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How to ruin Christmas using only a 360 box and some clothes


We hesitate to post the soul-crushing video you see above -- it may put a damper on your whole day. You see, many of us have fond holiday memories of tearing through sheets of glossy paper and ribbons to reveal the greatest present a kid can receive -- a new gaming console. To see one family pervert those cherished memories by presenting young Jonathan with an Xbox 360 box filled with clothes just brings us irrevocably down, in a manner that only "Beaches" used to be capable of.

Those sweethearts at Engadget are attempting to contact Jonathan and his rapscallion parents to hook the kid up with a real 360 -- hopefully, they'll send Jonathan's folks a little something too. Perhaps a wrapped-up, car-shaped pile of parenting books left in their driveway would fit the bill.

How the MMOs celebrate holidays

The holiday season isn't just relegated to the real world. Robert "Sabrehawk" Cox of the WarCry Network has a new article up detailing how many of the popular MMOs celebrate the season. Anarchy Online, World of Warcraft, the EverQuest series and a handful of others are there. For those handful of players still involved in Star Wars Galaxies, there's always Wookie Life Day.

One MMO missing for Cox's list is Guild Wars, and our sister site Massively has the information on their Wintersday celebration.

[Via Massively]

Merry Consumermas! What didja get?

'Tis the day for everyone to rip open wrapping paper and see just how much their loved ones care. So whether the present exchange was today, last night, earlier this month or some other time, we want to know how you made out in terms of video games (and if you want to share more, feel free, but we're only concerned with your gaming needs). If you have a chance to hit the pause button or get away from the family dinner table, tell us what you got. Happy Holidays!

Today's most 'dah' holiday video: a Raving Rabbids Christmas

It's been about 363 days since we last highlighted this video, but it's Christmas and we feel it's best to be festive, and Michel Ancel's Raving Rabbids are terrific way to celebrate the holidays. It's time to get into the egg nog with the most eloquent lagomorphs around.

For the holiday lovers out there, here's our cheap gift to you. Enjoy the video after the break.

Continue reading Today's most 'dah' holiday video: a Raving Rabbids Christmas

Crytek gives community Crysis map pack for Christmas

Although taking a beating in sales alongside another high-profile PC shooter, Crysis will still hang onto its Christmas cheer. Developer Crytek is celebrating the holiday season with free presents for Crysis owners. The big box under the tree is a Tournament Map Pack, including:
  • Power Struggle - Desolation
  • Power Struggle - Isolation
  • Power Struggle - Training
  • Instant Action - Excavation
  • Instant Action - Terminal
The map locales span the globe, with settings in the Americas, French Polynesia and North Korea. Crytek stocking stuffers include a 1600x1062 Christmas-themed wallpaper (pictured) and expanded documentation for the Sandbox2 editor. "But Crytek," you complain, "documentation sounds like books, and I hate reading." At this point, Crytek (or the personification thereof) sits you down on its laps, taps on his Alien Molecular Accelerator, and reminds you not to be ungrateful. And while you're at it, he says, be sure to buy three copies of the game to boost sales.

[Thanks, Jeff]

Happy (Holiday Name Here) from Aperture Science


It's Christmas Eve Eve Eve, and most of the blue-collared work force has temporarily retired for a well-deserved holiday break -- but not Portal's schizophrenic digital antagonist, GLaDOS. It would seem that the hardest working woman in the AI business (Sorry, Cortana) will remain ever vigilant at her post during the holiday season, wishing visitors to the Aperture Science website good tidings of the greatest joy.

As the camera pans across the holiday vault, revealing our Santa-hat-wearing jolly geometric friend and the ever promised pastry, carolers sing an enchanting rendition of Jonathan Coulton's "Still Alive". We won't blame you for getting a little misty -- nor will we judge you for wanting to share the Aperture holiday cheer with these darling Christmas cards. If only there was a card we could send to our family and friends, reminding them that they are androids, and that android hell is a real place where they will be sent at the first sign of defiance.

Today in Joystiq: December 11, 2007

Though not as much of a technical achievement as the Pac-Man tree, we love any and all holiday video game references. This picture of a Triforce atop a 50-foot tree was reportedly snapped by Nick and Will from Gnatline podcast. Shall we cry Photoshop? Nah, it's the holiday spirit, we'll let our lingering doubts lie elsewhere for the night. Check out the highlights for today:

Joystiquery
Readers pick best webcomic: Karma
Today's manliest video of manliness: TNA Impact trailer

News
Xbox Live Video Marketplace live in Canada, UK, and elsewhere
Rainbow Six Vegas 2 teaser has glam, forgets gameplay footage
MS explains why you can't use exact change on XBL
Witness Super Mario Galaxy's deepest secrets
Patapon to arrive in U.S. in February 2008
Rock Band Weekly: You're such a punk
Battlefield: Bad Company trailer takes stab at humanity
Reminder: New Halo 3 maps available now
Mass Effect amasses a million in sales
Slot machines to become more like video games
Square wins plagiarism case against Korean music video
Hudson developing games for iPhone and iPod Touch
Stringer: 'Actual innovation' and PSN expansion in Sony's future
GameFly opens Tampa, Florida distribution center
Nvidia drops new GEFORCE 8800 GTS 512 MB
LittleBigPlanet demo not coming this year
Hot Shots Golf 5 swings into US March 2008
EA: European developers more creative than American developers
GameStop opens inaugural tournament center
Rebellion to develop Shellshock sequel for sure
Lost Odyssey gets found in North America Feb. 12; free DLC with pre-order
Passage is a lifetime in five minutes

Rumors & Speculation
Rumor: PSP Silent Hill being ported to PS2
Rumor: Bizarre working on James Bond game
Analysts: Board games are the next big thing

Culture & Community
The Gaming Club sounds off on the year in video games
Gamecock sorry about crashing Ken Levine's VGA speech
Time magazine names Halo 3 game of the year
Rock out with your block out: i am 8-bit guitar straps

Joystiq Holidaze: explaining the PS3 SKUs


We'd love to say picking up PlayStation 3 is as easy as going to the store and grabbing the first box with the console's name on it. For better and worse, this generation of consoles gives consumers many choices at the (potential) expense of causing confusion at the store.

So it's with this in mind that we present you this handy guide for discerning the difference between the various PlayStation 3 versions (aka SKUs) out there. Please note that the red and green coloring is not only festive decor for the holiday season but also a subjective highlight of what each version excels in (or subsequently lacks).
80GB 60GB 40GB 20GB
Hardware
Model #
CECHE01 CECHA01 CECHG01 CECHB01
Price $499.99 $499.99* $399.99 $499.99*
Chrome trim Yes Yes Yes No
USB 2.0 slots 4 4 2 4
802.11 b/g Yes Yes Yes No
Flash card
reader
Yes Yes No No
Bundled Accessories
Ethernet cable Yes Yes Yes Yes
Video cables Composite Composite Composite Composite
Backwards Compatibility
PlayStation 2 Software** Yes (NTSC),
Software**
(PAL)
No Yes
PS One Yes Yes Yes Yes

Notes:

* This model is discontinued. The price on the chart represents the listed price before Sony axed it.
** See explanation in F.A.Q. below.

Alright, Joystiq, time to answer your own questions.

Let's do this.

Continue reading Joystiq Holidaze: explaining the PS3 SKUs

Joystiq Holidaze: explaining the Xbox 360 SKUs

We'd love to say picking up Xbox 360 is as easy as going to the store and grabbing the first box with the console's name on it. For better and worse, this generation of consoles gives consumers many choices at the (potential) expense of causing confusion at the store.

So it's with this in mind that we present you this handy guide for discerning the difference between the various Xbox 360 versions (aka SKUs) out there. Please note that the red and green coloring is not only festive decor for the holiday season but also a subjective highlight of what each version excels in (or subsequently lacks).




Elite Halo
Edition
Pro Arcade Core
Hardware
Price $449.99 $399.99 $349.99 $279.99 $199.99*
Storage 120GB HDD 20GB HDD 20GB HDD 256MB
memory card
none
Color Black Green/Orange White White White
HDMI port Yes Yes Certain models** Yes Certain models**
Bundled Accessories
Ethernet cable Yes Yes Yes No No
Headset Wired Wired Wired No No
Play &
Charge Kit
No Yes No No No
Video cables HDMI 1.2,
Component,
Composite
Component,
Composite
Component,
Composite
Composite Composite
Controller Wireless Wireless Wireless Wireless Wired
Other
Xbox Live Silver,
1 Month Gold
Silver,
1 Month Gold
Silver,
1 Month Gold
Silver,
1 Month Gold
Silver
Backwards
Compatibility
Yes Yes Yes No*** No***

Notes:

* The Core model has been discontinued. The $199.99 price tag is based on the GameStop refurbished price.
** See explanation below
*** Hard Drive required

And just in case you still have questions, we've gone ahead and written up a F.A.Q. after the break.

Continue reading Joystiq Holidaze: explaining the Xbox 360 SKUs

Joystiq Holidaze: the guitar compatibility guide

'Tis the season for shredding plastic guitar controllers in a virtual environment for screaming, adoring virtual fans - do you know if your plastic axe can rock with your game? Through playtests and corroboration via other sources, we have combined three handy charts (one for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and now Wii) to let you know what guitar controllers work with what games.

First, the Xbox 360:


Rock Band Stratocaster
Yes No* No**

Guitar Hero 3 Les Paul
Yes Yes Yes

Guitar Hero 2 Xplorer
Yes Yes Yes

Notes:
* Can navigate menus, but during the songs the green button is stuck down, orange is red, and everything else is dead
** Interestingly, the drums are recognized, so you can actually navigate menus using them, but playing songs is a no go.


The PlayStation 3, however, has a much "easier" choice (after the break).

Continue reading Joystiq Holidaze: the guitar compatibility guide

Wii woes: some win, some lose, some sing blues

Wrapping paper has been torn open, ribbons unraveled, and bows ... unbowed. Did you score yourself a next-gen console? We noticed while driving around the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex that some enterprising entrepreneurs decided to sell PlayStation 3s out of the back of their car trunks for $800. However, no one was lining up to buy 'em. A sad sign advertising Wiis for sale was discarded in the ditch near the same sellers, leading us to believe that they'd run through their supply of Wiis.

Further confirmation came when we found this article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in the form of a play detailing the trials and tribulations of finding a Wii this holiday season. Did you have as hard of a time? We checked a few area retailer shelves, and they all had the same story: accessories galore, consoles none. What about you?

So watcha get for Consumermas?

If you celebrated the just-passed consumer holiday (Christmas, X-mas, Consumermas, Christmahanakwanza, whatever) we're interested in hearing from you. You've dug out from under the hills of wrapping paper, awoken fat and swollen from your food comas, and mothballed the hideous holiday sweaters, so perhaps you've got time to share with us your holiday haul. What did you receive?

Now, economists tell us that Christmas creates waste of $152 billion every year as gift givers pay $457 billion for gifts that recipients value at just about $305 billion. Did this happen to you? Are you planning to haul any of your game-related presents in for a refund? Post freely, we won't rat you out to Aunt Bethany.

[Image credit: Flickr user Luciana DB]

Today's holiday-iest game video: Rayman raving rabbids Xmas


As we close out Christmas day, what better to bring it all to an end than a holiday themed Rayman Raving Rabbids video. It's cute, it's cuddly, and it has just the right amount of holiday cynicism thrown in. Consider it an extra special Christmas bonus for our loyal readers. In fact, if you're up this late/early and watching the video, then you really ARE loyal. Enjoy the video after the jump, and bask in the warm glow of Joystiq.

Merry Christmas to all you 'stiqers out there, and to all a good night.

Continue reading Today's holiday-iest game video: Rayman raving rabbids Xmas

The Gamer before Christmas

Harold Goldberg has rewritten the classic "The Night Before Christmas" poem to fit into the gaming lifestyle. We won't go into breaking it down grammar-wise and all that jazz because hey, it's Christmas. If any Joystiqers out there want to take a whack at rewriting a holiday classic that features any sort of video gaming slant, then have at it. If you're like us, you're back at home for the holidays and are finding a lot of free time on your hands.

In meantime, have another cup of eggnog, some peppermint bark, and give Goldberg's version a whirl.

Practice extreme Christmas shopping online


"Only in America can shopping be considered a contact sport. And Christmas is the Super Bowl for competitive consumers." With these words, Persuasive Games took this year's hottest toys and made them objects for Shockwave arcade game.

Xtreme Xmas Shopping has you trying to collect all of this season's hottest toys before the other parents can snatch them all up. Scuffling with parents is alright, so long as its out of the line of sight of wandering children. Of the five gifts quested, two of them are -- surprise, surprise -- the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3. You can try the game out for yourself here.
[Via collision detection]

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