A budget Xbox 360 range will hit retail next month - as predicted by MCV last week.
Microsoft has today confirmed that the Xbox 360 Classics line-up will be launched on October 13th. Initial titles will include Perfect Dark: Zero and Kameo: Elements of Power, plus third party games Condemned (Sega) and King Kong (Ubisoft). Each will be priced at GBP 24.99 (~37 EUR).
The second wave of Xbox 360 Classics will arrive in Spring 2007.
Jeff Tunnell (GarageGames' co-founder) wrote on his blog, "Creating an XBLA game is taking most studios 6-12 months. Costs are currently ranging from $100,000 to $300,000. ... This will inflate rapidly. [Emphasis Tunnell's]"
While Arcade games are a relatively inexpensive investment, Tunnell implied further that costs will rise, and only serious players need apply. "The industry standard arms race will quickly make the top end $300,000 budget a cheap product. Right now, I wouldn't consider attempting to make an XBLA game with a $100,000 budget. Development kits and Certification (QA testing) would eat up half of that, not leaving much for the actual game development."
Still, compared to a next generation game that costs $10 to $20 million to develop, $300,000 maximum is relative beans.
Tunnell also detailed Microsoft's estimated distribution fees that it charges for making a game available through Xbox Live Arcade. "The publicly available information on this is that the distribution fees for bringing a game to XBLA is 35-70 percent depending upon participation by MS.
Enjoy Tokyo Game Show and X06 direct from your living room with an all-access pass to the biggest video game events of the fall.
Xbox Live is “Bringing It Home” and invites Xbox 360 owners to check out games, demos, trailers and news from the show floors.
Gamers don’t have to be on the Tokyo Game Show and X06 guest lists to have a front row seat to all of the action, because this year Xbox brings these event show floors to you. Following on from the success of “E3: Bringing It Home,” Xbox is inviting all gamers to enjoy exclusive access via Xbox Live Marketplace to Tokyo Game Show, the largest show from the world’s second largest gaming market, and X06, the ultimate Microsoft games showcase.
Starting Wednesday, September 20, through Friday, September 29, connected gamers can access the best content from the Tokyo Game Show in Japan and X06 in Barcelona, Spain, including highlights from both press briefings, daily updates and behind the scenes videos from the show floors as well as the hottest playable game demos and videos in high definition. The majority of this content will only be available until 12:00 a.m. PDT on September 29, so be sure to download everything you want while it is available.
There will also be a brand new Xbox Live Arcade title launch each week, one at Tokyo Game Show and one at X06, including a never before announced major franchise making its way onto Xbox Live Arcade. In total, more than 100 pieces of new downloadable content will be available to gamers during the nine day period. In addition to new playable game demos, there will also be new game videos from the following titles being showcased at Tokyo Game Show and/or X06:
Pinpoint Consumer Electronics will soon launch a new cooling device for the Xbox 360: the 'Gamexpert Xbox 360 Cooler King':
[QUOTE]
The Cooler King is the 3-in-one solution to cooling your XBox 360, connecting up to 4 media players at the same time and playing games with high definition sound and picture quality.
1. The internal fan cooling system reduces the operating temperature of the console - helping to prolong gaming sessions.
2. At the same time the Cooler King gives you the option to connect VGA, Component and S-VHS cables for high definition gaming, and optical output for digital surround sound.
3. You can also connect your MP3 player, digital camera and additional wired controllers through the USB hub multi-tap facility.
The Cooler King is easy to install - just plug into the XBox 360 and go! (Comes supplied with a scart lead for connection to standard definition TV).
Gangsta title from THQ sticks it to runner-ups EyeToy: Play 3 and New Super Mario Bros.; Top 10 list bolstered by five DS titles.
SYDNEY--Aussie gamers demonstrated once again that they can't get enough of the life-o'-crime title Saints Row--the title solidified its hold on the top-selling charts by killing the competition for a second week in a row.
Sales figures from data trackers GfK Australia for the week ending September 10, 2006, show that the 360-exclusive Saints Row edged out Sony's latest EyeToy bundle, with EyeToy 3 landing at the number two slot its first week on the charts.
The sales heavyweight of recent weeks--AFL Premiership 2006--slipped back to number four on the charts.
Nintendo's portable powerhouse, the DS, had a strong showing (again), with five of the top 10 games in Australia going to the handheld.
Full stats, including console-by-console breakdowns, are as follows:
Top 10 Full Priced Games:
1. Saints Row, Xbox 360
2. EyeToy: Play 3, PS2
3. New Super Mario Bros., Nintendo DS
4. AFL Premiership 2006, PS2
5. Cars, PS2
6. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training, Nintendo DS
7. SingStar Anthems bundle, PS2
8. Mario Kart, Nintendo DS
9. Nintendogs Dachshund, Nintendo DS
10. Nintendogs Labrador, Nintendo DS
Top 10 Xbox Games (over AU$50):
1. Cars
2. NRL Rugby League 2
3. Black
4. Over the Hedge
5. NFS: Most Wanted
6. V8 Supercars 3
7. FIFA 2006
8. 50 Cent Bulletproof
9. Fight Night Round 3
9. Tiger Woods PGA 2006
10. Madden NFL 2007
Top 10 Xbox 360 Games (over AU$50):
1. Saints Row
2. Enchanted Arms
3. Project Gotham Racing 3
4. Perfect Dark Zero
5. Dead or Alive 4
6. Call of Duty 2
7. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
8. Madden NFL 2007
9. Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 3
10. Genuine Wireless Fun Pack (compilation)
We are very happy to finally reveal our next exciting product for the Xbox 360 modding community. A couple of weeks ago we gave you a sneak peak at a device that allowed flashing your firmware without ever having to open up your Xbox 360 again. No soldering, no cutting of the case - just plug 'n' go. You only ever have to open up your case once. We don't need to tell you how many different firmwares have been released in the last few months and who knows how many more? No longer will you have to have your Xbox in pieces all the time, no longer will you have to take the Xbox apart every time you need to update new features and functions or essential bug fixes.
We have designed this to be as ergonomically sound as the Xbox 360 itself. Its functionally perfect and works so good that we believe all firmware modders will be using this as standard by the end of the year, it just makes life SO MUCH EASIER !
Imagine using this along with the X360 USB - Firmware modding has never been so simple !
Xecuter Blaster360 Xecuter Blaster360
Product Features:
- Once installed never iopen up the case again to update firmware
- No soldering, no cutting, no problem !
- 5 minute install
- Xbox Mode & PC Mode Switch
- Modeb Enabled for Hitachi
- Molex Power connector (no lugging around the 360 PSU)
- Superior quality design
- Ergonomically matched to the 360 case
- LED Glow feature (see video)
- LED Glow Off / Led Perm On / LED Off switch
As ever we have no lead time and no launch price yet - however we are targeting a release at the end of October. On another note - X360USB Will be shipped to resellers on September 19th.
Dune: Awakening Shows Off Stunning Unreal Engine 5 Gameplay & More Funcom (@Funcom) revealed a stunning new gameplay trailer and featurette for Dune: Awakening, the first episode of the new Dune: Awakening Direct series. Embark on a breathtaking journey across Arraki..
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