ANNA: Microsoft's Ace In The Hole

What is ANNA? It ’s Microsoft’s ace in the hole, their secret weapon that makes the Xbox 360 graphically look better today than Playstation 3. ANNA is a chip that does nothing but figure out how to display your game at top visual quality no matter what your dash display settings are or what your TV can do… she is a scaling chip.

ANNA: Microsoft's Ace In The Hole

Two new ways into the Halo 3 beta announced

MS announced two new ways to get into the Halo 3 beta. The first is to buy a specially marked copy of Crackdown. The other is to play 3 hours of Halo 2 multiplayer on Live between Feb. 1 and Feb. 3 and then register at Halo3.com

Two new ways into the Halo 3 beta announced

Gears of War doing its job as a system seller

As of December 15, Gears of War for the 360 sold an estimated 2 million copies. It has won several "game of the year" awards. Seems like the game out at the right time to make the 360 owners feel happy about their investments.

Gears of War doing its job as a system seller

Head start: the Xbox 360 and the next generation

When the PS3 was being hyped, a lot of people assumed the graphics and feature set would be much better than what we had seen on the 360, and while I don ’t think the 360 looked much better in these demonstrations, they do prove that the 360 can ably keep up with the PS3 (and in some cases beat it) in terms of features.

Head start: the Xbox 360 and the next generation

Rare Co-Founders Split

Microsoft tells Next-Gen that the co-founders of wholly-owned UK-based studio Rare (Viva Pinata, Perfect Dark Zero) have left the development house to “pursue other opportunities.”
ImageFounders Chris and Tim Stamper officially left Rare at the end of December after 20 years, according to Microsoft.
Stepping up to lead the company will be studio director Mark Betteridge, a 19-year Rare vet. Creative director Gregg Mayles, who was the “creative force” behind titles including Donkey Kong Country, Viva Pinata and the next iteration of Banjo Kazooie, will be in charge of overseeing all titles in development and the creation of new IP at Rare.

More...

EA ‘Investigating’ Alleged Madden Porn

Electronic Arts tells Next-Gen that it’s actively looking into allegations that a Madden NFL 07 disc was tainted with hardcore porn.

ImageA report out of Utah’s Standard-Examiner says that Layton resident Kolton Mahoney, 14, received a new, factory-sealed copy of Madden NFL 07 for Xbox 360 from his uncle on Christmas.

When he fired up EA’s hit football game in his new Xbox 360, instead of seeing wholesome pigskin action, Mahoney saw an image of hardcore skin-rubbing action. He let his parents know immediately, who were described as “equally shocked” by the content.

Next-Gen contacted EA to get its take on the matter (a matter which seems too weird to be true). The company is aware of the issue and taking it seriously. Corporate communications director Tammy Schachter says that the mega-publisher is working with the retailer where the game was purchased “to investigate what happened.”

“We regret any embarrassment or inconvenience this has caused the family,” Schachter said in an e-mail. “This game was first released in August 06 and has sold more than 5 million copies. We have received no similar complaints about this game.”

The copy of Madden NFL 07 in question was purchased at a Circuit City in Modesto, California on December 2. The game was reportedly legit-looking, complete with the aforementioned factory seal as well as an embossed Madden NFL 07 label on the disc.

The issue is no laughing matter to authorities, as Utah’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Layton police and California authorities are on the case.

The Mahoneys are seeking no financial settlement, just a guarantee that it won’t happen again.

EA ‘Investigating’ Alleged Madden Porn

1st generation PS3 reported as is buggy

Tyson Carter slept through a hailstorm as he camped outside a Target store to nab a PlayStation 3 last month. The system crashed repeatedly when he tried to adjust the music settings. Others complain that some games from earlier generations of the console did not run properly. And the high-definition picture promised by the PS3 doesn't work.

1st generation PS3 reported as is buggy