PORN SHAME of Xbox Live video chat game Uno - family horrified by webcam sex film broadcast

Oh dear. It had to happen sooner or later. Bored men and webcams are a very dangerous combination.

Some guy was playing Uno - which lets players video chat with each other as they play thanks to Xbox 360's Live Vision Camera - and one of his opponents had, oh-so-hilariously, decided to point his webcam at some porn. So the guy was made to watch porn. As was his sister. As was his three-year-old daughter. Whoops.

At the moment, Microsoft will be happy to hear that this potentially devastating story is currently only circulating on internet forums and low-grade blogs like this. Here's hoping it doesn't hit the front page of the Daily Mail tomorrow.

Actually, here's hoping it does. It'd be very, very amusing.

(Via GZ and NeoGAF)

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Publicity-shy modder Ben Heck reveals his latest portable Xbox 360 case hack

He's done it again. Everything Ben Heck touches turns to cool, custom, portable, loveable, 100% solid internet traffic gold. Here's his latest console modding operation - a rejig of his Xbox 360 portable.

Featuring an accessible and therefore removable and swappable hard drive, integrated Live Vision Camera and wi-fi dongle, brushed aluminium finishing and a "velcro-secured upper left panel," it's every bit the ludicrously awesome piece of work we've come to expect from Mr Heckendorn. Here's a photo, so you don't have to wear your brain out doing any imagining...

Not quite as visually flash as the Elite mod he revealed in February, but still so far beyond what we'd be capable of he may as well be a GOD. It still takes me five minutes to work out how to detach a faceplate.

(Via Ben Heck)

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TERRIFYING American creates real life Gears of War chain saw gun that CHAIN SAWS and SHOOTS

Please allow the internet to introduce one of its closest and craziest friends. A guy posting under the name SOC on this firearms discussion site has created a gun that combines SHOOTING and CHAIN SAWING into one handy device.

And this is no mere plastic toy designed to part late-developing 14-year-old boys from their money - it's real. It shoots. It cuts. It is the Firearm Mounted Anti Zombie Device, AKA the Gears of War Lancer.

There's a video of a man cutting branches off a tree with it here, and one of him running toward and TERMINATING some evil terrorist pumpkins here, should that still image there not be enough to give you nightmares for the next decade.

(Via Tech Digest)

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Microsoft planning "Avatar Store" to drain your wallet via micro-transactions, next year

The upcoming Avatar system has finally revealed its TRUE COLOURS - it's going to be a vast cash-generating opportunity for Microsoft once those little people start rolling out.

Microsoft man Robin Burrowes, one of Xbox Live's various managers, told VideoGamer.com that "The plan of record will be to launch a more extensive Avatar Store from spring time onwards next year, and that store in theory would have branded content in there, game publisher IP stuff in there as well."

Which means EA-branded t-shirts for your Avatars, starting at around 60 MS Points each. 120 Points for a hat. 240 points for a leopard skin print jacket. 1200 for thigh-length rubber boots. It is all downhill from here.

Don't sigh too heavily, though - it's not meant for us. It's for all the commoners who get cheap Xbox 360s for Christmas because they think it's the same as a Wii and don't really understand what's happening or why it wants their credit card details.

They will subsidise us.

(Via VG)

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Unbelievably unbelievable realistic Master Chief costume for snake-hipped Halo fans

If you live, eat, sleep, sit down, stand up, dance, roll about on the floor and touch yourself over all things Halo, this is the next-gen clothing option for you.

That thing to the left there is the officially licensed Master Chief Collector's Costume, yours for a pretty outlandish $629. If you have nothing else to live for, $629 is a bargain.

It doesn't appear to come in XXXL, mind, just a size called "standard chest". We doubt many Halo fans have a chest you'd classify as standard.

Not that we're suggesting all Halo players are fat losers. Even though we did just suggest that right there by saying it should come in XXXL because all Halo players are fat losers. We don't really mean it.

(Via GF)

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Microsoft sets up Xbox 360 "Family Friendly Gaming Zone" at LEGO Land

It's celebrity endorsement time! Here's late-90s pop star Nicole Appleton standing about in the cold between two less well assembled "civilians" and a couple of Viva Pinata characters. We like to imagine she's regretting agreeing to do it.

This odd scenario has been brought about thanks to Microsoft setting up a gaming zone at LEGO Land, so that kids who only sit at home playing video games all day can sit somewhere else playing video games when you take them out. Here's a photo of the interesting scenario and the front of the building.

The "Family Friendly Gaming Zone" features 17 HD screens and Xbox 360s, playing games like LEGO Batman, LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Indiana Jones, would you believe?

Nicole Appleton said or was told to say "It is great that Xbox is now releasing games that can be played by parents and children alike. I love the fact that the new games are so much fun for the whole family to enjoy and I am sure the new game zone at LEGOLAND will give even more people a chance to experience them."

(Via MS)

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Microsoft patents "swearing filter" to maybe make playing Halo 3 bearable

If you get a little bit tired of being accused of doing things with penises you don't tend to do in real life while playing on Xbox Live, Microsoft could soon have the answer to soothe your offended nerves and calm your inner rage.

A Microsoft patent for a "swearing filter" has been unearthed, a software tool which processes speech in online games and automatically beeps out rude words. The processing power required to scan and modify your average Halo 3 deathmatch would be staggering, which is presumably why we're yet to see the invention in practise.

Microsoft giving away memory cards and cheap hard drives for November's dash update

Due to the memory requirements of the new Xbox 360 Experience dash update, which needs at least 128MB of storage space to store all its crazy avatars, gamers who own rubbish old Arcade models and don't have a hard drive or memory card are stuffed.

Or could've been stuffed, but now aren't stuffed, as Microsoft is GIVING AWAY memory cards and cheap hard drives, and has also set up a web site to explain what freebies you can get - XboxStorageUpgrade.com.

If you're an "active" Xbox Live member with no hard drive or have just a cheap old 64MB memory card, Microsoft will give you a 512mb memory for free or sell you a 20GB HDD for £12.99. Plus "active" Xbox Live players who own memory cards of all sizes can get the HD for £12.99 as well...

Blu-ray rumours RISE AGAIN :(

Honestly, there's nothing less interesting than the endless stream of rumours regarding a Blu-ray add-on for Xbox 360.

Despite the fact that Microsoft has said time and time again that it is not bothered about Blu-ray, pointed out on numerous occasions that it sees downloads as the future AND has always denied reports that it's planning a Blu-ray player for Xbox 360, the same internet lies have once again started circulating.

Apparently, so some tosspots have said on the internet, Samsung and Toshiba are teaming up to create a Blu-ray add-on for Xbox 360 - even though Blu-ray's tanking. No one's buying it. No one cares. Forget about it.

The only reason I've written this update is so I can use that lovely photo of the nice lady holding the glossy brochures to brighten up everyone's Friday. If Microsoft ever releases a Blu-ray player for Xbox 360 I'll upload a 3072 x 2304 resolution photograph of myself in my underpants.

UPDATE:
Microsoft has already issued the denial. The same denial as last time.

(Via Some Idiots)

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Guitar Hero III merchandised - Slash action figure on the way

Here's a nicer bit of merchandising news to wash away the taste/tears brought on by the horrendous GoW shoes - an extremely attractive action figure portraying Slash out of Guns N Roses and whatever that new band of his is called.

Velvet something. Velvet Goldmine. Velvet Glove. Velvet Pouch. Sow's Ear. Something along those lines. Here he is, doing a ROCK POSE.

The miniature rocker is being created by famed toy maker McFarlane, and will be out for buying and having next February for around $15. It/he is six inches tall and has "15 moving parts."

(Via MTV)

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Gears of War SHOES :(

Shoes that have Gears of War on them. I give up. Seriously. Society has reached some sort of new low that I cannot comprehend any more.

What sort of person would want to support/advertise Gears of War on their feet? That's a rhetorical question, as I'd imagine the sort of person that'd want to support/advertise Gears of War on their feet wouldn't have the motor skills to compose an email of explanation.

You can buy them here, although we'd obviously suggest you do not. We'd also hope this is a global sting operation designed to track down the stupidest members of society for rounding up and elimination, so you might want to be careful what links you click on in case they come to get you at 4.00am tomorrow.

Beside, the upcoming Gears of War 2 shoes are apparently more "badass."

(Via Globe)

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When marketing budgets COLLIDE: Microsoft shows off Gears of War 2 Zune

The Zune! Apparently Microsoft is still making Zunes. Who'd have thought?

If you're American, into Gears of War, and in the market for a new MP3 player right now due to your cheap SanDisk inexplicably breaking after three months of very careful use about the house (I am projecting my sad situation onto you, here), Microsoft has the product designed and targeted right at your demographic - this etched Gears of War 2 Zune.

Once you get it home you'll have to format the hard drive, as some jokers at Microsoft thought it'd be a good idea to fill the thing up with Gears of War 2 media - music, trailers, artwork, 'Making Of' videos (Cliffy!) and suchlike. It'll cost $280, comes out on November 7 and is the Zune 120 - which means, as you may have just guessed, a 120GB hard drive.

(Via Engadget)

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Metallica launching new album 'Death Magnetic' via Guitar Hero III this Friday

The battle for domination of the plastic instrument student party game scene continues, with the Guitar Hero camp today bringing out the BIG GUNS - it's launching Metallica's new album as downloadable content this Friday.

That's the same day as the album hits the shops, a pretty sensational first for a video game. The GHIII downloadable content version of the album also features two extended versions of a song called "Suicide & Redemption" (they're so dark, those rockers) that have extended solos by James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett for you to play along with. The angry drummer man won't be very happy about that.

The cost? The price you have to pay for being at the bleeding edge of big media brand cross-promotion? 1440 Microsoft Points. That's quite a lot of money. That is, in fact, £12.24 or thereabouts, depending on how much you pay for your MS Points cards.

(Via Yahinternet)

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Rock Band is now £20 cheaper, but still not exactly what you'd call "a bargain"

Mega-publisher EA has SLASHED the price of buying yourself the full collection of Rock Band instruments for us "lucky" people, taking the UK RRP of the plastic set down from an insane £129 to a merely ludicrous and outrageous £109.

It's almost as if Electronic Arts is admitting that Rock Band was massively over-priced to begin with, has been massively over-priced all along, and is now shuffling backwards in an attempt to shift some stock.

Following the emergence of this news earlier today, we did a bit of research by going to Play.com and seeing what it's charging. It's charging £99. That's not bad, but still way too much to spend on a few bits of plastic mass produced in China for a unit cost of around 50p each.

(Via GI)

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Microsoft's next plan to dominate Japan - an Infinite Undiscovery faceplate

After the phenomenal Tales of Vesperia sales surge and resulting hardware shortages, next in line to make several thousand people want an Xbox 360 in Japan is Square Enix RPG Infinite Undiscovery.

And to ensure we see similar scenes of mild desire as witnessed following the Tales launch, Microsoft has revealed its MASTERPLAN - a faceplate. With a character from the game on.

Manufactured from the finest plastic, the Infinite Undiscovery faceplate is sure to tempt between 500 and 750 Japanese men to the Xbox 360 cause. The Squenix RPG is out here on Friday. There won't be so much of a fanfare about it on this side of the planet.

(Via VG247)

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The entirely innocent Gemma Atkinson Xbox 360 theme

Show your appreciation of upcoming Xbox 360 title Red Alert 3 by downloading this lovely theme featuring everyone's favourite ex-Hollyoaks lovely. Gemma plays a character in Red Alert 3, hence it being relevant. There's nothing rude about it, it's for a game. She's in the game. It's for a game.

It's for a game.

Your lady partner will not mind you seeing this every time you turn on your Xbox 360. It's for a game. You're a fan of the game, not Gemma's surgically-enhanced frontage. Keep repeating that to yourself over and over again. Soon, even you will start to believe it.

Out now, for 150 MS Points, should you be able to get away with this sort of thing.

(Via EG)

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Make your Xbox 360 bigger, if you want, with the Lian-Li PC case

If you're the sort of person who LAUGHS in the FACE of warranty periods, you might like to try this - a gigantic desktop PC-sized case for sticking your Xbox 360's delicate internal parts into.

Designed to help cool the machine down and do away with the ever-present worry of Red Rings of Death, the aluminium Lian-Li Xbox 360 Modding Case features ready-made slots and holes for sticking water cooling systems into, plus there's a 120mm fan to make Xbox 360 run quietly for once.

The downside - it's $150 and you've got to put your Xbox 360 in it yourself.

(Via The Reg)

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Gears of War 2 "Lancer" up for sale on Amazon

Before you go getting too worked up and weeing out milkshake all over your chair, there's something you need to know first - this is on Amazon.com. Amazon.com won't ship it to the UK. Not even if you email them personally and say it's very important and you need to have it because you want to impress people at the next cosplay convention you attend.

Look at it and weep, Gears fans.

Americans can pre-order the Gears 2-styled replica Lancer now, for $139, in advance of its November 9 release. We're sure some obliging eBay entrepreneur will be buying 250 of them to sell on at twice the price to people in Europe and other bits of the world, though, should you be right in the rich/stupid/gamer sweetspot.

(Via Amazon)

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Weta Collectibles bringing you Master Chief's head on a stick

This disembodied monstrosity is the latest in the long and very plasticky line of Halo 3 merchandise - only coming from special effects powerhouse Weta, you have every right to expect something a little bit better than the usual cereal box tat we've come to expect.

Something like this, for example. A realistic Master Chief head. On top of an ornate plastic stand, officially known as Master Chief's Mark VI Spartan Helmet. It is the gift for the Halo fan who has everything, and who has also given up hope of ever managing to get a woman to come back to his flat.

The latest Weta Halo 3 collection was revealed at last week's Comic-Con geek fest where, we would imagine, they were greeted by a rather large amount of high-pitched whooping in a room that smells of sweat and urine. It's not bad. If you like that sort of thing.

(Via WETA)

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A 1/4 scale Ryu Hyabusa! To Have! To hold! To undress!

Oh my goodness. Mum, in the extremely unlikely event that you've managed to make your rubbish old dial-up connection work and are Googling my name looking for online clues about what to get me for my birthday (July 31, everyone, so get those death threats rolling in) - I would like ONE OF THESE.

In fact, I would like two of these. One to unbox and re-enact my favourite Ninja Gaiden scenes (I'll get a Barbie doll to play the part of "Slimed Rachel") plus another to keep boxed, on a shelf, away from direct sunlight.

It's a 1/4 scale model of Ninja Gaiden star Ryu Hyabusa. That's a quarter of the size of the real Ryu Hyabusa. He comes with a Dragon Sword, Eclipse Scythe and a Falcon's Talon. He's 18" tall, which, by a process of mathematical extrapolation, would make the real Ryu 72" tall - exactly six foot. He looks bigger.

The model's up for pre-order now, at $349, for delivery in Q1 2009. They're only making 1999 of them. One must be mine, so there's only really 1998 for the rest of you.

(Via First 4 Figures)

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XBox 360 now officially 'pants'

Or 'trousers' as we Britishers would say. No we haven't gone mental and thrown away years of carefully-argued 'Xbox iz best' opinion out of the window. Nor have we suddenly started using 'pants' as a substitute swearword like they do on kids TV and Eastenders.

A bunch of internet chancers called WebUndies.com have come up with some XBox-360 themed 'lounge pants' which seem to be a cross between pajama bottoms and tracksuit trousers. They are covered in XBox logos and may well have been developed as part of a CIA skunkworks project to create the perfect girlfriend-repelling substance to protect agents from seductive 'honeytrap' operatives.

They are 100% Jersey Cotton Knit, and (according to the website) feature "XBOX 360 Logos tossed about on a black background". The jokes write themselves, really.

If you routinely sleep alone and want to keep it that way, or if you have just worn out your Commodore 64 adult romper suit, XBox pants can be yours for only $17.99.

via XBox Fanboy

Beautiful Katamari DLC - worthwhile, or a total rip off?

Beautiful Katamari is one of those games you can't help but like, despite everything in your head screaming that you shouldn't. It's a fairly cynical retread of the two previous (and clearly superior) Katamari titles, lacking a little in ideas, and certainly not as funny as it used to be. It's obvious that original creator Keita Takahashi has had zero involvement, and its brevity makes it seem poor value in the current market. Rumours that Namco had removed stages purely so it could release them at extra cost by way of downloadable content led many to believe the game was deliberately 'gimped'. Yet it was still unmistakeably Katamari, and still undeniably fun. It might have only had two or three stages which showcased real imagination, but the original concept was so good, that you couldn't help but enjoy yourself.

It's been quite a while since Katamari's release, so to log onto Live and see a boatload of downloadable content was surprising, to say the least. But should you bother? Hit the jump to find out.

The "Grand Theft Auto IV Activity Book"

A nice antidote to the insane, non-stop GTA hype, this. Some very clever people at The Minus World have designed this joyous activity book, for those too young to actually be exposed to the real-world nastiness of Liberty City.

It is, and we say this with caution, quite "funny." Barring the billions of staggering GTA IV movies currently cluster-bombing YouTube, it's the best thing we've seen today. Although, admittedly, it's only 10.13am.

Always good to see some people with the balls to spend ages and ages and ages making something themselves that nobody might even end up seeing. Well done, TMW. May your Adsense earnings temporarily double as a result.

(Via The Minus World)

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Guitar Hero IV to feature non-guitars. It's like Dylan going electric, only opposite, sort of

When Bob Dylan 'went electric' at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, there were cries of "Judas!" from the assembled folk-loving crowd.

THIS IS EXACTLY LIKE THAT, only instead of Dylan it's the Guitar Hero franchise and instead of 'going electric' it's 'going more electric' or 'going a bit more like Rock Band'.

And instead of 'Judas!' it's 'Er, isn't that going to be a bit expensive?.'

Anyway, the point is that the Guitar Hero customer feedback forms are in and apparently people liked it but found it a bit 'too guitary'.

Activision therefore have literally NO CHOICE but to respond by chucking more and different instruments into the next iteration of the game.

So this is really just about giving the fans what they want - and nothing whatsoever to do with the success of Rock Band or the chance to make a mint selling plastic bassoons and whatnot.

Personally, I look forward to the Brian Eno edition which comes with assorted ambient devices like fridges, car parks and vending machines that you can attach to your console via a wireless link.

via MCV

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PEOPLE WE HATE: Tim Bogenn and Rick Barba

Why do we hate Tim and Rick? They're the guys hired by Brady Games to write the official GTA IV guide book. They have, therefore, been playing GTA IV for months.

Imagine their smug faces. They've no doubt signed non-disclosure agreements that'll see them both thrown into jail for 1000 years if they were to post reviews up on the internet, but they are happy. They know. They know everything. They have seen the end of the universe.

They have played the whole game. Enough to write a book about it. They have no doubt played the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions simultaneously. They could totally spill the beans on which one's worse. One of them has a notebook listing the precise contents of the Xbox 360 downloadable content.

And that's their book up there to the left. The only time a guide book is ever really a necessity is when a new GTA game comes out. Hence us writing about it. This doesn't mean we're going to start reviewing guide books. Don't panic.

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Microsoft to release final (?) HD DVD patch

360 owners who backed the HD DVD horse have been thrown a lifeline by Microsoft which could help put off the date when it must be driven off to the glue factory.

Later this week, MS will release an update to the Xbox's HD DVD software thst will patch a few bugs and adds some welcome features to the doomed device. New stuff includes Dolby Digital 5.1, WMA Pro support and "Additional support for network features."

If you are signed in to Xbox Live, the next time you play a HD DVD disc you will be prompted to download and install the update. If you don't have a Live account, the update can be grabbed here and burned to CD.

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Opinion: New 360 motion-controller appears to be actually happening - and that's a bad thing

Surely not. Surely it can't be true. This can't be anything other than a bad, bad dream. A dream where Microsoft has turned into a blatant rip-off merchant, set to lower itself to outright thievery to gain dominance in the console market.

Or not, as the case may be. Site 8bitjoystick is reporting that it's really true, it's in development, and its codename is 'Newton'. Legally, Microsoft is fine doing all this - it's licensed the technology from a company named Gyration, whom Nintendo invested in a while back and licensed various patents for their Wii remote. So Nintendo doesn't own the patents, meaning that Microsoft is absolutely free to do as it pleases with the tech.

It just seems very, very cheeky and not a little cheap to me. Whether it will help MS capture that elusive casual market remains to be seen. But I'm convinced that we'll see some utterly cringe-making adverts desperately attempting to ape Wii's hugely successful 'lifestyle' marketing, and a raft of worthless minigame compilations that singularly fail to understand why the Wii works as an alternative to the 360.

Wii60 is a great combination - I just think MS should stick to its strengths in providing the best software line-up of the current console generation (and surely even the most ardent fanboy can't deny the 360's quality in this respect) without resorting to this degrading nonsense.

Source: 8bitjoystick via Videogaming247

My Little Master Chief

Wrongness. Deep, indelible, soul-tearing wrongness.

A twisted, debauched and possibly dangerous individual going by the name of Anime_Amy has taken an innocent child's toy and fused it with some Halo merchandise like a modern day Mengele.

The My Little Pony Master Chief now exists and has been sold to a like minded nutjob via eBay.. Look at the photograph. LOOK AT IT. This is what we have become as a species.

It's a slipery slope from this kind of 'fun and games' to having to dress up as a racoon before you have sex. With yourself.

Somebody paid $151.57 for this. That's enough to buy an entire field full of those Oxfam goats or a load of those wind-up radios that mean starving people can at least listen to Heart FM on the way out.

On the plus side, the auction broke $100, which means that Anime_Amy threw in a FREE assault rifle.

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Rock Band: Xbox 360 exclusive in Europe! Coming May 23, for £TOO MUCH

Rock Band will launch on Xbox 360 on May 23. Only Xbox 360 owners have the BUYING POWER to keep Electronic Arts happy - Rock Band has been confirmed as Xbox 360 exclusive in Europe until later in the year.

The price is quite staggeringly huge - in Europe, we're getting the Instrument Edition for £129. That's just a guitar, drum kit and microphone. The game has to be bought separately in addition, bringing the price for game and instruments up to well over £170. All 70 downloadable US tracks will be made available a week after the game ships, boosted by eight custom UK tunes.

So. How much do you like the idea of Rock Band? Do you like it more than having £180? Frankly, they're having a bit of a laugh, especially as we'll also be expected to shell out 160 MS Points to download extra tracks in order to get the full experience. Although it'll be worth buying just to drive PS3 owners wild with jealousy.

(Via IGN)

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Halo 3 Spiker on eBay, for charidee

Love Halo 3 and, in particular, the Brutes? Recently inherited $3500 or equivalent in negotiable currency, possibly due to the death of a favourite aunt?

Unaware there is a recession on the way that could crush you and see your family homeless?

Then YOU could be the proud owner of this replica Brute 'Spiker' pistol - as seen in Bungie's recent Halo 3 adverts!

The fiberglass, resin and styrene plastic (I think that means polysterene) replica is up on eBay with a starting bid of $3500.

The piece is the work of the Stan Winston sfx studio, responsible for Blade Runner's unique look among other SF classics, and comes with that all important certificate of authenticity that will see you well should you go on Antiques Roadshow some time around 2058,

The seller has pledged to donate some of the proceeds to UNICEF, should you require a tax deductable reason for breaking out your chequebook.

Xbox 360 and Dreamcast spare parts hacked together to make games more accessible

Here's an oddity you don't see everyday - an Xbox 360 with a Dreamcast Arcade Stick hanging out of it, designed to make playing video games easier for those with disabilities that make regular controllers too tough to handle.

The idea's the brain wave of OneSwitch and has been adopted by SpecialEffect - a charity that's trying to make games more accessible for disabled kids. And anyone that subliminally introduces people to Dreamcast-branded equipment is OK by us. Here's how Burnout Paradise plays on the re-jigged system...

The set up will be going out "on tour" next month as part of an accessible gaming roadshow. Doing this update means we don't have to give any money to charity this year.

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Now Microsoft claims it isn't interested in Blu-ray for Xbox 360

Microsoft is definitely upping its support for the Blu-ray format following the unfortunate HD DVD affair. Steve Ballmer even says as much. Now you're probably thinking, much like the rest of the planet, that the next logical step is to make a Blu-ray add on player for the 360. Y'know, something to replace the obsolete HD DVD one.

Not so. Xbox group product manager Aaron Greenberg has spelled out loud and clear that there is no such plan in progress. "Xbox is not currently in talks with Sony or the Blu-ray Association to integrate Blu-ray into the Xbox experience," Greenberg told Reuters.

Well that's it settled then. Kindly shut up about the whole thing. There'll be no Blu-ray add ons, no Blu-ray attachments, no Blu-ray accessories and certainly no integrated Blu-ray playing Elite.

Assuming this is true this time, that must mean that all of Xbox's HD movie hopes are pinned on the Video Marketplace downloads. In that case, wouldn't this be a swell time to lop some of the price off those ridiculously expensive hard drives?

Source
PSPSPS.tv

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Blu-Ray coming to 360? MS in talks with Sony

Now that Blu-Ray has won the HD format war, we suppose this makes some kind of sense, though it's still weird to imagine Microsoft and Sony shaking hands to allow the 360 to have a Blu-Ray drive. Yet, according to the Financial Times, that's apparently exactly what's about to happen.

President of Sony's electronics division, Stan Glasgow, has stated that both parties were having discussions about MS adopting Blu-Ray for its console. In a way, this could end up biting Sony's gaming division on the backside, as the addition of such a drive would surely make the 360 more competitive, though Sony would be keen to see this happen, as they'd earn a substantial amount of money should a deal be struck.

MS has thus far refused to comment, but it wouldn't shock us to see a new add-on peripheral before too long - or even a brand-new Elite model, with Blu-Ray built in.

Source: Financial Times

How to convert HD-DVD to Blu-Ray

Face it, HD-DVD lost and Sony finally have something to celebrate. It's only fair - they spent all that money on Champagne before the PS3 launch, only to realise that they should have invested in something stronger (and perhaps some antidepressants).

So, assuming you are one of the lucky few who bought a load of HD-DVD content, you might be wondering what to do with it now that Microsoft have decided to let the format shrivel and die.

Worry not. Wired have a simple how-to that shows you how to convert your HD-DVD discs to the now victorious Blu-Ray format.

The technique requires a Windows PC running special software, A HD-DVD drive (you should be able to get one of these off of eBay for £cheap), a Blu-Ray burner and more free time than most people would sensibly want to devote to a project as pointless as this.

Once you've converted your copy of Transformers to Blu-Ray, you'll be needing something to play it on. Contrary to popular belief, the PlayStation 3 makes an excellent Blu-Ray player.

Not so much with the games, obviously, but if it's Blu-Ray playback you are after - go Sony!

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The Mad Catz Xbox 360 HDMI converter thing

Sorry. This is a kind of boring update about a box that turns one kind of signal into another kind of signal. This box - the Mad Catz Xbox 360 HDMI Conversion Kit - turns old fashioned component into the sort of modern HDMI that all the kids are into. It even supports HDMI 1.3, whatever HDMI 1.3 might be. 1.3 times more colours?

For some odd reason, they've made it look like the Xbox 360 hard drive, even though it will spend its entire life hidden from view round the back end of your Xbox 360. A senseless waste of silvery plastic.

Apparently, it's the real deal - not just some cowboy upscaling nonsense. It's capable of turning the analogue component output of the older non-HDMI Xbox 360s into proper modern digital stuff - and it even supports the mythical (and practically un-used in most games) 1080p standard to make your expensive TV very happy indeed.

(Via Mad Catz)

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