New from Divineo USA



Base Functionality :

- Supplies Power to 360 DVD Drives including Eject function or all drives
- Compatible with All Xbox 360 DVD Drives (Hitachi, Samsung, Benq, including all Lite-on drives
- Selectable Mode-B for Hitachi Drives
- Serial Key Reading via USB or RS232 (serial) (for Liteon 74 series)
- Resettable PPTC Fuses
- Compatible with Vampire and Spear
- Power LED/Flash mode LED/USB visual activity LED
- Compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 7 and DOS
- Electrically Safe, operate in the voltages required for the DVD Drive

New Features on XT2:

- Button Forces 0x72 mode on Liteon Drives with a single button press when used with vampire rebuild board
- Automatic Half Tray with a single button press
- New and improved main power controller.
- Onboard Firmware Updateable via USB or RS232 (which allows expandable functionality)
- Remote Commander feature, which can allow total control of the Xtractor 2 by a PC application (The application can now invoke drive commands, like Eject Close, Half Tray, Force mode 0x72, it will be possible to design a full automatic flashing procedure application with minimal or no user intervention for turning on/off the drive, etc.)
- Free remote command software available to application developers, which can be expanded with firmware updates as required
- Drive connector cable with color indication for proper installation
- Selectable communication port with the PC via Jumpers (RS232/USB)
- Audible feedback thru onboard buzzer.
- Unique Serialization / Genuine Checks ...

Sony's latest firmware update comes with a revised End User License Agreement which allows the company to change any part of the console's operating system without notification or permission. You might think you own the console you paid for, but Sony has a very different idea

http://games.slashdot.org/story/10/0...out-Permission ...

Microsoft's upcoming Project Natal motion-sensing hardware has been created as much to enhance the living room experience as it has for playing games with, according to Xbox 360 general manager Marc Whitten.

Speaking to Fast Company, Whitten said that Natal had also been designed to replace the multitude of buttons and remote controls in people's living rooms, and that it might eventually be able to react to a user's response during a television event such as a football match.

"If you counted the number of buttons in your living room, it would send a chill down your spine," he said. "A lot of people can play games amazingly well, but others feel locked out if games involve a bunch of triggers and buttons."

"But Natal isn't just about gaming," he added. "It's about all living room experiences. Imagine a sporting event. Natal could know which team you're for because it sees your jersey, or knows you thought a bad call was made when you yell 'boo.'

"It learns about you and gets smarter to create a more tailored entertainment experience."

Microsoft's Natal is due out before the end of the year. Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter recently speculated the new hardware would likely be bundled with a new Xbox 360 slim model for $299.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...t-about-gaming ...

Microsoft is planning a $150 top-of-the-range SKU as one of its retail offerings for this Q4’s Halo Reach.
PlanetXbox360 reports that three SKUs are planned. As well as the standalone release, the Limited Edition version will include “a special case, collectibles and in-game armour”. That will retail for $80.
The Legendary edition will cost a massive $150 and include a ‘Noble 6’ model (pictured) as well as some DLC extras.
What this will translate to in the UK is yet to be seen, but expect it to at the very least match the £110 Sony asked for the Ultimate Edition of god of War III.

UPDATE: Gamestation has just listed all three SKUs on its site at the following prices:
* Halo Reach - £37.99
* Halo Reach Limited Edition - £59.99
* Halo Reach Legendary Edition - £99.99
UPDATE 2: Microsoft has since confirmed the official RRPs of each SKU:
* Halo Reach - £49.99
* Halo Reach Limited Edition - £59.99
* Halo Reach Legendary Edition - £99.99

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/38649/150-for-Halo-Reach-LE ...

Bungie has once again built up Halo: Reach to galactic proportions, saying that they are aiming to make it the definitive Halo experience and that they are expecting a huge marketing push from Microsoft for the last chapter of the acclaimed series.

Talking to the Seattle Times, community director Brian Jarrard said, "We're very optimistic. We have a lot riding on this game and we have high expectations for it."

"We certainly feel Reach will be the best Halo game that Bungie's ever made, and I think Microsoft's going to bet really big behind it," he added.

"This is what Microsoft does really well - big, huge entertainment launches. You're going to see that happen again for Reach."

Yesterday we reported that Bungie expects Halo: Reach to record the biggest console beta launch of all-time, forecasting over three million players on day one.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...

Games developer Ludia has announced that its Where's Waldo? The Fantastic Journey iPhone game has sold more than one million downloads since its release in December.
The game - based on the books that are known as Where's Wally? here in the UK - has apparently topped the App Store charts in nine countries, and has been purchased every ten seconds since its release.

For most of that time, the game has cost $2.99 on Apple's store, although it benefited from a few weeks at $0.99 in March, which is when it topped the charts.
It's another sign of a popular offline brand striking it rich on iPhone. What's more, it's renewed proof of the lucrative market that exists for iPhone apps and games targeting a younger audience.
The question now is where Waldo/Wally will be next: Ludia is presumably keen to launch further games featuring the bespectacled star, on iPhone and possibly other platforms.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/36860...oads-on-iPhone ...

Nearly 60% of the time Americans spend using the mobile internet is social networking, according to a new report from research firm Ground Truth.
In fact, there is a huge gap between the 59.83% of time spent on social networking by US mobile subscribers and the 13.65% of time spent on portals, the next most popular category.
"While the popularity of mobile social networking is widely believed, this is the first time we have been able to truly quantify just how much the category is driving adoption of the Mobile Internet with actual usage metrics," says VP of marketing Evan Neufeld.
The company also broke out some usage stats for specific social networking services.
The average mobile user of MySpace and Facebook spends 30 and 40 minutes using them a week, respectively.

However, mobile-specific social networks have much more intensive usage. The average users of MocoSpace and AirG spend more than one and a half hours a week using them, for example.
"This data points to the fact that there is a whole universe of media properties advertisers need to consider that have to date been largely ignored," says Neufeld.
Well, up to a point. Facebook has more than 100 million mobile users globally, so while it may lack the mobile engagement of some of its rivals, its sheer size means it will prove attractive to advertisers if and when it ramps up its mobile advertising plans.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/36854...ial-networking ...

Stardock CEO Brad Wardell believes that while achievement point systems in games, or on game platforms have been successful, there's still a lot more to come.

Speaking at a demonstration of the company's new Impulse Reactor platform, which allows developers of PC games to integrate a host of functions into their games - such as reward systems and multiplayer skill matching - he explained that developers should feel more able to explore alternatives to just points.

"In order for the user to enjoy the extra-game capabilities to really take off it needs to become more integrated with the game," he told GamesIndustry.biz. "Achievements just happen to be the easiest thing - but we can go so much further than that. You might play a shooter - play long enough and you could get extra weapons, and different games should have the flexibility to reward or encourage their players in different ways.

"But that can be expensive to do, so what we're hoping to do with Impulse Reactor is that because the client is integrated into the game, it's not some external client we're calling, or importing source code, we can incorporate DLC and all kinds of interesting virtual storage features that the developer can make use of.

"As a result it allows the developers, and their creativity and knowledge of their own game, to come up with less generic methods of rewarding. The reason why achievements are popular is because they're generic, and so easy to implement. The solution to that is to provide developers with the tools to make less generic reward systems."

He rejected the point that one of the reasons that achievement points have been successful, in the likes of World of Warcraft, or on the Xbox Live platform, is because they allow people to compare themselves to others more easily.

"I think that if each game is a little different... In Starcraft II, rankings obviously matter, but if I'm playing a roleplaying game, just because somebody has gone around and completed all the 'rats-in-the-basement' quests, that doesn't mean he deserves a better ranking than me," he said.

"Every developer probably has their own idea on how to reward their players - and as developers who are trying provide platforms to the market, I think it's our job to make sure they can think of unique ways to reward their customers and make them glad they purchased that game."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...t-step-wardell ...

3D TV has been one of the biggest technology stories of the year so far and Thursday morning (22 April) saw the first ones actually going on sale in the UK.

They've been available in the US and Japan for several months, but as expected they're not cheap. The price of the first TV released is £1,799 - and there are lots of other bits of kit needed to get the right set-up.

A pair of the 3D glasses this system uses cost £150, a 3D Blu-ray DVD player is around £350 and a compatible HDMI cable is £50.

For 28-year-old Matt Rajah though - the very first person in the queue on Thursday morning - it's worth the money: "Well I think it's clearly the future of where television is going.

"I saw Avatar with my friends in 3D at the cinema and really loved that film. I'm also an avid gamer as well so I'm hoping to exploit some of the features of the TV through gaming."

At the moment, the platforms available for 3D TV are limited. There are no 3D television channels and there are only a relatively small selection of 3D DVDs and video games.

John Kempner, the chief TV buyer for John Lewis, reckons that will change: "It is all about content. There will be more 3D movies coming along on Blu-ray. But more importantly Sky will be launching its 3D channel in around September time we think.

Continue reading the main story
Video gaming is the other area where there'll be a lot of 3D content available, which I think will be important

John Kempner, chief TV buyer for John Lewis
"Video gaming is the other area where there'll be a lot of 3D content available, which I think will be important too."

That video game content is seen by some in the industry as a key driver of 3D TV sales.

It's also worth pointing out that as well as 3D capability, the televisions going on sale also offer the latest 2D high-definition technology.

While some forecasts predict only modest sales this year, most experts believe it's the future and that 3D TVs will sell in much larger numbers once the content improves and the price comes down.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/te...0/10085219.stm ...