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Design Your Own Xbox 360 Faceplate
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Accessories, Mods/Hacks, Xbox 360,
Pelican Accessories has an on-line faceplate designer for the Xbox 360. Users can select from a variety of solid colors, as well as a number of pre-set backgrounds. There are a few different colors for the power button on the console, and there are some pre-set “tattoo” patterns that can be applied as well. Those really looking for a personal touch can add custom text in three different graffiti-like fonts. For those bemoaning the lack of a hot pink faceplate with a gold tattoo can now have all their wishes come true.
Read More 
| Pelican Accessories
Related: Nyko Xbox 360 Faceplate Maker Video Review
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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.
Click to continue reading Segment Your Network For Better Xbox 360 Media Connection
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
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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)
Click to continue reading Will Nintendo Steal Sony’s Thunder At E3?
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)
Datel Announces XSATA Availability
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Mods/Hacks, PC, Xbox 360,
Datel’s Xbox 360 Hard Drive connectivity solution is now available. At $39.99, it is a lot more expensive than the 360 Sata, but is clearly more polished. The XSATA sits sandwiched between the Xbox 360 and the hard drive, acting as a pass-through for normal operation. A USB 2.0 port sits on the back for connecting to the user’s PC. USB 2.0 compatibility makes connections to the PC a little easier, but it doesn’t look like the XSATA provides bus power for the hard drive, meaning the end user might have to lug the Xbox 360 to where ever the desktop computer sits.
Read More | CodeJunkies
Bethesda Announces Oblivion Patch
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: PC, Role Playing Games, Xbox 360,
Along with information about the upcoming paid content in Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, comes the news that Bethesda is also working on a patch for both the PC and Xbox 360 versions of the game. In the official forums for Oblivion, the patch is noted as fixing unspecified “issues” that have been reported since the game shipped. In addition, there will be a localization patch for issues with the foreign versions of the game after the US patch has been validated. PC users will get a beta version of the patch initially, and assuming that this works out, the patch will be rolled out to all users.
This does seem to be another drift down in the realm of console game patching. Back on the original Xbox, there were minor update patches to Halo 2 for wide-screen play and Xbox Live tuning. Dead or Alive 4 had a patch to fix an issue where save games could be accidentally deleted, but this may be the first large scale patch of a shipped console game, and it will be interesting to see how this is handled. Microsoft themselves are aware that not all of their user base is going to be broadband enabled (or will have a network connection available for the Xbox 360) and have made their backward compatibility updates available by downloadable ISO or by ordering a CD. Bethesda may have to do the same thing to appease users that have non-network capable Xbox 360s. Depending on the size of the patch, those users without the external hard drive may also be left in the cold. No real information has been released as to the nature of the patch, so it will be interesting to see how Bethesda handles these issues.
Read More | Official Oblivion Forums
Xbox 360 SATA Adapter Review
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Hardware, Mods/Hacks, Xbox 360,
MaxConsole has a review of the pre-release Xbox 360 SATA adapter from 360 SATA. The short version of the review is that the device does exactly what it says it will do: allow users to connect their Xbox 360 hard drives to their personal computers without having to crack the case, allowing users to back up their save games or other information on the hard drive. MaxConsole received a pre-release unit, so it’s still the bare circuit board, and they are hoping the final version is a little more polished. The bare board definitely doesn’t do anything to inspire the most confidence in the world, but the target audience for this device probably won’t mind a whole lot.
Read More | MaxConsole
Microsoft Attempts to Bolster Japanese Market
Posted by Christopher Sasaki Categories: Corporate News, Xbox 360,
Microsoft’s Xbox Japan team held a press conference earlier to announce that there are more games coming, and that these games may actually make Japanese gamers want to buy an Xbox 360. Some of the highlights of the conference include a new RPG by Tri-Ace, developers of the successful Star Ocean franchise, Namco featuring Pac-man and Galaga on Xbox Live Arcade, and Square Enix announced that a new entrant in the Silpheed franchise will be appearing on the Xbox 360. Japanese gamers can expect roughly 80 titles by year-end, including a new Gundam title.
Despite all of the announcements, there still doesn’t seem to be a compelling reason for the Japanese to embrace the Xbox 360. RPGs and shooters have been announced, but it doesn’t feel like the Japanese developers are really 100% committed to the Xbox 360’s success in Japan. Really, the only game studio that has been truly committed so far has been Team Ninja at Tecmo; all of the games listed today seem to be second tier titles. Tri-Ace announces an RPG, but it’s not a Star Ocean game. Square Enix announces a shooter, but still hasn’t brought their A-list properties to the Xbox 360. Namco’s huge announcement was classic games on Xbox Live; what platforms haven’t gotten a Pac-man or Galaga port yet? The proof will definitely lie within the quality and popularity of the titles released in the coming year.
Read More | Gamespot Coverage
Read More | Business Week Coverage
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