Joystiq

Interview: Microsoft on integrating Xbox Live into Windows Phone 7 Series

Andrew Yoon — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST

Windows Phone 7 isn't just Microsoft's attempt to compete against Apple's iPhone. It's also the introduction of the first portable Xbox platform. During GDC today, we talked to Xbox Live GM Ron Pessner and XNA Game Studio manager Michael Klucher about how games integrate into the mobile platform and what gamers and developers can expect in the future.

For the purpose of this interview, Pessner and Klucher merged into one entity (they spoke over each other a lot!) to answer our questions:

Microsoft plans to separate games that do and don't support Xbox Live functionality on Windows Phone. Are there any concerns that this will turn off indie developers?

Pessner and Klucher: The short answer is "no." The way that we built the Phone and Marketplace experience makes it very easy to search for what you're looking for. With XNA Game Studio 4.0, you can use the same set of tools to build an Xbox Live game or non-Xbox Live game on the platform. The benefit that developers get for working with Game Studio is everything we just described.

We also are very interested in seeing concept submissions from the indie community, and we're out talking to a lot of independent developers. Fortunately, we're working with a lot of these folks in context of the console today, and many of the console titles that have come to us through the Indie Channel or Xbox Live Arcade, we think will also make fantastic mobile titles. So we're reaching back out to these developers and accepting submissions for ideas as a way to help make those Xbox Live titles. It's up to the developer in terms of what they want to do on the platform, but we're really excited with the response we've seen so far.

Continue reading Interview: Microsoft on integrating Xbox Live into Windows Phone 7 Series

Interview: Microsoft on integrating Xbox Live into Windows Phone 7 Series originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Windows Phone 7 announced, includes Xbox Live support

Griffin McElroy — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:51:00 EST

Well gang, it's been a long time coming, but it seems we're finally going to get the Live Anywhere integration Microsoft began teasing four whole years ago. We're finding it awfully difficult to be jaded, however, as the mobile counterpart to Xbox Live will make its debut on the recently announced Windows Phone 7 -- a sleek little device which we're periodically switching between browser tabs to ogle. Click past the jump to see a demo of the phone's capabilities.

According to a Microsoft press release, the Xbox Live integration on Windows' new mobile platform "delivers the first and only official Xbox LIVE experience on a phone, including Xbox LIVE games, Spotlight feed and the ability to see a gamer's avatar, Achievements and gamer profile." We've contacted Microsoft to find out exactly what types of games are going to be offered on the device. We hope its the same lot that's available on the Zune HD -- the more electronic devices on which we can play Audiosurf, the better.

Continue reading Windows Phone 7 announced, includes Xbox Live support

Windows Phone 7 announced, includes Xbox Live support originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

iPhone version of Audiosurf put 'on hold' due to music library restrictions

Griffin McElroy — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:29:00 EST

Though the Zune HD-owning community (whose names are Michael, Alan and Michelle) are now able to play the entrancing Audiosurf: Tilt on their beloved media device, iPhone and iPod Touch owners are still forced to go without. Many were hopeful that the iPhone Firmware Update 3.0, which opened up the device's music library to third-party developers, would allow the game's creator, Dylan Fitterer, to bring the game to the popular media player. Unfortunately, in a brief interview with gaming news site Charge Shot, Fitterer explained that the update "didn't bring enough access."

We contacted Fitterer to find out exactly what he meant by this -- he explained, "Apps can play songs, but they can't get at a song's bits (needed to analyze it and build a matching rollercoaster + traffic pattern)." He added that there were workarounds -- for instance, a player could upload a song to the App or through a central server, which would create a level for them. However, he said that system felt inconvenient, and that he doesn't "want to put Audiosurf on iPhone until it can really let you ride your music - all of it."

There's still a chance the game could end up on an Apple product -- though Fitterer negotiated directly with Microsoft to get his game on the Zune HD platform, the two parties came to no form of exclusivity agreement. "I'm ready for Apple to call," Fitterer joked.

iPhone version of Audiosurf put 'on hold' due to music library restrictions originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Audiosurf, PGR and other games added to Zune HD with latest update

Griffin McElroy — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:50:00 EST

Okay, so the Zune HD didn't get off to the greatest start as a portable gaming platform, but we're willing to let bygones be bygones should the device's most recent patch be as amazing as it sounds on paper. A recent press release has announced that firmware update 4.3 adds six free games to the Zune Marketplace: PGR: Ferrari Edition, Lucky Lane Bowling, Vans Sk8: Pool Service, Piano, Checkers and Audiosurf: Tilt.

The press release does explain that, yes, you'll have to watch a short ad when you start these free games up. So what? It's Audiosurf on a mobile device, and it lets you make rollercoaster tracks out of your own songs. If we had to watch The Adventures of Pluto Nash start-to-finish every time we loaded the game, we'd still be thrilled.

Audiosurf, PGR and other games added to Zune HD with latest update originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg touts holiday exclusives, 360 sales growth in down economy

Ben Gilbert — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST

Namedropping exclusives from Halo 3: ODST to Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City to Shadow Complex, as well as reaffirming Microsoft's "year-to-date growth in console sales compared to last year," Microsoft's director of product management Aaron Greenberg sounds extremely confident in the Xbox 360 (that's his job, right?). Thankfully, he's not always above admitting when his competitors are going to win. "When NPD releases September sales later today, we fully expect PlayStation 3 will come in as the console with the most units sold for the month," he tells Game Informer in a recent interview.

Unsurprisingly, though, he's sanguine on the prospect of Microsoft's console beating out Sony's. "We remain confident that Xbox 360 will not only outsell PS3 for the full calendar year, but for this entire generation." His confidence wanes though when asked about beating Apple with the Zune HD, offering only, "Our strategy has always been to completely focus on delivering the best games and entertainment experience in the living room and not get distracted by anything else." Gotta know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em, right?

[Image credit: gamerscore]

Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg touts holiday exclusives, 360 sales growth in down economy originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Rumor: Nvidia Tegra chip going into next-generation DS

JC Fletcher — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:46:00 EST

According to Bright Side of News' secret ~~sauces~~ sources, Nvidia is in talks with Nintendo about the hardware for the successor to the Nintendo DS. Nintendo is reportedly interested in Nvidia's Tegra line of chips for mobile devices, like the one in the Zune HD. Considering that the Zune HD can do things like play HD video, it sounds like a power boost over the existing DS hardware. The lower-end Tegra APX has a clock speed of 600 MHz, compared to the current DS cores, which run at 67MHz and 33MHz.

However, BSN believes that the potential timing of the announcement (late next year) suggests that Nintendo could use the next generation of Tegra chips, which, the site says, use "GeForce 9 based hardware." And if they're cheap enough, Nintendo might consider it! The only question (well, the only other question, besides "is any of this true") is whether the capability to play ported console games is really a good thing for the DS.

[Via Develop]

Rumor: Nvidia Tegra chip going into next-generation DS originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Robbie Bach unsure about the future of handheld gaming for Microsoft

Ben Gilbert — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:30:00 EST

When questioned about the possibility of a dedicated gaming handheld vs a phone with multimedia functionality, Microsoft's Robbie Bach expressed his hesitation to enter either market to attendees of yesterday's.First Annual Microsoft Open House. The Entertainment and Devices division prez said, "The portable market's an interesting market ... you have to decide which direction the market is going." Rather than pursue the phone with gaming/media functionality route that Apple has taken, Bach thinks current technology simply isn't good enough yet.

"You have to decide if the dedicated devices in the portable market are going to continue to grow, or whether the phone that you get is going to get powerful enough and battery power management is going to get good enough that people are going to look at it and say 'No, I just want one device that's going to have some games on it, some music on it, some video on it.' I'm probably more biased to think that's the direction where the market is going."

Though he didn't mention an iPhone competitor or a dedicated gaming device, Bach hinted at the possibility, saying the Xbox and Zune are integrating at "a steady drumbeat." That steady drumbeat likely won't lead to much in the coming months though, as he noted, "There is a CES two years from now where people will look back and say 'Wow! Look at everything they did.'" At that point we'll only be four years from flying cars and hoverboards, so let's hope that Microsoft has some serious future stuff up its sleeves.

Robbie Bach unsure about the future of handheld gaming for Microsoft originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

iPhone game ported to Zune HD in less than a day

Richard Mitchell — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:30:00 EST

Redmond Pie reports that developer Foundation42 has ported its iPhone game WordMonger -- which sits somewhere between Bejeweled and Scrabble -- to the Zune HD. While this is interesting in itself, it's actually very impressive given that the port was complete is only twelve hours. The game was written in C# using OpenGL, and ported to Zune HD with XNA Game Studio 3.1 using Visual Studio 2008. It really is an exceptional achievement.

At least, it would be if Microsoft had a firm stance on third party development for the Zune HD. As it stands, there is no rote submission process à la Apple's App Store, with Microsoft instead opting to work with publishers on a "case-by-case" basis. Still, at the very least, WordMonger will hopefully be available on the App Store this Thanksgiving. See video of both the iPhone and Zune HD versions after the break.

Continue reading iPhone game ported to Zune HD in less than a day

iPhone game ported to Zune HD in less than a day originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Zune HD gaming apps feature interstitial ads

Griffin McElroy — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EST

Most of the reviews of Microsoft's new portable media device, the Zune HD, have been positive -- though from a gaming perspective, one "feature" of the new hardware has drawn the ire of gadgeteers. When booting up one of the free game apps, potential players are forced to view interstitial advertisements of varying lengths. Ars Technica measured the time it took to boot up these games -- the "Goo Splat" game features a static advertisement for the Kia Soul, and takes 17 seconds to load. The Chess application includes a video ad for the vehicle, and takes an entire half-minute to boot up.

Though the Zune HD's multitouch screen and sleek visuals allow for responsive (and good-looking) gaming, we can't imagine these ads will be terribly popular. Still, the games are free, so we guess we can't look a gift horse in the lengthy, unskippable promotional material.

Zune HD gaming apps feature interstitial ads originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Crackdown 2 Zune HD (and other styles) available at Zune Store

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:30:00 EST

Microsoft's John Noonan, who is currently working on Crackdown 2 and is co-host of Microsoft Game Studios' Platform Biased podcast, got folks in a tizzy when he tweeted about the Crackdown 2 Zune HD. We got in touch with Noonan, who let us know that this laser-etched model -- along with many others sporting Xbox-exclusive brands -- are available as part of the Zune Original Program at the Zune Store.

The "Xbox Series" features Halo ODST, Gears of War 2 and Forza 3, along with a few others. There doesn't appear to be an extra charge for the ~~advertising~~ fan appreciation, so the only thing you'll pay for is the Zune -- which, we're told is like an iPod.

Crackdown 2 Zune HD (and other styles) available at Zune Store originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Zune HD does games: Project Gotham Racing, Audiosurf 'in November'

Christopher Grant — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:55:00 EST

While it doesn't carry the same cachet as "Election Day" or "Chinese Leftovers Day," Zune HD Day is still very much a real thing. With today's launch of Microsoft's pretty-cool-but-still-not-a-phone media player comes final confirmation that the Zune HD will support games. Buried in the device's launch press release is the following line: "Later this year, Zune plans to release ... fun 3-D games such as Project Gotham Racing: Ferrari Edition, Vans Sk8: Pool Service and Audiosurf Tilt."

Of course, three games does not a platform make and, while Apple is busy touting the availability of 21,178 games in the iPhone App Store, Microsoft is launching the Zune HD with a far less ... robust marketplace. Even at the launch of Apple's App Store, over a third of the 500 programs available were games; today, it's closer to half.

Unfortunately, the Zune HD isn't competing with the pre-App Store iPhone or iPod Touch, so when Zune marketing manager Brian Seitz tells the Seattle Times that it's "hard to say right now" if the "sometimes connected" Zune HD will be opened up to third-party app development, it's difficult to hide our disappointment. Game development on the Zune HD is happening on a "case-by-case" and not a "come one, come all" basis, Seitz says.

So, what he's saying is you shouldn't expect to see anywhere near 21k games (regardless of quality) and you can also write off seeing the Zune HD popping up on the list of IGF Mobile nominees next year. As a gaming platform, even a casual gaming platform, will this be enough to compete against the iPod Touch or even the PSP Go? We'll find out "in November" when these games are finally available.

[Via Engadget]

Source - Press release

Source - Seattle Times

Zune HD does games: Project Gotham Racing, Audiosurf 'in November' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Zune HD promo video offers first glimpse of gaming

Ben Gilbert — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST

It seems that reports from way back in January of this year on the Zune HD were true -- the upcoming handheld from Microsoft will in fact feature some form of handheld gaming when it releases on September 15. At least that's what we can glean from a recent advertisement for the OLED-laden iPod Touch competitor, hinting at a gaming feature (and showing a tiny snippet of a racing game).

We've embedded the video after the break, originally found by Zunited, but will presumably have to wait until at least Monday to hear more about the Zune HD's gaming features (though we've asked Microsoft for comment either way). Considering the fact that the Zune Marketplace is coming to Xbox 360, we'll be holding fast hope for a Microsoft version of PSP's Minis at some point in the near future.

[Via Engadget]

Continue reading Zune HD promo video offers first glimpse of gaming

Zune HD promo video offers first glimpse of gaming originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 12 Sep 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Zune Video coming to Europe, no Zune included

JC Fletcher — Wed, 27 May 2009 11:45:00 EST

The good news: Zune Video, the expanded version of the Zune Marketplace that combines the current Zune download shop and the Xbox Live Video Marketplace, is coming to Europe. The bad news: according to The Guardian, there won't be any Zune HDs on which to play the stuff bought with Zune Video. At least, there aren't any plans to release the device outside of the US yet.

The other bad news: In a correction at the top of the post, Keith Stuart clarifies that "the service coming to Xbox Live is Zune Video NOT Zune Marketplace. Music is not part of the Xbox Live offering." This is still wonderful for European Xbox 360 owners hoping for expanded video offerings -- but less great for those hoping for expanded music offerings, or those hoping for expanded Zune offerings.

Zune Video coming to Europe, no Zune included originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 27 May 2009 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Microsoft unveils Zune HD, Zune marketplace headed to Xbox 360 [update]

Randy Nelson — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:30:00 EST

The cat's out of the bag on the Zune HD, with Microsoft confirming the handheld media device's existence and its intent to go touchscreen-to-touchscreen with the iPod Touch this fall. Our technomigos at Engadget have full details on the new Zune -- including word that Microsoft is doing away with the current Xbox Live video marketplace in favor of the Zune marketplace.

How this will work exactly won't be fully revealed until E3, where Microsoft promises that attendees will learn "how Zune integrates into Xbox LIVE creating a game-changing entertainment experience." This integration could very well be related to the hinted-at 360-Zune team-up we posted about last December.

Still, the announcement does bring up some interesting questions in the meantime. Chiefly among them: Will video content purchased on one device be playable on the other and vice-versa? Microsoft isn't saying, although that would make perfect sense. Also, the Zune marketplace offers an extensive catalog of downloadable songs -- could this be an indication of an iTunes-like music service debuting for 360? Microsoft's press conference has just become more unpredictable.

Update: The Guardian reports that Microsoft told it to expect movie, TV and music downloads via the Zune marketplace on 360. In addition, a subscription service like (or one and the same to) Zune Pass will likely be offered to Live users, allowing them unlimited song playback and 10 song downloads a month for a set fee. Final details are expected to be announced at next week's E3.

Microsoft unveils Zune HD, Zune marketplace headed to Xbox 360 [update] originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 May 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Rumor: Zune HD is a 'digital entertainment handheld' that does ... everything

Alexander Sliwinski — Fri, 15 May 2009 10:15:00 EST

TeamXbox has posted a story about the Zune HD, written this past January, using information going back to August 2008. The lengthy piece makes the Zune HD sound like an integration marvel -- something we're not exactly used to seeing from Redmond.

The Zune HD will allegedly be "a portable game console and media player," with the ability to link Microsoft's Skybox and integrate the current Zune and Xbox marketplaces. Something similar to the NXE will apparently function as the interface on the handheld. Zune HD will also allow users to play Xbox Live Arcade games either on their Xbox or on the handheld.

It all sounds so magical, Toto. When can we go to OZ?

[Via Engadget]

Rumor: Zune HD is a 'digital entertainment handheld' that does ... everything originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 15 May 2009 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments