May 2006 - Posts
May 17, 2006
Xbox Live Marketplace surpasses 24 million downloads as Xbox Live Brings E3 Home to gamers around the world.
Xbox Live becomes the world’s largest platform for high-definition on-demand content
Xbox Live, the first and only unified online games and entertainment network, is now the world’s largest platform for high-definition on-demand content, surpassing 24 million downloads following the launch of Xbox 360 on November 22, 2005.
For the full week of E3 – the biggest video game industry event of the year - Xbox 360 gamers around the world were invited to jump in to Xbox Live through “E3: Bringing It Home,” and receive a full week’s Gold membership for free, courtesy of Adidas in Europe and courtesy of Verizon in the US.
Over 1.5 million gamers connected to Xbox Live last week, downloading exclusive content direct from the show floor, including the latest high-definition game demos and trailers, such as Halo 3, Gears of War and Fable 2; movie trailers and music videos, such as "Nacho Libre" and "Over My Head" (The Fray) along with celebrity Game with Fame multiplayer sessions with Dave Navarro (Panic Channel), Method Man and Jenny McCarthy.
Xbox Live members downloaded over 5 million pieces of gaming and entertainment content during the 7 days of E3: Bringing It Home, consuming more than 600 Terabytes of data, shattering all previous records for the network. At the same time, traffic on Xbox.com doubled during the week, driving more than 6 million unique users to the site as well.
"Only Xbox Live could bring E3 home in high definition for consumers around the world," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft. "The sheer volume of downloads during E3 week was simply staggering. To put it in perspective, all the printed material in the U.S. Library of Congress is estimated to be about 20 terabytes, and Xbox Live delivered 30 times that amount in just 7 days. While others talk about online entertainment in the console space, we are delivering it in glorious high-definition to the over 3 million members we have across 24 countries."
The eagerly anticipated Halo 3 high-definition trailer proved to be the most popular download of the week:
Top 10 downloads during E3: Bringing It Home:
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Halo 3 Game Trailer (Microsoft Games Studios)
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Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Free Playable Demo (Capcom)
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Test Drive® Unlimited Free Playable Demo (Atari)
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MotoGP™ '06 Free Playable Demo (THQ)
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X-Men™: The Last Stand Picture and Theme Packs (20th Century Fox)
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Gears of War Game Trailer (Microsoft Games Studios)
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Call of Duty ®2: Skirmish Map Pack (Activision)
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Spiderman™ 3 Game Trailer (Activision)
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Fable 2 Trailer (Microsoft Games Studios)
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Uno® Xbox Live Arcade Game (Microsoft Games Studios)
Piccolo resoconto sui video/trailer rilasciati durante l'E3 nel sito Xbox.com Italiano.
http://www.xbox.com/it-IT/e32006/
Bill Gates Declares 10 Million-Unit Head Start for Xbox 360
and Outlines Future of Interactive Entertainment
Surprise appearance by Microsoft company founder wows gamers
with unified platform vision and first look at “Halo 3.”
LOS ANGELES — May 9, 2006 — Microsoft Corp. Chairman and
Chief Software Architect Bill Gates today staked the claim that the Xbox 360™
system will have a 10 million-unit head start by the time the competition
enters the market and more than 160 games by the end of the year. Gates went on
to outline the company’s bold new vision to connect millions of Xbox 360 gamers
with hundreds of millions of Microsoft® Windows®-based PC and mobile gamers
from around the world through the Xbox Live® online entertainment network.
Gates made the announcements at a press conference to open the Electronic
Entertainment Expo (E3), the largest annual confab for the interactive
entertainment industry.
Dubbed “Live Anywhere,” the initiative puts gamers at the
center of a ubiquitous always-on world where their digital identities, games,
friends and digital entertainment are always accessible through the familiar
Xbox Live interface, regardless of location or device. The plan also clears the
way for groundbreaking cross-platform gameplay scenarios, with participants
using Windows-based PCs, mobile phones and Xbox 360 consoles to play together
simultaneously.
Currently more than 3 million console gamers are connected
to the Xbox Live community via their Xbox® and Xbox 360 consoles and Microsoft
expects that number to double to 6 million by this time next year. In addition,
more than 25 million casual gamers are currently playing games on MSN®
Messenger and MSN Games. Envisioning a forward look to more closely align these
powerful communities, Gates outlined next steps to bring the Live Anywhere
vision to fruition:
Xbox Live experiences come to Windows-based PCs. Gamers will
have the ability to jack into the vibrant Xbox Live world from their
Windows-based PCs early next year to play games with friends. Answering the
call of millions of Windows gamers for a world that is always on, the Xbox Live
experience on Windows will give gamers a consistent online game experience in
which they have one identity, one friends list, one set of achievements and
voice communications across all games on the network. These experiences will
debut on Windows with the Windows Vista™ operating system and “Shadowrun™” this
winter.
Microsoft’s mobile offering. Spanning Windows Mobile®, Java
and BREW-based handsets, the world-class mobile games service will give gamers
on-the-go access to cross-platform gaming communities at any time, from any location.
By this time next year, users will be able to send messages, access friends
lists, download the best of mobile game content, and sample, purchase and play
favorites such as “Bejeweled,” “Zuma” and “Hexic®” as part of the integrated
gaming world.
“By opening the Xbox Live entertainment network to the
entire universe of Windows and mobile gamers, we’re creating unparalleled
gameplay opportunities that will drive incredible growth of the online
community,” said Gates. “Our vision is to deliver consistent, compelling
experiences that make it easy for consumers to jump in and play, from any
device at any time. It’s a vision that only Microsoft can deliver.”
Gates, making his first appearance at E3, joined Peter
Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business in
the Entertainment and Devices Division, on stage to announce a barrage of new
game titles coming to the Xbox 360 and Windows Vista platforms.
Microsoft announced that it will have 160 Xbox 360 titles by
end of 2006. The stunningly smooth high-definition graphics and sophisticated
level of gameplay in these titles are proof positive that the development
community is hitting its stride with the console’s powerful hardware and
programming tools.
Gates and Moore dazzled the crowd with an initial look at
“Halo® 3,” the hugely anticipated sequel to the highly successful and
critically acclaimed “Halo” franchise. Enthusiasm for “Halo 3” has been
building since its predecessor, “Halo 2” — launched by Microsoft Game Studios
in 2004 — rewrote history books by becoming the biggest launch in U.S.
entertainment retail history, with $125 million in sales and 2.4 million copies
sold in the first 24 hours. In this third chapter of the “Halo” trilogy, Master
Chief returns to finish the fight, bringing the epic conflict between the
Covenant, the Flood and the entire human race to a dramatic, pulse-pounding
climax.
Microsoft Game Studios also showcased exclusive Xbox 360
titles “Gears of War” (Epic Games Inc.), “Fable® 2” (Lionhead Studios) and
“Forza Motorsport™ 2” (Turn 10). Ubisoft’s next-generation version of “Tom
Clancy’s Splinter Cell Double Agent™” will also debut on Xbox 360. In addition,
Microsoft Game Studios showed “Alan Wake” (Remedy Entertainment Inc.) and
“Shadowrun™” (FASA Studio), both slated for Xbox 360 and Windows Vista.
Bringing the Microsoft vision of Live Anywhere to life, “Shadowrun” is the
first cross-platform Xbox 360 and Windows Vista-based game featuring team-based
combat that ushers gamers into a new dimension with a revolutionary blend of
modern weaponry and ancient magic.
For Windows gamers, the consumer launch of Windows Vista in
January 2007 will continue the momentum and excitement for the Windows
platform. With Windows Vista, Microsoft will introduce the DirectX® 10 API,
showcasing astonishing new graphics as well as enhanced performance, better
hardware integration and new ways for developers to make the most of the
Windows game platform. Microsoft highlighted several games from major
publishers that will support Windows Vista and DirectX 10 technologies:
“Crysis” (Electronic Arts Inc.), “Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures” (Funcom)
and “Flight Simulator X” (Microsoft Game Studios).
In addition to these blockbuster titles on Xbox 360 and
Windows Vista, several new games are coming to Xbox Live Arcade. Gamers of all
ages and levels of experience are flocking to these quick, fun (and often
nostalgic), downloadable titles that take advantage of the unique
high-definition and Xbox Live capabilities that only Xbox 360 can deliver.
Microsoft and its partners announced a significant expansion of the Xbox Live
Arcade catalog, adding classic favorites such as “Pac-Man,” “Galaga,” “Dig Dug”
and “Rally-X” from NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.; “Frogger,” “Track & Field,”
and “Contra” and “Super Contra” from Konami; “Defender®,” “Paperboy®,” “Root
Beer Tapper™” and “Ultimate Mortal Kombat® 3” from Midway Games Inc.; “Sonic
the Hedgehog™ High Speed” from SEGA®; and new titles such as “Lumines Live”
from Q Entertainment Ltd.
As part of the Live Anywhere initiative, Microsoft has
announced new cross-platform accessories such as the Xbox 360 Wireless
Controller, Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel and Xbox 360 Wireless Headset, which
will enrich game experiences on Xbox 360 and Windows. The new Xbox Live Vision
video camera will allow consumers to customize their gamer picture, send photo
messages, and video chat with friends and family over Xbox Live.
The appetite for Xbox 360 gaming around the world continues
to grow. Microsoft is excited to meet that demand in eight new countries
in the coming year with launches in Brazil,
Chile, the Czech Republic, Hungary,
India, Poland, Slovakia
and South Africa.
Additional markets will continue the momentum of the largest
next-generation installed base for any console after a second holiday season.
Volevate un rappresentante del Supporto Tecnico sui forum Xbox.com italiani?
Ieri ho parlato con una persona e la vostra richiesta potrebbe presto trasformarsi in realta' :)
<img removed>
First wave of Xbox Ambassador Icons was handed out today
Oggi e' stata distribuita la prima ondata di icone Ambasciatore Xbox
Oggi ho finito di fare gli ultimi ritocchi al
Forum FAQ e di aggiornare la
Lista Gt Italiana :)
WORLD SERIES OF VIDEO GAMES ANNOUNCES OFFICIAL XBOX TOURNAMENTS AND PRIZES
Registration Open For Halo 2 and Project Gotham
Racing 3
Other Competitive Events to Include First-Ever “LAN-X” Bring
Your Own Xbox LAN Party, and Pick-Up-and-Play Tournaments for Geometry Wars
New York– May 2, 2006 – Games Media Properties, the company
behind the recently announced World Series of Video Games (WSVG), today
announced the competition’s official Xbox tournaments and prizes.
Registration is now open on www.thewsvg.com
for Halo 2 (4v4) and Project Gotham Racing 3 (1v1) competitions. Prizing
throughout the WSVG competition circuit will total $150,000 cash and prizes for
the two games. The WSVG also announced the first-ever “LAN-X” Bring Your
Own Xbox LAN Party and pick-up-and-play tournaments featuring Geometry
Wars. The announcement was made by Games Media Properties executives
Matthew Ringel and Scott Valencia.
“We are thrilled to announce the official Xbox tournaments
for the WSVG as well as the first-ever LAN-X,” stated Matthew Ringel, CEO and
President of Games Media Properties. “The Xbox 360 has revolutionized
console gaming with advances such as high-definition graphics and online
competition featuring voice and video; we are proud to make this incredible
platform a key part of the WSVG experience.”
Qualifiers will be held on Xbox Live for Project Gotham
Racing 3, and registration can be found on the World Series of Video Games
website. Qualifiers for the official tournaments are set to begin May 13,
with the top 8 winners seeded deep into the WSVG events in Louisville
or Dallas as
part of Team Xbox Live. Halo 2 qualifiers will be held as part of
an Amateur Open on the first day of the Louisville
and Dallas
events, with two winning teams advancing to the bracketed tournament.
Generous prizing structure for the WSVG Xbox tournaments will include a total
of $75,000 per game in cash and prizes for Project Gotham Racing 3 and Halo
2.
The first-ever “LAN-X” Bring Your Own Xbox event will
include 150 seats with televisions to be provided and high-speed LAN connection
to Xbox Live. Participants can bring their own consoles and compete
against each other online. Additional competitions at the WSVG will
include “pick-up-and-play” tournaments for Geometry Wars. Visitors to the
WSVG events can stop by the pick-up-and-play areas and compete against each
other for prizes.
“We’re proud to be a part of the first-ever World Series of
Video Games, and we think this is a great opportunity for the Xbox Live
community to get together and compete in a fun environment,” saidBill Nielsen,
Senior Director Global Partnership Marketing, Microsoft Corporation.
“Games Media Properties has a strong track record when it comes to pulling off
great gaming events, and we’re certain that the WSVG will be no exception.”
Added Ringel, “Between the official PC and Xbox tournaments,
LAN-X, the BYOC and the pick-up-and-play tournaments, there will be a challenge
and a lot of fun for everyone at the WSVG, whether you’re a hardcore competitor
who qualifies for the official tournaments, a LAN-party aficionado or a casual
gamer who is ready to give competing a shot.”
The World Series of Video Games is the first video game
competition circuit on multiple gaming platforms that culminates in final
rounds at which true world champions emerge. The 3-5 day events will be
open to the public and will encompass 150,000 square feet of tournaments,
exhibitions, concerts and other attractions. The World Series of Video
Games is presented by Intel and sponsored by Xbox 360. Registration for
the first three tournaments can be completed at www.thewsvg.com.
Updated Page: Link
"Due to overwhelming response, we are not currently accepting new Xbox Ambassadors."
Those who already sent an email to TriXie will probably be reconsidered for future events.
I also noticed I got company :)
Pagina Aggiornata: Link
"Per via del gran numero di partecipanti, attualmente non stiamo accettando nuovi ambasciatori Xbox."
Coloro che hanno gia’ inviato una email a TriXie saranno riconsiderati per eventi futuri.
Ho notato di avere compagnia :)
Here's the story on the coolness that is Message Center.
- All My Xbox users (Xbox Live Silver and Gold users as well as those who just signed up here on Xbox.com) can now read text messages in the My Xbox Message Center. So someone can send you a message from their Xbox 360™ console and you can read it on your PC.
- Xbox Live Gold members can compose and send messages in the My Xbox Message Center. The character limit is the same as on the Xbox 360 console: 250 characters.
- Xbox Live Gold members can send messages (up to 200 per day) to gamers who are on their friends list.
- Xbox Live Gold members can send messages (up to 25 per day) to other gamers not on their friends list.
- All My Xbox users can block communications with other gamers. Designate a gamertag as blocked and you won't get any more messages from them. Change your mind? Unblock a gamer simply by sending them a message.
Full Article: Link
E' arrivato il Centro Messaggi!
Come potrete notare qui, adesso abbiamo la possibilita' di:
- Visualizzare la lista dei giocatori recenti
- Confrontare giochi ed obiettivi direttamente con i contatti in lista amici
- Leggere messaggi Xbox Live direttamente dal sito (non e' ancora possibile inviare/ascoltare messaggi audio)
- Inviare messaggi testuali dal sito Xbox.com ad Xbox Live (riservato agli utenti Gold)
- Massimo 250 caratteri per messaggio
- Massimo numero di messaggi che puoi inviare ai tuoi amici: 200 (al giorno)
- Massimo numero di messaggi che puoi inviare ad altri giocatori: 25 (al giorno)
E' possibile bloccare la ricezione dei messaggi inviati da un utente e viceversa.
Articolo in Inglese: Link
My 360 started blogging today Click me :)