News

Microsoft: Project Natal Can Replace The TV Remote

The Xbox 360′s hands-free motion controller, due to hit sometime next year, could be more than just a new way to gyrate frantically or befriend boys in front of your television screen. It could also replace your TV remote.


July 15, 2008
Uncategorized

The New Xbox Experience: Just The Facts (And Maybe Some Conjecture)

Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg and Marc Whitten lead a Community Roundtable discussion following the company’s E3 media briefing, giving us further insight into the changes coming to the Xbox 360 dashboard. Officially dubbed the New Xbox Experience, the update was said by Whitten to be a response to the glut of content on Xbox Live, a system he claims was built with hundreds of pieces of content in mind, not tens of thousands — or potentially millions, as Whitten posited.

The new look and feel for the Xbox 360 dashboard was designed to be navigable by those unfamiliar with the current “blades” interface, with the New Xbox Experience akin to a TV remote control UI. In person, it’s pretty slick — the Xbox 360 logo radiates a constant pulse in the bottom right corner, with iTunes Cover Flow-style reflections and navigation giving gamers a quick clean look at their games and content.

Fans of the current “blades” interface may be saddened to learn that the update isn’t an optional redesign, it’s a total replacement. They’ll still get a taste of the old interface via the new Guide look and feel. Hit the jump for a photo.


May 23, 2008
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Microsoft To Start Pulling Underperforming Titles From Live Arcade

Xbox Live is going through some changes. Some might call them growing pains, with an increased file size on Xbox Live Arcade titles and a higher, 1600 Microsoft Point price cap for bigger titles. General manager of Xbox Live Marc Whitten says in an interview with Next-Gen that even more changes are coming. In addition to a “new fully funded 1st party studio which will be focused on high quality digital content creation,” Microsoft will begin wiping the “shit” from Live, de-listing titles that underperform with critics and gamers.

According to Whitten, any title that is six months old, with an average Metacritic score below 65 and a demo-to-full conversion ratio below 6%, will be pulled from the service. Concerned parties will be notified three months in advance if a title is going to be pulled.