Gadget Quake » Xbox360

Microsoft: 720p no longer a requirement for Xbox 360

Alex — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:18:10 +0000

It has been revealed that Microsoft have dropped the 720p resolution requirement for its Xbox 360console. Thats according to Black Rock’s technical director David Jefferies who has been talking about the subject in a recent interview.

As reported from Eurogamer, Jefferies has stated that the reason for the drop is due to TV manufacturers such as Sony, Samsung, LG and Philips equipping 720p LCD TVs with resolutions of 1366×768 rather than true 1280×720. What this means is that the image will be upscaled no matter what, using TV hardware.

In relation to the Xbox 360, developers such as Black Rock Studios are no longer required to stick to the 720p requirement, meaning they can add more graphical features such as extra anti-aliasing by using a slightly lower resolution.

Jefferies added: “Now we are free to make the trade-off between resolution and image quality as we see fit,”

Similar Posts:

Bungie remain quiet on Halo: Reach for Xbox 360

Alex — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 16:38:09 +0000

Famed developers Bungie are remaining ‘hush hush’ on talk about the upcoming Halo: Reach title, as they are preferring to focus on the anticipated release of Halo 3: ODST, which is due in stores on September 22nd.
As reported from Eurogamer, Bungie’s Brian Jarrard has been responding to questions over on the Halo boards, with regards to info on Halo: Reach, the next title in the successful franchise.

He did however give some more details on the Halo: Reach beta, which will be taking place next year as he told fans to ”keep an ODST disc handy”, if you want to be part of the action.
More details over at Eurogamer. Are you pumped about the release of Halo 3 : ODST, or are you more excited about Halo: Reach. Leave us a comment below.

Similar Posts:

PS3 Slim and Xbox 360 Same Price Point: Week 1

Michelle — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 03:07:17 +0000

With all of the recent competitive pricing of the PS3 Slim and the Xbox 360 there has been a lot of speculation as to what console would come out on top, it seems as if the PS3 Slim has taken an early advantage, however the NPD have not yet released their findings.

ACC-X3 HEADSET W/MIC. (SIM) (Video Game) newly tagged "xbox"

ACC-X3 HEADSET W/MIC. (SIM) (Video Game)
By SIM

3 used and new from $2.30
Customer Rating:

First tagged "xbox" by Sixdollaftlong
Customer tags: headset(3), xbox headset, accessories, xbox 360, xbox live, 360, hardware, video games, xbox, xbox 360 headset, mic

Until NPD release their findings the best way of seeing what console done better is by checking Amazon’s rankings, this is exactly what PSXExtreme have done and at the time of their article (seen here) the PS3 Slim was ranked #1 and the Xbox 360 Elite was ranked #15.

To be honest the findings aren’t all that surprising, especially with all of the recent hype surrounding the PS3 Slim, whether this dominance will trigger a response from Microsoft is still yet to be seen.

Similar Posts:

V8 Supercars for Forza 3 on Xbox 360

Michelle — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 03:02:32 +0000

With the global release of Forza 3 due late in October many of our readers are getting very excited with all of the news that is beginning to emerge, well now we have some more news for you, the game will also feature eight V8 Supercars.

ACC-X3 HEADSET W/MIC. (SIM) (Video Game) newly tagged "xbox"

ACC-X3 HEADSET W/MIC. (SIM) (Video Game)
By SIM

The eight V8 supercars are from both Ford and Holden, the Ford cars are the TeamVodafone FG Falcon 2009, the Ford Performance Racing FG Falcon 2009 the Stone Brothers Racing FG Falcon and the Britek Motorsport FG Falcon 2009.

The Four Holden cars are the Toll Holden Racing Team Commodore VE 2009, the Garry Rogers Motorsport Commodore VE 2009, the Supercheap Auto Racing Commodore VE 2009 and the Sprint Gas Racing Commodore VE 2009.

Similar Posts:

Xbox 360 Sensor Takes Gaming To the Next Level

Eric — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:23:40 +0000

A day after Microsoft’s keynote address at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, attendees and the tech media are still buzzing about the company’s latest innovation, a controller-less system for interacting with games and other features on the Xbox 360.

The new technology, dubbed Project Natal, is contained in an external peripheral loaded with a motion-sensing RGB camera, a depth sensor, and a multi-array microphone. The hardware is connected to a processor stocked with proprietary software to capture and interpret both movement and vocal commands, which are then fed into the Xbox 360.

One of the most compelling aspects of Microsoft’s new tool is that it can easily be added to existing Xbox consoles, minimizing the cost to current 360 owners who want to add the full-motion experience. To facilitate adoption of the technology, Microsoft also released the software developers’ kit for Project Natal, so motion capability can be added not only to future games, but to existing games as well. The Next Level in Gaming

Zippy Aima, an industry analyst for digital media at ABI Research, said Project Natal represents a significant advance in gaming.

ACC-X3 HEADSET W/MIC. (SIM) (Video Game) newly tagged "xbox"

ACC-X3 HEADSET W/MIC. (SIM) (Video Game)
By SIM

“I think that Nintendo had already raised the bar with Wii,” Aima said, “which obviously has enjoyed significant success in the market. With Project Natal’s announcement, Microsoft is taking that gaming technology to the next level.”

Despite the stir caused by Monday’s announcement, numerous questions remain to be answered. For instance, there is no specific word yet on when the Project Natal hardware will be generally available, or how much it will cost.

There is also some question about how well the hardware will respond to faster or more intricate game play. The two software demos offered by Microsoft to showcase the hardware — Ricochet and Paint Party — both used fairly basic motions. Contemporary games, however, require much more involved movements. It will be interesting to see how long it takes Project Natal to get up to speed.

A Wii Killer?

The more pressing question for Microsoft is whether eliminating the controller will enable it to catch up to Nintendo’s enormously popular Wii. Aima was uncertain that this latest announcement would be enough.

“In terms of popularity,” Aima said, “I think that the Project Natal hardware will certainly appeal to tech-savvy consumers and gamers. The technology boasts really cool features. However, I think it is bit early to predict if it will overtake the Wii. Its success will depend on pricing and user experience.”

The new technology has certainly captured the imagination of film producer Steven Spielberg, who helped introduce it at E3 and gave it a glowing assessment in an interview with the BBC. His enthusiasm is understandable: Spielberg was at the helm of the 2002 film Minority Report, in which protagonist Tom Cruise made extensive use of motion-controlled computer screens.

“There is technology now that recognizes not just your thumb, it recognizes your entire person,” Spielberg said. “The technology knows who you are.”

Analogizing Project Natal to advances in film technology, Spielberg said it is “a window into what the future holds.”

Similar Posts:

Xbox 360 and Playstation 3: Streaming movies vs Blu-ray

Gadget — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 21:46:42 +0000

Its been rumored for a while now that the Xbox 360 may get a Blu-ray drive now that HD-DVD is dead, the short answer from E3 2008 is NO.

Microsoft has confirmed that it has no plan to develop a Blu-ray drive at anytime, that includes an external or internal Blu-ray drive. They have also announced this week that they have a partnership with Netflix for Streaming movies.

The future war for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 now seems to be streaming movies vs. Blu-ray, although Sony is in a position to have the best of both worlds with its movie download service coming this year and also sporting the high definition disc drive.

Similar Posts:

Playstation 3 Owner Asks: What should I do with my Xbox 360?

Gadget — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 23:53:37 +0000

One of the authors on PS3 Daily who obviously owns a Playstation 3 has asked an interesting question about the Xbox 360.

They owned an Xbox 360 before the PS3, now it sits collecting dust so they have a few ideas what to do with it but want your help deciding.

They said “The 360 was good and the online gaming was awesome but things started to go from bad to worse, the fans within were so loud I thought I was at Heathrow Airport, so I went and bought a fan cooler, yep you got it; nothing happened.

I then got the crap red ring of death (RROD), now not one to bore all you PS3 fans with the 360 problems I spoke to my cousins and of course many friends, they all said the same go and get a PS3”.

Have a read of the article on PS3 Daily and let them know what you think should happen to their Xbox 360, remember this is not playing one console against another its just an interesting position they are in.

Similar Posts: