Archive for the ‘General’ Category
September 1st, 2010 | 
Author: From eurogamer.net:
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Microsoft has told Eurogamer Spain that Kinect voice recognition will be disabled for mainland Europe until spring 2011.
The company confirmed rumours that the voice-recognition software will only accept American English, British English, Japanese and Mexican Spanish at launch this November. Even Canadians will have to wait until spring 2011 to be able to control the system via voice.
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Full Story: eurogamer.net
Posted in 
From industrygamers.com:
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This week Microsoft officially announced a $10 increase to the annual Xbox Live Gold subscription. In a special Pachter’s Podium last year, Wedbush Morgan Securities’ Michael Pachter correctly predicted the $10 increase.
As for Xbox Live’s future, the great thing about the $10 increase is that it will enable Microsoft to reinvest in the service to then offer even more enhancements. “The extra $10 translates to around $100 – 150 million per year in additional revenue for Microsoft. I think that they will reinvest at least this much in developing other new applications, and will roll out a premium service with $100 – 200 million worth of enhancements,” Pachter told IndustryGamers. “If they can get 2 million users to switch from the $60 plan to the $100 plan, they’ll make an extra $80 million a year, and can keep investing to try to grow that business.”
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Full Story: industrygamers.com
From joystiq.com:
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We’ve got it on good authority that sometime this Holiday season, Microsoft will launch a new Xbox 360 controller with a rather unique d-pad. According to our trusted source, when one rotates the d-pad ninety degrees on this new controller, it’ll raise up about a quarter of an inch — a modification apparently revealed to be targeted at fighting game fans.
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Full Story: joystiq.com
Microsoft announced the price of the Xbox LIVE Gold subscription will increase for users in Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom and the United States starting November 1st 2010:
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Since launching Xbox LIVE in 2002 we have continually added more content and entertainment experiences for our members, while keeping the price the same. We’re confident that when the new pricing takes effect, an Xbox LIVE Gold membership will continue to offer the best value in the industry.
However, we do want to thank our loyal members and give you the opportunity to lock in your current price with an additional discount, so now would be a good time to renew your subscription.
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The prices change as follow (unlisted packages do not change in price):
* USA
1M Gold: $7.99 (now) – $9.99 (starting Nov 1, 2010)
3M Gold: $19.99 (now) – $24.99 (starting Nov 1, 2010)
12M Gold: $49.99 (now) – $59.99 (starting Nov 1, 2010)
* UK
1M Gold: 4.99 GBP (now) – 5.99 GBP (starting Nov 1, 2010)
* Canada
1M Gold: $8.99 CAD (now) – $9.99 CAD (starting Nov 1, 2010)
* Mexico
12M Gold: 499 Pesos (now) – 599 Pesos (starting Nov 1, 2010)
News-Source: majornelson.com
From joystiq.com:
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That email purportedly sent out by Microsoft a couple weeks back inviting its recipients into a Kinect beta program? Yeah — it was legit. Joystiq has received corroborating evidence confirming the program, including pictures of the promised Kinect-enabled Dashboard update running on a participant’s retail console. In them, you can clearly see the flatter presentation, new mini-guide and revamped Avatar editor — complete with a re-proportioned Avatar.
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Full Story (with lots of pics): joystiq.com
From eurogamer.net:
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The quality of sound that comes through Xbox 360 headsets will be significantly improved when Microsoft updates the Xbox 360 this Fall.
The refresh, designed to coincide with the launch of Kinect, will upgrade the codec and audio infrastructure that underpins the quality of voice communication from Xbox 360 to Xbox 360, and should make for clear chat between gamers when they play online, Xbox Live Studios boss Jerry Johnson said at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival this afternoon.
“The codec we used when we first launched was a low bit rate codec and we stuck with that,” Johnson explained.
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Full Story: eurogamer.net
From gamasutra.com:
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Last year it was Sony’s CEO who keynoted the Tokyo Game Show; this year it’s Microsoft’s turn. CESA says Microsoft Japan Home & Entertainment division chief Takashi Sensui and Microsoft Game Studios corporate vice president Phil Spencer will deliver the first of two keynotes to kick off the event.
The pair will discuss “Xbox 360′s Vision and 2010′s Strategy,” according to an announcement translated by Andriasang, and their talk will take place at the Makuhari Messe on September 16, the show’s first business day.
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Full Story: gamasutra.com
From 1up.com:
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We know Microsoft’s upcoming Windows Phone 7 will have access to Xbox Live, but it looks like their connectivity ambitions between the Xbox 360 and Phone 7 are even loftier than that, including not just turn-based gameplay but eventually real-time multiplayer between Phone 7 games and Xbox 360 games as well.
“So initially we’re turn by turn-based,” said a Microsoft representative to rgbFilter during the recent X10 event in Toronto (via Joystiq). “We are working on real-time phone-to-console, likely initially through Wi-Fi — again, operator networks are sensitive to that. That’s not on day one; day one will be turn-by-turn as well as companion-type gaming where you play a level on the phone and it may unlock a level or a weapon or some special achievement on the console game.
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Full Story: 1up.com
Stephen Toulouse, Director of Policy and Enforcement for Xbox LIVE, posted some tweets about the early online Halo Reach leaks:
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I’ve been asked about unauthorized pre-release play on Halo: Reach. Let me address that.
As with all unauthorized play on Xbox LIVE, anyone playing any unauthorized title runs the risk of account permaban and console.
Remember, legit store bought copy runs no risk of ban. Key word: UNAUTHORIZED. We have ways of knowing. :>
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As we know the leak originates from people being able to download the game from Xbox LIVE. It was placed there for reviewers and protected with a code, but people managed to bypass it.
“We have ways of knowing. :>” … is the review build placed on Xbox LIVE different (crc-check?) from the Retail build, in which case they can BAN everyone with a review-build if you’re not the allowed-list, or does MS have something new up their sleeves?
Halo: Reach is due out on 14th September.
News-Source: http://twitter.com/Stepto
From seattletimes.nwsource.com:
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In April, Microsoft sued the U.K.-based game technology company, which makes controllers that work with Microsoft’s Xbox video game system. Datel makes game system accessories that sell in Walmart, Best Buy and Target stores, and Microsoft said Datel’s “TurboFire” and “Wildfire” controllers infringed on several of Microsoft’s patents for controller design.
Microsoft filed a motion to dismiss with prejudice on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court in Western Washington, according to court documents.
Datel has a comment now.
“It’s a confidential settlement that resulted in the dismissal of the ITC [International Trade Commission] case and the case in the U.K.,” said Marty Glick, attorney for the firm Howard Rice. “The antitrust case which was the first we filed of all of these is still very much full steam ahead.”
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Full Story: seattletimes.nwsource.com