Microsoft Gamefest is the first conference on game development, and should turn around game developers. We asked developers who attended Gamefest 2008 and found that, given the development schedules and ship the date of the conference would be more impact if they are held earlier in the calendar year rather than just before the holidays. We take very seriously and adaptation responses, the timing of Gamefest better reflect the developers and provide hours of the best experience possible.

Rather than say "SURPRISE! GAMEFEST today! "We opted for the plan to hold the next Gamefest in the first quarter of 2010. In the meantime, we are committed to keep developers on the Microsoft platform technology and innovation, we will explore opportunities to provide updates live through meetings, seminars, Web, and of course, through XNA Creators Club Online.

Although we have not officially stopped on a date, you can expect Gamefest, held in the first part of 2010. Stay tuned for more information or visit the website at http: / / www.xnagamefest.com.

Source : Microsoft's XNA Blog

Currently, when it comes to DivX on consoles, it is just Sony who has signed up for the official codec compliance for the PlayStation 3.

TechRadar asked if DivX can see other console manufacturers teaming up with the company in the future, and Rota [founder and VP creative, brand and community of DivX] was quick to respond with regards to the Xbox 360:

"When it comes to DivX branding, we have had a hard time with Microsoft. Obviously we would love for some sort of partnership to happen.

"Currently, Microsoft does support DivX, which is fantastic, but the company has brought in some third-party support for the Xbox 360, and we are not very happy with that."

Source : techradar.com

Trancy released a new version of Xflasher 360 on modcontrol.com. The tool is now also available in english and french:
[QUOTE]
In the past there have been many users who have had problems when it comes to flashing their drive under Windows (Drive-bricking, Windows freezes, etc.) so I have decided to program a DOS-based tool that automatically does the following:
* Copying of the DVD-Drive Firmware
* Spoofing/patching of the Firmware
* Flashing the DVD-Drive with iXtreme

The Tool: Xflasher completes the entire Flash-Procedure. For this the original firmware as well as the the files iXtreme.bin, org.bin, key.bin, identify.bin, inquiry.bin or dummy.bin are placed in separate folders. Note: Not all of the files mentioned above are created for every drive model.
DVD drives from Lite-On, BenQ, and Samsung/Toshiba are supported. It is not possible to flash Hi-tachi drives under DOS at the moment, if this should change in the future then newer versions of Xflasher will most probably be released with the added support.

What's new/fixed in v0.75:
* Added option for read the DVD-Key several times
* Fix for read Samsung/BenQ DVD-ROM
* Added USB-formatting tool with DOS
* Added language menu at 1st start
* Added english language
* Added english How to
* Added french language
* Added french How to
* Bug fixing
* Fix for show correct ANSI-Fonts (German: like ä and ü) under Dos


Source : modcontrol.com

Xbox 360 group PR manager David Dennis told Edge, "Our strategy from the beginning was to have multiple SKUs with a very flexible offering so the customer can choose the experience that they want. If you don't need a hard drive, you're not forced to have one. If you don't need Wi-Fi, you're not forced to pay for one."

"The strategy of having a console that is $200 more expensive that has features that people don't potentially need or want but have to pay for--looking at [Sony's] sales numbers--I'd say it's probably not the winning strategy at this point, especially given the current economic situation."

In a game of PR ping pong, Sony PR manager Al DeLeon responded to Microsoft's claims in an e-mail saying, "We absolutely support consumer choice with the PS3, offering the entry-level $399 SKU and a $499 SKU that includes a larger hard drive and great gaming content.

"Where we differ from the competition is that we're committed to delivering the best gaming and entertainment experience with a system that not only has the latest technology like Blu-ray and Wi-Fi built-in, but is a reliable device with a 10-year lifecycle."

Source : edge-online.com

A handful of faithful X3F fanboys just sent a message (by carrier pigeon, no less) that a new update to the dashboard Xbox 360 has just been released. The update installs the new dashboard version 2.0.7363.0 (replacing the old version 2.0.7357.0) and was gradually release all consoles connected to Xbox Live. Here at Fanboy Towers, we still have to be invited to download the update. We are sad.

So what are the new bells and whistles of the new dashboard update bring? Well ... we are not really safe and that Microsoft announced the update release. Those who received it have not been able to find something new, we are speculating that this is one of those behind the scenes / no new features to the dashboard upgrade . We will keep you updated on updated once we are up to date.

Source : xbox360fanboy.com

These are the December 2008 NPD hardware numbers:
* Nintendo DS - 3.04 million
* Wii - 2.15 million
* Xbox 360 - 1.44 million
* PSP - 1.02 million
* PlayStation 3 - 726K
* PlayStation 2 - 410K

Update: Here is Microsoft's official response to the NPD data:

December NPD results are in and Xbox 360 highlights include:
* December '08 was the biggest month for Xbox 360 in history
* Xbox 360 sold more consoles, games and online entertainment experiences in 2008 than any previous year
* In the all-important holiday quarter, Xbox 360 outsold PS3 by more than 2:1

Despite a decline in overall consumer spending during the holidays, video games continued to shine as a bright spot, with Xbox 360 registering record-setting numbers in December, selling 1.4 million consoles in the U.S. (December NPD data).

Not only did the Xbox 360 see its weekly sales run rate increase 38 percent compared to November, it also continued to outperform the PS3 by two-to-one for the third month in a row (December NPD data).

With third-party game sales for Xbox 360 increasing from $298 million in November to $504 million in December, it's no surprise that Xbox 360 has generated more life-to-date dollars at retail for third-party publishers than the PS3 and Wii combined. "Gears of War 2," "Call of Duty: World at War," "Grand Theft Auto IV," "Madden NFL 09," "Left 4 Dead" and the critically acclaimed "Fable II" were some of the hottest Xbox 360 games in 2008. Three Xbox 360 games appeared on the top 10 list in December, including "Call of Duty: World at War," "Left 4 Dead" and "Gears of War 2." (December NPD data)

"Our goal for 2008 was to reach new audiences by bringing ground-breaking games and entertainment to Xbox 360," said Don Mattrick, senior vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. "Looking forward, new waves of innovation will extend our position as the global leader in interactive entertainment."

As announced by Microsoft last week, Xbox LIVE continues to experience rapid growth; online transactions over Xbox LIVE grew 84 percent in 2008 over 2007. More than 40 million downloads took place through the LIVE Marketplace in December alone (Microsoft internal data). With consumer appetite for immediate online entertainment growing exponentially, Xbox LIVE is poised for another great year in 2009.

Source : xbox-scene.com

Even if Sony cut the price of the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 will maintain its competitive edge in the market, said Aaron Greenberg, director of product management for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live.

Microsoft has trumpeted figures showing that it is good to beat the PS3 in the console video game market. The NPD Group reported data showing December console sales later today.

Microsoft reduced the price of the Xbox 360 in early September, a move that has helped boost sales. Sony has refused to reduce the price of the PS3 ahead of the summer holiday shopping.

"I frankly think they are wrong because of the economic situation," Greenberg said in an interview last week. "We have been fortunate to be able to drop to $ 199 price. They are stuck at twice the price."

Greenberg also said that even if Sony does go ahead and reduce the price of the PS3, it is not too concerned and must not go against Sony.

"I think we feel good, the price to the point where we are today," he said.

"We're not too worried about this," Greenberg continued. "Our belief is that we will be able to continue to offer more entertainment ... a better value, even if they dropped (the price) of $ 100. We still have a price advantage. "

"We agree with you that even before the price, the Xbox offers a lot more to be a better value."

Sony does not agree. One hour before Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show, the company has published a table comparing the features of the PS3 and Xbox 360, concluding that the console is a better deal.

Xbox users, for example, must pay $ 50 per year to play games online. Owners can have access PlayStation Sony PlayStation Network free.

Greenberg replied, "We can not force (consumers) to pay for something they (do not) use."

"I am not sure that trade with the site - it's probably the worst in history ... Holiday. "

Source : blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com

Cygnos 360 about to hit the road!
Sometimes things take longer than you intended, but now we are almost ready to be shipped. We had to change our manufacturer that has cost us time, but now everything looks good!

Downloads / Guides:

• Installation of Cygnos360
• Tutorial on Downgrading an xbox 360
• Cygnos360 NAND Tool v0.9
  

What is Cygnos360?
Cygnos360 is a modchip that allows you to have more than one version of the kernel on your Xbox 360. Currently, users may have a vulnerable version of the kernel (4532 or 4548) or the kernel of what is required to use Xbox Live and play the latest games. Cygnos360 allows you to switch easily between your live kernel "and your" core homebrew. You can also use Cygnos360 to switch between PAL and NTSC noyaux.
NOTE: Cygnos360 no kernel image! It comes empty! Cygnos360 does not "saving", it is not for the DVD. You need to have a programmer or infectus another programmer to Cygnos360 flash.

Please note that some of the uses of 360 Cygnos require you to know your Xbox 360 CPU key. At present, this key can be extracted by starting a kernel vulnerable, such as the 4532 or 4548. If your kernel version is newer than 4548, you will have to decline, which is maintained not only possible with an Xbox 360 HDMI models (as far as we know earlier than the dates of production are safe July 2007)
A version of the kernel over 4532 is not a problem because it can be updated either version 4532 or 4548. Decommissioning of the Xbox 360 and the programming Cygnos 360 requires the installation of a temporary Infectus 1 or 2 mod-chip.

Source : cygnos360.com

Seven of the top ten most rented titles in 2008 were Xbox 360 games, the remaining three were Wii titles, according to a survey by Rentrak and Home Video Essentials.

1. GTA IV (Xbox 360)
2. CoD4 (Xbox 360)
3. Halo3 (Xbox 360)
4. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas2 (Xbox 360)
5. Army of Two (Xbox 360)
6. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
7. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)
8. Fallout 3 (Xbox 360)
9. Assassin's Creed (Xbox 360)
10. Mario Party 8 (Wii)

Source : kotaku.com

* Gamasutra's Best Of 2008: Top 5 Surprises
- Nintendo's Wii Selling Over 2 Million In November.
- Phil Harrison Becomes Infogrames President.
- Rock Band Creators Harmonix Partnering With Beatles.
- EA Partners With Grasshopper Manufacture.
- Final Fantasy XIII To Hit Xbox 360.

* Gamasutra's Best Of 2008: Top 5 Disappointments
- Wii Software Is Still Weak
- Rampant, Unrepentant Piracy
- The Holiday Glut
- Lack Of Critical Vocabulary
- We Are Not Recession-Proof

* Gamasutra's Best Of 2008: Top 5 Downloadable Games
- PixelJunk Eden (Q-Games, PlayStation 3)
- N+ (Metanet Software, Slick Entertainment, Xbox 360)
- Braid (Number None, Xbox 360)
- Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 (Bizarre Creations, Xbox 360)
- World Of Goo (2D Boy, Wii/PC)

* Gamasutra's Best Of 2008: Top 5 Overlooked Games
- Roogoo (SpiderMonk Entertainment, XBLA/PC)
- Culdcept Saga (OmiyaSoft/Jamsworks, Xbox 360)
- Pinball Hall of Fame: The Williams Collection (FarSight Studios, Wii/PS2/PSP)
- Pure (Blackrock Studio, Xbox 360/PS3/PC)
- Soul Bubbles (Mekensleep, DS)

* Gamasutra's Best Of 2008: Top 5 Gameplay Mechanics
- Braid (Jonathan Blow/Number None; Xbox 360). Mechanic: time manipulation
- Left 4 Dead (Valve/Valve South; PC, Xbox 360). Mechanic: cooperative player assistance, AI director
- LittleBigPlanet (Media Molecule; PS3). Mechanic: real-time level editing
- Mirror's Edge (Digital Illusions CE; Xbox 360, PS3). Mechanic: first-person parkour
- Spore (Maxis; PC). Mechanic: procedural character creation

Source : gamasutra.com

Release is scheduled for the day before Christmas. More details will be available upon release. In preparation of the release, it is recommended that you purchase some of the available hardware listed below to assist you in the process of extracting the key. If you already possess and are capable of using a RS232 to TTL converter (serial) then you do not need to purchase any of the hardware listed below. If you have already dumped your key, no other modifications will be necessary.

Both Xecuter and Maximus offer Solderless (with the usage of the "Spear" or "Probe") methods to extract your key.
If you already own a Xecuter Connectivity Kit v3, a tutorial on how to extract the key is listed here
If you already own a Maximus 360 Xtractor, the manual may be viewed here for usage.

Buy Xecuter Connectivity Kit v3 PRO: mrmodchips | divineo | consolesource
Buy Xecuter Connectivity Kit v3 LITE: mrmodchips | divineo | consolesource
Buy Xecuter Connectivity Kit v3 Probe: mrmodchips

Source : xbox-scene.com

T3CH released a new SVN compile (rev16491) of XBMC for Xbox(info).
This T3CH-compile is a complete snapshot of what is in SVN at the time the build was compiled, with just a few small additions.

Special Notes and Noteworthy/XML/Script changes:

• Due to the slowed down development in the Xbox branch, I will no longer release new SVN builds as often as I did before. So I will still build (the best) new XBMC SVN builds for Xbox but just on an irregular basis.
• Note that I removed the MediaStream skin due to its significant addition to the package.
  

Keep in mind this is a SVN snapshot of the current development tree. It's not an official (stable) point release. Use only if you know what you are doing.

Official XBMC Site: http://xbmc.org (manual and FAQ)
Official T3CH Site: http://t3ch.yi.se (release RSS feed)
Downloads: Xbox Bins (n/a - built with XDK) | other platforms | sourcecode

Let's talk about EncodeHD. Watch the beta version (0.71) as a "Technology Preview" of the genre. The idea here is to verify that we have the primary mechanisms for encoding to zero. So what I'm looking for here is to ensure that converts the video to all devices as planned and that the quality is good (or great).

The main points to note for EncodeHD are:

• Exit MPEG4 and H.264 video with AAC (or AC3) audio, WMV NOT (not strictly for X-Box 360 more)
• This means that 5.1 audio for the X-Box 360 is not yet supported in these formats
• The subtitles are not yet available, although I am looking into it
  

From now on, there are still many unfulfilled features will be added later. If you want to see something specific, please let me know. However, if this goes cludge up the interface and start making things complicated, I May not execute requests. We will see.

One of the nice things about EncodeHD is that it has built in bug reports. If you click a problem, it asks if you want to submit a bug report - including all the details I need to help resolve the issue. If, however, the problem is with the video output, in May it does not detect all problems. In this case, can I ask you to my e-mail bug tracking system: cases@dcunningham.fogbugz.com, and attach the file EncodeHD.Log you can find in your Temp folder (Click Start> Run and type% temp% access).

Change Log 0.73 beta (8th December 2008)

• NEW: Source video streams are now remuxed into the new container when possible
• CHANGE: Only supported formats are allowed, to prevent bug reports with people trying to encode text files, yes TEXT files… :)
• CHANGE: Removed resolution rescaling when not necessary
• CHANGE: Debugging info cleanup
• FIX: MPEG4 threading issue
• FIX: Encoding would continue (and fail) if critical file information could not be determined
• FIX: ? didn’t move when UI was re-scaled
  

Source : dcunningham.net

Recently, some members of the aid Roku Netflix or Xbox players noticed film of lower quality than streaming, they had known earlier. This is a temporary problem that we believe we have solved. By working with our content distribution and the major carriers, we have made changes that should restore the experience of everyone to where it was before - the streaming of high quality.

Source : blog.netflix.com

Dream comes true! Finally an adapter to connect your Xbox 360 wired controller to your PS3 console!

Description: Xbox 360 Controller for fans, you can now use your 360 wired controller PS 3 console, plug and play, also built based on rapid fire.

For many reasons as the people of the Xbox 360. The look and feel are second to none. Now, these controllers can be used on your Playstation 3 console! For the first time you use the real triggers on your Playstation 3 console!

Source : xcm-usa.com