XBOX360 USB Pro
Archive for the ‘General’ Category
May 15th, 2011 | 
Author: Well now seems that a possible full write solution or workaround is in the works for the 0225 drive according to the latest IRC logs.
[2011-05-15 10:30AM UTC] #fw <c4eva_> details of 0225 write solution soon!
[2011-05-15 10:32AM UTC] #fw <c4eva_> a 9504 drive will also suffice!
[2011-05-15 10:37AM UTC] #fw <c4eva_> 0225 solution is not cross flashing,uses same drive,no pcb swap!
[2011-05-15 10:42AM UTC] #fw <c4eva_> no problem with write!
Posted in 
From gamasutra.com:
[QUOTE]
Hardware has seen the largest year-to-date revenue drop, down 13 percent from $3.57 billion in 2009 to $3.09 billion so far this year, while 2010 software sales of $4.93 billion in 2010 are running 8 percent behind the $5.36 billion at this point last year. Accessory sales were up five percent for the year so far, from $144 billion through September ’09 to $1.52 billion currently for 2010.
Though NPD no longer publicly reveals specific numbers or relative rankings for monthly system sales, Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg revealed via Twitter that the Xbox 360 sold 483,989 units in September, a 37 percent increase over September last year. This makes September the best sales month yet in 2010 for the system, which is up 34 percent year-to-date over this point in 2009.
NPD’s analyst report indicates the Nintendo Wii and Sony PS3 were down compared to the same month last year, meaning the systems sold less than 462,800 and 491,800 units, respectively, for the month.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: gamasutra.com
From joystiq.com:
[QUOTE]
It looks like our brilliant plan to stop playing Halo 2 (which was helped along by Microsoft’s removal of Live support for Xbox 1 games) worked! According to a deleted Facebook announcement from Xbox Germany, the friend list cap on Xbox Live is being boosted from a paltry 100 to a ridiculous 1,000.
Strangely, neither the embiggened friend list cap nor the “Finder tab” are present in our preview version of the upcoming Dashboard update.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: joystiq.com
From benheck.com:
[QUOTE]
You knew this was coming ? the Xbox 360 Slim Portable. Big differences compared to my older models:
* About 1.5″ inches narrower left and right, 1″ narrower front to back.
* Internal power supply.
* Uses stock Xbox 360 Slim fan so it?s much quieter than my older 3 fan models.
* Touch sensitive power and eject buttons of the Slim have been preserved.
Not so big differences:
* Pushbutton control audio amplification.
* Gateway 1775W 17″ widescreen LCD display @ 1280?720.
* Fan grate design copied from PS3 Laptop design.
* PVC plastic routed case.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: benheck.com
From arstechnica.com:
[QUOTE]
Massive was Microsoft’s push into video game advertising and, since we live in an ad-filled world and games seek to mimic that reality, it seemed like a good fit. According to a report by Media Week however, the company has long been troubled, and will soon be shutting its doors.
The problem? Microsoft would rather advertise in Xbox Live, where it doesn’t have to split the profits with publishers. EA recently pulled its business from Massive in order to sell ads internally. It’s not that you will be seeing less advertising in games, it just seems as if those making large bets on in-game ads would simply rather keep larger cuts for themselves.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: arstechnica.com
From gamasutra.com:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft on Friday made official the promotion of Don Mattrick to president of the company’s Interactive Entertainment Business, following the formal retirement of 22-year Microsoft veteran Robbie Bach.
Mattrick, formerly SVP of the Interactive Entertainment Business, will oversee consumer entertainment initiatives at Microsoft, including Xbox 360, Xbox Live, Kinect, Zune Music and Video, Mediaroom, PC and mobile entertainment.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: gamasutra.com
From gamasutra.com:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft removed a standalone processor from Kinect because there was ?no need? for its inclusion, not as previously rumored, to merely reduce the cost of the device.
?We didn?t know how much processing Kinect was going to take at the start of development,? said Tsunoda. ?Obviously, you don?t want to lose any of the things that are important to Xbox customers. Graphic fidelity is something that Xbox has always been known for, and you want to make sure that you still hit that level.”
“Forza is a graphical showpiece, and we had Forza with Kinect at E3? the graphic fidelity has actually improved in some areas from what they shipped with Forza 3. It?s still running at 60 FPS and it?s supporting Kinect, so there?s just no need to have that extra processor.?
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: gamasutra.com
From xbox.com:
[QUOTE]
Purchase at least 2400 Microsoft Points [30USD] worth of Xbox LIVE Arcade and/or Game add-on content between 12:01 A.M. Eastern Standard Time (EST) October 1 and 11:59 pm EST October 31, 2010 and receive 800 Microsoft Points [10USD] added automatically to your membership. Limit one gift per person. The free points will be deposited automatically into your Xbox LIVE account after the end of the promotion period. Please allow four weeks for delivery, on or around November 30, 2010.
Offer available Worldwide in all Xbox LIVE countries, excluding Japan, Italy, and France, while supplies last, is non-transferable, not redeemable for cash, and cannot be combined with any other offer.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: xbox.com
From eurogamer.net:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft has warned that messy floors “with clothes all over the place” will prevent Kinect from working properly. Better have a quick tidy.
The company also advised against putting the sensor in “a noisy environment”, using the examples “on top of your Xbox” and “on top of your subwoofer”.
“We rely on the floor for a number of different parts of the technology,” said Mark Plagge, Kinect’s senior project manager, during a set-up video.
“The ideal play space starts about six feet away from the Kinect sensor. Some games will need you to move side to side quite a lot, so you’ll want to know there are three-to-four feet on either side of you.”
The requirements don’t stop there. People with halogen spotlit rooms may encounter difficulties, as the Kinect sensor prefers an even light source throughout.
[/QUOTE]
Full Story: eurogamer.net
From the MS press release (letter from Marc Whitten – corporate vice president of Xbox Live):
[QUOTE]
Just three months ago at E3 2010, I shared with you the latest entertainment experiences coming to Xbox LIVE, including ESPN and Zune music. Today, I?m excited that tens of thousands of you will receive an advanced look at these new experiences through the Xbox LIVE Preview program.
What you?ll find is that we?re continuing to bring you amazing content to enjoy on Xbox LIVE, we?re making your entertainment social and interactive, and we?re continuing to refine and build on our best experiences.
With this update, we are adding 3,500 live and on-demand sporting events per year, including out of market games, from ESPN3.com and 11 million music tracks from Zune at launch in the US. We are also adding Netflix search to existing features like movie parties to ensure Xbox LIVE continues to be the best way to enjoy Netflix.
With ESPN on Xbox LIVE, available to members in the US, we?re building in interactive features that will let you keep up on the latest scores from around the sports world without leaving the game you?re watching, follow your favorite leagues, predict a winner and see how the rest of the community voted on a particular game. The social nature of our LIVE platform will let you voice chat with up to seven friends on the other coast while watching the big game as if they were sitting next to you in the stadium.
Last year, we delivered tens of thousands of videos instantly in up to 1080p HD to Xbox 360 for the first time, and this fall with the expansion of the Zune music experience on Xbox LIVE, members in the US, U.K., France, Italy and Spain can enjoy unlimited, instant streaming of millions of songs via a Zune Pass music subscription and see what their friends are listening to on the largest screen in the house. What?s better is that you?ll be able to enjoy Zune music and video across your Xbox 360 console, PC and, this holiday, Windows Phone 7.
Also included in this Xbox LIVE update is the launch of Netflix on Xbox LIVE in Canada, a refreshed Xbox LIVE dashboard and updated Xbox LIVE Family Settings so you can help choose the right play and viewing settings for your family.
But this is only the beginning. With the launch of Kinect for Xbox 360, I truly believe that the best of Xbox LIVE will become extraordinary. This amazing technology will allow you, your friends, and family to navigate ESPN, Zune, Sky Player, and Last.fm on Xbox LIVE with just the sound of your voice and the wave of your hand.
I?m also excited to confirm that Video Kinect will integrate with Windows Live Messenger at launch, so Xbox LIVE members can video chat with hundreds of millions of PC users around the world. Video Kinect will use Kinect to bring the people you care about right into your living room without a headset, and adjust automatically to capture everyone in the room.
Every year we?ve pushed ourselves to deliver the best games and entertainment, and I?m incredibly proud of my team, and what we?re delivering to Xbox LIVE this fall. Our goal is to continue innovating and delivering experiences that are meaningful to you. So you can enjoy the entertainment you want, with the people you care about, in a simple way. Keep playing, keep sharing, and keep pushing us.
[/QUOTE]
