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February 2006 - Posts

How Many Times has This Happened to You?

posted Tuesday, February 28, 2006 6:21 PM by johnporcaro
“Casual games, those five-minute diversions you play for a quick break but somehow end up clicking away on for two hours, have become one of the fastest-growing categories of computer gaming.” --Marc Saltzman, Garnett News Service as posted on CNN Read More
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Mexico Got the 360 Fever!

posted Tuesday, February 28, 2006 6:05 PM by johnporcaro
I was visiting TeamXbox.com forums, and ran across a thread started by JpopFan, from Guadalajara.  He points out that even though HDTV and DSL is limited in Mexico, sales seem to be brisk.  He points to some more pictures of the event that we Read More
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We Heart U, Vista!

posted Tuesday, February 28, 2006 2:10 PM by wolf
Extreme Tech posted a great article called the "Why Vista Won't Suck". They point out some pretty key features that I've already mentioned prevoiusly, but it sounds better coming from them.   I think the title of the article Read More
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Forrester Research Agrees: Windows Games Business is Healthy

posted Monday, February 27, 2006 5:46 PM by wolf
File this under "Oops -- shoulda seen this last week". Forrester Research issued a report saying that "the video gaming industry is in the throes of a midlife crisis — facing aging consoles, layoffs, slower growth, and a disgruntled customer base." Read More
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PSFK interview of Xbox Ad Man

posted Monday, February 27, 2006 5:00 PM by johnporcaro
Eli Friedman is on our Global Marketing team.  He runs the team responsible for marketing communications and advertising for the Xbox 360, Xbox Live, accessories, and games.  He recently sat down with Piers Fawkes at psfk.com, a marketing and Read More
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The Commoditization of Technology

posted Sunday, February 26, 2006 7:27 PM by johnporcaro
Gamespy presents an exclusive ten-minute video interview of Denis Dyach, president of Silicon Knights, developer of the upcoming Xbox 360 title, Too Human.  Dryach makes an interesting point about the "commoditization of technology:" Read More
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Rare Boss Ken Lobb talks to MundoRare (Now with Extra languages!)

posted Friday, February 24, 2006 2:14 PM by cesarmenendez
Is Rare bringing Killer Instinct for Xbox 360?  I, like many fans of the franchise (and Rare in general) have often wondered. Well, according to Ken Lobb, Studio manager when asked by MundoRare.com "No comment, but as most people know, I LOVE Read More
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Welcome Wolf!

posted Friday, February 24, 2006 2:05 PM by johnporcaro
Michael's been around Xbox for some time, and he's had his own blog for years.  Glad to see you onboard!  From his bio: "...Microsoft was crazy enough to hire him as PR Manager working on first party Xbox games. He's been doing PR for Read More
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Windows: Back in the Game

posted Friday, February 24, 2006 12:31 PM by wolf
I had the distinct pleasure two weeks ago, to stand backstage at an event called the D.I.C.E. Summit (it stands for Design. Innovate. Communicate. Entertain. Yeah, I don't get it either) while Peter Moore stood on a stage in front of an audience Read More
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Is it April Fool's Day Already?

posted Friday, February 24, 2006 10:17 AM by G
Well I finally beat Halo 2 on "Legendary" difficultly again.  The first time it was no doubt difficult, but this time it was really difficult as I did it using only a dance pad.  Talk about a workout.  Talk about a blatant lie too.  Read More
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Xbox 360 Launches in Korea

posted Friday, February 24, 2006 8:30 AM by johnporcaro
Korea launched the Xbox 360 today, and we’re just getting information from the team.  Korea is the first market to launch Xbox 360 consoles in the Asia Pacific region except Japan.  The launch event was held at CGV, Yongsan. Jo-ilShin (22), Read More
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Xbox 360 Makes its Debut in Korea

posted Thursday, February 23, 2006 10:00 PM by johnporcaro
Xbox 360, the next generation video game and entertainment system makes an official debut in Korea Read More
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Xbox Live Free Weekend Coming (but not quite yet...)

posted Thursday, February 23, 2006 5:08 PM by johnporcaro
When we first announced Xbox Live for the Xbox 360, we mentioned that we were building the ability to have "free weekends" for Xbox Live Silver members.  If you have cable TV or satellite, you've seen something similar when HBO offers Read More
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Popular Xbox 360 questions answered!

posted Thursday, February 23, 2006 1:41 PM by Bastelyon
In my travels through the Xbox.com forums and talking with our folks in support, I’ve noticed that there might be some awareness issues with some of capabilities of the Xbox 360.  Here are 5 popular FAQs that I’ve seen… Q: Can I play System Read More
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Build Your Own Xbox 360 (or should I say "Bake")...

posted Wednesday, February 22, 2006 9:23 PM by johnporcaro
The Ultimate Homebrew Experiment!  As part of my son's Cub Scout Pack's annual Blue & Gold Banquet, they have a Father & Son cake decorating contest.  I'm training him early to be a geek like his dad...  Now our entry didn't quite Read More
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Video of Marketplace's Street Fighter 2 </sarcasm>

posted Wednesday, February 22, 2006 7:50 PM by cesarmenendez
We've announced that Street Fighter 2 is coming to Xbox Live Marketplace. I've been able to locate and post the video for you, dear blog reader. Ok not really. But I did see that a Kotaku post links to an Apiary.org post with this hilarious live-action Read More
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On an Even Sweeter Note

posted Tuesday, February 21, 2006 9:51 PM by cesarmenendez
A while ago I posted about a chocolate Xbox 360 controller, saying that it was among the top five achievements in chocolate. Well, friends, I proudly present to you the top achievement in chocolate. An Xbox 360 Console made out of chocolate. That's right. Read More
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Shane Kim on the "The Mythical Halo 3"

posted Tuesday, February 21, 2006 8:36 PM by johnporcaro
Great interview on Next-Gen, of General Manager Shane Kim.  Shane is responsible for Microsoft Games Studio, managing all the development of Games for Windows, and Xbox games coming from Microsoft, including Halo.  Speaking of Halo, what Read More
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Welcome, G!

posted Tuesday, February 21, 2006 7:51 PM by johnporcaro
I hope we'll be hearing a lot from him.  He's a product manager on our global marketing team.  Maybe we can get him to spill some secrets about <removed> or <removed>, since they'll be shipping <removed>. Read More
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Today Is A Great Day!

posted Tuesday, February 21, 2006 5:30 PM by G
Yep, that’s right.  Today is tops mates.  Why you ask?  Because EB Games just called and my pre-ordered copy of Fight Night Round 3 is in.  Woot!  Since the folks over at EA Sports were kind enough to drop a demo of FNR3 onto Read More
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Halo Performance from Video Games Live concert

posted Tuesday, February 21, 2006 10:45 AM by johnporcaro
Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall sent around a link to a great video featuring a behind the scenes look at their popular “Video Games Live” concert.  You can watch the show live if you’ll be attending GDC in March.  From Tommy and Jack: "We Read More
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Things That Make You Go "Hmmmm..."

posted Monday, February 20, 2006 10:07 PM by johnporcaro
There is a bit of chatter around our halls about the recent Merrill Lynch analyst report on Sony, but did you notice the stock drop of 3.60 percent?  Read More
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You Think Your Gameplay Has Lag?

posted Monday, February 20, 2006 4:31 PM by johnporcaro
Todd Bishop, at the Seattle PI, attended the RSA Conference.  He reports his “quote of the week” from Steven Squyres, scientific principal investigator for the Mars Exploration Rover Project, explaining how the team figured out how to get the Opportunity Read More
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Hail to "TheKing" Baby!

posted Monday, February 20, 2006 10:02 AM by Bastelyon
So who was the first person to achieve 20,000 in their Gamerscore?  Achieve360points.com recently did an interview with ST TheKing.  Wow, and I thought I was doing pretty good with my Gamerscore (on the right side of the page).  You can Read More
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Peter Moore's on another "Power Player" list

posted Monday, February 20, 2006 5:03 PM by cesarmenendez
The Wall Street Journal posted an article over the weekend about my boss' boss' boss, Peter Moore. The article lists Peter Moore among such luminaries as Miyamoto-san, Jason Jones, and Peter Jackson. Of Peter, the article says: "A native of Liverpool, Read More
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Impressive 360 Demos

posted Friday, February 17, 2006 6:24 PM by cesarmenendez
Today's the last day of the Marketing Summit. The big presentations are over, and we've got side meetings (we call em "breakout sessions") today. Yesterday and Wednesday I saw some pretty impressive game demos. Sure, a lot of it was powerpoint decks, Read More
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Your Halo Clan Can Help You Prepare for a Career

posted Thursday, February 16, 2006 9:04 PM by johnporcaro
Etoychest publishes results from a three-year Brunel University study today about online gaming communities.  The study is part of an upcoming book, "Youth Cultures: Scenes, Subcultures and Tribes" to be published by Routledge.  Read More
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The Aliens Have Landed

posted Thursday, February 16, 2006 1:44 PM by johnporcaro
You've all seen the quirky but cute advertisements featuring the aliens playing Xbox Live?  They're being produced by the Xbox team from Europe.  I checked with Catriona, the manager running the spots, and she provided a bit more Read More
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Takashi Sensui Named General Manager of Microsoft’s Xbox Division in Japan

posted Wednesday, February 15, 2006 4:30 PM by johnporcaro
Takashi Sensui Named General Manager of Microsoft’s Xbox Division in Japan Read More
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If You Could Spend a Day With Robbie and Peter...

posted Tuesday, February 14, 2006 10:39 PM by johnporcaro
So what happens at a day-long Sales & Marketing Summit?  Most of you can go ahead and take a snooze, but if you care…  J   The day started with Peter Moore kicking off the meeting to a room full of employees from around the world.  Read More
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How Long is Too Long to Wait?

posted Tuesday, February 14, 2006 9:03 PM by johnporcaro
Interesting article by David Walker, at eHome Upgrade, called “Could the Playstation 3 Kill Sony?”.  Some of the article is based on rumors and speculation (for that matter, isn't every article about the PS3?), but it poses some interesting Read More
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Who Says All The Beautiful People are in PR?

posted Tuesday, February 14, 2006 1:12 PM by johnporcaro
Kotaku, that's who.  Jen sits two doors down the hall.  Our team has its share of "beauties" to go with all us "geeks."  “HOT” Mystery Gamer on Live Tonight TriXie says Microsoft has a “hot” PR girl named Jen set up to play Perfect Read More
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HED Cup All Stars

posted Monday, February 13, 2006 8:06 PM by johnporcaro
Xbox and games employees from sales and marketing are at a planning meeting this week, to hear from the management and product teams as we prepare for next holiday (and beyond).  To kick things off, we held our third annual worldwide soccer/football Read More
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Video Games Keep the Brain from. . . uh. . . I forget

posted Monday, February 13, 2006 11:07 PM by cesarmenendez
The Globe and Mail recently posted an article that says playing Video Games, like being bilingual, protects young people against cognitive decline. The way it works: gamers are better than non-gamers at shutting out distractions to focus on a task. Read More
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E&D Gaming February Momentum

posted Monday, February 13, 2006 9:00 AM by johnporcaro
Monthly momentum summary from Xbox and Games for Windows Read More
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Creating an Xbox Live Arcade Game

posted Saturday, February 11, 2006 7:36 PM by johnporcaro
Brian Crecente at Rocky Mountain News (and of course, Kotaku) does a quick, but interesting interview with Bizarre Creations, the creators of Geometry Wars (not to mention PGR3...).  If you're curious about what it takes to build a game like GeoWars, Read More
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Studio Manager Chris Early on Casual Games

posted Saturday, February 11, 2006 7:18 PM by johnporcaro
Vladimir Cole at Joystiq publishes an in-depth "Interview with Chris Early, Studio Manager for Microsoft Casual Games Group."  Definitely worth a read!  From the interview, Chris explains his thoughts about what his studio is all about: "Our Read More
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My Nephew Kevin Jumped In...

posted Friday, February 10, 2006 4:16 PM by johnporcaro
Just got an email from my nephew.  He's been asking about the best way to get an Xbox 360.  A lot of folks (even internally) have been using the tool on http://untitlednet.com.  It worked for Kevin (gamertag=Pain Bringer 9)...  Great...  Read More
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Industry Execs Debate the Future of Online Games

posted Friday, February 10, 2006 1:34 PM by johnporcaro
Wednesday night, Peter Moore spoke at the Churchill Club.  Brendan Sinclair from Gamespot was there to do a thorough report called "Industry Icons Get Connected", and to take it a step further, Gamespot posts a video of the event.  Worth watching!  Read More
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Wait'll You See the Tetris Movie (Part Deux)

posted Friday, February 10, 2006 9:21 PM by cesarmenendez
A while ago, I wrote about my love/need for narrative in video games. Not everyone agrees. For those somewhat unfamiliar with the topic, let me sum up. There are two schools of thought here: keep story in, or. . .  wait for it. .  Read More
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Moore at D.I.C.E.: Microsoft Must Drive PC Game Sales

posted Friday, February 10, 2006 12:40 PM by johnporcaro
Lots of coverage on the goings-on at DICE.  I’m waiting for some more info from our folks down in Las Vegas.  BTW, Jade Empire scored two of the Interactive Achievement Awards last night, for RPG of the Year, and Outstanding Character Performance, Read More
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24 Xbox Marathon

posted Thursday, February 09, 2006 4:06 PM by Bastelyon
With all of the excitement of Xbox 360, Xbox MVP Jonathan Cragle reminds us to not forget our roots.  Jonathan will be hosting a 24 hour Xbox marathon starting at 2pm (PST) on Sunday February 12th.  He will be conducting this Read More
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BusinessWeek on PS3 and Kutaragi

posted Thursday, February 09, 2006 11:36 AM by johnporcaro
I just saw that BusinessWeek has posted a new story about Sony’s PS3 business, "This PlayStation May Play Too Much", by Tokyo-based Kenji Hall.  Accompanying the story is an article called "Can Sony's Kutaragi Score Big?".   The articles recognizes Read More
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Peter Jackson Visits Bungie Studios

posted Thursday, February 09, 2006 9:44 AM by johnporcaro
Speaking of Bungie, I just saw this post on Bungie.net, your source for all things Halo.  Peter Jackson came to visit the studio to check up on the upcoming Halo movie.  Read Frankie's story, and see a photo of Peter and the Bungie crew.. Read More
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Master Chief Dual-Wields His Way to Windows Vista

posted Thursday, February 09, 2006 9:00 AM by johnporcaro
“Halo 2,” the award-winning sequel to the instant classic “Halo: Combat Evolved” to make its PC debut on the Windows Vista platform Read More
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Halo 2 Coming to Windows Vista

posted Thursday, February 09, 2006 9:37 AM by johnporcaro
“Halo 2” is making its PC debut on the Windows Vista platform.  The game will have both the single-player campaign and multiplayer experience of the original, as well as the additional maps offered in the “Halo 2 Multiplayer Read More
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Gears developer on Original Content

posted Wednesday, February 08, 2006 3:36 PM by johnporcaro
Our friend CliffyB, (Gears of War game designer at Epic Games) jumps into the conversation as he blogs about whether gamers really want entirely original content.  There seems to be a bit of a resurgence of classic games; and in this industry, Read More
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Peter Moore to Spotlight Games for Windows at DICE

posted Wednesday, February 08, 2006 2:58 PM by johnporcaro
On Friday, Peter Moore speaks at this week's DICE (Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain).  His topic?  “Microsoft, the Changing World of PC Games.”  I’ll try to get hold of notes from the presentation.    Kotaku points Read More
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Xbox, Sony, TWN, and Ubisoft Execs on "The Era of Connected Gaming"

posted Tuesday, February 07, 2006 2:49 PM by johnporcaro
If you're in San Jose tomorrow, you might stop by an event held by the Churchill Club.  Xbox boss Peter Moore is on a panel with Raph Koster, Chief Creative Officer at Sony Online Entertainment, along with Lars Buttler, CEO at TWN, and Read More
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Happy Sappy Delusion Syndrome

posted Monday, February 06, 2006 11:11 PM by johnporcaro
Lots of commentary today in forums, news sites, and blogs, on the comments made by Greg Canessa, reported as "trash talking".  I'm probably just cranky because of the officials in yesterday's SuperBowl, but I feel a rant coming on...    Read More
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Bienvenidos a Xbox 360 en Mexico, Columbia

posted Saturday, February 04, 2006 12:01 AM by cesarmenendez
Una cosa que derrepente no saben es que yo naci en Peru. Bueno, queria traducir la informacion del evento, por Bastelyon. Para todos nuestros amigos que hablan espanol. En actualidad, Agustin lo escribio en espanol. Bueno, amigos, acqui tienen lo Read More
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J Allard at eg: Games Designed by Players

posted Friday, February 03, 2006 5:03 PM by johnporcaro
Yesterday J Allard joined Jon Stewart, Naomi Judd, Bill Nye, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Quincy Jones, Will Wright, and a host of luminaries in the entertainment and technical worlds, at a conference called eg, the Entertainment Gathering.  Cnet’s John Borland Read More
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Xbox 360 Launches in Mexico and Colombia!

posted Friday, February 03, 2006 3:06 PM by Bastelyon
To the joy of many of our Xbox fans down south, the Xbox 360 launched in Mexico and Colombia yesterday.  There was a small yet lively launch party that took place at Condesa located in Mexico City.  One of our Xbox MVPs "ACDBulls" was there Read More
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Rise of Legends website Goes Live

posted Friday, February 03, 2006 2:59 PM by johnporcaro
If you're a fan of Rise of Nations, there's a new "official" site set up for the upcoming “Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends”, that will include backstories of the different races, game trailers, videos, screenshots and other stuff as we lead Read More
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Welcome, Wilkommen, Bienvenido...

posted Friday, February 03, 2006 2:54 PM by johnporcaro
A shout out to some members of the Xbox dev team, who just started up a new blog.  Like ours, I expect it to evolve as new members get accounts and make posts.  So, who are these guys?  Welcome to the Xbox Team blog!  Now that Read More
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Magic and Technology Clash Online - Official “Rise of Nations: Rise Legends” Site Launches

posted Friday, February 03, 2006 10:00 AM by johnporcaro
Microsoft Game Studios announced today the launch of the official “Rise of Nations: Rise of Legends” website Read More
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Top Ten Bogus Rumors About the Xbox 360

posted Thursday, February 02, 2006 10:50 PM by cesarmenendez
Around these halls, people love rumors in the same way that we love American Idol. No substance or meaning, but crazy fun to watch (especially when people make fools of themselves). That's why I'm writing this post. An homage to the most foolish Xbox Read More
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Free Burnout Revenge download

posted Wednesday, February 01, 2006 10:27 AM by Bastelyon
Starting today, some retail stores will offer a Burnout Revenge download for free at their in-store Xbox 360 kiosks. To get the download, you'll need to bring in your memory card and insert them into a kiosk at BestBuy, Circuit City, GameStop, Read More
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