EBgames.com lists Halo 3 Xbox Live card

EBgames.com is listing a Halo 3 branded Xbox Live 12 Month Gold Card (pictured left), with a release date of 4/20/07. Is this part of the Halo 3 hype train, or will this specially marked card include an invite to the Halo 3 beta? It’s pure speculation, but it seems like a good way to move Live subscriptions, and there aren’t many other reasons to sell a special Live card. Could the 4/20/07 release coincide with the Beta release?

We want answers!

PS3 UK launch breaks records

Chart Track is reporting that Sony moved an estimated 165,000 PS3s in the first two days, making it the fastest selling home console in the UK. This number is bested only by the PSP, which sold 185,000 units opening weekend.

PS3 sales fell short of 220,000, the total UK launch allocation, which means consoles were left on store shelves. This is apparently part of Sony’s plan. Given the sell-out nature of most other (all?) hardware launches, I’m curious how other systems would have faired with comparable launch allocations. It’s hard to say, but still positive news for Sony in the UK.

Source: Chart Track

The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles out on XBLM

Shivering Isles is now available for download on the Marketplace. It weighs in at nearly a gig, and costs a hefty 2400 MS points, but the promised 30 hours of new gameplay seems worth it. Here is info from the official press release:

Shivering Isles features more than 30 hours of new gameplay and allows you to explore an entirely new plane of Oblivion – the realm of Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness. Shivering Isles adds to the existing world of Oblivion so you can continue playing with your existing save game/character, or create an all new character just to explore the new content.

[...]

The Shivering Isles features a bizarre landscape split between the two sides – Mania and Dementia –filled with vast, twisting dungeons mirroring the roots of the trees they are buried within. You’ll encounter more than a dozen new creatures including hideous insects, Flesh Atronachs, skeletal Shambles, amphibious Grummites. Throughout your adventure, you will discover all new items, ingredients, spells, and more, and have the talented craftsmen of Crucible and Bliss forge new armor and weapons just for you.

More details and screenshots here.

Xbox 360 Elite production photos

While we don’t need much more confirmation, here are some of the first shots of the black Xbox 360 Elite, straight out of the manufacturing plant in China.

You can barely make out “120″ on the HDD. These shots come from the Chinese gaming message board TGFCer.com.

Any of you planning on picking up an Elite? I’m considering it, if only for a quieter drive and cooler cpu. Although, there is still no confirmation if this will have the 65nm chip or not. Hopefully all will be (officially) revealed soon.

via Xbox 360 Fanboy.

side note: did you notice the photo time stamp? Do you think these have been in production a while, or the photographer just doesn’t have the date set correctly on his phome/camera?

MSFT confirms HDMI, 120GB HDD adverts

A poster on the XNA Game Studio Express forums posed the question, “Will the HDMI output on the revised 360 require any code changes?” Microsoft employee Shawn Hargreaves replied, “No changes required.”

Is this definitive confirmation? All the signs recently have been pointing towards yes, it’s just a matter of getting official word. The existence of a 120GB HDD upgrade is also being supported by this promotional poster hanging at a Gamestop store.

Let’s quit the speculation. Microsoft, send out the official press release already!

Ubuntu on Xbox 360

The hacker Cpasjuste has managed to get Ubuntu Linux booting on his 360 thanks to: dvd firmware hack, Hypervisor Vulnerability, King Kong shader exploit, XeLL bootloader and linux xenon patches. The latest dashboard update has already blocked out the hypervisor vulnerability, so this will only be possibly with older dashboard versions. Regardless, this will prove useful to a handful, and hopefully help find more back doors for the rest of us. I envision a game of cat and mouse (and many banned consoles) in the near future, much like with Sony and the PSP firmware upgrades.

via Xbox-scene

Most accurate PS3 ad ever

Enough said.

Bungie Weekly Update – new Halo 3 details

Frankie goes all out this week in his description of minor details. But as we all know, it’s all the small things that paint the bigger picture. And if Frankie is telling a smidgen of truth, the “picture” in Halo 3 is pretty damn big. Beyond the promised epic battle-scapes, think Rayleigh and Mie scattering, even more ridiculous water effects, “real” aerial dog fights going on above your head just fo’ sho’, and even some seagull and cockatoo hunting. Yes, at the moment even the wildlife caught in your crossfire are mere mortals. Frankie warns, though, it could be one of the first things to go if they need the precious processor cycles.

If you need you’re Halo 3 info fix, give the full update a read.

Social engineering: 1, Xbox Live: 0

Despite The Major reassuring us that there was “no evidence of any compromise of the security of the Xbox Live Network or Bungie.net,” an update reveals that social engineering got the better half of the support team.

For those not in the know, this basically means some fiendish foes called up support and weaseled out some private account info. This is by no means a breach to cause panic. It’s an isolated incident, and shouldn’t happen again thanks to some promised re-training of staff. It’s simple human error that is prone any time you’ve got phones and private info to divulge. I just appreciate Microsoft coming clean and keeping us in the know. Thanks Major!

Wii Loop Machine – crazy cool

Easily the sweetest Wiimote “hack” I’ve seen. The Amazing Rolo has created a full blown looping application for OSX + Wii controller. Just check out the video to see what this is capable off. Watch it all the way through to the end and your amazement will continue to build exponentially (or maybe I’m just a sucker for non-traditional instruments). The performance at the end shows you just what this is capable of. The software is already up for the task of live performances.

My most wanted feature: dual Wiimote action! That could be wicked difficult to master, but the possibilities would be endless.

More details and free download are at The Amazing Rolo.