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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Xbox

Xbox stories: 19 news summaries

 Nintendo Cuts Wii to $200 
 in Price War With Sony 


Console maker slashes price at opening of Tokyo Game Show

Sep 24, 09 8:24 AM CDT
(Newser) - Nintendo is slashing the price of its Wii console by 20% worldwide, bringing the US price to $200—a cut announced just as Sony was beginning its presentation at the annual Tokyo Game Show. The prices of Sony's Playstation and Microsoft's Xbox were both dropped to $300 lately as the... More »

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Nintendo • Nintendo Wii • video game console • Xbox • PlayStation • Sony Playstation • video games • Wii • Microsoft Xbox 360

(Newser) - Just-released patent applications suggest Microsoft has indeed created a so-called “Magic Wand” to rival the Wii remote, the BBC reports. It could come out at next month's industry expo in Los Angeles. The applications say the wand has "biometric sensors" that would detect "fingerprint, hand geometry, hand... More »

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technology • Microsoft • Xbox • sensors • video games • Wii

ANALYSIS

Why Good Movies Make 
Bad Video Games

Parents, you certainly aren't helping

May 7, 09 8:36 AM CDT
(Newser) - Movie buffs likely don’t remember The Chronicles of Riddick, a trundling sci-fi clunker from 2004. But for gamers, the title is hallowed because of its spin-off video game—a rare success for a movie tie-in. Too often, such games are rushed to coincide with the film, resulting in crappy... More »

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entertainment • Xbox • movies • video games • Vin Diesel

OPINION

 Time to Give Netflix 
 Its Dot-Com Due 

Disciplined growth has helped it through many setbacks

Jan 28, 09 4:47 PM CST
(Newser) - Despite plenty of naysayers, Netflix boasts success like few other dot-coms, Chris O’Brien writes in the San Jose Mercury News. The movie-rental service reported record earnings despite the recession, “a neat trick that eBay and Yahoo could only dream of emulating.” Netflix’s innovative distribution system, inventory... More »

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Silicon Valley • Apple • Blockbuster • online videos • video • innovation • Netflix • Xbox • TiVo • movie rentals • movies

PRODUCT REVIEW

 Netflix From 
 Web to TV? 
 You've Got 
 Options 

Blu-ray setup, Xbox and custom-built player all serviceable options

Dec 4, 08 3:05 PM CST
(Newser) - For those who disdain DVDs and won’t watch movies on computers, there are perfectly passable devices that get streaming video from Netflix to your TV, Nick Wingfield writes in the Wall Street Journal after testing an LG Blu-ray player, the Xbox game console, and a purpose-built device from Roku.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Internet • film • Netflix • Xbox • digital video • Blu-ray • Roku • streaming video

GLOSSIES

 Top Games for Holiday Play 

The titles you want stuffed in your stocking this year

Oct 25, 08 6:39 PM CDT
(Newser) - Are you ready to wear out your thumbs this holiday season? Looking at games slated for holiday release, Forbes thinks gamers "crave a lot of morally questionable mayhem."  Here are their top choices:
  • Gears of War 2 (Microsoft): This game promises hordes of aliens to
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Nintendo Wii • Xbox • holiday shopping • Guitar Hero • Christmas wish lists • Sony Playstation • video games • Guitar Hero: World Tour • chanukah

Rock the Vote Takes Game
to Xbox Live

Youth registration drive targets players with online promos

Aug 21, 08 3:34 PM CDT
(Newser) - To get gamers off the couch and into politics, Rock the Vote is targeting Xbox players, CNET reports. Beginning Monday, Xbox Live users will be able to register to vote and answer surveys from their living rooms. "To realize our goal of registering 2 million young Americans by this... More »

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Microsoft • Xbox • video games • rock the vote

Wii Points to Gaming's Future

Broader demographics and a bond between multiplayer games and social networks key

Feb 11, 08 3:56 PM CST
(Newser) - The upset Nintendo has secured against Microsoft and Sony as its simple-but-innovative Wii continues to dominate their processor-heavy rival consoles portends much for the future of gaming, writes Michael Noer for Forbes. Expect much more casual gaming and gamers, Noer writes, as low-time-commitment experiences and Wii-like intuitive controls snag demographics... More »

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Nintendo Wii • Xbox • computer games • Sony Playstation • video games

Video Game Sales Shatter Annual Record

Despite softening economy, $18B total in US marks 43% jump

Jan 18, 08 10:23 AM CST
(Newser) - More video games were sold in 2007 than ever before, with a total of $17.94 billion marking a 43% increase over 2006, reports the AP. Much of the growth came from sales of Nintendo's chronically undersupplied Wii and Microsoft's Halo 3, market researcher NPD Group said. Nintendo dominated gaming... More »

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Nintendo • Nintendo Wii • Xbox 360 • PlayStation 3 • Xbox • Halo 3 • Nintendo DS • NPD Group • video games

OPINION

Departing Gates Plays Tired Tune at Vegas Show

Critic sees lame-duck Microsoft boss coming up short on new ideas

Jan 8, 08 12:56 PM CST
(Newser) - Bill Gates' last speech to the Consumer Electronics Show as Microsoft chairman left the audience underwhelmed, New York Times blogger Saul Hansell reports. Gates had few exciting new developments to report and instead chose to speak of the "digital decade"—hardly breaking news for the audience at a... More »

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Microsoft • MSN • Bill Gates • Apple • Xbox • Consumer Electronics Show

Disgruntled Xbox Players Will Get Free Game

Microsoft apologizes for swamped system over holidays

Jan 4, 08 3:19 PM CST
(Newser) - Microsoft apologized to Xbox players who weren’t able to access its online gaming system over Christmas and promised them a free game to make up for it. The software company said the system got swamped by too many users trying to play at once. Members of the service will... More »

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Microsoft • Xbox • Xbox Live • online gaming • video games

Nintendo's Wii Shortage Is Good Business Strategy

Firm sees benefits of its conservative culture

Dec 7, 07 7:00 PM CST
(Newser) - Nintendo’s Wii is proving hard to find in the holiday rush, a phenomenon the Wall Street Journal says is indicative of the Japanese company’s cautious culture—but also good business sense. Nintendo is cautious for a reason: it saw its fortunes rise with the original NES and SNES... More »

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eBay • Nintendo • Nintendo Wii • video game console • shortage • Xbox • PlayStation • game consoles

Sony Halves Developer Fees for Struggling PlayStation 3

Console lags against rival Nintendo Wii

Nov 19, 07 2:27 PM CST
(Newser) - In its latest effort to revive lagging sales, Sony has halved the price of a software development kit for its PlayStation 3 video game console. Last month, the company slashed the price of the console itself to consumers, in response to fierce competition from the better-selling Nintendo Wii, reports the... More »

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Nintendo Wii • video game console • Sony • PlayStation 3 • Xbox • video games

PC Gaming World Contracts

As Xbox, Wii, PS3 draw casual gamers away, PCs left with die-hard fans of killing games

Nov 18, 07 3:41 PM CST
(Newser) - The PC gaming industry is on the defensive, with sales of PC games down substantially over the past five years, as less expensive gaming consoles have become more powerful. The Wii, Xbox, and PS3 have lured away casual gamers, leaving the PCs to hardcore gamers playing, first-person shooters and complex... More »

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Nintendo Wii • video game console • PlayStation 3 • Xbox • computer games • video games

Video Game Maker Calls for End to Rival Gaming Systems

Electronic Arts wants 'open gaming platform'

Oct 20, 07 8:27 AM CDT
(Newser) - Electronic Arts, a leading video game manufacturer, has called on the gaming industry to set aside the incompatible gaming platforms now competing for consumer loyalty. Instead of choosing among rivals like Wii, Playstation, and Xbox, players should be able to use an "open gaming platform" for all games, EA... More »

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Nintendo Wii • video game console • Sony • Playstation 3 • Xbox • video games

UK Intelligence Courts Gamers

Service embeds recruiting ads in video games

Oct 18, 07 6:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - British Intelligence is hoping to court a new generation of tech-savvy recruits by inserting employment ads into games such as "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell," the AP reports. Billboards in the game and others participating in the campaign will read "Careers in British Intelligence," with a web... More »

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Xbox • Government Communications Headquarters

Halo Makers Cut Microsoft Cord

Bungie Studios returns to independence

Oct 5, 07 1:12 PM CDT
(Newser) - Microsoft is parting ways with Bungie Studios, masterminds behind the Halo video-game franchise, which it acquired in 2000. The software giant announced the news  just one day after proclaiming that “Halo 3” had eclipsed the $300-million mark in global sales. Though Bungie goes independent, Gates-led Microsoft will maintain an... More »

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Microsoft • Xbox • first person shooters • video games

Microsoft
Drops Price
of Xbox 360

Trims $50 in wake
of Sony's cuts to PlayStation3

Aug 7, 07 8:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - Microsoft is shaving $50 off the price of Xbox 360 video game consoles in the US, just a month after Sony dropped the price of its PlayStation3 by $100. Both have faced unusually strong competition from Nintendo’s hot Wii, Reuters reports, and want to boost preholiday sales. Premiering in... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Microsoft • Nintendo • Nintendo Wii • Sony • Xbox 360 • PlayStation 3 • Xbox • video games

Xbox Guru
Quits Microsoft

Redmond claims charismatic exec's departure unrelated
to warranty woes

Jul 18, 07 6:16 PM CDT
(Newser) - Microsoft's former entertainment honcho Peter Moore has decamped, the company confirmed today, after a four-year tenure highlighted by the release of the wildly popular Xbox 360. The announcement comes two weeks after Microsoft answered persistent Xbox hardware defects with a massively expensive warranty extension. More »

MORE ABOUT:
Microsoft • gaming • Xbox • video games

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