via Games Industry


Microsoft will be selling the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit in the US for USD 29.99 from September 6.

Containing a keyboard attachment for the contoller – dubbed the Chatpad – and the standard 360 headset, the peripherals are designed to make communication via Xbox Live Messenger more convenient.

Microsoft is also making different coloured controllers available for USD 49.99, in Pink, Dark Blue and a Light Blue model for the European market, due this October. ...

Thats right everyone, a special limited edition Halo 3 Xbox 360 has been announced! Know your Zune can also match your 360! According to the console's page the Halo console is pretty much just a Elite with a cool looking design.



Heres what it comes with:

• Halo 3 Special Edition Console
• Halo 3 Special Edition Wireless Controller
• Halo 3 Special Edition 20GB Hard Drive
• Halo 3 Special Edition Wired Headset
• Halo 3 Special Edition Gamer Pics and Theme (Exclusive download via Xbox LIVE)
• Component HD AV Cable
• Ethernet Cable
• HDMI Port
• Play & Charge Kit
• Xbox LIVE Silver Membership
• One-month Lbox LIVE Gold Membership
• Halo 3 game not included—sold separately

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/...lo3console.htm ...

via Games Industry


Buzz designer Relentless has told GamesIndustry.biz that it's flattered that Microsoft is copying the game's controller design for the newly announced Scene It? title – but warned that success isn't as easy as modelling a product on the BAFTA-winning franchise.

Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action was unveiled at Microsoft's E3 press briefing, with VP of marketing Jeff Bell showing off the title complete with four bundled controllers that look very similar to those in Sony's hit Buzz! franchise.

"They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so right now we're basking in adulation," said David Amor, creative director of Relentless.

"We knew it would be coming but we were a little surprised at the extent that the design had been inspired by Sony's."

Noting that Microsoft's Xbox Live Vision camera has not seen nearly as much success as Sony's equivalent, Amor suggested that the software will prove the deciding factor to the quiz games success.

"I think the test for Microsoft will now be on the software. If you compare the success of Sony's EyeToy against the Xbox camera the value of high quality games is clear."

"Though I don't know too much about Microsoft's forthcoming Scene It? game, I know we have some aces up our sleeve with our forthcoming Buzz! titles," he added. ...

via Games Industry


An updated version of Bungie's first-person shooter Marathon: Durandal is to be released over Xbox Live Arcade later this summer.

The game was originally released in 1995 for the Apple Mac, and is currently in development at Totemball studio Freeverse.

During Microsoft's E3 Media & Business Summit presentation, Jeff Bell, VP of marketing said Microsoft intends to release a total of 100 XBLA games on the service before the end of the year. ...

via Games Industry


Phil Harrison has told GamesIndustry.biz that Sony intended to set expectations incredibly high with its controversial E3 2005 trailer for Killzone 2 - and plans to exceed them with the finished product.

"It's a very important game because the anticipation was set so high, which we were conscious of - it was not accidental," Harrison told gi.biz following a presentation of the game in Santa Monica.

"It was important to demonstrate clearly that we have a real-time playable game that exceeds the expectations that we set for it."

Harrison said that Killzone 2 conveyed "the technical capability of the platform and the creative capability of the platform", and paid tribute to developer Guerrilla Games' "incredible skill and talent".

Killzone 2 would, he said, "deliver their original vision" when it launched exclusively on PlayStation 3. "For many reasons, it's an important product for us," he concluded.

The game, whose first in-game screenshot generated enormous interest when it was unveiled today, casts the player into a non-stop war against the semi-human Helghast, with Guerrilla telling journalists that the demo shown on Tuesday evening drew upon virtually all of the PS3's many important capabilities - including Blu-ray discs, which it said were necessary for the game to offer visual detail in depth. ...

via Games Industry


Disney ABC has joined Microsoft's Xbox Live Video Marketplace, offering movies for online rental in the US.

Titles from Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures and Miramax Films will all be offered over the high-definition service.

"We're always looking for more ways to let people experience our films," said Dan Cohen, executive vice president of pay television and interactive media for Disney-ABC Domestic Television.

"With the millions of Xbox 360 consoles in living rooms today with a direct, high-speed internet connection, Xbox Live really has become a terrific device for the delivery of digital entertainment content."

At the E3 Media & Business Summit, Microsoft revealed that the popular online service will be coming to Europe before the end of the year ...

via Games Industry


Peter Moore has unveiled a new Halo 3 Special Edition Xbox 360 at the company's pre-E3 conference, backed with a plethora of new software announcements.

Games took centre stage at the press briefing, with Xbox boss Peter Moore boasting that, "This is the first E3 briefing in which every demo you see will be coming this year."

Setting the scene, Moore stated that the Xbox 360 has the largest install base of the next-generation home consoles, with 5.6 million units sold in the US. "Xbox 360 is driving this industry," he said.

"We're in a tight race with Wii, and outselling PS3 two to one," said Moore. "Xbox 360 is selling more games than anyone else."

Game demo's, rolling footage and clips of some of the most highly-anticipated titles were on display, including Halo 3, Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty 4, and Project Gotham Racing 4.

The Halo 3 Special Edition console was left until last, with Moore declaring, "We're announcing a new console for the Halo nation." It is expected to go on sale around the same time as the release of Bungie's shooter, due September 25.

But first-party offerings weren't just about content for the dedicated 360 fan, Microsoft's VP of marketing Jeff Bell came on stage to talk about the company's focus on the family audience.

Central to this was a spin-off from Rare's Viva Piñata, and a collaboration with DVD boardgame company Screenlife.

Viva Piñata: Party Animals is a mini-game compilation in development at Krome Studios, while Screenlife's Scene It? movie trivia game will make the jump to 360, complete with a specially-tailored buzzer peripheral.

Blockbuster gaming brands were on full show at the event – Activision's Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare may be a multiformat title, but Microsoft has managed to tie-up an exclusive online beta test for Xbox consumers.

Games for Windows will benefit from new titles, including Viva Piñata and top-seller Gears of War, complete with new content and features. Games for Windows Live technology will also now be built into Epic's leading Unreal Engine 3 middleware.

Another first-party title, BioWare's Mass Effect, has been dated for November in the US, while EA Sports have promised that every title in its portfolio will now run at twice previous speeds on the Xbox 360.

Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV was shown, with Microsoft claiming the footage was captured on a Xbox 360, and Moore referring to 360's exclusive episodic content by stating, "Where the GTA IV experience stops on other platforms, it continues on Xbox 360."

A brief trailer was shown for Capcom's Resident Evil 5, “The only game that won't launch this year,” said Moore, with an full trailer promised for July 26.

Microsoft has also revealed that the Xbox 360 Elite will be coming to Europe and Canada August 24, with the Xbox Live Video Marketplace set to launch in the regions before the end of the year.

The Xbox 360's Live service now boasts over 7 million users, and is expected to reach around 10 million in the next 12 months. ...

via Games Industry


Membership of Microsoft's Xbox Live service has grown to over seven million users, the company has revealed.

And Microsoft now intends to ramp up the number of users with the hope of attracting 10 million punters by this time next year.

"Last year we said Xbox Live would grow to six million members. I'm happy to announce we've eclipsed the seven million mark," said Jeff Bell, on stage at the company's pre-E3 conference at the Santa Monica High School.

Bell boasted that the service is attracting one new Live member every 8 seconds.

"Before next year's E3, we're forecasting we will cross the 10 million mark," he said.

With a total of 45 million game downloads to date, the format-holder has also promised a total of 100 Xbox Live Arcade titles by the end of the year.

New titles on show during a demo reel at the event in included War World from Ubisoft, Hexic 2, and Codemasters' Sensible World of Soccer. ...

via Games Industry


Microsoft has revealed that the Xbox 360 Elite will launch in Europe and Canada August 24.

Speaking at Microsoft's pre-E3 conference in Santa Monica, VP of marketing Jeff Bell also stated that the Video Marketplace service will arrive in Europe before the end of the year.

"We're committed to bringing Xbox 360 to the world," offered Bell.

According to Microsoft, so far USD 125 million has been spent on Video Marketplace content in North America. The service offers over 2000 hours of content, from 28 different studios.

New to the offering is a partnership with Disney, with content from the leading movie studio added to the US service from today. ...