hmm a fourth xbox 360 SKU has been spotted at the E3 convention. It has a blacker colour as compared to the Elite Model.

first piece of hard news: from New York Time



= cars and pirates XBox live
= Resident Evil on Xbox 360



Microsoft Plays Up Family Appeal of Xbox

Opening the annual E3 game conference here, Microsoft executives announced a deal to distribute films from the Walt Disney Company on Microsoft's Xbox Live Internet service and outlined a broader array of games focused mostly on children and families.

Executives predicted that the company's recently announced plan to spend up to $1.15 billion to fix defective Xbox 360 game machine would improve, not undermine, the system's image with consumers.

"The important impact for us is that our customers know we're going to support the console and support them and if they have issues, we'll take care of it," said Robert J. Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, in an interview. "It won't change what's happening in the marketplace because the industry is about the games and we think we have the games that will get people really excited this year."

As the game industry's growth has slowed in recent years, game developers have tried to reach beyond the young male players who have been the target audience.

"We believe we have the best game lineup in video-game history for the holiday season," said Mr. Bach. "You can look top to bottom and we think we have the goods to please any type of gamer."

Part of Microsoft's strategy has been to position the Xbox 360 as a living room media hub and an essential element of that plan has been allowing users to download films and television shows to the machine. Adding Disney to the roster of companies distributing movies and video programming over the Xbox Live service should help broaden the appeal of the game system to families with children.

The same could be said of the new games Microsoft announced here, including a new installment of the company's Viva Pinata game and a version of the Scene It? board game. Scene It? will come with a new controller for the Xbox 360 with large buttons and a simple layout that game novices, intimidated by a traditional game controller, may find easier to use

"Part of our strategy is we want to win this generation and in order to do that we have to expand beyond the core gamer audience that we've had success with and that means appealing to the broad consumer market," said Shane Kim, general manager of Microsoft Game Studios.

The company also said it was developing a keyboard for the Xbox 360 controller. Currently, Xbox Live users send text messages using an on-screen keyboard. The company recently announced plans to integrate the popular Windows Live Messenger service with Xbox Live.

But even as Microsoft hopes to appeal to new sorts of users, the company wants to avoid neglecting the serious player. So Microsoft also said that the next version of the popular Resident Evil series from Capcom of Japan would also be designed to run on the Xbox 360.

In the past, Resident Evil games have run only on Nintendo and Sony consoles. Persuading Capcom to develop games for the Xbox 360 underlines the success Microsoft has had recently in attracting Japanese developers who had shied away from the American console.

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Added on July 11, 2007, 11:19 amthe earlier announce chatpad also looks cool



This post has been edited by g5sim: Jul 11 2007, 11:19 AM

i seriously need to get an xbox 360 .. as PC gamer, maybe Halowars would be button pusher

watching too - guess my Eureka serie dl would have to suffer

omg - peter moore is bragging the 360 = 1/2 of the next gen console spending .. = wii and ps3 combined

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Added on July 11, 2007, 11:52 amwhat grand theft auto - exclusive on Xbox 360 "what?"

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Added on July 11, 2007, 11:58 amnaruta - raise of the ninja = exclusive on 360. Wonder what the japs think of this

This post has been edited by g5sim: Jul 11 2007, 11:58 AM

ms bring live to the world / Europe and Canada to get live by year end
oi asia when?

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Added on July 11, 2007, 12:14 pmopps few more members already

This post has been edited by g5sim: Jul 11 2007, 12:14 PM

omg - i see mat rempit !!

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Added on July 11, 2007, 12:32 pmomg - call of duty 4 - modern warfare is soo intensed

This post has been edited by g5sim: Jul 11 2007, 12:32 PM

omg its the halo 3 special edition SKU

the 4th 360 console - special Halo 3 SKU . hehehehehe

the halor 3 human look so real. are they real or ridiculously good 3D ?

Microsoft definite let the software do the talking this time. the line up is amazing.

The Best Place to Play the Most Exclusives and Biggest Blockbuster Games of 2007

Xbox 360 is a great place to play the next chapters of "Grand Theft Auto," "Madden," and "Halo" - the best-selling franchises of the last generation. In fact, "Halo 3," "Grand Theft Auto IV" and "Madden NFL 08" are expected to account for one-third of all console new release sales in the U.S. during the second half of the year, according to a recent report by IGN Entertainment's GamerMetrics. Xbox 360 has an unprecedented lineup of blockbuster titles available by holiday 2007, including these:

# "Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation" (NAMCO BANDAI Games). "Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation" takes players up to the sky and into the heat of realistic air combat with next-generation audio and visual effects and online multiplayer action.* Available this holiday, only on Xbox 360.
# "Assassin's Creed" (Ubisoft). "Assassin's Creed" is the next-generation game developed by Ubisoft that merges technology, game design, theme and emotions into a world where players will assume the role of the main character, Altair, and will have the power to throw their immediate environment into chaos and experience the art of a master assassin. Available this November.
# "Beautiful Katamari" (NAMCO BANDAI Games). Marking the debut of Namco's beloved ball-rolling puzzle game on a next-generation platform, "Beautiful Katamari," the fourth installment of the "Katamari" series, features levels of quirkiness, cosmic animations and musical stylings never seen before. Available this October.
# "BioShock" (2K Games). "BioShock" is the "genetically enhanced" first-person shooter set in the ruined undersea metropolis of Rapture. Available this August, only on Xbox 360 and Windows.
# "Blue Dragon" (Mistwalker/Artoon Co. Ltd.). From famed game producer Hironobu Sakaguchi comes "Blue Dragon," a unique, epic role-playing game. Available Aug. 28, only on Xbox 360.
# "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" (Activision). The new action thriller from the award-winning team at Infinity Ward Inc., "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" delivers the most intense and cinematic action experience ever. The epic title also delivers an added depth of multiplayer action providing online fans an all-new community of persistence, addictive and customizable gameplay. Available this fall.
# "Dance Dance Revolution UNIVERSE 2" (Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.). The series' encore performance on Xbox 360 delivers new gameplay options along with a mix of songs from the 1970s, '80s, '90s and today as well as online play, downloadable music, enhanced graphics and accessibility for players of all ages.
# "Grand Theft Auto IV" (Rockstar Games). "Grand Theft Auto IV" is the next chapter of the award-winning "Grand Theft Auto" franchise, available Oct.16. "Grand Theft Auto IV" will feature episodic content through Xbox LIVE exclusive to Xbox 360.
# "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" (RedOctane/Activision). Fire up the fret board, crank up the amp and get ready to rock out on the new wireless Les Paul guitar controllers. "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" includes star-studded tracks by such legendary artists as Guns N' Roses, The Rolling Stones, Beastie Boys, Muse and Pearl Jam. Available this fall.
# "Halo 3" (Bungie Studios). The epic saga continues with "Halo 3," the hugely anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed "Halo 2." Available Sept. 25, only on Xbox 360.
# "Madden NFL 08" (Electronic Arts Inc.). EA's unstoppable football franchise returns for the '08 season in Hall of Fame fashion, featuring new players, modes, rosters and rewards to create the ultimate touchdown for pigskin fans. Available this August.
# "Mass Effect" (BioWare Corp.). An epic science-fiction action and role-playing game, "Mass Effect" will deliver an immersive, story-driven experience presented in a cinematic style with high production values. Available this holiday season, only on Xbox 360.
# "Naruto: Rise of a Ninja" (Ubisoft). Relive the hit anime and manga and experience Naruto's transformation from noisy ninja-academy dropout to respected ninja. Available in October, only on Xbox 360.
# "Project Gotham Racing 4" (Bizarre Creations Ltd.). "Project Gotham Racing 4" will redefine the acclaimed "PGR" franchise by delivering a unique, exciting racing experience complete with motorcycles and cars. Available this September, only on Xbox 360.
# "Rock Band" (MTV Games). "Rock Band" will allow gamers to perform music from the world's biggest rock artists with their friends as a virtual band. Available this holiday season.
# "Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action" (Screenlife Games/WXP). "Scene It?" brings the fun of movie trivia to players of all ages with new movie clips in high definition as well as five new puzzle challenges never before shown in a "Scene It?" game. It also ships with four new Xbox 360 Big Button Pads and will be available this holiday season, only on Xbox 360.
# "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction" (Ubisoft). In the latest installment of Tom Clancy's coveted "Splinter Cell" franchise, players will experience an adrenaline rush of gameplay where hunted down as a fugitive, you have no choice other than using everything in your environment to survive. Available this holiday.
# "Virtua Fighter 5" (SEGA). This new installment in the critically acclaimed series brings intense, arcade fighting action, an all-star cast of 17 fighters and, a next-generation first for the franchise, online two-player versus mode only on Xbox LIVE.
# "Viva Piņata: Party Animals" (Krome Studios Pty. Ltd.). An exciting new party game based on the critically acclaimed Xbox 360 exclusive and hit animated TV series, "Viva Piņata: Party Animals" brings back the familiar piņata animals and invites players to compete in a host of mini-games against friends at home or over Xbox LIVE.* Available this holiday season, only on Xbox 360.


with more than 5mil xbox 360 vs 1.5mil PS3 in US homes, no wonder game producers are jumping ship

its their loss any way .. exclusive to a console that shipped 5mil instead of the 11mil Xbox 360. imagine the loss of 2x the potential sales. Sony must be paying the game producer good