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Dragon's Dogma: The Kotaku Review That’s right – at this very moment, you could own an Xbox 360 sporting the much fabled 65nm CPU and GPU. It appears – according to a thread on the official Xbox forums – that Microsoft has, under the guise of the recently released Halo 3 360, soft-launched the 65nm edition of its console.
What does this mean in layman’s terms if you happen to own one? Firstly, it means you’re much more awesome than all of your friends. Even the hot ones. Secondly, the 65nm chips run cooler and consume less power than their tardy 90nm counterparts… which can be found in every other Xbox 360 in the world. Except your one, of course.
We were under the impression for a long time that such hardware would debut in the Elite. But, it didn’t. I don’t entirely understand why Microsoft hasn’t made a bigger deal out of the 65nm Halo 3 consoles… maybe they were concerned they’d anger everyone who’s already forked over the dosh for the Elite.
Finding out whether you’re 65nm-enabled – as it were – is not exactly simple: you need to take your console apart. Let’s just assume if your Halo 3 box is a lot cooler to the touch and quieter than a standard unit, you’re probably one of the chosen.
Update: Quote from one of the forum posts with some insight on how to identify your unit without slicing it in two: Damn Lucky me. I just traded my old console in for the Halo 3 console. I haven’t had the chance to check it out with a flashlight, but I’m almost certain i have the new 65mn heatsink. Simply because the machine is about 50% more quiet then original premium I had. I think it’d be helpful if those who have the halo 3 console check to see if they too have the heatsink and then post the manufactuer date, to maybe help give a rough estimate of what consoles to look for, for those who’d like to purchase or trade in for a newer Xbox 360.
How to see if you have a 65nm (Falcon) console… [Xbox.com forums, thanks Steve Walker!]
The Tokyo Game Show is over, but the T-shirt offers live on! That, that is a Konami Metal Gear Solid 4 TGS booth shirt worn by the Kojima Productions staffers. Not bad, eh? It says “Nice style” in Japanese on the back and has the MGS 20th Anniversary logo on the front. The shirt is available on the Konami site from October 5th to November 16th for ¥3,465 ($US 30). I agree. Nice style, indeed! MGS4 [KonamiStyle via Famitsu]
Hewlett-Packard have done a little more marketing work on their prototype gaming handheld, which we first heard about in April, and which still doesn’t have a name (though as you can see above it has been given a facelift). It’s been given the job of driving HP’s Mscape software technology, which transforms real-world footage into a game via a combination of its own sensors, GPS, and… well, I don’t really understand how it does it. I don’t come from the future, where everyday people carry shit like this around in their back pocket. Sadly the device is very much in the prototype stage, and may not even be put into production… at least not until the year 2019, when people’s minds will be ready for it. Slightly fanciful promo vid is after the jump.
HP Mscape gaming handheld revealed [Sci-Fi, via Gamasutra]
I know, this came out in the US in January and in Japan last year, but here in PAL land? Only a few days ago. Which is why I got back from TGS to find Sony had sent me a copy of Rogue Galaxy. Good news? I’d been looking forward to this game! Bad news? It couldn’t have come at a worse time, since I won’t have a spare 100-odd hours until, oh, next year. Nevertheless, so far I’ve managed to plough through about 10-12 hours of it, and I like what I see.
The localisation is pretty good considering the profile of the title. Voice-acting is great, text translation is also great. The cel-shaded graphics are nice as well, as they really help tart up the ageing PS2 and give the game a slightly more…I don’t know, timeless look. Best part, though, is the fisticuffs, which keeps traditional JRPG turns, timings etc to a minimum, instead favouring an almost beat-em-up, arcade style of combat. Which for the impatient and twitchy like me is a god-send in a game like this.
I’ll be honest: I’m not going to finish this. Might not even get to the halfway point. So don’t take this as a comprehensive review. It’s why the word “early” is up there in the title. But from what I have played (and unless the game takes a nosedive in terms of polish and pacing later on), it’s not hard seeing why so many people think Level 5 are so hot right now.
Lucky Star anime openings are a dime a dozen. But, this, this is different. This is epic. Apparently, it was done by a bunch of high school physic club members for a school festival. What it has to do with physics, I have no clue. Who cares? It’s totally awesome.
Nintendo know all kinds of people are crazy for the brain games. Old folks, older ladies, people that go to the kinds of parties where you play Donkey Konga all night…they can’t get enough of it. No doubt seeing a chance for a bundle deal and the subsequent extra cash they can make off these folks, Nintendo Australia have announced a Big Brain Academy bundle deal, where you can get a Wii Remote and a copy of Big Brain Academy on the Wii for $80. Considering Wii Remotes are $70 on their own, you’re saving yourself some cash right there.
Jewelry lover and Final Fantasy designer Tetsuya Nomura believes in the PS3. That, and good hair gel! In an interview with Japanese magazine Famitsu, Nomura mentions the TGS 2007 FFXIII trailers which had “For PLAYSTATION 3 ONLY” on it. Nomura believes that having one team focused on one platform is an advantage — even if some players are disappointed! According to Nomura, the PS3 is totally necessary, and by using the hardware “all visions come true”. What’s more, Final Fantasy XIII and Versus XIII are oodles better than the previous FF games and “close to perfection”. Perfection like that takes time, so we’re not expecting it out before, say, 2009 or 2010? FF XIII [PS3 Forums via PS3 Fanboy]
For as much as Microsoft has spent on its gaming division, it hasn’t really seen anything back profit-wise. From what I last heard, it had received exactly nothing. Good thing all the kids are snapping up that Halo 3! The console maker just *might* eek out a profit. Even Microsoft Game Studios corporate vice president Shane Kim is optimistic! Well, sorta. He recently told the BBC:
It’s far too early to say what the financial return will be for our investment… If we can’t make a profit in the year Halo 3 comes out, then when will we?
Um, never? No worries, Microsoft, just have Bungie make Halo 4, 5 and 6, and you’re good as gold. Finish the franchise. Halo 3 Sales [BBC]
That’s right. Nine! Of which two are useful (i.e. demos), one is cheap (a new MotorStorm car for US 99 cents), one is fast (Ninja Gaiden Sigma Speed Pack), one is worthless (NBA 08 tutorial), one is interesting (Eye of Judgement overview clip), two are mildly entertaining (Rock Band & We Own The Night trailers) and one is simply amazing (Iron Man movie trailer). PlayStation Store Update [PlayStation.Blog]
Finally! I literally just picked up a copy of Halo 3. I got the Japanese version, because, well, I’ve actually only played Halo in Japanese. So Master Chief’s voice would sound pretty goofy to me in English! Kinda worried about getting The Land of the Rising Sun version, because I’m using an American console. Good news: The Japanese version works like a charm on US systems. The menus are all in English as well — as opposed to Halo, which only has Japanese menus. Just popped it in, but I’ve heard the voice track is subtitled in English. So, those in the market for Japanese language games, there ya go!
