Devil May Cry 4 Demo is coming Tomorrow!

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Warm those broadband connections. The Devil May Cry® 4 playable demo hits both the PLAYSTATION®Store and Xbox LIVE® Marketplace this Thursday, January 24, 2008. Devil May Cry 4 has been rated M for Mature by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB).

The demo introduces gamers to the gothic-inspired supernatural world of Devil May Cry 4, new protagonist Nero and the awesome power of his Devil Bringer. The demo consists of a sampling of sections from the full game, chosen to showcase Devil May Cry 4's varied locales, allowing gamers to familiarize themselves with Nero's unique abilities. Players will receive instruction on the various new actions that the Devil Bringer bestows, such as the ability to slam creatures to the ground, cover great distances in a single bound or even grab enemies while on the ground or in the air and pull them towards Nero to continue an attack combo. The Exceed system allows Nero to "rev up" his sword as if it were a motorcycle throttle and unleash devastating attacks. Players will need to master all these techniques before the end-of-demo showdown with the mighty Berial.

Fully demonstrating the power of the next generation of consoles, the Devil May Cry 4 demo brings to life the coastal city of Fortuna and its surroundings in exquisite detail, such as the port and the snow-capped mountain ranges. Devil May Cry 4 delivers its intense action at a constant 60 frames per second at 720P resolution on HD monitors, ensuring seamless and breathtaking gameplay in stunning high definition.

CES 2008: Gates delivers his last keynote

Microsoft Corporation co-founder and chairman Bill Gates keynoted Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada with a variety of announcements. He announced that this will be his final CES appearance as a keynote speaker and described what he envisions the second digital decade to be.

A lengthy and comedic video presentation was shown to the eager crowd describing what life will be like for Gates after he steps down from regular Microsoft employee responsibilities. There were spoofs of pursuing a musical career, a movie career, and even a newscasting career.

Proceeding to more serious matters, Gates said that there are three essential elements for the next ten years of information technology. First, he stressed the importance of proliferating high-definition video everywhere. Second, Gates emphasized that HD video will go hand in hand with easier, faster, and more accessible connectivity over the Internet. Finally, he drew a picture of technology adopting a more natural interface for ease of use.

On the third point, Gates pointed to touch screen and voice recognition technology as tools in the revolution at hand. He described a world wherein users will be able to use technology with friendlier controls than ever.

Gates said that at the center of all this will be Windows Vista and Windows Mobile technologies. Microsoft believes that mobile phones and PCs will be important pillars in the next generation of electronics.

Gates was then followed by top Microsoft exec Robbie Bach who announced a partnership between the Microsoft Xbox Live online service and top media entities. The Xbox 360 game console is touted as the next big thing in the entertainment scene with its ability to download high-definition videos.It will also be host for IPTV programming.

There are many more details on the Bill Gates keynote address for CES 2008. You can browse through raw notes by following the link below. Stay with us for more on CES 2008.

CES: ABC, Disney and MGM bring content to XBLM

Today, as part of their CES announcements, Microsoft revealed that ABC, Disney and MGM have signed up to offer new content via Xbox Live and the Xbox Live Marketplace. The new content will rollout later this month to the US video marketplace from television channels including ABC, ABC News, ABC Family, Disney Channel and Toon Disney as well as movies from MGM's massive library. Standard and high-definition content from television shows like Lost, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Hannah Montana, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and movies including Terminator, Silence of the Lambs, Legally Blonde, Barbershop and Rain Man. New video content that'll be sure to empty your Microsoft points account.

Side note: The Microsoft CES keynote is still chugging along, but it is looking like they've announced all their Xbox 360 news already. This is it. So, no HD DVD equipped Xbox 360, but we did get more XBLM content ... that's good, right?

Via Xbox 360 Fanboy

Letter from Xbox LIVE GM, Marc Whitten

Xbox.com will be posting a letter from Marc Whitten regarding the recent service interruptions on Xbox LIVE, but we wanted to give you a heads up.

Dear Xbox LIVE Members:

During this past holiday season you helped us break a number of Xbox LIVE records. This included our largest sign-up of new members to Xbox LIVE in our 5 year history and just yesterday you broke the record for the single biggest day of concurrent members ever on the service.

As a result of this massive increase in usage we know that some of you experienced intermittent Xbox LIVE issues over the holiday break. While the service was not completely offline at any given time, we are disappointed in our performance. I would like to take this moment to thank you each and every one of you for your patience and understanding as our team has worked around the clock to return the service to a stable state.

At the same time we would like to offer a token of our appreciation to all of you in celebration of record success for the service. And as a thank you for your loyalty during this holiday period, we will be offering all of our Xbox LIVE members around the world access to a full Xbox LIVE Arcade game that will be available to download free of charge. In the coming weeks we will be sharing the specific details of this offer with you.

Thank you again for helping make Xbox LIVE everything that it is today!

Sincerely,

Marc Whitten
General Manager, Xbox LIVE
Gamertag: Notwen

Calling It: The Xbox 360 Won 2007 [Wilson Ramblings]

Like Babe Ruth, I'm raising my controller in the air, calling the shot. (Granted, Babe Ruth called the homerun before it happened, but let's not sweat the details). I'm going to go on record and say what we're all thinking, but way too afraid to admit:

The Xbox 360 won 2007. The console might not have sold the most units or captured the attention of the mass media, but as a platform, it's provided the most complete experience of the year while executing titles with the most successful track record.

The Most Games You Want To Play
Let me make a little list for you: Bioshock, Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed, Crackdown, Guitar Hero II & III, The Orange Box, Halo 3, Forza 2, Skate, Rock Band, COD4. Are all these Xbox 360 exclusive? No. But you can play them all on the Xbox 360 (along with a 2006 catalog that had some decent titles as well). And in the case of quite a few of these games, they are running better on Xbox 360 than other consoles. There's simply more good stuff to play on the 360 than any other modern console and, for the most part, that content is running better on the 360.

Xbox Live Is Still The King
Even with all the alternatives on the market, no one can look Microsoft straight in the eye and claim that there's a service more complete or polished than Xbox LIVE. And their arcade titles are complimenting the service, not just through spec-sheet pleasing "leaderboards," but massive amounts of co-op injected into new and old titles alike. I have huge hopes for Home and the few PSN titles out there are fantastic, but LIVE tips the scales of me buying/playing a game on the 360 instead of the PS3...daily. As for Nintendo, their infrastructure is the equivalent of a 1991 AOL member homepage with animated mailbox gifs and site counters. It's shamefully outdated, and not in the ironic way.

Speaking of XBLA
Nintendo's Virtual Console has been cooking all year and maybe every game that's hit PSN should be played this year. But the XBLA releases are just so damn smart and diverse that the experience trumps its competitors. Let's take a case in point: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the 1989 arcade game. The Wii's Virtual Console picked up the title from their NES library. XBLA grabbed the full, uncompressed arcade source code...and then they added the co-op LIVE experience. But this isn't about one case, it's about a trend. We see both the same polish and variety in XBLA titles as we do their Xbox 360 counterparts, be they remakes or original titles (Battlestar Galactica and Wing Commander Arena excluded, of course).

DivX Darkhorse
Frankly, I'm a lot more excited about the PS3's future as a media hub than maybe any electronic device on the market today. But Microsoft matched what may have been Sony's biggest attack of the year: DivX and XviD support. As of right now with limited but decent movie downloads and new codec streaming capabilities, the 360 has found a respectable balance in the ecosystems of most home theaters (even if the DVD playback quality has been panned).

Why DIdn't I Pick the DS??
The DS has won sales and invigorated the public. But as a gamer (technically a "hardcore" gamer maybe, but not nearly the level of some) I can appreciate that the stuff that drops your jaw, turns your stomach and makes you spaz out to friends over—that content is found on the full-sized consoles. And XBLA fills some of those casual gaming gaps and 2D arcade action to round out the experience. Besides, I'm not saying that you should ONLY play the Xbox 360, but I am saying that if you could only play one system in 07, the 360 was probably your best bet.

Why Didn't I Pick The [Fill In Console I Own]
I clearly hate you, your family and your dog.

from Kotaku

Free Xbox Live Marketplace content and Silver accounts

Just a reminder that if you have a Silver account, you won’t have access to free content on the the Marketplace (like demos) when they are first posted. That content will be available to Gold level exclusively for one week, after which Silver members will have access to the free content.

The Fall update has a special message (above) to reflect this as well. If you have a Silver account and you see a piece of content that has a red circle with a slash through it (like the ‘Ryan Industries Plasmids and Gene Tonics’ content above) you’ll have to wait until a week after the content is released to access it.

This is not done to annoy our Silver members—limited time exclusive access to content is just one of the many benefits of having a Gold Xbox Live account.

from Xbox Live's Major Nelson

Xbox 360 Fall Dashboard Update Details

Go ahead and say I'm biased, but Xbox LIVE is the best online service for a console, period. They say the proof is in the pudding, so enjoy a giant bowl of delicious Xbox LIVE pudding as we talk about some of the new features in the Fall Update.

While we have already talked about the new Parental Timer, Games on Demand, and the Friends of Friends features, the lovely and talented Nelson Rodriguez has put together a video featuring the lovely and talented Tony and Chris to talk about some of the new features. The video shows the beta version, so expect some visual changes for the actual launch.

Popout

For those of you that prefer "reading", here are some of the details:

Xbox LIVE Arcade Hits - There will be permanent discounts on some of the best-selling Arcade titles. The first games to become Arcade Hits will be “Bankshot Billiards 2” and “Lumines LIVE,” which will be available for 800 Microsoft Points each, and “Marble Blast Ultra,” “Small Arms” and “Zuma Deluxe,” which will be available for 400 Microsoft Points each.

Inside Xbox – A new direct feed brings current news straight from Xbox.com into the Xbox LIVE Dashboard providing members an easy, predictable entry point where they can discover what's new in: game releases, events, and Xbox LIVE Marketplace offers.

Enhanced online profile – Members interested in sharing a few more details about themselves will have the option to go beyond their motto and further personalize their profile with an expanded bio. The extended bios will be visible to “Friends Only” or the entire Xbox LIVE community.

New video features – The convenience of full-screen movie previews and enhanced video codec support further expand the options when it comes to the Xbox 360 entertainment experience.

Easy-to-use navigation features – With several noteworthy changes in the Xbox LIVE Dashboard, from the new Game Store button to the Video Store button to enhanced visuals and descriptions in the video library, Xbox LIVE members can find what they want, when they want it.

And that's not all. For a complete list of all of the new features and improvements to LIVE, check www.xbox.com/live on December 4th for all of the details.

Major Nelson has details on Child Account Graduation and Changing Live ID Association if you're interested in how either of those are going to work.

You can read the full text of the media alert here.

from Gamerscore Blog

December 2007 Xbox 360 Video Playback FAQ

December 2007 Video Playback FAQ

** Represents a new feature or change in functionality from the Spring 07 release.

**1. What exactly does the Xbox 360 support for AVI?

Xbox 360 supports the following for AVI:

· File Extensions: .avi, .divx

· Containers: AVI

· Video Profiles: MPEG-4 Part 2, Simple & Advanced Simple Profile

· Video Bitrate: 5 Mbps with resolutions of 1280 x 720 at 30fps. See question number 11 for more information.

· Audio Profiles: Dolby® Digital 2 channel and 5.1 channel, MP3

· Audio Max Bitrate: No restrictions. See question number 11 for more information.

2. What exactly does the Xbox 360 support for H.264?

Xbox 360 supports the following for H.264:

· File Extensions: .mp4, .m4v, mp4v, .mov

· Containers: MPEG-4, QuickTime

· Video Profiles: Baseline, main, and high (up to Level 4.1) profiles.

· Video Bitrate: 10 Mbps with resolutions of 1920 x 1080 at 30fps. See question number 11 for more information.

· Audio Profiles: 2 channel AAC low complexity (LC)

· Audio Max Bitrate: No restrictions. See question number 11 for more information.

3. What exactly does the Xbox 360 support for MPEG-4 Part 2?

Xbox 360 supports the following for MPEG-4:

· File Extensions: .mp4, .m4v, .mp4v, .mov

· Containers: MPEG-4, QuickTime

· Video Profiles: Simple & **Advanced Simple Profile

· Video Bitrate: 5 Mbps with resolutions of 1280 x 720 at 30fps. See question number 11 for more information.

· Audio Profiles: 2 channel AAC low complexity (LC)

· Audio Max Bitrate: No restrictions. See question number 11 for more information.

4. What exactly does the Xbox 360 support for WMV (VC-1)?

Xbox 360 supports the following for WMV:

· File Extensions: .wmv

· Container: asf

· Video Profiles: WMV7 (WMV1), WMV8 (WMV2), WMV9 (WMV3), VC-1 (WVC1 or WMVA) in simple, main, and advanced up to Level 3

· Video Bitrate: 15 Mbps with resolutions of 1920 x 1080 at 30fps. See question number 11 for more information.

· Audio Profiles: WMA7/8, WMA 9 Pro (stereo and 5.1), WMA lossless

· Audio Max Bitrate: No restrictions. See question number 11 for more information.

5. Can I mix and match the video and audio codecs outside of those defined in questions 1 through 4 above?

No you cannot. We only support each audio and video codec in the explicit containers defined in questions 1 through 4.

6. How can I determine if a video file that I am trying to play conforms to the specifications as laid out in questions 1 through 4?

You can use a 3^rd party tool to analyze your video files to determine what audio and video codec is used. A popular 3^rd party tool to analyze video files can be found at http://www.headbands.com/gspot/.

7. How do I create WMV, AVI, H.264 and MPEG-4 content? What encoders does Xbox 360 support?

You can create this content on one of many 3^rd-party applications. Xbox 360 supports many popular encoders. Specifically for encoding to WMV you can use Microsoft Expression Encoder or Windows Media Encoder.

**8. What specific features of Mpeg-4 Advanced Simple Profile does the Xbox 360 support?

The Xbox 360 supports Bidirectional Frames (BVOPs), Interlaced Frames, Quarter Pixel Motion Compensation, Global Motion Compensation, and MPEG Quantization.

9. What are the different ways to play video content on Xbox 360?

You can play video from a USB 2.0 FAT32 removable drive, optical media, and by streaming from the Zune software, Windows Media Player 11, or Windows Home Server.

10. What are the different video codecs that are supported in all the different ways to play video content on the Xbox 360?

See table below for more information:

Scenario	Supported Codecs
From USB storage device to Xbox 360 Dashboard Video Player	WMV(Unprotected), Mpeg4, H.264, AVI
From Windows Media Player 11 to Xbox 360 Dashboard Video Player	WMV(Protected), WMV(Unprotected), *Mpeg4, *H.264, AVI
From Zune Software to Xbox 360 Dashboard Video Player	WMV(Unprotected), Mpeg4, H.264
From Windows Home Server to Xbox 360 Dashboard Video Player	WMV(Protected), WMV(Unprotected), AVI
From Windows Media Center to Xbox Media Center Extender	WMV(Protected), WMV(Unprotected), Mpeg2

* = Please refer to question 32 on how to configure Windows Media Player to share these file types to the Xbox 360.

11. What is the "real" max bit rate, resolution, and frames per second that you support for all the different formats?

Xbox 360 does not specifically block video from playing based on a maximum bit rate, resolution, or frames per second. The maximums listed above for each codec are what we have tested for various video playback sources. Higher rated content will not be blocked, but playback may be less then optimal. Use higher bitrates at your own risk.

12. What size USB storage device does the Xbox 360 support?

The Xbox 360 will support as big of a storage device as you can format using FAT32. Unfortunately when formatting a device in Windows Vista or Windows XP you will be restricted to a maximum FAT32 size of 32GB. You can work around this limitation by using a 3^rd party utility or using an alternative Operating System that does not have this restriction. Please note that the maximum size of any single file on FAT32 is 4GB.

13. What is the maximum video file size that is supported?

The maximum file size for an AVI, MPEG-4 Part 2, and H.264 file that can be played is 4 GB. 4GB is also the maximum size of any single file that you can store on a FAT32 USB hard drive. However, Windows Media Player 11 and the Zune software do support streaming WMV files greater than 4GB.

14. Do you support 5.1 channel AAC?

No. Only 2-channel AAC is supported. If you want to play a 5.1-channel video on your console, you will need to encode it to WMV with WMAPro 5.1 audio or use the AVI container with Dolby® Digital 5.1 audio.

**15. What types of AVI files are supported?

The Xbox 360 supports files encoded using MPEG-4 Part 2, Simple and Advanced Simple Profile. These files are often referred to as Xvid or DivX® video files. Many common PC DVD authoring tools, cameras, and camcorders are capable of encoding files using MPEG-4. Note that some files authored for DivX devices may also contain additional functionality(menus, subtitles, multiple audio tracks, etc). The Xbox 360 will attempt to play these files, but does not support any of the additional functionality and in some cases will be unable to play the file.

16. Why don’t some of my older versions of DivX® files play?

Since we only support Mpeg-4 compatible codec implementations, we will not be able to play video files older than DivX® 5.0.

17. Does the Xbox 360 support video artwork when browsing my collection from Windows Media Player 11 or the Zune PC software?

The Xbox 360 will display whatever video artwork that is displayed in Windows Media Player 11 or the Zune PC software for each video file.

**18. Does the Xbox 360 support video artwork when browsing my collection from a USB 2.0 FAT32 removable drive or optical media?

For all video types we will search for a corresponding .jpg file and use that as the artwork. For example video1.avi would display the artwork in video1.jpg if it existed. In the absence of this file, for the mp4 container, we will search if the video file has embedded album artwork and display that instead. Please note you cannot use this method when streaming from Windows Media Player 11 or the Zune PC software. See question number 21 for more information.

19. What is the maximum album artwork size that the Xbox 360 supports?

You should not exceed 512KB for all scenarios. This includes embedding artwork in the mp4 container, storing artwork alongside the file in a separate .jpg container, or streaming from Windows Media Player 11 or Zune PC software.

**20. How does the “Sort by Type” and “Sort by Title” option work when browsing my own generated video content?

The “Sort by Type” option is the typical Windows Explorer view that a computer would show your files in. It will first alphabetically sort your folders and then alphabetically sort your files. The “Sort by Title” option allows you to sort all folders and files alongside each other. Both of these sort options are persistent and linked to your profile so that you do not need to set them every time. See question number 21 for more information.

**21. What is a sample way of organizing my video hierarchy so that I can best utilize artwork and folder structure on the Xbox 360 for my personal video collection?

The following example uses the sort option “Sort by Title” on a USB hard drive connected to the Xbox 360:

· Genre 1 (Folder)

· Genre 2 (Folder)

· Video 1.avi (File)

· Video 1.jpg (File) (Artwork)

· Video 2.mp4 (File) (Artwork embedded in file)

· Video 3 (Folder)

· Video 3-1.wmv (File)

· Video 3-2.mp4 (File)

· Video 3-2.jpg (File) (Artwork)

· Video 3-3.wmv (File)

· Video 3-3.jpg (File) (Artwork)

· Genre 3 (Folder)

22. How do display modes work?

There are 5 display modes: auto, letterbox, fullscreen, stretch, and native. You can access these modes while watching a video by pressing Display on your remote or A on your controller.

a. The auto setting attempts to automatically determine what the best viewing experience is for your video. If it is a very low resolution video, it will enlarge it enough to be viewable on your screen while limiting the size for optimal viewing. If the video is of higher resolution, it will it will enlarge it to fit the TV. For both scenarios, it will retain the aspect ratio of the original video (for example, 4x3 or 16x9).

b. Letterbox mode will display your image full screen while retaining the aspect ratio of the original video. Use this if you want to override the auto function and fit the content to your TV.

c. Fullscreen mode will display your image full screen with the assumption the video is 16x9 formatted for 4x3 screens. This can be helpful for older content that may be 4x3 with black bars encoded into the video. This mode will allow you to zoom through the black bars and see it as wide screen.

d. Stretch mode will display your image full screen and stretch 4x3 content horizontally to fill a 16x9 TV. This can be helpful for those who always want to fill their TV regardless of the aspect ratio of the content. This causes 4x3 content to appear stretched.

e. Native mode allows you to see the content at its original resolution. Use this to view content that is extremely low resolution or very low bitrates.

23. How are display mode settings saved?

Every time you watch a new video, the display mode defaults to auto. If you decide to change the setting, each time you watch the same video the console will remember what you chose last time.

24. What is the information bar?

The information bar on the on-screen display now shows you exactly where you are in the video and where the chapters are in the file. In addition, for downloaded content, it will also show how much of the video has been downloaded.

25. How are the chapters determined?

Each video is divided into 10 chapters, allowing you to quickly move around the video content. Use skip to move to the next or previous chapter. Each chapter appears as a tick on the information bar.

**26. Can I fast forward, rewind, and skip while watching content while it's being downloaded from Xbox Live Marketplace?

You can move around in video as much as you have already downloaded. If you skip or watch past the point that you have already downloaded, you will be required to wait for it to buffer enough to begin normal playback again.

27. Is there other 3^rd party software out that I can use to stream from my PC to my Xbox 360?

The Xbox 360 team extensively tests that we work well with Windows Media Player 11 and the Zune PC software. If you do decide to use 3^rd party software, please contact them directly for support.

28. How can I stream content from my Mac?

To share from a Mac computer you will be required to use a 3^rd party streaming solution. Please note that we do not support 3^rd party streaming solutions and you will be required to contact them directly for support.

29. After the May 2007 update, my 3^rd party software doesn't stream videos correctly. Why?

Video navigation was changed in the May 2007 update. 3^rd party software that does not support folders through network sharing will not work correctly. You'll have to contact the software developer for support.

30. How can I set up Windows Media Player 11 or Zune to share my media to my console?

For info about setting up sharing, see www.xbox.com/pcsetup.

31. Should I continue to use Windows Media Connect (WMC) to stream video to my Xbox 360?

Windows Media Connect can be used but is no longer supported outside of Windows Home Server. We strongly suggest people upgrade to Windows Media Player 11 or use the Zune software to receive the best experience for managing and streaming content to Xbox 360.

32. How can I get Windows Media Player 11 to stream MPEG-4 Part 2 and H.264 to my console?

By default, Windows Media Player 11 does not support MPEG-4 Part 2 and H.264. Your first option is to install a 3rd party MP4 DirectShow decoder to import MPEG-4 part 2 and H.264 files into your library. Once they are in your library they can be streamed to your console and they can be played from within Windows Media Player 11 on your PC.

An alternative approach is to rename all of your mp4 files to have an “.avi” file name extension. This will enable Windows Media Player 11 to import them into the library and will allow them to be played on your Xbox 360. To enable the playback of these files on the PC, you will still need to install an appropriate decoder on the PC.

33. I can't see my video files from the Zune software on my console. What's wrong?

Make sure that the folders containing the videos you want to share with your console are included in the Zune software's list of monitored folders.

34. I received a message that says a media update is required to play the content. When I download the update I get the message "The download could not be completed. Please try again later. Any points you used for this transaction have already been deducted from your balance and will not be deducted again" with error code 80070005. Explain.

You'll get this error if you previously downloaded the media update on another Xbox 360 console with the same profile. You are only allowed to download the update on one console per profile. You can work around this by creating a temporary Silver membership to download the update. Once it's downloaded, you will be able to use the update with any profile.

**35. What shortcuts can I use with my gamepad while using the Video area?

LB skips backward one chapter. RB skips forward one chapter. RT fast forwards. LT rewinds. Start toggles between play and pause. X and Y bring up the On Screen Display for more advanced options. While browsing through your lists of videos you can also push Start to automatically begin video playback using the bookmark if it exists bypassing the Resume/Restart page. You can also use RT or LT to page up or page down through lists of items.

**36. Why do I see the message “Updating content. This may take a few minutes. Please wait.” the first time when entering the Console video area?

To support grouping television and game videos your content metadata needs to be updated. Once this process is completed subsequent entries into the Video area will be very quick. Please be patient during the update process and allow it to complete updating all of your content metadata.

**37.What changes have you made to selecting the source for Videos, Music, and Pictures?

The source selection is now mapped to the X button for each of these areas. The Xbox 360 will remember the last source that you picked and default to that. We have also removed the computer affiliation from the System Blade and we now show a list of all the computers that you can connect to directly in the Select Source scene. This allows you to quickly jump between Windows Media Player 11 and Zune PC software media shares.

**38.How can I play music from my iPhone® and iPod Touch®?

Unfortunately the iPhone® and iPod Touch® uses a different mechanism for storing your music then a traditional iPod®. We are currently unable to play music from the iPhone® or IPod Touch®. You can still browse the pictures stored on these device through the Pictures area in the Xbox 360 dashboard.

**39.Can I play videos from my iPod®?

The Xbox 360 does not support playing videos from an iPod®.

from Xbox Team

More on the Xbox 360 Console Update

The Xbox 360 console team has a bunch of details on what's coming in the Update next week, details on the video support we're adding, and there's also a complete list of features on Xbox.com.

I'm also told that while the European and Canadian Video Stores announced at E3 didn't launch with the Fall Update, everyone remains committed to launching the service this year, and more information will be released soon.

from Gamerscore Blog

Child Account Graduation and Changing Live ID Association

In addition to the list of new dashboard features that were announced today, there are a few more that were not included in the press release that I think may be of interest to some longtime blog readers. After the update, there will be two new choices in the account management section of the dashboard:

The ability to change the Windows LIVE ID associated with and Xbox LIVE account.
The description pretty much says it all, but choosing this option changes the Windows Live ID associated with your Xbox LIVE account. It will also transfer all your Microsoft points to the new Windows Live ID as well. Here are some screen shots that show what this looks like in the dash.

Promote your Xbox LIVE child account to an adult account.
If you were not yet 18 when you signed up for Xbox LIVE, your account was designated a child account. Child accounts are tied to a parent's Windows Live ID to control Family Settings, and some features of Xbox LIVE are restricted. After you turn 18, (how about "Now, if you're over 18, or when you turn 18") you can promote your child account to an adult account. If you signed up for Xbox LIVE with a child account and have since turned 18, after the update you'll see a new option at the very top of the Account Management section of the dashboard. The 'Promote Child Account" will allow you to promote an Xbox LIVE account that is a child account to an adult account. This promotion removes the Family Settings and Xbox LIVE restrictions. To promote your account, you must agree again to the Xbox LIVE Terms of Use and marketing opt-ins. If a parent's credit card was on your account, you must also enter a new one to replace it. (Yes, you can use pre-paid cards as well.)
Here are some screen shots that show what this looks like in the dash.

Another new feature that may be of interest to some: this update will also allow Under-18 Xbox LIVE members to now use Messenger on Xbox 360.

from Xbox Live's Major Nelson

Backwards Compatibility Update

A new round of backwards compatible titles has just come out, and the list is pretty impressive. After adding the current group of 84 titles, the total list is now at well over 400 total Xbox games that will now work on your Xbox 360. Time to dig through those old boxes in your garage or start hitting the used bins.

Here's a partial list of the games that are now playable on your 360, and the regions they work in:

Title	Supported Region(s)
Armed and Dangerous	North America, Europe
Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance	North America
Blinx: The Timesweeper	North America, Europe
Blitz The League	North America
Breakdown	North America, Europe
Burnout 2: Point of Impact	North America, Europe
Colin Mcrae Rally 2005	North America, Europe
Dungeons & Dragons Heroes	North America, Europe
Fight Night: Round 3	North America, Europe
Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone	North America, Europe
Freedom Fighters	North America
Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee	North America, Europe
Greg Hastings Tournament Paintball Max'd	North America, Europe
Indiana Jones And The Emperors Tomb	North America, Europe
MLB Slugfest Loaded	North America
Nascar Thunder 2003	North America
NBA Street V3	North America, Europe
NFL 2k2	North America
NHL 2K3	North America
Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter	North America, Europe
The Bard's Tale	North America, Europe
Thrillville	North America, Europe
Worms 3D	North America, Europe

For a complete list of backwards compatible games including the latest additions, visit http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwardcompatibilitygameslist.htm or to learn more about backwards compatibility go to http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/backwardscompatibility.htm.

from Gamerscore Blog

Halo to come with Xbox 360 Dashboard update on December 4

It just came to our attention that Microsoft will be implementing the Xbox 360 Dashboard Fall update on December 4 and we are pretty sure that you will be pleasantly surprised with the software additions.

The news originally came from video games site CVG which in turn got it from the Official Xbox Magazine staffers. Reportedly, the update will finally introduce the Video on Demand feature with the initial offerings coming from film studio Warner Bros.

The reports mentioned that movies will cost less than US 5 and can be viewed in 720p resolution. Quite interestingly, there are certain terms attached to this video download service:

• You have 14 days to start watching a film once it has downloaded
• Once you started watching a film, you have 24 hours to finish it
• After that, the film deletes itself from your hard drive

Furthermore, the Fall update will also see the addition of original Xbox games that will be available for download. It was said that these games will cost 1,200 Microsoft Points each and expected titles to come out on day one include:

• Halo
• Fable
• Fahrenheit
• Crimson Skies: High Road To Revenge
• Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath Of Cortex
• Burnout 3

from X360 QJ.NET

HD-A2 $99 right now @ BEST BUY too!!

Check those stores and grab em' if you can:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1158323325814

Bungie releases Halo 3 Halloween Special

Ready for a change? In the good ol' Halloween spirit, Bungie Studios has introduced a new gametype into Halo 3, resulting in a 27-hour zombie gaming run as players try out the area.

The game type itself is called Infection, and it's got zombies galore! What is Infection? Well, here's how the folks at Bungie describes it:

In Infection, most players start off on a Human team, with one or more players starting off as Zombies. The odds are stacked heavily against the Zombies at first, but when a Human is killed by a Zombie (as they inevitably are), they join the Zombie team and turn on their former teammates.

They also note that there are three versions of the game available for people to try:

• Save One Bullet - which is close to classical Infection but with limited ammunition which keeps the Humans from holding off the Zombies forever
• Creeping Death - where the Zombies are a bit slower but shockingly invisible and deadly.
• Creeping Rockets - is a third variant where the Humans are more heavily armed, but the Zombies are tougher too.

In any event, you guys are probably raring to check it out on your Halo 3 matchmakers, right? Feel free to do so! If you want more information on the event, you can check out here;


Q: Infection, what’s that?
Infection is this really great gametype, inspired by a custom game devised by our community in Halo 2, which we added official support for in Halo 3. In Infection, most players start off on a Human team, with one or more players starting off as Zombies. The odds are stacked heavily against the Zombies at first, but when a Human is killed by a Zombie (as they inevitably are), they join the Zombie team and turn on their former teammates.

Q: How long will the Living Dead haunt matchmaking?
Just for Halloween, from 12:01am to 3:00am the next morning, PST. We decided to let it go a bit late into the morning to give people a chance to play when they got home from their Halloween carousing. Infection is a lot of fun when everyone is into it, but we don’t think it would make a good playlist long term, so it’s going to come and go.
And if everyone has a good time, who knows? It may return, as the restless dead are known to do.

Q: Can I get achievements in this playlist?
Yes, it is set up as a Ranked Playlist, and players will have some good opportunities to pick up a few of the harder MP achievements without any of that pesky guilt. Fending off the hungry dead is as righteous a way as any to score an Overkill. It’s also a good chance to fill out your Ranked Medals with some of the Infection medals, like Infection Spree and Hell’s Janitor.



Q: Can I join with my homies or is this a Lone Wolves style hopper? And how many corpses will I play with?
You can join with a max party size of 4, Infection matches can start with eight players and the games have a player limit of 13. You cannot, however, join with Guests (multiple players on one box).



Q: There’s more than one version of Infection in this playlist, what is each version and how does it work?
We’re using two main versions: Save One Bullet, which is close to classical Infection but with limited ammunition which keeps the Humans from holding off the Zombies forever, and Creeping Death, where the Zombies are a bit slower but shockingly invisible and deadly. Creeping Rockets is a third variant where the Humans are more heavily armed, but the Zombies are tougher too.

Q: Do the maps in Living Dead have the same set-ups that I am used to?
The Living Dead playlist will be the first to use Forge variants in Matchmaking. Lars [Bakken] and Dan [Miller] pulled out all the stops and Forged some masterful variants featuring fortified positions and anti-Zombie booby traps to help get people into the Zombie mind (which is to say, wanting to get into a Human’s mind. Directly.)

Q: Man, I love these gametypes is there any way I can get them?
Any time you play one of these variants in Matchmaking, they’re saved in your Recent Games queue (in the Custom Games lobby, go to select the game type—the Recent Games list is at the top.) They may also show up in the Bungie Favorites this week.

Q: Will there be more special hoppers in the future?
You bet.

Don't worry though, the basic premise if you're a human is, of course, to kill everything out there without dying. Good luck!