arcade," Sanders said.
"We're a little bit nervous, because we don't know what people are going to create -- we're leaving it all in their hands," Sanders explained. "What we've provided them is just a tool, a way to get out there to all the millions of Xbox Live subscribers." She also noted that because all the games on the service depend entirely on how many people choose to make and submit games, there isn't yet a set amount of titles planned to be available at launch.
You can check out the above news story from Gamefest for the full details on how being a part of the program works, but here's the gist: To develop and distribute a game over Xbox Live, you have to be a premium member of the XNA Creators Club, which will run you $49 for a four-month membership or $99 for a yearly membership. So what's in it for you? If you create and release a game on the Community Games service, you can set a price point (200, 400, and 800 Microsoft points, or $2.50, $5, and $10), and you'll receive 70 percent of all royalties (with Microsoft getting the other 30 percent). This also means, however, that no community games will be released for free.
If launching your game development career through the Community Games program sounds right up your alley, you can head to Microsoft's official webpage (http://creators.xna.com/) for more details.

[RedBEARD]

I saw this earlier today and was blown away by it. If this becomes a staple I am going to fucking disown my 360I don't see how they could force that upon people. It would have to be something along the lines of a V-Chip type of technology where parents could enable it if they chose to but people like us could leave it off.

[Le Goat]

That's my guess too but after Sonys latest bullshit ya never know.

[RedBEARD]

Sony's latest...What?

[Pax Britannia]

Only adults should be playing M rated games anyway, why bother to censor them? If kids play and get upset by the language used I place the blame squarely on the parents.

If you dont want your kids exposed to foul language or graphic violence dont buy/allow them to buy a game that is clearly labelled M (or 18 in Britain). Problem solved.

[Le Goat]

Actually, if you read the ESRB notification on any game they say online is not rated, thus making it free reign in terms of anything on their part. Of course, MS has rules per online but its very hard to get banned for in-game comm. So long as its not harassment or terroristic threats. Oh and red, go read the PS3 news thread, the latest posts.

[Le Goat]

Should we make a 'Post your Av' thread?

Here's (http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/22359) a non-bias video showing the NXE. I must say, i'm on the fense. Its either going to be really campy or pretty sweet.

[RedBEARD]

Gay. All I need is a buddy list and a functional network with enjoyable content options.

[Le Goat]

You never fucking play

[RedBEARD]

PS3 owning traitor. <3

[Le Goat]

PS3 media functions > 360!!!

[RedBEARD]

You damn dirty ******.

[Le Goat]

****** fo life!

[Le Goat]

Xbox 360 'New Xbox Experience Walkthrough' (http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/22359) Even with its list of cool features (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3171014), Microsoft had to trim down their grandiose plans for the New Xbox Experience by half, reports (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=200982) CVG. "There's still a lot of stuff we want to do," said Microsoft's Jerry Johnson. "Half the things we wanted to do we cut out of the service."
That doesn't mean that the cut plans will never show up, however. The new dashboard will allow Microsoft to make more frequent updates. "One of the nice things we did was this architectural change to make things more published and driven from the service," he said. "All of a sudden we opened up the platform to say, 'I don't have to wait until once or twice a year to release something onto the dashboard.'"
Among these plans is a "Photo Party" application, and its distribution will be handled differently from past Xbox updates. Instead, users will see a blank spot in the dashboard where the application will go, and can click on it to download the new application. This sounds like the Xbox 360 interface will become more customizable this way, by letting users download the applications they want. Johnson also confirmed that Xbox Live Primetime, which was recently delayed (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3170796), will launch in spring of 2009.
With these steps, Microsoft is taking an approach a bit more like Sony's PlayStation 3, which has had frequent updates to its firmware. This comes as a double-edged sword, however, as some users feel the updates came too often and have had to update constantly. Letting users choose which applications to download may be a solution to this, but we'll have to see how it pans out in the weeks and months ahead. Check out our video (above) for more details on the features that will be included with the New Xbox Experience.

[mongo]

is live down for the new updates tonight? anybody?

[Le Goat]

is live down for the new updates tonight? anybody?

NXE isn't until Wednesday. I saw an article that stated XBL was getting cut off for some users periodically, but always came back. At the time ofthe article they couldn't figure it out. It very well could be NXE bugs, but it's not any sort of direct problem related to implimenting the NXE tonight/today

[Fiend1138]

New Xbox Live?
So far? Meh...

[Skybase]

I'm not liking it so far (to get the update, as it's spreading slowly, you'll need to log in and start an Xbox live arcade game or test your network connection. This is what I came across when people were complaining that they weren't getting the update. I posted this and seems to be workign for most ppl. Not everyone will get it at once, they're opening it up slowly it appears.)

Lots of things don't seem to work yet. Links that state that it can't retrieve the information from xbox live. . . .Meh. . .I miss the blades already. Seems cluster-fucked as I was worried about.

[Skybase]

I think, upon more consideration, that what a don't like about it is that it just seems a bit clustered to me. Hard to find certain things. .and lots of tabs wasted with ads etc. so I have to scroll/flip pages more than I feel I should. the old one I just didn't have to look at the ads. Wasted space was all which I prefer to actually having to scroll through more crap to find what I'm looking for.

[Jack Bauer]

is there an option to turn off the gay avatars? and is there a way of making your wallpaper go all the way to the bottom on the main screen. the silver shit is annoying me.

[redsox39]

I think, upon more consideration, that what a don't like about it is that it just seems a bit clustered to me. Hard to find certain things. .and lots of tabs wasted with ads etc. so I have to scroll/flip pages more than I feel I should. the old one I just didn't have to look at the ads. Wasted space was all which I prefer to actually having to scroll through more crap to find what I'm looking for.

Since we have to pay for this service, anyone else have a problem with all the ads?

[Jack Bauer]

theres was an option on the old live that you could switch the ads off

[Jack Bauer]

new themes cost 250..fuck off microsoft. money grabbing cunts

[GreyFox1382]

I think, upon more consideration, that what a don't like about it is that it just seems a bit clustered to me. Hard to find certain things. .and lots of tabs wasted with ads etc. so I have to scroll/flip pages more than I feel I should. the old one I just didn't have to look at the ads. Wasted space was all which I prefer to actually having to scroll through more crap to find what I'm looking for.

The blades are actually still there, you just have to hit the X logo on your controller. Its actually better now cause you can access everything through it, not like before where if you hit the logo, you had to leave your game in order to go to the dashboard.

[Snatch]

The Netflix thing is so fucking awesome.

[Angry Ass Messican Dude]

I wish you could have the box automatically make your avatar from a picture. It's hard to recreate Robert Patrick's "I'm gonna skull fuck everyone you've ever loved" look.

[Snatch]

Its hard to make yourself not look like a lesbian.

[Fiend1138]

so... does your gamerpic have to be a snapshot of your avatar now?

[Le Goat]

God fucking damn it I love my Gaius Baltar av. If I lose it imma kill someone.

[Angry Ass Messican Dude]

No you don't. It's optional.

[RedBEARD]

After the initial homo-ness of the avatar (read, XBOX Mii) subsided, I like it pretty well. It's more a matter of figuring out where stuff is now than anything.

[Pax Britannia]

The only thing I was looking forward to in this update was the access to netflix and that doesnt seem to have materialised.

[Skybase]

The only thing I was looking forward to in this update was the access to netflix and that doesnt seem to have materialised.

How not? I've used it several times now. After the initial hiccup until around 6am the morning of it's release.

What I don't like about the new UI is basically the ads. I used to be able to just ignore them, now I HAVE to scroll through them and actually interact with them when i'm trying to do my normal stuff.

some things that are a bit harder to find, such as the newly introduced ability to delete listings in your achievements of games that you maybe downloaded a demo for, or just never got achievements for. You have to press the "Home" button which brings up that micro-blade menu. Go to Achievements, then to the game you want to remove. You'll see an option to press "X" to delete the listing. A nice way to relieve some clutter in your achievements/games listings.

Oh, my Gamertag if anyone's interested: Skybase00

[Pax Britannia]

Maybe we dont have it in Europe yet or something. I havent seen any intrusive ad's on XBL.

[Skybase]

that may be. Oh, in fact I'm pretty sure not. From everything I've read, since you have to have a current Netflix subscription you've gotta be in the US. I was actually hoping to see an option for a "streaming only" subscription that would become available for anyone outside the US. They do offer a streaming only for, I think, $7/mo but is still strictly for ppl in the US. However, I suppose you MAY be able to sign up outside the US, giving a US address? Since you won't ever receive any DVDs in the mail. It's a harder plan to find and doesn't include a month free trial, so you'll have to dig for it more.

As for the intrusive ads, you haven't noticed how to get to places like System Settings or whatever tab they place furthest right on your menu choices, that you've gotta scroll through their ads/videos/news whatever?

[Le Goat]

Those complaining about the ads forget that we didn't get the option to turn them off until about a year ago. Even then, some of the ads were visible.

[Le Goat]

But yea I fucking hate ads

[Pax Britannia]

that may be. Oh, in fact I'm pretty sure not. From everything I've read, since you have to have a current Netflix subscription you've gotta be in the US. I was actually hoping to see an option for a "streaming only" subscription that would become available for anyone outside the US. They do offer a streaming only for, I think, $7/mo but is still strictly for ppl in the US. However, I suppose you MAY be able to sign up outside the US, giving a US address? Since you won't ever receive any DVDs in the mail. It's a harder plan to find and doesn't include a month free trial, so you'll have to dig for it more.

As for the intrusive ads, you haven't noticed how to get to places like System Settings or whatever tab they place furthest right on your menu choices, that you've gotta scroll through their ads/videos/news whatever?

I've just read up on this and it seems we wont be getting the Netflix feature. As for the ad's I dont see any, I can access anything I want without interruption. However I know what your talking about because I saw a few screen shots of the American menu and it was laced with adverts for Subway.

Its hard to make yourself not look like a lesbian.

Agreed.

[Skybase]

I've just read up on this and it seems we wont be getting the Netflix feature. As for the ad's I dont see any, I can access anything I want without interruption. However I know what your talking about because I saw a few screen shots of the American menu and it was laced with adverts for Subway.



Agreed.

that does suck. I'm in the US so I'm good to go, but in the hopes they'd offer streaming only for outside the US that's a pretty major feature, IMO, that much of the world is left out of. Currently, my favorite feature. And yes, videos/ads. Blech.

[Le Goat]

I don't see any ads for companies/events that aren't 360 related in some way.but still, those clutter up my damn blades.

I like to make my av burp (click RS button)

[Pax Britannia]

The avatars blow. Like Snatch said they all look like lesbians.

My Mii looks allot like me but my 360 avatar could be anyone with brown hair and blue eyes. It's very generic.

[Skybase]

I don't see any ads for companies/events that aren't 360 related in some way.but still, those clutter up my damn blades.

I like to make my av burp (click RS button)

I THOUGHT I'd seen in a review that you could make them burp. What's strange is mine will only WAVE if I click the RS button. Wonder if it depends on either clothing choice or something along those lines. . .

Oh, and all the ads are 360 related that I"m seeing but they're still in my damned way.

[Angry Ass Messican Dude]

Yeah the Mii's blow. Bizz's Mii looks pretty cool though. Like a gay lounge singer on acid.

[Skybase]

My damned MSii's watch is halfway up his arm. And now I find he can't even belch. I'm thoroughly dissapointed.

[Le Goat]

You can't belch? Try clicking RS when fuckun with the face

[One Under]

Seems much faster in my opinion. Taking time to figure out where everything is a little annoying. Anyone install games on their HD yet?

[Snatch]

Seems much faster in my opinion. Taking time to figure out where everything is a little annoying. Anyone install games on their HD yet?

You can do that?

EDIT:
Am trying it out now...

[Le Goat]

Don't install halo 3 MS discourages it. No joke. Causes probs

[Snatch]

I did it with left 4 dead. I don't notice a difference.

[Le Goat]

Only Halo 3 is havin the probs

So far...

[Skybase]

I've installed MK VS DC Universe as it has TONS of loading. Nothing seems faster but at least it's that much less wear-and-tear on my drive.

As for my character belching, nope. I move the face around some, can look around. . .. .but can only smile when clicking the right stick button.

[Le Goat]

I have noticed my shit freezin up though. I've had to reset 3 times so far

[mongo]

my shit fucking froze on me last night, too.

[Le Goat]

supposedly its a really bad problem from what im hearing

[RedBEARD]

Mine froze about 5 minutes after the update completed, but I didn't have to reset - it came back to life after I held down the Live button on my controller.

[Skybase]

Mine's frozen up on me a number of times. .both of my systems. sometimes I'm able to press the live button (after a few minutes only) and get it to slowly resurrect itself and other times (most often) it actually hard freezes. To be honest this hasn't happened to me today tho. Was the first day of release only I believe. Certain online stuff I was trying to access or open.

[Rumpleforeskin]

I turned my Xbox on to find all this gay ass shit. Miis? WTF?!

[Le Goat]

Pwnt

[Draven X 23]

So far my only issues have been that for some reason it won't let me play my MP3 Player anymore. It works a few times and then it doesn't other times.

[defprophet]

I can't figure out how to redeem codes...what am I doing wrong?

[Das Kahlua]

I can't figure out how to redeem codes...what am I doing wrong?

Go to xbox live, there should be a 'Redeem Code' option on the main page.

Inside the game box there should be an insert. On the back at the bottom, there's a tearaway part, the code should be under there.

[defprophet]

LoL, thanks but I know most of that. Its this new xbox live experience shit that I don't get i cant find the redeem codes part. I think I've checked everywhere.

[Le Goat]

Last month, reports began circulating (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3170297) that the latest "Jasper" models of the Xbox 360 had begun selling at retail. Why is a new model of the Xbox 360 so important? Because, as VentureBeat explains (http://venturebeat.com/2008/11/28/microsoft-finally-addresses-red-ring-of-death-with-jasper-based-xbox-360-consoles/) in a report on the Jasper's improvements, the changes made to this model could finally mean the end of the dreaded Red Ring of Death fiasco. The biggest improvement made to the Jasper model is that it uses a smaller 65-nanometer graphics chip, which will consume less power than previous Xbox 360 chips and fit more securely in its motherboard socket. That means it's far less likely to overheat and come lose from the motherboard, which is the main cause of the ubiquitous "Red Ring of Death" system failures. So, at least in theory, that problem should finally no longer plague those with Jasper model 360s.
But that's not the only change Microsoft made to their new hardware. The other big addition is an increase of the system's internal flash memory from 16 megabytes to 256, which will be used to store the New Xbox Experience. That means even Arcade units without hard drives will be able to have the NXE, without needing to circumvent (http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3170625) the storage problems that earlier Arcade units faced. The last big difference is the Jasper model uses a 150-watt power supply, as opposed to the earlier 175-watt power supply.
So for those keeping score, that's approximately 1,060 days that it took for Microsoft to finally build a model of the Xbox 360 that doesn't have an unreasonably high probability of self-destructing. So... good on them? Let's just hope these Jasper models do finally fix the problem for good.

[Rumpleforeskin]

The thing I always found funny about the RROD is that Microsoft actually built it into the system to let people know that their Xbox crapped out on them. Not only doesn't your Xbox function anymore, but they built a light in it to blatantly tell you. Shit, they might as well have put in a tiny speaker with Nelson's laugh.

[Le Goat]

While I see what they were going for, it became very ironic. Though in all honesty, it probably was added on late for the fact that most of the 360's coming off the line were in fact dead.

[RedBEARD]

I'm still waiting for that vaginal-like orifice peripheral.

[Draven X 23]

Well overall the new XBL experience is going well. The Miis are ok. They even seem to use the Mii Music. The Wife and I are enjoying the Netflix. Because of that she bought me a few more months of Gold. My only dislikes are tons of ads (since I have to pay to use it) and playback on my MP3 player. It used to boot up quick and get right into my music. Now it takes a while to get going if it gets going at all. And it seems almost impossible to turn my music on while playing a game.

But the good outweigh the bad.

[Le Goat]

With the biggest shopping day of the year in the books, Microsoft is doing its best to make sure everyone knows that the Xbox 360 did extremely well -- and a whole lot better than the PlayStation 3, thank-you-very-much. Microsoft estimates that there was a 25% increase over Xbox 360 sales during last year's Black Friday and claims they outsold the PlayStation 3 by a three-to-one ratio.

"We entered into the Black Friday sales period with cautious optimism, knowing that dollar for dollar, Xbox 360 offers more social entertainment value than any other console on the market," said VP Don Mattrick. "Record Black Friday sales in the U.S., coupled with our existing global install base of 25 million and an online community of more than 14 million Xbox LIVE members, have laid the groundwork for continued global sales momentum in 2009."

As you'd expect, the press release points to the 360's superior attach rate of 8.1 games per console and claims the success is largely due to "record-paced software sales" for games like Gears of War 2, Fable 2, and Lips.

It's also no surprise that there isn't a single mention of Nintendo or the Wii -- take a quick glance at the October NPDs or prices on eBay and it isn't difficult to extrapolate what kind of success the Big N had during Black Friday. Aside from the aforementioned 25% increase, Microsoft didn't provide any hard numbers for us to look at. We should get a clearer picture of how things unfolded when the November NPDs are released in mid-December, so stay tuned.

[Das Kahlua]

LoL, thanks but I know most of that. Its this new xbox live experience shit that I don't get i cant find the redeem codes part. I think I've checked everywhere.

I was playing around on xbox last night and figured out how to redeem them with the new xbl if you still need to know. Press the xbox live button on the controller at any time, whether playing a game or on the dashboard, then scroll all the way to the left, and it should be there.

[White Rhino]

playback on my MP3 player. It used to boot up quick and get right into my music. Now it takes a while to get going if it gets going at all. And it seems almost impossible to turn my music on while playing a game.



I am having the same problem with my music from my portable hard drive. If I try to load up all the music into the play list it takes forever. If I load one album it takes about 45 seconds to play. Its pretty frustrating since I like to hit random on my 100 gigs of music.

[Le Goat]

MS has had a bad problem with streaming shit to the 360. I remember my music wasn't able to stream for a good 8 months until some update came out to fix it.

[Fiend1138]

just do what i do...
connect your ipod through the usb.
works quick, works great
and i have an 80 gig...

[mongo]

just do what i do...
connect your ipod through the usb.
works quick, works great
and i have an 80 gig...

i do the same thing. works every time.

[White Rhino]

I have a 120 portable hard drive that I plug right into the usb port. It works it just takes forever for it to build a play list. Unlike the old model witch built the play list immediately. But a positive is that I love the new Netflix option. I signed up for it and now love it.

[RedBEARD]

I had to re-download the video codec thingie to watch my AVI video files...Weird.

[Skybase]

I had to re-download the video codec thingie to watch my AVI video files...Weird.

I had to do that like a week ago as well. It's happened in the past once to me too. Very strange. Even stated I already downloaded it, asking me if I'd download it again.

[Le Goat]

i just got that last night when i opened up my netflix blade. I just hit 'play now' or whatever and it popped up

[Draven X 23]

Just wondering if anyone took on Soulja Boy after he threw down the gauntlet to all haters out there. He can totally kick your ass in Halo 3. Thats what he said anyway.

In a one-on -one scenario with Soulja Boy, you’re dealing with a guy who barely pushes a 1.0 kp/d (kills per death) at level 14. Contrary to his self-professed cranking, Soulja Boy ain’t no Robocop.

His primary tools of destruction are melee and AR (like a lot of Halo 3 players). Most of his gameplay is going to center on getting close to you and thwacking you with a melee.

Douse his fire in water. Super soak dat oh! Play a ranged game. Learn where the scoped weapons are and find the right place to set up a perch. Remember to crouch-walk if you want to stay off of his radar. When possible, pair your Battle Rifle with a close-quarters weapon. Grenades don’t always have to be offensive, you can throw grenades in places you’ve been or places you don’t want him to get to. Soulja Boy is probably going to chase you a lot. You should go all Ice Tea on that azz.

Screw Attack seems to have stepped up.

http://screwattack.com/Random/WeAccept

[Kerjack]

Haha, awesome possum.

[redsox39]

http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/microsoft-faces-new-xbox-360-reliability-accusations/1274293


Microsoft faces new Xbox 360 reliability accusations

Fix would have cost 50c per machine, suit claims

By Mike Smith (http://videogames.yahoo.com/masthead)
ADVERTISEMENT
http://us.bc.yahoo.com/b?P=4MEYFkSOxRFQv497SQXGUyjfx7iwCklJTKEAB..S&T=1438tgg0o%2fX%3d1229540513%2fE%3d567002022%2fR%3 dgamesnew%2fK%3d5%2fV%3d8.1%2fW%3d0%2fY%3dYAHOO%2f F%3d1194120222%2fQ%3d-1%2fS%3d1%2fJ%3dA0C48E44&U=13f8e2spl%2fN%3dW_ewdtG_fzg-%2fC%3d674272.13012135.13219596.2125265%2fD%3dLREC %2fB%3d5404788%2fV%3d1
Remember last week's story (http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/-microsoft-sued-over-scratched-game-discs/1272169) about Jason Johnson, the Illinois man who sued Microsoft over his Xbox 360's alleged habit of scratching his game DVDs?
Documents unsealed in his court case revealed Microsoft discovered its Xbox 360 could scratch discs before it went on sale in 2005, and even got as far as considering three possible solutions to the problem, the Seattle Tech Report (http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/156941.asp?source=rss) revealed today.
The characteristic circular scratches can occur whenever the orientation of the console -- which is designed to be used in either a horizontal or vertical position -- is changed while the drive is spinning. Johnson filed his suit after his console scratched three store-bought game discs, and is seeking $50,000 in punitive damages.
Testimony obtained from a Microsoft program manager indicates that Microsoft became aware of the problem months before the 360's launch when retail demonstration consoles malfunctioned. The company examined three solutions: strengthening the magnets that hold the discs in place, slowing the rotational speed of the discs, and installing rubber bumpers to cushion the discs, but rejected them all. Installing the bumpers could have cost as little as $0.50 per console, the suit claims.
It's not the first time Microsoft has come under fire for alleged foreknowledge of Xbox 360 hardware issues, either. Back in September, an expose penned by VentureBeat writer Dean Takahashi (http://videogames.yahoo.com/feature/did-microsoft-know-about-xbox-failures-/1245120) claimed systemic failures in Microsoft's design and quality assurance processes lead to the Xbox 360's now-infamous overheating "Red Ring of Death" failures.

[the creeps]

i have had my ps2 for like 7 years. and i have never had 1 issue with it. i have had my 360 for about 2 years. and that thing is nothing but issues and problems.

[Weenis]

i have had my ps2 for like 7 years. and i have never had 1 issue with it. i have had my 360 for about 2 years. and that thing is nothing but issues and problems.

That's funny because I had no less than 5 PS2s die on me. The disc drive would just stop working.

Thanks to walmart's return policy... I'd just bring it back and get a new one.

[Skybase]

PS2's were known for their horrible DVD trays/lenses. Alignment issues. The PS3 on the other hand has been quite solid from everything I've heard. complaints of overheating were usually attributed to people running it in a blanket. . .in their ovens. (okay, not quite)

On the subject of the Xbox 360 scratched disc resolution, I wonder if you can find aftermarket pads to stick to the tray or something to help preserve your discs. I'm going to have to look into that now.

[Jericho]

That's funny because I had no less than 5 PS2s die on me. The disc drive would just stop working.

Thanks to walmart's return policy... I'd just bring it back and get a new one.
5 PS2s?!? the fuck? Were you beating the shit out of it. I had 1 and it still works

[Erased]

5 PS2s?!? the fuck? Were you beating the shit out of it. I had 1 and it still works

I went through like 4 ps2's if I remember correctly. 2 of the orginal ones, and then 2 of the slims.

[Le Goat]

PS2's were known for their horrible DVD trays/lenses. Alignment issues. The PS3 on the other hand has been quite solid from everything I've heard. complaints of overheating were usually attributed to people running it in a blanket. . .in their ovens. (okay, not quite)

On the subject of the Xbox 360 scratched disc resolution, I wonder if you can find aftermarket pads to stick to the tray or something to help preserve your discs. I'm going to have to look into that now.

you void your warranty if you turn a screw

[Skybase]

you void your warranty if you turn a screw

Meh, what was i gonna use the warranty for anyhow? Cost me enough to just ship it back. Adjusting the laser was actually VERY easy. Just hated that it was something I had to do as often as I did.

Besides that's the case with anything really.
The PS2 was/is an excellent system with some great games. The fact that they're still making games and supporting this system is a great thing for Sony.

[Hoser]

The characteristic circular scratches can occur whenever the orientation of the console -- which is designed to be used in either a horizontal or vertical position -- is changed while the drive is spinning. Johnson filed his suit after his console scratched three store-bought game discs, and is seeking $50,000 in punitive damages.

This guy is a moron.

First, why is he moving the system while playing? As far as I know moving the system is not part of any game. And I haven't read the XBox 360 manual, but I am pretty sure it will be like any other system and mention that you should not be moving the system while in use.

Second, $50,000. Go fuck yourself. If anything they Microsoft should have to replace the games. Even then I say fuck him. He was stupid enough to move his system while playing the games.

And why did he keep moving the system while playing after it happened the first time?? This guy should get a swift kick between the legs.

[Skybase]

I've seen systems do the same thing w/o moving them. As was stated in the article as well, it was known by M$ before launch of the system. This was a known issue. I've been lucky in this way (although I have had a RROD replacement) but do worry about it.

So it's not only about moving the system although the clip of the article you've quoted does seem to insinuate that.

[Hoser]

If it does it otherwise then that is a different issue. But this dipshit moved his, ruined his games, then had the gull to try and sue for $50,000.

[Mustard]

So my 360 now has the red ring of death. I thought I did a pretty good job of taking care of it, but I rented Fallout 3 and viola, it comes. So lame. Now I get to wait 70 days for them to fix the problem, whatever it is.

[The Batman]

So my 360 now has the red ring of death. I thought I did a pretty good job of taking care of it, but I rented Fallout 3 and viola, it comes. So lame. Now I get to wait 70 days for them to fix the problem, whatever it is.

If you want your xbox to chug along, wrap a towel around it, and let it heat up. most of the issues with the xbox was the sauntering and so the heat does something. I know at the very least it worked with mine while i waited to get that box. Besides, if you brake the fucking thing completely, you get a new one.

[Mustard]

*looks with shifty eyes*

Won't that void my warranty? I heard that if you even think about doing something that doesn't pertain to what the function of the machine is they void the warranty. Seriously, this is Microsoft. I'm pretty sure they know what I'm thinking.

[The Batman]

*looks with shifty eyes*

Won't that void my warranty? I heard that if you even think about doing something that doesn't pertain to what the function of the machine is they void the warranty. Seriously, this is Microsoft. I'm pretty sure they know what I'm thinking.

How? It just over heated if anything. Your not going to open the case. Your going to wrap it in a towel and let it get hot. Thats all. Its already broke.

[Mustard]

Yeah, I guess there isn't any harm in trying to fix a defunct machine w/o popping the top off.

[Skybase]

Meh, if it's still under warranty I'd just get them to replace/fix it. They're actually really fast at getting it back to you, and that's a temp fix that MAY fix it, but if it DOES do something else you do risk the chance of not getting it fixed.

And for what. . .? a half hour more play or whatever you may or may not get out of it? A site that I know of does sell "heat pads" that fix certain types of RROD however. (this DOES void your warranty, so if it's under, get 'er sent in)

http://www.divineo.com/cgi-bin/div-us/zz-36-xsrk

[Draven X 23]

The never sent me a box. They just gave me a sticker to put on my box to send to them. I sent it out the next day. Took them about 2 weeks to give me a replacement.

[Skybase]

Never sent you a box? Was it under warranty? I got a box like 2 days after I requested repair online. Prepaid shipping label and even the tape to tape the box shut. Sent it off and got mine back in. . MAYBE 2 weeks. Seemed a bit shorter than that. Their online status said they'd shipped, then said they still had it, and I got it like the next day. Was an odd thing.

But, the entire process was very quick. I'd actually purchased an Xbox Arcade system in the mean-time and honestly didn't even hardly use it. It's sitting by my computer now in case I want to play some Xbox while I'm upstairs in my office. (has the smaller 20Gb HDD attached to it.)

Another thing this did for me is help me realize just how useful a memory card really is for the XB360 if you play w/ other people. (the arcade system came with one).

I copied my Live profile to it, now when I go other places I just take my card with me. No more importing profiles everywhere I go, which takes forever. Actually VERY convenient!

[Le Goat]

I chuckled

http://media.1up.com/media?id=3664464&type=lg
"Enjoy the awesome ambiance of a crackling fireplace in your living room. With realistic smoldering embers and flickering flames it sets the perfect backdrop for a relaxing evening," says the description (http://catalog.xna.com/en-US/GameDetails.aspx?catalogEntryId=d7cd3acb-c786-4140-958d-e87c10d42b89&type=2) for Fireplace, a new XNA Community Game developed by user "SniperED007." The official Xbox page (http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/games/offers/00000001-0000-4000-8000-00005855014c?cid=MajorNelson&partner=MajorNelson) for the download notes "The game was classified by the community with the following category scores - Violence=0/3, Sex=0/3, Mature Content=0/3," so it looks like its safe to play in the background while grandma eats her lutefisk (a typical dish here in Northern Minnesota) on Christmas night. While Fireplace doesn't necessarily fit any definition of "game" I've ever seen, it's listed in the Community Games section, but the real kicker is that it costs 400 Microsoft Points! Sure, there's a trial version available that offers almost the same experience, but it's tainted with a big green "A" button accompanied by the words "Buy Now." No offense SniperED007, but roughly five bucks seems steep for something you take one look at and figure Microsoft ought to have made as one of their Holiday freebies

[the creeps]

has anyone had issues with "freezing" my 360 is locking up. i can't use the controller to turn the system off. and of course, my games just stop. it has happened on more than one disk.

[Le Goat]

That's common for a lot of games to cause that but recently it's been found to be the 360 too. Just restart it and if it becomes common (more than twice in a sitting for about a week) then just call MS and bitch them out.

[freegood]

Got the Jasper in my 360 for Xmas. Haven't signed up live yet because family is visiting.

Quiet as hell. It still scratches discs, but who plays Sega Tennis anyways? MS n00b tax.

[the creeps]

trying to get my 360 to stream to the tv. I use AVG and a linksys router. but i use the version of AVG that comes with no tech support. does anyone know how to change the firewall settings?

[Bizz]

I want a zune phone.

[El Kikko]

Problem:
Sound but no picture, all cables are plugged in, its on the right inputs, no picture on multiple TVs.

Solutions? Do I have to buy a new AV cable?

[Warden]

I would say yes.

[Skybase]

Problem:
Sound but no picture, all cables are plugged in, its on the right inputs, no picture on multiple TVs.

Solutions? Do I have to buy a new AV cable?

Most likely, unless you're REALLY screwed. :p (Oh, and I guess I'd double check that there's no dustbunnies or something else blocking any connections. Blow 'em out?)

[the creeps]

after today i have decided that i really fucking hate india. if a place could get ass cancer, i would wish that on india.

[Bizz]

I still want a zune phone.

Epic Zune Fail - ZY2K9

Official Response from Zune:

Early this morning we were alerted by our customers that there was a widespread issue affecting our 2006 model Zune 30GB devices (a large number of which are still actively being used). The technical team jumped on the problem immediately and isolated the issue: a bug in the internal clock driver related to the way the device handles a leap year. The issue should be resolved over the next 24 hours as the time change moves to January 1, 2009. We expect the internal clock on the Zune 30GB devices will automatically reset tomorrow (noon, GMT). By tomorrow you should allow the battery to fully run out of power before the unit can restart successfully then simply ensure that your device is recharged, then turn it back on. If you’re a Zune Pass subscriber, you may need to sync your device with your PC to refresh the rights to the subscription content you have downloaded to your device.

[Le Goat]

http://media.1up.com/media?id=3667250&type=lg
Still looking for the perfect Xbox 360 d-pad for all those Live Arcade classics? Well Ars Technica may have stumbled on the answer (http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2008/12/31/the-best-xbox-360-d-pad-comes-with-a-drum-set), although it's not the most efficient (or cheapest) solution: Turns out the Mad Catz Portable Drum Kit (http://www.buy.com/prod/Official-Rock-Band-Portable-Drum-Kit-for-Xbox-360-by-Mad-Catz/q/loc/108/208289384.html) just happens to have a d-pad controller remarkably similar to an old Super Nintendo pad. The kit comes with four loose drum pads, which all connect to a central hub with a d-pad and four face buttons. But as you can see above, removing the pads from the hub leaves you with what seems to be the perfect old-school controller, with a d-pad Ars Technica says is "much, much better than what you get on the regular 360 controller."
But before you run out and buy the $40 drum kit just to use the snazzy d-pad with Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3158723), be warned that there's a catch -- the hub only has four face buttons and no shoulder buttons, so it won't work with any game that requires more than four buttons. So it's perfect for Pac-Man: Championship Edition (http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3160060), as Ars Technica reports, but not so useful for Street Fighter. Alas, it seems like the quest for the perfect fighting game controller on the 360 continues.

[Bizz]

I can fap to that.

[Skybase]

Then it's useless and unworthy of posting. I'm dissapointed in you, Goat!

[Draven X 23]

My brother asked me to find him the best deal on a 360. He wants to buy one with his next paycheck. So I have been doing some research and have figured the 2 best deals for him would be:

Buy the 360 Arcade Bundle (comes with 6 games) for $199 at Amazon the he can:

1. Go to www.xboxstorageupgrade.com (http://www.xboxstorageupgrade.com) and purchase a 20 GB HD and 3 months of live for $30

or

2. Buy the 60 GB Live Starter pack which comes with the HD and 3 months of live for $99.99

Any other ideas?

[NOTKyle]

No way 40 extra gigs of space is worth 70 bucks.

[Skybase]

Now that you can install games to the HDD, I'd beg to differ. Unfortunately, until they release a larger HDD...

Unless you can find the 60GB HDD cheaper somewhere else, but I'd go with the 60GB for sure one way or another.

[mcnastasty]

SON OF A FUCKING BITCH. I GOT THE 3 RED LIGHTS OF DEATH. FUCK MICROSOFT

[Le Goat]

Shut up faggot. You can bitch and moan when you hit your 5th like me.

[Bizz]

I look at the 360 like I do pussy. It's great brand new and fun to play with, but it gets used up. Once you get the RROD it's time to get some new pussy.

[mongo]

if you do get the rrod, can you just go buy an arcade360 and connect the hd from your elite to it?

[Bizz]

You can, but then you'll only be able to play content bought on the old xbox online. It's fucked up the way it works. When you get content off marketplace, it binds to your serial and gamertag. So if you swap out the HD you can still play the content but you'll need to be signed into xbox live. Doesn't effect me much. I mean if you bought a game off the marketplace you have internet, so why not just sign in?

[Skybase]

You can, but then you'll only be able to play content bought on the old xbox online. It's fucked up the way it works. When you get content off marketplace, it binds to your serial and gamertag. So if you swap out the HD you can still play the content but you'll need to be signed into xbox live. Doesn't effect me much. I mean if you bought a game off the marketplace you have internet, so why not just sign in?

I wasn't aware of this. I have 2 xboxes now, as I bought an arcade while I waited for my other one to get fixed. I took my old hdd and put it on my Arcade, and purchased a 120Gb HDD for my other system. Never had a problem playing anything on either system (I use a memory card to transfer my profile back and forth) but. . .guess I'm always online too.. Interesting.

[BillyZoom]

My brother asked me to find him the best deal on a 360. He wants to buy one with his next paycheck...
Any other ideas?

As outrageously priced as they are, the 120 GB HD's are really nice for installing games to (part of the newest dashboard update). His 360 will be A) much more quiet B) Most games will run quicker C) The DVD drive won't get over worked (although that isn't why most 360's fail).

[Skybase]

As outrageously priced as they are, the 120 GB HD's are really nice for installing games to (part of the newest dashboard update). His 360 will be A) much more quiet B) Most games will run quicker C) The DVD drive won't get over worked (although that isn't why most 360's fail).

*Corrected my post above.

Also, the system will run quieter, yes. However if you look at reviews/testing of the installation of games, most games currently don't load any (or noticeably) faster by installing them to the hard drive. There are a couple games that are optimized this way I believe thus far, and they may run faster but otherwise it won't help much there. In fact, I think it's Halo 3? that actually has problems if installed to the hard drive.

If you didnt' have to put the game disc in this would be even better. However they're so worried about copy protection. Too bad they can't figure a way to tie the installation to the particular disc and your console. (ie. Serialize the game discs)

[the creeps]

when i plug in my ipod or cell phone to the usb, the 360 will only play 7 seconds of the song then skip to the next track.i got the optional media update dowload. once it is downloaded is it installed ? because it still skips after 7 seconds. and do the files need to ACC or can they be mp3 ?

[BillyZoom]

*Corrected my post above.

Also, the system will run quieter, yes. However if you look at reviews/testing of the installation of games, most games currently don't load any (or noticeably) faster by installing them to the hard drive. There are a couple games that are optimized this way I believe thus far, and they may run faster but otherwise it won't help much there. In fact, I think it's Halo 3? that actually has problems if installed to the hard drive.

If you didnt' have to put the game disc in this would be even better. However they're so worried about copy protection. Too bad they can't figure a way to tie the installation to the particular disc and your console. (ie. Serialize the game discs)

It's true that Halo 3 & Crackdown run slower off the harddrive due to the manner in which they were coded. However, I can think of several games that load much faster -Lost Odyssey, The Orange Box, Soul Calibur IV , Ninja Gaiden II and Smackdown vs RAW 2009 to name just a few.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=13591900

[freegood]

Has anyone tried putting Dead Rising in the HDD?

The game fucking loads at the wierdest places.

[Le Goat]

google

[Skybase]

It's true that Halo 3 & Crackdown run slower off the harddrive due to the manner in which they were coded. However, I can think of several games that load much faster -Lost Odyssey, The Orange Box, Soul Calibur IV , Ninja Gaiden II and Smackdown vs RAW 2009 to name just a few.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=13591900

I stand corrected. Appears some new tests are being done since I've read up. Assuming, of course, that these are reliable references.

Lost Odyssey I really need to get and start playing again.

[BillyZoom]

Has anyone tried putting Dead Rising in the HDD?

The game fucking loads at the wierdest places.

I've seen a few posts where one person will claim it runs noticeably quicker off the HDD and then somebody else will come along and say it ran slower for them. I haven't seen a definitive answer yet.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.php?board=928326&topic=46582702

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=346993

[BillyZoom]

I stand corrected. Appears some new tests are being done since I've read up. Assuming, of course, that these are reliable references.

Lost Odyssey I really need to get and start playing again.

Yeah, I'm not sure how reliable all of the info on that NeoGAF post is - so take it with a grain of salt.

I don't really like JRPG's, but I picked up Lost Odyssey in a clearance bin just because I saw so many folks raving online about how much better the game runs now that you can install it. Haven't played it yet though.

[Le Goat]

Sci-fi RTS trial dated; Windows 7 beta begins this week; 10 billion hours of "gaming and socializing" clocked on Xbox Live.
[UPDATE 1/8]: Microsoft this morning retracted the announcement that the Halo Wars shipping date had been moved up to February 28, saying only that "There was some confusion at the Microsoft CES keynote yesterday." The game is set to release February 26 in the Japanese and Asian markets, February 27 in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and March 3 in North and South America.
LAS VEGAS--While the rest of Sin City was counting down to the new year, the Consumer Electronics Association was hard at working setting up for the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show (http://www.cesweb.org/). The massive expo attracted around 130,000 attendees last year, and began with former Microsoft chairman Bill Gates' 13th--and final--keynote address (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6184327.html?tag=result;title;2). The biggest game-related news out of that event was that Xbox Live had hit 10 million active users, a figure which increased by 7 million in the following 12 months (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6202733.html).
This year, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took over emcee duties from Gates, and once again thousands of journalists and technology glitterati gathered to hear him speak. After negotiating several layers of alternately clueless and aggressive security, the throngs packed into the Palazzo Ballroom atop the Venetian Hotel and Casino. For gamers, expectations were low, as unconfirmed reports (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/01/02/ballmers-ces-keynote-promises-to-be-a-snoozer-non-announcements-revealed/) pegged the biggest gaming news as being new footage of Halo 3: ODST and Halo Wars, two games announced months ago.
However, there wasn't any of that footage. The middle third of the event was devoted to gaming, with Robbie Bach, head of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, presenting. Against a backdrop of two previously released trailers for the game, Bach announced that Halo Wars is now coming out February 28, three days earlier than previously scheduled. A demo will be available on Xbox Live starting February 5. As for Halo 3: ODST, the executive reminded the audience the game is still set for a fall 2009 release.

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2009/006/bach1974_embed.jpg (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6202852.html#)Robbie Bach gets his game on
photo credit: CNET. (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6202852.html#)

The rest of Bach's presentation focused on the notion of "connected entertainment"--a seamlessly shared experience on televisions, phones, and PCs. After talking up the much-maligned Zune audio player, "which won over critics last year," he heaped praise on Windows Media Center, which now has 10 million active users. After trotting out the Xbox 360 stats released earlier in the week-- 28 million sold and counting (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6202733.html)--Bach said 2008 was the best year yet for Microsoft's game division. Additionally, the company sold more consoles last year than any other year all the way back to the launch of the Xbox in 2001.
Bach then brought up Xbox Live's newly reached 17 million active user milestone, and emphasized that 3 million users were added just in the past quarter. Bach said XBL users have increased their friends lists by 33 percent since the introduction of avatars in November's New Xbox Experience. As a result, there have now been over 10 billion hours of "gaming and socializing" on the service.

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2009/006/1vs100998_embed.jpg (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6202852.html#)1 vs. 100.
photo credit: CNET (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6202852.html#)

Next it was on to the delayed Xbox Primetime feature, which is now coming this spring. The new functionality will let players gather together on XBL and share a live, real-time experience. As an example of the possibilities, Bach showed off 1 vs. 100, an Xbox Primetime trivia-based game show hosted by a Guy Smiley-esque avatar. Bach took on three opponents from the crowd to answer multiple-choice questions to score in-game (not Microsoft or GamerScore) points. To emphasize the real-time nature of the event, the host engaged in real-time banter with Bach and his opponents, which included a Bill Gates doppelganger avatar.
Bach then attempted to demonstrate how the Netflix video streaming works on the 360, which now has the support of 45 movie studios and TV partners worldwide. After winning a battle with an uncooperative controller, he whipped out a Windows Mobile phone with an app to let players edit their Netflix queues on the go--an example of the "connected experience." As of today, over 12,000 titles from Netflix are viewable via the 360.

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2009/006/kodu865_embed.jpg (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6202852.html#)The Kodu editor in action
photo credit: CNET. (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6202852.html#)

The subject quickly turned to music games, with Bach declaring "we're winning in that space" with 60 million tracks from Lips, American Idol, the Rock Band franchise, and Guitar Hero series downloaded on the Xbox 360. Without mentioning any names, he said the publishers of those games have told Microsoft that 80 percent of all downloads are on the console.
Next up: Community games. Later this year, Microsoft will release a new utility called Kodu, based on an application designed to teach kids how to program (http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10077953-56.html?tag=mncol;txt). In its current form, the program is designed to introduce people to game design by being easy enough for a child to use. To prove his point, out came a 10-year-old-ish boy named Sparrow, who began editing a game he made with blinding speed with the 360 controller. Looking like a simplified version of such programming tools as the Unreal Engine 3, the tool lets players tinker with wire frames, edit event timing, tweak colors, and speed up or slow down gameplay. Bach ended by saying that his division is helping "connect your entertainment experience" no matter what your age.

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2009/006/sparrow207_embed.jpg (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6202852.html#)Sparrow vs. Bach.
photo credit: CNET (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6202852.html#)

The rest of the Microsoft CES keynote had next to no game-specific announcements. After being preceded by a human beatbox battle, Ballmer then took the stage. After praising Bill Gates' charity work, he took a jab at former Yahoo! CEO Jerry Yang, saying he wouldn't be friends with him on Facebook. Then he turned serious, taking about how he believes "our digital lives will get richer" despite the increasing number of people in the poorhouse.
To that end, Ballmer said Microsoft will continue to invest in the future more than any other tech company, to take advantage of opportunity in three areas. The first is the convergence of the three screens people watch every day: the PC, the TV, and the mobile phone. Explained Ballmer, "It's no longer just about the desktop, it's about a broader vision." That vision? A seamless experience that moves from one device to the next through what Ballmer repeatedly referred to as the online "cloud."
How will these be brought together? Unsurprisingly, Ballmer thinks the key will be Windows--not just on PCs, but on phones as well. To that end, he fired up a clip showing off new PCs from Microsoft partners including Sony, which touted a Blu-ray-enabled laptop. (Another laptop from Samsung was curiously named the X360.) In case anyone in the audience didn't get the point, Ballmer bellowed "I am a PC, and proud of it!"

http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2009/006/ballmer184_embed.jpg (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6202852.html#)You want a piece of this, John Hodgman?!
photo credit: CNET (http://www.gamespot.com/news/6202852.html#)

Then, the subject turned to Windows 7, the successor to the less-than-well-received Vista system. The beta for the system is being released today to select customers, and opening up worldwide on Friday.
While flashy and user-friendly--and very Macintosh-like--the OS did not have many bells and whistles for gamers. The new instant-networking HomeGroup feature will allow people to stream music and photos from their PCs to their Xbox 360s without the traditional network setup. A pop-up translation box in Internet Explorer 8 will also make scouring Japanese and European game sites for news much quicker.
Next it was on to Windows Live, the cross-platform connectivity service Gates touted behind a small army of bodyguards at E3 2006. Ballmer announced a partnership with social-networking site Facebook, and a deal with Dell to make PCs with Windows Live preinstalled. He also unveiled a net longterm partnership with Verizon to allow Microsoft Live Search from any Verizon phone.
For more on the non-game-related details of Ballmer's speech--including a peek at some touch-screen future tech--check out GameSpot sibling site CNET (http://ces.cnet.com/8301-19167_1-10131585-100.html?tag=mncol;title).

[Le Goat]

3600 Controller (http://benheck.com/01-08-2009/3600-controller)

http://benheck.com/images/ads/hacknmod_468x60.jpg (http://hacknmod.com/)
OK so yesterday I had my Facebook status as saying I was “being frustrated by potentiometers” - a rather normal day for me, really. For whatever reason this prompted one of my friends to suggest I build an Xbox 360 controller inside of an Atari 2600 controller shell. And I thought “That’s dumb enough to work!”
http://benheck.com/Games/Xbox360/3600/3600_hero.jpg
A mere 5 hours later I had what you see above - the 3600 controller! This is an Atari 2600 controller with wireless Xbox 360 controller guts inside of it - batteries too. The big red “fire” button is “A”, other buttons are attached to the top:
http://benheck.com/Games/Xbox360/3600/3600_hero_2.jpg
Granted this wasn’t a pay project (rather a UPP - un-paid project!) but it was a nice break from what I was doing. It isn’t usable for standard Xbox 360 games but adequate for many Arcade games and other low-level tomfoolery.
For the sure-to-be thrilling story of how I did it, check after the break. I kind of did a cheat to get controller guts into this small of a shell…
Oh you can also download this pulse-pounding demo video (http://benheck.com/Videos/3600_controller.mp4) of the controller in action.

http://benheck.com/Games/Xbox360/3600/3600_hero_3.jpg
The bottom of the controller. The “guide” button is recessed so you won’t accidently hit it during an intense round of whatever it is you’re playing. Small, precisely drilled holes flank it to expose the fabled “Ring of Light”.
http://benheck.com/Games/Xbox360/3600/3600_1.jpg
The 3600 controller was accomplished by using the guts of not a normal 360 controller, but those of a Guitar Hero 3 controller, of which I still have several laying around, many months after the fact.
There’s a lot of stuff inside this guitar but all we really need is the “brains”, the circuit board on the upper left. This will easily fit inside of an Atari 2600 controller and give us pinouts to the most useful buttons.
http://benheck.com/Games/Xbox360/3600/3600_2.jpg
Also shocking is that I have innumerable Atari 2600 joysticks laying around. (If you are in the Verona, WI area and want free crap, by all means, stop by!) I decided to use the original circuit board for the joystick, and mount the Xbox 360 stuff below it.
http://benheck.com/Games/Xbox360/3600/3600_3.jpg
Base of the joystick with the batteries installed. It took me a whole episode of Law & Order to Dremel out the surfaces enough for the batteries to fit with the top of the joystick installed. See, I’ve got a TV on my workbench and that’s how I time things - by how many episodes of Law & Order it takes. Or, in the daytime, Charmed, not that I would ever admit to watching it…
http://benheck.com/Games/Xbox360/3600/3600_4.jpg
Original joystick PCB attached to the PCB of the guitar controller. I used thin ultra ATA wire to make these connections so the whole thing would be easier to cram together. The D-pad from the guitar is mapped to the Atari joystick. Although the standard D-pad on an Xbox controller is all but unusable (sorry MS) most arcade games still map to it, making it - or rather the pinouts - worthwhile in this application.
http://benheck.com/Games/Xbox360/3600/3600_5.jpg
http://benheck.com/Games/Xbox360/3600/3600_5.jpg
Here’s both sides of the joystick with the guitar PCB, batteries and everything installed. It’s all fairly compact, though because I stuffed the back full of components the top half of the joystick will have to be secured into place by side-mounted screws in the final unit.
http://benheck.com/Games/Xbox360/3600/3600_6.jpg
Close-up of previous.
Well that’s all I can say about this project. Catch you next time…

[One Under]

So I just booted up my 360, it said there was a new update for system. Click install, now it's frozen. The screen in stuck at like 2% and it has the Update in Progress box up, and tells me not to unplug or turn off my console. I have no idea what to do. HELP.

Edit: After 10 minutes I said fuck it, and restarted it. Seems to working normal.

[the creeps]

so what did the update do ? i didn't notice anything new.

[Change]

for HDMI Audio issues.

[RedBEARD]

If I have an older 360 that did not come with HDMI cabling, what are my options for getting HDMI functionality?

I have the component cables, the harddrive, all that stuff - but now I have a gigantic TV and I feel like I'm getting sub-par video quality off the component input.

[Rumpleforeskin]

Video quality for games? Or other stuff?

[RedBEARD]

Games...Well, video content too because I stream content from my PC to my 360 every now and then.

[Kerjack]

If I have an older 360 that did not come with HDMI cabling, what are my options for getting HDMI functionality?

I have the component cables, the harddrive, all that stuff - but now I have a gigantic TV and I feel like I'm getting sub-par video quality off the component input.

Really? I've never noticed a difference. Actually that is not true, HDMI seems like it adds a shit ton of lag in comparison.

[Pax Britannia]

Anyone noticed their 360 is louder since the recent update?

[Rumpleforeskin]

Games...Well, video content too because I stream content from my PC to my 360 every now and then.


This is just my (possibly dumb) opinion, but I don't think the upgrade from component to HDMI is that huge of leap, at least not for games anyway.

[Skybase]

If I have an older 360 that did not come with HDMI cabling, what are my options for getting HDMI functionality?

I have the component cables, the harddrive, all that stuff - but now I have a gigantic TV and I feel like I'm getting sub-par video quality off the component input.

Best Buy used to sell an HDMI adapter. .it was quite expensive although I picked one up for like $20 as an open item. Think they were clearanced out awhile back tho.

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Mad-Catz-HDMI-CONVERSION-ADAPTER-KIT-FOR-Xbox-360_W0QQitemZ250363976775QQcmdZViewItemQQptZVideo_ Games_Accessories?hash=item250363976775&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1234%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C 240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

This is what it was. May find it cheaper elsewhere on Ebay or somewhere similar.

[NOTKyle]

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/02/retailtoyzredred.jpg

Red Elite potentially coming to a store near you.

[Le Goat]

http://media.1up.com/media?id=3686309&type=lg
UPDATE - Almost as if in response to this story circulating the internet, Microsoft has told (http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1605966/20090226/story.jhtml) MTV News that they're reconsidering the policy in question. Stephen Toulouse, program manager for policy and enforcement on Xbox Live, said that the company started looking into changing it last year. "It's inelegant because the text-box field is freeform," he said. The policy is meant to prevent abusive language from people who use words like "gay" as a slur. In this case, however, it had the opposite effect, and punished someone who was being harassed for her sexuality. Microsoft is seeking a new way that would keep slurs to a minimum while still allowing people to express themselves. Responding to the suggestion to have check boxes, Toulhouse seems optimistic. "I think that's a great idea," he said. "That's the type of thing we're looking at as a solution. I can't talk about future plans, except to say we want to provide the capability for our users to express relationship preference or gender without a way for it to be misused."
ORIGINAL STORY - The Consumerist reports (http://consumerist.com/5160187/identifying-yourself-as-a-lesbian-gets-you-banned-on-xbox-live) that a woman who identified herself as a lesbian in her Xbox Live profile was suspended from the service. The woman, who only goes by "Teresa," claims that she was harassed by other XBL users. "They followed me into the games and told all the players to turn me in because they didn't want to see that crap or their kids to see that crap. As if xbox live is really appropriate for kids anyways!" She goes on to say that her account was suspended. When she brought the issue up to Microsoft, the response was that other users found it "offensive."
In a statement (http://www.joystiq.com/2009/02/26/consumerist-self-identified-lesbian-banned-from-xbox-live/) to Joystiq, Microsoft suggests that it's not anything Teresa herself did, but rather a general policy for Xbox Live. "As stated in the Xbox Live Terms of Use, a member may not create a gamertag or use text in other profile fields that include comments that look, sound like, stand for, hint at, abbreviate, or insinuate content of a potentially sexual nature," the statement read. "For gamertags or profiles we do not allow expression of any type of orientation, be that hetero or other."
It sounds fairly cut-and-dry, but we can't help but wonder if a user with the word "straight" in their profile would have their account suspended. After all, Microsoft can't police the entirety of Xbox Live, and relies partly on reports from users to alert them to rule-breaking behavior. Since users are less likely to ever report another user for identifying themselves as heterosexual, Microsoft is less likely to notice, even if it is officially in the policy.
As for the harassment that Teresa received, Microsoft's statement implies punishment may come to them too, if Teresa can find their gamertags and report them. "Harassment of any kind is not condoned and is taken very seriously; we strongly encourage Xbox Live members to immediately report inappropriate behavior through the complaint tools in the service so that it can be investigated and the appropriate action can be taken."

[Fiend1138]

ghey.

[Draven X 23]

Just purchased a 120 GB HD off Amazon. Its on sale for $125. And currently my Drive sits at 1.8 of space left.

[White Rhino]

I just plug my portable hard drive right into my xbox. 120 gigs for 40 bucks. It seems a little more versatile since I can use it for both my pc and my xbox. Can you do the same thing with the xbox hard drive?

[Rumpleforeskin]

What can and can't you transfer between Xbox 360 harddrives? Say if I was going to upgrade like Draven.

[Bizz]

No. You can only save music and movies on a portable hard drive.

[Rumpleforeskin]

So if I want more space, can I buy a regular external harddrive and transfer everything that is on the xbox one onto it?

[Ocelot]

From my experience, no. I think you can only watch videos/listen to music from the HDD on your Xbox.

There is no way that I've seen where you can transfer files of any sort from one harddrive to the other.

[mongo]

From my experience, no. I think you can only watch videos/listen to music from the HDD on your Xbox.

There is no way that I've seen where you can transfer files of any sort from one harddrive to the other.

This is 100% correct.

[Bizz]

Did I not just say that at the end of the last page?

[Hodge]

Hey Mongo or Jericho.
Do you have to have the actual RROD before you send in your XBox?

[Hodge]

Or Bizz?

[Bizz]

Yes. Or some sort of fatal error. My first xbox's dvd drive crapped out and wouldn't read anything at all but the system worked fine. I could still play arcade games.

Why do you want to send it in? If you just want a new system do the Walmart swap. It's faster and you get a new system, not a refurbished unit.

[mongo]

I have never had a rrod.

Bill gates loves my ass

[Angry Ass Messican Dude]

fuckin hell

[Hodge]

I get blips and slow downs all the time. It's getting worse. I've only got 8 months left on the replacement warranty.

Don't you need a receipt for the Wal-Mart swap?

[Hodge]

Hey Mongo or Jericho.
Do you have to have the actual RROD before you send in your XBox?

Yes. Or some sort of fatal error. My first xbox's dvd drive crapped out and wouldn't read anything at all but the system worked fine. I could still play arcade games.

Why do you want to send it in? If you just want a new system do the Walmart swap. It's faster and you get a new system, not a refurbished unit.
My buddy got a brand new system when he sent his in. It was his second replacement though...

[Bizz]

I get blips and slow downs all the time. It's getting worse. I've only got 8 months left on the replacement warranty.

Don't you need a receipt for the Wal-Mart swap?

Each Walmart is different. Even if they're being way cunty about it, it's easy to pull off. Normally you can just take it in and say this is fucking up, give me a new one and they'll replace it. First time I did it, I had bought it from Best Buy but traded it in at Walmart no problem.

Since then, they've gotten wise to it, but it's still easy.

Buy a new system. Take it home. Use a hair dryer to heat the stickers on the outter box and remove them. Then take the system out but leave everything else in the box. Heat and remove the serial on the back and swap them. Put your old one back in the box, replace the sticker and take it back. I've done this so many times it's retarded. I even swaped it for one with the HDMI output when my old one didn't have it.

[Weenis]

I get blips and slow downs all the time. It's getting worse. I've only got 8 months left on the replacement warranty.

Don't you need a receipt for the Wal-Mart swap?

YOu could always try to force an RROD by leaving it on a for a few days or something. Then you'll get a new one for sure.

You could always try just saying you got the RROD and they'll probably buy it.

[Bizz]

I leave my xbox on for weeks at a time. That doesn't cause RROD.

If you want to have a critical failure, wrap that shit up in blankets or towels then leave it on for a bit. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't catch fire.

[Jack Bauer]

stick your cock in the tray im sure you'll end up with a red ring

[Draven X 23]

Just purchased a 120 GB HD off Amazon. Its on sale for $125. And currently my Drive sits at 1.8 of space left.

Well I got my 120 HDD today. And now I have another 65 minutes of waiting while it finishes transfering my info over. Dang 90 wait time!

[taters]

Well I got my 120 HDD today. And now I have another 65 minutes of waiting while it finishes transfering my info over. Dang 90 wait time!

Theres a cheaper way to get them, if you want to say about 50 bucks, and go through a moderate amount of pain in the assery.

http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox1data/sep/EEZZkAAAVVpHxXqpYb.php


There is a simpler youtube video of how to do it out there.

[Le Goat]

If anyone can beat my 5 day turn around I'd like to hear it. Sent my Console in on a thursday, got to the center that next morning... they don't ship on weekends...they shit the new console out that monday, and it gets to me that Wed.


BAM! I'm back in the game.

[Skybase]

If anyone can beat my 5 day turn around I'd like to hear it. Sent my Console in on a thursday, got to the center that next morning... they don't ship on weekends...they shit the new console out that monday, and it gets to me that Wed.


BAM! I'm back in the game.

Damn, they're getting quick. Glad to see that.

[Rumpleforeskin]

Yeah, but Goat lives next door to the facility.

[Skybase]

Yeah, but Goat lives next door to the facility.

http://www.dfwwaste.com/images/HD%20Dumpster.jpg

Cheaper than a studio I suppose...

[Le Goat]

Damn, they're getting quick. Glad to see that.

They aren't THAT quick. Like someone said, I live pretty fucking close to the Facility (Until I move to Chicago).

I was still surprised at how fast it was.

[Skybase]

They aren't THAT quick. Like someone said, I live pretty fucking close to the Facility (Until I move to Chicago).

I was still surprised at how fast it was.

Ah, well then. Mine wasn't too bad when I had to send mine in actually. I don't remember the exact timeline anymore but for living in MT...

I want to say it wasn't much longer than a week.

[Le Goat]

Back when it was sent to McAllen (a LONG way away from me) it didn't take more than 7 days for me. That was back in January of 06 so it seems like they're still on par for 7-14 days.

[Das Kahlua]

So, I had one of the first gen xbox consoles, and I was lucky to have it run perfectly fine while everyone else's were dropping left and right to the RROD. Yeah, as luck has it, mine got it about a week ago.

I filled out the online repair form, they're sending the mailing stuff out so I can send it in at no cost, blah blah blah.

For people who this has happened to before, do they fix your existing xbox or send you a new one? Also, has anyone had any major issues with either the delivery process or the RROD reappearing later on?