Xbox Live refund email

Xbox Live's Major Nelson : "I’ve received a couple of emails from folks who have received an email that said they were getting a refund from Xbox Live, asking if this is real. The answer is yes, it is real. I have included a sample image here (click to see the full size version.) Now would be a good time to go over to Xbox.com to update your billing and contact information so that if you are due a credit, there won’t be any problems. Not everyone that purchased points is entitled to a refund.

Regardless, the good news is you don’t have to do anything…just sit back and wait for that credit to hit your account. As usual, we will never ask for your private information in an email, so while this is legit; be wary of other emails that ask for your personal information."

Sony sez: The format war is over, really

Engadget HD: "We already heard the Blu-ray Disc Association's opinion on the status of the format war and now we can look forward to Sony's marketing campaign pounding a single point home: The format war is over, Blu-ray has won, it's safe to get behind one high definition format. Forgetting for a moment that Universal Studios has not switched to supporting Blu-ray and the current availability of a dual-format player, the company is buoyed by the growing installed base of its PlayStation 3 console and a rising tide of Blu-ray disc sales. VideoBusiness reports HD DVD sales remain steady, and among standalone players still holds a slight lead in numbers. Still, there are a lot of buyers unwilling to buy into either camp and risk ending up with the equivalent of a Beta tape player. Is the format war over yet? Not really, but if Sony manages to convince consumers that it is then it becomes -- they hope -- a self fulfilling prophecy."

How To Tell If You Have the Quiet 360

Gameworld Network news story: "Using the comparison image above you should be able to recognise which drive is yours, based on the look of the DVD tray. Thanks to Xbox Scene for the image. If you've purchased an Xbox 360 recently, chances are you have the quieter Benq drive.

Personally I've had a Toshiba drive from day one and have never thought it was too loud, though if someone handed me a quieter version I wouldn't turn it down in a hurry.
Feb 13, 2007 "

Half-Life 2: Team Fortress 2 Screenshots

TeamXbox: "Valve Software has released new screenshots of Team Fortress 2, the long-anticipated sequel to Team Fortress Classic, a team and class based multiplayer first-person shooter.

The game’s daring new art style features the most advanced graphics of any Source-based game released to date.

In Team Fortress 2, players have to choose at the start of a match a team and then one of several classes, each with its own unique strengths and weaknesses.

Team Fortress 2 is one of the five games shipping with The Orange Box, scheduled for release in Fall 2007. "