A source close to Microsoft has downplayed rumors of an equipped-to-the-hilt “Xbox 360 Ultimate.”
An article in UK-based gadget mag Stuff said that by August 2008, Microsoft will release what the publication called the “Xbox 360 Ultimate.”
This machine would outdo the current Xbox 360 top SKU, the Xbox 360 Elite, by including “1080p HDMI output, built-in Wi-Fi, hi-def audio output, cooler 65nm hardware architecture and a near-silent fan,” as well as a 320GB disk drive and a possible built-in HD-DVD player.
When contacted by Next-Gen, Microsoft declined to comment on the rumor. However, a separate source close to Microsoft who wished to remain anonymous said that the rumored “Ultimate” is simply not on the cards.
Just thought id let you all know that since we are expanding so much we really have needed to purchase additional ram and now even move to newer server with larger pipes.
As you already know the site runs just fine with sometimes over 2000+ users online and thats just the xbox site and not any of the other sites like aid, 360 or the new pc-hq.com site..
Our hosts tweakedhosting.com and I (forahobby) are going overboard and spending some $$$ to improve the server again but this time we are moving everything to a brand new box and it certainly needs it..
We have been averaging around 2000 user(s) online at once just on xbox-hq.com so we both agree its going to be money well spent.. Now as always.. I dont like to ask for handouts.. But anything anyone can do to help with our ongoing costs please do.. Whether it be prizes for competitions, a donation or just some of your time to help.. It will be totally appreciated and help keep our community growing for many years to come.
Here some detailed info on the upgrades:
This new server is a Dual Core Xeon 3.0 Ghz with Dual 2mb Level 2 cache. That alone rocks. We're talking and easy 3 times better than the server the HQ network is currently on, plus the RAM is better. The current server is using DDR ECC 333Mhz and this better server is using DDR ECC 667 MHz chips. Also the SATA drives are better. The current server has SATA 150MB a second drives and this new server has SATA II 300MB a second drives. In every way this is an improvement.
Oh I forgot to mention another breakthrough! This server has 1000mbit connection to 1000mbit cisco to 12x Fiber internet.
The current HQ Network server is 100mbit shared to our other servers on 12x 1000mbit to internet. This will rock for the HQ Network sites! Our host tweaked will even up our data transfer too.We really believe the HQ network sites are going to triple in visitor volume by the fall so we need to take this action now. This month xbox-hq has used almost 500GB bandwidth already. It is really smoking guys.
About future downtime:
So, You may notice in the next few days or weeks that a temporary page will be displayed.. This just means the update is in progress. We dont have a accurate time for the update to be complete due to the size of the HQ network and all the data we have.
Currently we are using well over 500-600TB of bandwidth per month (sometimes more, sometimes less) and personally i agree with our host and think its a good move for the future of our ever expanding family. Thats not even counting all our external servers.. My god.. :) lol
Leave your thoughts.. Hope you like all the work ive been puting in.
And.. btw.. pc-hq.com will be LIVE and ready to login in the next few hrs..
Check it out when its working
Microsoft just announced that Xbox All Access will begin rolling out starting with Australia on October 29, followed by the U.K. on November 5 and finally in the U.S. on November 18, with an all-new upgrade option for the next Xbox console, Project Scarlett. Purchase An Xbox One With Xbox All Access For No Upfront Cost with this Special Upgrade Offer Available For A Limited Time
With Xbox All Access, you get an all-inclusive Xbox experience with everything you need to start playing right out of the box for as little as $19.99 per month for 24 months (US pricing). The program is a great choice for players who want flexibility in their purchasing options and are looking for the best value in gaming. When joining Xbox All Access, you get:
With Xbox All Access, you get an all-inclusive Xbox experience with everything you need to start playing right out of the box for as little as $19.99 per month for 24 months (US pricing). The program is a great choice for players who want flexibility in their purchasing options and are looking for the best value in gaming. When joining Xbox All Access, you get:
Xbox Pass Ultimate includes all the benefits of Xbox Live Gold, including online multiplayer, and access to over 100 great games on console and PC.
Option to upgrade to Project Scarlett once its available in Holiday 2020
While Xbox All Access isn’t eligible to be stacked with any other discounts or limited time promotions, the price you pay per month is dependent upon which console you choose and saves players over $100 dollars compared to purchasing everything separately.
Shenmue delivers an epic story of revenge within a unique open world that is still unrivaled in depth and detail. Return to the epic saga that defined modern gaming. The saga begins…again.
In 1986, teenage jujitsu artist Ryo Hazuki returns to the dojo of his father, Iwao Hazuki, only to witness his murder by a Chinese man, Lan Di. Lan Di steals a mysterious artifact known as the Dragon Mirror. Ryo vows to avenge his father’s death and sets out tracing Lan Di’s path. The best Shenmue experience: - Updated user interface - Choice of modern or classic controls - Japanese audio available for the first time for a global audience - Fully scalable screen resolutions An epic legend: - A tale of revenge on a grand scale - Solve the mystery of your father’s murder - An experience never to be forgotten The world feels alive: - Talk to anyone, scour the world for clues - NPCs live independent lives on their own schedule - Faithful recreations of 1980s Japan and Hong Kong, China - Distract yourself with arcade games, collectibles, duck racing, and more
Both games will feature Japanese and English voice overs, the choice of classic or modern controls and more! Pre-order Shenmue I & II via the Microsoft Store for $29.99 - Get it on sale until July 21 for $26.99.
It seems that Xbox 360 owners are the most liberal with their spending on software, with it being revealed that consumers with Microsoft’s console buy more games per head than either Wii or PS3 owners.
According to statistics from research firm NPD, and reported on tech.co.uk, Microsoft sell 7 games per Xbox 360 console sold, Sony sell 4 games per PS3, and Nintendo comes bottom of the class, selling only 3.44 games per Wii sold.
Naysayers and doubters will argue that the research is skewed in favour of the Xbox 360 dues to the extra time it has been available to buy over both the PS3 and Wii, and that’s right to a certain extent.
There’s no doubt that the extra year Xbox 360 owners have had to build their collections will make a difference, but it still makes uncomfortable reading for Sony and Nintendo seeing as virtually every console in history, especially of recent generations has sold at a loss, with the manufacturer instead relying on game sales to make up the shortfall.
The PS3 really hasn’t got that many top quality games for it, with all the big, exclusive, must have titles due to be released over the course of the next year. Maybe gamers are just saving up their money for the influx of triple A titles on their way. Maybe they just haven’t got any cash left to feed their gaming habit after shelling out big bucks to be an early adopter of the console in the first place.
But it’s the Wii which is the strange one with less than 3 and half games sold for each console. It looks to me as if lots of people in the new markets which Nintendo has created with the Wii buy the console in excitement, and then don’t have a clue what to do with it.
The console ships with Wii Sports, and then a lot of people add Wii Play to their bundle, if only for the extra Wiimote. But that’s it, and the console gets put away on a shelf only being brought out to show off to visitors intrigued by the little gaming machine which their adult friends have bought.
I can see the PS3 catching up on the Xbox 360 figures if this research is repeated in another year’s time. The Wii however, will have to start selling in bigger numbers to traditional gamers with deep pockets to increase it’s ratio substantially.
As reported by Adelaide Now, the discussion over whether to add an R18+ ratings category for videogames in Australia has been scheduled for an undisclosed date in April.
The timing of the discussion means that it will take place after state elections in South Australia and Tasmania on March 20. South Australia is, of course, home base for anti-game Attorney General Michael Atkinson, often fingered as the lone holdout among his fellow AGs when it comes to backing an R18+ rating category.
In related R18+ news, the Australian website GoldCoast penned an editorial backing the addition of an adult videogame rating category, stating that it should be up to parents to decide what their children view.
HQ Network: 8,799 | 
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Naysayers and doubters will argue that the research is skewed in favour of the Xbox 360 dues to the extra time it has been available to buy over both the PS3 and Wii, and that’s right to a certain extent. 
