I love Xbox Live, I really do. But man, how am I supposed to keep track of what usernames my friends are using? We need aliases, and we've needed them for a while.

On Adium, the AIM client I use, I put in aliases for everyone on my buddy list. How the hell am I supposed to remember everybody's ancient screennames that are references to something obscure from high school? Instead, they come up as, you know, their names.

On Xbox Live, I have literally no idea who some of my friends are. I have vague guesses based on their avatars, and I knew who they were when I added them, but everybody has such goddamned goofy usernames, it's impossible to keep track of them all.

Wouldn't it be easy to allow people to enter their real names as well and then give users a choice about which to display, the handle or the real name? Or allow people to create custom aliases for each person on their friends list? Because not knowing who your friends are kind of defeats the purpose of having a friends list in the first place, doesn't it?

http://gizmodo.com/5391018/hey-micro...live-gamertags ...

Nick Parker reveals stats and potential of games download market during the next decade
The games industry will see a major tipping point towards digital distribution - and finally experience its 'the iTunes moment - by 2014, according to analyst Nick Parker.

Referencing reams of data, and an industry survey which grilled key execs on the future of digital downloads, he said that serious change will come within the next five years.

And by 2014 "we might have some parity betweeen digital distribution and retail", with both representing around half the games market each, said Parker - although he stopped short of elaborating on whether downloads will overtake retail from 2015.

Currently, the games industry is facing the emergence of new business models that operate alongside the established publisher/retailer market - but in time we will see "a comibation of download and streamed".

He drew parallels to the music market's various services for both downloads (iTunes) and music streaming (Spotify), pointing out that "both can complement each other".

Parker also highlighted the five key areas where digital distribution will have an impact and how they will change. (Although he provided the caveat that 'no one really knows' what could happen given the surprising way Apple upended the music industry during this decade.)

Hardware, he predicted, will develop to include both next-gen, powerful machines, plus platforms that don't put an emphasis on high end graphics, and instead focus on fast delivery. With items like the iPhone that's already happening - so Parker said it wouldn't now be in the realm of possibility if Apple launched a console with Intel's Larabee chip in it.

For publishers, the biggest hit will be in their studio operation. "The retail model moves away from banking on enormous day one sales to a larger, longer tail for online models," said Parker, so publishers will need to reduce short term costs. "They will have to scale down exiting studio structures."

Meanwhile, developers are seeing "the value changing - it is shortened so they have the opportunity to benefit form diret consumer ownership".

Elsewhere technology will develop to find more new delivery mechanisms enter that enter the value chain. Parker postulated that these could "either be acquired by the above [retailers/publishers/developers] or become a new content aggregator." Again he pointed to Apple's sudden entrance into music as evidence that the industry should always be aware of the potential of "one big new entrant to shake up the eco-system".

And what about retailers? Parker rebuffed the idea that retail becomes less powerful in the world of digital distribution.

"They still own hardware and peripheral distribution and can diversify into non-specialist but complimentary products," said Parker, saying that retailers will diversify their offer to include digital to maintain customer engagement - wherever customers are.

"Retailers should always have an online software digital distribution offering - gamers and publsihers need many points of purchase and distribution," he said, adding: "In store digital point cards will slow down emigration."

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/36266/Half...nloads-by-2014 ...

These Xbox cufflinks are the perfect way to inappropriately inject your nerdiness into otherwise classy situations. Because your daughter's wedding just won't be the same without everyone knowing you're a gamer.

http://gizmodo.com/5390153/xbox-cuff...ormal-occasion ...

After years of hype surrounding virtual reality, including the classic '90s movie The Lawnmower Man, few of us can claim to have experienced virtual reality at home. But what if you could build your own virtual reality goggles without having to spend a fortune? Using an HTC Magic and Google Street View, Recombu.com made a simple pair of virtual reality goggles that let you immerse yourself in distant locations. As the article points out, you can also use these goggles with augmented reality apps — although you probably don't want to walk around with them all day long.

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/0...eality-Goggles ...

Maemo 5 and Android have received a lot of publicity lately, despite the former not even shipping yet. Both have become famous partly for using the Linux kernel, but now that we have a choice, how do we pick one? Is the issue as mundane as choosing your favorite desktop distribution, or is there a more significant difference? This article compares the two from an end user and developer perspective, emphasizing root access and ease of sharing code."

http://linux.slashdot.org/story/09/1...mo-and-Android ...

Nintendo denies a lowering of the trade price is behind widespread hardware discounts on upcoming console
Whilst we’re used to aggressive price battles in the software market, hardware prices are typically resilient – which makes the current price war surrounding the upcoming Black Wii all the more surprising.
A number of leading online retailers – such as Amazon, Play, ShopTo and GAME – are offering the upcoming new SKU for £164.99 on pre-order. This represents a £15 saving on the RRP.
However, Nintendo has told MCV that it has not further cut the machine’s RRP beyond the trade cuts announced last month.
“The latest reduction in the trade price of Wii in the UK saw it return to the level it was prior to the price increase in April this year,” a spokesperson told MCV.
“This was the same trade price that Wii launched at in Dec 2006. Retailers are able to sell at whatever price they want to.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/36261/Blac...arks-price-war ...

With the first Android 2.0 handset due to be unveiled publicly this week - Motorola's Droid - Google is showing off the new version of its smartphone OS to some handpicked developers.
According to an invitation sent out recently, the company is holding three invite-only events yesterday and today - two in California and one in London.
"Congratulations! Based on the popularity of your Android application, we'd like to invite you to visit Google to test drive your code on new test hardware," says the invite.
It promises that Android engineers and devices will be present, showcasing new screen sizes and platform features.
Specs of the Droid phone leaked last week, but developers will be keen to find out what Android 2.0 offers their apps - although also what level of fragmentation those new screen sizes and features may spur.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/34826...velopers-today ...

The recent announcement that the Netflix movie streaming service will be appearing on the PlayStation 3 is only an "intermediate step" designed to circumvent the company's existing exclusivity deal with Microsoft, claims Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter.

As announced yesterday, the Netflix deal will allow existing subscribers to stream movie titles, at no extra cost, via the PS3. However, while the service is integrated as part of the dashboard on the Xbox 360, the PS3 will require a separate disc to access the same features.

In a new investor note Pacther suggests that the disc is necessary in order not to conflict with existing arrangements for the Xbox 360 - although the specific details of Microsoft's deal with Netflix has never been made public.

"We believe that the exclusive arrangement limits Netflix’s ability to appear on the 'dashboard' for the PS3 or the Wii, but because both devices have open architecture Internet browsers built-in, the solution proposed for the PS3 would likely not violate the terms of Microsoft’s exclusivity," said Pachter.

"We anticipate that a similar arrangement will be announced for the Wii in the next 12 months", he added.

Pachter claims that the Netflix service on Xbox 360, which is only available in U.S., has gained Netflix an extra 600,000 to 800,000 new subscribers. He expects the Sony deal to have a similar effect, with up to 200,000 new subscribers in the final quarter of this year.

Despite predicting healthy growth for Netflix over the coming years, with estimates of an annual userbase of 1.5 to 2 million customers, Pacther has left the company's stock rating at neutral.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ermediate-step ...

Microsoft has launched its streaming film and television content service in association with Sky TV for the UK and Ireland today.

The Sky Player for Xbox 360 will allow Xbox Live Gold members to watch programmes from 24 different channels live, with an additional selection of on-demand channels featuring key shows from the past month as well as over 400 movies on offer from the current Sky Movies channels line-up.

For Gold members that already have a subscription to Sky, the content will be free, depending on that level of subscription - Sky Sports and Sky Movies content will require appropriate accounts - although as with the PC-based Sky Player users will also need to pay a GBP 5 Multi-Room charge if they don't already.

Non-subscribers will be able to receive the service as an internet-only offering, not requiring the installation of a satellite dish, for a fee of GBP 15 per month for the basic Entertainment Pack, rising to GBP 50 for the full Sports and Movies pack, with ESPN access also included.

Meanwhile, for Xbox Live Silver members, Sky News will always be free, while a special Sky Player Retail bundle pack will be available in stores from today which will include one month of the Sky Sports subscription pack, a three-month Live Gold membership and a Media Remote for GBP 29.99.

"Today our customers enjoy film, music, videos and games on Xbox 360 and TV is another significant step forward in our entertainment vision," said Microsoft's senior regional director at Entertainment & Devices for the UK and Ireland, Neil Thompson.

"And now Xbox owners will have the variety and volume of entertainment along with unique services such as the avatar community which allow you to share, celebrate and chat - it is clear that Xbox 360 is taking entertainment beyond the living room with unique social interactive entertainment experiences.”

As well as watching content through the Xbox 360, users will be able to watch with other people on their friends list and have their avatars sit on a virtual sofa, side-by-side with others. At the same they'll be able to communicate via an emote wheel on-screen, with a number of pre-set avatar animations available, or talk directly through the 360's headset.

"What makes it really interesting is at this point, if you've got a headset on, you can be talking to that person directly," said Thompson in a media preview last week. "If you're watching sport, you can chat about what you're seeing. If it's a movie, you can chat about that. It's a whole new way of consuming entertainment socially.

"This sort of experience is unique to the Xbox Live service - you don't get this sort of interaction on any other entertainment service," he added.

Content will only be available in standard definition in order to ensure that the streaming service is as seamless as possible to the highest number of users, and will be available in three different quality levels - with a maximum line speed requirement of around 2mbps.

While the number of available channels currently stands at 24, it's likely that Sky will opt to add more channels to the offering over time, with a theroetical maximum of around 140, although it was noted that the 360 line-up is unlikely to extend that far as the "+1" channels wouldn't be included. There are no details at this time as to which channels may be added, but currently no UK terrestrial channels will be available at launch.

The full channel line-up is as follows:

Entertainment Pack

G.O.L.D.
Sky Real Lives
Sky Arts 1
MTV ONE
Sky Sports News
British Eurosport
ESPN Classic
Sky News
National Geographic
Nat Geo Wild
History
Eden
Cartoon Network
Boomerang
Nickelodeon
Disney Channel
Nick Jr
Sport Pack

Sky Sports 1
Sky Sports 2
Sky Sports 3
Sky Sports XTRA
ESPN (additional cost)
(Plus all sport video on-demand channels)
Movies Pack

Sky Movies Screen 1
Sky Movies Screen 2
(Plus over 400 movies on-demand)

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...360-sky-player ...