Displaying items by tag: Xbox Live

Looks like Microsoft is seriously trying to boost sales of their peripherals, they have announced their Essentials Pack (wireless gamepad, HDMI cable, remote control and 3 months of Xbox Live Gold) for $79.99. In addition they will also cut down the price on Kinect. This device that allows you to make your body a controller has become very popular in a last few years since Nintendo launched Wii, and this price drop is sure to attract more new customers to this type of gaming.

Quite a rumor is swirling around the tech world today. Supposedly EA is making preparatory efforts to sell their company. Furthermore, what adds credibility to this notion is that the “rumor” is being reported by the New York Post and not some random dime-a-dozen blog on the internet.

Recently there was a report that Microsoft might sell the Surface RT for $199. This report raised even more ire from long-time partner Acer who basically begged Microsoft not to sell Surface at anywhere near that price. The question on everyone’s mind of course is, are these reports are true. We took a look at the reports and then compared it to what we know about Microsoft’s MO and found a rather interesting connection that could indicate the reports are almost correct.

Remember how we told you that Microsoft was going to pull out all of the PR and marketing tricks they can muster to try and convince people that Windows 8 is a good thing? Well now they are trying to counter the effects of the recent comments by top names in gaming; most notably Gabe Newell of Valve and John Carmack of id. If you do not remember what these two said we will boil it down here. Gabe Newell stated that Windows 8 was a “catastrophe” which John Carmack stated there was “no reason to upgrade”.

Microsoft is no stranger to controversy and throughout its history has made some pretty bad decisions that still come back to haunt them. Now, it seems that Microsoft might be getting ready to make an error that will trump all of the others in its past. We are talking about Windows 8 and the say that Microsoft appears to be closing in its ecosystem and also the platform as a whole. This move to a closed system has not only raised concerns with end users, but also with developers who see the move as a serious issue.

Going as far back as the initial Build release of Windows 8 we picked up a change in Microsoft’s business plans and their push in the market. It was not a subtle shift as some will have you think. It was the type of shift that borders on the desperate. It is like seeing someone that knows they have run out of time grasping at anything to make something stick. At that time we knew that something had to change and it brought back a conversation I had with a couple of investors while waiting in line for an nVidia press conferences at CES in 2011. The conversation was about modular components and how manufacturers could create an independent revenue stream by allowing for modular upgrades and online services.  For some reason we ended up talking about Azure and how it had become something of a failure for what Microsoft had wanted it to be.

Microsoft’s Xbox Live network is down and many are not happy about this as the service has been down since around 11:00 am today (July 6th 2012). This issue appears to be affecting users of the Xbox Gaming Consoles, Zune players and also the websites for Both Xbox Live and Zune. We have a feeling that the issue is probably due to upgrades or updates that are in progress as Microsoft nears the launch of their new Windows 8 OS with its integrated features.

****** Updated both the Xbox Live and Zune Services are back online ******

After the leak (and subsequent removal) of an alleged set of documents showing Microsoft’s plans for the next generation of Xbox (the Xbox 720?) complete with a 2013 launch timeframe we have started to try and piece together what is going on and if there is any credibility to the original posting. The original presentation appears to have been prepared in 2010 (again if they are real) and outline some very interesting inclusions for the gaming console. Some of these have actually appeared recently (like Smart Glass) while others are things we already know Microsoft to be working on. We should probably start off by saying that we do think the posted documents are real, but that they represent a direction that Microsoft has probably changed since these were produced.

The secret is out; Microsoft wants to own your whole home with their devices at the center of your connected living space. Of course, this is nothing new. I can remember talking with Microsoft about the “digital home” in 2007 and before. At the time they were looking to build the blocks needed to create an entire (and viable) ecosystem for the home and the enterprise. Of course back then most of Microsoft was still trying to find ways to keeps users data in their own hands. This is something that has changed (because it is not a money maker), but the original concept has remained the same.

Not all that long ago I was in a discussion about the future of the XboX 360- console. I mentioned that Microsoft would be smart if they integrated the Console environment into Windows. Now at the time I had also heard some rumors about this happening so I was playing with something of a stacked deck. The talk had been going on for some time that Microsoft needed to combine the Xbox 360, XboX Live and Windows Live for Games into a more seamless object.

Well as one of the final items during the Build 2011 conference Microsoft showed off a very early demo of this exact thing. They demonstrated XboX Live running on Windows 8. This was demonstrated by Microsoft’s Avi Ben-Menahem who also stated that they are trying to bring “everything you know and love on Xbox 360 and Xbox Live to Windows”.  The demo was pretty slick even though it only touched the tip of what could be possible with this new OS and interface. You even have the possibility of turn-based gaming between a PC and an XboX or an XboX and a Phone…

Now we need to get confirmation on that next gen console from MS (complete with a metro based UI) and we will be all set.

Check out the video below;



Source GeekWire

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