« Igniq.com Gaming News - Bookmark this site Advertisements  Boingboing has picked up on a point slightly buried in Gamespot's hands-on Xbox 360 report. Apparently the only way to get music files onto the console's hard drive is by ripping from a CD - while mp3's can be played directly from a connected USB device or data CD, a DRM system is in place that prevents users from copying them to the hard drive: Get used to ripping tracks from audio CDs because that's the only way we could get music onto the 360's HDD. The console could recognize and play MP3 songs from USB devices like memory sticks and portable media players, but we couldn't transfer songs over to the HDD. Similarly, the system could play songs from a data CD that contained MP3s, but we couldn't transfer the music directly to the system's HDD. The 360 can stream music from USB devices and data CDs, but it won't let you copy any songs from those sources. Xbox 360 Games, Good, Bad and Ugly No Free Xbox 360 for Ballmer Blingy Solid Gold Xbox 360 Faceplate Xbox 360 as Power-Hungry as Three PS2's Xbox 360 Team On Back Compatibility Issues MS Sued for Faulty Xbox 360's Amazon Shortage = Empty Handed Xbox 360 Gamers Xbox 360 Goes for Over $10K on eBay Reports of Crashing Xbox 360's 17 Yr-Old Robbed for his Brand New Xbox 360 Xbox 360 Information and Resources Links Poll: Which Next-Generation Console Will You Buy? Discussion >>  It's hard to see the marketing strategy behind this old Japanese ad for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past on the Super Famicom.It features no footage from the game at all, but a dancer dressed up as Link leading a choreographed routine which looks suspiciously like Thriller. Super dancing Zelda action - Similar: Street Fighter II Salsa Via Metafilter Related: Zelda Meets Halo Michael Jackson - Famicom Hero Duck Hunt Meets Doom Sucky Nintendo box art Video game TV spots, lots of them Discussion >>  If you've managed to avoid the shortages and get yourself an Xbox 360, you'll need some recommendations on what games will justify an extra $60 of your hard earned cash.The AP has a quick and handy reference guide for 18 launch titles split into the good, the bad and the ugly, with a short paragraph outlining the plus and minus points of each. Among the "good" are Condemned: Criminal Origins and COD 2, which is described as the best first person shooter available for the 360. The middling games include Jackson's King Kong, which loses points for being short, and not featuring enough play as the gorilla himself. The bottom of the barrel as far as the journo is concerned is Fifa Soccer 2006 which he slates as an overpriced rush job. XBOX 360 GAMES: the Good, Bad and the Ugly Related: No Free Xbox 360 for Ballmer Blingy Solid Gold Xbox 360 Faceplate Xbox 360 as Power-Hungry as Three PS2's Xbox 360 Team On Back Compatibility Issues MS Sued for Faulty Xbox 360's Amazon Shortage = Empty Handed Xbox 360 Gamers Xbox 360 Goes for Over $10K on eBay Reports of Crashing Xbox 360's 17 Yr-Old Robbed for his Brand New Xbox 360 Got $2000? Check Out the Xbox 360 Omega Bundle Xbox 360 Information and Resources Links Poll: Which Next-Generation Console Will You Buy? Discussion >>  If you're desperately trying to secure an Xbox 360 without success, it might be some consolation to know that even the CEO of Microsoft hasn't got one yet.At a meeting with tech industry bigwigs, Steve Ballmer revealed the console doesn't come free with his job, and that he's "in the same boat" as ordinary shoppers trying to secure one: "The Ballmer children do not have their Xbox 360 yet. I'm in the same boat as many of you," Ballmer said. "Thanks to the wonders of Sarbanes-Oxley, management does not get a free Xbox 360," he quipped at a meeting of technology industry executives. Blingy Solid Gold Xbox 360 Faceplate Xbox 360 as Power-Hungry as Three PS2's Xbox 360 Team On Back Compatibility Issues MS Sued for Faulty Xbox 360's Amazon Shortage = Empty Handed Xbox 360 Gamers Xbox 360 Goes for Over $10K on eBay Reports of Crashing Xbox 360's 17 Yr-Old Robbed for his Brand New Xbox 360 Got $2000? Check Out the Xbox 360 Omega Bundle Bizarre Creations Push The Limits of Xbox 360 Xbox 360 Information and Resources Links Poll: Which Next-Generation Console Will You Buy? Discussion >>  For the gamer with more money than sense, here's an eBay auction for an Xbox 360 faceplate fashioned from a solid gold bar. The faceplate is described as fully-functional and is currently "under armed guard" somewhere in the U.S., waiting for someone who can kick off the bidding, which begins at $36,000:This is a pure 999.9 solid gold "bar" that has been cast into the shape of a functional xbox 360 faceplate. The IR receiver, ports, and buttons are all functional! Half of the pictures show the plate by itself and the other half of pictures show the face with the buttons and port covers in place. Again, this is functional and will mount onto an xbox 360 console. The weight of the gold by itself is approximately 900 grams. The faceplate is immaculate with no scratches- mint condition! (no pun intended) Pimp my Xbox, 24crt Gold style Gold and Diamond-Encrusted PSP Discussion >>  Sony Computer Entertainment have announced their acquisition of Guerrilla Games, the Dutch developer behind Killzone for the PS2 and 2004's Shellshock: Nam '67.The developer is currently working on a Killzone game for the PS3, which was glimpsed in an amazing trailer from the E3 earlier this year, and a PSP title set in the Killzone universe is also in the pipeline. Sony describe the acquisition as a strengthening of the close working relationship that began when Guerrilla agreed to develop exclusively for Sony in March 2004. SCE's Phil Harrison had this to say about the announcement: As we prepare for the launch of PLAYSTATION 3 next year, this acquisition strengthens our development portfolio to take full advantage of the exciting entertainment opportunities provided by PSP, PLAYSTATION 3 and beyond. Guerrilla-Games.com SCE Announce Global Games Dev Studio (14 Sept) PS3 To Feature Keyboard and Mouse Support Carmack Mulls "Super Edition DOOM 3" for PS3 Sony: Multiple PS3 Versions "Unlikely" Discussion >>  Gaming Steve has scans of a great Atari Club Christmas Catalog from 1982 when the 2600 reigned supreme.The catalogue includes all kinds of 80's Atari merch like the Atari Kite and Frisbee, as well as the "Atari Organizer" - possibly the company's only foray into the furniture business: This 8-page catalog of gaming goodness was bundled inside the September/October 1982 edition of Atari Age Magazine and features some rather odd gift choices. An Atari plastic inflatable kite? An Atari space telescope? An Atari "Super Sports Wallet"? Err ... okay, if you say so. "Father of Gaming" Gives Thumbs-up to Nintendo Controller Range of Retro Atari Watches Announced (13 Sept) Hacking the Atari Flashback 2 into a 2600 Atari Flashback 2 Convert Atari 2600 joystick into a PSP Battery Pack Discussion >>  C|NET has run a test of the electricity required by the Xbox 360's power supply and it turns out it sucks up more than twice as much as the original Xbox, and more than three times as much as a PS2.C|NET estimates a four-hour a day Xbox 360 gaming habit would add between $10-$35 to an annual electricity bill: Of course, the Xbox 360 isn't as big a power hog as a refrigerator or an oven, but it uses more than double the electricity of any other game console on the market. The Xbox 360 may be twice as pretty as its predecessor, but it's also twice as hungry. Xbox 360’s Power Supply Web-Comic Xbox 360 Team On Back Compatibility Issues MS Sued for Faulty Xbox 360's Amazon Shortage = Empty Handed Xbox 360 Gamers Xbox 360 Goes for Over $10K on eBay Reports of Crashing Xbox 360's 17 Yr-Old Robbed for his Brand New Xbox 360 Got $2000? Check Out the Xbox 360 Omega Bundle Bizarre Creations Push The Limits of Xbox 360 Xbox 360 Information and Resources Links Poll: Which Next-Generation Console Will You Buy? Discussion >>  The official site for 3D Realms' endlessly delayed Duke Nukem Forever warns gamers not to believe any release dates posted on outside websites, and especially not to go pre-ordering the game before it's officially announced.But that hasn't stopped Amazon.co.uk from listing the game for release on the 21st of April 2006, and offering it for pre-order at £24.99 (a 28% discount no less): The company is suggesting that the game should hit shelves on April 21st 2006 but once again we highly doubt this date. We checked again the 3Drealms web site and here to see what the company is saying about the matter. The developers at 3Drealms are advising everyone not to pre order and one more time to avoid pre-ordering. Gamespot: Duke Nukem Forever screenshots Duke Nukem Forever Physics Provider Gets Acquired (2 Sept) PC Gamer Get First Look At Duke Nukem Forever (23 April) Duke Nukem Forever Physics Pass HL2 (25 March) Shining's Overlook Hotel Recreated in Duke Nukem 3D Discussion >>  If you use Google and are in the U.S., you might be interested in Blingo, which gives the same search results as Google, but randomly selects users during the day and gives them prizes just for searching.They've recently added the PSP to their list of goodies, which also includes iPod's and portable DVD players. Check it out here via ForeverGeek Related: Mega Man Heading to PSP Windows and Linux on a PSP Make Your Website PSP-Ready PSP Hacks and Mods List Discussion >>  The official blog of the Xbox 360 team has a Q&A with David Reid, Director of Platform Marketing for Xbox on the subject of original Xbox games working on the 360.He reports the team is working away to add more to the list of games that will work, and explained that emulators for certain games like Halo 2 enabled other games at the same time, speeding up the process in some cases: Q: “How come you guys prioritized (this one Xbox game you don’t like) over my game (insert Xbox game here)? I’m sure more people like my game. . .” Xbox.com - Todd Holmdahl on backwards compatibility Nvidia to save Xbox 360's incompatible ass (20 June) MS Sued for Faulty Xbox 360's Amazon Shortage = Empty Handed Xbox 360 Gamers Xbox 360 Goes for Over $10K on eBay Reports of Crashing Xbox 360's 17 Yr-Old Robbed for his Brand New Xbox 360 Got $2000? Check Out the Xbox 360 Omega Bundle Bizarre Creations Push The Limits of Xbox 360 Xbox 360 Information and Resources Links Poll: Which Next-Generation Console Will You Buy? Discussion >>  Gamespot has a very interesting report from Shigeru Miyamoto's keynote speech at the 2005 Digital Interactve Entertainment Conference.The Nintendo chief revealed the Revolution still has a surprise in store for us, and that's it's related to the controller in some way. No other details were forthcoming about exactly what it is however, with Miyamoto leaving us to guess until the company reveal their surprise next year. A clue perhaps might be found in the overall theme of his speech - it mainly concerns the complexity of video game interfaces and reiterates Nintendo's strategy of expanding the audience out beyond core gamers. Miyamoto gave a history of Nintendo controllers, pointing to the SNES controller as the most complex, partly due to the popularity of Street Fighter II at the time. He revealed the focus on ease of use was a factor in the design of the GameCube controller, as well as the Nintendo DS's simple stylus-based interface; Miyamoto commented that the DS had won over a new audience of female 20 something gamers. With Revolution, the goal is to expand the audience to the entire family through the living room: Miyamoto revealed that the Revolution's controller is purposely shaped in the form of a TV remote because it's something that everyone in the family would touch. He hopes the controller will introduce a more effective and fun way to play games. As an example, he pointed out that its Nunchuck add-on can be used for first-person shooters. Players would use their left hand to move, and their right hand for actions. "Father of Gaming" Gives Thumbs-up to Nintendo Controller Microsoft's Prototype "XWand" Nintendo "Futurna" Concept Images Epic VP Disses Revolution Nintendo to attempt simultaneous launch J Allard Disses Nintendo Controller (10 Oct) Nintendo Reveal Revolution-ary Controller (15 Sept) Poll: Which Next-Generation Console Will You Buy? Discussion >>  Capcom have announced the classic franchise Mega Man is to make an appearance in two new games for Sony PSP.Mega Man Maverick Hunter X is to be a remake of the SNES game Mega Man X, and will build upon the original somewhat with new 3D character models, environments and gameplay features. The game will also come with an animated movie that provides a glimpse into the events that took place before the plot of Mega Man X. Mega Man Powered Up meanwhile will be a complete transformation of the original Mega Man, and will sport completely redrawn characters with super sized cartoon heads. The game will also feature a newly redesigned level structure, modified maps and item locations so players of the original will have a new gameplay experience. In addition, the game will feature the series' first-ever level editor so gamers can create their own stages and then share them on the PSP's Infrastructure Mode. Both games will be released across all PAL territories, with Maverick Hunter X due for release on the 24th of February 2006, while Mega Man Powered Up will be released on the 24th of March. More information Discussion >>  A Chicago man has launched a lawsuit against Microsoft, claiming the Xbox 360 has a design flaw.Robert Byers has claimed that the company was so intent on releasing the console ahead of the PS3 and Nintendo Revolution that they effectively shoved a "defectively designed" product out the door. He specifically points to the power supply and CPU of the console, which he says overheat and causes the machine to freeze up. Reports hit the Web of the console crashing and freezing up right after the U.S. launch, but it's unclear how widespread the defects are. At the time Microsoft acknowledged faulty consoles were sold, but said they only represented a "very small fraction" of the units shipped: While Microsoft may be underreporting problems, all signs point to this being a minor problem to the extent that a majority of units are not affected. Of the 25 people I know with an Xbox 360, not a single one has problems. While that is not a significant sample size, it is large enough to put claims that "nearly all" units have problems, or that it is extremely commonplace. Furthermore, of those who have had problems, most have found the problems to lie not with the console per se, but with the power brick. It appears to overheat, and as we previously reported, improving airflow seems to do the trick. Amazon Shortage = Empty Handed Xbox 360 Gamers Xbox 360 Goes for Over $10K on eBay Poor Framerates Trouble Quake IV on Xbox 360 Reports of Crashing Xbox 360's 17 Yr-Old Robbed for his Brand New Xbox 360 Bill Gates Appears at Store for Xbox 360 Launch Got $2000? Check Out the Xbox 360 Omega Bundle Bizarre Creations Push The Limits of Xbox 360 Xbox 360 Peripheral & Price Listings Xbox 360 Information and Resources Links Discussion >>  Hundreds of U.K. gamers who pre-ordered an Xbox 360 on Amazon in the hopes of skipping the crush at launch have seen the day come and go empty handed, the BBC is reporting.Apparently the limited supply of consoles were originally assigned on a first-come first-served basis by Amazon, but somewhere along the line the system got messed up and the company are reporting "isolated incidents" where this has not taken place. The incidents might not be as isolated as all that however, as hundreds of irate customers have reported on Digidots.co.uk of ordering their 360 way back in August, only to see 2 December arrive with no console in sight: Well I am extremely frustrated and angry at Amazon because I felt that because I pre-ordered so early that I would be guaranteed my Xbox. I have now cancelled my order because I am not going to give them any of my money. I am just so annoyed because I even ordered before they sent the email saying that you could order. Also I was informed by Amazon themselves that stock would be allocated on a first come/first serve basis. Now I don’t know when I am going to an Xbox… and I was really prepped about getting one. Xbox 360 Goes for Over $10K on eBay Poor Framerates Trouble Quake IV on Xbox 360 Reports of Crashing Xbox 360's 17 Yr-Old Robbed for his Brand New Xbox 360 Bill Gates Appears at Store for Xbox 360 Launch Got $2000? Check Out the Xbox 360 Omega Bundle Bizarre Creations Push The Limits of Xbox 360 Xbox 360 Peripheral & Price Listings Xbox 360 Information and Resources Links Discussion >>  Over the next couple of weeks, four chapters from the new book Smartbomb will be posted on next-gen.bizThe book explores the gaming revolution from the "grandfather of the videogame" William A. Higinbotham, a scientist who worked on the Manhattan Project and created a game called "Tennis for Two" in 1958, to the emergence of the multi-billion dollar industry that has unleashed the current next-gen console war. I've just started reading the book over the past few days and so far it's engaging and interesting, peppered with facts and anecdotes accumulated over five years of research by the husband and wife team of Heather Chaplin and Aaron Ruby. From the intro: This is a report from the game front—a place where bleeding-edge computer science and wild creativity have fused to produce a new medium that is poised to dramatically alter not only how we play but also how we communicate and learn.  Nolan Bushnell, the man behind the success of Pong and founder of Atari back in the 70's, has used his speech at the 2005 Digital Interactive Entertainment Conference to make a surprising point:he claims that the total gaming population (I presume in the U.S.) has shrank dramatically from 44 million in the 80's to 18 million today. The 44 million includes casual and female gamers who Bushnell claims have been alienated away from the medium over the years, and he points to overly-complex interfaces like the PS2 controller as a reason for this, while saying Nintendo's new approach is a move back in the right direction: “Complexity lost the casual gamer,” he says. “Violence lost the woman gamer.” He ventures into Nintendo territory, even slamming the PS2 controller. Nolan Bushnell on Wikipedia Gaming Restaurant from Creator of Pong (3 June) Microsoft's Prototype "XWand" Nintendo "Futurna" Concept Images Epic VP Disses Revolution Nintendo to attempt simultaneous launch Kojima Working On A Revolution Title? Discussion >> Archives
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