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.
Sincerely,
The Xbox LIVE Team
USA
1M Gold: $7.99 (now) - $9.99 (starting Nov 1, 2010)
3M Gold: $19.99 (now) - $24.99 (starting Nov 1, 2010)
12M Gold: $49.99 (now) - $59.99 (starting Nov 1, 2010)
UK
1M Gold: 4.99 GBP (now) - 5.99 GBP (starting Nov 1, 2010)
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.
Metro Simulator 2 is coming soon for Xbox and PlayStation consoles Ultimate Games (@ULTGames) confirmed that Metro Simulator 2, the realistic and relaxing simulator with faithfully reproduced subway realities and train control mechanics from KishMish Games, will laun..
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