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Week of April 20, 2008
HD DVD Fallout: Nukes 95pct of Toshiba's Profits
>> From ap.org:
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Japanese electronics maker Toshiba Corp. said its profit plummeted 95 percent in the January-March quarter due to costs of its exit from next-generation video HD DVD business.
In Japan, Toshiba said its profit fell to 1.25 billion yen ($12 million) in the January-March quarter from 26.17 billion yen a year earlier. Revenue fell 3 percent from a year earlier to 2.09 trillion yen ($20 billion).
"Our net profit sharply fell due to the end of (the) HD DVD business," Toshiba spokeswoman Hiroko Mochida said.
Most of the decline came from shutting down assembly lines and dealing with inventory, according to Toshiba.
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Full Story: ap.org (via gizmodo.com)
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox Live Preps for GTA IV Server Riot
>> From kotaku.com:
[QUOTE]
Jump ahead to next week, we have GTA IV--a game that's so big that--we'll let Microsoft's General Manager of LIVE Services Operations, Derek Ingalls explain that metric:
"...we are preparing for a spike that could be much larger than what we saw with the launches of Halo 3 and Activision's "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare."
So how is Microsoft prepping Xbox LIVE for the not so metaphorical mass rioting that is GTA IV multiplayer?
"Last holiday we weren't properly prepared," Ingalls admits. "So we are going the extra mile with Grand Theft Auto IV..." Yeah, that was total marketing speak. But it got your ears perked, didn't it?
"The biggest step we've taken is to add in more server hardware, which will expand the service's capacity," Ingalls explains to us through email. (PR had explained earlier that he was "obviously very busy" this week.) "We have actually doubled our capacity for concurrent users over the last 2 months."
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Full Story kotaku.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox Division Scores Profit
>> From next-gen.biz:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division posted a healthy quarterly rise on Thursday thanks to strong Xbox 360 console sales, as the games business turned a profit for the third straight quarter.
Revenues for ED&D were $1.58 billion for the quarter ended March 31, versus sales of $935 million for the same quarter a year prior, representing a 68 percent rise.
Operating income for the division, which includes Xbox, PC games and the Zune media player, was $89 million, up from an operating loss of $324 million for the comparable quarter.
As a whole, Microsoft posted sales of $14.45 billion with operating income of $4.41 billion, compared to $14.4 billion and $6.6 billion a year ago, respectively.
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Full Story: next-gen.biz
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Microsoft on GTA IV Leak: 'Need to Look into this Further'
>> With the leak of the PAL version of GTA IV yesterday and the NTSC/U earlier today, here's what Major Nelson told kotaku.com:
[QUOTE]
A peek at Gamercard aggregator MyGamerCard.com reveals a long list of Xbox 360 users already racking up achievements on Grand Theft Auto IV since an illegal torrent of the game was leaked yesterday and early copies started showing up in people's homes.
Neither Rockstar nor Microsoft itself have yet responded to Kotaku's requests for comment.
Xbox Live's Larry "Major Nelson" Hryb, did say, however, that he was unable to comment yet due to the "need to look into this further," so we can assume that Microsoft, at least, is investigating.
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Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox on Facebook
>> From Microsoft's PR Blog:
[QUOTE]
Do you like social networking sites where you can get poked, shot with super-powers, or asked to fight against Zombies in addition to being in touch with your friends?
Well, have we got a treat for you!
The Xbox has a Facebook page! If you are on "the Facebook" you can sign up and become a fan of the Xbox, sign up for the newsletter, get some wallpapers, write on our wall, watch some videos, or join a discussion.
Although I haven't found it yet, but I think there's some way to throw virtual water balloons (all in good fun of course) at our friends at the Sony Blog who also announced their Facebook page launch earlier today.
I would like to apologize in advance as I may accidentally open up some transdimensional recursion portal when I post this to the blog because our Facebook page has an RSS feed of our blog posts which has a link to the Facebook page which has an RSS feed to our blog - oh no, it's started already!
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Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Alcatel-Lucent vs Xbox DVD Player Trial Started
>> From seattlepi.nwsource.com:
[QUOTE]
Opening statements began in U.S. District Court today in San Diego in the third of a five-trial series between Paris-based Alcatel-Lucent and Microsoft. Alcatel-Lucent may seek hundreds of millions of dollars on its claim that Microsoft's Xbox console and DVD player infringes a 1993 patent for coding video frames.
Microsoft contends the video-coding patent isn't valid because the technology wasn't new and that it's unenforceable because Alcatel-Lucent withheld information from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
"We have not taken one thing from them, and we don't use their patent," John Gartman, an attorney for Microsoft, told the seven men and two women in the jury.
John Desmarais, an attorney for a patent trust that lists Alcatel-Lucent as a 99 percent beneficiary, told jurors Tuesday that he is seeking $1.50 for each use of the video-coding patent, though he didn't say how many times it has been used or what the total sought would be. He said the request was a "reasonable royalty" for Microsoft's usage. In the second trial, he sought $1.75 billion.
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Full Story: seattlepi.nwsource.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox 360 Kiosks Bring Games and Entertainment to Children's Hospitals
>> From the press release:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft Corp. today announced a new partnership with the Companions in Courage Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting children and families who are overcoming life-threatening obstacles. As part of its commitment to providing fun, interactive entertainment for children, Microsoft is supplying hundreds of Xbox 360 game kiosks to playrooms in children's hospitals across the United States, intended to provide a respite for young patients and be a catalyst for fun. In addition to select games, movies and television content, the Xbox 360 kiosks will provide access to a private network that allows hospitalized children across the country to play games and chat in a safety-enhanced environment over Xbox LIVE, the world's largest social network connected to television.
Microsoft is celebrating this partnership and the installation of the first wave of kiosks with three simultaneous events today at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian, Children's Hospital & Regional Medical Center of Seattle and the Children's Hospital of Orange County in California. Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft, will attend the Seattle event to commemorate the first group of Xbox 360 kiosks and the launch of the special Xbox LIVE network.
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Full Press Release: gamerscoreblog.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
RockStar Scared of GTA IV Leak Before Launch - Monitors Play *Updated*
>> We received information this was sent to people who get GTA IV early... it seems like they are making sure that even if the game was leaked online prior launch (UPDATE: It seems that in meantime the Xbox360 PAL version of the game leaked online ...) it will not be usable online and achievements will stay hidden:
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Xbox 360 Version:
We need your Gamertag because Microsoft will be helping Rockstar Games monitor access to the online modes up to release date. Because of this, we will need to add your Gamertag to the approved list of gamers who can play online prior to release. In addition to supplying this information, if you do intend to go online before April 29th, you will need to change a couple of the basic settings on your Xbox 360 and keep these settings like this till the game comes out, otherwise other people will be able to see your achievements list for GTA IV (even if you are playing another game) and we'd like to keep that information back for the fans. You will have to switch your profile to private and appear off line. We have attached a document that explains exactly how you do this just in case.
PS3 Version:
There are no privacy settings that can be set on the PS3 but we will still be tracking who is going on line so again it will make it easier for us to identify you as a genuine user if we have your ID.
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Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
AcidMods Spit Fire Controller Mod
>> Dubbed the spitfire 360 controller acidmods has chipped 360 controllers to accept programmed chips to aid you and make games between friends a bit more fun. They can be programmed to turn a pistol into a semi automatic or to hit those mad long combos you could never master or possibly to make for some interesting high scores:
[QUOTE]
This mod is fairly simple to do but it will be lengthy. Setting up the controller to accept pre programmed chips is not hard but there are many components to solder and lots of wires. Luckily Microsoft has given us plenty of space to work with.. Please if you do this mod be considerate and do not use this controller for online matches as it will give you a huge advantage with "Insta Kills". AcidMods in no way condones cheating or unfair advantages with that being said lets proceed to part one of this lengthy mod.
Warning!!!! Using this Mod for Online Multiplayer is Cheating and will get your Xbox Banned!!! All though this mod is undetectable using it against other players with out there knowledge will get you bad feed back and will result in a banned account. Only use this mod in Privite games with friends who know you are using it or playing alone in campaingns.
Part one of this mod deals with setting up the socket so you can swap out chips for each game. Since the chips only have so much space to work with and it would be a pain for people to cycle through hundreds of different setups we will limit the macros to five per chip. That means you will have a chip for Halo a chip for Gears of War Etc...
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Tutorial: acidmods.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Rockstar's Sam Houser: 360 'Needs To Sort Out' HDD Usage
>> From kotaku.com:
[QUOTE]
1UP recently interviewed Rockstar's Sam Houser. Houser says what we've been saying for a long time now: the 360 needs to sort out the issue of its non-compulsory HDD usage:
"One of the problems with the 360, and it affects games like Grand Theft Auto if you think about how much content we put in the actual machine, is the fact that they don't have a significantly larger storage medium than the previous systems."
You're damn right, and-oh. You're not done.
"I think that the 360 is going to have to get 'round this issue we're talking about. I can think of various ways they can do it. Hopefully, they're going to adopt one of those in the next year or so, because it's going to become more of an issue. If we're filling up the disc right now, where are we going? It's not like our games are going to get any smaller. I think that issue's on the table with a bunch of games right now. I'm sure they'll come through with an intelligent solution."
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Full Story: kotaku.com | 1up.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
Rivet, another 360 Media Sharing App for Mac
>> From cynicalpeak.com:
[QUOTE]
About Rivet
Rivet allows you to access your digital life on your Xbox 360. Browse, play, and view all of your pictures, movies, and video through the Xbox 360's media blade right in your living room.
Rivet will automatically load and give you full access to your iTunes music, iPhoto photographs, and any video or picture folder that you wish to share.
Rivet Features:
* Music streaming - Listen to your iTunes music library through your stereo system and while playing games.
* Video streaming - No need to let your big screen TV go to waste because your video files are all on you Mac. Stream them over to it and fully enjoy them in the comfort of your couch.
* Photo streaming - View all of your photos right on your TV. It's vacation slides for the 21st century. Your family and friends won't be able to get enough! You can share photos from both your iPhoto library or from folders on your hard drive.
* Organize your media - Every movie or photo folder that you share is exactly replicated on your Xbox 360. Organize them into subfolders by TV show, genre, or whatever you want. The entire folder structure will be there. No more scrolling through a huge, flat list.
* Auto media updating - Add, delete, or move your media all you want. The changes will automatically appear on your Xbox 360.
* Format support - If your Xbox 360 can play it, Rivet can handle it. Supported formats include: AAC, MP3, WMA, H.262, DIVX, AVI, WMV, JPEG, GIF, TIFF, RAW, TIFF, PSD, PDF, and more.
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Official Site: cynicalpeak.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
360 Lite-On Drives emerge
>> From shauno on forums.xbox-scene.com...
Hi today i recieved a console back from microsoft repair center in Australia, it had a BENQ drive which didnt seem to flash via dosflash. Apon inspection i believe i have found a new drive revision!
Model no. DG-16D2S
HW Version. A0A1
FW Version. 74850
We are currently trying to find data sheets on this controller to further analyze security. It appears to be a masked-rom (read-only) setup, similar to that of the xbox original, version 1.6. If you have or can find any spec's on the MediaTek controller above, please post in the forum thread!
News-Source: forums.xbox-scene.com
Xbox LIVE Scheduled Maintenance Completed - Matchmaking Issues
>> From majornelson.com/XBL status:
[QUOTE]
The Xbox LIVE Scheduled Maintenance is now complete. A few folks may still be seeing sign in or matchmaking issues. Engineers are looking in to this at this time.
Users may experience connectivity issues and difficulties with matchmaking within games on Xbox LIVE. We are aware of the problem and working to resolve the issue.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience.
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Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
XBMC for Xbox 2008-04-21 SVN rev12746 build *Repack* - T3CH
>> T3CH released a new SVN compile (rev12746) of XBMC for Xbox (XboxMediaCenter(info)).
This T3CH-compile is a complete snapshot of what is in SVN at the time the build was compiled, with just a few small additions.
Special Notes and Added/Noteworthy/XML/Script changes:
* UPDATE: The first build of Rev12746 was broken (crc error), please get the -REPACK
* AMT updated to 0.99.4a, T3CH Upgrader updated to 1.5.1
* added: fake episode maker tool
* added: start in movie dir when browsing for subs even if no custom subtitle dir is set
* added: Container.ShowPlot Infolabel. Returns Show Plot, or Show Description and is available at Titles, Seasons, and Episode levels.
* added: [ 1936534 ] Minimum fan speed when using autotemperature. thanks to drddt
* added: container.seasonthumb info label
* added: System.Date(startDate,endDate) InfoBoolean. fixed: System.Time() should work properly now for times that wrap around a day. Optimized System.Time() to be more efficient. System.Date(starDate,endDate) endDate is optional. Date should be specified in MM-DD format. Returns true if currentDate is greater than or equal to startDate and less than endDate is specified.
* added: System.Time(startTime, endTime) InfoBoolean endTime is optional. Returns true if current system time is equal to or greater than startTime and less than endTime (if supplied).
* added : PM3 - "Media Info" view to Music Library for Albums and Artists
* added: extended info for albums available as properties in the music library. "album, artist, description, theme, style, mood, type, genre, label, rating" fixed: artist view was extremely slow if many artists had info. properties are also available for artists: "instrument, style, mood, born, formed, description, genre, died, disbanded, yearsactive"
* added: delete thumbs for items when removing them from the library. less messy thumb directories and more efficient refreshes if the wrong title was originally scanned
For the full changelog (all added/fixed/changed/updated stuff) since the 2008-04-06 SVN Rev12544 build click here.
Keep in mind this is a SVN snapshot of the current development tree. It's not an official (stable) point release. Use only if you know what you are doing.
Official XBMC Site: http://xbmc.org (manual and FAQ)
Official T3CH Site: http://t3ch.yi.se (release RSS feed)
Download Binaries: n/a (built with XDK) | Download SourceCode: here
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
MS Keeps Repaired Xbox for 4 Months, Calls You a Thief for Wanting it Back
>> From consumerist.com:
[QUOTE]
Microsoft hasn't returned Tiffany's XBox 360 for four months because they think she is a thief, even though she has her original receipt and a credit card statement proving that she is the console's rightful owner. Microsoft repaired the XBox back in January and tried to return it via FedEx, but a shipping snafu landed the box back at Microsoft's service center. Tiffany has called repeatedly. She even sent a letter to Microsoft's legal department, after sending her receipt and statement, asking how else she could prove ownership. That was 22 days ago. She has yet to receive a response.
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Full Story: consumerist.com
Discuss this news item on our forums: forums.xbox-scene.com
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