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Somewhere to mention and comment on the small bits of news that don't require an entire thread to themselves.
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Microsoft today announced that the Xbox 360 Spring Update will be released next month, and the revisions to the system's dashboard will include increased instant messaging abilities, revisions to the Xbox Live Marketplace, and more detailed achievement alerts.
The biggest change in the cards for the Spring Update is the addition of Windows Live Messenger functionality. In addition to letting Messenger users on the PC chat with their 360-having friends, the update will also let Xbox 360 owners see if any of their Messenger contacts have Xbox Live Gamertags. Messenger contacts will be kept in a list separate from Xbox Live friends, and Xbox 360 users will be able to chat with six Messenger contacts at any given time.
Xbox 360 gamers who quickly grow tired of navigating the on-screen virtual keyboard to type messages can either plug a USB keyboard into the system, or wait for Microsoft to release its new Xbox 360 keyboard controller attachment this summer. Snapping into place on the bottom side of the controller through the headset jack, the as-yet unnamed device features a QWERTY-style keyboard layout. Users will be able to access the new chat functions from an option on the system's main menu, in the same spot where the Xbox Live Marketplace can currently be found.
The chat functionality is displacing the current Marketplace menu option, but the Xbox 360's online store shouldn't be any tougher to find. Microsoft is creating a new desktop "blade" to serve as the Marketplace's main access point. While gamers can customize their system's existing desktop blades with downloadable themes from the Marketplace, users won't be able to personalize the look of the store's own blade.
The Spring Update will also add to users' options when it comes to downloading content from the Marketplace. Gamers concerned about leaving their systems on overnight in order to grab large downloads will be able to rest easier. Any user will be able to queue up a stack of downloads and then put the system into a low-power mode while they are retrieved. Once the queue is empty, the system will shut itself off.
New Xbox 360 owners looking to catch up on everything the Xbox Live Arcade has to offer can set the Auto Downloads option to automatically retrieve not just new demos of XBLA games, but the entire collection of XBLA demos. Progressive download controls will also let those grabbing videos from the Marketplace to fast-forward, rewind, and pause their clips as they are being downloaded.
Microsoft is also streamlining the notification process for achievements. No longer will players have to push the guide button and bring the game to a halt to find out what they did when an achievement notification pops up. The Spring Update will change the notification to include the short name of the achievement, as well as its gamerscore value.
Microsoft plans to have the Xbox 360 Spring Update available beginning the week of May 7.
Microsoft today announced that the Xbox 360 Spring Update will be released next month, and the revisions to the system's dashboard will include increased instant messaging abilities, revisions to the Xbox Live Marketplace, and more detailed achievement alerts.
The biggest change in the cards for the Spring Update is the addition of Windows Live Messenger functionality. In addition to letting Messenger users on the PC chat with their 360-having friends, the update will also let Xbox 360 owners see if any of their Messenger contacts have Xbox Live Gamertags. Messenger contacts will be kept in a list separate from Xbox Live friends, and Xbox 360 users will be able to chat with six Messenger contacts at any given time.
Xbox 360 gamers who quickly grow tired of navigating the on-screen virtual keyboard to type messages can either plug a USB keyboard into the system, or wait for Microsoft to release its new Xbox 360 keyboard controller attachment this summer. Snapping into place on the bottom side of the controller through the headset jack, the as-yet unnamed device features a QWERTY-style keyboard layout. Users will be able to access the new chat functions from an option on the system's main menu, in the same spot where the Xbox Live Marketplace can currently be found.
The chat functionality is displacing the current Marketplace menu option, but the Xbox 360's online store shouldn't be any tougher to find. Microsoft is creating a new desktop "blade" to serve as the Marketplace's main access point. While gamers can customize their system's existing desktop blades with downloadable themes from the Marketplace, users won't be able to personalize the look of the store's own blade.
The Spring Update will also add to users' options when it comes to downloading content from the Marketplace. Gamers concerned about leaving their systems on overnight in order to grab large downloads will be able to rest easier. Any user will be able to queue up a stack of downloads and then put the system into a low-power mode while they are retrieved. Once the queue is empty, the system will shut itself off.
New Xbox 360 owners looking to catch up on everything the Xbox Live Arcade has to offer can set the Auto Downloads option to automatically retrieve not just new demos of XBLA games, but the entire collection of XBLA demos. Progressive download controls will also let those grabbing videos from the Marketplace to fast-forward, rewind, and pause their clips as they are being downloaded.
Microsoft is also streamlining the notification process for achievements. No longer will players have to push the guide button and bring the game to a halt to find out what they did when an achievement notification pops up. The Spring Update will change the notification to include the short name of the achievement, as well as its gamerscore value.
Microsoft plans to have the Xbox 360 Spring Update available beginning the week of May 7.
The upcoming Gears maps and content will no longer be free, unless you wait a few months you'll have to pay for them.
"Epic Games has revealed details of the "Annex" multiplayer mode set to be introduced to Gears of War in a forthcoming patch.
Annex will involve taking control of key locations and holding them as a team to accumulate points, with the winning side the one that hits the target points-total first, regardless of the number of kills made.
Each map will feature several control points, although teams will only fight over one at any given time. When that control point has been claimed by one or other team long enough to exhaust its available points (you can annex a maximum of 60 per control point), the game selects another at random for you to fight over elsewhere on the map.
Respawns will come in waves every 15 seconds rather than occurring immediately, Epic has said, and there will be plenty of variables to adjust as the host - winning scores can be set between 120 for fast-paced games and 480 for longer-haul, and you can also specify the number of rounds to be played, bleed-out duration, friendly fire and private slots among other things.
The information comes via a page on the Gears of War website that has since been pulled. When it was up, it claimed the patch containing Annex - along with various bug-fixes, and a 720p option for VGA users running at 1280x1024 - would be released on 9th April. Microsoft has since explained that the page was posted in error, and the date may yet change."
Annex will involve taking control of key locations and holding them as a team to accumulate points, with the winning side the one that hits the target points-total first, regardless of the number of kills made.
Each map will feature several control points, although teams will only fight over one at any given time. When that control point has been claimed by one or other team long enough to exhaust its available points (you can annex a maximum of 60 per control point), the game selects another at random for you to fight over elsewhere on the map.
Respawns will come in waves every 15 seconds rather than occurring immediately, Epic has said, and there will be plenty of variables to adjust as the host - winning scores can be set between 120 for fast-paced games and 480 for longer-haul, and you can also specify the number of rounds to be played, bleed-out duration, friendly fire and private slots among other things.
The information comes via a page on the Gears of War website that has since been pulled. When it was up, it claimed the patch containing Annex - along with various bug-fixes, and a 720p option for VGA users running at 1280x1024 - would be released on 9th April. Microsoft has since explained that the page was posted in error, and the date may yet change."
Just to point out that Microsoft's 90 day warranty isn't worth anything to the customer anyway...
Under the Sale of Goods act, if a product is faulty and you still have proof of purchase, it is the responsibility of the retailer to provide you with a refund, repair or replacement.
This cover lasts for 6 months from date of purchase.
And should an Xbox 360 be returned to the retailer, it will find its way back to Microsoft anyway, whereas you've got a brand new Xbox 360...again.
Ofcourse, if your system breaks after the 6 month period, then a free extended warranty is worth something to you :P
Under the Sale of Goods act, if a product is faulty and you still have proof of purchase, it is the responsibility of the retailer to provide you with a refund, repair or replacement.
This cover lasts for 6 months from date of purchase.
And should an Xbox 360 be returned to the retailer, it will find its way back to Microsoft anyway, whereas you've got a brand new Xbox 360...again.
Ofcourse, if your system breaks after the 6 month period, then a free extended warranty is worth something to you :P
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"One recurring knock against Microsoft's Xbox 360 has been that the hardware can be unpredictably flaky, with even properly cared-for units falling prey to the "red ring of death" for no apparent reason. While the company has already taken steps to address the situation, today it announced further changes to its warranty program to make the process of repair and replacing a broken system faster and easier than ever.
Right out of the gates of its November 2005 launch, Microsoft's Xbox 360 was beset by reports of malfunctioning consoles. While the company downplayed reports of faulty hardware for the better part of a year after launch, it eventually acknowledged that its original batch of systems was failing at an unusually high rate. As a make-good, Microsoft extended the system's standard 90-day warranty to one year, and promised to reimburse all those customers who had already been made to pay for repairs.
Today's revisions are aimed at addressing a number of complaints Xbox 360 owners have levied against the repairs process. First of all, Microsoft will no longer charge shipping on repaired consoles, and will send out postage-paid containers for customers to send in their broken units. On top of that, "most customers" will now receive their original console repaired and returned to them instead of a refurbished replacement, whether the repair took place within the warranty period or not.
Microsoft is also standing by its repairs longer than before. When repairs are made on systems under warranty, Microsoft will now cover the repaired system for the balance of the original warranty period or 90 days, whichever is longer. Repairs made on out-of-warranty systems will be returned with a one-year "repair warranty."
Finally, Microsoft has committed to putting more manpower behind its repairs process. The company said it is increasing the number of customer care representatives and supervisors, improving its training, and hiring a "customer care champion" to hone practices and policies for the benefit of users."
"One recurring knock against Microsoft's Xbox 360 has been that the hardware can be unpredictably flaky, with even properly cared-for units falling prey to the "red ring of death" for no apparent reason. While the company has already taken steps to address the situation, today it announced further changes to its warranty program to make the process of repair and replacing a broken system faster and easier than ever.
Right out of the gates of its November 2005 launch, Microsoft's Xbox 360 was beset by reports of malfunctioning consoles. While the company downplayed reports of faulty hardware for the better part of a year after launch, it eventually acknowledged that its original batch of systems was failing at an unusually high rate. As a make-good, Microsoft extended the system's standard 90-day warranty to one year, and promised to reimburse all those customers who had already been made to pay for repairs.
Today's revisions are aimed at addressing a number of complaints Xbox 360 owners have levied against the repairs process. First of all, Microsoft will no longer charge shipping on repaired consoles, and will send out postage-paid containers for customers to send in their broken units. On top of that, "most customers" will now receive their original console repaired and returned to them instead of a refurbished replacement, whether the repair took place within the warranty period or not.
Microsoft is also standing by its repairs longer than before. When repairs are made on systems under warranty, Microsoft will now cover the repaired system for the balance of the original warranty period or 90 days, whichever is longer. Repairs made on out-of-warranty systems will be returned with a one-year "repair warranty."
Finally, Microsoft has committed to putting more manpower behind its repairs process. The company said it is increasing the number of customer care representatives and supervisors, improving its training, and hiring a "customer care champion" to hone practices and policies for the benefit of users."
Your anes?
Don't disrespect classic consoles!
Don't disrespect classic consoles!
"A game which involves inserting tippex into your anes"
Epic Games will unveil a new Gears of War multiplayer mode this week, due to launch as part of a forthcoming Xbox Live patch. Oh, and it will be free.
"The next title update for Gears of War is currently going through the certification process," vice president Mark Rein told the game's official forum.
"We'll have more detail about the update next week but I can tell you that in addition to fixing a whole bunch of glitches, and providing 720p for VGA users running at 1280x1024, it will contain a brand new multiplayer gametype called Annex.
"The next title update for Gears of War is currently going through the certification process," vice president Mark Rein told the game's official forum.
"We'll have more detail about the update next week but I can tell you that in addition to fixing a whole bunch of glitches, and providing 720p for VGA users running at 1280x1024, it will contain a brand new multiplayer gametype called Annex.
Halo 2 Maps on the way unless it's an April fools, but I doubt it.
The graphics do look rather swell but I think that's due to them being '360 only' rather than the images being an April fool.
$4 for them so I guess that's 200/400 MS pts.
The graphics do look rather swell but I think that's due to them being '360 only' rather than the images being an April fool.
$4 for them so I guess that's 200/400 MS pts.
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