Joystiq

Turncoat! Warren Spector developing for casual audience

Ross Miller — 2008-10-01T17:00:00+00:00

"How dare he abandon us?" you may scream into your monitor (and later into your favorite pillow). Warren Spector, developer of core gamer classics such as Thief and Deus Ex, is working for the mainstream audience. In a Forbes article about casual gaming's increasing influence, Spector said, "I don't believe I'm compromising on my gameplay ideals at all. [But] any artist who doesn't want his or her work in front of the largest audience possible is nuts."

Spector's "shift" shouldn't come as a surprise. For starters, we know his company, the Disney-owned Junction Point Studios, is currently working on a Pixar collaboration. He also intimated his desire for more mainstream development at the Games Education Summit in June.

"I'm sure a lot of the hardcore folks are going to be up in arms and I'm really looking forward to getting into that discussion with them," he said, later adding that he feels the hardcore genre is "completely safe" but "less relevant to major publishers" -- Cliff Bleszinki can breathe a sigh of relief. What we're wondering, now more than ever, is what's going on with the untitled fantasy project we haven't heard about since June 2007.

[Via MCV]

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Impress Watch: Sony contemplating upgraded Cell for PlayStation 4

Ross Miller — 2008-09-30T19:10:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3

Sure, it's been only 690 days since the PlayStation 3 officially launched, but it's never too early to for discussion on the next next-gen consoles. According to reputable Impress Watch technology writer Hiroshige Goto (via IGN), Sony is looking into using an upgraded version of the Cell processor for the PlayStation 4.

Goto speculates that Sony's upgraded processor would feature between 10 and 20 cores (current Cell uses 8) and boast twice the power. Keeping with the Cell -- as opposed to developing a new chipset -- would not only be cost efficient for the company, but it would also likely prove beneficial to manufacturing costs, software development (it'd be a familiar architecture) and backwards compatibility. Remember: although this is from a reputable source, the news is unconfirmed and, given the PS4 is likely many years away, subject to change even if true.

Fun fact: There are approximately 1900 days (over 5 years) between the PS2's March 2000 launch and Sony's E3 2005 unveiling of the PS3.

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Dear Core: Wait 2-3 years (Love, Nintendo)

James Ransom-Wiley — 2008-08-26T18:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Business

Nintendo has affixed a timeline to the vague, yet sincere promise that games based on the company's "core" franchises are in development. "We still have developers working on popular core gaming franchises but we need longer to complete these games, approximately two to three years," Nintendo stated in the October issue of Edge, as reported by Eurogamer. "These games are not ready to launch in early 2009 but are being worked on by all development teams." So sit back, twiddle some other thumbsticks, and let those other folk navigate the slopes for a while. Your turn's a comin'.

[Via Wii Fanboy; image credit: striatic]

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Pachter: Nintendo has not abandoned the core audience

Jason Dobson — 2008-07-29T09:15:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, E3, Business

Not everyone stumbled away from Nintendo's E3 presser feeling lightheaded and sick to their stomach. Some, like Wedbush Morgan soothsayer Michael Pachter, felt that the presentation was on point, offering an "even more positive view" of the company, while adding belief that Nintendo has not yet turned its back on the 'critically important' hardcore crowd.

"We think that Nintendo focused upon building upon its formidable lead with the mass market," notes Pachter, "and do not consider the lack of major hard core game announcements to be an abandonment of its core." Granted, this is a man who has the ear of investors and not necessarily gamers, and given that the analyst anticipates Nintendo to report revenue of more than $3.9 billion for 2009's fiscal first quarter, with an estimated $17.7 billion expected for the year, try to at least look surprised when his world views don't align perfectly with your own.

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Joystiq interview: Nintendo spins 'core' gamer appeal, more

Jason Dobson — 2008-07-23T08:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Interviews, E3, Business

E3's oddly intoxicating cocktail of libation and lack of sleep can often give those in attendance a unique perspective on the industry. However, as we wandered into Nintendo's coolly lit corner of the LA convention center, we were quickly reminded that this is an outfit with a perspective all of its own.

If the company's ambivalence during its own pre-E3 presser wasn't enough to convince us of Nintendo's indifference toward core gamers, our sit down during the show with Nintendo spokesman Charlie Scibetta proved that while the organization may preach that "hardcore" gamers play a critical role in Nintendo's strategy, its actions paint a different picture altogether.

Nintendo's press conference was interesting for several reasons, but one of these was that a number of titles, like Wario Land and Kirby Super Star Ultra, were not even mentioned. Was there any reason why these were left out?

We're showing them here on the show floor. We're pushing those games hard. The short answer to your question as to why they weren't in the press conference is that you only have so much time. If we included every single title and did demos of every single the reaction from the people at the press conference would be 'you went a little long.' We have to pick which games we want to push to the forefront and feature in the press conference, and the rest of them we feature on the show floor.

"We have to pick which games we want to push to the forefront and feature in the press conference, and the rest of them we feature on the show floor."

One of Nintendo's key announcements that was made was the Wii MotionPlus. But what kind of device is it, exactly?

There's the accelerometer and sensor bar that are still there. There's something called the Rate Gyroscope that's put in with the Wii MotionPlus, and what that does is it can recreate every flip of the wrist, every movement for a one-to-one experience. It's one of these things that you hear about, and wonder 'how does that work?,' and then you pick up the controller and play it and get it right away.

It tracks movement, position and speed. So when you're throwing a disc it's actually going to be able to take into consideration how you're turning your wrist to get a different angle and trajectory, and how hard you move it too will be how far it goes. It's very realistic.

The Wii's lack of sizable internal storage has been a controversial topic since the console's debut, and is likely to continue to be so given companies like Sega attempting to bring downloadable content to the Wii in the near future. What's Nintendo's strategy to help deal with this?

We hear gamers loud and clear on that. What's great about the songs and the games that you can download is that the system remembers that you did that. So if you need to clear off space off your SD card, you can. It's not like once you delete them you've lost them forever and you have to pay for them again. It's just a matter of managing the space you do have and keeping the stuff on there that you play the most while clearing up when you want to bring new stuff on.

But does Nintendo have any specific plans to address the need for extra storage on the Wii?

We don't have anything to announce now on that, no.

We hear Nintendo talking about the importance of core gamers in the company's strategy, but to be fair we're not seeing much announced that reflects that stance. What's Nintendo doing to appeal to the core gamer market?

The core, when they first heard about the motion sensing capabilities of the Wii remote and Wii Sports, were skeptical. But when they tried it, they liked it. Like most people do. Whether you consider yourself in the core or expanded audience, it's just universal that people like great games. There are games here, like Wario Land Shake It! and Mario Super Sluggers that some people consider to be core games, but if the game's good it doesn't matter. If you're new to gaming or a veteran gamer, it's something you're going to like.

What's interesting about a game like Animal Crossing, which is something that I consider to be a core game, is that it has the Wii Speak microphone attached to it. It works with it, rather. It's actually sold separately. But when you think about the capabilities that kind of voice chat and communication is going to do for that game and for other games, that's exciting. It's exciting for the core to see too to see what developers will do with that peripheral.

"It's just a matter of managing the space you do have and keeping the stuff on there that you play the most while clearing up when you want to bring new stuff on."

A lot of core gamers last year weren't fired up about WiiFit, and now they have either come to like it or they don't. But almost everyone like Shaun White Snowboarding. Developers have taken the Balance Board that originally came out with WiiFit, and now have gotten their hands around it and spent some time with it, and are realizing their creative vision by using that peripheral. These accessories we're taking about being associated with the games, Wii Speak and Wii MotionPlus, the game's we're showing aren't the only games that are going to use them.

As developers and publishers learn about that technology and begin to incorporate it into their own development, we're going to see a whole lot of great third-party ideas come out of that that'll appeal to both expanded and core audiences.

Speaking of games for the core audience, do you have any update on either Project H.A.M.M.E.R. or Disaster: Day of Crisis?

I don't have any status update, no.

And you mentioned the Balance Board and WiiFit. Given their scarcity, to say nothing of the console itself, does Nintendo have any strategy for getting more of these on store shelves?

(chuckles) We're making them as fast as we can. The response to them has been really outstanding. I can't tell you how many barbecues I've thrown this summer where we bust out WiiFit and soon the party has shifted from the backyard to the living room. The response has been great, and now we're just trying to get as many out there as quick as we can.

So then what's Nintendo's strategy as it pertains to the Wii's longevity?

As long as publishers and our own first-party teams are able to get good use out of the technology that's there to make gameplay experiences people will like, it's going to be a legitimate console. Technology evolves, and when we get to the point when we think it's time to do a new edition, then we'll make an announcement about that. But for right now, with the number of games that are coming out and the kind of creativity that we are seeing on the platform, that shows us that the well is nowhere near dry in terms of what this console can do.

How about the DS? Are we close to the next generation of that handheld?

The DS is also very successful, and in the June NPD data we think that the DS might overtake the Wii as the number one console for the month. It's selling great; we've sold 70 million units of that worldwide. As Reggie said in the press conference, we'll be close to 100 million by the end of the year. You're seeing the creative opportunity for developers. You see Spore, Guitar Hero, and now Grand Theft Auto was just announced for the DS. You see a lot of publishers excited about developing for that platform. And so, to think about cutting that short and moving onto the next console right away, we just don't see a lot of logic in doing that.

Looking to the digital space, what's Nintendo's strategy concerning WiiWare? Why would a third-party developer choose to release their title over WiiWare versus alternative channels such as XBLA or PSN?

WiiWare is a great opportunity for any size developer, large or small, to get their product out in a way that has been difficult in the past because of the cost of production and trying to get retail space. It's a real opportunity for any size developer to realize their creative vision. As more and more publishers understand what it can do for them, we're gong to see more great titles.

But without any sort of promotion by Nintendo for these games, what incentive do third-parties have to put their games on your service?

There's lots of ways to get the word out if you've got a great game. Even in talking to people like yourself. Joystiq is a good place for WiiWare developers to talk about their game and let the public know about it in advance.

"I think with Virtual Console and WiiWare, they'll find their rhythm in terms of when the right space is to release titles, and the public will help shape that."

It just doesn't seem that Nintendo gives any advance notice of these titles, and it isn't until Monday morning that anyone knows what's available. Is that your strategy?

We kind of have to pick our battles in terms of where we're going to load up on marketing and publicity efforts, so we get behind certain games that we think have huge sales potential and the retailer will push that. If we have a game on the WiiWare system that we think is equal to that kind of effort and worthy of it, then we would do it.

Finally, we want to talk a bit about Virtual Console. Specifically, the release frequency for these titles seems to have begun to dry up a bit. Any reason for this?

There's ebbs and flows in anything; that's just the model of the whole video game industry. Sometimes you see a lot of spiking around Christmas, and I think that now what you're starting to see is more consistent spacing of titles because you can sell a title now whereas before it was difficult to see a blockbuster anywhere but Christmas. Now you can see it spaced all the way through the year. I think with Virtual Console and WiiWare, they'll find their rhythm in terms of when the right space is to release titles, and the public will help shape that.

And is Nintendo courting any other older console libraries for the service?

The skies' the limit, that's what is great about Virtual Console. We don't have anything new to announce, but you're seeing a lot of new content put on that from old libraries. And it doesn't just have to be classic arcade titles, it can be new experiences released there as well.

Who decides when a virtual console title is released, is it Nintendo or is it the original publisher?

The publisher decides, but it's in conjunction [with Nintendo]. WiiWare is a little bit more loose in terms of having very little input from Nintendo at all. Developers really have the final say...as long as it passes the ESRB rating. It can't be rated too high, and it also has to work.

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Nintendo promises 'core' gamers will be happy with E3 showing

Alexander Sliwinski — 2008-06-17T12:55:00+00:00

Filed under: Nintendo Wii, E3

Marc Franklin, director of public relations at Nintendo, tells GamePro that "core gamers" will be interested in what the company has in store for E3. Although Franklin mentions Mario Super Sluggers (we can sense Europe going into fever pitch!), he gives very little detail on what else the company has planned.

There's been plenty of speculation about what Nintendo may reveal, but Franklin's comments come as Nintendo's more casual oriented Wii Fit storms the sales charts and a certain executive takes a jab at the Nintendo faithful. Franklin concludes that third-party publishers are rolling out more titles as they realize the "Wii is the current platform of choice in this generation." True, but these rollouts don't always equal payoffs. We're looking at you, Boom Blox.

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Joystiq Holidaze: explaining the Xbox 360 SKUs

Ross Miller — 2007-11-22T08:01:00+00:00

Filed under: Features, Microsoft Xbox 360, Business

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.

I've got to ask some rhetorical questions, can you help me out?

Of course, just like this, in fact.

Awesome! Thanks!

No problem.

Zephyr, Falcon, Jasper ... Can you explain all these different chipsets?

Zephyr is the name giving to the first upgrade of the Xbox 360's motherboard, which started showing up in retail consoles July 2007, and sported an HDMI 1.2 port and an improved heatsink.

The Falcon chipset will sport a smaller, 65nm CPU -- theoretically, this means cooler temperatures and less energy usage. These chips are expected to find their way into consoles by the end of this year. The rumored Jasper chipset isn't expected until August 2008 and will reportedly feature a smaller, 65nm GPU.

Except for checking for an HDMI port (included in all Zephyr and later chipsets), there is no easy way to tell which chipset you have.

Why not?

Because Microsoft isn't interested in telling you, that's why.

Okay, fine, but how do I tell if my Xbox 360 console has an HDMI port?

All Elite, Halo Edition, and Arcade models come equipped with HDMI port because they were manufactured starting after Zephyr was introduced. The Pro and Core models all have HDMI if they were produced after July 2007, and the best and only way to tell is by looking at the box (see the picture to the right).

What if I'm buying my Xbox 360 used and I can't check the box?

Then you can look at the console itself. An HDMI port should be found under the giant proprietary A/V. Use the picture below for reference.

Why isn't the Core or Arcade model backwards compatible?

A hard drive is required for backwards compatibility, both for holding the emulation software and to act as a storage space for original Xbox games to use (remember, the original Xbox had a hard drive). It's important to remember that if you buy an Arcade or Core SKU and want to be backwards compatible (or just store more than 256 MB), all you need to do is buy an HDD from Microsoft.

Can I beat you in Halo 3?

Probably, but you'll have to catch us first!

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Rumorang: New Xbox 360 bundle, Core this holiday

Jason Dobson — 2007-09-27T12:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, Driving, Online, Puzzle, Business

A "mole" has unearthed a pair of juicy rumors for Opposable Thumbs, detailing not one, but two new Xbox 360 bundles expected just in time for the holiday splurge.

The first, described as the Xbox 360 Pro package, will reportedly include a single case featuring both Forza 2 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance, much like what was done with the old Sega GT/Jet Set Radio bundle for the original Xbox. Rumors of this bundle first surfaced last month, and this latest report seems to add a measure of certainty to those claims.

This package is expected to drop on October 9, with a similar bundle for the Elite coming October 23. Unfortunately, according to the aforementioned mole, there won't be a price drop, but two free games is two free games.

The mole's most interesting suggestion, however, is a new Xbox 360 Core model that will arrive "at the end of October," sporting a HDMI port, wireless controller, 256MB memory card, and five XBLA arcade games (Boom-Boom Rocket, Pac-man, Uno, Feeding Frenzy, and Luxor 2) on a single disc. Even better is that, according to the subterranean varmint, the package will carry the standard Core price of $279.99.

If true, these deals look to offer a number of options for those still hesitant to dive into the Xbox 360 pool, making October a month to watch.

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Amazon selling Xbox 360 for $330

Justin McElroy — 2007-08-09T16:20:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Business

Apparently cutting $50 off of the price of the Xbox 360 Pro yesterday just wasn't enough for Amazon.com. Like Fancy's mother painting her soon-to-be-harlot daughter's face and jamming her into high heels, the online retailer is doing what it can to unload the systems on well-heeled callers. In this case, they've cut the price an additional $20, selling the systems for $329.99.

We don't know exactly why they're trying to clear some 360s out of their stockroom, but, were we in a betting mood, we'd bet that it has something to do with the invading 360s that include HDMI connections. Out with the old, in with the new, as it were. There's no similar sale on Elite or Core models. If you don't yet have a 360 though, it's a fine bargain. We don't know how long it'll last though, so you may want to act fast.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Rumor: Target done with Xbox 360 Core model

Alexander Sliwinski — 2007-08-07T14:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Business

Although not mentioned as part of today's Xbox 360 price drop announcement, more evidence is coming in that the Xbox 360 Core model may be finished. An employee of a Target store took multiple images (sadly the clearest one is above) of the store's PDA showing the Core model as "discontinued" in the "status" bar at the top right.

This follows last week's Best Buy information that the Core model was finished there as well. The stories are starting to stack up. We've been told by numerous sources that their various stores haven't stocked Core units in a while, this all feels identical to the way the PS3 20GB death occurred earlier this year.

[Thanks Anonymous]

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Mazeltov! It's an Elite ... and what the heck is that?

Alexander Sliwinski — 2007-04-29T16:50:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360

Today we celebrate the birth of the Xbox 360 Elite. The $479 console comes black as a moonless night is for all you folks who just gotta have those HDMI ports. Other than HDMI, the hard drive upgrade cost is frackin' ridiculous and we've got far better color options before dropping that kind of money. Hopefully those who decided to purchase the brand new Elite system, which we'd hope wouldn't have the same issues as the non-Elite, won't have the problem found in the video after the break.

As an aside, we really can't help ourselves on this one, what's that thing in the picture? Found in this week's Gamestop/EB Games flyer and sent in earlier this week by one of our tipsters, we didn't know what to think about this. Apparently Microsoft has come out with some kind of Xbox 360 lite: it's shrunk, inverted and altered. Either Gamestop accidentally leaked another Xbox 360 SKU (they've been known to do it) or this is a terrible graphic of the HDD-less, wired controller-having Core unit we all know ~~and love~~. Bring the flyer into the store and demand that model and let us know how it goes!

See also:
Xbox 360 Elite vs. classic: The test
Xbox 360 Elite Q&A
Joystiq Hands-on: Xbox 360 Elite

[Via Xbox360Fanboy, Thanks Micheal R.]

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PSP price cut U.S. only, includes Entertainment Pack

Justin McElroy — 2007-04-03T18:56:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PSP

So, you want to buy the PSP, only have $220 and you're a big fan of Lords of Dogtown. Well, you're in luck! The PSP Entertainment Pack, which includes the UMD skate film, a 1 GB memory stick and ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails, has received the same $30 price cut as its little brother, the $169.99 Core Pack.

But let's say that you want to buy the PSP, but you live in Europe. In that case, Sony has told GamesIndustry.biz that you're out of luck, as there's no European price cut at the moment.

Yikes, Europe. Sony's retaliation for this little stunt was pretty swift and terrible, huh? This seems a little harsh, did you do something else to upset them? Just remember this lesson: If you buy a PS3, you get a free TV and a taxi ride home. If those 100 dudes are the only ones to buy it though, you keep paying €150/£100 for your PSP.

[Via Engadget]

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Microsoft embiggens memory unit, XBLA game size [update 1]

Kyle Orland — 2007-03-05T11:25:00+00:00

Filed under: Arcade, Microsoft Xbox 360

Core owners rejoice. Microsoft today announced they'll be releasing a beefier, 512MB memory unit for all those hard-drive-less Xbox 360s on April 3 for $49.99. The old, ~~256MB~~ 64MB unit will simultaneously be reduced from $39.99 to $29.99.

The new, bigger unit will also come pre-loaded with XBLA classic Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, proving that old XBLA games don't die, they just become free pack-ins. Speaking of Xbox Live Arcade, what was once an exception is now a rule: Microsoft has officially upped the maximum size for its downloadable games service from 50MB to 150MB.

While it's nice to see Microsoft paying attention to its value-priced hardware option, we can't help but feel the premium edition is still the way to go. For the price of two 512MB memory units you can get 20 times the storage in a noisy hard drive, plus extras like a wireless controller. As far as value per gaming dollar is concerned, a little extra cash goes a long way here.

[Update: Fixed the size of the current unit. Thanks commenters.]

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$100 Xbox 360 Core up for election

James Ransom-Wiley — 2006-11-16T11:55:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Microsoft Xbox 360, Online, Business

Amazon has kicked off its first week of "Customer's Vote" (user votes decide a weekly deal) with a doozie: $100 Xbox 360 Core Systems. There's some stiff competition though, including perennial holiday favorites like the Mongoose bike ($30) and Barbie doll ($10). There's a catch too, if selected, the Xbox 360 bargain would be limited to 1,000 units.

Let's assume the $100 Core is voted in and you secure a unit. Naturally, your end-goal is an Xbox 360 Premium System. So you'll need to invest in a hard drive ($100), wireless controller ($40), and HD cables ($40); bringing your total (including Core) to $280. That's still $120 less than the standard Premium bundle, plus you'll have an extra wired controller (and spare AV cables) -- it's also a better value than Micro Center's current rebate promotion.

Go vote! (The winner will be announced next Wednesday at 11 am PT; and will go on sale Thanksgiving morning!)

[Thanks, Vin]

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Core Xbox 360 loses ten pounds

Ludwig Kietzmann — 2006-08-25T18:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360

And before our juvenile brains manage to construct a poor joke regarding the Xbox 360's power brick, we'll quickly blurt out that the lost pounds are strictly in monetary terms. According to Gamesindusty.biz, several retailers in the UK have confirmed that the Core Xbox 360's price has been slashed by 10 quid, bringing its total price to GBP 199.99. A lower price says little of value, however, as walking out of the store with a Core console, a hard drive (GBP 69.99) and a component cable (GBP 19.99) will still cost you more than the standard pack (GBP 279.99).

Though this move is unlikely to cause a similar Core price drop in the US, it does seem to reinforce the idea that the cheaper deal is the less popular one. Of course, that doesn't stop retailers from advertising it in deceiving ways -- the above advertisement is straight from the front page of online retailer, Game, and proudly proclaims that "HD gaming starts" at 199.99 pounds. "HD gaming" here having the definition of "a sequence of fuzzy images conveyed by the included and technically inept composite cable."

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$40 XBL Vision camera & UNO bundle detailed by MS source along with prices & dates for other 360 accessories

Dan Choi — 2006-06-02T00:26:00+00:00

Filed under: Arcade, PC, Wireless, Microsoft Xbox 360, Driving, First Person Shooters, Online, Simulations, Strategy, Peripherals, Business

Our friendly anonymous source at Microsoft has provided us with a few more details concerning the 360 accessories announced back at E3.

Perhaps the most important involves the bundling of the Xbox Live Vision camera with a wired headset, the popular Live Arcade title UNO, and a month of Live Gold service for $39.99 when it releases in the States on September 19, 2006.

Granted, this is still an unofficial report (based on a leak of "official" info), so understand that you're probably not gonna get much confirmation from MS until they're good and ready to give it. If you'd like information on what other peripherals are coming out "Holiday 2006" (so sometime in the 4th quarter) and at what price, read on for more.

New faceplates featuring Halo, Forza 2, & Viva Pinata for $19.99 each
Wireless headest with a 30-foot range for $59.99
256MB Memory Unit for $59.99
Wireless gaming receiver for $19.99 (but it'll go on sale in Winter 2007, unlike the others, probably around the month of February)

As stated before, the wireless gaming receiver will let you use wireless 360 peripherals -- such as the wireless controller, wheel, and headset -- on your PC. MS is apparently still considering the price point for the wireless racing wheel, as the $130 figure reported by us earlier has not been repeated in this round of releases (though it could still eventually be used). No official pricing has been given for the HD-DVD add-on, either.

Hopefully, Microsoft will provide some way of allowing those who have already purchased UNO on Live Marketplace to download a comparable title with the bundle (with or without camera functionality). Our source at Microsoft saw nothing that would indicate a unbundled SKU for the 360- and PC-compatible camera, so it looks like it'll only be available at $40 for the foreseeable future. [Note that our earlier post on the pricing rumor contained a typo in the headline which might have led you to believe a second unbundled SKU for the camera would be available for $20; the figure was listed correctly in the body of the text, but the error in the title was ours and ours alone (our source had it right all along). Apologies to anyone who might have been misled -- the older post has been fixed.]

If these figures are what the peripherals in questions are eventually priced at, our hopes of a gradual easing of Memory Unit price points will have been thoroughly dashed (the better to service 360 Core owners in need of greater and/or cheaper storage options). Offering more value is good, but dropping the price of the 64MB MU to a proportional $14.99 would be an impressive show of good will to cost-conscious shoppers (however unlikely due to retail margin requirements). Not only that, those close to running out of, or who have already run out of, space on their 20GB hard drives are probably even more disappointed in the lack of hard-disk upgrades available in time for the two-tiered PS3 launch in November. Hopefully we'll see more options (and price drops) next year.

[Image taken from the Best of E3 Gallery at Xbox.com]

See also:

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Rumor: 360 wireless gaming receiver $20; wheel $130; headset $60; camera $40; Halo and Forza faceplates $20 [update 1]

Dan Choi — 2006-05-12T14:15:00+00:00

Filed under: PC, Wireless, Microsoft Xbox 360, Online, E3, Peripherals, Business

Thanks to a reliable source from Microsoft, we've learned some important details about the new peripherals announced for the Xbox 360, including pricing and a few Halo faceplate (non)specifics. Check out the leaked info and prices below:

360 wireless gaming receiver (which enables wireless 360 controllers, headsets, and wheels on your PC): $20
Wireless racing wheel: $130
Wireless headset: $60
Xbox Live Vision Camera (with headset, one month of Live Gold, and one arcade -- presumably Xbox Live Arcade -- game): $40
New faceplates for Halo (with the Master Chief on 'em, but not Halo 3 specific) and Forza (no word on connections to the sequel): $20 each
256 MB portable memory unit (MU): no official price yet, but definitely not four times the cost of the older 64MB MU

Besides acknowledging that the PC is "the biggest gaming device of all," MS appears to be setting an agressive price for its most relevant new PC accessory, the wireless gaming receiver (at least in comparison to the outrageously priced 360 wireless networking adapter). Unfortunately, no price was revealed as of yet for the USB-based HD-DVD add-on.

We've speculated in our recent podcasts as to what would happen to the various 360 SKUs when price drops inevitably occur. An interesting theory bandied about by prolific Joystiq Contributor epobirs (on our earlier bump-to-256MB-MU post) was that a $20 price drop for the Core system, coupled with a $20 price drop on the 64MB MU, would finally allow folks to pick up a capable non-Premium bundle for the original $300 Core price point. (Not a bad way to undercut PS2 memory card prices, too.) We hope to get official confirmation on this info in the not-too-distant future.

[Update: Sorry, had the camera price wrong in the headline; it now matches the price of the bundle listed in the body of the text below.]

See also:

360's Mem Unit getting a bump to 256MB? (Comment from epobirs)
Use 360 wireless peripherals with a PC
Engadget & Joystiq's live coverage of Microsoft's Xbox 360 E3 event
Joystiq / Engadget podcasts from Day One and Day Two of E3 2006

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