Video Games at Zune, Xbox 360 & Windows Mobile Phones

Video Games

All about video games like the Microsoft Xbox and Sony Playstation consoles

Who wants to be a Video Game Tester?

Jun 092008

So here is a cool career choice for some of our video game fans here in Zune land. Anyone looking for game tester jobs? I know I’d love to be paid for the massive hours of gaming I have logged and so would many of you I’m sure. Game Tester Guide offers tips and advice on how to become a video game tester with a focus on training us how to get a job as a game tester. A game tester you say? Yes, people actually get paid to play video games and game testing is an important part of proper video game development. The video game industry has become a muilti billion dollar market with almost unlimited growth potential.

It’s a new world and people are making a living doing some strange things but a game tester sounds like a good idea. Not only is a great idea for a website but it’s a great idea for some of the younger crowd who are looking at career choices in todays media driven market. Professional gaming is a legitimate choice for a select few but it is becoming a more accepted career choice for certain. With the rise in second generation console gaming and the popularity of massive player games online the industry seems poised for explosive growth and jobs in game development and testing seem a solid choice for those of us with the right skill set. I’m not a professional gamer or a game tester but the advice I picked up in their game tester guide seems solid and worthy of review by those of you interested in a career in gaming. I suggest you gamers get over to their site and check out what they are offering.

Game Tester Guide – Become a Video Game Tester & Beta Game Testing

Our sole purpose is to help you find a video game tester job. We have organized the best information on video game
testing. From how to become a game tester, to a listing of the best video game tester guide resources out there, to
information on what video game testing really is, and how to be a game tester.

Technorati Tags: game tester, gamer, game testing

Zune games for everyone

Games, Gaming, Microsoft, MP3, Music, The Zune, Video, Video Games, Xbox, Zune, Zune Games, Zune Phone No Responses »

Apr 032007

Microsoftâ€™s, Chris Lewis, stated that their main focus with the Zune phone was to allow people to connect and share music. The Zune and XBOX are integrated, so people can connect their Zune phone to it and play games. Although, games in the device itself are something they are considering. With the Zune phones 2 Mbps streaming, being able to game on it would be especially nice. Without that cool feature, the Zune phone would be just another MP3 player.

There are some people out there thinking that the Zune phoneâ€™s small physique wouldnâ€™t be suitable for gaming. Well, that all depends on the person. Some people may enjoy its compact style. With the excellent streaming it provides, you would be sure to have a great gaming experience.

Microsoft isnâ€™t foreign when it comes to video games since they have a team that works on PC games. Peter Moore, also with Zune, said they there should be games for the Zune within the next 18 months. This will definitely bring it up to par with the iPod, Microsoftâ€™s well known rival. By this time, the iPod will have more than likely upgraded to its sixth generation.

With all of the great features the Zune us rumored to have, it would be great to add games onto the list. All of us have a fetish for them whether it be Pac Man, Tetris, Sims, or Halo. I really donâ€™t think the Zune would make much of a first person shooting game, especially since a lot of controller buttons would be missing, but I say, â€œThe more features the better.â€

Zune Phone on the way from Microsoft

Apple, Free Zune, Games, MAX, Microsoft, Music, The Zune, Video, Video Games, Xbox, Zune, Zune Phone No Responses »

Mar 232007

Microsoftâ€™s newest gadget, the â€œZune phoneâ€, which isnâ€™t a phone, is still in the making, but is so appealing that it is already turning heads. Well, if you havenâ€™t heard yet, the device is said to be used as broadband and networking by consumers. It uses OFDM, which is its communications protocol, instead of Bluetooth or WiFi. The orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM), is a scheme that is going to be used with the 4G standards that is going to be coming up far into the future.

The Zune phone will allow you to talk to people over the Internet. How cool is that? You will also be able to share music with others who have it, not through WiFi, but with WiMax. The Zune phone will have you downloading from the net at speeds as high as 2 Mbps. With those speeds you would have ultimate streaming for playing video games.

There should be an announcement by St. Patrickâ€™s Day about its actual name. Then we will also be informed about all of the launch specifics. So far, all we know is that it should hit the shelves sometime in May of 2007 in the U.S., and 2008 in Europe. At this point, the features are still a mystery and are still being created as we speak. It is also said that the Zune phone is to be different than all of its competitors, including iPhone.

Speaking of Apple products, the Zune phone was Microsoftâ€™s response to Appleâ€™s iPhone. Apple actually held onto the iPhone to do more work with it, and decided to also release it in 2007. If you ask me, it seems Apple was trying to cheat. Here are a few things that would really help Zune phone beat the iPhone:

1. Touch Screen
2. Live anywhere over 3G, which would allow gamers to play on XBOX through the Zune phone.
3. Vista Sideshow capability.
4. Streaming from Media Center or XBOX

There is word going around that when the Zune phone is dropped, Sprint/Nextel will be its carrier. It will most likely spread to other wireless carriers, but probably not Cingular since iPhone is going to be released to it. One way Microsoft is sure to beat them with is price. It is rumored that the iPhone will be ranging around $600-$800, while the Zune phone will have prices close to that of the PS3.

Microsoft Denies Xbox Live Hacks

Games, Gaming, Microsoft, The Zune, Video Games, Xbox, Zune No Responses »

Mar 222007

In a statement, Microsoft said that rumours about Xbox Live accounts being hijacked are false.

Microsoft to PC gamers: Prepare to go Live

Gaming, Microsoft, The Zune, Video, Video Games, Xbox, Zune No Responses »

Mar 142007

Microsoft to PC gamers: Prepare to go Live – CNN.com

Microsoft Corp. Wednesday said its Live online service, which has attracted 6 million Xbox 360 console gamers, will be open in May to PC gamers who use its new Windows Vista operating system.

The move comes nearly a year after Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said the company’s vision was for “anywhere” gaming that would link video game consoles, cell phones and computers, and is a key step toward reaching that goal.

The PC version of Live will debut on May 8 with the launch of the Windows Vista version of “Halo 2,” Microsoft’s popular alien shooter game.

In June, Microsoft Game Studios will release “Shadowrun,” the first game where Live will support competition between players on the Xbox 360 and PCs.

Live members will need just one account, whether they play on the Xbox 360, the PC, or both machines.

Microsoft offers two Live subscription levels. Silver membership is free and the Gold level, which includes cross-platform play and other multiplayer features, costs about $50 per year.

Microsoft’s online gaming service has been a key selling point for its Xbox 360 video game console, which was released in November 2005 and competes with Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Co. Ltd.’s Wii for top billing in the $30 billion global video game market.

Wild Piatas Are Loose on Xbox Live Marketplace

Games, Gaming, The Zune, Video Games, Xbox, Zune No Responses »

Mar 132007

If you havent escaped to Piata Island yet, now is the time. The official Viva Piata demo has arrived on Xbox Live Marketplace and is waiting for you!

XNA Game Studio Express Challenge

Games, Gaming, The Zune, Video Games, Xbox, XNA, Zune No Responses »

Mar 092007

Today, the XNA Game Studio Express Challenge teams unveiled their completed games to the public at the Game Developers Conference.

Zune Game Player could use new AMD Imageon processors

Games, Gaming, Microsoft, The Zune, Video, Video Games, Xbox, Zune, Zune Game Player, Zune Rumors, Zune Software No Responses »

Mar 082007

Following up on our rumor from yesterday with some more Zune game player speculation today we have an article from Arstechnica on the announcement at GDC by AMD of their development of a suite of tools which allow developers to produce gaming content for their next generation mobile graphics products.

AMD has a new line of processors developed for mobile applications named Imageon which has support for 3D and 2D graphics, audio processing, digital still and video cameras, TV out, video recording with image stabilization, video transcoding, and various other multimedia features. The Arstechnica article speculates on a use for the new processor. They feel the Imageon chip would be the great match for a Microsoft portable game player and would be just what you need for a Zune gaming device. Of course this does not mean it will end up in any gaming device from Microsoft but just the fact people are mentioning it as a use may means there is interest in the player. Let’s hope Microsoft is paying attention and the rumored development of the Zune game player is on track. A holiday release date for a Zune 2.0 player and crossover with the existing Xbox fan base is just what Zune needs to kick start the social.

AMD brings Xbox 360 tech to handhelds

At GDC today, AMD announced a suite of tools for developing handheld gaming content for the company’s next-generation mobile graphics parts. The suite includes Rendermonkey 1.7, a shader tool that will let game developers write graphics code for a range of devices that support the OpenVG 1.0, OpenGL 2.0, and Unified Shader Architecture technologies. ATI’s Unified Shader Architecture in particular is one of the main selling points of the Xbox 360, and AMD will offer support for unified shaders on its next generation of mobile parts.

Rendermonkey is already widely used by PC and console developers, so the fact that the latest version makes it easier to author mobile gaming content should help foster porting and the development of original titles for handheld devices containing the AMD’s forthcoming Imageon processors.

The Imageon processor line, announced by AMD last month, is essentially a “GPU” for mobile devices. Imageon is more flexible than a desktop GPU, of course, since with a mobile device you want to save on cost and battery life by cramming as much of the phone onto one piece of silicon as you possibly can. So Imageon has support for 3D and 2D graphics, audio processing, digital still and video cameras, TV out, video recording with image stabilization, video transcoding, and various other multimedia features. All of this stuff is on a single chip that’s separate from the phone’s radio chip, so that the handset maker can upgrade to a new version of Imageon without having to go through the process of FCC qualification each time they add features.
A portable Microsoft gaming device?