360s News

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » January 26, 2007, 8:37 pm

Here's a decent video showing off the new IPTV capabilities for the 360:

http://www.gamedrift.com/articles.php?a=196

You have to sit through a PS3 commercial before the video starts though!

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 20, 2007, 8:17 pm

Looks like maybe next month for the new 120GB Black XBox.

120GB will be nice for the new IPTV capabilities and HDMI (with cable included!) should make some people happy. Not including HD-DVD is not a big deal.

Hopefully it has the 65nm CPU in it and is super quiet with the new DVD drive and fans. It would also be nice if the price drops to the 399.00 premium price levels in the fall if it does replace it as rumored.

It’s been rumoured again and again, but this time, the black Xbox 360 seems to be coming, and sooner than you might expect. If I wanted to use keywords for everything Kotaku told us about what's in the latest Game Informer magazine, it would go something like: Black Xbox 360, April 2007, 120GB HDD, HDMI output and cable, no HD DVD, $479 USD. Matt Helgeson, senior editor over at Game Informer, insists they don't post fake news stories in their April magazine. So Kotaku believes it’s true. Now, let’s see what Engadget has confirmed with its sources. It will be dubbed the Xbox 360 Elite, will only be available in limited quantities, with new packaging. The case, controller, and Live headset will all be black. It will be sold alongside Premium and Core packs and eventually (expected late summer or fall) Elite hardware (in white plastics) will replace the Xbox Premium. Elite models run cooler than normal 360s, but they are not yet confirmed to have 65nm chips. There are no current plans to integrate WiFi (although that can always change).

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » March 20, 2007, 10:53 pm

This thread needs some PS3 news.

GAME marketing director Anna Marcario has told GamesIndustry.biz that PlayStation 3 has more functionality than any other console on the market - a factor which is helping to create huge demand.

"The customer reaction to the arrival of the Sony PlayStation 3 really has been nothing short of phenomenal," she said.

"With a huge range of titles available for launch and having so much more functionality than any other games console, our customers can’t wait to get their hands on this incredible machine."

!

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » March 20, 2007, 11:29 pm

Aslanna wrote:This thread needs some PS3 news.

GAME marketing director Anna Marcario has told GamesIndustry.biz that PlayStation 3 has more functionality than any other console on the market - a factor which is helping to create huge demand.

"The customer reaction to the arrival of the Sony PlayStation 3 really has been nothing short of phenomenal," she said.

"With a huge range of titles available for launch and having so much more functionality than any other games console, our customers can’t wait to get their hands on this incredible machine."
!

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » March 21, 2007, 12:51 am

Aslanna wrote:This thread needs some PS3 news.

GAME marketing director Anna Marcario has told GamesIndustry.biz that PlayStation 3 has more functionality than any other console on the market - a factor which is helping to create huge demand.

"The customer reaction to the arrival of the Sony PlayStation 3 really has been nothing short of phenomenal," she said.

"With a huge range of titles available for launch and having so much more functionality than any other games console, our customers can’t wait to get their hands on this incredible machine."
!

Haha.

Seriously though, is this lady on acid?

I would love to get one of the "elite" 360's, but I can't justify spending the money for it when I already have one that I have a never ending warranty on at best buy.

I just hope they make some way I can transfer my data off of my 20g HD onto a new one, cause I have no intention of switching back and forth between hd's on my xbox.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » April 4, 2007, 3:10 am

Good news for Xbox owners:

Microsoft Introduces New Details to Xbox 360 Warranty

We recently announced that we changed the Xbox 360 ™ warranty in the United States and Canada from 90 days to one year from the date of purchase. Now we're adding additional service enhancements, taking Xbox 360 customer service one step further. Free Shipping, New Postal Service, and you will now receive the original console back from Microsoft.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/syste ... update.htm

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » April 4, 2007, 3:23 am

Basically doing everything their lawyers advise them to do to avoid the forthcoming class action lawsuit over the abundance of faulty 360's.

MooZilla · Post by **MooZilla** » April 4, 2007, 7:39 pm

Because 3% of all consoles they've sold is just an abundance...

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » April 8, 2007, 8:30 pm

Rumors of a keyboard attachment are popping up again after another leaked/rumored video of an update to the 360's dashboard adds a few new blades including a Windows Messenger/Live blade so you can chat with your friends while in game and from PC/360 while at work to bother those trying to play their games.

It looks funny but I'm used to using my thumbs to type on keyboards from when I had a Skyword pager back in the day. I think it'd be a huge help to get MMORPG type games rolling on consoles as you really need to be able to chat with people in those games as not everyone is going to be hooked into voice chat or want to voice chat. (remember the audio that was posted hear awhile back of a raid conducted on a voice channel?)

Here's the video of the rumored additions in the upgrade:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwd00FGp ... e%2Ecom%2F

kyoukan · Post by **kyoukan** » April 8, 2007, 8:41 pm

Awesome. I just use a USB keyboard on my PS3 as opposed to paying $80 for a stupid licensed peripheral.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » April 8, 2007, 8:46 pm

kyoukan wrote:Awesome. I just use a USB keyboard on my PS3 as opposed to paying $80 for a stupid licensed peripheral.

No thanks. I don't want a full keyboard when playing on a console or I'd play on the PC. This looks perfect for kicking back away from your PC, wirelessly without having a keyboard sitting on your lap along with a controller.

Waikiki · Post by **Waikiki** » April 8, 2007, 8:56 pm

It looks like it is going to render the controller completely worthless while it is plugged in!

Using a wireless keyboard on the PS3 for chatting/input works great. You don't really need it while playing games (that I own), so there is really no reason to have both on your lap at the same time. 16" away on the coffee table works fine. Plugging in a wireless mouse also gives you much better control while browsing the web.

In the future when playing an mmorpg or something similar on my PS3, I would much rather use a keyboard and mouse to play then a controller anyway!

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » April 8, 2007, 9:09 pm

Waikiki wrote:It looks like it is going to render the controller completely worthless while it is plugged in!

How so? My hands don't come anywhere near the area filled by the keyboard in that picture that would render it inoperable, but it's easy to slide down to use the keyboard with your thumbs...have you people no thumb dexterity!?

This will allow for mid range MMORPGS on the console, like a Final Fantasy battle system type game set in an MMORPG environment , although I doubt many serious players would prefer a console over a PC with all the macros involved typically. Can't beat the G15 for that.

That picture is a mock up. If the Messenger Blade is true though, some form of keyboard will be coming out. Microsoft can activate keyboards/mice on USB if they feel like it and adding instant messaging to the 360 may make them decide to do so. That, and their advanced IPTV services (with Netflix) in the works will make 360 owners happy.

Leonaerd · Post by **Leonaerd** » April 8, 2007, 9:14 pm

I can imagine a controller set-up like that working well for the Pii, because you could type while racing with the tilt feature. Or some shit like that.

Cool thing though.

Post by **pyrella** » April 8, 2007, 9:15 pm

Both the 360 and ps3 support usb keyboards.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » April 8, 2007, 10:29 pm

That controller looks like crap..
I'll pass on the Blackberry claw thank you very much..

If I want to send someone a huge text message, I'll use xbox.com, else I'll just grab my headset and send a voice message.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » April 8, 2007, 10:48 pm

Animalor wrote:That controller looks like crap..

Who cares what it looks like as long as it functions well. If an easy snap on, snap off accessory, it won't be a factor at all except for MMORPG type games which aren't hair trigger type games anyway.

BTW, while playing COOP in that Earth Defense game this weekend, I found myself backing up in my chair which is on wheels while trying to take down the huge wave of airships. The explosions and monster robots in that game are impressive on a big screen. I did the same thing in GoW...I kept backing my chair into shit. Sign of a quality game when you get into it that much!

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » April 8, 2007, 11:06 pm

EDF 2017 is fantastic. I'm playing it between bouts of Guitar Hero 2, Crackdown and Castlevania SOTN. On Mission 40 or 42 on easy mode.

I'm not sure how much I will use MSN/Live Messenger on the 360. I guess it is handy but being accessible that much isn't something I'm keen on.

I wonder if you'll be able to keep your MSN seperate from your gamertag or they have software make sure that it doesn't intergrate your MSN automatically to your friends list after the update.

Jice Virago · Post by **Jice Virago** » April 9, 2007, 5:07 pm

That controller looks like the old gay ass Atari Jaguar controller. Just let people use a cordless USB keyboard. I get carple tunnel just looking at that fucking thing. A controller is useless if its not comfortable to hold and operate, and that thing is neither. My question is, why would they even bother when they have USB ports on the unit and integrated headset support?

Oh well, at least I am using my 360 again, even if its just to play a 15 year old PS1 game that I already own or play a PS2 game I aleady have because it has a couple new songs. If it wasn't for old Playstation games, Viva Piniata would have been the only reason the thing was touched in months. Where are you Blue Dragon!

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » April 9, 2007, 6:59 pm

Here's pics of the actual 360 keyboard:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gamerscore ... 058725367/

it sits a little higher than I thought. I'd be nice if it had a timed backlight for the keys.

Jice Virago · Post by **Jice Virago** » April 9, 2007, 7:34 pm

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » April 9, 2007, 8:00 pm

Remember the Colecovision?

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » April 19, 2007, 6:50 pm

Some downloadable content announced for Blue Dragon:

Blue Dragon hasn’t hit the states yet, but Microsoft announced today the first downloadable content for the game is ready to be available on April 27, 2007. The content will be a random dungeon creator and will cost a mere 300 Microsoft points ($3.75), instead of being free as first indicated.

The idea of a random dungeon creator can add a huge amount of replayability to Blue Dragon for those of us who just love walking around aimless dungeons, leveling up our characters to get ready for the impending boss battle. I can’t wait for both the game and this DLC to hit the states already!

Blue Dragon
Lost Oddesy
Too Human
Mass Effect
Trusty Bell

and Assassin's Creed (also on PS3)

should make for some decent RPGs for the 360 in the next few months.

Details on the dungeon creator:

http://www.siliconera.com/index.php/200 ... #more-4004

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » April 24, 2007, 6:47 pm

Xbox 360 Loses Two Exclusives to PS3

In a turnaround to recent events it is the Xbox 360 that has lost two exclusive titles, which will now be made available on both the 360 and PS3. SCi announced today that Kane & Lynch, announced in July as an Xbox 360 and PC title, and Crossfire, announced in September as an Xbox 360 and PC title, are now both officially hitting two next-gen consoles.

Who? What? WTF are those games? OMG, MS lost Crossfire and um, Kane and Lynch!!!11! That's quite a turnaround! Those games blow away GTA4 and Devil May Cry.

http://www.neowin.net/index.php?act=view&id=39711

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » April 24, 2007, 7:21 pm

Yeah, I hadn't even heard of those games. And I don't even care about 360 losing exclusives, what I care about is games like FF being available on the 360.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » April 25, 2007, 7:02 am

Seems like I'm the only one that doesn't care when games go multi-platform.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » April 25, 2007, 9:39 am

I would prefer that all games were multi-platform! I understand why the console makers don't want it that way, but I wouldn't want to buy multiple consoles even if they were dirt cheap.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » April 25, 2007, 12:37 pm

I don't care if all games are multi platform. The claim that Sony had all of these great exclusives is pretty much gone now.

Gears of War 2 is supposed to be multi platform I think.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » April 25, 2007, 2:38 pm

I'm pretty sure there was something in the MS/Epic contract that MS would have publishing rights to any subsequent Gears title.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » April 25, 2007, 2:55 pm

Awww, bummer for Sony if that's the case.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » April 26, 2007, 11:38 pm

Microsoft said that revenue was down for the quarter because of “decreased Xbox 360 console sales.” The company shipped 500K consoles during the period, bringing the worldwide total to about 11 million consoles.

The same quarter a year ago saw console sales of 1.7 million units, due to that period being the first full quarter that the console was on the market. Xbox 360 launched in November 2005.

Xbox 360 and PC software sales followed the quarterly decline in hardware, as revenue from games decreased $393 million, or 44 percent.

Microsoft attributed the improvement in operating losses to the lower Xbox 360 console sales, as the company loses money on every Xbox 360 produced and sold. Revenue from the Mobile and Embedded Devices segment also helped improve EDD’s overall operating loss.

11 million sold and they're still not making any money. Interesting!

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » April 27, 2007, 8:18 am

Home Entertenment and Devices does so much R&D that I'm not surprised they're in the red.

There's all the work they do with the xbox and it's services and then there's the Zune and it's services as well.

Company still made ~ 14 billion overall this year so I'm not really worries about the XBox division going anywhere.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 6, 2007, 6:54 pm

Hmmm, we might see a 360weeeee! Controller in the future:

Gates Hints At New Xbox Control System

Gates Hints At New Xbox Control System Microsoft’s Bill Gates has given the strongest hint yet that the company plans to introduce a new control system for the Xbox 360 influenced by the success of the Wii, although his somewhat vague comments suggest a very different approach to Nintendo.

As detailed by technology website All Things Digital, Gates was taking part in a live conversation with Apple founder Steve Jobs, when Gates began to discuss the use of 3D online interfaces and the increasing role of the PC as a home media and communications center.

He ended his comments by saying, “And as we get natural input, that will cause a change... Software is doing vision and so, you know, imagine a game machine where you’re just going to pick up the bat and swing it or the tennis racket and swing it.”

As the similarities behind his concept and that of the Wii were pointed out, Gates responded: “No, that’s not it. You can’t pick up your tennis racket. And swing it.”

“You can’t sit there with your friends and do those natural things. That’s a 3D positional device. This is video recognition,” he added.

Although the use of the phrase “game machine” implies Xbox 360 technology, no further details were provided by Gates, although others, including Xbox’s Peter Moore, have previously hinted at Microsoft’s interest in producing a motion sensing controller for the Xbox 360.

Gates himself has been the most dismissive of Microsoft executives on the subject of the Wii, repeatedly stating his skepticism of the format and its controller and regarding it as a novelty. In May 2006, he even went as far as to state that motion sensing controllers are “something that's not mainstream for most games.”

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 13, 2007, 10:26 pm

Xbox is improving the cooling for 360's:

http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/13/micr ... g-finally/

compared to mine:

Looks like the GPU got a lot more cooling attention.

Moonwynd · Post by **Moonwynd** » June 14, 2007, 10:54 am

They should be doing a full recall and making this right. The overheating issue/3 rings of death have affected far more consoles than is acceptable.

I am a CSSBB (Certified Six Sigma Black Belt). Part of what I do for a living is to help both manufacturing and service organizations reduce variation in their processes thus reducing defects in their products and/or services. Based on purely anecdotal evidence I would hypothesize that Microsoft's defect rate per million parts (consoles) is fairly high.

Again, I would love to know what the actual defect rate is - I personally know a few people that are on their 3rd and 4th 360's from Microsoft as they received refurb units after sending their original units back. It seems like they are finally listening to the voice of the customer...either that or the impact of the defects on the stakeholders has gotten their attention.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » June 14, 2007, 12:07 pm

That seems based on the assumption that the overheating is what's causing the 3rod. Could totally be something else!

Moonwynd · Post by **Moonwynd** » June 14, 2007, 12:27 pm

Aslanna wrote:That seems based on the assumption that the overheating is what's causing the 3rod. Could totally be something else!

That has crossed my mind many times. I hate to assume - but I am assuming Microshaft knows the cause of the problem and is now doing something to remedy the issue.

If MS is just flying by the seat of their pants and guessing at the cause and resolution...well...I can't imagine that is the case.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 14, 2007, 12:41 pm

There is/was an issue with the poor application of thermal paste as well. I saw that first hand taking apart my 360 and even took pictures of it! (not that it would help anything since the warranty goes out the window once you crack the case) For anyone that has a bricked 360 that is out of warranty, you may want to try taking it apart and applying your own arctic silver thermal paste. It's quite a project but you have nothing to lose if it's not working and you don't want to pay the 100.00 or whatever it costs to send it to Microsoft.

Edit: my 360 was overheating and shutting down after a few seconds but worked again after I cleaned up the heatsinks for the CPU and GPU and applied better paste.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » July 21, 2007, 9:14 am

http://www.gamepro.com/microsoft/xbox36 ... 4008.shtml

Feature: Six Reasons The Xbox 360 Is in Trouble

The PS3 isn't the only console with problems. Microsoft has an equal share of issues with the Xbox 360 that could prove just as harmful as Sony's. Here are six reasons why the Xbox 360 is in trouble, though not necessarily doomed.

1. It's unreliable. As Microsoft finally acknowledged this month, Xbox 360s fail more often than the company "is comfortable with." Some reports pin the "Red Ring of Death" failure rates as high as 33%. As a result, Microsoft increased the system's warranty from one to three years at a sizable and appreciated expense, but the company's unwillingness to fully disclose what's causing the problem undermines the solution. Gamers don't want to risk $300-400 at the chance to play games on 360, they want to make sure it can and will play games for years to come. Pile on the recent class-action lawsuits claiming that the machine scratches discs at random, and it becomes clear that the Xbox 360 isn't nearly as dependable as it could be.

2. It only sells marginally better than Xbox. Launch-to-date sales of Xbox 360 in the US are only 200K units more than the original Xbox for the same period. That's a bad thing. Granted, calling the first Xbox a failure would be unfair. But the machine was hardly a success as it lost billions of dollars throughout its life and only managed to sell 24 million units worldwide (14% market share) in comparison to PS2's 115 million (67%) and GameCube's meager 22 million (13%). Microsoft needs to sell more 360s than it did Xboxs -- many more -- if it wishes to secure a long-term place in the video game industry. The company's unprecedented and steadfast reluctance to drop the 360's $399 price despite Sony's exorbitantly priced PS3 could come back to haunt them.

3. A recent string of bad publicity. Microsoft's long-running denial of Xbox 360 failure rates mentioned above isn't the only public relations gaffe experienced this year. Robbie Bach, parent president over the XBox division, dumped $6.2 million in Microsoft stock just weeks before the company announced the costly $1.15 billion warranty extension. It marked the first time Bach had traded stock in eight months at a non-scheduled time, according to filings. Microsoft called the incident "unrelated," but the appearance of an insider selling stock right before a huge loss just looks bad. In addition, having Xbox president Peter Moore leave right before its biggest and most important holiday season doesn't look good either, whether voluntary or not.

4. It has limited appeal. You'd be hard pressed to find a better "hardcore gaming" console than the Xbox 360 at the moment. But how does Microsoft intend to infiltrate the living room (assuming that's their ultimate desire) without first offering software for the entire family? You know, that whole casual-games thingy that seems to be doing so well right now ("Hi Wii!"). While Xbox 360 delivers traditional games in spades, it needs to start doing something different in lieu of superfluous first-person shooters if it wishes to sell more. By all means, keep the good core games coming, but Microsoft needs to surprise gamers with something fresh while broadening the console's appeal. The Viva Pinata series and Scene It! DVD games just aren't enough.

5. It bleeds money. Microsoft has lost unthinkable amounts of money on its Xbox business. In the six short years it's been in the industry, the company hasn't made a dime. When adding the recently announced $1.9 billion losses incurred in fiscal 2007, total life-to-date Xbox losses are conservatively estimated at somewhere around $6 billion dollars. Despite Microsoft's luxury in funding said losses with its monstrous war chest, the fears of investors are easily justified. But why should gamers care how much money is being spent so long as Microsoft keeps footing the bill? Because gamers should want team Xbox to stick around for the sake of competition and quality of play, not to mention long-term support. Every man has a breaking point, and anyone can pull a Sega and quit the hardware business -- even a rich kid with deep pockets.

6. It still doesn't sell in Japan. Can a console achieve ubiquitous success without the support of the second largest video game market in the world, i.e. Japan? That's the billion dollar question Microsoft is trying to answer while striving for moderate success in the country. Since first launching in December of 2005, however, Microsoft has sold a paltry 420,000 units in Japan -- hardly a dent, though not unexpected. And the allegation by some that the Japanese public don't buy American products quickly loses merit when realizing that even the native PS3 struggles in sales. Microsoft doesn't need to dominate Japan. It never did. But a larger variety of software, and smarter marketing efforts, targeted squarely at Japanese gamers would reinforce the company's global efforts in the video game industry.

Looking ahead to fall of 2007, the Xbox 360 has the biggest games lineup in recent memory, a lineup that includes BioShock, Mass Effect, Madden 08, Assassin's Creed, and more in addition to the hugely anticipated Halo 3. Master Chief's last adventure could easily be the best-selling game of the year and shift hundreds of thousands of 360s in the process. If there's one thing that sells consoles, it's great games, and Xbox 360 has them. Sadly, Microsoft's ongoing string of mishaps may keep them from truly ending the year (or the season for that matter) on a high note.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » July 21, 2007, 10:17 am

Wanna see what's inside the 360 elite to improve cooling and prevent the RROD?

Ben Heck posted pictures of takin an elite apart and pointed out the differences between the 360 and the elite.

http://benheck.com/07-12-2007/inside-th ... e#more-304

Microsoft needs to punch holes around the power button on the enclosure and make openings in the faceplates so that air can go straight front-to-back. Having the air come from the side/top (indirectly) and through the heat sink fins isn't the best idea imo.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » July 21, 2007, 4:09 pm

I've never been impressed with the look of the 360 case on the outside. The front doesn't look balanced. The PS3 also looks ridiculous visually though. Both Sony and Microsoft failed with their attempts to make this generation's consoles look like abstract art.

The failure rate of the 360 is a huge disappointment. There really is no excuse for not designing the case to cool properly and using shoddy thermal paste application, etc.

The 360 is the better machine for games, online and controller. The PS3 manages to keep the power supply internal and still cool better.

I'm undecided on the PS3's cooling so far. I'm hearing popping sounds once in awhile coming from it.

The only reason I turned my PS3 back on is that I accidentally hit the ON button of my projector's remote control while placing a box of Lucky Charms down which turned on the lamp...It's bad for the lamp to immediately turn it back off so I turned on the PS3 and downloaded some game/video trailers. Perhaps the board inside is settling in or something...popping noises coming from the PS3 while it's heating up to normal operating temperature needs a little more investigation. I made an adjustment to a fan I had near the PS3. The PS3 seems to blow hot air out the left side and the back. The fan was blowing air at the left side of the PS3 which may have been hampering the exhaust. Next time I turn it on, I'll see if the fan takes longer to kick into high.

I hope Microsoft has solved the heating and quality issues going forward with the 360. It would be nice to design the case/fans in a way that would make them quieter as well.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » September 17, 2007, 6:22 am

Another RPG for the 360 is always good news:

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=8866

Microsoft Secures Square Enix RPG on Xbox 360

Xbox 360 goes on "Infinite Undiscovery" with Japanese RPG

It has always been a challenge for Microsoft's Xbox group to receive support from top-tier Japanese developers. While the situation is much improved with the Xbox 360 over the previous console, Microsoft would still like to have couple franchises that still define one of its competitor’s consoles.

Although a certain long-running role-playing franchise remains out of reach for Microsoft, the Xbox group took a big step last week when it announced in Tokyo, Japan last week that Square Enix will help bring an exclusive RPG to the Xbox 360.

Announced at Microsoft’s pre-Tokyo Game Show conference was Infinite Undiscovery, a new game developed by tri-Ace – makers of Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile series – and to be published by Square Enix.

Infinite Undiscovery is billed by Square Enix producer Hajime Kojima as an action-oriented, “dynamic, compelling next-generation RPG” with a focus on real-time events

Despite Microsoft’s best efforts, it would be naïve to think that the Xbox 360 has a fighting chance against Nintendo and Sony's user-base levels. What Microsoft is doing now is laying the groundwork for even greater Japanese support for its next console. It certainly worked going from the Xbox to the Xbox 360, and Microsoft hopes the upward trend will continue.

Well, at least they don't look like dragonBallz characters!

Some comments following the linked article say that Blue Dragon gets good after 12-14 hours.

I'm still at the screaming characters hometown. Anyone advance beyond or make it to the second of three DVDs?

Sabek · Post by **Sabek** » September 17, 2007, 8:08 am

Winnow wrote: Well, at least they don't look like dragonBallz characters!

Some comments following the linked article say that Blue Dragon gets good after 12-14 hours.

I'm still at the screaming characters hometown. Anyone advance beyond or make it to the second of three DVDs?

I think the Blue Dragon thread Animalor said he was 18hrs in still on the first DVD and loving the game.

Somali · Post by **Somali** » September 17, 2007, 10:42 am

Infinite Discovery looks cool. And Star Ocean was put together fairly well. I'll give that a shot when it hits the states.

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » September 17, 2007, 12:15 pm

I've tapered off Blue Dragon for a bit as other RL stuffz have creeped in insidiously.

If anything, I thought the story has gotten a bit weaker in the first hour or two of disk 2. I seem to be getting in a part where it picks up again now so I'll see tonight.

Infinite Undiscovery seems to be a solid title.

Ninja Gaiden 2 has also been announced last week. That one looks like a fantastic update to the last one. Kinda like Sigma but with a new story.

http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/14778

The highlight of this video for me was enemy corpses that can be cut up many different ways and the bodyparts don't poof out of existance. Must buy!

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » September 28, 2007, 2:33 pm

From Digg:

Halo 3 Sells 45,000 in Japan

On its first day of release in Japan, Halo 3 sold 45,000. For perspective, Blue Dragon (which is the highest-sold Xbox 360 title) sold 83,000 in it's first week. Halo 3 cut into that by more than half in a day.

A couple user comments about Japanese gamers rings true:

If Halo 3 featured giant mech warriors who went around raping ten year old school girls and screaming mega tensi super happy time, the 360 would overtake the wii and DS combined in Japan.

Japanese gamers are the worst. If it doesn't contain levelling up, magical swords, cutesy blobs with big eyes, scantily clad prepubescant girls or giant fighting robots, they will hate it. If it's American or European, they will hate it. Look at their sales charts, they pretty much only buy two or three types of games. A DS with a tiny image of Pikachu on it shifts millions of units.

Also, Nintendogs got 40/40 in Famitsu. That says it all.

To anyone bitching about this, consider that Dragon Quest VIII (the BIGGEST franchise in Japan) sold less than 100,000 copies in America. Maybe we should wonder why we aren't buying their shit before we bitch about them not buying our shit.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » September 28, 2007, 2:45 pm

Sounds like a bunch of 360 fanboys trying to justify why the 360 is a bust in Japan.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » September 28, 2007, 2:51 pm

You could look at it that way. However I pretty much agree, I think that the games that the Japanese get into are childish and I don't know whether I think it's funny or pathetic.

I don't know how anyone could argue that any of the 200 different pokemon games can compare in any way to many of the games that sell great here and sell nothing in Japan. To each their own I guess, but this is the reason why japanese sales don't matter to me, and don't even come into the equation when I consider the topic - because they like playing games that I could never be interested in past the age of 3 or 4.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » September 28, 2007, 4:00 pm

I don't care if Japan likes American games. All I care about is that the 360 gets both American and quality Asian games. Sony can't support itself off Japan alone with the PS3. The 360 can do well with U.S. sales and capturing Europe if it can. (and Australia, etc)

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » September 28, 2007, 5:15 pm

Winnow wrote:I don't care if Japan likes American games.

Unless one of those three quotes were yours I wasn't saying you do.

VeeshanVault

360s News

360s News

Re: 360s News

Re: 360s News

Re: 360s News

Re: 360s News

Re: 360s News

Re: 360s News

Re: 360s News

Re: 360s News

Re: 360s News

Re: 360s News

Re: 360s News

Re: 360s News

Re: 360s News

Re: 360s News

Re: 360s News

Re: 360s News

Re: 360s News

Re: 360s News