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September 2006 - Posts

On Friday 29th September Xbox 360 launched in South Africa.  I got an email from an employee who was there.  Here's what she reports:   The launch took place at the Dome "super bowl" in Johannesburg, and was attended by 360 guests (a Read More
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Free Movies, Chainsaws, and Gears of War hands-on play.  It's a "Match Made in Hell."    If you live in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago or San Francisco, you can join us to play “Gears of War” after special pre-release Read More
Gamers in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco will be among the first to play “Gears of War” after special pre-release screenings of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning Read More
Some people in the online forums have recently expressed some concerns about how to protect themselves from potentially inappropriate behavior from others using the Xbox Live Vision Camera on Xbox Live.  So I decided to go and talk to Christopher, Read More
Activision just posted a press release announcing that RedOctane's Guitar Hero II is coming to Xbox 360.  From the press release: "The tour will continue the rockin' gameplay Guitar Hero fans have come to enjoy, and will now include expanded Read More
Microsoft’s X06 Xbox 360 and Games for Windows lineup showcases award-winning, exclusive next-generation titles, blockbuster franchises and the most anticipated games. Read More
Acey Bongos, the European Major Nelson, has invited a handful of community members to X06 to represent their countries.  Since it's a European show, no community sites outside of Europe were invited, so you'll have to rely on Major Nelson's coverage Read More
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Xbox.com just posted the video of the entire show.  Major just posted the audio from X06.  [MP3] Download the show (MP3) [WMA] Download the show This is an enhanced blogcast. [?] And earlier, he did a behind-the-scenes interview Read More
Today at X06, Microsoft Game Studios announced further details around its project based on the Marvel universe of Super Heroes. Cryptic Studios will develop Marvel Universe Online, the massively multiplayer online (MMO) video game exclusive Read More
The X06 Press Release was just posted.  You can find more details on Xbox.com. [Edit: The press site is live at Xbox.com]   ·         A landmark partnership announced between Academy Award-winning Read More
Microsoft announces partnership with Peter Jackson to create two new interactive entertainment series for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live; new, exclusive “Halo Wars,” “Splinter Cell,” “Grand Theft Auto,” “Bioshock,” “Banjo Kazooie” and “DOOM” announcements wow crowd; HD DVD version of Peter Jackson’s “King Kong” to be distributed with Xbox 360 HD DVD Player this fall. Read More
Rare is bringing Banjo-Kazooie to the Xbox 360 Activision brings DOOM to Xbox Live Arcade, TONIGHT! Sensible World of Soccer from Codemasters will come to Xbox Live Arcade Peter Moore re-confirms 1080p native resolution gameplay coming to Xbox 360 Read More
Video game luminaries join forces to bring Marvel’s iconic universe of Super Heroes exclusively to Windows Vista and Xbox 360 platforms Read More
We're manning the battle stations from Redmond, ready to report everything we know about tonight's announcements from Barcelona.  Because the show is run by the European team, many of the Global Marketing team is back in Redmond.  Major Nelson Read More
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Frankie and Sketch from Bungie.net have launched a new podcast!  The community managers from the studio that brings you Halo just posted their first recording.  In it, they offer up some sounds from Halo 3, and discuss Halo 2 for Vista.  Read More
Microsoft and Rare today announced that the 11 winning entries from the “Kameo: Elements of Power Design Your Skin” Contest are available today as free, fully playable downloadable content in the new “Design-A-Skin” pack.  Last spring, gamers Read More
Microsoft and Rare today announced that the 11 winning entries from the “Kameo: Elements of Power Design Your Skin” Contest are available today as free, fully playable downloadable content in the new “Design-A-Skin” pack. Read More
Our India marketing team, led by Ashim Dass Mathur, worked with MTV India to produce a new TV ad for the Xbox 360.  Tony and I watched it today, and had to think about it for a few minutes.  I wonder if the people of India Read More
You heard about them at TGS. Now you can check out the trailers in high-def. Download Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey trailers from Xbox Live Marketplace. From the media alert we sent out today: Xbox Live Marketplace "Brings Home" "Blue Dragon" and "Lost Read More
Xbox Community MVP Packwolf has a hilarious video up on his MySpace blog of a skit from Mad TV about one man's obsession with Madden.  It was also cool to see that the Mad TV crew used an Xbox 360 for this skit. Check Read More
Aquatic Animals Splash into Retailers on Oct. 17 Read More
New downloadable trailers from highly anticipated Japanese Xbox 360 titles available in vivid high definition this Wednesday Read More
On Saturday evening, in the Ansal Plaza in the heart of New Delhi, the moment hundreds of thousands of Indian gamers have been eagerly waiting for finally arrived – the launch of the Xbox 360 in their country. India became the 31st country to join Read More
Wow, the place was packed.  They weren't kidding when they said 150,000 people would show up.  That's 3X the size of E3.  There's always a completely different vibe when you have public invited to shows like this.  Yesterday was busy, Read More
[Edit: This offer was rescinded shortly after we announced that we were extending the warranties from 90 days to 1 year in North America. At the point this was originally written,  the consoles were past the 90 day warranty period, but it hadn’t Read More
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Wrapping things up for the first day, the Xbox Community Team held a party at a hotel near the convention center.  There were lots of folks from Japan, and a good number of Europeans, Americans, and Canadians too. We got to hear from Sensui-san, Read More
As you download the video clips from Xbox Live Marketplace, you'll see a familar face.  Tony acts as MC and host, and gives you a tour of TGS.  Here are a few more pics from today's TGS... Read More
The Tokyo Game Show is just opening its doors.  Before the crowd came in, I got a few photos of the show floor, and especially the Microsoft booth.  More as it happens... Read More
The Global Partnership team has a cool program that we're cooking up with our partner adidas around basketball.... keep checking back for announcements on our new campaign. In the meantime I thought you'd all love a shot at winning a signed copy Read More
Viva Piñata™ Xbox 360 Video Game Breaks onto the Scene with Special Edition Game for Hours of Family Fun Read More
Major Nelson, Monkey Boy, K Rock, Tony, and I hit the mean streets of Tokyo in the day to capture some video for Xbox.com, to take a few photos, and to get some lunch.  We managed to find a very, very out of the way barbeque place that totally hit Read More
We announced today that we're launching the a Platinum Hits program for Xbox 360 in North America.  There will be four games included in the first wave, starting October 15, with more coming in the spring.  The first wave includes "Perfect Read More
We hit the town tonight, to have a quiet dinner and contemplate the days events.  Quiet might not describe it exactly.  Kelly, aka Squad XP's KRock, host of the Squad XP Podcast joined us.  We swore him to secrecy on a Read More
Four Top-Selling Game Titles Included in First Wave of Platinum Hits; Second Wave to Follow in Spring 2007 Read More
"Blue Dragon” Leads Holiday Lineup of Games; “Pac-Man” World Championship, Xbox 360 HD DVD Player in Japan and 1080p Support for Xbox 360 unveiled. Read More
Four Xbox Live Arcade titles just got an auto-update that enables the use of the Xbox Live Vision Camera.  The four games are: Bankshot Billiards 2Hardwood BackgammonHardwood SpadesHardwood Hearts Sweet!  I've been looking forward Read More
Over the weekend, Trixie flew down to the 2006 World Cyber Games USA Championships at the Aladdin Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Head over to Xbox.com to check out who won the PGR3 and DOA4 tournaments, interviews with the gamers, Read More
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We just wrapped up the press briefing.  Takashi Sensui, General Manager of Xbox in Japan, kicked off the week’s activities by hosting a press briefing for more than 600 global media and business partners.  This week, we’ll be showcasing Read More
We're in the workroom, near the stage where we'll be holding this year's press briefing fo the Tokyo Game Show.  Everyone's set for some exciting announcements.  We expect a good turnout from the Japanese press, plus at least a hundred international Read More
Monthly email sent to journalists and analysts Read More
Enjoy Tokyo Game Show and X06 direct from your living room with an all-access pass to the biggest video game events of the fall Xbox Live is "Bringing It Home" and invites Xbox 360 owners to check out games, demos, trailers and news from the show floors Read More
In anticipation for the release of Xbox Live Vision, Xbox.com's own Elle has written an article on how to get the most out of it.It also covers parental controls. I know abuse is a concern for many of our members and this will give you some insight on Read More
Xbox Live is “Bringing It Home” and invites Xbox 360 owners to check out games, demos, trailers and news from the show floors Read More
The Newest Addition Arrives on Store Shelves Oct. 17 Read More
New downloadable pack offers brand new weapons, costumes, achievements and gameplay modes Read More
LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy” and “Company of Heroes” blast off on the Windows scene with the new Games for Windows packaging, branding and game features available only on the Windows platform. Read More
I get asked for game suggestions by gamer parents looking to spend some time with their children playing a game that isn't high on the violence, and that is actually FUN for the parents AND the children to play. Read More
Earlier in the week, we told you about Cranium's new Pop5 Live game on MSN Games.  They're asking for submissions, so Tony and I pulled out our video camera, and did a few clues.  See if you can guess what the answer is...   I'm Read More
If you've never been to Windows Marketplace you should check it out.  I just noticed today that you can download full versions of some of today's hottest Games for Windows titles including World of Warcraft, Oblivion and Civilization IV for 20% Read More
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The latest iteration in the popular BLUESIDE Action-RPG franchise prepares to wage war in 2007 Read More
Rumors of a built-in HD DVD sku are greatly exaggerated.  We’re proudly launching the HD DVD Player as an accessory this holiday.  Turns out you want a say in how you spend your entertainment dollars.  So who are we to burden every Read More
While I was over at Zune HQ visiting Cesar today, I took a few photos.  Looks like they're up on Zune's Flickr account.   So that's what J's been up to!  Cesar chatting with J and Chris. Bryan Lee checks out the latest on ZuneInsider.com Read More
That's right - the group of girls that I am proud to be a part of is closing in on its 500th member. It's absolutely amazing to see the growth since its introduction in June. If you're not familiar with it, GamerchiX is a group for gamers who happen Read More
Not exactly Xbox related, but I was hanging out with our friend Cesar this morning, and he was showing me around the Zune HQ.  The press release just went live, so you can find out everything we're saying about the new device. I've had one for Read More
Robb Leu, Dave Bedell, Hanah Stuart, Marty Gierczyk, and Dave VerLee, in a band called Corporeal, put together a video of a performance they did at a talent show (or so the story goes).  Brilliant!  Thanks, Kotaku Read More
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We just re-launched the official “Viva Piñata” site at http://www.vivapinata.com/. The site contains Piñata profiles, mini-games in the Piñata Arcade, ring tones, television episode titles and summaries, and more.  You can also download Read More
“Viva Piñata” Web Site Re-Launches Complete With Mini-Games, a Fan Site Kit and More Read More
Konami's classic arcade title Scramble will be arriving on Xbox Live Arcade this week.  The title has souped-up artwork and sound, and something I'm VERY excited about Read More
Next-Gen.Biz just published their list of the 100 most influential women in gaming.  The list includes studio presidents, PR practitioners, game designers and professional gamers and journalists, and includes 8 Microsoftees, including my boss (and Read More
We just got details, and a press release, for the new MSN Games - Pop 5 Live from Cranium.  It's the online version of the new pop culture party game, Pop 5, that Cranium just released on store shelves.  To play Pop 5 Live, go to Read More
First-Ever to Put Players in the Game Player Videos Create Hilarious New Twist on Pop Culture and Casual Online Games Read More
For all you fans of Cranium, there's a really fun new game on MSN Games called Pop 5 Live.  It's based on the new game from Cranium, Pop 5, which features activities like sculpting, drawing, or acting out clues from pop culture.  Read More
Hey all, I'd say it's about time for me to come out of the shadows and inject my unique sense of blogging to this site while all the cool people are at home enjoying their weekend.For those of you who don't know me, I'm Sara - aka DirtyDiva. I've been Read More
I really enjoy listening to podcasts on my commute, or when I'm working in the yard or working out at the gym.  It's a great way for me to keep on top of what's going on in the community, and it gives me an unfiltered view of how you're all feeling Read More
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We just sent out a press release with 4Kids announcing the debut of the Viva Pinata TV show on Fox.  You all saw the preview last week, now here's the "official" word... From the press release: “Today is an exciting day as we continue to reach Read More
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CG animated series acts as springboard for new franchise from Microsoft, Rare and 4Kids Entertainment with Xbox 360 video game and full-range licensing program coming soon. Read More
Two hockey demos in two days?  This is exactly what gets me excited, everybody wins when they are able to play the games, see which games they like, and then make an educated choice on what to buy.NHL 2k6 was the only 360 hockey game last year, and Read More
It's got a steep learning curve, but I'm a huge fan of the mech-combat game Chrome Hounds for the Xbox 360.  An organized squad in an online match is one of the most intense, and fun, experiences I've had on Xbox Live.On the Sega Chrome Hounds Official Read More
Major Nelson has something to say: You know all those great ideas you have to make the Xbox 360 dashboard design better? Now is your chance for your voice to be heard. Head over to WildChicken’s blog (he’s a designer that works on the Dashboard) and Read More
We took a day away from the office to attend our annual Marketing Symposium, where we hear from leaders across the organization, share ideas, and learn more about the marketing field.  Jeff Bell, the VP of Global Marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Read More
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The community has been wondering when the NHL 07 demo will be arriving on XBL Marketplace.  Wonder no more - it's here!EA has released a free 550mb NHL 07 Shootout Demo, so sharpen up your skates, grab your sticks, and get going! Read More
I'm getting pretty excited for the Tokyo Game Show!  John, Larry and I will be flying over to cover the festivities and meet with some of the community folks there.  I just got word that the Xbox Japan team will be hosting a community party Read More
A bit of bad news to report...  Despite our best efforts, looks like we're going to miss shipping Scramble tomorrow as promised.  During the final testing and certification of the title, we discovered some minor issues that should be addressed, so Read More
As I was driving my kids home from a vacation we just finished before school starts, I had the chance to listen to a couple of audiobooks while they slept.  I finished "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman.  After describing the flattening Read More
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Reminder to everyone that time is running out to sign up for the Game Head: Call of Duty 3: Challenge!  More details below, or in the press release: Activision is teaming up with Spike TV and Best Buy to deliver the “Game Head Call of Read More