Lite-On builds Blu-ray drives for new Xbox - reportLite on detailsBy INQUIRER Newsdesk: Tuesday, 01 April 2008, 9:25 AMMAKER OF DISC-SPINNERS Lite-On is building Blu-ray Disc-(BD) ROM drives for the Microsoft Xbox 360 console, according to Taiwan-based Digitimes' sources.Lite-On currently builds DVD drives for the Volish box, but it looks like Microsoft will bite Sony's bullet and move up to Blu-ray, since it can't persuade anyone to make HD-DVD drives any more.Lite-On will begin shipping drives to Microsoft in the latter half of this year, Digitimes' unverified sources said. They also said the firm has begun shipping the drives already so unless a poisson d'avril has swam under the drawbridge, someone's a bit confused.The drives headed for Microsoft are for the next-generation Xbox, the 361.
QuoteLite-On builds Blu-ray drives for new Xbox - reportLite on detailsBy INQUIRER Newsdesk: Tuesday, 01 April 2008, 9:25 AMMAKER OF DISC-SPINNERS Lite-On is building Blu-ray Disc-(BD) ROM drives for the Microsoft Xbox 360 console, according to Taiwan-based Digitimes' sources.Lite-On currently builds DVD drives for the Volish box, but it looks like Microsoft will bite Sony's bullet and move up to Blu-ray, since it can't persuade anyone to make HD-DVD drives any more.Lite-On will begin shipping drives to Microsoft in the latter half of this year, Digitimes' unverified sources said. They also said the firm has begun shipping the drives already so unless a poisson d'avril has swam under the drawbridge, someone's a bit confused.The drives headed for Microsoft are for the next-generation Xbox, the 361.Hmm why would anyone buy a PS3 after this?
GTA IV coming out soon and i wont be able to play because of exam YAY!
XBox 360 overhaul come AugustBD player, new graphics chipBy Paul Taylor: Monday, 05 May 2008, 10:47 AMACCORDING TO KNOW-IT-ALL EDN newspaper in China, Pegatron Technology (bastard offspring of Asustek, in case you’re wondering), has managed to grab the highly-denied “Blu-Ray for Xbox360” deal of the year.We imagine Microsoft denied the existence of such unit, not to shield its upcoming launch from the competition’s prying marketeers, but rather because its staff were responding in default “mirror” mode whereby hacks that asked the Vole if they had plans for a BD add-on, they received a 100% flat/honest “No”. True. All things considered, it won’t be an add-on.The newspaper adds that Pegatron will assemble Microsoft’s console with the in-built BD player, with units hitting the market in Q3/2008 – Mid-summer, as it were.This goes head-on with Dean Takahashi’s info on the Xbox 360 “Jasper” platform that is scheduled for August of this year. We'd already mentioned this platform over here, btw. The Jasper will feature a shrunken 65nm ATI graphics core and “smaller memory chips”. This does make more sense if you’re using the new GPU core to aid you in decoding HD on Blu-ray, too.So that’s about it, major Xbox 360 platform overhaul coming this summer, with some time to spare for Christmas - Blu-ray, faster graphics and what is likely to be an all-round cooler console – and the thing is assembled by Pegatron Technology.This Xbox 360 "Ultra" (our word, not the Vole's) should be able to do a bit more than trail the PS3. Should make for an interesting holiday season this year.
Blu-ray not coming. Officially. Until it does.By Wily Ferret: Tuesday, 06 May 2008, 10:06 AM IT'S THE RUMOUR that just won't die - Vole is planning to introduce a Blu-ray drive for its Xbox 360 games console in the wake of the death of HD-DVD.Indeed, we reported news from Taiwan that Asus had even secured order to supply drives, which would ship as part of the 'Jasper' update for the 360 platform later this year.But, proving that their line is nothing if not persistant, Microsoft has categorically denied that it has any plans to introduce Blu-ray.Responding to a query from Gamepro, a Microsoft official said that "As we have stated, we have no plans to introduce a Blu-ray drive for Xbox 360." That's pretty categorical, although the obvious caveat is that there are 'no plans that this particular PR chump knows about'. What J Allard and co get up to in their own time is between consenting adults.It does seem unlikely that Microsoft can continue to ship honking quantities of 360s in the face of a very obvious one-up from Sony on the features front. Even if the Blu-ray drive does arrive, don't expect it to be standard, and don't expect any games in the format either - Microsoft has far too many standard DVD consoles out their to even think about cheesing off existing owners. µ
GTA4 causes mass manslaughterOnline hotbed of car crimeBy Wily Ferret: Friday, 09 May 2008, 11:00 AMGTA4 INSPIRED more than 2.3 million people to get online with their Xbox 360s over launch weekend, according to stats compiled by Volish Guru Larry Hyrb.The online console service saw 1m concurrent players at its peak, thanks to GTA's seamless built-in multiplayer experience that allows gamers to set up their matches via the game's mobile phone.The game has now overtaken perennial favourites such as Halo 3 and Gears of War to become by far the most popular game currently being played online by Xbox users. Indeed, the average gamer spent more than four hours playing the game online in just the first week - not including time spent in the epic single player campaign.Microsoft staff also revealed that Xbox 360 console sales rose by 54 per cent in the launch week for GTA, as gamers finally persuaded themselves of the need to ditch the old PS2. Some preliminary information (corroborated by Wired here) suggests that GTA was selling in roughly 60/40 quantities favouring the Microsoft console.Have a look at the numbers for yourself, here.
First off, new parts coming:Xbox Jasper 65nm chips all lined upBetween IBM and the TaiwaneseBy INQUIRER Newsdesk: Friday, 09 May 2008, 9:26 AMMICROSOFT has lined up all the chips it needs to build its upcoming Xbox revision named Jasper.Jasper is due this summer and features chippery shrunk from 90nm to 65.IBM is supplying 65nm Xenon microprocessors for the box. Now, according to CENS, TSMC is to build 65nm graphics chips and north-bridge chips for its latest version of XBox360 game consoles Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. (ASE) will do the packaging and Nanya PCB Corp. has a hand in the deal too.The Chinese wire says Microsoft has booked foundry capacity for some 10,000 300mm wafers at TSMC.It also says a further Xbox, with integrated GP and CPU and named Valhalla, is set for autumn 2009.http://cens.com/cens/html/en/news/news_inner_23301.htmlSo if you were still somewhat concerned about buying the Red Ring box, after this summer ur fears should completely be laid to rest.And now GTAQuoteGTA4 causes mass manslaughterOnline hotbed of car crimeBy Wily Ferret: Friday, 09 May 2008, 11:00 AMGTA4 INSPIRED more than 2.3 million people to get online with their Xbox 360s over launch weekend, according to stats compiled by Volish Guru Larry Hyrb.The online console service saw 1m concurrent players at its peak, thanks to GTA's seamless built-in multiplayer experience that allows gamers to set up their matches via the game's mobile phone.The game has now overtaken perennial favourites such as Halo 3 and Gears of War to become by far the most popular game currently being played online by Xbox users. Indeed, the average gamer spent more than four hours playing the game online in just the first week - not including time spent in the epic single player campaign.Microsoft staff also revealed that Xbox 360 console sales rose by 54 per cent in the launch week for GTA, as gamers finally persuaded themselves of the need to ditch the old PS2. Some preliminary information (corroborated by Wired here) suggests that GTA was selling in roughly 60/40 quantities favouring the Microsoft console.Have a look at the numbers for yourself, here.Where are the PS3 fanboys comparative numbers?
Microsoft rants at Sony's broken promisesConsole round-up GTA IV comparedBy Dean Pullen: Monday, 12 May 2008, 9:05 AMBRIGHTON BASED gaming site, Eurogamer, has an in-depth look at the difference between GTA IV on the PS3 and Xbox 360. Though both consoles do a good job, it seems the 360 just pips the PS3 for image quality.This isn't the only area in which the Xbox has the slight edge - Microsoft has released data claiming the 360 has sold over 60 per cent of the launch week copies of GTA IV.Xbox 360 Not only has Microsoft won more sales of GTA IV, it also ensured Microsoft sold a bucket load of consoles.Gamedaily.com reports that 360 sales jumped 125 per cent.Microsoft's Xbox 360 group product manager Aaron Greenberg has attacked Sony for what he sees as a failure to deliver on promises made by the firm."Where are all the other products using and networking with their Cell chip? How come Blu-ray did not result in better games? What happened with Sixaxis and rumble? Where is the complete 1080p game library we were promised? If Blu-ray, as they said, would be such a catalyst to PS3 console sales, then why have PS3 sales over the past couple months not seen any lift since the format victory?" he said, among a longer rant viewable here.Gears of War 2 gameplay footage has finally been released, and it's looking as good as we'd hoped.
