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Xbox 360 Details and NYC Store
Gamasutra is reporting on some new Xbox 360 details, released today by Microsoft at the Game Developer's Conference Europe (GDCE). From the article:"Quick voice chat with Xbox Live friends will be available at any time on Xbox 360, even if the player is currently using another game. The game will simply pause and the voice conversation will be carried out - the game automatically mutes any other in-game voice." Additionally, the Seattle Times has piece up indicating that Microsoft is planning on battling Nintendo in the streets of New York City, with a possible Times Square store of their own. From that piece: "A retail store would dovetail with Microsoft's recent efforts to raise its profile in New York, an area that generates more than $1 billion a year in business-software sales for the company. New York is also home to the media giants Microsoft is courting with its software for distributing and protecting music, movies, games and television."
- Default, game independent 'gamer profiles' on Xbox 360 will include some extremely broad, optional settings which all games will check, including difficulty levels, Y-axis inversion setting, preferred car transmission type (automatic or manual), and a handful of other extremely common game settings. There is then a requirement that game, on its first boot, checks those optional settings, so if the player always uses FPSes with inverted controls, he will never have to reset it in individual game cases.
This is really useful and innovative. I don't know why they don't talk about it more!
Did you get that thing I sent ya?
I can't shake the mental picture of a 200 foot tall Donkey Kong slugging it out with a giant Clippy. Whoops, there goes the Apple Store!
What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
OK, i'll bite this troll. Ever consider that maybe some people (even geeks!) might actually be interested in the 360? I mean, the hardware seems nice and the launch games look good to me. Though a lot has been made of the price, $400 doesn't seem bad to me, since I usually import consoles at much higher prices than that. Is it 'retarded' because YOU say so? You don't speak for everyone, and it's difficult to deny the original XBox did better than most had predicted (including myself). Drop the conspiracy, i'm sure MS has better things to do with thier time than karma bomb slashdot, unless you have some kind of proof, I would stop talking out of your rear. I guess my point is, the fanboy'ism on all sides it out of hand. Why do people need to defend consumer products so vigorously? Buy whatever you like, but there is no need to publically belittle anyone who thinks differently/ -Robert Petersen (Proud owner of just about every console ever)
- "Scientia non habet inimicum nisp ignorantem"