Microsoft Prattle v2

[KingPK]

I bought Burnout Revenge from Games on Demand since it was the rare case of the GoD version being the cheapest version. I forgot how awesome crash junctions could be and being able to slam into traffic is great.

 

[Haws Bah Gawd]

I hope we get another Burnout soon. Loved those games. I think I'm one of the few who enjoyed Full Auto too.

 

[DrVenkman PhD]

They overhauled the YouTube app today and I like it.

- You can pair it with a device... not sure why I would want to do that, I have a controller, but ok.
- It looks sleeker.
- The error I was getting with some channels saying "no videos" is fixed.
- Playback seems to have improved (if you ever try watching a poorly encoded video from more than 4 years ago, even though it looked ok on YouTube.com, it often looked like a bunch of black and green pixels with freeze frame images on the 360 playback.
- One of the things from a previous update that bothered me was in your subscriptions, they changed the list from being a thumbnail of the newest video to the user's avatar. Now it says "New videos" underneath so you know it's been updated.

 

[Broward83]

You can pair it with a smart phone to search for videos there then use the phoneor tablet to queue it on the xXboxto play wwhile using your smart device as a controller to skip pause or rewind.

 

[DrVenkman PhD]

... ok. All I know is the Glass app is not very responsive and I immediately gave up pairing devices with a device that already has controllers paired to it to begin with.

Having said that, pair it the YouTube's voice search function? I'd do that.

 

[Broward83]

You wouldn't use the glass app, you'd pair it with your phone or tablet's own YT app. Sorry, should have said that but I was typing all of this from my phone.

 

[DrVenkman PhD]

I knew what you meant, I was just indicating the glass app was not an app I enjoyed and I kind of judged system paired apps on that.

 

[vivisectvi]

http://ca.ign.com/articles/2013/02/22/xbox-event-website-registered?abthid=5127d893f46a8b2855000081

A new domain suggests that Microsoft could be preparing an event to announce its next console. According to WHOIS data, XboxEvent.com was registered yesterday by U.S. Techs, a company recently rebranded as Eventcore that provides “advanced, customized solutions in the event management industry.”

As sleuths on the NeoGAF forums point out, U.S. Techs also registered XboxE312.com (the event site used to sign up for Microsoft’s press briefing at E3 last year) as well as Microsoft’s 2013 Hosting Summit site, which includes the text “this site is hosted for Microsoft by U.S. Techs” at the bottom.

For now, we can’t be sure what exactly XboxEvent.com is or what it might be used for, but hot on the heels of Sony’s dedicated conference to reveal the PlayStation 4 this week, this could be an indicator that Microsoft is getting ready to hold its own event to announce the new Xbox soon. According to reports from CVG and The Verge, industry sources suggest that April is currently the most likely time frame.

A Microsoft spokesperson provided IGN with the following statement:

“Microsoft often acquires various domain names as part of its ongoing business strategy, but beyond that we have no comment.”

 

[vivisectvi]

Cross-posted from the RE thread, via Joystiq: Look out, it's a hungry horde of Resident Evil games infecting Day 3 of Xbox Live's Games on Demand sale, with five of the nibblers dangerously discounted. Shuffling along at half-price are Residents Evils 4-6 and Operation Raccoon City, taking 4 and 5 to to $9.99 and the other two to $19.99. Savings-wise, the pick of the bunch is Code Veronica, with today's discount digesting 75 percent of its insides and only leaving behind a stump of $4.99.

As ever - well, until March 4 - there's a groaning mass of other Games on Demand at sale-severed prices, and one of those groaners is Grid. With the second Grid game nearing the finish line, $4.99 is a decent price at which to dive into Codemasters' racer series.

 

[KingPK]

Civilization Revolution is $10 for the next 24 hours as part of the Ultimate Game Sale.

 

[KingPK]

I think my 360 is finally giving up. It takes multiple closings of the tray to read a disc and now the button to open the tray doesn't work. It put in 5 years of work with just one trip to MS for repair, so I should feel like I got my moneys worth.

 

[KingPK]

Found my data transfer cable in a closet. $20 saved.

So nice not to hear a jet engine start up when I turn on my 360 anymore. Anybody want a d/l copy of Skyrim?

 

[Broward83]

Sure, why the hell not.

 

[Thoth]

Found my data transfer cable in a closet. $20 saved.

So nice not to hear a jet engine start up when I turn on my 360 anymore. Anybody want a d/l copy of Skyrim?

Flip that Skyrim code on vgfive. www.vgfive.com

 

[Haws Bah Gawd]

Next Xbox leak points to always online requirement

Screengrabs seemingly taken from the Durango Xbox Development Kit describe Microsoft’s upcoming console as an always online device, as has previously been rumoured.

Posted on VGLeaks, one of the more reliable sources of next-gen information in the run up to the PS4 reveal last month, the documentation has been described as “entirely legitimate” by an Edge source, although it was said to have been provided to developers working with the console last year.

The "hardware overview" documentation states: “The console will be ready instantly when users want to play, and will always maintain a network connection so that console software and games are always current. With this “Always On, Always Connected” design, users will quickly and easily enjoy their connected entertainment experiences, with no waiting for the console to restart or install games.

“Every Durango console will have a hard drive, although its exact capacity has not been chosen. It will be large enough, however, to hold a large number of games. All games will be installed on the hard drive. Play from the optical disc will not be supported.

“Durango consoles will have a Blu-ray disc drive. Disc media will be used for distribution, but during gameplay, games will not use content from the optical disc. An installation system is being designed that will allow gamers to begin playing while the game is being installed on the hard drive rather than waiting until installation is complete.

“Every Durango console will be sold with a new high-fidelity Kinect sensor, which will be required for the system to operate," it also says, latter adding: "The Durango controller will make the best-in-class Xbox 360 controller even better. It will have low-latency wireless connectivity to the console, and improved ergonomics. System interactions that use the controller will be simplified to make them easier for noncore gamers."

Last month, Edge reported that games designed for the next Xbox “will require an internet connection in order to function”, and that all disc-based titles will include online activation codes with no value beyond their initial use, effectively eliminating the ability to play used games on the system.

It has been heavily rumoured that Microsoft will announce its next Xbox in late April.

http://www.gamesradar.com/next-xbox-leak-points-always-online-requirement/?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=emp

I have throttled bullshit satellite internet due to living in a remote area, so looks like the Nextbox is out of the question for me.

 

[Smues]

Always online requirement would be enough for me to not get it, sadly. I'm not sure if it didn't have that requirement but did have the MUST BE KINECTED thing if I would get it, I think I'd still have to pass. But a combination of Always online + always have Kinect on + no used games = holy fuck I hope everyone involved in this dies a painful death. Ok maybe not that far, but it is quite the combination from hell.

 

[jimmy no nose]

People are reading WAY too much into the "always on always connected" thing. It doesn't say that it's a requirement in the document anywhere, just that it exists. It says it will be used to install updates even while the system is powered off. The PS4 announced the same type of feature (they called it Network Standby) and they actually both kind of stole it from the original Wii (WiiConnect24).

It's kind of funny that the same things all these journalists are speculating on about the next Xbox (required internet connections, blocking used games, etc.) were being rumored for the PS4 before Sony finally acknowledged the console's existence and denied all of it.

 

[vivisectvi]

The Next Xbox Will Require an Internet Connection To Start Games, Sources Say

"If there isn't a connection, no games or apps can be started," the source continued. "If the connection is interrupted then after a period of time—currently three minutes, if I remember correctly—the game/app is suspended and the network troubleshooter started."

Full story: http://kotaku.com/the-next-xbox-will-require-an-internet-connection-to-st-470062456



Also: http://ca.ign.com/articles/2013/04/05/microsoft-creative-director-on-always-online-deal-with-it

Microsoft Creative Director on Always Online: 'Deal With It'

In the wake of new purported details about the next Xbox's always-online requirement, Microsoft Studios' creative director has spoken out on Twitter about negative reactions to the prospect.

Adam Orth's tweets are now protected, but a poster on NeoGAF saved them for posterity:

Orth also got into a minor spat with BioWare employee Manheer Heir. "Sorry, I don't get the drama around having an 'always-on' console," he said. "Every device is now 'always-on'. #dealwithit"

Orth has been with Microsoft for just over a year, working on an unannounced project (which can be safely assumed to be a Nextbox title). Previously he has been Creative Lead/Creative Director at LucasArts and a Senior Designer at PopCap.

Naturally this is Orth's personal opinion and shouldn't be taken as proof that the next Xbox definitely has an always-online requirement, but the evidence is mounting. IGN's Xbox 720 wiki has everything that's currently known about the next Microsoft console.

Update: Xbox Live's Major Nelson has posted the following official Microsoft statement regarding Orth's comments:

"We apologize for the inappropriate comments made by an employee on Twitter yesterday. This person is not a spokesperson for Microsoft, and his personal views do not reflect the customer centric approach we take to our products or how we would communicate directly with our loyal consumers. We are very sorry if this offended anyone, however we have not made any announcements about our product roadmap, and have no further comment on this matter."

 

[909]

To Sony I will go.

 

[AnonymousBroccoli]

I find it hard to believe how many people are taking dude's tweets as seriously as they are. I found them very clearly tongue-in-cheek.

That said, it's probably not real smart to be pushing buttons on a touchy subject in a public venue if you work for Microsoft.

 

[vivisectvi]

Apparently serious enough for MS to fire him over it..

Joystiq:

Adam Orth, the Microsoft Studios creative director who caused a stir among consumers last week by tweeting his opinions on "always-on" devices, is no longer a Microsoft employee, according to "two sources" speaking with Polygon.

Last week, Microsoft publicly apologized for Orth's comments, saying that "this person is not a spokesperson for Microsoft, and his personal views do not reflect the customer centric approach we take to our products or how we would communicate directly with our loyal consumers."

We have reached out to Microsoft for a statement on the situation and will update this story if we learn more.

 

[Haws Bah Gawd]

Guy shouldn't have acted like such a prick.

 

[jimmy no nose]

Microsoft announced an Xbox event for May 21 to be broadcast live on Spike TV as well as online and on Xbox Live. Looks like they'll be debuting the new Xbox there, then announcing the complete game lineup at E3.

 

[bps21]

Do I need to be connected to the Internet to get the broadcast on spike?

 

[Smues]

No, but if your Kinnect detects that you have more than three people watching it they'll charge you extra.

 

[bps21]

Phew...no worries there...the Kinect can barely track just me.

 

[fazzle]

Hahaha oh man I just had the most random shit happen. I was at a bar, talking to this girl for most of the night and we were kinda hitting it off. Before I could ask for her number though, she gave me her gamertag and said we should play sometime. I'm like ...ooookay this is kinda weird but whatever.

So I get home and send her a friend request before I forget, AND IT'S A FAKE GAMERTAG. I ain't even mad. that's just props for a move I've never seen before.

 

[cobainwasmurdered]

I've never even heard of that one before, that's an elite move.

 

[fazzle]

So after the servers being down for around 8-9 hours immediately after release, Doritos Crash Course 2 is now out and it's still free...but it's not FREE like the first one was. This one is more F2P style of free, littered with microtransactions and all sorts of in game currencies needed to unlock EVERYTHING. Stage 2? Gotta go to the store for that. The OTHER half of stage 2's platforms to show up? Gotta go to the store for that too

 

[bps21]

You unlock them with stars earned in the levels.