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Segment Your Network For Better Xbox 360 Media Connection
Posted by Jake Ludington Categories: Features, Hardware, Mods/Hacks, Wireless, Xbox 360,
There’s some confusion around the appropriate steps to take in adding an Xbox 360 to a home network with optimal results. In an ideal universe, connecting an Xbox 360 with a wired connection is the best course of action. Wired connections generally guarantee close to 100Mbps per machine across a local area network. Wireless networking is significantly less reliable, with things like cordless phones and microwave ovens operating on the same frequency as the 802.11b and 802.11g standards.
802.11a is the standard Microsoft is recommending, but it’s not necessary. My own home network is segmented with an Xbox 360 on one 802.11g access point and all other wireless devices are on a second 802.11g access point. My wired Media Center successfully streams the 1080p HD content available from Microsoft’s WMV HD Showcase without any hiccups.
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Ubisoft May Be Rejecting Starforce
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Corporate News, PC, Rumors,
Word on Ubisoft official forums points to the company moving away from the controversial Starforce copy protection. This may be partially in response to public outcry, or it might be in response to the class action lawsuit filed against Ubisoft for their use of Starforce on several of their high-profile titles.
Starforce has been on the receiving end of a lot of bad press, starting with a report in Computer Gaming World indicating that in some instances, the Starforce device driver will force a user’s system to slow down or make inoperable a user’s optical drives. There are also complaints from security analysts, who claim that since Starforce operates in ring 0 mode, which can provide an access point for trojans and other malware to attack a user’s system. Recently, an employee or agent of Starforce posted a link to access pirated versions of Galactic Civilizations II as some kind of bizarre retaliatory action against a software publisher that would dare release a game without any kind of disc based copy protection.
Read More 
| Ubisoft official forums
Read More | Translation of Ubisoft French Forums
Message boards across the Internet today have been lighting up with reports of freezing problems in the recently released MLB 2K6 for the Xbox 360. IGN’s retail copies of the game are affected, but not their gold review version. So far the reports have been limited to those people with Xbox 360 consoles with the external hard drive, which suggests a software issue and not a media problem. 2K Sports has set up a forum thread to update people on the issue, and have asked all gamers experiencing the issue to contact them at techsupport@2ksports.com with “MLB 2K6 Xbox 360 freeze issue” in the subject.
This makes the third Xbox 360 game in the last few months with enough problems to warrant a fix or patch. With games like Oblivion, this might be expected, but the issue with Dead or Alive 4 should have been caught in either Team Ninja’s test process, or Microsoft’s acceptance testing. Depending on the nature of the MLB 2k6 problem, this may also be an issue that should have been caught. There do seem to be a large number of people complaining, but it is always hard to gauge the ratio of reported issues to shipped product. Still, this seems to be a bad trend, with more and more released Xbox 360 games requiring post release fixes.
Read More | 2K Sports Update Forum
Read More | 2K Sports gamer complaints
Read More | IGN
Will Nintendo Steal Sony’s Thunder At E3?
Posted by John Goulden Categories: E3, Editorial, Hardware, Nintendo, PlayStation 3, Rumors, Wii, Xbox 360,
There’s no doubt that the PlayStation 3 will be in high demand at this year’s E3, but rumor has it that there will be limited hands-on access to the new console. In an effort to soothe concerns, Ryan Bowling of Sony Computer Entertainment America explained that they “. . . are expecting big queues to see the PlayStation 3 and so will be taking great care to manage the crowds in the best way possible. All press will certainly have no problems seeing everything we are showing. This year is going to be huge for us. Not just in terms of what we’re showing, but in the major announcements we have planned.” I think the biggest announcement that most gamers are likely to want at this juncture is a firm ship date of the PS3, as well as list prices that are palatable.
Bearing that in mind and with Nintendo planning a large production at E3 in regards to the Revolution, is there a chance they’ll steal Sony’s thunder? They’ve already admitted that their hardware will be underpowered in relation to the Xbox 360 and PS3, yet it doesn’t seem to concern Nintendo execs in the slightest. That seems a bit strange when you consider how much marketing muscle has been flexed in the past by Sony (and Microsoft), in regards to hardware specs, speed, and sheer power. Nintendo is taking a different approach and has been for some time. By all appearances they blend quietly into the background, yet they’re obviously doing something and doing it right. To get an idea of how right, we’ll do a quick comparison of Sony and Nintendo’s bottom lines (as of March 2005) after the jump.
Read More | SPOnG (rumor)
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Character Design in Rayman and Final Fantasy
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Adventure, Culture, Role Playing Games,
Eurogamer reports on a unique panel at the recent Carrefour de l’animation (Animation Crossroad) in Paris, France. The animation conference featured two influential figures in gaming. Yoshitaka Amano, who contributed character designs for the Final Fantasy series and who also illustrated the Vampire Hunter D series and Neil Gaiman’s Sandman: Dream Hunters was present, as well as Michel Ancel, most known for the Rayman series of games that have appeared on virtually every console from the Sega Saturn on, and the game Beyond Good and Evil, which achieved critical acclaim but not equivalent sales.
Click to continue reading Character Design in Rayman and Final Fantasy
Ubisoft Announces Red Steel for Revolution
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Action, Corporate News, First Person Shooters, Release Dates, Wii,
Following on the reported information in the May 2006 issue of Game Informer, Ubisoft has officially announced Red Steel for the Nintendo Revolution in a joint press release. The title will be an exclusive launch title for the Revolution, and will make use of the Revolution’s unique controller. Red Steel seeks to immerse the gamer in modern-day Japan, through swordplay and gunplay. Early screens look very good, and hopefully this will be the first of many third-party game announcements as we lead up to E3. Full press release follows.
Click to continue reading Ubisoft Announces Red Steel for Revolution
YouTube is rapidly becoming the most popular place on the Internet to get your viral video fix, but recently somebody leaked a video shot at the recent GDC of some behind closed door footage of the PS3 in action. Video cameras were explicitly prohibited in this preview session, but thanks to someone who broke the rules, and the power of YouTube, there is now a grainy video of secret PS3 footage for everyone to see. The graininess and relatively poor angle make the video only a little less interesting. Shots of some interactive demos titled “Getaway,” “Heavenly Sword” and “Lair” feature insanely realistically rendered backgrounds, tons of objects on screen, and hyper-realistic damage on an innocent automobile. The last section features on apparently on rails tour through a futuristic city. While game play demos and rail-based touring are interesting, this is still quite a ways away from a production video game, so the anticipation for E3 is mounting…
FiringSquad scored a pre-E3 interview with Bioware. They briefly talk about the merger with Pandemic Studios, their upcoming MMORPG, developing for future consoles, Vista, and their take on downloadable content. Bioware also drops some plot details for their new Xbox 360 sci-fi RPG, Mass Effect, along with information on the combat methods, character design and interaction. According to Bioware, Mass Effect will be the first in a trilogy of games set against a backdrop of futuristic galactic exploration. Squad-oriented combat will feature both technological and “Biotic” effects to devastate your enemies.
Read More | FiringSquad
New Bullet Witch Screenshots
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Action, Adventure, Screenshots, Xbox 360,
Game Watch Japan has some new screenshots of Cavia’s upcoming action adventure fantasy, Bullet Witch. The game is set in the near future, in a dark world where the enemies are fought using both technology and magic. Potentially, this could be the Xbox 360’s Devil May Cry. The game is scheduled to ship on June 29, 2006, in Japan, with no US release date announced, but there is always the possibility that the game will be released without region encoding for those anxious importers.
Read More | Game Watch Japan
Read More | Game Watch (Google Translated)
DS Download Stations Open Now
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Corporate News, Nintendo DS, Wireless,
The US DS Download Stations are now available in store locations across the nation. Stations should be appearing in local Best Buy, GameStop, and GameCrazy stores, and the nearest station can be found by using the station locator available on the Download Station homepage. The demo titles currently available include:
- Brain Age: Train Your Brain
- Mario Kart DS
- Tetris DS
- True Swing Golf
- Meteos
- Pokémon Trozei
- Metroid Prime Hunters Movie
Instructions on how to use the DS, and to locate your nearest station are available on Nintendo’s official Download Station site.
Read More | DS Download Station
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