TR1GG3R MAN's Blog

Intervista Del Mese [Marzo 2007]

Intervista Del Mese

TR1GG3R MAN intervista Ciolla

TR1GG3R MAN intervista Ciolla, utente dei forum Xbox.com!

TR1GG3R MAN: Come ti chiami?

Ciolla: Roberto - nome di origine tedesca che deriva da Hrodebert che significa “Illustre per la sua Fama”. Nome di alta diffusione con ben 3 date di onomastico: il 17 settembre, il 29 aprile ed il 13 maggio.

TR1GG3R MAN: Quanti anni hai?

Ciolla: 32 il 20 aprile prossimo e me li porto benissimo, gli amici del Live possono confermare.

TR1GG3R MAN: Che lavoro fai?

Ciolla: Mi occupo di ADSL, lavoro a Roma e Provincia come tecnico per la seconda compagnia Telefonica Italiana.

TR1GG3R MAN: Di dove sei?

Ciolla: Sono nato a Roma dove ho vissuto per circa 15 anni, di origine Pugliesi. Attualmente vivo in Provincia sul Mare dove si vive meglio (non me ne vogliano gli amici che vivono nelle grandi Città).

TR1GG3R MAN: Perché Ciolla come Gamertag?

Ciolla: Il nome Ciolla, di cui in molti conoscono il significato, è un sopranome datomi dagli amici quando ero adolescente, grazie alle mie molteplici conquiste con le ragazze. Il sopranome per intero sarebbe Ciolla Rules!

TR1GG3R MAN: Perché hai scelto Xbox 360?

Ciolla: Gioco da quando avevo 8 anni. Amando i videogiochi cerco ovviamente sempre di più e attualmente la 360 offre molto in termini di divertimento soprattutto con il Live dove la longevità di un gioco arriva a livelli quasi infiniti. Inoltre confido nella grande M per cosa ci riserverà in futuro.

TR1GG3R MAN: Quale è il tuo gioco e genere preferito?

Ciolla: Non ho proprio un gioco preferito, amando i videogames mi diletto in tutto anche se poi devo ammettere che cerco i giochi semplici e immediati. Purtroppo tutti i videogiocatori sanno che il tempo è nemico e quindi se dovessi giocare una bella avventura non avendo tempo,il dvd finirebbe a prendere la polvere su qualche scaffale.

TR1GG3R MAN: Da quanti anni fai parte della Community Xbox? 

Ciolla: Faccio parte della Comunità dalla prima Xbox ovviamente anche se a quei tempi, non avendo il Live, passavo più tempo a giocare che a postare thread.

TR1GG3R MAN: Cosa pensi del sito Xbox.com e dei forum?

Ciolla: Del sito e del Forum penso che siano il miglior punto d’incontro per i giocatori che possiedono la 360 e anche per chi vuole reperire informazioni su di essa. Inoltre è un ottimo modo per prendere accordi per giocare in Live, conoscere persone, chiedere consigli su quello che amiamo di più: i videogiochi!.

TR1GG3R MAN: Hai famiglia? Se si, cosa pensano della tua passione per Xbox?

Ciolla: Sono felicemente sposato e ho avuto da mia Moglie un bellissimo bimbo di 11 mesi (Ciollino). Mia Moglie non ha problemi a farmi giocare e spesso gioca anche lei, anche se ovviamente gli impegni col Bimbo e la Casa sono molti. Ovviamente non potendo avere tutto cerco di coltivare questa mia passione nel tempo a disposizione cercando di non farla passare mai in primo piano anche se a volte è difficile, soprattutto quando sai che ci sono gli amici collegati al Live che ti aspettano per divertirsi assieme.

TR1GG3R MAN: Quali requisiti deve avere un videogioco per conquistarti?

Ciolla: Preferisco giocare con persone che non fanno del videogioco uno sfogo, quindi amici che si divertono senza voler a tutti i costi vincere. Amici con i quali ci scambiamo opinioni e scherziamo senza mai scendere però nell’offesa pesante. Sul Live ne ho trovati molti e orami abbiamo fatto gruppo, addirittura ci siamo ritrovati per un incontro a Roma il 24 Marzo. Ovviamente sono ben accettati tutti coloro che vogliono unirsi a noi per giocare.

TR1GG3R MAN: Preferisci giocare offline o in Xbox Live? Perché?

Ciolla: Praticamente il Live è la droga del momento come già detto prima, longevità infinita per qualunque gioco online. Preferisco il Live ovviamente, anche se cosi non riesco mai a finire i giochi! Questo perché quando deicidi di giocare in singolo ti viene sempre il desiderio di collegarti per vedere chi c’è e a che gioca e quindi vai di Live!!!!

TR1GG3R MAN: Secondo te qual’è l’età giusta per iniziare a “videogiocare”?

Ciolla: Videogiocatori si nasce, non si diventa! Come per tutte le passioni non c’è età, nel nostro caso si gioca e basta. Ho molti hobby ma adoro i videogiochi e difficilmente potrei rinunciare a tale divertimento.

TR1GG3R MAN: Reputi pericolosa l’influenza dei videogiochi sui giovani?

Ciolla: I videogiochi influenzano fino ad un certo punto, poi sono sempre gli adulti che devono intervenire quando si verifica un atto sbagliato causato dalla troppa esposizione davanti ad un monitor. I videogiochi sono arte, espressività. Ora grazie al Live di Xbox, i videogiochi sono una nuova forma di comunicazione e soprattutto di aggregazione, cosa prima non c’era.

TR1GG3R MAN: A parte Xbox, a cosa dedichi il tuo tempo libero?

Ciolla: Oltre alla 360, tempo permettendo, amo andare in moto assieme ai miei amici. Mi piace vedere al cinema i film fatti di sentimenti, che ti lasciano qualcosa. Mi piace cucinare e sperimentare cibi diversi o alternativi. Non segue molto le mode. Amo stare in famiglia e passare serate a parlare con gli amici traendo insegnamenti di vita, senza rimanere mai nel vago e senza scendere nella discussione. Non amo leggere. Cerco insomma di fare tutto,senza malizia da parte dei lettori, anche sperimentare cose che non mi attirano, perché secondo me non puoi parlare di una cosa se non la conosci almeno un po’.

TR1GG3R MAN: Buon divertimento Ciolla, e a presto! :)

Ciolla: Grazie a TR1GG3R MAN e a Xbox che mi hanno dato questa opportunità.    Soprattutto un grazie a tutti coloro che hanno voluto conoscermi e spero che in molti mi cercheranno per giocare e divertirsi assieme nel meraviglioso mondo che ci offre il Live, Ciao ci si vede online!

Microsoft Unveils Xbox 360 Elite

¹ Prices stated are estimated retail prices; actual retail prices may vary.

² Total retail value: more than $600 (U.S.)

³ TV and movie downloads available only in the U.S.

Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE and Xbox are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

XCN - Xbox 360 Elite, Interview with Mike Newey

Could you tell us exactly what gamers will get when they buy a Xbox 360 Elite console?

Mike Newey: Sure.  Included with your Xbox 360 Elite you’ll get a 120 GB hard drive, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port built-in to the console, a high definition cable, and a premium black finish for the console, wireless controller, and Xbox LIVE headset. So not only does the Elite console have the bigger hard drive and the HDMI port, it also looks really cool.

Q: Will we be able to buy the new Elite accessories separately?

Mike Newey: Absolutely. Offering Xbox 360 owners the choice to upgrade and customise their console in whichever way they want is very important to us, so we will be making all of the Elite accessories available separately. The 120 GB hard drive, the black Wireless Controller, the black Headset and the Xbox 360 HDMI cable will all be available for sale separately in the US from April 29, and we’ll be announcing European launch dates for these accessories as soon as we can.

In addition, we will also be releasing black versions of the Xbox 360 Play & Charge Kit and the Rechargeable Battery so you can ensure all your accessories match! Again, we’ll bring you more details about when these accessories will launch in Europe soon.  

Q. When will the Elite console be available?

Mike Newey: The Elite Xbox 360 will be available in the US from April 29. We have not announced release dates for the Elite console in Europe yet, but rest assured that as soon as we can let you know we will.

Q: Why can’t you tell us when the Elite Xbox 360 and accessories will be available in Europe?

Mike Newey: I really wish I could! But let me reassure European gamers that we’re definitely committed to bringing the Xbox 360 Elite to Europe and other regions around the world. I unfortunately can’t give you any more information at the moment about when this will be, but we will announce dates in those regions the moment we can.

Q: Why is the US getting the Xbox 360 Elite first? It feels like Europe always has to suffer when stuff like this comes up…

Mike Newey: While I know it’s not much comfort for European Xbox 360 fans, we’re introducing the Xbox 360 Elite console into North America first because there is already a large base of Xbox LIVE customers there who are already downloading HD games and entertainment. Because of that it makes more sense for us to introduce the Elite console in the US before Europe. That said, we know that gamers in Europe and around the world will be desperate to get their hands on the Xbox 360 Elite and its accessories. I wish I had better news for you, but all I can tell you right now is that we’re working very hard to bring the Elite console and accessories to Europe as soon as we can, and I’d like to thank European Xbox 360 fans for their patience and support.

Q: The Xbox 360 Elite console will be priced at $479.99 in the US – how much will it cost in Europe when it finally arrives?

Mike Newey: I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but I’m afraid I can’t give you any information on European pricing for the Elite Xbox 360 or the Elite accessories at the moment. As soon as we can give you this information we’ll be delighted to share it with you.

Q: The Xbox 360 Elite console is the most expensive Xbox 360 yet, but Nintendo’s Wii has been selling really well and it’s very cheap. Why are you introducing a more expensive console?

Mike Newey:  The Nintendo Wii is great fun, but it’s a games console and very little else. Aside from standard def gaming it has very limited functionality compared to the Xbox 360. For a few pounds or Euros  more than the Wii we offer high definition gaming with Xbox 360 Core, which you can always upgrade with a hard drive and other accessories if you want to.

On the other hand, the Elite Xbox 360 offers  more than double the storage capacity of any competing console. This will allow you to store more games, music, photos and other entertainment on your Xbox 360 than any other console out there. We know that gamers want to be able to do this, so that’s why we’ve introduced the Elite console and the 120GB hard drive.

Q: The PS3 has received criticism for being very expensive – given the Elite Xbox 360 is more expensive than the current Xbox consoles on sale, aren’t you just saying that Sony’s high price is okay?

Mike Newey: Don’t forget that we will soon be offering European gamers three choices: Xbox 360 Core, Xbox 360 Premium and now the Xbox 360 Elite. In comparison Sony only offers one type of console for about £425 or 599 Euro. The Xbox 360 Core console is the perfect way for gamers to get all the benefits of the Xbox 360 at a great value price. Later, if they decide to upgrade their Xbox 360, they can add a 120 GB hard drive which is more than double the storage capacity of the  PS3, at a price lower than the PS3! 

Q: If I buy a new 120 GB Hard Drive, will I be able to transfer the data on my existing 20 GB hard drive onto it? Or will I have to constantly swop my hard drives?

Mike Newey:  You won’t have to swop your hard drives at all. When you buy a 120 GB Hard Drive you’ll also receive a migration cables which will allow you to easily copy all the data on your old hard drive onto your new one. It’s really easy!

Q: Will the Elite console come with one of these migration cables?

Mike Newey: We don’t think there will be a lot of current Xbox 360 owners who want to buy an Elite console and transfer data from their old 20 GB hard drive, so there will not be a migration cable bundled with the Elite console. However, we know that some current Xbox 360 owners will want to upgrade to the Elite console, so if they get in touch with us we will be more than happy to supply a migration cable free of charge.

Q: Why have you decided to add an HDMI socket to the Elite Xbox 360?

Mike Newey: We decided to offer an HDMI cable with the Elite console to continue to offer more choices to Xbox 360 owners. If you’re lucky enough to have an HD television equipped with an HDMI socket you’ll now be able to enjoy a high definition signal through a single cable. However, you do not need HDMI to experience Xbox 360 games and entertainment in high definition – it just gives you more options.

Q: Will the Premium and Core Xbox 360 consoles have HDMI added soon?

Mike Newey: We have not made any announcements about adding HDMI to either the Core or Premium Xbox 360 consoles.

Q: There have been a lot of rumours that the black Xbox 360 would come with a built-in HD-DVD drive. Why have you decided to not do this, especially since PS3 comes with a built-in Blu-Ray drive?

Mike Newey: We’ve taken great care to listen to what our customers want, and we’ve heard that the majority of people do not necessarily want an HD DVD player built into their Xbox 360. The big thing for us at Xbox is to offer you as much choice as possible, so rather than forcing you to pay for an HD-DVD drive you might not want to use we have made the external Xbox 360 HD-DVD drive available. If you’re keen to watch DVDs in high definition you can purchase the HD-DVD drive separately – but we’re not forcing you to pay more for it if you don’t want it.

Q: There has also been a lot of talk online about a quieter disc drive in new Xbox 360s. Will this quieter disc drive be in the Elite Xbox 360 console?

Mike Newey: I can’t comment on details of specific components. What I can say, however, is that we’re always making sure that the parts we use to build the Xbox 360 are the latest and best parts available.

Q: 10 million Xbox 360 customers have already spent money on an Xbox 360 with a smaller hard drive and no HDMI connectivity. What would you say to these customers?

Mike Newey: We really believe that the majority of current Xbox 360 owners will find that their existing system already does everything they need. There are no new features on the Xbox 360 Elite console that your existing Xbox 360 doesn’t have. You can already connect your existing Xbox 360 to your HDTV with a hi-def cable, and if you feel you want to upgrade your hard drive we will be making the 120 GB hard drive available separately. However, if you’re buying an Xbox 360 for the first time or you’re a current Xbox 360 owner wants the premium high definition experience and a bigger hard drive, the Xbox 360 Elite console is a great value way to upgrade.

Q: Does the announcement of the Xbox 360 Elite console mean that we’ll be seeing a price drop for the existing consoles in Europe soon?

Mike Newey: At the moment there are no plans to announce a price drop for the Xbox 360.

Q: Will you be removing the Xbox 360 Premium Console or the Xbox 360 Core Console from European stores now that the Xbox 360 Elite Console has been announced?

Mike Newey: No. Both the Premium Xbox 360 and the Core Xbox 360 are very important for offering you as much choice as possible when buying an Xbox 360. The Elite Xbox 360 does not replace either of these – rather, it offers a further option for the kind of gamer who wants the biggest possible hard drive, HDMI connectivity at a great value price. And I didn’t even mention the cool black finish on the console and its accessories, which is definitely going to make the Elite console a bit of a collector’s edition! 

Q: Recently faulty Xbox 360 consoles and customer service complaints have been making the news. Are you bringing in the Elite console to phase out some of the older, more unreliable Xbox 360 consoles out there? 

Mike Newey: We take our customers’ feedback very seriously and we are doing everything in our power to address the issues that have been brought to our attention. That said, we’ve introduced the Elite Xbox 360 to offer you more choice and not to get rid of any other Xbox 360 console. We’re really confident that everyone who buys an Elite console will be extremely impressed with what a quality – and cool – product it is.

Thanks for your time Mike!

XCN - Virtua Tennis 3, Director AM3 Interview

Virtua Tennis 3 interview  with Mie Kumagai – Director AM3

How difficult has been the experience of creating one of the first two games with 1080p resolution for Xbox 360 and PS3?

To tell the truth, there it was not such a great trouble.  In the sense of a multi-platform title, we started the development of VT3 by building the arcade system board.  We adopted pixel shader technologies we can set up flexibly at the early stage of the development, assuming the hardware specs of PS3 and Xbox 360 to the best of our knowledge.  As a result, we could secure 1080p resolution within a load range of a certain degree.

What are the biggest changes between VT2 and VT3, excluding graphics?

I suppose it would be variation of game modes.  With new multiplayer mini-games added, the singleplayer “World Tour” mode was also added with more depth and a story nature.

The Dreamcast Version of Virtua Tennis was incredible! What have you learnt from that day till this?

In terms of graphics, we have learned pixel shader technologies and new animation techniques.

Moreover, we re-analyzed the the sport of tennis, and we studied again what “heated match development” or “breathtaking rallys” were composed of.

To what effect does Virtua Tennis differentiate itself from the big competitor TopSpin 2?

With VT3, we had never been conscious of differentiation from other tennis titles, but always been thinking about what we should do for a new title of the VT series. 

Why does the 360 version have an online modes and PS3 not?

The priority for the Virtua Tennis 3 development team on PlayStation 3 console has been to maximise the known strengths of the console.  We wanted to ensure players experience the quality they have come to expect from a Virtua Tennis title. 

Talking about Virtua Tennis 3 mini-games, what's your favourite one and why?

I love “Count Mania” in Training of the World Tour mode, and “Avalanche” in the Multiplayer mode in Court Games.

The franchise seems to take a more arcade approach in bringing the tennis sport to gamers instead of the deeper tennis simulation of its competitors. such as TopSpin, is this still apparent in Virtua Tennis 3?

One of the VT series’ concepts, “Super play with Simple control”, is inherited in VT3.

Experience and new ideas are necessary to strike a balance between simple controls and the depth of tennis gameplay.  As a result, we could re-create the best parts unique to genuine tennis, such as putting the opponent off balance back and forth and around on the court, or flexible expansions of matches.  One of the professional tennis players who cooperated with this title, said that “VT can provide image training for actual matches”, so VT3 can be described as “designed for professionals” in a sense.

What have the developers done in this game to make it different from the rest of the tennis games? Top spin 2 and Table tennis were both enjoyable for 5 minutes then the whole knocking the ball back and forth got tedious. Does this title provide anything different from those two titles that will want me coming back for more and more?

An abundance of game new modes and contents give the user pleasure.  In the new “World Tour ” mode you create your own player and watch him rise throught the ranks, you can compete with your fiends and family in various mini-games, and become friends with, for instance, Federer or Nadal.  You get encouragement and gifts from the stars and your coach, Training (mini-games) that offers as many as 72 variations and practice in a new mission style, you will never get bored.

How complex is your Create-A-Player mode?

The “World Tour (Raise-Your-Own-Player)” mode has communications with real players that occur in various situations.  “Familiarity” is gradually achieved by playing a match against a real player or choosing him/her as your doubles partner.  If Familiarity gets high, you will start to be offered practice matches, or receive encouraging mails.  Moreover, the game’s attractions also lie in the player making intellectual decisions like occurrence of injuries and accidents due to radical training, or a time frame set for retirement.

Is there going to be a fully licensed selection of players, tournaments and locations featured?

A team of 20 players from all over the world including Federer, Nadal, Sharapova, or Mauresmo are featured under their own names and likenesses in VT3.  Although ingame tournaments and locations are fictious, since we obtained collaborations from global brand companies we were able to decorate stadiums with their logos, the user can develop an illusion as if those stadiums were real. 

XCN - Virtua Tennis 3, Assistant Producer SUMO Digital Interview

Virtua Tennis 3 interview with Toby Allen – Assistant Producer SUMO Digital

How difficult has been the experience of creating one of the first two games with 1080p resolution for Xbox 360 and PS3?

From a 360 perspective we didn't have any real issues and it was all quite straight forward.

What are the primary differences between the Xbox 360 and the arcade versions of the game?

The arcade version of the game has been improved on the PS3 by AM3, we took this latter version and added a few extra features. You can expect a new world tour mode, character customisation, mini-games and 1080p quality graphics. Specifically on the 360 version we have taken the Virtua Tennis 3 experience to a new high with the addition of Xbox Live support; this include tournaments, game higlights, VT.TV and spectator mode. You can play up to 8 players online with doubles in a tournament - all playing at 60fps and in superb 1080p quality.

Will a demo be released before the full game goes on sale?

The demo has just been released - check it out on Xbox live marketplace and enjoy the latest Virtua Tennis 3!

Did it take long to implement the 1080p support? Why do you think other developers skip it?

Getting the game into 1080p resolution was pretty easy, where the guys had to put in some extra work was tweaking the quality and fullscreen effects. You will be able to see the game really shines at this resolution.

Did you think about including features for the Xbox-Live Vision Cam, like face mapping?

These are all brilliant features but would have required a significant amount of work and elements such as face mapping would be tricky with VT3's custom characters. However it is something we may look at in the future.

 What game modes will be playable via Xbox-Live? Will there be online doubles settings or just single multiplayer features?

The online side of VT3 will be powered by 4 different features; tournaments, friendly, VT.TV and game highlights - you will be able to play doubles.

Do you feel you maximized the potential of the 360 with VT3?

We certainly tried, and the addition of VT online simply allows all the VT fans to finally play against each other in a true tennis environment!

Will there be secret Players to unlock?

Now that would be telling! I'm sure VT fans will soon figure this out :)

Will there be some totally crazy Tennis Rackets?

Coming from a japanese developer, you can expect a high level of crazy content in the game - a lot of tongue and cheek.

Is it possible to create more than one Player Profile?

You will have to ability to create up to 4 different profiles for World tour.

Is it possible to play with two Xbox live gold accounts on one console against other players?

Yes, it is possible to play with two Xbox Live gold accounts on one console. They can participate in player (unranked) matches, ranked matches and tournaments. However, they must be on the same doubles team for tournaments and ranked matches.

In addition VT3 also supports doubles teams where the players are on different consoles.  This feature behaves very similarly to when two players are on the same console and was mainly added to enable players on two different consoles to play ranked doubles matches together. We also have ranked leaderboards for when two players play together, including: Mixed Doubles TrueSkill, Men's Doubles TrueSkill, Women's Doubles TrueSkill.

Can Xbox 360 gamers expect some exclusive stuff with their version?

You'll just have to wait and see, we might have some suprises!

We know that Virtua Tennis 3 will give us the possibility to organize online tournaments over

Xbox Live. Can you explain us how this feature exactly works?

The online tournament feature works by first grouping together the players in a lobby and once the required number of players have joined and/or everyone is ready the tournament can begin. For player (unranked) tournaments COM players are added to make up the numbers but for ranked tournaments a player will automatically get through to the next round if they are short of an opponent. Whenever someone is waiting for their next opponent who is still playing their last match they will be able to spectate the remainder of that match, also players that have been knocked out can remain to spectate the remainder of the tournament. The tournaments only have 2-3 rounds of play and you will play through your matches one by one until you are either the winner or are knocked out. The tournaments themselves do not have any leaderboards, but each match within a ranked tournament will still count towards their overall ranking. The tournament feature does not allow play to be suspended and resumed at a later date, once a tournament has started it must be played until the end.

Will be able to download some new mini-games or other content?

We have no plans for this right now.

Talking about Virtua Tennis 3 mini-games, what's your favourite one and why?

My personal favouite is Drum Topple as you get an immense amount of satisfaction from knocking down piles of barrels.

Does the 360 version play any different to the "Sega coded" PS3 version? Did you tweak the gameplay a little to stamp your mark on the 360 version?

Our aim with this conversion is to bring the PS3's VT experience onto the Xbox 360. Taking account of the technical requirements, we are using a different physics engine, which does affect the gameplay slightly in a few of the mini-games. However, we've been told that this really feels right and plays nicely.

Is it possible to bring your created player to Xbox Live matches and tournaments?

Custom players can be used online for all Xbox Live features.

Tell us more about the VT:TV feature. Will it be a simple case of drop-in drop-out, will there be a maximum spectator limit and can anyone host a VT:TV enabled game?

There is 9 slots online, which can be filled between players and spectators. There is no restriction as to who can host VT:TV games. If you see your friends online or having played a recent game, click on their gamercard and see the last 5 minutes highlight of their game.

How far along the development process did you make the decision to have the Xbox 360 version output at 1080p?

It was about the time when Microsoft added support to the Xbox 360, quite a way in to development.

Are there any plans for Downloadable Content such as New Courts, Players, Clothes etc.?

We have no plans right now.

Ritrovata opera d'arte nascosta...

Stamane il ritrovamento di un dipinto risalente presumibilmente al 1893 ha fatto scalpore. L'opera realizzata su cartone con olio, tempera e pastello e' stata ritrovata nascosta sotto il ponte della cittadina di Nordstrand. Sembra essere una versione del celebre dipinto "l'Urlo" (o "Il Grido") del pittore Edvard Munch, noto tra l'altro per la realizzazione delle sue opere in piu' versioni. Rimane ancora mistero su come il pittore abbia potuto dipingere una console nata nel 2005, ben 61 anni dopo la sua morte.

Questa pubblicazione e' pura fantasia. I nomi di prodotti, societa', immagini, temi trattati, e quant'altro potrebbero essere marchi registrati dei rispettivi proprietari.

Xbox Live and Xbox.com Scheduled Maintenance [27/03/07]

Xbox Live, Xbox.com and the Xbox forums will be undergoing scheduled maintenance on Tuesday March 27th from 0000 to 1400 (PT). As a result of this maintenance, Xbox Live, Xbox.com and the Xbox forums will be unavailable during this time. You will see a "We're down for maintenance" page on Xbox.com and a similar message on your console.

Source

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/news/2007/0322-xboxoffline.htm

Manutenzione servizio Xbox Live e Xbox.com [27/03/07]

Martedi 27 Marzo 2007, dalle ore 0900 alle ore 2300 (ora Italiana)  Xbox Live, il sito Xbox.com ed i forum saranno offline per manutenzione. Apparirà il messaggio “Chiusi per manutenzione” su Xbox.com ed un simile messaggio in Xbox Live.

Per vostra informazione non si tratta di un aggiornamento della Dash.

Fonte 

Xbox Live Security [SitRep]

Major Nelson posted this comment regarding the recent speculation about Xbox Live Security:

http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2007/03/21/xbox-live-security-3-21.aspx 

Problema Sicurezza Xbox Live

Si è sparsa la voce (infondata) che la sicurezza dei vostri dati Xbox Live sia andata compromessa. A questo proposito Major Nelson ha rilasciato il seguente commento:

http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2007/03/21/xbox-live-security-3-21.aspx 

Riassumendo, non c'è stata alcuna forzatura del servizio Xbox Live ed i vostri dati sono al sicuro.

Gears Of War to become feature film

Just read this on Yahoo's main page and thought it was pretty cool:

Xbox 360 mega-hit Gears of War is the latest video game to be adapted into a feature film.

http://videogames.yahoo.com/newsarticle?eid=509460&page=0 

Bungie.net Updated

I just went on www.Bungie.net and I'm amazed

Check out "Game Viewer" of each played game...

Bungie.net Aggiornato

Sono appena stato su www.Bungie.net e sono rimasto stupefatto

Adesso puoi anche vedere le posizioni dei giocatori sulla mappa e la traiettoria dei colpi fatali...

XCG Aprile 2007

Scegli data, ora e gioco per la sessione di Aprile

http://forums.xbox.com/11063919/ShowPost.aspx 

Domande Intervista Del Mese [Marzo 2007]

Visti i risultati della votazione di Marzo, prepariamoci ad intervistare il candidato vincente: Ciolla

Usate questa pagina (oppure questo thread) per proporre le domande che successivamente potrebbero far parte dell'intervista!

Le domande dovranno pervenire entro e non oltre Venerdi 23 Marzo 2007.

Cercate di non ripetere domande già fatte da altri utenti.

Intervista del Mese è un Community Program di cui potete trovare maggiori informazioni cliccando qui.

SFIDA GLI SVILUPPATORI DI LOST PLANET!

Venerdi  16 Marzo dalle 20.00 alle 22.00 (ora italiana), potrete chattare e giocare con gli sviluppatori di Lost Planet.

Gli sviluppatori saranno Kenji Ohguro (Director), Koji Wakasono (Animator & Online Map Designer), Tomohiro Takizawa (Enemy Planner), Kazuhiro Hikida (Planner), Tomoyuki Hosokawa ( Main Planner) and Koichi Egawa (Animator).

Come partecipare?

Ti bastera’:

1. Accedere ad Xbox Live

2. Se stai giocando a Lost Planet aggiungi uno dei seguenti Gamertag alla tua lista amici:

• TEAM LOST01
• TEAM LOST02
• TEAM LOST03
• TEAM LOST04

“Chi prima arriva meglio alloggia”  Una volta riempita la lista amici degli Sviluppatori non ci saranno ulteriori posti disponibili.

3. Collegati all’ora e al giorno prestabilito, entra nel gioco e chatta con gli sviluppatori!

Gli sviluppatori di Lost Planet si trovano in Giappone. Le domande che farete dovranno essere tradotte, quindi siate pazienti. Inoltre saranno le 4 di mattina in Giappone, quindi ricordate di ringraziare gli sviluppatori per essere rimasti svegli tutta la notte per giocare con voi!

TAKE ON THE LOST PLANET DEVELOPERS!

On Friday 16th March at 19.00 GMT until 21:00 GMT, Xbox Live members from across Europe will have the chance to chat and play with the Developers of Lost Planet.

The developers will be Kenji Ohguro (Director), Koji Wakasono (Animator & Online Map Designer), Tomohiro Takizawa (Enemy Planner), Kazuhiro Hikida (Planner), Tomoyuki Hosokawa ( Main Planner) and Koichi Egawa (Animator).

How do I get the chance to play in the Developer Showdown?

All Xbox Live members need to do is:

1. Sign into Xbox Live

2. If you are playing on Lost Planet add any of the following Gamertags to your friends list for your chance to play:

• TEAM LOST01
• TEAM LOST02
• TEAM LOST03
• TEAM LOST04

Please note this is a first come first served event and once the gamertags are full there will be no further places available.

After that, gamers just need to go onto Xbox Live on 1900 and 2100 GMT on Friday 16 March 2007 to check if they have been invited to join in a game and if they have then…

3. Get in the game and chat with the Developers!

Please note that the developers of Lost Planet are based in Japan . Any questions you ask will be relayed to the dev team through a translator, so please be patient as you wait for your answer. And it will be 4am in Japan , so remember to say thanks to the developers for staying up all night to play you!

Xbox Community Gaming Marzo 2007

Utilizza questo thread per esprimere le tue preferenze per la sessione di gioco di Marzo!

http://forums.xbox.com/10725271/ShowPost.aspx 

Votazione Intervista Del Mese

Utilizza questo thread per votare l'utente che vorresti intervistare per il mese di Marzo. 

Preferenze vanno espresse entro e non oltre il 10 Marzo 2007.

Xbox.com Forum FAQ Aggiornato

Ieri ho finito la ristrutturazione del Forum FAQ. Era da parecchie settimane che ci lavoravo.

http://forums.xbox.com/47652/ShowPost.aspx 

Fatemi sapere cosa ne pensate, se ci sono errori e se dovrei aggiungere qualcosa.