Bungie profiles the Spartan Laser

Xbox 360 Fanboy: "Continuing their series of weapon profiles, Bungie.net now has a 'field report' up about Halo 3's new Spartan Laser (not to be confused with even deadlier Laser Cats). In short, the Spartan Laser is death on a stick. Well, death on a shoulder mounted stick to be more precise. Unlike previous field reports, the Spartan Laser profile has several bits of info and specifications redacted. So for now, we don't know precisely what the weapon's range is. Judging from the report, we can gather that the laser may have a scope and that it will only have a limited amount of ammunition. In other words, once the weapon is empty, it will have to be tossed, much like Covenant plasma weaponry. The profile goes on to describe the weapon's tactical uses on both High Ground and Valhalla. One interesting use we hadn't considered: the Spartan Laser produces a thin beam of light that is used to 'paint' the target before the weapon fires. Much like the targeting laser for GOW's Hammer of Dawn, this can be a terrifying experience for the enemy. So, rather than wasting a precious Spartan Laser shot, the targeting laser itself can be used to scare enemies into running to a less defensible position. Nice. All in all, it sounds like a formidable weapon, and we can't wait to try it out. Click the 'read' link for the full"

One Voice Announces Voice Control for Xbox 360

TeamXbox: "One Voice Technologies announced today Media Center Communicator v3 for Windows Vista, which will allow users to control up to five Xbox 360 video game systems by simply speaking to play music, videos, watch recorded TV or play photo slideshows.

Features include:

* Simple to use voice commands with no voice training required
* High accuracy with wide range of accents
* Voice commands for Xbox 360
* Play MP3 or Apple iTunes music using voice commands
* PC-to-Phone calling using Skype to anywhere worldwide
* Home automation for setting thermostats, lighting, security cameras and much more
* Read and send email
* View photos and photo slideshows
* Create your own custom voice macros to launch websites and applications
* Works with Media Center DVD players (Sony and Niveus)
* USB microphone included

“Imagine walking into your entertainment room and simply saying, for example; Xbox Play U2 or Xbox Play American Idol, and your Xbox immediately starts playing that content,” said Dean Weber, president and CEO at One Voice Technologies.

“With our technology you can control both the main Windows Vista computer along with controlling up to five Xbox 360 game"

Xbox Live Vision pack for $59.99 (again)

Xbox 360 Fanboy: "The Stootsi.com folks are at it again, selling Xbox 360 goods for insanely low prices. This time, they are once again selling the 12-month Xbox Live Vision Gold Pack. The price: $54.99. Add $5 for shipping and you're sitting pretty at $59.99. That's a full 20 simoleons off the retail price. The bundle comes with a ridiculous amount of stuff. There's the camera, of course. Then you've got a year of Xbox Live Gold, a headset, some arcade games, free MS points, it's got just about everything but the Xbox. The deal won't last forever, though, so head over to Stootsi.com if you're interested."

Dead or Alive Movie Hits Google Video

Dead or Alive Movie Hits Google Video - Xbox: "The movie adaptation of the best selling video game fighting series Dead or Alive has been leaked onto Google Video. The PG-13 movie features five voluptuous girls participating in the 'Dead or Alive' world fighting tournament on an exotic island.

The five sexy martial arts experts are portrayed by Jaime Pressly, Holly Valance, Sarah Carter, Natassia Malthe, and Devon Aoki. You can view pictures of them in action here on Rotten Tomatoes.

The movie is not as bad as an Uwe Boll film but it doesn't offer anything more than a Victoria Secret catalog.
"

Japan: What can Microsoft Do? do? do?

Xbox 360 Fanboy: "While those in the west see the Xbox 360 a definite success (so far), Japan is a completely different story. Having only sold 300,000 units throughout the first year in its lifespan, the 360 has a long way to go in the land of the rising sun. Gamasutra sits down with a localization specialist and Kotaku's Japanese correspondent to discuss Microsoft's prospects in Japan. The prognosis: it needs work. While the two disagree on a few points (the localization director sees the glass half-empty, whereas the other sees it half-full) the overall picture is somewhat grim. The Xbox 360 has been gaining some ground in the past few months. Titles like Blue Dragon (and to a lesser extent Gears of War) have helped generate 360 sales, but it's not nearly enough to gain a decent market share. Microsoft's biggest hurdle will be penetrating the culture barrier and understanding Japanese consumers (and apparently Do! do! do! isn't cutting it).

With more Japanese titles on the way (namely Lost Odyssey), Microsoft better get its marketing crew in gear if they want to stand a chance in Japan. If MS can get a foothold in Japan, it means more variety for everyone, and that's always a good thing."

PS3 Owners Report Blu-ray Problems After 1.5 Upgrade

BetaNews: "An unusually high number of reports of intermittent playback freezes during Blu-ray movies and some games have been posted to Sony's PlayStation 3 forum, as well as to the AVS Forum and other sources, after PS3 owners upgraded to version 1.5 of the system firmware.

Tests run by these users since having noticed the bugs appear to eliminate Blu-ray discs themselves as the cause of these freezes, most of which are said to be momentary and not terminal. Time codes displayed at the time of freezes are dispersed, indicating that the discs are not defective.

Sony Open to Considering PS3 Price Cuts

GameDaily BIZ: "Even though the PS3 is losing Sony a ton of money at the moment, the company is apparently seriously looking at a potential price cut for the next-gen system. A senior Sony exec told reporters that it's an option that may be used to expand the market.

Sony's PlayStation 3 was blamed just recently for bringing down Sony's profits, and now just one day after Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian said that a price cut for the console shouldn't be ruled out for this year, a senior Sony executive has gone on record saying that a price drop is an option to consider.

Although no decision on a price cut has been made just yet, according to an Associated Press report, 'Pricing is among the factors Sony Corp. is studying as it expects to break even in its money-losing gaming business next fiscal year.' Keep in mind that Sony actually lowered the PS3 price in Japan by about 20 percent before the console even went on sale.

'We may look at the price as part of our strategy to expand the market when the timing is right,' Sony Senior Vice President Takao Yuhara told reporters at the company's Tokyo headquarters.

The obvious question, however, is: How can Sony realistically afford to bring the price down on the PS3 if the company is losing upwards of $300 on each unit sold? Moreover, Yuhara"