Showing posts with label xbox 360. Show all posts
Showing posts with label xbox 360. Show all posts

Friday, September 14, 2007

Ninja Gaiden 2 Stated For Xbox 360 | Exclusive Screenshots

After wild rumors and speculation in message boards, Microsoft finally confirmed that Ninja Gaiden 2 is to be released on the 360 sometime in 2008. It is being worked on by Team Ninja, developer of the 2004 Xbox Ninja Gaiden, the 2005 Xbox rework Ninja Gaiden Black, and the 2007 enhanced rework Ninja Gaiden Sigma for the PlayStation 3.

Moments after the screenshots were pulled from the Japanese edition of Xbox.com, Microsoft announced that it is in development. Luckily that didn't stop us from getting our hands on a couple of awesome (and gory) screenshots for you to enjoy. Click on the link below to view the screens (if you are on the homepage of this blog).

NG2_1

 

Click on the individual screens to get a bigger view. Judging from the looks of it, Ninja Gaiden 2 is gonna be a hell of a gory game. Subscribe to the Gamers World Bangladesh Blog Feed/Newsletter to get updated when we have more info on this game.

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Thursday, August 30, 2007

Cheaper, Faster Next Generation Xbox 360 | The Falcon

Here's a Trade secret that Microsoft is unlikely to publicly acknowledge. Sony's cutting the price on the PlayStation 3. How will Microsoft react? We'll find out soon. But a key part of the strategy is going to be a project code-named Falcon. 

Falcon is the name for the latest internal electronics in the Xbox 360. It will have an IBM microprocessor and an AMD/ATI graphics chip that are manufactured in a 65-nanometer production process. These are cost-reduced chips that do the same thing as their 90-nanometer predecessors, but they're smaller.

With smaller chips, Microsoft gets a bunch of benefits. They won't generate as much heat. So the risks of overheating - one of the main reasons behind Microsoft's billion-dollar write-off for repairs and extended warranties - are much lower. The chips may also cost half of what it took to make them before, because they use less material and fewer manufacturing steps to produce.

Everyone knows that console makers cut the prices and costs on their consoles over time. But you may not be aware that the primary chips - microprocessor, graphics, and the Ana video processing chip - are the bulk of the cost of the machine. Microsoft started making the Xbox 360s in August, 2005, with a 90­nanometer process. It is overdue to switch to the newest technology, 65 nanometers, but that day has finally come. It may be some time - a year, maybe two - before it moves on the a 45-nanometer process.

But it's worth It. I recall that Ken Kutaragi said that by moving along the semiconductor manufacturing cost curve with the PlayStation 2, Sony was able to reduce the size - and therefore cost - of the PlayStation 2's original chips to just 13 percent of the original over the life cycle of the PS2.
If you cut the costs on the chips, you can cut the overall cost of the system. You get ancillary benefits such as using a smaller motherboard, more air flow inside the console, and the ability to take the big giant power supply in the Xbox 360's power brick and put it inside the console.

Microsoft is in the process of qualifying the new Falcon chips and motherboard this summer. 1 expect it will launch Xbox 360s with the new Falcon innards this fall. That is why the company has been able to say that it has solved its manufacturing quality problems. Microsoft is likely to spend a little more money" on heat sinks to make sure that the overheating problem doesn't resurface with Falcon.

The good thing about the smaller chips is that they will likely be easier to make in mass quantities and they shouldn't fail as often. Quality should automatically go up. That's what folks said about the 90­ nanometer generation. But the 65-nanometer production process is a known quantity at this point at places such as IBM for sure and possibly at other suppliers such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. So rather than fix the pr.oblems with the 90-nanometer machine, Microsoft has the easier problem now of getting a 6s-nanometer machine to work right. I suspect that is why Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment & Device$ group, said on Thursday on a conference call with analysts that the company has "its hands around it at the engineering level."

But once this machine is in the field, Microsoft will have a few options. It can take the power brick and put it inside the same chassis. It can also make a smaller version of the core, but this involves considerable redesign and retooling resources. And it could also beef up the console and make room 'for more costly things - as it did with the Elite.

It's anybody's guess as to what Microsoft will do with the Falcon as its base platform going forward. But Sony had better watch out. Microsoft is moving ahead of Sony oh the cost-reduction curve. It. would be risky for Sony to get into a price war with Microsoft.

Now it's easier to see why Microsoft still expects to be profitable in fiscal 2008 with the Xbox 360 business. In this fiscal year, Microsoft will introduce a major cost reduction with the Falcon platform. It will launch Halo 3. And it has already written off in fiscal 2007 the costs of repairing consoles for the
next few years.

Looks like things are looking bright for camp Microsoft.

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Saturday, August 04, 2007

Grand Theft Auto IV delayed until spring 2008

Take-Two announced on Thursday that GTA4 for PS3 and Xbox 360 would be delayed until April 2008 at the earliest due to requiring additional development time. As a result, company shares (not to mention gamer hopes) dropped 13 percent on the news.

"Certain elements of development proved to be more time-intensive than expected, especially given the commitment for a simultaneous release on two very different platforms," said Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick.

"We are very disappointed to reduce guidance after having previously reaffirmed it," added chief executive Ben Feder in a statement to investors.

The game, originally scheduled for release in October, will miss out on big holiday sales, likely dealing a blow to both Microsoft and Sony in the process as Grand Theft Auto IV was expected to be one of year's biggest selling games.

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Friday, August 03, 2007

Halo 3 Rumor Control | What Microsoft Didn't Want You to Know

A lot of rumors have been swarming around the internet about Microsoft's most anticipated shooter of this year, Halo 3 for the Xbox 360. Gamers World Bangladesh Blog decides to take an in-depth look at the swarming clouds surrounding this rumor.

Microsoft was coy about bringing up new details on Halo 3 in its press conference and at E3. We all saw the first ever campaign footage trailer and that's just about it. So we've done some rumor hunting and discovered a couple of exciting features that Microsoft might have been keeping under the lid. It could very well make it into retail when Halo 3 releases September 25th. So, without further ado here it is:

 1. Four player co-op support: This rumor has been around for a long time. But it got busted when there were no hint of four player co-op achievement in the unveiling of the Halo 3 achievements. However, this has re-surfaced once again. In a recent interview with Major Nelson, Jeff Bell, VP of Global Marketing for Microsoft "sold" the product a little too much. He mentioned how great it was to play Halo 2 co-op with his son and then gave away, "we're really looking forward to playing with my three sons, all together on Halo3". It just might be via system link but the fact that he said this right after mentioning co-op play with his son on Halo 2 adds even more speculation to this rumor.

According to a recent Bungie announcement in Amsterdam, Halo 3 will indeed have 4-player co-op. One player will take the role of Master Chief, another will be The Arbiter and the last two (the suckers) will be Elites. Whether or not Bungie will be renaming "Elite" to "kid not picked in gym class" is still unknown. Source: Kotaku

 2. New weapon unearthed: A new weapons have been found. One is the Brute Excavator which was first spotted in the Halo 3 beta source code. A little while back, the guys over at the 7th Columnist came upon a render of the Excavator while scouring for new bits of info. In addition, the documentary Et tu, Brute? by Bungie featured, you guessed it, the weapon in the hands of a Brute. The boys over at Xbox 360 FanBoy sighted the hammer twice during a walkthrough of Halo 3 at E3; once in a character's hand and at another instance on a character's back. When Sketch was inquired about it while showing the teaser video, he wasn't allowed to comment.

3. A new grenade type: In a Halo 3 trailer video analysis, Joystiq came across what appears to be a new grenade type. Further research in The Art of Halo book revealed that the icon which represents the new grenade type closely resembles the look of the Supa Double Cap Bomb - some sort of a flash grenade that shoots out sparks according to its description.

4. A multiplayer map editor: Last but certainly not the least, 1UP noticed a menu option called "Forge" while taking an exclusive look ad the Halo 3 campaign. Bungie declined to comment what it was about. But if you go back to the Marathon series, you'll recall that Bungie used a program called Forge to build game levels. Therefore, many believe that the menu option means that there could be some sort of multiplayer map editor. The August 7th issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) is said to have the insider scoop on this feature.

Well that's what we could dig up folks! Subscribe to the Gamers World Bangladesh Blog Feed/Newsletter to catch the latest updates on Halo 3.

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Sunday, July 29, 2007

Microsoft Announces Xbox 360 HD-DVD Player Price Drop

In an effort to conquer your living room, Microsoft announced at the Comic-Con International 2007 a lower price for the Xbox 360 HD DVD drive and a five free HD DVD movies promotion. The new lower price for the Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive is now $179 (was $199).

If you purchase a Xbox 360 HD DVD drive between August 1st and September 30th you get 5 free HD DVD movies (from a choice of 15).

At the same time Microsoft promotes the HD DVD launches of "300" from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group and "Heroes: Season 1" from Universal Studios.

Comic-Con International 2007 is the largest comic book and pop culture convention in the world, with over 120,000 attendees. Xbox LIVE Marketplace is broadcasting from the Comic-Con and you can watch the panel discussions, see the footage, and download exclusive themes and trailers.

So what do you think readers? Will you be getting an HD-DVD drive for your Xbox 360 or will you wait until Microsoft gives up and rolls out a Blu-Ray disc player for your 360?

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Thursday, July 26, 2007

Xbox 360 Sales Down 60% | Division Takes $2 Billion Loss

Things are not looking good for Microsoft. Since the disclosure of the problems with the Xbox 360, the company has reported a 60% plunge in the sale of its games console in the fiscal fourth quarter. Microsoft said that it had shipped 700,000 Xbox 360 units during this fiscal quarter, compared to a 1.8 million in the same fiscal quarter of the previous year - a slump of nearly 61%.

The Company's Entertainment and Devices Division in which the Xbox 360 is located, saw a 10% drop in revenue to $1.16 billion and is operating on a loss of $1.2 billion. Comparatively, the group lost only $423 million the previous year.

Microsoft blamed the 183% increase in its Entertainment and Devices Division operating loss on the $1.06 billion charge to cover the cost of the extended three-year warranty. Microsoft has also been hit with two class action lawsuits in the past two weeks claiming that a design flaw in the Xbox 360 causes the system to irreparably scratch game discs. Microsoft has denied the claim. The company also saw the departure of their corporate VP, Peter Moore to publisher Electronic Arts due to "personal reasons".

Sony has taken this opportunity to catch-up lost grounds and announced a $100 price cut on certain PlayStation 3 units, while Nintendo continues to enjoy robust sales of its Wii systems.

However, Microsoft is remaining optimistic. Since its launch in November 2005, Xbox 360s have shipped a total of 11.6 million consoles and this is still the most successful console of this generation. The company has placed high hopes on the holiday 2007 season, hoping that major releases like Halo 3 will make up for the Xbox 360's misfortune. Amidst the recent setbacks, Microsoft reported that overall profits in the fourth quarter increased 7% to $3 billion, while revenue increased 13% to $13.4 billion.

RELATED ARTICLES:
Peter Moore of Xbox 360 ditches Microsoft and Heads to EA
Xbox's Billion Dollar Problem - A Conspiracy?
Xbox's Billion Dollar Problem
Xbox 360 can scratch your game discs!

Consider subscribing to the Gamers World Bangladesh Blog Feed/Newsletter to get all the latest updates on the Xbox 360 and Microsoft.

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Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Metal Gear Solid 4 Coming to Xbox 360

Rumor update : Is Metal Gear Solid 4 really coming to the Xbox 360?

Long time Play Station exclusive Metal Gear Solid might be headed for the Xbox 360. Although there were no announcement in E3 about MGS4 for the 360, but this rumor has re-surfaced once again now that an official source has written about it.

A reliable source has tipped off the Official Xbox Magazine that Metal Gear Solid 4 is indeed headed for the Xbox 360. The game will be ported by a separate team. That explains the fact why Hideo Kojima kept saying that he was "working on a Sony copy only".

Could it happen? Sure, there is a possibility. Right now, Konami has invested a lot in MGS4 and they would like to see greater returns on their investment. And that means making it available on most major gaming platforms. I think that they are considering it, but whether this rumor turns out to be true depends upon how Konami thinks Metal Gear Solid 4 sells on the PS3 alone.

Get more rumor updates by subscribing to the Gamers World Bangladesh Blog Feed/Newsletter.

Get Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater today!

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Thursday, July 19, 2007

Battle of The Consoles : Wii VS PS3 VS Xbox 360

Today I am going to tell you about the next-generation console and do a comparison between them.

Article written by guest blogger Game-Craze. We are not responsible for the individual opinions expressed in this article.

Wii ::::: 

This is one great console Nintendo produced with a cheap price.

It's the fifth console released by Nintendo . The console is the direct successor to the Nintendo GameCube. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3, but it competes with both as part of the seventh generation of gaming systems. A distinguishing feature of the console is its wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and can detect motion and rotation in three dimensions. Another is WiiConnect24, which enables it to receive messages and updates over the Internet while in standby mode

While the cool controller and games are impressive, Nintendo is going nowhere with that kind of graphics.If Nintendo is able to increase it's graphics capabilities,the Wii will definitely be the wii-ner of the next-gen console war. Fortunately, the Wii looks to have a bright future since I heard that Nintendo is going add some features to it.

Grade: Not bad, worth buying

PS3 :::::

The PlayStation 3 , is a video game console from Sony Computer Entertainment, and the successor to the PlayStation and PlayStation 2.
The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles.

Oh, its price tag really pissed me off, but if you can afford it, why not? Afterall, it is a good deal, considering the fact that Sony has managed to squeeze in many juicy features into the console. The games look good to me and there are also those beautiful, HD graphics to drool over .

The PS3 can also output high-definition video for both video games and movies via an HDMI 1.3 port, supporting up to 1080p HD resolution. After a recent software update, DVD-Video, PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games can be upscaled to high-definition, however copy-protected content (such as commercial DVDs) can only be upscaled over HDMI.

As its digital soul, the Cell Broadband Engine™ represents a tour de force in parallel processing, which means a gaming experience that is beyond what you know today. Its built-in Blu-ray Disc™ drive delivers a whole new generation in high-definition gaming and unmatched digital media storage. Whether it’s gaming, Blu-ray movies, music or online services, PlayStation 3 invites you to Play Beyond.

Grade: The best of the best.

Xbox 360 ::::: 

The Xbox 360 is a video game console produced by Microsoft, developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, Samsung, and SiS. Its Xbox Live service allows players to compete online and download arcade games and content such as game demos, trailers, TV shows, music videos, or rented movies. The Xbox 360 is the successor to the Xbox, and it competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of gaming systems.

Although the xbox 360 was released 1 year earlier than the Wii and ps3,it does not seem to have the edge above the two consoles mentioned. It's sales is also lacking a lot behind the WII . Recently ,Microsoft released an improved version of the Xbox 360, the Xbox 360 elite .The elite has an improved 120 GB hard drive , a HDMI port, and a new matte black finish.

But, [then again] the design looks very uninspiring as its as big as the original

Xbox . Looks like it will fail---following the fate of the original Xbox. [Not true - The Xbox 360 is the most successful console of this generation so far, although the Wii is catching up - Editor Gaming Wiz]

Grade: Not very good

FINAL VERDICT:
1ST : PS3
2ND : WII
3RD : XBOX 360
(The Gaming Wiz wants a recount!)

RELATED ARTICLES:

What Everybody Should Know : Which will win in Bangladesh - the PS3 or the Xbox 360?
Burning Question: Has the PS3 already lost in the next-gen console wars?
You Thought Wrong: Why the PS3 won’t lose out in the next-gen console wars

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Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Peter Moore of Xbox 360 Ditches Microsoft and Heads to EA


Peter Moore, head of Microsoft's Xbox 360 division resigns for a post at EA. Former EA executive Don Mattrick has been named to head Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business.

It seems that there is something really wrong going with Microsoft. After the announcement of the problems with Xbox 360 and a billion dollar spending to fix it, a number of events have followed like a row of dominoes.

After the controversy surrounding Robbie Bach's stock sales, another surprising announcement has sprung up from camp Microsoft. This time, Peter Moore, the Microsoft executive who led the successful launch of the second-generation Xbox 360 game console, is leaving Microsoft for game publisher Electronic Arts (EA). In his place, Microsoft named Don Mattrick (another EA executive) as senior vice president of its Interactive Entertainment Business.

Now, this might come as a surprise to some. Afterall, Moore was the person who brought Microsoft's Xbox 360 to the #1 spot in this next-generation console wars. Could it be that he was leaving because the future looks bleak for Microsoft?

But that's what not Microsoft wants us to think. "Peter Moore is leaving for personal reasons", Microsoft said this Tuesday. Microsoft insisted that Moore's departure was unrelated to recent troubles with the Xbox 360. Yeah, sure. Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division President Robbie Bach said that the personnel change was not a strategy to bring in new leadership after the hardware-failure disclosures.

Mattrick said he was "surprised" [that] Moore was leaving and eagerly accepted the position. "For me, it presented the opportunity to have what I think, the best job in the industry," he said. [Now who doesn't want a job at Microsoft?]

Well, we will just have to wait and see what Don Mattrick has in store for us. If there is one thing that I learned, it is that change is good - I just hope that it holds true for Microsoft.

Bio Data about Don Mattrick (Source Microsoft)

Age: 43

Prior experience: Wrote his first game at 17. Founded Distinctive Software in 1982, which merged with Electronic Arts in 1991. Served most recently as president of EA's worldwide game studios until resigning in February 2006. Took most of 2006 off to take a break after 23 years and spend time with family.

At Microsoft: Hired in February as an outside adviser to Robbie Bach's Entertainment and Devices Division to help with the "connected entertainment" strategy. Beginning July 30, he will be senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business, which includes Xbox, Games for Windows and Microsoft Game Studios. He called it "the best job in the industry."

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Xbox's Billion Dollar Problem
Xbox's Billion Dollar Problem - A Conspiracy?

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Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Xbox's Billion Dollar Problem - A Conspiracy?

Microsoft has been taking some serious flak for the high failure rates of their consoles. At least 2.5 million Xbox 360s sold worldwide have been reported to be defective and it is going to cost the company about $1.1 billion to fix this mess. If you don't know the whole story, then I suggest reading my previous article Xbox's Billion Dollar Problem first.

But it seems that there might be other reasons behind this announcement. An article posted in Computer World said that Robbie Bach, the Microsoft executive in charge of the video game console sold $6.15 million worth of company stock or about 20% of his holdings prior to the announcement. While that alone might not raise any flags but the article goes on to say that "Bach was one [of the] Microsoft executives who spelled out the problems with Xbox 360." "The game machine's design, Bach said, was defective".

Now this is spreading like wildfire around the internet and in forums. I came across one statement online that "it was all a setup" and another "he [Bach] wanted to make a quick buck".

While this may sound absurd, but some think that there might be truth in it. The fact that Microsoft had been aware of the problems for several months and that Bach was one of the first to spill the beans, adds further suspicion to this matter. Bach sold his shares in May at an average price of $30.73 while the price fell down to $22.07 when the announcement had been made on July 5th.

Could this have been an insider activity? A lot of people in message boards are speculating so. But I doubt it. It just might be that Bach sold his shares at the wrong time and "that the timing may not have been up to [him]".

Indeed, Friday night, Microsoft spokesman Eric Hollveiser issued a statement about Bach's transactions. "Robbie Bach's past trading is completely unrelated to last week's announcement [of]extending our Xbox 360 warranty [and that] Microsoft executives sell shares for a variety of reasons, the most common being portfolio diversification".

Not only Bach but several others, including Microsoft Chairman Bill gates, General Counsel Brad Smith and the head of the Windows division, Kevin Johnson had sold shares that May.

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RELATED ARTICLES:

Xbox's Billion Dollar Problem
My Xbox 360 just took a bath!
Xbox 360 can scratch your game disks
What Everybody Should Know : Which will win in Bangladesh - the PS3 or the Xbox 360?
Xbox 360 and Why DVD Rentals are as good as dead

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Microsoft Xbox 360 exec sold $6.1M in shares before woes disclosed

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Saturday, July 14, 2007

Xbox 360 and Why DVD Rentals are as good as dead

I've just read an article "Films on Xbox 360 threaten DVD rentals" and it got me wondering. Is Xbox's digital distribution service really going to hurt DVD rentals? I've done another round of online research and the facts seem to point to one thing - digital distribution service is not something to underestimate. But will it replace DVD rentals in the near future? Not likely. Here's why:

The main factor in online distribution is your internet connection speed - you don't want to spend ages downloading your favourite flick while you can just drive to the store and grab it in less than fifteen minutes. And not everybody has a 1 MB per second connection. So it could take a while to hit mainstream. Then not everybody has an Xbox 360 :-) The install base of Xbox 360 is just around ten million while almost everyone has a DVD player nowadays.

But, people with Xbox 360s are already making the switch to digital distribution and this is the place where it really shines:

You can start watching as soon as a certain percentage (called the buffer) is downloaded - enjoy it while the movie is downloading in the background (much like YouTube). The HD (High Definition) movies on Xbox Live feature much better compression so it takes up less space (and hence less download times) while maintaining a great picture quality at 720p resolutions. Besides, these rentals automatically expire so you have no worries of running out of hard drive space. And look at it this way - you don't have to get your butt off the couch (or your house, for that matter) to rent a movie - how convenient!

And the digital distribution service of Xbox 360 is an inexpensive option to HD movies. You don't need a HD-DVD or BD (Blu-Ray disc) player - just download and start watching (although I am assuming that you have a HDTV in the first place). As the format war rages between HD-DVD and BD-Discs, and with no clear winner in sight, digital distribution might be your only ticket to enjoy HD movies. You get to experience movies from both camps (HD-DVD and Blu-Ray Discs) without having to worry about compatibility. Disney has already signed to offer their BD movies collection - Warner Brothers and Paramount Pictures is soon to follow.

Microsoft has also reported that Xbox Marketplace has already moved $110 million worth of content in just 8 months - and that's no joking matter! Sure, there is the potential, but I don't see digital distribution as a real threat to DVD rentals in the near future.

RELATED ARTICLES:

Xbox's Billion Dollar Problem
PC PHOBIA - Is the PC dead as a gaming platform?

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Friday, July 13, 2007

Call of Duty gets Modern in Call of Duty 4 : Modern Warfare

I like the new direction in which Infinity Ward is taking in Call of Duty 4 : Modern Warfare. Don't take me wrong but the World War II theme was getting a bit repetitive, although I enjoyed Call of Duty 3 on my Xbox 360.

This time Call of Duty 4 is set in a fictional modern-day conflict. Gone are the clashes between the Allied and the Nazis. Rather Modern Warfare is about thwarting "The Four Horsemen", a regime of the Middle Eastern dictator and his pal Russia.

Call of Duty 4 is an impressive graphical feat - even better than that of gears of War. Infinity Ward has spent the past two years improving its technology to create a far prettier game. You will see beams of sunlight breaking in through the cracks, dust particles in the air and the smoke trail from a rocket launcher as you take on an M1A1 Abrams tank, to name a few. The characters have full self-shadowing and a high level of detail. Get close to a soldier and you will see realistic looking flesh, read the time on his watch and might even see him sweat!

Infinity Ward has taken great pains to put you in the heat of modern warfare - there are explosions everywhere, enemies around every corner, helicopters spinning out of control and crashing - and all these happens at 60 frames per second! I'm sure it will be a hell-of-an-experience.

You also get to pilot an M1A1 Abrams tank the Ac130 Gunship. Now, I think that the AC130 is the ultimate air-to-ground combat vehicle, with the 25mm Equalizer Gatling Gun, the 40mm L60 Bofors Canon and the 105mm M102 Howitzer, you will lay waste to anything that comes in your path.

While I could go on and on about Call of Duty 4's impressive feats, I applaud Infinity  Ward's decision to ditch the World War II setting. Can't wait to get my hands on Call of Duty 4 when it releases this fall!

Image courtesy of ign.com

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Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Xbox's Billion Dollar Problem

 Why your Xbox 360 might break down more sooner than you think and what Microsoft is going to do about it.

Although reports have been circulating around the Internet that more and more Xbox 360 customers are getting the "red ring of death" but Microsoft remained oblivious of the fact. It seems that even now Microsoft cannot deny that fact due to Xbox 360s failing at an average rate of around thirty to thirty-three percent of all consoles sold.

Earlier this Thursday Microsoft announced that it will extend its Xbox 360 warranty coverage to three years from date of purchase and fix any consoles within the warranty period free of charge. With an estimated 2.5 million Xbox 360s reported to be defective, it will set back the company's Entertainment & Devices division as much as by $1.1 billion. Sony executives might be glee with joy but it's certainly not good news for Microsoft as it's Entertainment division is operating at $315 million in the red in it's third quarter. "In doing so, Microsoft stands behind its products and takes responsibility to ensure that every Xbox 360 console owner continues to have a fantastic gaming experience."

Though the company has not revealed the cause behind the hardware malfunctions, it claims to have "identified a number of factors which can cause general hardware failures" and "has made improvements to the console".

This might be good news for Xbox 360 customers because not only has the warranty period been extended, but Microsoft will reimburse any amount that you have spent behind repairing your console.

Sony must also be celebrating this announcement. With Microsoft confirming hardware issues, and set back by a billion dollars, Sony is in a spot of pure advantage. A well-planned price frop may give them some more leverage in the console war for this year.

Now the next generation consoles are complicated pieces of equipments. The industry accepted standard is a failure rate of three to 5 percent. So what about the other consoles? Are they also facing the same fate as Microsoft? When compared against other systems, the Xbox 360 is failing at higher rates than its current competitors and predecessors.

Former EB Games worker Matthieu G. said that the failure rates for all other consoles are not high enough and guesses that most other console systems have a failure rate of less than one percent, including the PlayStation 3. Another EB Games manager conceded that in the hundreds of Wii units sold at that location thus far, zero have come back as defective.

So there you have it folks. The Xbox 360 might be one of the most successful console so far of this generation but the Xbox 360 is a less reliable machine than its competitors. Still, Microsoft has taken a bold step in the right direction, don't you think?

RELATED ARTICLES

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Tuesday, July 03, 2007

What Everybody Should Know : Which will win in Bangladesh - the PS3 or the Xbox 360?


An in-depth analysis of the next-generation console wars in Bangladesh - which will win - the PS3 or the Xbox 360?

Yes, when the entire world rumbles around which of the new next-gen consoles is going to win the battle, we are PS3 and XBOX 360going to actually focus on, which console suits best for Bangladeshis. As one of the major poor nations in Southeast Asia , Bangladesh is not actually considered as a profitable region for the console giants, but that never pulled back the very enthusiastic gamers in Bangladesh. We have been playing games on  PC for years. However, the consoles are merely a new notion in Bangladesh. It is unfortunate that Bangladeshi gamers started to switch to consoles for last two years. Now, many events like PS2 gaming competitions are held in the city. It is still very new to most of the people in the country. Well, the last two years have shown quite a hasty trend of gaming in consoles.  I mean, though the PS2 and Xbox took almost more than four years to get acknowledged to the hardcore and optimistic gamers of this poor nation, the new consoles are taking away the hearts of the gamers of Bangladesh pretty quick. It’s like, since the launching of PSP, already many gamers have collected PSP, and already there is market for the handheld in Dhaka. We can easily collect PSP games, both original, and non-original, from Banani, Gulshan, Boshundhara City and Rifles Square. As the Xbox 360 is already here, and many are showing their earnest interests, it is hoped that, we will not take very long to enter the next generation of gaming than Europe. 

So, this is the best time to provide you all the information of which will be best for you to pick up, considering the amount of money you will be spending, and give you suggestion for which you should have a go-ahead. We will also be telling you, for which should you save money, if you want to play next generation games.

Playstation has earned huge popularity in Bangladesh. Partially because of its huge inventory of gaming, lower price level and Sony as a branded Asian manufacturer. But is the Playstation 3 going to serve up to the expectations?? To answer that question we will have to take a closer look. 

STEP 1: COMPARISON BETWEEN THE PS3 AND THE XBOX 360

PLAYSTATION 3 XBOX 360
Console Type Home Console Home Console
Platform PlayStation 3 Xbox 360
Gaming Type On-line and Single player * Multiplayer On-line and Single player * Multiplayer
Processor 3.2 GHz Cell 3.2 GHz Triple Core IBM PowerPC
Installed RAM 256 MB of 3200 MHz XDR 512 MB of 700 MHz GDDR3
Installed Cache Memory 512 KB 1 MB
Memory Bus Bandwidth 25.6 GB/sec 22.4 GB/sec
Display
Max. Resolution 1920X1080 1280X1080
Graphics
Graphics Processor NVIDIA RSX Custom ATI Graphics Processor
Polygons per second 75 Million 500 Million
Storage
Hard Drive Size 60 GB 20 GB, 120 GB
Optical Drive Type Blu Ray Disc (BD-ROM) DVD-ROM standard, High Definiton DVD (HD-DVD ROM) optional
Optical Drive Speed 24x (CD), 8x (DVD) 12x (DVD)
Audio
Audio Support Dolby Digital 5.1 256 Audio Channels, Dolby Digital 5.1, 3D Sound Support (64 3D Channels), Macronix 16 Bit
Audio Out Line Out, Digital Out (Optical) Connector, HDMI out x2 Multi-channel surround sound output
Technical Features
Communication Type Bluetooth, 802.11b, 802.11g, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, Fast Ethernet, USB 2.0
Expansion Slots SD Card, Memory Stick, Compact Flash Xbox Memory Card Slot
Wireless Capabilities 802.11b, 802.11g, Bluetooth 2.0 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g
Input/Output Ports RJ-45, 4x USB 3x USB, 2x Memory Unit Slots
DVD Movie Playback Yes Yes
Dimensions
Height 3.86in 3.27in
Depth 10.79in 10.16in
Width 12.8in 12.17in
Weight 11.02lb 7lb
Miscellaneous
External Colour Silver, Black White, Black
Release Date November 2006 December 2005

 

Now, if you look at the comparison, you will see that both of the machines are extremely powerful. In some areas, one may slim down and the other soars up, but they provide quite the same performance. There have been debates and many talks about this, because,  hey it is a battlefield.

The largest contrast between the two machines is maybe, that the PS3 is equipped with a next-gen Blue-ray DVD ROM, whether the X360 only comes with a current-gen DVD-ROM (optional HD-DVD ROM). Still, that doesn’t make the PS3 better. We will see it shortly.

STEP 2: COMPARISON OF PRICES IN BANGLADESH

Now for the most important part. The price of PS3 is minimum 500 US dollars, while the Xbox 360 is nearly 400 dollars or less. There is a cheaper edition of X360 which is lesser than this price, and the next price range for the PS3 is 600 dollars. In Bangladesh, the price of X360 is now, 40 thousand taka. Don’t freak out. Where from US you buy it for 28 thousand Bangladeshi taka, the price is almost 40 thousand because an electronic converter and a game are added here. So, the retailers are making profit of around 4 thousand here, now. However, things are about to change. It is predicted, that the price will drop within five months in Bangladesh as soon as the games are available. One reason is maybe that Microsoft is bringing the console to India in September (or November), for 20 thousand rupee. Things get easier for us then. So, it can be hoped that in the beginning of next year, we can grab a console for 32 thousand taka, or a little less or more.

Now, considering the X360’s price, the price of the PS3 can get more than 50 or 60 thousand taka in Bangladesh. You can freak out now. The consoles are almost identical. Then why is the huge price difference??

It is because of the added Blue-ray DVD in PS3. For X360, you may have to upgrade it later, adding another 200-300 dollar, but hey, you might not need it for the next four years. You can not also forget the fact that you live in Bangladesh. So, it is totally on you, whether you want to spend almost double the amount behind PS3 (not to mention, the games are more expensive for it), or you can purchase an Xbox 360. It is pretty risky to go for  a PS3, because you do not know when and will will the games available in Bangladesh run on the console or not. We can get pretty sure about the Xbox 360, because, there are games already that are being sold for 5000 taka and the pirated ones cost around 800 taka. It is still impossible for us to buy, but this is still not the time. We are trying to make the retailers come into the GAME RENTAL business like US, and it will happen. We all have to pursue the retailers, if we want to play the next generation games. With it we will be spending not more then 300- 400 taka primarily, for a week. We can rent the original games, being a member of the shops and can play new games.  So, Xbox 360 is clever decision to go for. PS3 might not see any light in this country, for next three years. If considering all this, you are thinking of buying a new PC, look at the comparison back again, and then talk. The price of a PC with such a configuration is even higher then PS3. There is also a risk, that the games might not run. The consoles assure us, that we will be playing.

STEP 3: COMPARISON OF PERFORMANCE AND GAMES

Gamer TV has shown some exclusives on both of the consoles, and did let the gamers decide, if there is any difference can be noticed. I must admit, watching the exclusives, I even failed to differ them. Yes, the games provide similar performance on both consoles. “Sonic: the hedgehog” is the game that they used, in an attempt to provide some significant graphical differences. They failed.

Now if you consider the games, as a Bangladeshi, I will again go for Xbox 360. We have always been fascinated by good games that Sony has provided. Everyone loves PS2’s “Metal Gear Solid” series. Sony will be bringing the next generation of MGS, in PS3, but hey, most other games will be in X360 format, too; and also, to beat MGS4 or Devil may cry 4, there will be Gears of War and GTA 4. Yes, people, GTA 4 is coming to X360 later this year. Also many other great games are already there in X360, like G.R.A.W. or Elder scrolls 4: oblivion. Two similar GTA games like Saints Row, and Crackdown, is coming to X360, even before the PS3 launches. This is because, in US X360 has already sold 5 million copies, and that makes it a safer platform for the developers to maximise their revenue and thus profits. From next year, be sure that all the great titles will be for both platforms.

To make you sure about the visual appearance of two rival companies two biggest title, I’m providing you a screenshot from gears of war and MGS4. You decide which one looks better, or that both are almost same.

 

Gears of War Xbox 360 Screenshot

Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 Screenshot

STEP 4: THE FUTURE OF GAMING IN BANGLADESH

Now, as you have considered everything, you see that the cheapest is the X360, and it is better to go for it. Because with the huge inventory of games and even before the release of PS3, it may become the next PS2. It is because already there are many games and, by November 2006, X360 may have hundred titles in its inventory. Therefore, we suggest Xbox 360 will win the game market in Bangladesh, by next year. It is better for you to hope for an X360. As a middle class guy, I suggest, it is the best suited for me.

In Bangladesh we have always relied on alternatives. However, modding of these consoles may not be possible. If anyone claims that they have earned success in modding the consoles that may put us even into more delicate situation. The cheaper games may not work, or the modded ones may not work. Meanwhile, we loose our warranties, by modding and modded consoles are being banned from Xbox Live. Therefore, it is high time that we lure the retailers into Game rental business, and make them understand the huge profit they can gain from the high profile games of next generation. It is really lucrative. A retailer can earn back the money spend behind an original disc within two and a half months, and earn extra profit from the games by renting it. It is like, if they can rent a game for five months, they can collect double the amount that they are selling for. This business is so lucrative, that anyone can get involved into this business. University students can try investing in it too. Even, any entrepreneur can set up this rental business, and high profit can earned from it.

All the people out there, if you think that upgrading your PC is good enough then you are wrong. You will only waste your money. Come on people. If you can spend 25 thousand taka behind a PSP, or around 30 thousand taka in upgrading your PC, you can spend 30 thousand taka behind the next generation of gaming, behind these super consoles. It is ensured, that they will be providing you next-generation gaming for the next 5 years atleast. Do not forget, a merely eleven thousand taka priced PC is good enough for doing the regular works, now-a-days. The consoles are for gaming, not the PC’s.

So, talk your nearby retailer today into it, or think about investing in this business. Others try to sum up at least 30 thousand taka. You will surely be bringing home the XBOX 360very soon, the next generation of gaming. 

RELATED ARTICLES:

You Thought Wrong: Why the PS3 won't lose out in the next gen console wars

Burning Question: Has the PS3 already lost in the next-gen console wars?

7 Ways the Xbox 360 Beats the PS3

Article written by guest writer Raisul Islam
No responsibility is taken for the individual views expressed here

 

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Sunday, June 24, 2007

My Xbox 360 just took a bath!

As hard as it might be to believe, my Xbox 360 really did take a bath, although I was not responsible for it. You see, last Friday (or maybe it was before?) there was torrential rain in Dhaka city and all roads and drainage system got waterlogged (don't ask, it happens every time it rains). This time it rained so hard that water came pouring down the stairs from the roof and into our house (now that doesn't happen very often)! And it happened at night, so I didn't realise it until the next morning. And what a shock I got! My imported premium 360 was a goner for sure I thought. It was just soaked! Now how did it happen? Well, you see, my precious 360 lies on the ground in a dusty corner of my room. But luckily, I was able to recover it from it's bath.

First I unplugged all the power cords and left it to dry for an hour or two. Next I got out my mom's hairdryer and blasted every vent holes with hot air. I would have taken the console apart and dried each part individually, but, I wanted to keep the warranty sticker intact. Lucky for me, I happened to put some old newspapers under the 360 which soaked up most of the water before it could really do much harm to my console.

The next time I turned on the power, I was happily playing Project Gotham Racing 3 on my squeaky-clean X360 without a glitch. Guess it needed the bath, right? And in case if you are wondering, yes, my X360 still lies on the ground in the same exact spot. I think that I still haven't learned from my experience, that is, until the next flood comes. That's how careless I am.

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Saturday, June 23, 2007

Die hard Oblivion fan - disk error - you've just wasted 110 hours!

Ugh! That's why I hate consoles - because of their over reliance on the DVD drive and the DVDs itself. If anything goes kaput, then it's game over. Worse still is the fact that a malfunctioning DVD drive in next-gen consoles is next to impossible to replace by yourself.

Take my point for example. I'm an avid fan of the Elder Scrolls IV : oblivion. I've completed every single quest in Oblivion. But my love for Oblivion didn't stop there. I've taken great pains to set up a home network to share my internet connection, so that I could download the near 1 GB expansion pack, Shivering Isles, over my lousy 128 kbps connection (it's the fastest in Bangladesh). Trust me it wasn't a happy moment. Not only that, but I've had trouble paying for Shivering Isles because I live in Bangladesh ( and goddamned Microsoft won't accept an international Visa credit card!!). Nasty details aside, and fast forward a couple of days, I was happily exploring the wonderful realm of Sheogorath in Shivering Isles. I've spent over 110 hours in total playing Oblivion, I just can't put it down.. But it seems that I am cursed, because my woes with Oblivion didn't end there.

Recently, I'm getting an unreadavle disk error while playing Shivering Isles. It's gotten so frequent that I can't even load the goddamned game. The cause? If you play long enough on the 360, your game disk could get scratched(more at http://gamersworldbd.blogspot.com/2007/06/xbox-360-can-scratch-your-game-disks.html). My warranty period has expired so there's no option for replacing the disk. I could just buy a new one - yep, that seems the best option. But ther's just a teeny-weeny problem. I've imported my Xbox 360 and all its game from the US. So none of the pirated games available here in the whole of Bangladesh is going to work on my unmodded X360.

Looks like I will just have to travel thousands of miles to the nearest Gamestop retail outlet in the US to grab a new copy of the game. Yeah, I'll do that. I'll even go to the ends of the earth just to be able to play Oblivion again - heck, it's the only reason I bought an Xbox 360.

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Manhunt 2 gets "Adults Only" Rating

Earlier today, the British Board of Film Classification gave Manhunt 2 a thumbs down, banning it from sale in the UK due to its "unremitting bleakness" and "casual sadism." Now it appears the Entertainment Software Rating Board is ready to hand down its own most restrictive rating to the latest controversial offering from Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games.

A Take-Two representative told GameSpot today that the ESRB has issued an initial rating of AO for Adults Only to Manhunt 2. While not an outright ban, the rating would severely limit a game's sales potential, as most major American retailers have chosen not to carry games rated AO.


As for the reason this is only an "initial" rating, when the ESRB rates a game, it notifies the publisher 30 days prior to publicly releasing its decision. This gives publishers unhappy with ratings the chance to either modify their games and resubmit them for a second assessment, or go before the ESRB's appeals board to challenge it directly.

"We believe the process of rating video games is to help people make informed entertainment choices and not to limit them," a Take-Two representative said. "Manhunt 2 was created for mature audiences and we strongly believe it should receive an M (Mature) rating, aligning it with similar content created in other forms of media. We are exploring our options with regard to the rating of Manhunt 2."

While Take-Two doesn't agree with the idea of an AO-rated Manhunt 2, one parent watchdog group believes it's only appropriate. Earlier today, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood demanded that the ESRB give Manhunt 2 an AO rating, saying that "harmful effects of ultra-violent video games on children will be magnified by playing them on the interactive Nintendo Wii system."

The group's announcement contained a statement from Dr. Michael Rich, director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children's Hospital Boston, who explained, "The content of Manhunt 2 and the unique physical interaction with the Wii control combine to take [the game's simulation] a level closer to reality--we can expect that the effects of this experience will be even greater."

The group directed like-minded individuals to contact ESRB president Patricia Vance with their concerns, and Vance today issued her response.

"We have received the letter from CCFC and, while we might take issue with some of the statements made within, we sincerely appreciate their expressed concerns," Vance said. "Our ratings are intended to provide guidance that allows parents to choose games they deem suitable for their children, and that is a responsibility we take extremely seriously."

Manhunt 2 is currently slated for a July 10 release on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Wii.

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Friday, June 22, 2007

Xbox 360 can scratch your game disks!

I've read about this issue a couple of times online, but I didn't find enough evidence to backup this claim. So, I dismissed it. But it seems that the Xbox 360 CAN scratch your game disks! Yep, its true. As far as you would like to avoid this unpleasant fact, the truth is that if you play your games long enough on an Xbox 360, it might end up getting scratched.

Now here's the fact. I'm a big fan of Oblivion, with playtime well over 110 hours. Recently the game just freezes up for no good reason and I receive an error message saying that the disk is unreadable. I pop out the disk and upon further inspection, find a couple of scratches on the game disk. Now, I don't know how it occured. I've always stored the game disk back into its protective case and always handled the game carefully. I never lent the game disk to any of my friends. So the most obvious culprit is my 360 and the long hours I've spent with it in Oblivion.

It seems that I'm not the only one suffering the same problem. Head online and you are bound to come across some stories similar to mine. Infact, in a recent press release, Microsoft DID say that the Xbox 360 MIGHT scratch your game disks. Not only that, but Microsoft has an offer in their support section to replace scratched Xbox 360 game disks that are published by Microsoft.

So, in the end, remember that prolonged use of a game disk in an Xbox 360 might end up getting scratched. Just don't say I didn't warn you.

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Monday, June 18, 2007

NFS heads to a new direction : PROSTREET

EA Blackbox is at it again. After the release of Carbon, EA has announced that another NFS series is in the works, dubbed NFS : ProStreet. With ProStreet, EA has decided to drop out its stereotypical "control the city by taking on the top dogs" setting for a more real-life experience of street racing today. Gone are the arcade type underground racings, replace by more realistic races, cars that hadnle as it should and close quarter day light courses. "We’re trying to reflect what we see the culture doing. The culture is really moving away from that bling, the neon, the fast and the furious thing; the cars that ride on trailers but don’t actually ever ride on the track.", said Black Box producer John Dyle in an interview with Gameinformer.

But the wide array of cars, and, ofcourse, the hot girls are here to stay. And so is the widely popular "Autosculpt" feature. Although there will be no "cheesy" cutscenes as in the previous games, but, EA has promised that there will be some sort of motivation to keep players pushing forward.

The main highlight of the game is the car damage system and physics. Cars now crash more realistically and with visible damages, including flipping them, rolling them and totaling them.

Sadly for gamers, the police is out of the scene in NFS Prostreet. "This year that consequence is really driven by damage. This game is about your ability to build and drive fantastically powerful cars and that’s where we wanted to keep our focus."

I'm pretty excited about NFS ProsStreet. I think the pull away from night-time arcade type racings is going to pay off. Lets just wait and see.

For more images, visit: http://www.ea.com/nfs/prostreet/media.jsp?locale=us

For the full interview with EA Blackbox producer John Dyle, head on to: http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200706/N07.0601.1611.06445.htm

For the officila trailer: http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?id=19790&type=mov

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Saturday, June 09, 2007

7 Ways the Xbox 360 Beats the PS3




Here is a great article from gamepro.com showing 7 ways how the xbox 360 beats the PS3 (man, I am so happy that I got a 360!). Those include:

7. Custom Soundtracks

6. Xbox 360 Plays Nice with iPod

5. Windows Media Center Compatibility

4. Headsets Included

3. Xbox Live

2. PC-Friendly Game Ports

1. Bungie

For the full article, head on to http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox360/games/features/115808.shtml

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