Technologizer

Xbox Live, Facebook and Twitter: Incompatible

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Here’s a telling moment from my first experiences with social networking on Xbox Live: While rifling through status updates on Facebook, I spotted a comment that seemed worthy of a response, which would’ve taken forever to type on my controller. Also, there was a Web link which the Xbox 360 couldn’t access. So I got [...]

No Netflix for Xbox Live-Averse

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

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The Playstation 3’s upcoming support for Netflix isn’t enough to shake Microsoft, which will still require an Xbox Live Gold subscription to stream Netflix movies through the console. IGN confirmed that Microsoft won’t offer Netflix streaming to users of the free Xbox Live Silver service, a bare-bones offering that doesn’t include online play, among other features. [...]

For Gamers, the Microsoft Store’s a Rip (and a Mend)

Friday, October 23, 2009

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The Microsoft Store stole plenty of ideas from Apple, but you definitely won’t find services for gamers in the Apple Store. Destructoid’s Conrad Zimmerman was close by for the Microsoft Store’s grand opening yesterday, and he scoped out a few features for Xbox 360 and Games for Windows customers. The neatest thing he found was on-demand printing [...]

Blu-ray as an Xbox 360 Accessory, Says Ballmer. Wait, What?

Thursday, October 22, 2009

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Is Microsoft planning a standalone Blu-ray player to go with the Xbox 360? It would appear that way from a quote Gizmodo dug out from its interview with Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer. Asked whether Microsoft will add a Blu-ray player to the Xbox 360, Ballmer said “Well I don’t know if we need to put [...]

An Xbox Live Price Hike? Pachter Says Yes!

Monday, October 19, 2009

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I should know better than to springboard off the thoughts of video game industry analyst Michael Pachter, but sometimes it’s irresistable. The guy’s got a knack for being provocative. His latest theory? Microsoft will, over time, double the Xbox Live subscription cost from $50 to $100 per year. Speaking on Game Trailers’ Bonus Round broadcast, Pachter [...]

Xbox 360 Achievements’ Icy Grip Needn’t Get Colder

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

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I can’t recall my reaction when Microsoft introduced Achievements alongside the Xbox 360, but I definitely didn’t expect them to have such a profound impact on the games industry. Now, one game developer says that Achievements, particularly the easy ones, can drive game sales. Speaking to Official Xbox Magazine, Gearbox’s Randy Pitchford said there’s a subset [...]

Wii Price Drops, Sony and Microsoft Beat Chests

Thursday, September 24, 2009

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Nintendo finally responded to the pressure from Sony and Microsoft, cutting the Wii’s price to $200, effective this Sunday. There were plenty of warning signs – store circulars, retailer’s internal e-mails, and plain old common sense — but now it’s official. I’ve said my piece about the Wii’s holiday prospects, but I had to chuckle today at [...]

The Video Game Bundle Wars of 2009

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

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Evidence that the Wii will become a $200 console is piling up, with the latest rumor coming from Best Buy management. Engadget scored a screen grab of a company letter, warning that the price drop will happen on Sunday, following an official announcement this Friday. Alongside price cuts for the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360 [...]

Reimagining the Future of Digital Games Distribution

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

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With Sony launching the download-only PSP Go next month and Microsoft recently launching premium game downloads over Xbox Live, the seeds are planted for a fully digital future. For the most part, I’ve viewed this as a good thing, but an editorial by Jim Sterling at Destructoid today gave me pause. Entitled “Fearing the future of [...]

Oh, Just Tell Us the Xbox 360 Failure Rate Already!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

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Another day, another stab at the Xbox 360’s failure rate. This time, the estimate comes from Square Trade (PDF), a third-party electronics warranty company. Based on customer reports, the company says Microsoft’s game console has a 23.7 percent chance of dying within two years of purchase. Half the errors reported to Square Trade involved the infamous [...]

Why Shadow Complex’s Impressive Sales Matter

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

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During the first week after Microsoft released Shadow Complex for the Xbox 360, something extraordinary happened: Over 200,000 people plunked down $20 $15 to download the game. That makes Shadow Complex — an exploration-themed shooter in the same vein as the classic Metroid — the most downloaded single-player Xbox Live Arcade game to date. Compared to [...]

RROD Explained: You Play Too Much

Monday, August 31, 2009

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Microsoft’s never been particularly forthcoming about the Xbox 360’s hardware issues. The company said earlier this year that the worst troubles are behind us, only to see new problems spring up. We’ve never heard an official failure rate (estimates vary, wildly), and after all this time, there’s no way to tell whether a working console [...]

Xbox 360 Slim? How About Xbox 360 Natal?

Monday, August 24, 2009

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With the Playstation 3 looking slimmer and cheaper than ever, all eyes are on Microsoft to retaliate. Rather than speculate on its own, IndustryGamers polled some of gaming’s crystal ball-holding analysts to find out what they thought. The question: Do you think Microsoft will release an Xbox 360 Slim? The response was mixed, with a few strong “yays” [...]

GamesCom, Where All Your Console Rumors Come True

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

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So, E3 didn’t really pan out as the place to announce price cuts for video game consoles. The rumored PS3 Slim/$100 price cut remains a rumor, and the Xbox 360 is holding steady at $200 for the Arcade model, $300 for the Pro and $400 for the Elite. Things will reportedly change at GamesCom, a conference [...]

How Long Can the Xbox 360 Hold Netflix?

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

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A big hoopla was made in the games and tech blogosphere today when Microsoft bragged about its exclusive partnership with Netflix. The agreement brings streaming Netflix movies to the Xbox 360, and not to competing consoles. (Of course there are still plenty of other non-gaming options.) As Crispy Gamer’s Kyle Orland points out, this exclusivity has [...]

Want Xbox Games On Demand? It’ll Cost You

Friday, August 7, 2009

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Come Tuesday, Microsoft will begin selling major Xbox 360 games for download through its Xbox Live service, but from the prices we’ve seen so far, it’s not a sound investment. Endsights got a hold of the pricing for nine of the 24 games that will be available initially. Using the online retailer Newegg as a comparison [...]