Microsoft XBox 360

Dean Takahashi, one of the most respected tech journos around, spent years putting together this mind-blowing expose that reveals the truly epic scale of the problems that lead to millions of dead Xbox 360s. It really is one of the most stunning flustercucks in gaming history.

The Showdown continues. In the Showdown, we pick a topic, argue both sides, and then present the results to you. Today, Ben and Frank discuss whether the newly-announced Xbox 360 price drop is a sign of desperation or boldness on the part of Microsoft.

One of the the biggest selling points of Nintendo's Wii video game console since its launch nearly two years ago has been that it was the lowest-priced of the trio of next-generation machines, which also includes Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.

Xbox 360 Fanboy, citing "a tip from a source close to Microsoft's marketing department," says the price cut to $199 for the Arcade system is meant to position that bundle against the Wii. So it'll get a huge family-friendly marketing push and title support.

A leading gaming and entertainment platform just became a leading platform for change. Microsoft Corp. and Rock the Vote today announced a groundbreaking partnership that will allow Xbox 360 owners to register to vote, participate in presidential polls and voice their opinions to the presidential candidates. It will

A dad's view of his son wearing headphones on Xbox Live after being called bitch, punk, and worse..

Next shipments won't hit store until next month! The situation is so bad apparently that Microsoft even released a statement apologizing. Guess Japan doesn't hate the Xbox 360 so much anymore...

Considering Microsoft keeps losing ground to both Sony and Nintendo, why not find a new way to offer a more compelling alternative out of the company's most popular service? Sure, it sounds radical and losing $50 per year from the millions of Xbox Live subscribers may be a major sticking point here, but it needs to be done.

The July NPD sales numbers have been released, and as always, Nintendo dominates in every way while Microsoft and Sony battle it out for a distant second place. The industry continues to see large growth year over year, with a 35 percent jump in sales for the year to date, and an impressive 48 percent jump in software sales alone. With the large di

Case manufacturer Lian Li announced today that it has developed a case specifically for the Xbox 360. Of course, actually using the case happens to void your Microsoft warranty, but the company claims its case is designed to cool the Xbox much more effectively, thereby avoiding overheating problems altogetherAssuming that you're willing to...

The most popular games online are Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3. You know that, I know that, everyone knows that. So what happens to the lesser known games as time marches on and the smaller games are squeezed off the shelves? Do the communities live on? Do the hardcore refuse to let go? Do newcomers to Xbox Live wander into empty. . .

Ah, the ill-fated Xbox 360 Red Ring of Death, how we fear thy ways. After all, with a 16% failure rate, it could happen to anyone. For some of us, it already has. The least that Microsoft could do is give us a few ideas of what to do with this giant, expired paperweight of failure.

During E3, Microsoft announced that Final Fantasy XIII was coming to the Xbox 360 ? but only for North America and Europe. However, the Xbox 360 was not announced for Japan. Add another country to the list!

Melissa Batten, 36, a software development engineer in Microsoft's Xbox division, was murdered by her estranged husband, who then shot himself to death, earlier this week.

Tales of Vesperia is launching in Japan soon. August 7th, actually. And some people seem pretty excited. It's the tenth entry in the Tales series. The Namco Bandai title is an Xbox 360 exclusive, so that just might mean that Microsoft will move more than it's standard 3,000 Xbox 360s a week in Japan. Or not.

Ever notice something about Xbox LIVE? The people that are on it, they're mostly Americans. That's not necessarily a bad thing, is it? Of course not. So there's no need to get all bent out of shape when Europe Xbox exec Chris Lewis "the lion's share" of Xbox Live users are Americans. What's percentage of Xbox LIVE users are European? Says Lewis:

It seems that ending the gold/silver distinction in Games for Windows Live (effectively making it free) might have had the same effect for those who game on titles that are both PC and 360

We're at an interesting point in the development life cycle of third-party programs, those little software applications one can add to gadgets and social pages.Microsoft's approach, confirmed Thursday, is about control. Anyone can create a game, but not everyone will be approved for release on the Xbox Live service.

Calling all garage-game developers: How'd you like a piece of the Xbox 360 market? Small-time gamemakers who create games using Microsoft's XNA development framework and port them to the Xbox 360's community games service will soon be able to sell their creations to other Xbox owners.

So, for all of you who hated the new dashboard, here's some good news: it's optional. You can still use the blades if you don't like it, so Microsoft is giving you some option.

To me the fifty smackolas a year has been a rip-off for features as inexpensive and basic as what Microsoft has offered. There was no service that Microsoft provided that required $50 from the average consumer in my mind, and they only have charged us because they had enough lackeys (myself included) willing to pay. That was until Monday.

Big announcements at E3 cannot hide that Microsoft had a rough June with its game console: Nintendo?s Wii surpassed the Xbox 360 as the most sold current game console in the U.S. every other game console, including the PSP and Nintendo DS, sold more units. Has the Xbox 360 lost its appeal?

Here are a couple interesting takeaways from our tour of the New Xbox Experience...

Own Rock Band instruments on Xbox 360? They'll work with Guitar Hero World Tour. At Activision's E3 press conference Tuesday, Guitar Hero director Brian Bright told the crowd that if they already owned guitar controllers and drum controllers from "previous games" on the Xbox 360, they'd work with Guitar Hero World Tour.

Microsoft has finally brought Final Fantasy to the Xbox 360, will be released same day as PS3 in North America and Europe.

A complete makeover is in store for Xbox Live this fall, reports Kotaku from Microsoft's E3 news conference.

It's official, the New Xbox LIVE is at hand. It releases this holiday season, and will completely makeover our beloved service for the casual gamer.

Out on Xbox LIVE Arcade this year. It will feature single player and "a new challenge" mode.

Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3, the 2007 loser in the fight for second place in video-game console sales, is gaining ground on Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360. The PlayStation 3 outsold the Xbox 360 in the U.S. in the first five months of 2008 after trailing Microsoft's console in 2007. New exclusive games, such as ``Metal Gear Solid 4,'' and the rise of So

Microsoft has announced a price drop for the 20GB Xbox 360, bringing the unit to within spitting distance of the Wii at $299.99. The company also introduced a new 60GB SKU for the 20GB's former cost of $349.99.

Microsoft has confirmed that the 20GB Xbox 360 console has received a $50 price cut to $299, and taking its place in the $349 tier is a new 60GB console and arriving early August. The Xbox 360 Arcade (i.e. no HDD) will continue to sell for $280 and the Elite (120GB) model will sell for $449.

According to Target.com it is. It's listing the Xbox 360 Pro at $299.99 as of right now, but only for "in store" sales. We're bothering our local brick and mortar Targets to confirm that the price drop has already taken effect, but if it hasn't we're sure that this-gen lollygaggers won't mind waiting a whole 48 hours.

With an unlikely PS3 motion-sensing controller popping up at one peripherals maker earlier this week, it's little surprise that - just days before E3 is due to kick off - that one appears for the Xbox 360. This one from hardware maker Motus Games, however, looks a lot more real and there's even a few videos of it in action.

Just in case all of those retailer circulars from Best Buy, KMart, et al, wasn't enough proof of an Xbox 360 price drop coming on Sunday, here's one more tidbit of proof.

Once I bought my 360, however, I've been able to get rid of my home theater PC, my DVD player, and even my cable box, so that my entire entertainment system runs through my Xbox 360. It's convergence at its best. The 360 is not perfect by any means, but it's the best multimedia device I've ever used.

A mainstream UK newspaper has indicated that the Xbox 360 Elite could well be suffering from the same 'red ring of death' overheating problem as earlier models of the console, despite protestations to the contrary from Microsoft...

Something big is in the works for the Xbox 360 Spring update. How big? Well besides the gi-normous list of rumored updates we're now hearing from a number of sources that the Live dashboard is going to be getting a second interface option, one that will use the yet-to-be announced motion controller to navigate.

On the eve of E3, the fanboys muse on what a reboot of the Xbox 360 dashboard could look like, and how it could improve your experience with your console.

Netflix subscribers, if you've got an Xbox 360 and a Windows Vista PC, you don't have to shell out $99 for Roku's Netflix Player box to get your Watch Instantly library on your TV screen?you already have everything you need. Using the free Windows Media Center plug-in, vmcNetflix, you can turn your Xbox 360 into a Netflix Watch Instantly box.

People aren't just using the Spore Creature Creator to make penis monsters. Creative kids are trading cocks for controllers ? just look at what Kotakuite zOmbi's friend Eric made in the Spore creator editor a few minutes ago. Yep, that's right, Eric made an Xbox 360 controller.

Until recently, Microsoft could brag about how Live was by far the most feature-complete online service on any platform, with a unified Friends list, the best online shop, voice and video chat as standard and a consistent and stable online experience. But in recent months there?s been a shift in the market, and even bigger changes are coming. . .

Inconsistency amongst Xbox 360 games and their achievements has been a problem, so here are Ten "Commandments" developers should follow when creating their achievements for future titles.

For this week?s Sessler?s Soapbox, Adam Sessler brings up an issue that?s old, but still unfortunately valid. That is, he, like many people, is fed up with the amount of racist and homophobic talk on Xbox Live. As he points out, the situation is just getting uglier all the time.

Indeed, there is a social stigma that goes along with being a gamer that seems to be at its worst when dealing with the fairer sex. It?s clear that there are female gamers out there, but unfortunately the majority of them just don?t have a spot in their life for a 360. When dating, the videogame topic is one that?s often avoided until. . .

Did anyone know that so many good games were coming out this summer for the Xbox 360? Well there is, and they look pretty damn good. Soul Calibur IV, UT3, Mercenaries 2...all coming out this year. Finally a great summer for gaming.

What happens when the boss mistakes an Xbox running as linux server for a xbox to play games on?

Xbox LIVE has banned gamer Richard Gaywood for using the gamertag "RichardGaywood." According to LIVE, "...the gamertag RichardGaywood is no longer allowed. Please change your gamertag before playing on Xbox LIVE." Here's the kicker: Richard Gaywood is apparently his legal name!

An interesting Consumerist discussion on use of the term "gay" on XBox live forums, and the homophobia felt by gamers.

"Buying all three older Grand Theft Auto games released on Xbox would cost $76 now instead of $64 in March, an 18% increase. Buying the same Playstation 2 GTA games would cost $33 now and were $30 in March, which is an 11% increase. "

Perhaps the most interesting additions are "Calibration options for motion sensor devices" for the Dashboard and "Support for titles to store installation data on Storage Device for faster loading" for Games. If true, the former would lend further credibility to frequent rumors that Microsoft is planning to introduce a motion controller for Xbox