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Kinect Star Wars Bundle details

Posted by John Ball Categories: Hardware, Kinect, LucasArts, Microsoft, Xbox 360,

Kinect Star Wars Bundle

Kinect and Star Wars, a perfect match some might say. George Lucas has teamed up with Microsoft to bring us the wonderful and whimsical Star Wars Xbox 360 Kinect bundle. The bundle includes a custom painted R2D2 themed Xbox 360 with matching Kinect sensor. The Xbox itself also has custom R2D2 sound effects when turning the console on or off or, as well as when ejecting a disc.

That’s not all; the bundle also includes a copy of the game Kinect Star Wars and a C3PO-themed controller. On the front of the console it can also be noticed that the standard green LED lights that make up the iconic XBOX 360 face have been replaced with blue LEDs to match the whole R2D2 thing. Finally, the Xbox 360 comes equipped with a massive 360 GB hard drive, the newest and largest drive to date available for the console. All of these wonderful treasures are available for pre-order now, and will be available for purchase on June 1 of this year for $449.00.

Gallery: Kinect Star Wars Bundle details


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Microsoft Xbox Live House Party to Launch February 15, incudes Alan Wake, Warp, and more

Alan Wake American Nightmare

Xbox Live house party is looking to start this year off with a bang. Four Xbox Live Arcade titles are set to be released in the weeks between February 15 and March 13, and we've got the list here for you to take a gander at. Warp, Alan Wake's American Nightmare, Nexuiz, and I Am Alive, in that respective order, with Warp kicking things off on February 15. Warp and Nexuiz will be 800 MS Points ($10) right out of the gate, however Alan Wake and I am Alive will be 1200 MS Points ($15.)

All of the information about the order of which the games would be released as well as the pricing was only recently unveiled by the ever popular Xbox Live celebrity, Major Nelson. Larry also goes on to tell us that if you purchase all 4 games within the allotted 1 month time period, you'll receive 800 Microsoft Points back as a bonus. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal.

Gallery: Microsoft Xbox Live House Party to Launch February 15, incudes Alan Wake, Warp, and more


Halo Helljumper: The live-action Halo film series

Halo Helljumper

It is probably safe to say that any modern gamer, and some non-gamers, know of the Halo Universe. With several books, an anime series, and seven video game titles (with an eighth on the way,) it is hard for most not to know of the Halo franchise. Many have felt for a long time that the Halo Universe still needed more. Some have even demanded that they see a live action Halo movie. Well, that time has come with Halo Helljumper, a live action series of short films.

Halo Helljumper takes place in the year 2552, right at the end of the Covenant Human war. The series is going to be highly based on the book “Dirt” by Tobias S. Buckell, and the talented team at “Filmpocalypse” has been brought together to make this monster. Directed by Dan Wang, and produced by Helena Hilario and Dan Wang, Halo Helljumper is going to be an Independent series of short films. There is not much else that we know about the series right now except that it is due to be released later this month.

Wanna see the trailer? Check it out after the jump!

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Xbox Live Gamertags and passwords purportedly leak

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Microsoft, Xbox Live,

Xbox Live hack

UPDATE: Microsoft responded to our request for comment with the following statement from a spokesperson, which indicates that the company regards the "xbox dump" user information as a minor phishing incident, not a major network breach:

"We do not have any evidence the Xbox Live service has been compromised. We take the security of our service seriously and work on an ongoing basis to improve it against evolving threats. However, we are aware that phishing attackers will occasionally post small lists of victims on public channels, and we will work directly with the impacted members to resolve any unauthorized changes to their accounts. As always, we highly recommend our members follow the Xbox Live Account Security guidance provided at www.xbox.com/security to protect your account."

Microsoft may be sweating out a possible rehash of Sony's PlayStation Network nightmare from earlier this year if an anonymous posting of dozens of purported Xbox Live Gamertags and passwords is what it claims to be.

We've seen an anonymous Pastebin.com data dump called "xbox dump" posted Monday that contains more than 90 supposed gamertags, most with associated email addresses and passwords.

Microsoft had yet to respond to a request for more information and it couldn't be confirmed Tuesday if the Pastebin document contained real Xbox Live user information. Even if a number of Xbox Live members had their private information compromised somehow, it obviously would remain to be seen if the "xbox dump" document was part of a larger security breach or just a one-off affair.

Click to continue reading Xbox Live Gamertags and passwords purportedly leak

Gallery: Xbox Live Gamertags and passwords purportedly leak


Survey says Xbox 360 failure rate falls to 10 percent

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Hardware, Microsoft, Xbox 360,

Xbox 360 RROD

Improvements to the Xbox 360 have apparently cut down on the number of "red ring of death" reports, but the console still requires more repairs than its competitors, according to data from PCMag's Readers' Choice Awards.

Approximately 10 percent of those polled for the survey reported having to take their Xbox 360 in for repairs over the last year, which was twice the rate of its competitors. However, that was a significant improvement over last year, when that number was 23 percent.

Many Xbox users are familiar with the console's "red ring of death," which replaced the glowing green center on the device's power button when the Xbox was on its last legs. Last year, former PCMag Editor Lance Ulanoff experienced the phenomenon after his son completed a Red Dead Redemption marathon on his Xbox 360. Though some Twitter users helpfully suggested that placing it in the freezer for a few minutes would solve the problem (really), he opted to send it in for repairs.

Last year, Microsoft unveiled a "slim" version of its Xbox 360 console at E3, which featured a redesigned case with a bit more ventilation than the original console. It included built-in 802.11n networking and a 250GB hard drive for $299.

Click to continue reading Survey says Xbox 360 failure rate falls to 10 percent

Gallery: Survey says Xbox 360 failure rate falls to 10 percent


320 GB Xbox 360 hard drive now available for pre-order

Xbox 360 320GB hard drive

If you've got one of the newer Xbox 360 S consoles and are starting to feel the squeeze of having a lack of hard drive space, perk up! Microsoft is getting ready to release a 320 GB hard drive for the console, a 70 GB improvement over the 250 GB drive that ships with the console. You can pre-order the new drive from Amazon now for $126.

Gallery: 320 GB Xbox 360 hard drive now available for pre-order


Leaked video shows new Xbox 360 fall 2011 dashboard update

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Kinect, Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox Live,

What's not new: The Xbox 360 is likely getting a Fall update that contains significant graphical updates and a few new features, like enchanted Kinect motion and voice navigation, Bing integration, and, ultimately, live television streaming.

What is new: A freshly leaked video that shows just how some of the different components of the new Xbox interface are shaping up.

An unknown source has leaked a full video that shows off a lot of the simple menu navigation and new user interface elements allegedly arriving on November 15 as a part of Microsft's fall Xbox 360 dashboard update. What's missing, however, are all the juicy bits: A preview of the voice-activated search, for example, or any kind of mention of an integrated live TV service or promised social connectivity, like the ability to fire off news of one's achievements to a connected Facebook account.

Click to continue reading Leaked video shows new Xbox 360 fall 2011 dashboard update

Gallery: Leaked video shows new Xbox 360 fall 2011 dashboard update


Avatar Kinect now available, Kinect Sparkler arrives this Thursday

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Kinect, Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox Live,

Avatar Kinect

Avatar Kinect, the Xbox 360 app that captures your facial expressions and maps them right onto your avatar, is now available as the newest gadget in Kinect Fun Labs. You can invite friends into a session, and communicate using your avatars in one of 24 different virtual stages. Things like a performance stage, talk show, and even a tailgate party. The sessions are recorded so that you can upload them to KinectShare.com, where you can download them and send them to the Twitters, Facebooks, and YouTubes of the world. You need an Xbox LIVE Gold membership to use Avatar Kinect, but Microsoft is opening it up to all members from now through September 8th.

On July 28th, Kinect Sparkler will appear in Kinect Fun Labs as well, showcasing the Kinect's new ability to do finger tracking. You use your body as a stencil and paintbrush, creating works of art in 3D, and uploading them to KinectShare.com. This one will cost 240 Microsoft Points.

Gallery: Avatar Kinect now available, Kinect Sparkler arrives this Thursday


Star Wars Kinect bundle features R2-D2 Xbox 360, C-3PO controller, 320 GB hard drive

What you see here is an R2-D2 inspired Xbox 360, along with a C-3PO Xbox 360 controller, and you'll find these as part of the Star Wars Kinect bundle that was revealed by Microsoft at Comic-Con. Also included in the bundle is a white Kinect sensor, Star Wars Kinect, and Kinect Adventures. The console also includes a 320 GB hard drive, which is a first for the Xbox 360 line. The console itself has custom R2-D2 sounds rather than the standard Xbox 360 chimes. You can pre-order these now, and they'll be shipping in the fall for $449.

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Gallery: Star Wars Kinect bundle features R2-D2 Xbox 360, C-3PO controller, 320 GB hard drive


Nyko Zoom lets you stand closer to Kinect

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Accessories, E3, Kinect, Microsoft, Xbox 360,

Nyko Zoom

One of the biggest complaints with the Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360 is its space requirement. For the depth-sensing cameras to function properly, Microsoft recommends a good eight feet between the Kinect sensor and your body. That's a lot of space, especially for all the apartment and dorm room dwellers out there.

Nyko might have fixed that problem with the Zoom, a surprisingly simple and affordable Kinect attachment that seriously cuts down on its need for room.

The Zoom is a wide-angle lens attachment that fits over the Kinect, changing how it sees the room. With a wider angle, it can see more laterally, but doesn't have as much depth. According to Nyko, this means the Kinect needs up to 40 percent less space than without the Zoom. Because it's just a set of lenses that fit over those on the Kinect, it doesn't need any power or complex installation; it just slides on.

The Nyko Zoom will retail for $29.99 when it ships later this year.

Click to continue reading Nyko Zoom lets you stand closer to Kinect

Gallery: Nyko Zoom lets you stand closer to Kinect


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