Rumors

What's going on with the 360 and Blu-Ray?

Sony drops the hint that Microsoft is in talks with them to add Blu-Ray drives to the 360... then Microsoft angrily denies it.

Microsoft seems to be alluding to the fact that they think online-distribution of HD content is the way to go. But, as this blog on PCWorld.com points out, that method still has a long way to go and is still too frustrating for users. I second this opinion.

VICTOR UPDATE: I think Microsoft almost certainly WILL NOT offer a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360. What's the point? By time the drive would come out -- probably right before Christmas -- the 360 would be celebrating its third birthday. In other words, assuming the 360 follows the standard five-year console lifecycle, the machine will be closer to the end of its life than the beginning by the time Microsoft could get a Blu-ray attachment to market.

So Microsoft is almost certainly going to just wait for the 360's successor to come out, and then include a built-in Blu-ray drive for games and movies. Bet on it.

Interesting discussion over at Engadget about an apparent shortage of Elite consoles.

There's plenty of rumor-mongering, if you're so inclined (which I am).

My favorite theory is that Gates was all set to announce at CES a new Elite model with a built-in HD-DVD player. But the last-minute Warner defection to Blu-ray effectively neutered HD-DVD and Gates quickly pulled the plug on the HD-DVD Elite.

So now retailers have been clearing their shelves of the old Elite, but the new model with HD-DVD player never came along to fill the hole.

Or maybe there is no shortage.

On the UK site, The Sunday Post, the manager of ELSPA's (the Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association) Intellectual Property Crime Unit , John Hiller, is quoted saying that 90% of U.S Nintendo DS gamers download their games illegally.

Are you serious, John? I don't even think 9% of U.S. DS owners would know how to do that. I don't think 90% of U.S. DS owners are over the age of 8.... but I don't have those facts.

If it wasn't for an evil friend of mine, I wouldn't even know how to do that (oh, and I NEVER have).

Read this mis-information here

According to 1up.com and Jeff Bell, Microsoft’s head of marketing, Blu-Ray might be coming to the 360.

Jeff says:

"We've been talking to Blu-ray all along because we have the best piece of software in the business, called HDi. It is the backbone that powers interactivity in HD-DVD and we have that available to potentially partner with others."

That doesn't sound like a "no." I'm sure Microsoft is panicking at the comment and there will probably be a retraction soon.

Read it here on 1up.com

...because Microsoft won't replace it if you scratch the numbers off!

Rumor or truth? The sad story here.

Several blogs posted that the xbox 360 HD-DVD add-on dropped in price to $129.

There is evidence at ToysRUs.com (HERE)... but the page currently says "not available online."

The link that many were posting to Amazon, shows the player still listed at $179. EBGames and GameStop still have the add-on for the higher price.

So what's the truth?

Was this one of Amazon's "certain price for certain people" schemes? Or is this actually the new price?

I'm all confused.

Long story short, Gamespot.com is sort of denying that it fired a reviewer after publisher Eidos complained about the reviewer's low score for Eidos title Kane & Lynch.

Gamespot has admitted that the reviewer was, in fact, fired at some point after the review ran.

But that, according to Joystiq, is as much as Gamespot is willing to cop to:

We just got off the phone with Sarah Cain, a CNET spokesperson who wanted to amend CNET's previous statement to Joystiq on the recent firing of executive editor Jeff Gerstmann. While reiterating that CNET does not discuss personal employee matters with the press, Cain said directly that "we do not terminate employees based on external pressure from advertisers." When asked specifically about whether any such pressure was even attempted on Eidos' part, Cain had no comment. We're still waiting for a response to multiple e-mail requests for comment by Eidos PR.

Much more at the Joystiq link.

I'm writing about this affair in my column in tomorrow's paper. I don't think this statement from Gamespot even begins to answer all the questions.

UPDATE: Yeah, things aren't looking good for Gamespot.

UPDATE: Here's my column that ran in the paper.

With the impending launch of the Fall Update for Xbox Live, it looks like 360 owners will be able to buy and download old Xbox games directly to their systems.

Rumors are appearing and disappearing on the Internets (yes, I said Internets), but it looks like December 2nd (or is it the 4th?) is the release date for this new feature!

Wow, instead of having to get my old Xbox games out of the closet, I can lazily re-buy them from the comfort of my couch!

Joystiq's article here

There are some rumors floating around about IPTV coming to the Xbox 360. Maybe in the Fall update.

Rumor here

Kotaku is quoting the British Official Xbox mag saying that 'COD4' single player is only about 5 hours long on normal difficulty.

I like quality games, even if they're short. But what's up with the trend of really short short short games like this?

I'm thinking I can make it longer by playing it upside down with one eye covered.

story here

So there's this rumor on Australian site Smarthouse (via Kotaku) that Microsoft is working with Toshiba on a 360 with a built-in HD-DVD drive.

The machine would also include television tuners (so you could use it like a TiVo) and docking ports for MP3 players.

The site says the new configuration wouldn't be available until the end of 2008 at the earliest.

BUT... I got a call from Microsoft today asking to set up an interview next week to discuss an Xbox announcement. I'm out of town on vacation next week, so I can't do the interview and they wouldn't just go ahead and tell me what the announcement is, but Microsoft doesn't call me often to discuss new product announcements.

Now, this announcement could be about anything (Microsoft has repurchased Bungie! Nintendo has purchased Microsoft! Google has purchased Nintendo!), but it's curious timing.

So next week could be interesting.

There's a new Wii UPC code floating around.

Is it a bundle? Is it a DVD-playing Wii? Is it a Wii that's fully encased in rubber padding to prevent injuries?

Read about it here

The blog-o-sphere is rampant with rumors and postings. Nothing earth shattering but here's the Cliff's Notes version:

• Rumor: $399 40-gig PS3 (rumor-in-rumor: maybe with reduced or no backward compatibility??) on October 28th. May have been confirmed by Best Buy inventory leaks.
• Xbox 360 Arcade for $279.99 showed up on Amazon (oh, here it is!) with an October 23 release date.

Game Informer has posted a doozie of a rumor on their website.

According to the game magazine (citing a Seattle blog and an unnamed source supposedly close to Bungie), as of yesterday, 'Halo' creators Bungie are no longer part of Microsoft.

The rumor further states that Bungie is relinquishing 'Halo' rights to Microsoft and the big M will have right of refusal for future Bungie titles (meaning they still have a chance to publish them... or not).

I thought the saddest element of the rumor is that Bungie is saying that they are tired of making 'Halo' games.

Read rumor here

Engadget is linking to this rumor: the lovely, and expensive, PS3 will drop in price again. This time the magic number is $399 on the magic date of October 12th.

Time will tell.

Rumor here

This has to be a flat-out lie.

According to this rumor, there will be another 'Halo' game set to release, day and date, with the 'Halo' movie.

1. I thought the 'Halo' movie was dead.
2. I don't trust a PS3 fan site with accurate Xbox info.

Here's the rumor

EA accidentally (purposely?) allowed IGN.com to play the PS3 version of 'Burnout Paradise' with a SIXAXIS controller that... rumbled!

Let's hope this is confirmation that Sony will be offering this soon.

Story here

Sony, not to be outdone by Apple's recent shocking iPhone price drop, may have future PS3 price drops. They might also introduce a 40 gig PS3 for $399.

Maybe just in time for the holidays? Rumor here

Also, has anyone heard the PlayStation phone rumor?

• Microsoft bans "Linux" in gamers' mottos.: Read here
• PlayStation 3 updates to firmware 1.92: Read here
• Nintendo trademarking weird new stuff: Read here
• 'Lair' plays on your PSP (?!): Read here

Sony is kinda-sorta hinting at a PlayStation branded phone. Rumor Here

I can't confirm this anywhere... but this random posting (here) says that 'GT5P' will be a free download.

Fingers crossed!

Chris has pointed out that this afternoon's massive failure of the 'CoD4' beta sign-up process is being rectified.

According to the developer's website (here), EVERYONE will have a chance to sign-up in the next 24 hours. The tokens will be divvied-out, lotto style, after this initial sign-up.

I guess that's kind of cool. But I'm sure I'll lose out on that too.

By the way, the site's still down.

Quick... watch it before it's pulled:

Joystiq has the inside scoop on an email announcement that went out to Gamestop stores on Tues.


Is this "secret" about the price drop to occur nextweek? (BORING!!!). Let's hope it's something juicy, like the addition of HDMI for the premium consoles, or a next gen Zune...maybe the Halo 360?

Several gadget and gaming blogs are reporting that leaked flyers, from Wal-Mart and Toys R Us, are showing $50 price drops for the Xbox 360 (to $349). These prices seem to be hitting stores the second and third weeks of August (just in time for back to school).

This is just a rumor, but it seems like it's about time.

Via Gizmodo

Is Metal Gear Solid 4 coming to the XBox 360? Keep your eyes and ears open. The people at Xbox630fanboy report on the Konami rumors.

If this is true, what a coup for 1up.com. They're reporting that Microsoft's Peter Moore may announce (today) that he's leaving to head up EA Sports.

GAH! Right after E3?

Rumor Here

Peter's bio

Peter's bad tattoo

VICTOR: Coup for 1up? Who cares?! This would be terrible for Microsoft. Moore is one of the most respected executives in the industry, and has been instrumental in building the stature of the Xbox brand.

While the guys looks like a snake oil salesman, he's one of the more honest execs around (except for all his dodging about the 360's failure rate) and seems to generally know what he's talking about.

Reading the item at 1up, it does sound pretty solid, and I'm guessing Moore just wanted to do Microsoft the courtesy of not leaving them in the lurch right before E3.

Definitely a good pick-up for EA.

Doug: I don't care what happens, just who breaks the news first (wink wink). HA!

There's a discussion brewing over at MaxConsole.com, detailing of a new product that may enable an HDMI connection from the original white XBox 360.

While this product will probably work (enable HDMI connection), there's an argument whether or not it will provide a 1080p signal output. It's been known that the regular XBox 360 can output 1080p through VGA...but can this magical device push that 1080p digital signal through HDMI? There are a lot of skeptics...

Here's a rumor that's too weird to be true... Nintendo may be creating $29 games for Apple's iPhone.

This seems completely oddball; but who would have thought six months ago that Apple would offer DRM-free music and partner with YouTube on their AppleTV product? Will Nintendo offer games for a non-Nintendo system?

Read the rumor here and here and here and even here.

GamesIndustry is claiming that Sony is looking to "refine" the price of the PS3.

I wonder if anyone (gamers around the world) wanted this to happen? Hum?

Read full story

Also, the 1.81 firmware update comes out for the PS3, tomorrow: info here!

Fans of "I love bees" rejoice, it looks like another alternative reality game, to promote the launch of 'Halo 3', is about to begin.

If you missed the last game, make sure you get in on this one early... the more you know, the more fun it is to play.

Here's what I know so far:

CVG posted a mysterious email they received (check it here) asking them to "look for the signs."

This was supposedly sent to Xbox email subscribers... I haven't received mine yet.

Oh, and check out this spooky post on the Bungie.net boards... it seems to suggest something is about to happen: read it here!

OOOH, chills!

Will Sony just commit to bulding a new version of the PSP so all the rumors can stop... here's another

• Maybe a big Xbox announcement (hmmm, maybe a $40K Xbox table?): here
UPDATE: Uh, it's new mazes for Pac-Man. No, seriously: here

• A Wii hard drive? here

• A Pikachu colored DS? Not if you're American: here

• Pac-Mac World Championships in New York. Wait, what year is this? here

OK, it's a little past midnight and here's the Microsoft secret... a 10,000 buck interactive table.

I'm going back to bed.

Read about it here

Watch it, here:

Victor: Hey, don't knock it. That table looks pretty cool, especially the way photos spill out of your camera and then can be dragged wirelessly to a cell phone or whatever.

Imagine, when the price comes down to about $800 or so, having your main PC in one room, but then having one of these tables built into your kitchen counter or whatever, just for handling media duties and having it wirelessly networked to your PC.

And it could be a really nifty gaming display, particularly for Xbox Live Arcade-type games. Imagine playing Geometry Wars by dragging your fighter through the level with your finger.

Combine this multi-touch display with a good voice recognition system, and we could be finally looking at the obsolescence of the keyboard-and-mouse combo.

Several of the gadget blogs are buzzing about something super-secret that Microsoft is planning to release, tonight, at midnight.

The rumors say it's from the Xbox/Zune team and will "change the way users interact with technology."

Is it a hoax or a lame product launch?

I'm too sleepy to stay up that late.

(zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz)... oh... I'm sorry, what was I saying?

Oh yeah, the US may get 80gig PS3's.

Article here via CNET.com.

I'm dozing off again.

Kotaku points out that there should be a 'Killzone' coming soon for the PS3.

I participated in the original beta, so this doesn't seem to be too much of a stretch.

Info here

Aintitcoolnews.com posted a link to this clip of a supposedly unannounced map from the upcoming gorilla 'Halo 3'.

Not sure what the story is on this, but you can check it out.

Kotaku has evidence that 80gig PS3's have already hit the wild:

Check it here

Should be easy to spot. They will be piled high next to the giant piles 60gig PS3's.

Engadet has evidence detailing that some place may be selling the Xbox 360 Elite a little earlier than they're supposed to.

It seem that a Target store was one of the gun-jumpers; and of couse that system has already made its way to the "bay"... read the story here

Engadget guys are rumoring that an HDMI adapter for the regular Xbox 360 may be in the works.

Good lord, can't someone tell us why this will or won't happen?

And we wonder why HDTV is taking so long to catch on.....

Rumor reportin' here

Victor note: Nope, not happening. As one of the commenters notes in the Engadget post, official Microsoft blogger Ozymandias, who works on the Xbox team, has said that a component-to-HDMI adapter is impossible. Basically, if you plug an HDMI cable into the HDMI port on your TV, the TV sends a signal back down the line to verify the video source. If the original source isn't a digital HDMI connection, you won't get a picture.

If you want to connect your 360 via HDMI, you're going to have to buy the Elite.

xbox360fanboy.com (note: URL is WAY too long) has a supposedly authentic pic of a larger hard drive advertisement for the 360: PLEASE BE TRUE

So the PR folks at the Official Xbox Magazine sent me (and probably about a million other reporters) a note today on some upcoming 360 games that you may not have heard about.

It's not all new (Hellgate) or even believable (Duke Nukem), but the last game on the list sounds interesting. Here's the full list from the press release:

#5: Hellgate: London- This action-RPG, in which a gate to Hell has ripped open in London in 2028, is filled with massive skill customization, paper-doll character tweakage and disturbingly addictive dungeon-crawling treasure hunts. The game is possibly being kept under wraps to let it bask in the Windows limelight for awhile.

#4: Crimson Skies 2- The original, underdog Xbox game Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge is just popular enough to give a sequel the green light. Xbox 360 doesn’t want you to know about the new game yet as a matter of timing; they need to keep some bullets in their chamber for next year.

#3: Duke Nukem Forever- The 10-years-in-the-making sequel to the 1996 industry- defining hit Duke Nukem 3D can finally meet its goals now that technology is available that will help the game redefine first-person-shooter interactivity like its predecessor. Game developer 3D Realms is probably keeping it hush hush until they pin down a release date for the PC version.

#2: Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic III- Developer Bioware dropped the hammer on the rest of the RPG world when it made the original Knights of the Old Republic. The game is arguably one of the best Star Wars video games and warrants a third installment in its series of follow-ups. Official Xbox Magazine has a sneaking suspicion that they are working on III, but aren’t letting the cat out of the bag yet as not to derail hype for other current projects.

#1: World of Warcraft: Azeroth Adventures- Eight million PC gamers paid $50 to own the original World of Warcraft, plus another $15/month to play it. Now, the Xbox 360 version is expected to be its own animal, not a pared down version of the PC game. It seems Microsoft will keep dumping cash on developer Blizzard's doorstep until they agree to create a custom-built-for-360 version of the game. Rumor has it that it will debut for the 2008 holiday season

The blog-o-sphere (can't believe I used that) is reporting that the arcade version of 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' will be hitting the Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday.

If this is true, this will be 400 points ($5) well spent.

One of my favorite arcade games from eons gone by...

It looks like the Xbox Live Arcade and internet favorites from Pop Cap will be finding their way to your Zune (if you're the person is that bought one), the DS, the PSP and the AppleTV.

Rumoring here

• Activision has made announcements that they will be making 'Guitar Hero' for a Nintendo systems (Wii or DS?): READ HERE

• Def-Jam Icon demo now on Xbox 360 marketplace

• Japanese Wii-motes showing up at US retailers: READ HERE

• Sony making 'Metal Gear' movie: READ HERE

• 120 gig/ HDMI/black Xbox 360 to launch soon in Australia... maybe: READ HERE

• Apple's new Airport Extreme 80211n is incompatible with Xbox 360 (saving me $179!): READ HERE

According to the usual suspects (Kotaku, etc), Xbox 360's maufactured in late 2006, received a quieter, smoother-accessing DVD drive.

Shouldn't Microsoft have used that upgrade opportunity to make them all HD-DVD drives?

Maybe that's next.

According to the site, Sony's Liverpool director, Clemens Wangerin, said Wipeout PS3 is definitely in development, along with a new WipeOut title for the PSP.

(Doug's secret thoughts: "Please let The Desginers Republic be in charge of game's art direction again. Please. Please. Please.")

Happy Days.

According to CVG, Nintendo might be starting a "Games Channel" that would users to download new (not classic) games for their Wii.

Read the whole thing here.

I really expected this to happen.

And to make the deal sweeter, there is a downloadable coupon that will save you $40 (download coupon here).

Remember, these are rumors, but at least the coupon is legit.

GameStop's website is now giving a March 6 release date. So, not too bad. Shall we make a bet that it gets pushed back further?

Rumors say that Best Buy stores will have Wii's in stock (minimum of 15) this Sunday monring (the 21st).

Supossedly this announcement will be included in Sunday's newspaper flyer for the store. Make sure you get an early copy of the paper if you're planning to go!

The internet has been buzzing about this footage that recently surfaced on YouTube. It's supposedly a Ghostbusters game done in the vein of 'Gears of War.' The company and developers behind the footage seems to be ZootFly. Their site shows some projects in development for the PC and the 360.

Please let this be real:

UPDATE!: This statement is now on the ZootFly site:

Ghostbusters and TimeO

As soon as the Ghostbusters IP issue is resolved, the whole team will go back to Ghostbusters. In the meantime, please enjoy these two movies.

This coming Sunday at 6:30 pm in Las Vegas, Bill Gates will deliver the pre-show keynote speech at the annual Consumer Electronics Show. Last year, he unveiled the external HD-DVD drive for the Xbox 360 during his oration.

So let's guess what Xbox rumors he's going to finally fulfill or debunk this time around.

*The biggest rumor currently floating on the fetid winds of the Internet is that an updated 360 with a built-in HDMI port and a 120 gigabyte hard drive is on its way. That sounds reasonable, and the larger drive is long overdue. There's also some thought that the new console might include a built-in HD-DVD drive, as well, for HD-DVD movie playback. That one seems doubtful, though. I think Microsoft is a lot more excited about digital delivery -- downloading movies and shows through Xbox Live -- than it is about fighting another stupid format war.

*If the updated 360 is unveiled, I'm guessing it means the welcome death of the Core system. That hard drive-less abomination will likely slip into oblivion, while the current premium system slips down to the $299 price point and the updated console -- supposedly code-named Zephyr -- glides into the $399 slot.

*Speaking of digital delivery, here's hoping Microsoft is ready to announce that tons of new content -- particularly HD content -- is coming to the video download service. It's a technology whose time has come, and Microsoft could really take the lead in designing the future of digital entertainment.

*Expect Bill to also announce that Microsoft has in fact hit the 10 million 360s sold threshold. That was Microsoft's biggest goal for the system by the end of 2006, and I'm sure everyone on the Xbox team was given one of those "failure is not an option" lectures.

Those are my predictions. I'll check back in after the speech.

Victor update: Well, how'd I do? Not so well.

Continue reading "What will Bill say?" »

Sony released the 1.30 upgrade for the PlayStation 3.

It fixes a few 720p and 1080i resolution problems, but not all of them.
Check out Kotaku HERE

Also, Apple is hiring game designers. Is it for iPod based games? iPhone games? A new Apple gaming system? READ HERE

Following up with Victor's rumor of 360 game price drops, here are the (supposedly leaked) deals from Best Buy's Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving) ad:

18 In 1 Starter Kit for Nintendo DS Lite - $9.99
2142 Battlefield (PC) - $24.99
Age Of Empires 3 (PC) - $24.99
Amped (Xbox 360) - $18.99
Bejeweled (PC) - $4.99
Blitz: The League (PS2) - $9.99