Microsoft has released a video that shows off the new Xbox 360 dashboard update expected this autumn.
The video focuses on the firm's aim to make media navigation easy via the voice control technology in Kinect and the search capabilities of Bing on Xbox. It's also one of the few times the company has showed off the new-look menu system, which appears to scrap a lot of the fancy graphics for a more straight-to-the-point boxy format.

In an accompanying blog post, MS said, "At Microsoft, we believe there's also a shift underway in how consumers access and control this ever-growing avalanche of TV shows, sports programming, movies, online videos, video games, music and more. At E3, we dropped a few hints regarding how we plan to enhance and expand the entertainment options available to consumers."

It went on: "Our philosophy is pretty simple: All the entertainment you want, with the people you care about, made easy... This video brings that philosophy to life, while showing off what the combination of Xbox, Kinect, Bing and voice recognition can do for your entertainment experience.

"Thanks to Bing, Kinect and our voice recognition technology, we envision a future where the words "Hey, where's the remote?" are as outdated as eight-track tapes and rotary telephones."



MS recently updated it's the Xbox dashboard to incorporate PayPal support and compatibility with its new disc format among other things.http://www.computerandvideogames.com/315996/new-xbox-dashboard-video-demos-voice-controls/ ...

via http://www.emucr.com/2011/08/x360ce-svn-r439.html

x360ce SVN r439 is released. Xbox 360 Controller Emulator (a wrapper library that translates the xinput calls to directinput calls) which allows your controller (GamePad, Joystick, Wheel, ...) to function like an Xbox 360 controller on a Windows PC. For example it allows you to play Grand Theft Auto (GTA) game with Logitech wheel.

x360ce SVN Changelog:
r439
* Added ANSI version of COM hooking
* Added option HookUseANSI under [InputHook] section of x360ce.ini to control
WMI hooking mode.

Download: Here ...

Microsoft says its ambition is to transform Xbox 360 into the number one home console not just in Europe, but worldwide.

Speaking ahead of its GamesCom press event this afternoon, Microsoft Europe's interactive entertainment business VP, Chris Lewis, said the titles it has on show in Germany have made him confident the platform holder can achieve its goal.

"We've been very clear that our ambition is to be the number one console not only in Europe but worldwide, and looking at our line-up at GamesCom while knowing what's still in the pipeline, I'm confident we have the games and experiences to drive us toward that goal."

He added: "Consumers of all ages continue to be captivated and entertained by everything Xbox 360 and Kinect have to offer and our commitment to the core remains undeniable."

Microsoft's line-up in Cologne includes Halo: Combat Evolved, Gears of War 3, Forza Motorsport 4, Kinect Star Wars and Steel Battalion, among others.

The platform holder also confirmed that Double Fine's Trenched will finally be released in Europe under the name Iron Brigade.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...no1-worldwide/ ...

As sales slump and its last great exclusive goes multiplatform, retailers confirm plans to phase out Microsoft's console.


The Xbox 360's life appears to be coming to an end in Japan, with hardware sales falling, retailers beginning to turn their back on the console, and the system's last high-profile Japanese exclusive headed to PlayStation 3.

In June, Microsoft announced that Japanese Xbox 360 sales had finally passed 1.5 million units since the system's release in 2005, but that should not be taken as a sign that its fortunes are improving. Media Create data for the year to date puts Xbox 360 hardware sales at just 72,721 units, a drop of 46.7 per cent on the same period last year. Sales of its rival, Sony's PlayStation 3, have also fallen year on year, but only by 17.1 per cent, to 735,637 units.

The slump in sales has, we understand, caused many Japanese videogame retailers to contemplate dropping the Xbox 360 altogether. Geo, the nation's largest specialist retailer, is drastically scaling back its Xbox 360 business, and staff at electronics retailer Yamada Denki in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, confirmed that the company is removing hardware and software from the majority of its stores nationwide, and is selling off its remaining stock at a heavy discount. It will still sell the console and games, but only in selected stores where the system continues to be sufficiently popular.

In Tokyo's smaller, specialist stores, Xbox 360 consoles and games are beginning to appear in bargain bins, or "wagon sales". Games can be had for as little as ¥100 (79p), with one store selling the Halo: Reach hardware bundle for ¥9,980 (£79.30).

Perhaps the biggest indicator of the Xbox 360's struggles in Japan is the fate of The Idolmaster. Namco Bandai's pop-star management game, first released in arcades in 2005, was an Xbox 360 exclusive, its 2007 release reportedly causing a rush of new Xbox Live signups and a sharp increase in sales of Microsoft Points.

While PSP and DS releases followed, it was Microsoft's last high-profile console exclusive, and a sequel was released in February. It sold 34,621 copies in the week of its release, entering the Japanese all-formats chart at number ten, but the following week, it did not even make the top 40. The 2009 PSP release sold around 122,000 copies in its first week, and was in the top 40 for five weeks in total.

As such it was no surprise when, late last month, Namco Bandai announced that it would be porting Idolmaster 2 to PlayStation 3, with the Xbox 360 version's DLC included.

With mobile games increasingly popular in Japan - the sector's rise driven by mobile social networks like Gree and Mobage - cross-platform connectivity is becoming increasingly important as companies seek to protect their traditional sources of revenue.

Sony is becoming increasingly aware of this, with the upcoming Monster Hunter HD, the first game released for PS3 as part of the PSP Remaster series, allowing a single save file to be shared between PS3 and PSP. Microsoft, of course, has no portable console. With PSP still selling in huge numbers in Japan, and Vita set for release before the end of the year, it's little surprise that publisher eyes are drawn towards Sony: after all, cross-platform play means selling two games instead of one.

Kinect has done much to extend the 360's life in the west, sales of 8 million units in its first 60 days seeing it awarded a Guinness World Record, named the fastest-selling consumer electronics device of all time. In Japan, it was outsold on launch by PlayStation Move - no great surprise given PS3's far larger installed base - with one retailer saying shortly after launch that, far from helping sell the console to a wider audience, it was only being bought by existing Xbox 360 owners.

While the console's gradual disappearance from store shelves does not prevent gamers making their purchases online - indeed, it is our understanding that Amazon now handles a substantial proportion of Japanese Xbox 360 software sales - it does complicate things for Microsoft.

With an Xbox 360 successor widely accepted to be released in 2014, the firm may struggle to convince Japanese retailers to stock and prominently display the console when they have a decade's worth of proof that higher returns are available elsewhere.

Microsoft clearly still holds the Japanese market in high regard - just last month it appointed Takashi Sensui as head of the newly formed Interactive Entertainment Business (IEB), leaving him to focus almost exclusively on Xbox 360. While reports at the time implied a lighter load for Sensui - his previous remit also covered Windows and Office software - perhaps the reshuffle was in recognition of the onerous task he faces to revive the console's ailing fortunes.

http://www.next-gen.biz/news/xbox-360-dead-japan ...

Codemasters' Dirt 3 stays at No.1 on the official UK Xbox 360 sales chart for another week, with FIFA 11 coming up from No.4 to take second place.
Last week's runner up, Call of Juarez: The Cartel, moves down to No.3 ahead of Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, which climbs 16 spots from No.20 to No.4.

LA Noire is at No.5 and Zumba Fitness at No.6, while Battlefield: Bad Company 2 advances from No.10 to No.7.

Brink is up from No.23 to No.8, while Skate 3 and UFC Personal Trainer round off the top ten.

GfK/Chart-Track Xbox 360 Top 10 (week ending August 13):

• 01. Dirt 3 (Codemasters)
  02. FIFA 11 (EA)
  03. Call of Juarez: The Cartel (Ubisoft)
  04. Pirates of the Carribean (Disney)
  05. LA Noire (Take 2)
  06. Zumba Fitness (505 Games)
  07. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (EA)
  08. Brink (Bethesda)
  09. Skate 3 (EA)
  10. UFC Fitness Trainer (EA)
  
  http://www.computerandvideogames.com...aintains-lead/

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Despite Friday's official price cut for the 3DS handheld, only one exclusive title sits in the top 40 best-selling games chart.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D saw a 60 per cent rise in sales compared to last week, taking the game from number 39 to 13 in the charts.
Retailers began cutting the price of the 3DS last week ahead of the official reduction, with some selling the console for as little as £115 - less than half its price at launch in March.
Elsewhere in the charts there was only a shuffle of the top titles, with 505 Games' Zumba Fitness still at number one for 12 weeks in total.
The top twenty best-selling games follow:

• 01 Zumba Fitness
• 02 LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean
• 03 Cars 2
• 04 Dirt 3
• 05 FIFA 11
• 06 LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• 07 Just Dance: Extra Songs
• 08 Call of Juarez: The Cartel
• 09 The Sims 3
• 10 L.A. Noire
• 11 Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows Part 2
• 12 Brink
• 13 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
• 14 Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
• 15 Battlefield: Bad Company 2
• 16 Just Dance 2
• 17 Wii Sports Resort
• 18 Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters
• 19 Portal 2
• 20 Dungeon Siege III
• http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ite-price-drop

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From majornelson.com:
http://www.xbox-scene.com/xbox1data/...AyPpptJnvd.php ...