A new version of XBList, a simple and unobtrusive Windows program that can display your Xbox Live Friends List in a buddy-list format, has been released:
Well, I've finally gotten around to releasing a version of XBList that's good enough to call 3.0. Last year I posted a look at what I thought should be in the next XBList. The most major has been the transition to .NET 2.0. Besides the increased stability and power of the new framework and doing things "the 2.0 way", I ended up rewriting most of XBList's innards in an effort to make it more maintainable, cleaner, faster, and more stable. That's all in there, even though you don't see it. Emblem loading, in particular, is much more robust.
I also went out of my way to simplify the app and put in those little features that had been bugging me forever. For example, XBList now remembers if you've collapsed a category (like "Offline") instead of expanding it each time. And a list refresh won't always scroll to the top like it used to.
However, there are a couple of very visible changes. First, you'll now get a little tray icon and message bubble whenever there are new messages waiting for you at Xbox.com. This is really exciting for me, since it means that friends can invite you to a game and you'll know about it right there on your desktop. It's a new feature, and I'll be working on it more, but I hope everybody likes it. The other thing is that XBList has a new icon and a new set of graphics. There's an animated sign-in screen, a chilling error screen, and better indicators in the system tray. I never liked the old XBList icon (which was just the old Xbox logo, cut out), and this one feels much more professional, as well as having its own identity, which isn't to say that it doesn't owe a lot to the Xbox 360 UI team.
One last thing: I never got a chance to try it, but people complained that XBList 2.2 didn't work on Vista. I think XBList 3.0 might (and I created a spiffy Vista icon for it) so please give it a shot and let me know if it works!
When 15-year-old Shawn Hornbeck was found safe and sound at the home of alleged kidnapper Michael Devlin this weekend, it was the first time his family had seen him since he dissappeared over four years ago. Now it appears that Hornbeck's picture has shown up on a popular Xbox community site during his four-year kidnapping.
Don’t expect to be combining gems and matching colors with this week’s “Xbox Live® Arcade Wednesdays” release. From the fast-action gameplay experts at PopCap Games® comes the big, bold, action-packed “Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank,” which will be available for download on Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360™ beginning Wednesday, Jan. 17, at 9 a.m. GMT (1 a.m. PST).
“Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank” unleashes adrenaline-soaked, side-scrolling, shoot-’em-up arcade action. With awesome multiplayer modes exclusive to the Xbox Live Arcade version, “Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank” brings classic shooter excitement and explosive power to Xbox Live Arcade. Players fight through 19 story-based missions to upgrade six weapon banks, or jump into instant action with the fast-paced Survival mode. Gamers can also team up with friends and storm across enemy lines in cooperative multiplayer modes either locally or on Xbox Live*.
GAME FEATURES
- The game has three action-packed game modes:
- Mission. Gamers play through 19 exciting missions, invading countries and beating challenging bosses along the way.
- Survival Arms Race and War Party. Gamers try to outlast ever-increasing waves of enemies.
- Boss Rush. In this mode exclusive to Xbox Live Arcade, players challenge all the bosses of “Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank” in succession.
- Intense multiplayer action handles up to four players:
- Up to four friends can play Survival mode games locally or on Xbox Live.
- In co-op Mission mode, gamers can roll over enemy forces with a friend.
- Six upgradeable secret weapons
- Nineteen missions with nukes, mega-lasers and more
- Ability to voice-chat with friends while battling together online
- Online leaderboards to track mission results
- Enhanced sound effects and original score
- Amazing enemy landscapes and graphics
- Expanded mayhem with full high-definition widescreen support
WHERE CAN I GET IT?
Download “Heavy Weapon: Atomic Tank” beginning on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at 1 a.m. PST on Xbox Live Arcade.
The results are in
Consumers have cast their votes and Xbox 360 was the best-selling next-generation console of the 2006 holiday season in the United States, outselling the PlayStation 3 and Wii combined in December and outselling all next-generation consoles in November and December. The Xbox 360 garnered a 51% market share in the United States for December 2006. (US NPD, January)
Gamers get into Gear
Like “Halo,” “Grand Theft Auto,” and “Zelda,” “Gears of War,” is tracking to be one of the best-selling video games of all time. By the end of next week, “Gears of War” will have sold more than 3 million copies to consumers worldwide in just 10 weeks.
Following on the success of “Gears of War,” 2007 will quite simply be the best year for great games in Xbox history.
Oh, boy. Did anyone really expect Sony to take Microsoft's comments yesterday without jabbing back? If there's anything we've learned in recent years, executives (besides Nintendo, it seems) love trash talking and riling up the Internet fanboys. Yesterday, Microsoft VP Peter Moore said Sony didn't have the talent to design an online service like Xbox Live.
C'mon, Sony, show us what you got:
"I would argue that consumers worldwide, to the tune of over 200 million PlayStations, PS2s, PSPs and PS3s, have decided whether or not Sony has the DNA to deliver hardware, software and services to suit this industry. I think if you look at Gran Turismo HD alone, it points to the potential of the PlayStation Network and the kind of ground breaking content we plan to offer," Dave Karraker, Sony Computer Entertainment America's senior director of corporate communications, to GamePro
Wouldn't it be nice if everyone just shut up and focused on making -- let me know if I'm taking crazy pills here -- gamers happy? What a concept.
Earlier today we were sent word from Xtreme Enterprise that their new Xenon360 replacement case is nearing completion, it will feature several things that will help case modders. Ranging from redesigning the air vents and extending the rear of the case so that you can add even more fans to your system, to building a hinge on the back and a place for a Jewel and LED(s) much like fans of the original Xbox modding know and love. Below is the first of three images.
Xenon360 Case - Left Face
Read more to see the full press release and two more photos...
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I also went out of my way to simplify the app and put in those little features that had been bugging me forever. For example, XBList now remembers if you've collapsed a category (like "Offline") instead of expanding it each time. And a list refresh won't always scroll to the top like it used to.
However, there are a couple of very visible changes. First, you'll now get a little tray icon and message bubble whenever there are new messages waiting for you at Xbox.com. This is really exciting for me, since it means that friends can invite you to a game and you'll know about it right there on your desktop. It's a new feature, and I'll be working on it more, but I hope everybody likes it. The other thing is that XBList has a new icon and a new set of graphics. There's an animated sign-in screen, a chilling error screen, and better indicators in the system tray. I never liked the old XBList icon (which was just the old Xbox logo, cut out), and this one feels much more professional, as well as having its own identity, which isn't to say that it doesn't owe a lot to the Xbox 360 UI team.
