Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE Preview has gone live, with “tens of thousands” of Xbox 360 owners getting early access today to the functionality the company expects to roll out generally later in the fall. Among the changes are the promise of 3,500 live and on-demand sporting events per year, voice chat for groups of up to eight people during ESPN games, Zune Pass music streaming for users in the US, UK, France, Italy and Spain, and Netflix for Canadian LIVE users.
There’s also a refreshed Xbox LIVE dashboard and updated Xbox LIVE Family Settings. However, once Kinect units start arriving, owners will be able to use them to navigate ESPN, Zune, Sky Player, and Last.fm on Xbox LIVE using voice and gestures, and Video Kinect will integrate with Windows Live Messenger.
Unfortunately, if you didn’t get your name down it doesn’t look like you’ll have a chance to try out the updated Xbox LIVE. According to spokesperson Major Nelson, Microsoft is no longer accepting sign-ups.
As we reach the five-year mark for the release of the original Xbox 360, many gamers out there are wondering when the next iteration, the next hardware evolution (or, hopefully, revolution) is coming. But, Stephen McGill, the Director of Xbox UK, says that the next version of the Xbox isn’t coming for a few more years. In fact, his wording even says that the company isn’t even considering their next console yet, as they focus more on the here and now, and try to continuously breathe life into the current generation console.
In the past, consoles were refreshed in a “timely” fashion, but since the launch of the PlayStation 2 from Sony, it’s been shown that with the right content and price points, a console can out-last previous perceptions of life. Microsoft is hoping for the same effect with the Xbox 360. McGill, in a recent interview with Xbox 360 Achievements, said that this generation of consoles will be here for a long, long time. He went on to add that, “I think there’s still a lot of legs left with the Xbox 360, so we’re years away from contemplating what comes next.”
It could be just a general use of wording, or McGill could be hinting at something a lot more interesting. Instead of saying “releasing,” a new console in the next few years, he says that Microsoft isn’t even contemplating their next console. It’s probably not true, in the literal terms, as it would make more sense for Microsoft to always be on the look out for the next bits of hardware, as well as software, that they will integrate into the next Xbox console. But, if it is indeed true, then the release of a new Xbox console may even be further out than this article suggests.
As for Blu-ray, McGill doesn’t believe a Blu-ray drive is all that important. He believes that instant viewing, or streaming of full 1080p, “Blu-ray quality” movies/TV shows is far more likely to remain the focus of the general consumer, and that Blu-ray “is going to be passed by as a format.” An interesting out look on things, for sure, but with Kinect launching here in the States on November 4th, and in the UK on November 10th, perhaps the motion-sensing peripheral will indeed breathe new life into the console, and provide gamers with years more of fun and entertainment.
It’s the middle of the week, so we’re just about to the end. Hopefully you’ve got some plans for the weekend, with plenty of rest before we get back into it on Monday. With that in mind, welcome to tonight’s edition of The Daily Slash. In our news from around the Web segment, we got an update for their new 27-inch displays. And then, as usual, we wrap up what’s been going on around the R3 Media Network.
From Around the Web
Apple Releases Software for 27-Inch LED Cinema Displays: Even if the 27-inch LED Cinema Display isn’t quite out yet, that’s not stopping the company from making sure that all the software out there that would need it, gets updated to support the upcoming hardware. Not that customers have to wait long, considering the display went on sale last Friday, and shipping times are still listed as 1-2 weeks. As for the software update, it’s measured at 75.79 MB, and if you don’t have Mac OS X 10.6.4, it won’t work. Features include subtle tweaks to the System Preferences settings, which include ambient light sensor settings. [via MacRumors]
When Microsoft has plans to update their Xbox LIVE experience, which usually incorporates some major improvements to the Dashboard, as well as adding plenty of features, the company has a call-out for interested gamers that would like to take part in a Beta-like program. They call it a Preview Program, and it’s designed to let gamers out there get a taste for what’s coming, as well as test out the features before Microsoft rolls it out to everyone else. This year, the sign-up process has begun.
This time around, there’s plenty on the features side, just as the visuals of the Dashboard get updated. Preview program participants will be able to get their hands on some ESPN for Xbox LIVE goodness, as well as get a glimpse of what the new Zune and Netflix will look like in the upcoming update. Major Nelson has officially announced, today, that the sign-up process has begun, and if you’re interested in getting into the Preview Program, you should hurry up and go through the registration process. You’ll need to get your console ID and serial number, as well as answer some pretty general questions, so it shouldn’t take you too long.
Microsoft are working to increase the voice quality for two-way communication for Xbox Live, with Xbox Live Studios chief Jerry Johnson telling Eurogamer that the original low bit-rate codec – picked to suit broadband connections back in 2002 – will soon be replaced with a higher quality alternative. Originally, Johnson explained, Microsoft mandated that Live users needed 64k connections, and picked a codec to suit that minimum.
In the intervening eight years, however, broadband speeds have increased but the Xbox Live codec has stayed the same, resulting in some seriously crackly audio quality that even Johnson admits is “not what people think of when they talk about popular entertainment.” The update is due sometime this fall, and we can’t help but think it would make sense for Microsoft to throw in some support for Windows Phone 7 remote gamers to chat too; after all, we already know console-to-phone gaming is on the cards.
At this point you’d think we covered almost every nook and cranny of Windows Phone 7, from games and UItoalaunchdeviceorsix, but of course there’s a few dust balls of info our swiffer of newsgathering has yet to grab up. Microsoft Canada’s Greg Milligan has revealed at a recent Xbox 360 event. The big takeaway is future plans for phone-to-console gaming. While suggesting an initial use would be companion games that bring enhancements to full 360 titles (our first thought is how both a web game and Arcade casino title directly tied into Fable 2), he says it’s something they are “absolutely” working on for the “near future” — likely initially through WiFi only due to network speed sensitivities. “Near future,” on that note, is a lot sooner that the impression we got at the recent hands-on, but in either case, we won’t believe it until we see it with our own eyes.
In news that won’t directly affect your gamer score, Twitter, which has been noticeably (and annoyingly) absent from our time with the device, Milligan had this to say: “Twitter is not part of the base platform, but we’re working closely with a number of software developers to make sure we have a twitter experience… on or very shortly after launch.” Some on the staff are divided whether or not this implies full integration or just some third-party apps, but let’s be hopeful for the former, aye? Video interview after the break.
Decent financial performance aside, there was one thorn in Microsoft’s paw during the company’s results call and that was the KIN write-off. With the handsets themselves ousted from Verizon stores and sales frozen, all that was left was to figure out how much of the company’s cash had been wasted overall. Without development costs, Microsoft admitted, they’d spent $240m on the project.
That was enough to take the shine off the Entertainment and Devices group, which had been glowing with their strong Xbox sales but still managed to post a $172m loss thanks to KIN’s demise. Neither Microsoft nor Verizon has confirmed any official sales figures – we’ve heard as little as 503 or as many as 9,705 depending on unofficial sources – but we’ve a feeling those inevitable “failed tech” lists will end up having a KIN or two next to Clippy.
You’ve secretly wanted it. It’s been one of those things you’ve been pining for, maybe even subconsciously, ever since you signed up for Xbox LIVE. Right there next to ordering your favorite pizza from your couch, through the Xbox 360′s Dashboard. You see an advertisement for an upcoming movie, maybe it even opens up the day you see the ad, and you suddenly realize you want to buy a ticket, right then and there. Well, thanks to some new-fangled agreements between Microsoft and MovieTickets.com, that’s one step closer to actually happening.
The two companies announced today that the agreement will usher in a new solution for online movie ticketing issues, all brought to you through Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE service. According to the press release, Xbox LIVE members are now able to make mobile movie ticket purchases. How? By either texting-in, or viewing a Microsoft Tag in a movie studio advertisement. Once you click on some kind of major movie production’s ad, you’ll be able to interact with it in a brand new way, seeing a lot more information than we previously could. Or maybe you even want to.
“Working with Microsoft and the Xbox brand exposes MovieTickets.com to an entertainment-driven audience, providing the perfect opportunity to engage like-minded users with our online movie ticketing solutions,” said Joel Cohen, CEO, MovieTickets.com. “We’re excited to be the first company allowing users the opportunity to interact with a movie advertising experience on Xbox LIVE and easily convert it into an online ticket purchase via their mobile device.”
How will you be able to get your movie ticket? Well, that will require the Microsoft Tag. Which means you’ll have to have a mobile phone that takes advantage of that, too. Which, oddly enough, the press release didn’t clarify at all. But, once you get all of that straightened out, you’ll be taken to a co-branded website on your mobile phone, where you’ll be able to actually buy your movie ticket. Finally. One last thing: your local movie theater will have to be a partner of MovieTickets.com, too. So, just another step. It’s a cool idea, but there seems to be a lot that customers will have to do before they get their movie ticket bought. At this rate, they could’ve just went to the theater. Full press release is below.
Press Release:
New service allows purchase of movie tickets through movie studio’s ads on Xbox LIVE
LOS ANGELES, July 20 /PRNewswire/ — MovieTickets.com, the worldwide leader in advance movie ticketing, today announced that the company has been selected as the first to provide an online movie ticketing solution through the Microsoft Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system by integrating new technology into movie studio experiences on Xbox LIVE. The agreement marks another major entertainment brand joining MovieTickets.com and further increasing the company’s consumer brand awareness.
Xbox LIVE members in the U.S. are now able to make mobile movie ticket purchases through a text-in or a Microsoft Tag viewed in movie studio advertisements. By clicking on a feature film’s advertisement on Xbox LIVE, a user can download and interact with relevant movie content. In addition, they can now activate a Microsoft Tag via their mobile phone which will direct the consumer to a co-branded website to purchase tickets through all domestic MovieTickets.com theater partners, which includes several of the largest exhibitors in the U.S.
“Working with Microsoft and the Xbox brand exposes MovieTickets.com to an entertainment-driven audience, providing the perfect opportunity to engage like-minded users with our online movie ticketing solutions,” said Joel Cohen, CEO, MovieTickets.com. “We’re excited to be the first company allowing users the opportunity to interact with a movie advertising experience on Xbox LIVE and easily convert it into an online ticket purchase via their mobile device.”
“The agreement with MovieTickets.com provides Microsoft and movie studios another unique way to drive awareness and ticket sales through Xbox LIVE,” said Mark Kroese, general manager for the Advertising Business Group at Microsoft. “Not only that, it provides for a great consumer experience.”
For a complete list of the MovieTickets.com Exhibitors, please visit: www.movietickets.com/200strong.
For more information or to speak with a MovieTickets.com representative, contact Formula at (310) 578-7050 or via e-mail at casey@formulapr.com.
About MovieTickets.com
MovieTickets.com (www.movietickets.com), the worldwide leader in advance movie ticketing, offers moviegoers a destination for movie news, reviews and trailers as well as a convenient way to buy movie tickets in advance. MovieTickets.com enables consumers to buy tickets online for movie screens across the United States, as well as in Canada at MovieTickets.ca; in the U.K. at MovieTickets.co.uk; in Ireland at MovieTickets.ie; in Argentina at MovieTickets.com.ar; from any Internet-enabled wireless device at mobile.movietickets.com; and from any phone at 877-789-MOVIE. Formed in 2000, MovieTickets.com is a joint venture between AMC Entertainment, Hollywood Media Corp. (NASDAQ: HOLL), National Amusements, Cineplex Entertainment, Marcus Theatres (NYSE: MCS), Viacom (NYSE: VIA) and Time Warner, and leverages the collective theater chain expertise to deliver consumers a premium movie ticketing experience. Its elite collection of partner theaters consistently represents over 50 percent of the top 100 grossing theaters in North America on any given weekend. The MovieTickets.com theater chain group, which includes 200 theater chains, is about ten times the number of chains of its nearest competitor.
Microsoft has applied for a patent on a dual-mode Xbox gaming controller that could seamlessly switch between wired and wireless modes mid-gameplay. According to the documentation, the controller would not only be equipped to run either on batteries in a wireless mode or via a physical connection – i.e. a USB cable – but of informing the currently playing game to flip between the two.
That way, if you wanted more flexibility in movement, you could detach the cable and go wireless – Microsoft envisage any combination of infrared, Bluetooth or RF being possible – before returning to a wired connection when the controller battery runs down. The game itself wouldn’t have to be paused, and could automatically keep track of which controller goes with which player (and their accompanying saved games).
Of course, patent applications aren’t necessarily a sign of actual intent to produce but we can think of quite a few gamers who would be keen on this dual-mode hardware.
Whether or not you’re a fan of Xbox LIVE probably has a lot to do with whether or not you’re a paying subscriber, or what they call the “Silver” member. Right now, Microsoft has all sorts of different ways you can sign up for a Gold Membership: from month-to-month, a three-month package, or a yearly subscription. Either way you choose, you get more access to things like demos, and the ability to play online multiplayer on titles like Halo or Gears of War. Well, now Microsoft’s got a new option coming up: the Family Pack.
Today marks the announcement from Microsoft that there’s going to be a $100/year subscription back. The difference is, this one’s for four people, so basically that comes out to $25/year, per person. A pretty good deal, when you compare the upwards of $40/year cost for a “normal” Gold user. Other differences, is that the main account in this Gold Family Pack will be able to distribute Microsoft Points to the other accounts when they see fit, as well as monitor the gaming usage of each account.
The new Family Pack will become available this November, so just in time for those holiday shoppers. There’s still a few questions out there, like how many consoles you can have this Family Pack installed on, or if it has to be all on one console, just with multiple Xbox LIVE accounts on it. Hopefully that gets cleared up before the launch.
