Microsoft: Ask us About Rare in 3 to 5 Years

"I think that the story on Rare is really going to be told in the next three to five years. The kind of titles we're really asking them to focus on now are the Banjos, the Viva Pinatas, the Kameos, and so forth. Rare is going to be our internal studio--really, our primary studio for the most part--that's going to be focused on creating those big, triple-A-level, broad appeal titles. We're entering into the life cycle stage of the console where those kinds of titles can and should do well. We've never been in that stage since we owned Rare. When you look back at Xbox version one, that was a hardcore box through and through, right? Now, Kameo and Viva Pinata have launched during the highest price point of the Xbox 360. Those are really good titles that we're very proud of, and Viva Pinata in particular I think will have very long legs with the television series."

Red vs Blue Halo 3 Beta PSA (HD)

"Name: PSA: Halo 3 Beta Video HD
Price: Free
Availability: Gold members in all Xbox Live regions
Dash Details: A hilarious introduction to the Halo 3 multiplayer Beta. All you can eat shrimp not included. "

Xbox 360 Elite Commercial

Today, a commercial for the Xbox 360 Elite that is currently running on television made its way onto YouTube. You can watch the 30 sec commercial after our ad break.

The Xbox 360 Elite is the premier Xbox 360 console package, which includes a massive 120GB hard drive, a HDMI port, and high definition cable, all wrapped up with a premium black finish.

Xbox 360 Elite also includes a black wireless controller and black Xbox Live headset. Xbox 360 Elite has enough space for a whole library of Xbox LIVE Arcade games as well as downloadable high-definition TV shows, movies, music, and all the other content available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.

Free XBLA Game - Tomorrow - Wednesday May 16th (REMINDER)

“Aegis Wing” will be available for free to all Xbox LIVE® Silver and Gold members in North America for a limited time. “Aegis Wing” will be available for download on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360™ beginning Wednesday, May 16, at 2 a.m. PDT.



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Bungie launches Halo 3 Beta Guide to prepare fans for tomorrow

It starts by helping Halo fans get the download depending on whether or not they own Crackdown, then approaches audio and video settings, followed by matchmaking and networking options. Then it has a mini FAQ section, as well as a picture guide for weapons, vehicles, and equipment. And at the bottom are elaborate picture guides for the 3 beta maps.



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Instead of watching real basketball, watch this trailer for NBA '08

With everybody all over this fantasy baseball nonsense, let's take a break from that and check up on the world of basketball video games, specifically, NBA '08. In this "official" trailer, you get to see a bunch of your favorite athletes making a plethora of dramatic dunks. That's not all, but that's really the gist of what you'd expect to see in a trailer for a basketball videogame. Shooting the ball through the hoop is the objective, right? We're kidding -- the game looks pretty nice, so let's hope it plays just as nice.

Xbox 360 More Popular Than PS3 and Wii

"According to Google the Xbox 360 is the most popular gaming console ahead of both the Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii consoles.

Google statistics have shown that Xbox 360 is searched for on Google more than twice as much as the PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii. This is not all that surprising since the Xbox 360 has a larger installed user base but it is surprising to see such an increase in searches."

Bloomberg: Sony Readies for Record Losses

Sony could post its biggest quarterly loss in four years because of lagging PlayStation 3 sales and high launch costs, according to a report today on financial site Bloomberg. “The extent of the recovery in the game business will be the main theme this fiscal year,” said Naoki Fujiwara of Tokyo’s Shinkin Asset Management.

A median estimate of 11 analysts surveyed indicates the fiscal fourth quarter net loss at Tokyo-based Sony may have widened to 75.8 billion yen ($630 million) from 66.5 billion yen a year ago. The analysts suggested that sales for the quarter were up around 9.5 percent to more than 2 trillion yen.

Sony’s fiscal quarter ended March 31 and the company will announce its results tomorrow.

Five of the 11 analysts polled said that the games division may post a quarterly loss of 121 billion yen “and a record 245 billion yen deficit for the fiscal year.” The games division is Sony’s second largest revenue-wise after the consumer electronics division, which creates the successful Bravia televisions.

According to NPD Group, the PS3 sold 501,000 units from January to March this year in the US, while the Wii sold over 1 million and Xbox 360 sold 721,000.

Merrill Lynch Japan Securities analyst Hitoshi Kuriyama, who issues a “buy” rating for Sony, said, “The 5 percent margin target is reachable if there is no price cut in the PS3. But I'm expecting a 20 percent price cut this fiscal year, and if that happens, the margin will not reach 5 percent.''