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Survey says Xbox 360 failure rate falls to 10 percent
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Hardware, Microsoft, Xbox 360,
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
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Microsoft’s living room vision includes apps, Mediaroom, and Xbox
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Internet, Microsoft, Video Games,
Microsoft showed off the future of the living room on Wednesday, and it appears to be a combination of Bing, Kinect, and the Mediaroom IPTV technology that forms the foundation of the Xbox.
Oh, and it seems to be taking place first overseas.
In a video embedded below, Microsoft's Marc Whitten, corporate vice president of Xbox Live (identified as a corporate vice president of ISS Experiences) showed off short clips of how the living room, as exemplified by the Xbox 360 and Kinect, continued to evolve. The demonstration placed a premium on natural user interfaces, identified by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates as one of the most significant advances in personal computing.
"Our goal is really, really simple," Whitten says in the video. "It's about how we make this effortless, intuitive and delightful. And that starts by making the technology fade out of the way, getting it all into the background."
Click to continue reading Microsoft’s living room vision includes apps, Mediaroom, and Xbox
Top 10 Tech Deals of the Day
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Hot Deals, PC / Laptop, Portable Audio / Video, Video Games,
We've got your latest list of items that fall under the best tech Deals of the Day for you, separated out into laptops, desktops, monitors, gaming, and home entertainment. The laptop deals are right here, but be sure to click through to get a look at all the rest of what we determined to be today's top 10 deals in tech, including that lovely Xbox Live Arcade Triple Pack that you see to the right over there!
Laptops
- 17.3" Dell Inspiron 17R 2nd Gen Core i3-2310M 2.1GHz Dual-core Laptop w/3GB RAM, 320GB HDD & Switchable Lids for $500 with free shipping (normally $599 - use coupon code HLSKSR06S9ZG0F)
- 14" HP Pavilion dm4x Core i5-2410M 2.3GHz Dual-core "Sandy Bridge" Ultra-thin Laptop w/6GB RAM, 640GB HDD for $625 with free shipping (normally $750 - use coupon code NBDM6147)
Don’t forget, if you’re looking for other deals, be sure to check out our Newegg Promo Code thread. Oh, and if you're on Twitter, be sure to follow @TechPromos for the latest deals, or you can Like TechPromos on Facebook.
Click to continue reading Top 10 Tech Deals of the Day
Xbox Live will store your profile and game saves to the cloud this fall
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Internet, Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox Live,
Microsoft didn't have enough time to cover everything that's coming down the pike for Xbox Live with the fall dashboard update, but they sent us an email detailing some of the new hotness that they didn't talk about on stage, and we're super excited to hear that profiles will be able to be saved to the cloud. What does that mean for the average Joe? Well, this means that instead of saving your games to your hard drive or USB stick, you can instead save them to the web. Same goes for your Xbox Live profile, along with achievements, friend list, etc. One thing I've always hated about having two Xbox 360 units in the home is that I need to remember to grab my USB stick and bring it upstairs and down if I want to log into Live. Now, I just enter a username and password on any Xbox 360, from any location, and I am logged in. The days of recovering a Gamertag will be history come this fall!
YouTube coming to Xbox Live
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: E3, Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox Live,
This morning at its E3 2011 Xbox Media Briefing, Microsoft announced that YouTube will be coming to Xbox Live this fall. They didn't go into too much detail about it, but you'll obviously be able to search and view videos from the YouTube service, and we're gonna go out on a limb and guess that you'll also be able to upload gameplay videos taken with Kinect directly to the service as well. Even without that last part though, adding YouTube is just another step Microsoft is taking in their hopes of making the Xbox 360 the ultimate living room hub.
Deal of the Day: 38% off Xbox Live Gold Starter Kit
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Hot Deals, Microsoft, Video Games,
This Deal of the Day goes out to all you gamers out there--eBay is offering a great deal where you get the Xbox Live Gold Starter Pack for just $49.99. This collection includes a 12-month Xbox Live Gold subscription, an Xbox 360 Chatpad, a headset, and 400 Microsoft Points. These usually sell for $80, so this deal brings it down to $49, saving you $31. That's a discount of 38%. Even better? Shipping is free. If you're interested, head on over:
Save 38% on Xbox Live Gold Starter Kit
Don’t forget, if you’re looking for other deals, be sure to check out our Newegg Promo Code thread. Oh, and if you're on Twitter, be sure to follow @TechPromos for the latest deals, or you can Like TechPromos on Facebook.
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| Xbox Live Gold Starter Kit sale
Microsoft will acquire Skype for $8.5 billion
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Corporate News, Microsoft, Software,
Microsoft announced Tuesday that it will acquire VoIP service Skype for $8.5 billion in cash.
Microsoft will purchase the company from investor group Silver Lake, which—along with Index Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz Ventures, and the Canada Pension Plan (CPP)—acquired a majority stake in Skype in December 2009.
Microsoft said the deal will increase the accessibility of real-time video and voice communications across its products, while expanding Skype's reach. Skype will be available on Microsoft products like Xbox, Kinect, and Windows Phone, and Microsoft will connect Skype users with Lync, Outlook, Xbox Live, and more.
Microsoft said it will continue to invest in and support Skype clients on non-Microsoft platforms.
Click to continue reading Microsoft will acquire Skype for $8.5 billion
Deal of the Day: 41% off 12-month Xbox Live Gold subscription
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Hot Deals, Microsoft, Video Games,
If you're an Xbox 360 owner, you'll wanna get a look at this deal from eBay, which offers 41% off a 12-month Xbox Live Gold subscription. With services like Hulu Plus, Netflix, and ESPN requiring a Gold account, it's nice to see the $34.99 price tag here, down from the typical $59.99, saving you $25. They've got limited stock, and this deal will only last for a few hours. If you're interested, head on over:
Don’t forget, if you’re looking for other deals, be sure to check out our Newegg Promo Code thread. Oh, and if you're on Twitter, be sure to follow @TechPromos for the latest deals.
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The 5 Most Memorable Video Game Experiences
Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Action, Adventure, Bungie, Culture, Editorial, Features, Fighting, First Person Shooters, Microsoft, Nintendo, Xbox,
Once in awhile there comes along an experience that shapes the way that we look at things. A video game experience that makes something in your brain tingle. A game where simply a mere melody from its title screen sends nostalgia crawling up your spine. There are a few video games with these kinds of experience that stick out in our minds; not just for being great games, but for their “wow” factors. Sometimes these experiences are shaped by our personal interpretations; i.e. revolving around what was going on in our lives at the time. Therefore, you may have a different top five list, but we can all agree that the following five games helped to shape the way video games are made even to this day.
Click to continue reading The 5 Most Memorable Video Game Experiences
Bleeding Edge TV 366: Xbox 360 Fall 2010 dashboard update review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: High Score, Features, Microsoft, Podcasts, Video Games, Videocasts, Videos,
The next major Xbox 360 dashboard update happens in November, and we’ve got a look at all the new changes and additions in this episode of Bleeding Edge TV. This is a big update that brings another big redesign to the Xbox 360, similar to what they did a couple years ago with the New Xbox Experience. Things are a lot more flat and boxy, like what you’d find on Windows Phone 7, and the synergy is understandable…plus, it makes things a lot more user-friendly as it pertains to Kinect.
What else do you get? Netflix search and DVD queue management, along with a Netflix app redesign. ESPN brings 3,500 live sporting events per year (close to 100 per day!,) Zune finally brings music to the Xbox 360 with Zune Pass integration, and more. Get a look at the video above for the full scoop.
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