Xbox Division Posts Q1 Profit

Microsoft posted unaudited operating income for its first quarter ended September 30 of $165 million in the Entertainment and Devices Division, compared to a loss last year of $142 million.Microsoft has been reiterating that its Xbox business will be profitable throughout this entire fiscal year, a feat yet to be seen in Microsoft's videogame business.Strong demand for Halo 3 and Xbox 360 hardware drove the division’s numbers during the quarter, according to Microsoft. In its first day, Halo 3 in the US alone generated $170 million in sales when it launched September 25. First-week sales were $300 million globally, as the Bungie-developed title sold 3.3 million units in the US during its debut month, according to NPD Group.Revenues for the division were up 91 percent to $1.93 billion.Overall, Microsoft revenues were up 27 percent year-on-year to $13.8 billion, beating the guidance of $12.4-$12.6 billion. Operating income was $5.9 billion, similarly exceeding the guidance of $5.0-$5.2 billion.During the quarter, Microsoft said it sold 1.8 million Xbox 360 consoles, with record attach rates during the quarter in the US.“We feel very good about our position going into the holidays,” said CFO Chris Liddell regarding the games business during a conference call.Also part of the Entertainment and Devices Division is the Zune music player, which we will see at the new lineup this holiday season.Microsoft expects total company revenues in fiscal 2008 to be $58.8 billion to $59.7 billion, with operating income of $23.3 billion to $23.7 billion.

Gears Wins Big at Golden Joysticks

Tens of thousands of gamers voted for the true people's awards, held Friday in London, which highlighted the elite titles from the past year across a diverse range of categories.

Undoubtedly the big winner at this year’s awards was Microsoft and Epic’s stellar third-person shooter Gears of War, which took four top honors. Gears triumphed in the Ultimate Game of the Year, Xbox Game of the Year, The Nuts All-Nighter and the Editor’s Choice categories. It also placed third in the 1Xtra Soundtrack of the Year and The GameTribe Online Game of the Year categories.

Codemasters received the UK Developer of the Year award for 2007 sponsored by Next-Gen.biz, while Game took the prize for Retailer of the Year. Nintendo took the Publisher of the Year award ahead of Microsoft Game Studios and Codemasters, while the Wii was labeled Innovation of the Year.

The second most prominent game winner was Guitar Hero II from Activision and Harmonix, which scooped the 1Xtra Soundtrack of the Year and The Bliss Girls’ Choice Game of the Year, while taking second spot in The Sun Family Game of the Year category and receiving nods as fourth best PlayStation Game of the Year and fourth best Xbox Game of the Year.

Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Wii Sports each picked up one gong, the former edging out the latter to walk away with the Nintendo Game of the Year award, while Wii Sports took top prize in The Sun Family Game of the Year category. Twilight Princess was also voted to have the second best Soundtrack of the Year, and came second in the Ultimate Game of the Year category, while Wii Sports came second in The Nuts All-Nighter category and finished as fourth Ultimate Game of the Year.

On the PC front, The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar and World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade split the honors. The former was voted PC Game of the Year 2007 while the latter came second. However, The Burning Crusade did pip Shadows of Angmar for The GameTribe Online Game of the Year award.

http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7693&Itemid=2

Foza 2 new content ready for download

The community weren't too happy with the pricing of the coming Twin Ring Motegi DLC for Forza Motorsport 2 and let their thoughts be known. Turn 10 were listening though and have dropped the price.

Transformers on HD DVD Breaks Records

Paramount and DreamWorks have announced that first-week DVD sales of Transformers totaled 8.3 million copies, with more than half of them sold on the first day, a record for 2007. Furthermore, the HD DVD edition sold 190,000 copies during the first week, making it the best-selling HD movie ever.
DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures’ Megahit TRANSFORMERS Invades Stores to Become This Year’s Top-Selling DVD and the Best-Selling High Definition Title Day One and Week One for Either Format From Director Michael Bay and Executive Producer Steven Spielberg, In Association With Hasbro, Record-Setting DVD and HD DVD Sales Underscore TRANSFORMERS’ Status As Franchise Of Inter-Galactic Proportions HOLLYWOOD--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The blockbuster hit from DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures, TRANSFORMERS, is the year’s top-selling week one DVD with North American sales reaching 8.3 million units since the title’s debut on October 16, it was announced today by Paramount Home Entertainment. The biggest original film of the year from director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg, in association with Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS), is also the best-selling DVD day one for the year with over 4.5 million units sold on Tuesday. Additionally, the smash hit has exploded into the high definition market, selling over 100,000 HD DVDs its first day of release, rocketing past previous releases to become the best-selling day one high definition title on either format since their inceptions. TRANSFORMERS has sold over 190,000 HD DVDs in its first week making it the fastest and best-selling week one release on either high definition format as well as the best selling HD DVD ever. The TRANSFORMERS DVD is also the top-selling October DVD release in the history of the home entertainment industry. “The performance of the TRANSFORMERS DVD and HD DVD has demonstrated the phenomenal success of this global franchise,” said Kelley Avery, president, Worldwide Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures. “We’re happy to be kicking off the fourth quarter with a title that clearly shows home entertainment releases are still an event that drives consumers into stores—which is a win for both content providers and retailers.” Earning over $700 million at the global box office, the live-action feature film TRANSFORMERS is the latest success in a worldwide franchise that has emerged as one of the most successful properties in action figure history, spawning numerous television series and comic books and a wealth of toys, games and other licensed merchandise. In 2007, TRANSFORMERS has become one of the hottest properties for boys in a variety of categories, including toys, publishing, video games, apparel and back-to-school. Hasbro’s licensing arm, HPG, has signed more than 250 licensees in 70 countries around the world. The first live-action film based on the enduringly popular “ROBOTS IN DISGUISE”, TRANSFORMERS features the ultimate battle between good and evil, as the peace-loving AUTOBOTS seek to protect humanity from the evil forces of the DECEPTICONS. The TRANSFORMERS Special Edition two-disc DVD and HD DVD sets provide an incredible experience with an arsenal of bonus material that delivers excitement and fun for long-time fans, as well as for viewers who are new to the TRANSFORMERS universe. Further, the HD DVD includes a host of highly advanced web-enabled features that will continue to roll-out through the rest of the year.

xboxlive arcade stick

http://www.planetxbox360.com/index.php/articledetails/show/2908

Xbox 360 Arcade Controller Specifications:
15" L x 10" D x 4.5" H
Authentic Arcade Buttons and Joysticks
Optional Custom Overlay
You choose the colors for T-molding, buttons and joystick D-Pad, A, B, X, Y, RB, LB, Start, Back, and Guide buttons are included
Optional Headset Jack
Wired USB controller means it's also compatible with Windows XP and Vista
Constructed with 3/4 black melamine coated wood to give that authentic arcade weight and feel
Optional joystick upgrade to the Mag-Stik Plus or Sanwa JLF
Your choice of button types, either Concave or Convex

EDGE REVIEWS

Orange Box (Xbox 360/PS3, EA): 10 Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction (PS3, Sony): 8 Folklore (PS3, Sony): 5 Eye Of Judgement (PS3, Sony): 4 Wipeout Pulse (PSP, Sony): 7 Jericho (PS3/Xbox 360, Codemasters): 5 Conan (PS3/Xbox 360, THQ): 7 Juiced 2 (PS3/Xbox 360, THQ): 6 Monster Hunters Freedom 2 (PSP, Capcom): 7 Pursuit Force Extreme Justice (PSP, Sony): 6 Ace Combat 6 (Xbox 360, Bandai Namco): 8 Dewy's Adventure (Wii, Konami): 6 MySims (Wii, EA): 6 Freshly Picked: Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland (NDS, Nintendo): 6

New SF2TX HD shots

No Multiplayer for NG2, due spring 2008

Special exclusive insite on NG2

All we know about NINJA GAIDEN 2 ...

Ryu Hayabusa is on a mission to avenge his clan and prevent the destruction of the human race.

Ninja Gaiden 2 features adventures with an extensive assortment of ninja weaponry.

All-new combat system that requires skill and mastery of your full arsenal of weapons, including Obliteration Techniques allowing you to quickly and stylishly finish off an opponent. In addition to a variety of brutal new primary weapons and enhanced versions of previous favourites.

Ninja Gaiden 2’s new auto-healing system similar to Halo 1's setup where a certain portion of your life will recharge if you can stay out of trouble for a few moments, featuring semi-permanent damage restored at save, multiple difficulty levels available from the start of the game.

In addition to the single-player campaign, you can upload Karma scores to Xbox LIVE® leaderboards and participate in an all-new Master Ninja Tournament.

Some stage/level details in NG2:

Tokyo city

Dragon Temple

Lightning necropolis is a large burial place (nekropolis "city of the dead"). Apart from the occasional application of the word to modern cemeteries outside large towns, the term is chiefly used of burial grounds, often an abandoned city or town, near the sites of the centers of ancient civilizations.

New York

Lifeblood shrine – underworld

Niflheim (the "abode of mist" or "Mist World") According to Gylfaginning, it was the realm of cold, one of the two primordial realms. The two realms of cold and heat is where creation was believed to have began. Niflhiem Later became the abode of those who did not die a heroic death.

Northern Purgatory – European chapel

Aqua capital – Italy Venice

The order and total number of stages is still not known.

Clue of a new weapon spotted in the footage as Ryo is switching weapon to twin swords, an icon can be seen which looks like: B?t?ns!

A HAK

XCM XFPS 360 Sniper Edition

This is their latest revised build of their product which allows keyboard and mouse use on the Xbox 360 which is ideal for first person shooters as well as allowing the use of Playstation controllers on the system. XCMLive.com

gt5 vs forza 2 complete post " you decide"

Side by side graphics comparison of the recently released demo of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue on PS3 and the full game Forza Motorsport 2 that was released a while back on Xbox 360. Images were taken with the same TV, same camera, same settings, same track, same color car, same positioning on track, same room lighting. The comparison is simple, GT5 is on the left while Forza 2 is on the right side. Which looks better in your opinion?

see posting below

GT5 VS FORZA MO

http://gameplanets.blogspot.com/2007/10/gt5-vs-forza-2-graphics-comparison.html

Free HD-DVD Movie Offer Extended to UK

You've heard about the free HD-DVD movie that has been running in the United States, well that same offer has now been extended to the United Kingdom. Here's the official press release:Microsoft today announces a major promotion with Hollywood’s leading film studios that will offer five blockbuster movie HD-DVDs completely free when you buy the Xbox 360 HD-DVD player at an ERP* of £114.99.From now until the 31st January 2008, anyone who purchases the state-of-the-art HD-DVD player for their Xbox 360 will be able to choose from 13 major film titles from studios including Warner Brothers, Universal, Dreamworks and Paramount. To receive their movies, customers simply send in a form, along with the barcode of their new HD-DVD player and Microsoft will ensure they are sent their HD-DVDs within 28 working days.Commenting on the deal, Stephen McGill, Head of Gaming and Entertainment for Microsoft UK said: “The HD-DVD player for Xbox 360 gives customers a high quality and affordable way to enjoy state-of-the-art HD-DVD movies. We’re delighted to enable everyone to enjoy the technology to the full and offer some fantastic movie releases, completely free.”The titles on offer are: Serenity, The Chronicles of Riddick, Hulk, Children of Men, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Troy, Full Metal Jacket, Corpse Bride, The Prestige, Swordfish, Black Rain, Dreamgirls, Word Trade Centre.

Big Surprise: Halo 3 Leads September Game Sales

Market research firm NPD Group, a provider of video games sales date in North America, released today its Top 20 Video Game Titles report for the month of September, 2007. As expected, Halo 3 was the top-selling game of the month.
Halo 3*
Play W/ Remote
Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Madden NFL 08
Skate
Madden NFL 08
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Bioshock
Brain Age 2: More Training In Minutes A Day
Heavenly Sword
Medal Of Honor: Airborne
Stranglehold**
Mario Party 8
Guitar Hero 2 W/Guitar
Carnival Games
My Sims
Pokemon Diamond Version
My Sims
NBA 2k8
High School Musical: Makin The Cut

MAJOR NELSON

· NPD reported that in the US, Xbox 360 was the #1 console for the month; outselling PS3 5:1
o Xbox 360 sales built upon its growth from last month, showing a 50 percent increase for the month of September selling an average of 105,600 consoles per week. Total sales were more than 528,000 Xbox 360 consoles sold, compared to 501,000 for Wii and 119,000 for PS3.
o PS3 sales posted an average weekly decline of 27 percent.

· Xbox 360 software revenue at retail outsold PS3’s software portfolio 8:1 and Wii’s 4:1, selling 3 times more than both platforms combined.
o For the month of September according to NPD, Xbox 360 software represented 74 percent of total software sales for the next generation market compared to 17 percent for Wii and 9 percent for PS3. Even without the sales of “Halo 3” the Xbox 360 portfolio outsold the PS3 portfolio 2:1.

· Additionally, Xbox 360 is home to the best-selling games with the top-rated next-generation titles. According to the world-wide authority in entertainment reviews, Metacritic, Xbox 360 has 80 titles with a Metacritic review score of 80 or higher compared to just 31 for PS3 and 11 for Wii.
o Newly released title “The Orange Box” (Valve) and the highly anticipated title “Mass Effect” (Microsoft Game Studios) have both generated rankings of 97 and higher according to Metacritic. And not to forget “BioShock” (2KGames) which remains one of the year’s highest rated games.

In spite of the unprecedented success of “Halo 3,” Xbox 360 continued to drive third-party games sales across all platforms. PS3 and Wii had ZERO third party titles in the top ten console title list for the month, while Xbox 360 weighed in with 3. Since November, third party partners have seen their titles hit the top ten 27 times for Xbox 360, compared to 2 for PS3 and 1 for Wii.

Everyone knew “Halo 3” would be big -and it didn’t disappoint- but it wasn’t the only good news for the industry. For the month of September, according to the NPD Group data, Xbox 360 held six spots in the Top Ten Console Games. Led by initial sales of “Halo 3” Xbox 360 software is flying off the shelves. Below is a breakout of title sales from the September NPD data:
· In its first two weeks, the three editions of “Halo 3” placed #1, 2 and 3 overall for console title sales - for a total of more than $225 million in sales in the U.S. with 3.3 million units. Average unit prices were $69 per game. The $130 “Halo 3: Legendary Edition” alone sold twice as many units as the top title for PS3 “Heavenly Sword” (SCE); the helmet is mightier than the sword.
· Proving that Xbox 360 is the new home for sports gamers, “Madden NFL ‘08” (EA) on Xbox 360 was again the leading next gen platform with 173,000 units sold, compared to the PS3 at 62,000 and Wii at 58,000. To date, “Madden NFL ‘08” has sold 1.1 million units on Xbox 360, 87 percent more than other next-gen platforms combined.
· Xbox 360 exclusive "BioShock" has sold 641,000 units through the end of September and remains to be on track to sell more than 1 million units. While “Halo 3” and “Madden NFL ‘08” have led the way as the first of a string of titles that are expected to sell more than 1 million units between now and the end of the year.
o As we announced earlier this month Xbox 360 has an unprecedented lineup of titles expected to sell at least a million units worldwide, including new and upcoming releases such as “Call of Duty 4®: Modern Warfare™" (Activision), "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" (RedOctane/Activision), "Mass Effect" (Microsoft Game Studios)
· Rounding out the top titles for Xbox 360, “Skate” (EA) came in at #6. The Xbox 360 version of the innovative titles outsold the PS3 version 6:1.

Gamers buy gaming consoles to play games, and Xbox 360 has the best lineup on the market. This, paired with the newly priced points of $349.99 (U.S.) for Xbox 360 and $449.99 (U.S.) for Xbox 360 Elite which includes the addition of two games with every console “Forza Motorsport 2” (Microsoft Game Studios) and “Marvel Ultimate Alliance” (Activision) for a retail savings of more than $100, provides gamers with an unmatched interactive entertainment experience.

http://www.majornelson.com/ more here. very good site, put on your favs brilliant podcast every sunday, major nelson is in charge of xboxlive gets updated daily a must for 360 owners..

Face/Off HD DVD release will be a 2 Disc release

We can now confirm extras on the upcoming HD DVD release of "Face/Off." It arrived today for review and it will be a 2 disc release.Rumors sparked that the HD DVD release would contain less extras than the DVD (and Blu-ray which was announced but later canceled when the studio dropped support.) However, all extras are here including "The Light and Dark: Making off" and "John Woo: A Life in Pictures."All extras will be in HD.Check below for more details and expect a review very soon.

http://www.dvdtown.com/

XBOX 360 sells almost 5 times more than Playstation 3

September proved strong for the Nintendo Wii and the XBOX 360, leaving the Playstation 3 gaming console in the dust.The numbers for September:XBOX 360, 527,800Nintendo Wii, 501,000Nintendo DS, 495,800PlayStation Portable, 284,500 PlayStation 2, 215,000PlayStation 3, 119,400Game Boy Advance, 75,000The big reason for the raise in XBOX 360 sales is mainly attributed to the release of Halo 3, which is released exclusively on the XBOX 360 console. Analysts believe that it will keep the XBOX 360 strong through the holiday season.Still, these must be very disappointing numbers for Sony. The company has a goal of selling 11 million units world-wide before March 2008, which will be hard to meet. In July they said they had sold 4.5 million world-wide, with only 1.7 of them in the U.S. In early July they lowered the price trying to boost sales, which helped but only for a few months it seems, according to the new numbers. Yesterday they did it again, cutting prices with $100 and introducing a new entry model priced at $399 hoping to turn the ship around.If they will succeed we don't know. No doubt this holiday season will be watched with great anticipation by a lot of companies. It could be the make it or break it season for a lot of them.