Xbox 360 loves France and spoils PS3 launch

With the Playstation 3's Europe launch underway Microsoft had to get creative with various ways to spoil Sony's launch fun. So, during the PS3 launch festivities in France, those who lined up to purchase a PS3 were surprised to see a message from the Xbox team. Microsoft hired a boat to cruise the river near the PS3 launch party with a banner on its side reading "Xbox 360 Loves You". You can see the commotion the boat created in the French video embedded after the break. Between this and the beer delivery we're not sure what has gotten into the Xbox 360 marketing team ... but we definitely like it. Remember gamers, the 360 will love you for who you are and not for how much you spend on it.
Xbox 360 loves France and spoils PS3 launch - Xbox 360 Fanboy

Devil May Cry 4 Teaser in High Definition

From the producer of the original Devil May Cry and Resident Evil 4 comes the next instalment in the hugely successful stylized action series that has so far achieved global sales of nearly seven million units. Devil May Cry 4 immerses gamers in a gothic supernatural world, where a new protagonist clashes with a familiar hero. As the new leading man, Nero, players will unleash incredible attacks and non-stop combos using a unique new gameplay mechanic, his powerful “Devil Bringer” arm.

With the advanced graphical capabilities of the next-gen systems, high definition visuals and intricate detail come to life as players explore new and exotic locales. Dynamic action and undeniable style combine with unprecedented fighting options and a gripping story to produce the incomparable experience that only a Devil May Cry game can deliver.
Devil May Cry 4 Teaser in High Definition - Xbox

Newsweek dissects what's wrong with the 360

Newsweek dissects what's wrong with the 360 - Xbox 360 Fanboy: "In what looks to be a three part series detailing what's wrong with each new gen console, Newsweek's dreadlocked game journalist, N'Gai Croal has penned an article dismantling the apparent success of the Xbox 360. The article centers around a theory that Xbox afficionados will be familar with, the Xbox 360 can't seem to nab the mass market demographic. As evidence, the article points out that the Xbox 360 has managed to have hit games month after month, yet hardware sales have remained relatively sluggish. This seems to illustrate that the Xbox 360's demographic (much like the original Xbox) is centered around hardcore gamers that buy more games than casual gamers. In other words, these hit games aren't driving casual gamers to purchase an Xbox 360.

Another reason, as noted by Croal, is that many original Xbox fans have yet to move on to the Xbox 360. This is evidenced from Microsoft's Chris Satchell's comments during the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year: "We've sold 10.4 million [Xbox 360s], but the stat you may not have heard is that over half of those sales are from people that didn't own an Xbox 1." If that is the case, notes Croal, then Microsoft is having a problem converting it's original Xbox fan base. The reasoning for this is simple enough, the Xbox 360 doesn't have a new Halo game. He extends this argument, saying that Microsoft is essentially forcing Halo players to convert by making Halo 2's upcoming map pack exclusive to the Xbox 360.

All in all, the article states that the Xbox brand will likely not achieve mass market success of the PS2 until the release of the next Xbox, an event the article refers to as the "best case scenario." We're not sure we agree with all of Croal's theories, but he makes an interesting argument nonetheless. In particular, we do agree that Microsoft has had trouble creating its own casual IPs, whereas Sony has a slew of them, including games like Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, and others. Microsoft, on the other hand, came up with Voodoo Vince and Blinx. We'll give you that one N'Gai, we're just not sure about the rest.

Hands-On Impressions: Streaming YouTube and Google Video to the Xbox 360, Wii and PS3

If you're not familiar with Orb, it's both a streaming and a broadcasting solution to get audio and video onto your TV. They've just introduced a new version of Orb MyCasting that works with the Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3 game consoles. This means you can now play back pictures, music, and movies sitting on your computer directly on your TV through your gaming system. The Xbox 360 could do this already, and so could the PS3 (somewhat), but the Wii was a bit more limited.

However, even if you have an Xbox 360, you can use MyCasting to stream YouTube, Google Video, Yahoo! Video, Daily Motion, Guba, AOL Video, and thousands of other streaming Internet TV stations to your set. That's pretty nifty.

But how well does it work?

Pretty darn well. Setting up regular streaming (vids, music, pics) on the Xbox 360 was simple. Just pick shared folders on your PC (Windows only) and select the "Orb" PC option from your 360 in the correct media section. It streams just as you'd expect it to.

Plus, if you're trying to play back DivX or a format your Xbox 360 won't support, Orb will transcode it on the fly for you. The only downside to this is that Orb transcodes at what seems like 320x240 and stretches the image to 720p or 1080i or whatever resolution your 360's running. This makes the image blocky, but watchable if it's your only resort.

The best feature would have to be the Internet video content, which is fairly confusing to set up at first. After jumping through various hoops—you actually have to find stations on your PC and mark them as "favorite" before you can watch them—we got Internet video playing.

As for YouTube and Google, you can't actually just sit on the couch and flip through a bunch of videos. You have to find them on your PC first, then mark those as favorite before they're viewable on the console. Definitely clumsy, and hopefully fixable in future updates.

All in all the media streaming is handy for the stuff on your PC's hard drive, but the real gold here is being able to watch Internet content.

More impressions from PS3 and Wii later. – Jason Chen

Gizmodo

Apple TV vs. Xbox 360: Media Center Showdown

Gizmodo: "Walt Mossburg said in his review that 'Apple TV's most formidable competitor is the Xbox 360 game console from Microsoft, which, in addition to playing games, can also play back content from Windows computers on a TV.' The Times' techmeister David Pogue also calls up the 360 Media Extender in his review, as well some other gadgets.

In our head-to-head, we took Vista Ultimate and used a 360 as a Windows Media Extender. With this setup, we came to the conclusion that the hulking white box ekes out the slimmer, shorter Apple TV—unless you have a standard XP computer with Media Center, or copious amounts of Apple iTunes DRM'd content. Why?"

Only Three People Lining Up In London For PS3

Someone should tell them that is really not necessary.



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PS3 price difference buys a lot of beer

It's pretty common knowledge that the PS3 is a bit more expensive than a Xbox 360. In Europe the difference in price is around £146, something Microsoft really wanted to hit home with their latest generous offering. This afternoon, over at the CVG offices, they received a special delivery of £146 worth of Fosters beer, rolled in by beer couriers, and sent to them by none other than Microsoft. Perplexed by Microsoft's sudden generosity, they opened the attached note which read;

"What would you purchase for £146...? (The price difference between an Xbox 360 and a PlayStaion 3) Well, for a start we thought you might like £146 worth of beer to kick start your weekend early."

What a great point Microsoft, we would have never thought to purchase beer with all of the money we've saved. But why you didn't share the beer love with Fanboy Towers? We're still a little confused to exactly how much beer one could purchase with the savings in US currency, so we'd welcome the knowledge. Lucky CVG writers ... they get all the drunken fun on Microsoft's tab.
PS3 price difference buys a lot of beer - Xbox 360 Fanboy

"Official" images of 360 Elite surface

The word "official" is a tricky one out here on the clogged intertubes of Tomorrow World. Generally, the word "official" means one of two things. One, it means that something is, in fact, official, and that it is the genuine article. Two, it means that something is as fake as it can possibly be. It seems a handful of "official" pictures of the Xbox 360 Elite have landed on Spanish gaming site, Consolas.com. Maybe we're jumping the gun here, but nearly all the images look pretty damned fake. The controller and accessories look fishy, as though someone simply reversed white to black in all instances. We also find it odd that Microsoft would place the black Elite on a black background. The Elite package art is particularly suspect, as all the accessories pictured on it are white, not black. Put simply, we're skeptical.

Then again, we didn't find the leaked Halo 3 packaging all that convincing either. What say you, 360 fanboys, real or fake?
"Official" images of 360 Elite surface - Xbox 360 Fanboy

Watch internet TV on your 360 with Orb

Watch internet TV on your 360 with Orb - Xbox 360 Fanboy: "IPTV may be a ways off for the Xbox 360, but that doesn't mean you can't have a little internet TV fun right now. Introducing Orb, a media streaming solution for the Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3. Orb allows users to stream video, photos, and music to selected devices, including our beloved Xbox 360. Of course, the Xbox handles streaming all by its lonesome, but Orb adds the option of streaming content from internet sources as well. While we've seen similar functionality in programs like TVersity, we've actually managed to get Orb up and running with minimal hassle. So far we've watched a little BBC and a Japanese rock concert with little trouble (over a wireless connection no less). The program takes some time to buffer (over a minute in our case) but the ease of use is appreciated. To give it a shot yourself, head over to Orb.com, read the Xbox 360 guide, download the software, and get cracking.

Keep in mind you will have to create an Orb account, but it's free (for now at least). Also, we have no knowledge of how reliable Orb is, so use it at your own risk. Give it a whirl and tell us what you think."

Xbox 360 Elite to Ship With Data Transfer Cable?

Xbox 360 Elite to Ship With Data Transfer Cable? - Xbox: "Ars Technica's Opposable Thumbs has the scoop on a data transfer cable that will ship with the new Xbox 360 Elite Edition (codenamed Zephyr) that will let you transfer data from your Xbox 360 Premium hard drive to the new one. An insider told Ars Technica:

I work for a large game distributor. MS disclosed this SKU to us a few weeks ago—definitely not a fake story. Price, features, color are all correct. MS has told us that the data will be transferred via some sort of cable that will be included with the unit. The cable will also be included w/ the 120GB drive that will be sold separately (price TBD). "

First image of Transformers: The Game

Activision unveils the first image of the game "Transformers", inspired from the movie directed by Michael Bay. You may have seen it before, but we missed it the first time, so here it is.
First image of Transformers: The Game - Xboxyde

10 of the Toughest Games to Beat

Across the history of gaming there have been numerous titles that have knocked players on their collective butts. Narrowing down the ten most difficult was a tricky task in itself, since the challenge of a game can be very subjective. Here are 10 that were difficult for most everyone who played them.



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Scott Miller Admits 'screwing up' Duke Nukem Forever

Scott: First, we fully admit we’re screwed up the development of DNF, and it’s now an industry joke. I laugh (and cry) when I think about it, too. Our fault is that we set the bar too high, and we tried too hard to make the game to beat all games. In the last 18 months we’ve taken a much more realistic look at the project ...



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Matrix Trilogy to hit HD DVD May 22nd; Blu-ray later this year

We have some good news for all the the 360 owners with the HD DVD addon...

Depending on your perspective, we have good news and we have bad news. The good news for HD DVD is that The Matrix Trilogy will be released on HD DVD May 22nd and that Blu-ray doesn't have a date yet. The bad news for Blu-ray is there is yet another title delayed, for what we would bet our latest payment advice is because of a BJD authoring problem. The Ultimate Matrix Collection ($119) and The Complete Matrix Trilogy ($99) will be on 8 discs and include 35 hours of bonus features and iHD HDi Advanced Navigation HD DVD's In-Movie Experience (IME). This might just be one of the last Warner titles not released as a TotalHD disc and we can see why, they are going to need every layer they can get for all that bonus footage.

Matrix Trilogy to hit HD DVD May 22nd; Blu-ray later this year - Engadget HD