Category: Xbox 360

Xbox 360 to get built-in HD DVD drive in late 2008?

Paul

This certainly isn’t the first time we’ve heard this rumor, but SmartHouse is reporting that Microsoft and Toshiba are working on an updated Xbox 360 with a built-in HD DVD drive. If that were all, we wouldn’t bat an eye — it’s gotta happen sometime — but there are some other, crazier aspects to this version of the rumor that set off some red flags: SmartHouse also claims that the new box will be Toshiba-branded and have dual HDTV tuners, electronic program guide capabilities, built-in wireless networking, and sport an “MP3 player” dock, which we’d imagine would be for a Zune. That’s a hell of a box, right there, and while we’ve seen similar devices like Sony’s PSX, they didn’t exactly take the world by storm. Our money is still on a simple bump of the existing 360 to HD DVD, but get ready to hear a lot of about this rumor in the weeks to come.

[Via Joystiq]

Hmm, I was wondering about that. After all PS3 has Blue-ray!! It was going to happen sooner or later.

Contest: Win a Xbox 360 + HD DVD Player From Gizmodo

Paul

The Xbox 360 is finishing up its second year on the market, which means this is the perfect time to get in on all the great titles coming out this holiday season courtesy of Gizmodo. From Mass Effect to Lost Odyssey to PGR4 to Halo, it’s hard to beat the amount of games on 360. Plus, when you throw in an HD DVD player addon, you can watch a crapload of high-def movies as well. Here’s how you can win the two.

Send an email to contests@gizmodo.com with the subject “Xbox 360 and HD DVD contest”. We’ll pick a winner at random on October 22. Standard Gawker contest rules apply.

Sponsored by Xbox 360 HD DVD: Your center for home entertainment.

Thought People should know you too could win a free Xbox 360!! Enter to win!!

Halo Blamed For Bad Movie Ticket Sales

Paul


Hollywood studio execs are BLAMING HALO 3, the Microsoft Xbox 360 game, for dismal box office receipts since the game was released September 26. For example, movie ticket sales for the October 5 weekend were down 27% below the same weekend last year. Meanwhile, Halo 3 gamers logged some 40 million hours of play during the first week alone.

I say this is totally ridiculous, I can’t see this stopping people from seeing movies.

Gamers spend about $170M on ‘Halo 3’

Paul

SEATTLE – Video game enthusiasts in the United States plunked down about $170 million on copies of “Halo 3” in the 24 hours after the Xbox 360 game went on sale, Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday.

“‘Halo 3’ has become a pop-culture phenomenon,” Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios, said in a statement.

The game, which was developed by Microsoft-owned Bungie Studios, completes the saga of helmet-clad Master Chief and his quest to save humankind from aliens.

Fans pre-ordered more than 1.7 million copies of the game, and more than 10,000 stores opened at midnight Monday to start selling, according to Microsoft. The much-anticipated launch was marred only slightly by reports that limited-edition packaging left scratches on game disks.

“The initial demand we’ve seen for ‘Halo 3’ has been astounding,” Jill Hamburger, vice president of movies and games at Best Buy, said in a statement.

Wow, I didn’t expect this did anyone else. I’d figure Halo 3 wouldn’t of top this high of a record!