American McGee
Beautiful Pixels
Hideo Kojima
Hitachi Wasabe's Xbox 360
Xbox 360 Marketplace Updates: (MajorNelson.com)
Adam Creighton, Computer and Video Gaming (Subscribe)
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Playable Xbox 360 revealed? Sony to own next-gen race?
- Playable Xbox 360 revealed; Microsoft employee fired (probably)
- Shadowrun coming to Xbox 360? As an FPS?
- Sony to still own next-gen market?
- Changes at Midway for new Gauntlet game
- New online game rental company
- Xbox Live hits 2 million mark
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NEWS:
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- Playable Xbox 360 revealed; Microsoft employee fired (probably)
- So, GameSpot.com is running an article about a kid who's posted some photos of a working Xbox 360. Evidently, the kid's step dad recently started with Microsoft as a tester, brought the Xbox home, and let his kid play it, take pictures, and post the picts on the Internet.
- This is either another viral marketing campaign, or precursor to a firing. The picts are interesting, in that they show the Halo 2 startup screen. What's weird about the picts is the unfurnished apartment, the oddly placed pillow behind the kid (which could be hiding an Xbox Now, or an alpha or beta dev/debug box), and the American Flag T-Shirt that smacks of well-placed Mom-n-apple pie subtext.
- So, GameSpot.com is running an article about a kid who's posted some photos of a working Xbox 360. Evidently, the kid's step dad recently started with Microsoft as a tester, brought the Xbox home, and let his kid play it, take pictures, and post the picts on the Internet.
- Shadowrun coming to Xbox 360? As an FPS?
- Last year, I mentioned Microsoft had applied for pen-n-paper RPG trademark Shadowrun (think Lord of the Rings meets Gibson). I also said, "Given the late filing (November of this year), it seems likely the title could be for the next version of XBox [sic]."
- FASA Studios animator Theron Berson said he’s working on Shadowrun, and "[i]t's a first-person shooter based on an old paper RPG"!
- Here's to a bunch of franchise opportunities, and some healthy competition between this title and Huxley. Also, if you surf over to FASA Studios website, you'll see postings with "next-gen" requirements.
- Last year, I mentioned Microsoft had applied for pen-n-paper RPG trademark Shadowrun (think Lord of the Rings meets Gibson). I also said, "Given the late filing (November of this year), it seems likely the title could be for the next version of XBox [sic]."
- Sony to still own next-gen market?
- Maybe. Defines how you define "own". Analysts seem to be consistent, with Microsoft owning up to 40%, and Sony with ~60%.
- What's interesting to me is the caveats from analysts: Sony will succeed if "its online experience matches that of the Xbox 360", and "its Cell processor technology meets its full potential."
- I hope so. Good for gamers.
- Maybe. Defines how you define "own". Analysts seem to be consistent, with Microsoft owning up to 40%, and Sony with ~60%.
- Changes at Midway for new Gauntlet game
- I'm excited about Midway Games's take on the Gauntlet franchise with Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows. I am a little nervous that the two people I was most excited about being on the project -- "game god" John Romero and top designer J.E. (Josh) Sawyer -- bailed withing a week of each other. Does this affect the release of the game (updated with online co-op)? At least according to Sawyer, the game ain't done yet ...
- I'm excited about Midway Games's take on the Gauntlet franchise with Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows. I am a little nervous that the two people I was most excited about being on the project -- "game god" John Romero and top designer J.E. (Josh) Sawyer -- bailed withing a week of each other. Does this affect the release of the game (updated with online co-op)? At least according to Sawyer, the game ain't done yet ...
- New online game rental company
- DONOBI Games just launched as a new online games rental subscription company. Like Gamefly, it's 2 games out at a time, but for $19.95 a month (as opposed to Gamefly's $21.95). You also get a year subscription to Play Magazine -- a really good publication, covering gaming, anime, and animation.
- DONOBI Games just launched as a new online games rental subscription company. Like Gamefly, it's 2 games out at a time, but for $19.95 a month (as opposed to Gamefly's $21.95). You also get a year subscription to Play Magazine -- a really good publication, covering gaming, anime, and animation.
- Xbox Live hits 2 million mark
- In just a year, the Xbox Live community has doubled to 2 million, according to Microsoft. This is an impressive indicator of what happens with focused marketing of a coordinated service.
- Other numbers/comments of note:
- That's like a new subscriber every 30 seconds for the last year.
- Numbers are based on actual subscriptions, as opposed, to say, network adapters shipped to retailers (or, new models of consoles with built in networking shipped to retailers).
- "More than 20 million pieces of content have been downloaded to date."
- This Christmas should see more than 300 multiplayer Xbox and Xbox 360 games available.
- You will be able to seamlessly transfer Xbox Live accounts across your current Xbox and the Xbox 360.
- That's like a new subscriber every 30 seconds for the last year.
- In just a year, the Xbox Live community has doubled to 2 million, according to Microsoft. This is an impressive indicator of what happens with focused marketing of a coordinated service.
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SOURCES: Gamespot.com, joystiq.com, kotaku.com, Xbox.com, IGN, GameInformer, Official XBox Magazine, CNN, gamesindustry.biz, and others.
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