Crackdown 2 players can now download the new Toy Box Pack to expand the game even further. The Toy Box Pack is priced at 560 MS Points and is available in all Xbox LIVE regions except germany. A Toy Box Pack preview is also available.
Content: Free Toy Box Pack Preview Price: Free Availability: Not available in Germany Dash Text: Get a taste of the Crackdown 2 Premium Toy Box Pack with this free preview! Wreak havoc with Vehicle Tag and an expanded Keys to the City mode and play co-op with players who have purchased the Premium version. Upgrade to the Premium Toy Box Pack to unlock extra toys and treasures, including the Squad Chopper, Suit Thrusters, new Agent armor colors, and Vehicle Tag, just to name a few.
Content: Premium Toy Box Pack Price: 560 Microsoft Points Availability: Not available in Germany Dash Text: Expand Crackdown 2 with the Toy Box Pack! It's bursting at the seams with extra toys and treasures, including an expanded Keys to the City mode, the ATV Assault Vehicle, the Squad Chopper, Suit Thrusters, new Agent armor colors, and a Vehicle Tag game, just to name a few. The Toy Box Pack is packed so full it would take a Level 5 Agent to hold it closed!
"Minerva's Den" is the latest Game Addon for Bioshock 2 and is now available to download from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360. The new Addon will cost you 800 MS Points and is available in all regions except Japan.
Content: Minerva's Den Price: 800 Microsoft Points Availability: Not available in Japan Dash Text: Minerva's Den offers a brand-new, self-contained BioShock story, presenting a side of Rapture you've never seen before. Seek out the tools you'll need to unlock new goals and spaces in the order you choose. Face Rapture's full range of opposition as you increase in power---a new challenge is always right around the corner. Expand your combat abilities with the experimental Ion Laser and chaotic Gravity Well Plasmid, unique to Minerva's Den. Face off against the new Lancer Big Daddy, the most advanced Protector that Rapture ever produced. Explore every shadowy corner of Minerva's Den, unraveling the mysterious past of The Thinker's inventor, and the dark secrets hidden within the unfeeling, omniscient machine he created.
Dead Rising 2: Case Zero provides the link between the first and second game and is now available from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360. Get a taste of what Dead Rising 2 has to offer in this full-featured prologue for just 400 Microsoft Points. Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is NOT available in Germany, Japan and Korea.
Content: Dead Rising 2: Case Zero Price: 400 Microsoft Points Availability: Not available in Germany, Japan and Korea Dash Text: Get a taste of what Dead Rising 2 has to offer in this full-featured prologue! Chuck Greene and his daughter Katey have barely escaped the Las Vegas zombie outbreak with their lives. They arrive in the lonely desert town of Still Creek looking for some rest, but unfortunately there is no rest to be had as this sleepy town has become overrun with zombies. Chuck must kill zombies, rescue survivors and escape from the zombie nightmare that is Still Creek before time runs out. Any PP, clothing, and Combo Cards gained in CASE ZERO will carry over into your Dead Rising 2 game!
A new Vanquish DEMO is now ready to download via the Xbox LIVE Marketplace on Xbox 360. The new demo is not available in Korea or Germany.
Vanquish features an engaging and immersive storyline, with a fast, fluid and frenetic combat system. Developed by Platinium Games and published by Sega Vanguish will be coming to Xbox 360 sometime in 2010.
Content: Vanquish DEMO Price: Free Availability: Not available Korea and Germany Dash Text: Boost into the ultra-fast and frenetic third-person-action-shooter, Vanquish. Boost from cover point to cover point blasting robot enemies with your transforming weapon pod. Use the high-tech Augmented Reaction Suit to amplify your senses to a critical state and get the drop on your opponents, thrashing before they ever knew what hit them. If enemies get too close, punch, kick and pummel them into scrap. See what the "action" in third-person-action-shooter is really all about. VANQUISH OFFICIAL DEMO - VELOCITY ATTACK is set in the landing bay of the Providence Space Colony in a desperate fight to gain control of the facility. But the enemy has more in store as the massive Argus robot emerges to dominate the battlefield.
For more detailed information on Vanquish for Xbox 360, check the 360-HQ Games database for the latest screenshots, trailers, news and other important info.
Here's the latest list of Xbox LIVE Marketplace content scheduled for release on Xbox 360. Please check each item individually for local pricing and regional availability.
Dead Rising 2: Case Zero (400 Points)
Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is now available exclusively on Xbox LIVE and Games for Windows LIVE. Any status and items you earn in Case Zero will carry over to the full game of Dead Rising 2 when it releases next month.
This year’s Summer of Arcade may be over, but you still have time to reap some rewards. Purchase all five featured titles before August 31, 2010 11:59pm EST and receive 1200 Microsoft Points for free! Or, purchase at least three Summer of Arcade games and receive 400 Microsoft Points. Details here.
It’s time for some Fall fun with The Game Feast. Starting September 29 through October 20 we’ve got a solid line up of XBLA games:
- September 29: Hydrophobia - 1200 Microsoft Points
Xbox Game Add-Ons
- September 2: Crackdown 2 Toy Box available at no cost to Crackdown 2 owners; 560 Microsoft Points for additional content and available worldwide
Also, don't forget from September 17 (12pm ET / 9am PT/1600 GMT) through September 20 (12pm ET /9am PT/1600 GMT) Xbox LIVE Silver members can take advantage of industry-leading multiplayer, not to mention exclusive access to movies, TV shows, music and friends via Netflix, Last.fm, Facebook and more. These Gold-only features will be available all weekend long for the whole Xbox LIVE community.
*Current schedule. Subject to change. All content may not be available in all Xbox LIVE regions.
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A brand new controller with a 'transforming' D-Pad has now been confirmed by Microsoft. the new controller will only be available with the new Play & Charge Kit which launches November 9th for US $64.99.
We’ve just made the Xbox 360 Wireless controller even better with a brand new version that includes a transforming D-pad. The engineers have come up with an ingenious solution with a d-pad that can go from a plus to a disc with the twist of the wrist.
In addition to the new d-pad, the matte silver controller also features concave analog sticks and gray A,B,X,Y buttons for added style.
Here is a video that shows how it work:
The controller will only be available with the new Play & Charge Kit that will launch on November 9th for US $64.99.
Just received this email as I'm sure many members have today, Just wanted to share this information with anybody that is not currently subscribed to Xbox Live Gold, or who's plans are running out soon. If you don't upgrade or extend your account by Nov 1st, afterwards you will be on the new plan which has higher prices. The yearly renewal fee is going up $10 a year.
Xbox Live is still the #1 service in online gaming, why not lock in at the best rate right now, and if you are a current subscriber you even get a $20 discount! So for a year it is only $39.99, that's 30% off!
Thank you for being a valued member of Xbox LIVE Gold. We hope you are enjoying the many exciting and exclusive features that are included in your membership. We wanted to let you know about an upcoming price increase for your Xbox LIVE Gold subscription and how you can lock in your current price to continue enjoying everything you've come to love about Xbox LIVE, plus all the upcoming additions including ESPN and Hulu Plus.
Over the past seven years, Xbox LIVE has evolved from an online gaming platform to an all-in-one gaming and entertainment service. As an Xbox LIVE Gold member, you can not only play blockbuster games, such as Halo: Reach with your friends online, you can also stream movies from Netflix* and music from Last.fm right to your TV. You can even connect with friends near and far on Facebook® and Twitter™. Plus, you also enjoy exclusive discounts and early access to game demos.
And we aren't even close to being done. This holiday, Xbox LIVE is adding new Gold features, including ESPN and Video Kinect, with Hulu Plus coming on Xbox LIVE in 2011.
• With ESPN on Xbox LIVE, you can stream and watch over 3,500 live and on-demand sporting events plus highlights.*
• Video Kinect allows you to chat with family and friends on the big screen, right from the comfort of your living room—no headset or controller required.*
• With Hulu Plus on Xbox LIVE you will be able to enjoy a customized Hulu Plus experience that will include Kinect navigation and Xbox LIVE Parties*
Besides launching the new features and titles, we will also be increasing the price of Gold membership on November 1, 2010. The new prices are as follows:
Old Price New Price
1-Month Gold Subscription $7.99 $9.99
3-Month Gold Subscription $19.99 $24.99
12-Month Gold Subscription $49.99 $59.99
At only $5 per month, our 12-month offer continues to be your best value. And, because you are a loyal member, we want to give you the opportunity to lock in your current price with an additional discount. Click here or log on to Xbox LIVE from your console to review and take advantage of these limited time offers.
We hope that you will continue to enjoy all the great gaming, entertainment, and social experiences that Xbox LIVE has to bring today—and in the future.
Xbox Live Studios head unveils plans to update Xbox Live's audio codec as part of this years Xbox 360 Update. The new and improved voice chat codec will provide better voice communication overall. No more crackly headset..
Xbox Live Studios head Jerry Johnson spoke at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival about the new and improved voice chat system coming to Xbox 360 in the next update.
“The codec we used when we first launched was a low bit rate codec and we stuck with that,” said Johnson. “We launched and we said we required broadband. We required a 64k connection, which not many people think of as broadband any longer. But that was the minimum requirement to run the service at the time.”
“It’s time for us to move on,” he continued. “Especially if we want to think about broadening – a crackly headset on the top of your head – not what people think of when they talk about popular entertainment.”
Microsoft has not yet announced when it plans to introduce the update. The next Xbox 360 firmware/dashboard update is expected sometime this fall, just in time for Kinect which launches November 4th in the US and November 10th in Europe, the UK, Australia and South Africa.
A brand new demo for "NARUTO Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja STORM 2" is now available on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. The demo weighs in at 296MB and is available to download in all Xbox LIVE regions.
Content: NARUTO Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja STORM 2 Demo Price: Free Availability: All Xbox LIVE Regions Dash Text: The NARUTO Ultimate Ninja series has sold over 6.5 million copies worldwide. We present a demo for the latest game in this hit series, NARUTO Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2. Our concept is to combine video games and animation. The previous title in the series stretched the limited animation style popularized by Japanese anime to its limits. This game stretches it even further, successfully establishing a new standard in real-time CG animation. It's a cinemagraphic experience like none other, in which the player finds themselves controlling the action in an anime all their own. This demo includes the entire boss battle with Kakashi. We hope players will enjoy it.
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 features an extensive character roster and incredible visuals. The game is scheduled for release October 19, 2010 in North America.
Klei Entertainment’s eagerly anticipated 2D brawler has finally arrived and is now available to download from the Xbox LIVE Arcade. Weighing in at whopping 2GB and available in All Xbox LIVE regions except Japan, Shank can be downloaded from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for 1200 MS Points.
Developed by Klei Entertainment, Shank is an action/adventure Beat-'Em-Up game. Shank includes a special co-operative mission, designed to be played with a friend locally.
Content: Shank Price: 1200 Microsoft Points Availability: Not available in Japan Dash Text: Shank is a 2D cinematic brawler inspired by classic beat 'em ups and graphic novels. Embark on a tale of revenge using chainsaws, dual pistols, knives and more. Play in the storymode or cooperatively with a friend in the backstory!
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is now available to download from the Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360. Weighing in at 166MB and available in All Xbox LIVE regions, Scott Pilgrim is available for 800 MS Points. Collect up to 12 achievements and 200 gamescore.
Content: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Price: 800 Microsoft Points Availability: All Xbox LIVE Regions Dash Text: SCOTT PILGRIM is the ROCK-N-ROLL ACTION LOVE-STORY for the 8-BIT GENERATION. Scott Pilgrim is a lovable loser and the best fighter in the province. He is in love with Ramona Flowers. But she has baggage! To get the girl, Scott must defeat the League of Ramona’s evil exes. Be prepared for some serious action... - Team-up with up to 3 of your friends as SCOTT, RAMONA, STEPHEN and KIM, each with their own signature moves and attacks. - 8-BIT animations by the world-famous Pixel Artist PAUL ROBERTSON. - More than 30 original music tracks by chiptune heroes ANAMANAGUCHI. - Unlock secret modes - Collect up to 12 achievements and 200 gamescore.
Harmonix and MTV Games have revealed the first details about the next phase in their Rock Band Network music authoring service. Rock Band Network 2.0, as it is currently known, will bring a number of new additions and improvements, including a bunch of enhancements specifically designed to take advantage of the new features being introduced in Rock Band 3.
According to a post by RBN senior producer Matthew Nordhaus on the official RBN forums, the new RB3 features that will be supported in the new Rock Band Network are as follows:
Pro Drums: although you can add MIDI information for cymbal gems to RBN1, RBN2 will add the ability to audition with cymbal gems as well as a few enhancements to streamline the audio submixes.
Keys and Pro Keys: full support of our brand new keyboard peripheral will be available; both regular (5-lane) and Pro key authoring.
Vocal Harmonies: three part harmonies. Sing!
All of these features will be optionally supported by RBN2, and each song may implement as many or as few of them as the creators wish.
Audition mode will be updated as well. The exact feature set is not final, however we are planning on supporting the following enhancements:
Practice Sections: full support for named and placed practice sections, plus the ability to check them in Audition mode. Auto generated practice sections will still be an option.
Rewind while you are auditioning a song. YES, WE HEARD YOU.
Custom camera controls to allow you to view specific band members during audition mode (to check animations, lip sync, etc.)
Dramatically improved auto-generation for the venue track.
One of the major RB3 features not being supported by RBN 2.0, at least at this point, is support for Pro Guitar authoring. Nordhaus explained the omission, saying, "This was not an easy decision, as we want RBN to be on parity with DLC as much as possible. We can certainly revisit this decision in 6-12 months, however, at least for now, we aren't supporting Pro Guitar."
Nordhaus went on to say that forgoing Pro Guitar support ultimately came to the following three issues:
Because of the way that Pro Guitar DLC is implemented in RB3, it would have been substantial work to add to the pipeline for both Harmonix and Microsoft.
It is extremely time consuming to author, to the point that it might be just as time consuming to author a Pro Guitar part as it would be to author the rest of the track.
Peer Reviewing any Pro Guitar songs would be problematic due to the fact that we will be building a brand new install base of Pro Guitar players at launch.
Other additions being considered for RBN 2.0 include “skipping to song sections, feedback for audio mixing issues, fixing store audio preview bugs, improved Magma error reporting and MIDI validation, guide audio for vocals, and more.”
Nordhaus also offered up the following tentative timetable for when users can expect to see these RBN 2.0’s features start to roll out:
RBN2 Docs and Reaper Templates released this fall prior to the RB3 ship date (October 26th).
Magma 2.0 and RBN2 Audition mode (added to RB3 360 with a patch) will be released shortly after RB3 ships.
A beta version of creators.rockband.com that handles RBN 2.0 songs will be available for song submissions in early 2011.
RBN2 content will start to appear in the RB3 store at the end of Q1 2011.
Dean Takahashi from venturebeat unveils the hybrid processor-graphics chip in the new Xbox 360 S.
Microsoft and IBM described the two-headed chip that enables the new black version of the Xbox 360 to operate on less power and more quietly than past models of the video game console.
The company’s engineers created a chip that combined the machine’s microprocessor and its graphics chip on a single piece of silicon. In the past, different versions of the console have all used two separate chips for those tasks. By combining them, Microsoft and IBM were able to make substantial reductions in space, cost and power for the final machine, allowing Microsoft to add new features such as wireless networking at the same time.
The code name for the project was Vejle, named after a city in Denmark. (It’s not Valhalla, as some thought). Rune Jensen (pictured left), chip design lead at Microsoft, declined to say how long it took to create the hybrid chip, but Microsoft has been rolling out new versions of the Xbox 360 every couple of years since the launch of the original Xbox 360 in 2005. The chip design process gives a rare window into the difficult choices and design process that goes into managing the life cycle of a video game console.
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