Official Xbox 360? Thread...Part Deux

[jlmadyson]

Xbox 360 finally quiets down with brand new internal DVD drive

It's no secret that the Xbox 360's disc drive is hella noisy, by far outstripping any incidental fan noises that might be going on inside that white box. Luckily, help is on the way -- sort of. Microsoft has started building its 360s with a new DVD drive manufactured by BenQ-LiteOn-Philips, the BenQ VAD6038, which purportedly runs "super-quiet" in comparison to the previous two drives used by MS, and even speeds up and smooths out load times. Of course, this does nothing for the 10 million plus current owners of Xbox 360s suffering from the noisy insanity of the older drives, but it does mean that as Microsoft ramps up production with this new drive, your next 360 hopefully won't fall victim to the whir.

 

[raystorm]

Originally posted by: jlmadyson
Xbox 360 finally quiets down with brand new internal DVD drive

It's no secret that the Xbox 360's disc drive is hella noisy, by far outstripping any incidental fan noises that might be going on inside that white box. Luckily, help is on the way -- sort of. Microsoft has started building its 360s with a new DVD drive manufactured by BenQ-LiteOn-Philips, the BenQ VAD6038, which purportedly runs "super-quiet" in comparison to the previous two drives used by MS, and even speeds up and smooths out load times. Of course, this does nothing for the 10 million plus current owners of Xbox 360s suffering from the noisy insanity of the older drives, but it does mean that as Microsoft ramps up production with this new drive, your next 360 hopefully won't fall victim to the whir.

Pretty cool for new owners. That sure won't stop modders from putting the new drive in their old 360's. I'm sure they'll find the drives on ebay or something sooner or later. (unless they are available now)

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: jlmadyson
Xbox 360 finally quiets down with brand new internal DVD drive

It's no secret that the Xbox 360's disc drive is hella noisy, by far outstripping any incidental fan noises that might be going on inside that white box. Luckily, help is on the way -- sort of. Microsoft has started building its 360s with a new DVD drive manufactured by BenQ-LiteOn-Philips, the BenQ VAD6038, which purportedly runs "super-quiet" in comparison to the previous two drives used by MS, and even speeds up and smooths out load times. Of course, this does nothing for the 10 million plus current owners of Xbox 360s suffering from the noisy insanity of the older drives, but it does mean that as Microsoft ramps up production with this new drive, your next 360 hopefully won't fall victim to the whir.

Report: Rash of 360s "mysteriously" break.

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: jlmadyson
Xbox 360 finally quiets down with brand new internal DVD drive

It's no secret that the Xbox 360's disc drive is hella noisy, by far outstripping any incidental fan noises that might be going on inside that white box. Luckily, help is on the way -- sort of. Microsoft has started building its 360s with a new DVD drive manufactured by BenQ-LiteOn-Philips, the BenQ VAD6038, which purportedly runs "super-quiet" in comparison to the previous two drives used by MS, and even speeds up and smooths out load times. Of course, this does nothing for the 10 million plus current owners of Xbox 360s suffering from the noisy insanity of the older drives, but it does mean that as Microsoft ramps up production with this new drive, your next 360 hopefully won't fall victim to the whir.

heh wonder what this means for the firmware hacks out there.

 

[mzkhadir]

Viva pinata is apprently "for girls"

http://games.slashdot.org/games/07/02/06/172251.shtml

 

[Queasy]

VirtuaTennis 3 will be 1080p

LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO (February 6th, 2007) - SEGA® Europe Ltd. And SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced that Virtua Tennis 3 on the Xbox 360? video game and entertainment system from Microsoft will, for the first time in franchise history, allow players to compete with gamers around the world in Ranked and Player Modes for top scores on the Leaderboard on the Xbox Live. Virtua Tennis 3 will also support stunning 1080p graphics and a brand new VT:TV live spectator mode when the game launches.

For the first time, Xbox 360 gamers can experience high-definition 1080p graphics on their console with Virtua Tennis 3. With the highest digital video standard enabled on the Xbox 360, each of the 20 tennis pros featured in Virtua Tennis 3 appear even more realistic, while the court environments deliver a newfound richness in colour and texture. The increased levels of detail can be picked out in the spectators and backgrounds, and despite the increased number of pixels on screen, the smooth gameplay mechanics and movements of the players are just as fluid as ever.

The online gameplay for Virtua Tennis 3 consist of a number of features set to make the most of the Xbox Live network. Players can take part in Ranked or Friendly modes, and enter Exhibition games or Tournaments in both singles and doubles matches across the Live network. The all new VT:TV real-time spectator mode allows players to view their friends or other top-ranked players compete in tournaments, adding an all new strategy in sizing up the next opponent.

?Virtua Tennis 3 on Xbox 360 is definitely the next generation of tennis? commented Matt Woodley, Creative Director of SEGA. ?We?re striving to create games which not only have great gameplay but also can make the very most of the Xbox 360?s amazing technology.?

?We?re thrilled to be able to say that Virtua Tennis 3 will be coming to Xbox 360, showcasing an online experience with Xbox Live that you won?t find on any other systems and spectacular 1080p graphics,? said George Peckham, general manager, global third party publishing for the Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft. ?Fun and easy to pick up and play, Sega is hitting another ace with Virtua Tennis 3.?

Virtua Tennis 3 is slated for release in March 2007 on the Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. For screenshots and assets, please visit the SEGA press site at www.sega-press.com.

 

[bigrash]

Originally posted by: Queasy
VirtuaTennis 3 will be 1080p

LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO (February 6th, 2007) - SEGA® Europe Ltd. And SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced that Virtua Tennis 3 on the Xbox 360? video game and entertainment system from Microsoft will, for the first time in franchise history, allow players to compete with gamers around the world in Ranked and Player Modes for top scores on the Leaderboard on the Xbox Live. Virtua Tennis 3 will also support stunning 1080p graphics and a brand new VT:TV live spectator mode when the game launches.

For the first time, Xbox 360 gamers can experience high-definition 1080p graphics on their console with Virtua Tennis 3. With the highest digital video standard enabled on the Xbox 360, each of the 20 tennis pros featured in Virtua Tennis 3 appear even more realistic, while the court environments deliver a newfound richness in colour and texture. The increased levels of detail can be picked out in the spectators and backgrounds, and despite the increased number of pixels on screen, the smooth gameplay mechanics and movements of the players are just as fluid as ever.

The online gameplay for Virtua Tennis 3 consist of a number of features set to make the most of the Xbox Live network. Players can take part in Ranked or Friendly modes, and enter Exhibition games or Tournaments in both singles and doubles matches across the Live network. The all new VT:TV real-time spectator mode allows players to view their friends or other top-ranked players compete in tournaments, adding an all new strategy in sizing up the next opponent.

?Virtua Tennis 3 on Xbox 360 is definitely the next generation of tennis? commented Matt Woodley, Creative Director of SEGA. ?We?re striving to create games which not only have great gameplay but also can make the very most of the Xbox 360?s amazing technology.?

?We?re thrilled to be able to say that Virtua Tennis 3 will be coming to Xbox 360, showcasing an online experience with Xbox Live that you won?t find on any other systems and spectacular 1080p graphics,? said George Peckham, general manager, global third party publishing for the Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft. ?Fun and easy to pick up and play, Sega is hitting another ace with Virtua Tennis 3.?

Virtua Tennis 3 is slated for release in March 2007 on the Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system. For screenshots and assets, please visit the SEGA press site at www.sega-press.com.

sweet! I can't wait to play this on my 1080p tv

 

[jlmadyson]

New Pics: Mass Effect

Check out these new pics of Mass Effect. Without a doubt this game is going to own my face.

 

[blurredvision]

Turn your gamerscore into some actual prizes!!

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/761/761900p1.html

 

[jlmadyson]

Originally posted by: blurredvision
Turn your gamerscore into some actual prizes!!

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/761/761900p1.html

Throw in a bottle of Old Spice and I'm sold.

 

[JohnAn2112]

Originally posted by: chrisg22

Originally posted by: RagingBITCH

Originally posted by: nycxandy
I have a question pertaining to R6. Why do I have a crosshair in cover in single player but not in multiplayer?

Because then it's just cheap/cheating if you had the crosshair. Just camp behind a wall, knowing exactly where you're going to pop out and shoot when you see someone come running towards you.

IE, take Casino, everyone's favorite fvcking level. Have a guy camp the back door - if the crosshair was there, you'd just cover till a guy comes and squeeze the trigger. It's already bad/easy enough to camp w/ the cover, having a crosshair just makes it that much easier. Or, it could be an oversight since MP was done by a diff team than SP.

And for the love of god R6 players, please play some other map than Calypso. I played with my roomie the other night - full 14 man room, (7v7) for 2 rounds. Everytime one guy left, we immediately had another guy join. Once we changed maps, 5 guys immediately quit. Played two other maps and it eventually went down to a 3v3. We asked what map they wanted then and immediately it was all "Casino, I don't know these other maps". Changed back to Casino and within 2 minutes of waiting for players, it was 7v7 again. Just crap like that makes me not want to even play this game anymore.

You don't know the fvcking map because you only play Calypso all the time, dumbass. :roll: Argh. Just frustrating.

Totally agree. It's frustrating for me, too. I was playing A/D with a guy that I normally play with and we had that same problem, everyone wanted casino. So we switch to casino because the other guys "0wn" on that map. Well, we played defense and they never made it past keno or into the back stairs for a 20 minute match.

I can't believe that no one knows any of the other maps. Do people actually have fun playing ONE map constantly?

Sadly, Casino in R6:V is the new de_dust from Counterstrike.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: blurredvision
Turn your gamerscore into some actual prizes!!

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/761/761900p1.html

Now to go rent a copy of Fusion Frenzy 2 after Feb 12th...

 

[Kev]

OK, so my xbox freezes basically every other time i play it. It either just freezes or gives me the "disc needs cleaning" error message. Does anyone else ever get this?

It is barely a month old, do I have to send it off to MS now?

 

[mzkhadir]

Originally posted by: Kev
OK, so my xbox freezes basically every other time i play it. It either just freezes or gives me the "disc needs cleaning" error message. Does anyone else ever get this?

It is barely a month old, do I have to send it off to MS now?

on every disc or just one disc

 

[geckojohn]

I really want to get a 360 now!

 

[blurredvision]

I've gotten the dirty disc error 2 or 3 times now since I've had my box in October. Twice in RS:V and once in College Hoops 2K7.

 

[Kev]

Originally posted by: mzkhadir

Originally posted by: Kev
OK, so my xbox freezes basically every other time i play it. It either just freezes or gives me the "disc needs cleaning" error message. Does anyone else ever get this?

It is barely a month old, do I have to send it off to MS now?

on every disc or just one disc

I have gears of war and burnout revenge, it happens on both.

 

[Kev]

.

 

[jlmadyson]

Downloadable Oblivion expansion to feature Achievements

A few days ago, the Microsoft marketing employee-run Gamerscore Blog posted an explanation of an updated Achievement and Gamerscore policy applied to Xbox 360 games. The update clarifies that all games must include 1,000 total Gamerscore points' worth of Achievements cumulatively between the base game and any free content downloads. Furthermore, developers are now able to allocate an additional 250 Gamerscore points beyond the base 1,000; these may be acquired through either free or paid downloadable content.

Today, Shacknews learned from Bethesda Softworks that its upcoming Oblivion expansion pack, The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles, will feature the full 250 points' worth of newly available Gamerscore, spread over ten Achievements. "You think it was a coincidence that this policy came out this month?" laughed Bethesda's Pete Hines, who noted that the Rockville, Maryland-based developer was a major factor in adding the new guidelines. Hines also stated that the expansion pack, which is approximately one fourth the size of the original Oblivion game, will contain over 30 hours of gameplay. Pricing for the Xbox 360 version of the pack, which will be available only through Xbox Live Marketplace, has not yet been determined, but it is likely to be roughly in line with the PC version's $29.99 price point.

Check back this week for a preview of The Shivering Isles as well as a comprehensive interview with Hines.

Now that is what I'm talking about.

 

[purbeast0]

http://www.xboxyde.com/news_3989_en.html

Holy crap, and I thought the faces in Fight Night 3 looked good! Look how real those look!

 

[raystorm]

Originally posted by: purbeast0
http://www.xboxyde.com/news_3989_en.html

Holy crap, and I thought the faces in Fight Night 3 looked good! Look how real those look!

mmm..its being made by the FN3 team and NOT by AKI like the previous Def Jam games. FN3 was fine but I'm a bit worried that all the fun wrestling action from the previous games will be gone in favor of generic street fighting. We'll see.. where is that demo EA!

 

[Queasy]

NBA Street Homecourt to do 1080p.

Def Jam Icon demo out tomorrow.

 

[MBrown]

Black 360 with 120GB hard drive and HDMI might be real. linkage.

 

[bucwylde23]

Originally posted by: MBrown
Black 360 with 120GB hard drive and HDMI might real. linkage.

I like my white 360... I would probably choose black between the two but it's no big deal.

I don't use my full 20 gb hard drive at the moment, but I can see that I would definitely liek to have the option to buy a 120 GB hard drive as an upgrade in the future.

HDMI... component looks good enough to me. even VGA would be ok.

I'd be more interested in a cooler running 360 or one of the new quieter DVD drives with supposed smoother load times.

This will probably attract some new buyers though, so that's a good thing.

 

[raystorm]

Any thoughts on the Def Jam Icon demo?? I'm no fan of hip hop/rap but enjoyed the AKI made DJ games as they played like their previous WWE games but this one is so different. The game looks great and the music is nicely implemented but I'm not sold on the gameplay yet. Seems like there is a 5 minute time limit or something as a fight just sorta ends. Not crazy about the turntable moves and stuff but at least its different. I also don't like how the few takedown moves involve the dpad instead of the buttons like most fighters/wrestling games.