Xbox at Zune, Xbox 360 & Windows Mobile Phones

Xbox

All about the Microsoft Xbox including how it integrates with the Zune portable media players

Obama ads on Xbox a sign of the times

Oct 232008

In what may be the creepiest example of big brother watching the Obama campaign has begun in game ads for select games on the Xbox 360 console. Not only are these new ads just purchased and inserted into the games but they can also geo target the states with early voting.

IndyStar.com | Geeking Out | The Indianapolis Star

How important does Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate for president, think Indiana is in the upcoming election? So important that he’s made it one of 10 states to receive in-game ads in the Xbox 360 version of ‘Burnout Paradise.’

Xbox 360 concept game player and phone from T3

Xbox No Responses »

Jun 262008

Zune 360

Yeah mon, can’t wait to get my hands on something like this.

X-Box 360 handheld console on the way? – www.t3.com

X-Box 360 handheld console on the way?
Fancy rocking some GTA IV on-the-go, if T3 get our way Microsoft’s Zune MP3 player could be going gaming. Check out our artist’s impressions.

A Microsoft Zune / X-Box 360 / mobile phone hybrid? Could this potentially be the greatest handheld gadget in the history of the world?

It’s by no means a reality, but it’s been over a year since Big M big-wigs hinted at this awesome combo. While nothing remains concrete, we at T3 couldn’t wait any longer.

Our artist’s impressions from the future tech feature in this month’s T3 Magazine show the three gadgets brought together in revolutionary harmony.

Our vision features the familiar X logo and coloured buttons of the X-Box with the slim and sleek Zune music player, with a 64GB flash drive and a mobile phone built in for good measure.

Xbox 360 sales surpass Wii, PS3

Xbox No Responses »

May 152008

Microsoft is beating the drums over hitting the 10 million units sold mark Xbox has had an extra year over Wii and thats not a good sign. Nintendo is going to hit the same mark much faster and Microsoft has certainly laid out a lout more in order to get the as well. It’s costing them big bucks to get to these benchmarks so I guiess they need to toot them up as often as possible.

I love Xbox Live but it’s going to be awhile if ever before Microsoft can claim dominance by any real measure. The Playstation and Wii will both be around for quite some time to come. I think Microsoft should start looking at how to broaden their fan base with more add ons and games for other demographics not including the hardcore gamers. The success of the Wii is certainly not just because every top gamer went out and bought one. The Wii is becoming the family unit and thats whats most dangerous to Microsoft. the true success in the Xbox package is Halo and that may be their biggest problem. Microsoft needs to offer more for the other household members if they want their console to truly dominate.

Xbox 360 sales surpass Wii, PS3 | Reuters

SEATTLE (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday its Xbox 360 game machine beat Nintendo Co Ltd’s (7974.OS: Quote, Profile, Research) Wii and Sony Corp’s (6758.T: Quote, Profile, Research) PlayStation 3 to reach 10 million units in U.S. sales.

“History has shown us that the first company to reach 10 million in console sales wins the generation battle,” Don Mattrick, a Microsoft senior vice president who heads the company’s Xbox business, said in a statement.

The Xbox 360 was the first of this latest generation of game machines to launch in the United States when it was released in November 2005. The PS3 and Wii were launched in the United States a year later.

The Wii is closing in on the Xbox 360, with 8.8 million units sold as of the end of March, while Sony has totaled 4.1 million PS3 units sold, according to market research firm NPD.

Microsoft also said global membership of its Xbox Live online service reached 12 million members.

Xbox 360 versus Apple TV

Xbox No Responses »

Mar 102008

ArsTechnica has a nice comparison of the Apple TV versus the Xbox 360 as the best choice for home entertainment system or digital hub. It’s a pretty easy for me with the Zune and a PC to take the 360 as a better choice for my digital lifestyle and it’s probably the better choice for millions of Windows users as well.

Apple TV is probably great for some folks but why would you miss out on the gaming capabilities and Xbox Live by choosing an Apple TV unless you already have a Wii or Playstation and no need for the Xbox game console? Seems like the Xbox 360 is an easy choice over the Apple TV for most of us.

Mano a mano: Apple TV vs. the Xbox 360: Page 2

Why the Apple TV is better:

* Cheaper than the Xbox 360
* Cheaper HD rentals
* Less restrictive licensing
* Build quality
* Better integration with the iTunes store
* Silent running
* Small form factor

Why the Xbox 360 is better:

* Lots of features when combined with Vista Windows Media Center
* Better picture quality (at the expense of file size)
* Plays games
* DVD drive (and the option of HD DVD)
* Includes cables

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 April Fools?

Apple, Free Zune, MAX, Microsoft, Music, The Zune, Video, Xbox, Zune, Zune Giveaway, Zune Rumors No Responses »

Apr 022007

Yesterday I announced the second winner of our Free Zune Giveaway and since it fell on April Fools Day I decided to have some fun with the announcement. Giveaway winners are posted in the forum and I announced the topic to every registered member with the misleading title “You won a Free Zune from ZuneMAX.com” which I thought was funny but I guess one or two of you didn’t. One guy cursed me pretty bad actually but he appears to have issues. Not all Zuners are cool It seems.

I had some fun yesterday just checking some of the other April Foolishness and saw the fun Google and Slashdot had with it. Late last night I read a story on Slashdot that caught my eye. titled “Microsoft set to Announce Zune 360 and 180” describes an article written by BlueBerry Bob title “Zune – set for a revamp“. In this article Bob claims that Microsoft is holding back plans for the current Zuner device because of the impending release of two new devices named the Zune 360 and the Zune 180. The Zune 360 is said to be a touchscreen video player with a full face screen and increased capacity and the 180 is a smaller Nano style player.

When I read the article late last night I thought it was an April Fools gag but now I’m wondering if I was the fool. I reread the article today after I found sites like TheInquirer going with the story and if it is a gag it’s well done. If it’s not what Microsoft has planned then maybe it is what they need to be doing at least. As it stands I have no idea whether it’s true or not but I do agree with their conclusion.

Conclusion
There’s not enough information to say whether the new Zunes will be a success but if this information is accurate the new models will be a major improvement over the original. This could mean some much needed competition in the portable music player market.

Zune – Set for a revamp

Microsoft’s Zune was released in the US in November 2006 and sales have been disappointing so far, in fact except for the launch week there’s been no week where the Zune has sold over 1000 units. A lot of problems with the Zune are caused by perception (a lot of people think they’re only available in brown), pricing (same price as an iPod – people will only pay a premium for the market leader) and the defective by design wireless sharing which adds bulk to the product without providing any useful purpose. The roll out to the rest of the world has been temporarily suspended while Microsoft finalize plans for the Zune 360 bringing them parity with their successful Xbox line of consoles. As yet, no information has been leaked so we have no pictures of this new product, but it is planned to be released in June and in a break from typical Microsoft style of announce plans early and often they’ve decided to follow a more secretive Apple style approach. Still, it’s amazing what information you can get out of a Microsoft rep if you feed them 10 bottles of Duvel, for some of them 2 bottles will even do.

Zune Marketplace is awesome

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

Mar 272007

The greatest thing about the Microsoft Zune is the amount of music you have at your fingertips. With more than 2 million tracks available, Zune represents every genre of music for those who crave diversity. Not only is the large selection of tracks one of the biggest perks, but the most noteworthy part of Zune is its partnership with Billboard. With this partnership you can bring back those memorable songs from the past with six decades worth of songs to choose from.

The benefits do not stop there as Zune not only offers great selection but with Zune, you are able to play music files, display videos and images, and receive FM radio, as well. The Zune also has the capacity to connect wirelessly and via the Xbox 360.

The Zune is an entirely new market for Microsoft has gotten much criticism and does not have the cult following of Apple Computerâ€™s iPod. However, Zuneâ€™s biggest competition out there, iTunes, is giving the newcomer a run for its money. iTunes, released in 2001, used primarily for organizing digital music and video files, is a name even the technologically challenged can identity.

When it comes to Zune, many people are still unaware of its existence. The biggest problem for Zune is the lack of exposure it is receiving. If you were to ask your average consumer about Zune, a dumbfounded look is what you might get. Appleâ€™s five year start is partly responsible for its major success. It has had ample time to perfect its technology, yielding maximum performance and profitable sales.

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.

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