PORCast

A Xbox 360 continúa alcanzando niveles de récord de ventas durante esta campaña de Navidad, con el Viernes Negro y el mes de noviembre de mayor nivel de ventas de su historia. Xbox 360 ha vendido un número récord de consolas durante el mes de noviembre, con 836.000 unidades.

Con 298 millones de dólares en ventas de juegos de desarrolladoras en noviembre, Xbox 360 ha generado más ingresos para los editores de juegos que PS3 y Wii juntas esta generación.

Además de vender el triple de consolas que PS3 durante el fin de semana del Viernes Negro, Xbox 360 ha terminado el mes de noviembre con el doble de ventas que PS32. Este tremendo éxito se está repitiendo en todo el mundo, ya que Xbox 360 es la consola que mayor crecimiento de ventas ha experimentado en Europa durante el mes de noviembre, con un incremento del 124% respecto al año pasado, comparado con el 43% de Wii y el 3% de PS33.

Pero el negocio de los juegos es algo más que las ventas de consolas. Las fuertes ventas de software y el crecimiento de la comunidad online son imprescindibles para el éxito a largo plazo de una plataforma. Xbox 360 superó a PS3 en ventas totales de software durante el mes de noviembre, con 408 millones de dólares, gracias al mejor y más amplio catálogo de juegos1.

Además, Xbox LIVE continúa superando a sus competidores con más de 14 millones de miembros activos en todo el mundo, aumentando un 66% la media de visitantes únicos3. Como ejemplo de su liderazgo, cada día se realizan más de 1,5 millones de transacciones y tienen lugar 4 millones de sesiones de juego en Xbox LIVE. En total, gracias a 45 redes y estudios asociados, así como a Netflix, se ofrecen más de 30.000 piezas de contenido de entretenimiento a través de Xbox LIVE.

em: http://www.marcaplayer.com/2008/12/18/xbox360/1229617317.html

So I finally downloaded The Lost And Damned on the Xbox 360. While it is a fine game and a very good piece of downloadable content - it’s essentially the same game in almost every aspect. Except of course the improved bike physics (THANK GOD!)

Now here I was playing through the missions and drinking vodka. After about 6 shots and 10 way-too-linear story missions, I decided to pop in the good ol quest of Kolya (Niko=Nikolay=Kolya) Bellick.

And do you know what hit me at that point? (besides the vodka)

Microsoft, the damn fuck faces, are the reason why GTA IV initially looked like crap.

Now I’m not going to say “TEH XBOX 360 is weaker than PI ES THR33 that’s becuz gta iv kud luk bettr!!!”. No.

Think about it.

Whenever a game is exclusive, it’s developed only for that specific platform to which it is exclusive. Fact.

Whenever a game goes multiplat, a single engine is developed for both platforms, but initially is tested out on console A - which is the main console. Only very few developers (Infinity Wards is amongst them) have dedicated teams that develop engines alongside for each platform. Rockstar isn’t one of them as far as we know.

Ok, so now you might be thinking - but since the explosions in GTAIV look better on PS3, it’s probably the main platform?

Wrong.

The explosions look better on the PS3 because it has more processing power (I am not contradicting myself with the upper quote, this is different), yet the main engine was developed for the Xbox 360.

Why?

Using my flawless 6-shots of vodka logic, I pop in Nikolays adventures from GTAIV and see that the game looks identical to the first DLC pack (Lost and Damned).

What does this tell us?

Merely that that is AS GOOD as the game can look. They CANNOT MAKE IT LOOK BETTER.

Microsoft gave out $50 GOD DAMN MILLION KAPITALIST DOLLARS for this content. Don’t you think M$ would pursuade Rockstar to make the game look better?

The expansion packs are EXCLUSIVE to the Xbox 360. You don’t need another team to port and/or develop specifically for another console. Allocate all your resources to this expansion and make it look better.

Wait, what, you can’t?

Ah, that’s right. It’s just that your console is weaker and you cannot make it look better. Tusk tusk.

I’m not being a fanboy here (or am I?), but I am very disappointed with the $50 million deal. It wouldn’t make ANY sense if the PS3 was the main console developed for, thus the Xbox 360 was ported onto it and the game was initially developed within Xbox 360’s technical limitations.

Ask any game developer about the situation, as in where one console is going to have extra content added to it further on, and the other won’t get that content. Which console would be the “main” one in this situation? HMMMMM what a tough choice.

Because of the Xbox 360, we got a WEAKER product.

I could’ve said that Microsoft is to blame for the shit-like brown look of the game itself, but I’m not sure about that one. But fact is that if it was developed for the PS3 as the main console, the game could’ve been something more. A lot more.
Just GOD DAMN LOOK AT IT YOU KAPITALISTS, CANT YOU SEE IT?

Just GOD DAMN LOOK AT IT YOU KAPITALISTS, CANT YOU SEE IT?

If you damn kapitalists don’t see it, I might just have to make a drunk video to show it to you.

em: http://thatsovietguy.com/gtaiv_lost_and_damned_review_sorta

Já dizia a minha tia, que a XBOX360 dá dinheiro à Microsoft apenas pelas vendas de consola, porque "toda" a gente tem duas consolas (a 99 libras cada): uma modificada para jogar a tudo de graça, e outra para jogar online com os amiguinhos do XBL... Lá lá lá.

Capcom's Street Fighter IV was leaked online yesterday and as you might have expected, many folks are downloading it in advance of its street date. The release notes say it is region free and the package size is 69 x 100MB files.

Já agora:

* Classic “2D” Street Fighter gameplay with stunning 3D characters and environments
* New special moves that go beyond any Street Fighter fan’s wildest imagination, including Focus attacks, Super Combos, and the revenged-fueled Ultra Combo system.
* Classic Street Fighter characters recreated for a new generation of gamers, including the original cast of Street Fighter I
* New brawlers: female super-spy Crimson Viper, lucha libre wrestler El Fuerte, mixed martial artist Abel and more!
* Amazing locations never seen before in a Street Fighter game
* New gameplay elements provide new challenges for both newcomers and the most seasoned Street Fighter pro

em: http://scenereleases.info/2009/02/street-fighter-iv-rf-xbox360-kfc.html

PRESENTS
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GameType:............................Fighting
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Origin:............................Region Free
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Release:.............................02/11/09
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Source:..............................DVD9
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Media:...............................iSO
#
FileName:............................kfc-sf4
#
RaRs:................................100m X 69
#
Company:.............................Capcom
#
EnglishJapanese
#

GAME INFORMATION
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http://www.capcom.co.jp/sf4/
#

A nossa sorte é que não há disto na PS3.

2008 foi um ano fantástico para os jogos, principalmente para os donos do Xbox 360. Agora você já curtiu Call of Duty World at War, Gears of War 2, Dead Space, Left 4 Dead, e vem aquela dúvida… quais serão os jogos bons do Xbox 360 para 2009? Quais os mais esperados? Quais os mais bonitos? Quantas interrogações tem neste parágrafo???

Então chega de se perguntar, pois seus problemas acabaram! Nós do 3Gamers (e isso significa eu, sozinho) pesquisamos 6 bons jogos que estão por vir.

Confira abaixo o que te espera esse ano:


Lord of the Rings: Conquest

Escolha um dos lados na batalha para controlar o Um Anel. Você poderá controlar personagens famosos de ambos os lados da batalha, como os Olifantes, o Balrog e até o próprio Sauron. Até 150 personagens poderão estar na tela ao mesmo tempo. As partidas podem ser jogadas com até 16 jogadores online, ou 4 jogadores numa partida local com tela dividida. E para quem quer jogar sozinho, tem também modo de campanha. (13 de Janeiro - já lançou!!)

Ghostbusters: The Video Game

Ghostbusters The Video GameOs 4 personagens principais do filme estão de volta para livrar a cidade de mais um problema com fantasmas. Você terá à sua disposição equipamentos vistos no filme, e outros originais criados especialmente para o jogo. Os responsáveis pelo roteiro do jogo são os mesmos responsáveis pelo do filme, e os gráficos parecem ótimos. (Primeiro trimestre de 2009)
Alan Wake

Alan Wake

Alan Wake está preso na cidade de Bright Falls, e precisa resolver um mistério ou ficar preso para sempre na cidade. Uma história de mistério, suspense, personagens cativantes e reviravoltas surpreendentes. Imagine um Silent Hill bem feito, com um certo toque de adventures como Gabriel Knight. Tem tudo pra dar certo, só tem que parar de ser adiado. Eu estou empolgado com Alan Wake desde 2007, e eu acredito que este ano o jogo sai!
Batman - Arkham Asylum

Batman - Arkham Asylum

Depois de ser muito mal retratado, finalmente tivemos dois ótimos filmes do Batman nos cinemas. Agora é hora de termos um bom jogo do herói encapuzado. Batman - Arkham Asylum parece ser o jogo que o Batman sempre mereceu, e os fãs sempre esperaram. Um jogo tenso e sombrio. Estou só esperando pra comprar.
I Am Alive

I Am Alive

Este jogo de sobrevivência coloca você em uma versão toda destruída de Chicago. O jogador deve pensar, reagir e assumir riscos que ameaçarão você e seus aliados. O jogo é em primeira pessoa, mas não é um shooter. Como em Mirror’s Edge, a visão em primeira pessoa é para aumentar a imersão do jogador.
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell - Conviction

Splinter Cell Conviction

Sam Fisher está mudado. No fim do último jogo ele se viu fugindo de seus próprios ex-aliados do Third Echelon. Agora, a dinâmica do jogo muda completamente. Sem seus equipamentos high-tech e como um fugitive, Sam precisa improvisar para sobreviver. O ambiente é sua melhor arma, e a furtividade sua maior aliada. Esse jogo parece ser MUITO bom, e uma guinada na série que já estava ficando repetitiva. Um dos que mais aguardo para 2009. Vamos ver no que vai dar.

E você, tem algum jogo que você espera muito e que não está na lista?

em: http://www.3gamers.com.br

Acabou de sair...

General Changes

Playlist Clean Up, Mythic Prep
In preparation for the new maps coming later this year, some of the less popular map variants are going to be removed over time. Some of these removals are not listed below, but will be reflected in the Matchmaking Playlist page here on Bungie.net. This will be an ongoing process with maps and their variants being systematically removed as warranted.

Push to Talk Restriction Increased
Since Halo 3’s release, if a player were to join a Matchmaking playlist with a team size larger than four, he or she would have to push a button on the DPad to communicate directly to their team. After the January update, the PTT restriction is being increased to 6 players per team, meaning that players will not need to use the D-pad to communicate on any Matchmaking playlist but Social Big Team.

What does this mean for players? Well, for starters, it means communicating to teammates in 5v5 or 6v6 playlists will be trivial. However, this could mean an increase in bandwidth necessary for these larger format playlists, which means the potential for “laggy” games is increased. The best way to avoid lag in these games is to ensure that you are not constantly broadcasting to your teammates, and that your teammates are not constantly broadcasting to you. If you often play with strangers, be prepared to mute and report players that abuse their microphone. To mute a player quickly during a game, hold the back button to bring up the scoreboard and select their name with the left stick. Then press X. Muted! To report players, select their name in the post game carnage report and view their gamercard, then use the Report Player options listed therein.

DLC Category
In an effort to make the Matchmaking playlists easier to navigate and bring the populations together, the DLC category is being retired, and the playlists it contained are either being moved into Social or integrated into existing playlists.

Ranked Hopper Updates

* Lone Wolves – No Changes
* Team Slayer – No Changes
* Team Objective
* KOTH, Oddball, 1 and 2 Bomb assault set to skip after veto, and weighting on these gametypes will be reduced to refocus the hopper primarily on 1 Flag, 2 Flag, and Neutral Assault.
* A couple community map variants for Foundry are being added to the CTF rotation.
* Team Doubles – No Changes
* Squad Battle – No Changes


Social Hopper Updates

Rumble Pit

* DLC FFA and Rumble Pit will be merged. Rumble Pit will now require All DLC, and include gametypes such as Infection.

Social Slayer

* Population increased back to 5v5
* Isolation, Foundry removed.

Social Objective

* Slightly reduce weighting on Land Grab, and increase weighting on multi flag to even distribution of these two gametypes out.
* Reduce weighting of VIP. Set to skip after veto.
* Territories variants set to skip after veto.
* ADDED Social Team DLC
* 5v5 Slayer and Objective strictly on DLC maps. Heroic and Legendary map packs required.
* The most popular slayer and objective variants, strictly on DLC maps.

Multi Team

* Reduce weighting of VIP, KOTH, and Oddball.
* Some maps being removed from rotation.

ADDED Social Big Team

* DLC Big Team will be moved and renamed. Weighting between DLC and non-DLC maps will be equalized. The hopper will continue to require DLC 1 and 2.


DLC Hopper Updates

REMOVED DLC FFA

* DLC FFA and Rumble Pit will be merged. DLC FFA as a separate hopper is retired.

MIGRATED DLC Big Team

* Being moved to Social and being renamed “Social Big Team.” Non-DLC maps are getting a weighting increase such that they are equal to DLC maps. Still requires DLC 1 and 2.


Hardcore Hopper Updates

Team SWAT – No Changes
Team Snipers
- Reduced weighting on Standoff.
MLG – No Changes

Double EXP Weekends (listed in order of appearance)

Grifball – Winter League (1/8-1/12)
3 Ball (1/22 -1/26)
Living Dead (Unranked) (1/29 – 2/2)

Nintendo ‘Wii’ de ‘Nosotros’, Sony PlayStation de ‘Estación jugable’ (sencillo) y Microsoft XBox360 de….

Skate 2 Demo
Price: Free (Exclusive Gold Offer)
Availability: All Xbox Live Regions
Size: 2 GB
Description: Download the demo and hone your skills before Skate 2 hits stores as you rip around Slappy’s, move objects to create spots, and take on new set of challenges. Also compete against up to 4 of your friends in an all out break your bones Hall of Meat challenge. Skate 2 will be in stores worldwide on January 23.

Tom Clancy’s EndWar: Faction Elite Pack
Price: 300 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox Live Regions
Size: 108 KB
Description: Unlock the 3 most elite battalions and some of the most advanced unit upgrades of Tom Clancy’s EndWar™. Exclusive battalions include the legendary JSF 15th Special Operations, Spetsnaz Alpha Brigade, and Enforcer Corps Battlegroup 1. This download also grants immediate access to 6 exclusive unit upgrades (2 per faction). There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

Guitar Hero World Tour: Country Track Pack
Price: 440 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox Live Regions
Size: 116 MB
Description: Downloadable Track Pack for Guitar Hero World Tour featuring “Me and My Gang” by Rascal Flatts, “Hillbilly Deluxe” by Brooks & Dunn, and “Ticks” by Brad Paisley. Please Note: Many songs are available both as singles and as part of a Track Pack, so please carefully consider your purchases before downloading. For all song credits please visit www.guitarhero.com. There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

Guitar Hero World Tour: “Me and My Gang” by Rascal Flatts
Price: 160 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox Live Regions
Size: 36 MB
Description: “Me and My Gang” by Rascal Flatts downloadable single for Guitar Hero World Tour. Please Note: Many songs are available both as singles and as part of a Track Pack, so please carefully consider your purchases before downloading. For all song credits please visit www.guitarhero.com There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

Guitar Hero World Tour: “Hillbilly Deluxe” by Brooks & Dunn
Price: 160 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox Live Regions
Size: 42 MB
Description: “Hillbilly Deluxe” by Brooks & Dunn downloadable single for Guitar Hero World Tour. Please Note: Many songs are available both as singles and as part of a Track Pack, so please carefully consider your purchases before downloading. For all song credits please visit www.guitarhero.com There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

Guitar Hero World Tour: “Ticks” by Brad Paisley
Price: 160 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox Live Regions
Size: 40 MB
Description: “Ticks” by Brad Paisley downloadable single for Guitar Hero World Tour. Please Note: Many songs are available both as singles and as part of a Track Pack, so please carefully consider your purchases before downloading. For all song credits please visit www.guitarhero.com There are no refunds for this item. For more information, see www.xbox.com/live/accounts.

Fable II: Lionhead Video Diary Episode 8 Video HD
Price: Free
Availability: All Xbox Live Regions
Size: 280 MB
Description: This is the eighth in a series of behind-the-scenes video diaries for Fable II. The episodes provide a look behind the scenes of the long-awaited sequel to the 2004 Xbox® exclusive best-seller “Fable®.” This episode chronicles moments in the finaling process of Fable II and offers a a sneak peek of Knothole Island.

La red digital Xbox Live vuelve a marcar un record esta Navidad. Durante las fiestas, Microsoft consiguió conectar simultáneamente a 1,5 millones de usuarios, una cifra que convence al equipo de Redmond y en especial a uno de sus máximos responsables, el norteamericano Don Mattrick.

En sus propias palabras, "Para Xbox 360 2008 será recordado en todo el mundo como un año clave dentro del crecimiento tanto en las tiendas como en el mercado online incluso en condiciones económicas poco favorables".

The Race for a New Game Machine: Creating the Chips Inside the XBox 360 and the Playstation 3 (La carrera para una nueva máquina de juegos: creando los chips de Xbox 360 y PS3) es un nuevo libro escrito por dos ingenieros de IBM que trabajaron en el desarrollo del procesador Cell. En él cuentan la historia de la fabricación del chip y su relación con el desarrollo tanto del chip incluido en PlayStation 3 como del microprocesador de la Xbox 360, ambos basados en el mismo núcleo.

La polémica ha surgido al conocerse que los mismos ingenieros de IBM que trabajaban en el Cell desarrollaban al mismo tiempo y en secreto la CPU de Xbox 360, aplicando los conocimientos que adquirían junto a los ingenieros de Sony y Toshiba. Según parece el contrato permitía a IBM vender la tecnología a otros clientes, pero Sony no imaginaba que la compañía iba a hacerlo incluso antes de terminar el desarrollo y precisamente a su principal rival. Al final, si va a haber un ganador claro en la guerra de consolas sin duda será IBM, montando los chips de PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 y Wii.