Xbox 360 found to be power-hungry
40 Comments by Jennie Lees Dec 4th 2005 2:00PM
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360
The next generation of gaming is here, incarnate in the Xbox 360.Everything’s bigger, faster and better — including its power consumption. After testing the 360’s power intake, CNETfound that it sucks in more electricity than any other home entertainment device, save big screen HDTVs. That’s someelectricity bill, amounting to $10 to $35 annually.
This is approximately twice the power required by a Mac Mini, but less than a high-spec gaming PC draws. We have yetto see how the other next-generation consoles compare, but we may well find similar power consumption figures, a hiddenextra cost in the console’s price.
[Thanks, Mark B]
Filed in: xbox360
Creator of Geometry Wars “interviewed”
13 Comments by Vladimir Cole Dec 4th 2005 1:00AM
Filed under: Arcade, Retro, Microsoft Xbox 360, Online
Bizarre developer Stephen “Cakey” Cakebread talks about some of the design decisions behind his creation (andJoystiq favorite), Geometry Wars. Nifty.
Not so nifty: because the interview was conducted by Bizarre’s PR group, no off-beat or difficult questions wereasked (bummer). What self-respecting interviewer would let this one slide, for instance? “I could tell you about allthe rough edges I want to improve, but that would take too long!” Take too long? You friggin’ work at the same companyas your interviewer! We’re sure you could find the time. Canned interviews are totally insincere.
Questions we would ask:
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What’s your high score, Cakey?
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How will coop mode work in GW3?
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Has the success of the game taken you by surprise?
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How many full versions of the game have you sold on Xbox Live Arcade?
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Microsoft says that developers see more than half of the revenues from such sales. What’s your actual cut been?
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What’s the highest known score on the retail version of the game (Xbox Live should capture all scores now, but the retail version was available prior to November 22nd)?
[Via John Porcaro’s blog]
Filed in: xbox360
“Greatest game ever” hits Xbox 360 this week
18 Comments by Vladimir Cole Dec 3rd 2005 11:56PM
Filed under: Arcade, Culture, Retro, Microsoft Xbox 360
According to Chris Morris atCNN/Money, the greatest game ever made was Robotron 2084. Hesays that Seamus Blackley, the co-creator of the original Xbox, agrees.
If you agree, then you’ll be happy to know that the game should be arriving on Xbox 360 Live Arcade this week,perhaps as early as Monday. That’s good news for all of us addicated to the Robotron-like games. This launch will bringthe Xbox Live Arcade Robotron-clone parade to:
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Geometry Wars
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Smash TV
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Mutant Storm
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Robotron 2084
Filed in: xbox360
Pimp my Xbox 360 faceplate contest ends soon!
14 Comments by Vladimir Cole Dec 3rd 2005 6:30PM
Filed under: Culture, Microsoft Xbox 360
We know that if you’ve got an Xbox 360 in your living room, the last thing you want to do is put the controller downand start huffing glue or paints for some silly arts and crafts project, but that’s what we’re encouraging you to doanyway as the deadline for our “Pimp my Xbox 360 faceplate” approaches.
In just under 30 hours, the contest ends. Can you beat Joystiq reader Michael Washington’s faceplatepictured here?
Filed in: xbox360
40,000 Xbox 360s sold on eBay
41 Comments by Vladimir Cole Dec 3rd 2005 4:15PM
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360
The hardcore gamer lament that we’ve been hearing around here goes something like this, “That’s my Xbox 360 on eBayat 100% markup! I hate the people who purchased 360s simply to turn around and resell them. I could be playing rightnow if it weren’t for them!”
It’s true. With at least 40,000 Xbox 360s sold on eBay since launch at an average price of well over $400, manyconsumers who might have been able to obtain an Xbox 360 for the standard retail price were left empty-handed, whilethose with deeper pockets and less tolerance for hours-long launch lineups obtained the console with relative ease.
In some cases, small local electronics retailers chose to list their entire inventory on eBay rather than sell theunits on launch day. This allowed them to exploit high demand for the console without being constrained by littledetails like the advertised price. That’s capitalism, we suppose, but it doesn’t make it any easier to stomach forreaders who still haven’t been able to obtain one of the consoles.
[Via Evil Avatar, thanks Mark B.]
Filed in: xbox360
Goatse-themed Xbox 360 faceplate
36 Comments by Vladimir Cole Dec 3rd 2005 2:29PM
Filed under: Culture, Microsoft Xbox 360
For our Pimp my Xbox 360 faceplate contest, Joystiqreader Chudgoo has mocked up an Xbox 360 faceplate evoking a certain horrible, indelible icon of Internet culture.Please, dear reader, if you do not understand this, do not seek out the source of his inspiration. For the rest of you,would you put this faceplate on your 360?
“Ring of Light” indeed.
Filed in: xbox360
Best Buy kinda apologizes for ripping off gamers
26 Comments by Vladimir Cole Dec 3rd 2005 12:01PM
Filed under: Culture, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360
A week ago, we ran details ofsome pretty sleazy business practices that went down atBest Buys around the country. Shoppers showed up looking for advertised $299 and $399 Xbox 360 units and were told byBest Buy staff that the actual price they’d have to pay for an Xbox 360 would be several hundred dollars higher thanadvertised thanks to a forced bundle. Bait-and-switch much?
According to The Mercury News, Best Buy now acknowledges that “some stores acted inappropriately.” In orderto make good, the company has promised that they’ll give refunds for “any unwanted Xbox 360-related purchases,” eventhough they were initially sold as non-refundable.
Still, this “apology” falls short. What Best Buy should have offered is an immediate refund of the price premiumthat some customers were forced to pay. The company goes on to tell the Mercury News that they’ve “taken appropriatemeasures to ensure this situation will not occur with future Xbox 360 promotions.” How about the upcoming PlayStation 3and Nintendo Revolution launches, Best Buy?
Remember this, gamers, when it’s time for you to purchase your PS3 and Revolution consoles.
[Edits made to clarify the situation. Apologies for the confusion.]
Filed in: xbox360
Microsoft’s marketers frustrated gamers. Why?
42 Comments by Vladimir Cole Dec 3rd 2005 11:29AM
Filed under: Culture, Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360
Microsoft marketer John Porcaro responds vigorously to blogger “Shaded” whowrote that hebelieved it “ignorant or insincere” for Microsoft to continue to promote the Xbox 360 even as launch quantities wereknown to be very limited. He then made a request:
“My request is simple: Take off the front page advertisements, turn off the mass marketing emails and theTV advertisements until demand is more in line with supply. It is a matter of humility for Microsoft and respectfor their customers.”
We’ve heard forms of this request from readers here on Joystiq as well. Porcaro puts together a response where helays out the marketing challenges in detail that should help readers increase their understanding of Microsoft’sdilemma. It’s a must-read for haters and partisans alike.
Several of his points support our oft-voiced theory that the Xbox 360 shortage is healthy and even desirable formarketing purposes, unfortunate as that may be for the early adopter crowd. Porcaro writes, “launching with too fewunits” can result in “too much demand.” Exactly our point when wewrote about Xbox 360 shortages being created for marketingpurposes. A product launch shortage is a demand driver in the short run, and—hardcore fanboys bedamned—a necessary evil in generating demand amongst thebroader market that Microsoft must capture in order to compete against the PlayStation 3 and NintendoRevolution.
Filed in: xbox360
UK 360 launch echoes American frustration
32 Comments by Jennie Lees Dec 2nd 2005 6:00PM
Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 has landed in Europe, with a speciallauncheventto celebrate, and while many continental gamers were able to get their hands on the much-coveted console, the picturein the UK was bleak. Mirroring the US launch, people withoutpreorders were disappointed by the low stocks available and lack of provision to cope with the demand—even peoplepreordering from large chains were told their preorders had to be cancelled at the last minute, and several retailerssuch as HMV reported many more names on the waiting list than consoles.
The queues and demand have fulfilled the hype machine’s goal, though;nationalnewspapershavebeen mentioning the story all day,whereas there was very little 360 coverage before the sell-out. Just as the price of consoles oneBay.com is cooling down, the prices oneBay.co.uk are fluctuating wildly, with many people out to profit from theshortage. As well as the console selling out, every local retailer reported very low stocks of games and accessories,with some vital components such as the hard drive nowhere to be found.
Filed in: xbox360
Sigil to develop Marvel MMO for PC, Xbox 360
8 Comments by Alan Rose Dec 2nd 2005 3:00PM
Filed under: PC, Microsoft Xbox 360, RPGs
Remember when Microsoft purchased the rights to Marvelcharacters for MMOGs earlier this year? Sigil Games Online, home to many EverQuest veterans, will be handlingdevelopment duties for the yet-to-be-named Marvel MMOG. Sigil is currently working on another online title,Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, so there’s no telling how long it will take before work begins on the Marvelproject. However, 1UP says Xbox 360 and PC users will be able to play against each other across platforms.Excelsior!
Filed in: xbox360
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