Xbox Fanatics

May you have a blessed and joyous 2007.

Merry Christmas

Happy Festivus

Feliz Navidad

However you say it… All the best to you and yours from me and mine…

Just like the title says – details at xbox.com

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/support/connecttolive/xb…

From gameindustry.biz

The release of a batch of pre-Christmas Xbox 360 titles, lead by Microsoft’s Gears of War, has seen broadband traffic on Xbox Live in the US swell by 80 per cent.

According to broadband specialist Sandvine, Xbox Live use spiked after the November 7th release of six titles including the highly-anticipated Epic shooter, which went on to sell over a million units in the first two weeks of sale.

“The effect Gears of War and other games are having on networks indicates to service providers that online gaming is not just a craze,” said Dave Caputo, CEO of Sandvine.

The company compared the spike to that reported after the release of Halo 2 in 2004, a game which has only very recently lost its crown as the most played game on Xbox Live to Gears of War.

Related Articles

• Gears of War takes top spot in Xbox Live chart
• E3: Microsoft’s J Allard on Xbox 360
• Microsoft attacks PlayStation 3 launch with Gears of War

The next time you sign into Xbox Live, you’ll be prompted for a dashboard update. The update contains:

• Improved support for HD video output over VGA, including 1080p resolution
• Improved plug and play performance for wired headsets when being used with wireless controllers 
• Changes made to recently played games list to improve accuracy

This update is being rolled out across the world, so you may not get it exactly at this moment, so be patient.

By way of Major Nelson

Microsoft just rolled out the much awaited update to the Xbox 360 dashboard including — among other things — support for 1080p over VGA and component but for some gamers and error screen was all they got. The company still hasn’t said exactly what it believe is causing the issue, although some have said it may be due to either frequency supported by the VGA cable or the way it syncs with monitors, but Major Nelson confirmed on his podcast this morning that engineers are aware of the issue and are working on a fix. The TVs that suffer the problem appear to be some Sony (most notably LCD XBRs) and Samsung models that should be able to accept the 1080p input but as of yet, don’t. Affected owners should hopefully have their mere 720p experience rectified soon, but will it be in time for the HD DVD player launch?

Source: Engadget HD

We knew we weren’t crazy. Looks like at least one Xbox 360 was outfitted with a larger-than-normal drive at one of Microsoft’s two fall HD download / update / launches event this evening (that’d be SF and NY). Which is good because if when Xbox Live Video goes, um, live on November 22nd and there isn’t a larger drive, we have a feeling certain Microsoft customers (namely us) will start rioting and looting Redmond. Ok, maybe not — but seriously, of all the rumors to track closely, how much longer do we have to keep watching for a freaking bigger hard drive? Oh, and click on for the HD DVD retail box — this Plaid Ninja guy got it all.

Source: ENGADGET

Big Screen Photos allows you to experience Yahoo!® flickrâ„¢ in your loungeroom – using your remote control.

This program is designed for both Windows® XP and Windows® Vista® Media Center (Beta 2) – and also runs via your Xbox® 360 Extender.
‘Big Screen Photos’ uses the latest Microsoft.NET® v3 (aka Microsoft® WinFX®) – to provide a powerful animated User Interface which is optimized for Televisions and the 10′ experience.

Features at a Glance Include..

• Browse and View your flickrâ„¢ Photo’s (and everyone elses) directly from flickr online.
• Browse and Search Groups, Photosets, Tags, People and more to find what you want.
• Access Detailed User and Photo Information and drill down on metadata.
• (NEW) Rotate, Zoom and convert your photos to B&W/Sepia tones quickly and easily.
• (NEW) Bookmark your favorite Photo Streams - and view them later via ‘Local Favorites’.
• UI Theme Support – change the appearance of Big Screen Portal with 7 inbuilt color themes.

Get the rest of the details at mobileware.net

Will you be able to hook the new Xbox 360 HD DVD drive to a PC?

According to this article on Gizmodo, it may be possible, but only with the right software.

READ IT HERE

Dig Dug, the Bandai-Namco classic originally released in 1981 is launching on Xbox Live Arcade. The game features enhanced graphics including HDTV support, 12 Xbox Live Achievements, and Leaderboards.

Source: Xbox Live Arcade on my Xbox 360