Pulse2 Technology and Social Media News » Microsoft Xbox 360

ITC Judge Says That Xbox Should Be Banned From U.S. Because Of Motorola Patent Violation

Amit Chowdhry — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:14:13 +0000

International Trade Commission judge David Shaw said that he believes that the importing of 4GB and 250GB Xbox consoles into the U.S. from China should be suspended and that Microsoft should pay Motorola 7% of the value of any unsold consoles remaining in the U.S. This is based on a lawsuit that Motorola filed against Microsoft in 2010 over five patent violations that are allegedly related to the Xbox 360. The judge is also ruling that consoles already in the U.S. and not sold should be barred from sale through a cease-and-desist order. Microsoft protested and said that the suspension of the Xbox 360 would hurt competition in the marketplace. Shaw said that “enforcing intellectual property rights outweighs any potential economic impact on video game consol buyers.” The five patents most related to video codecs. If the ITC commissioners agree with Shaw, the recommendation will land on President Obama’s desk and his advisors will have 60 days to review it.

Rumor: Microsoft To Sell Xbox 360 With Kinect Bundle For $99 With 2-Year Agreement

Amit Chowdhry — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:50:29 +0000

According to The Verge, Microsoft Corporation is rumored to be to launching a $99 Xbox console package with a Kinect sensor. The catch is that you would have to make a 2-year $15 per month Xbox Live Gold service agreement, which would also have access to some streaming content from cable providers. The Xbox would be 4GB and would be covered with a two-year warranty. There will be an early termination fee if you want to break the contract ahead of schedule.

Microsoft Investigating Mass Suicide Threat At Foxconn

Amit Chowdhry — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:02:35 +0000

Microsoft Corporation is investigating a mass suicide threat at Foxconn, the Chinese manufacturing company that is known for putting together Xbox 360 consoles. The employees are reportedly demanding a higher pay. The mass suicide threat could be a complete fabrication or it could be a very real, making this is a very dangerous and sensitive issue. Several employees at Foxconn committed suicide recently due to what is believed to be unsanitary conditions at the factories. Apple also had investigated the suicide issues in recent years at Foxconn, who also manufactures iPhones, iPods, and iPads.

“Microsoft takes working conditions in the factories that manufacture its products very seriously, and we are currently investigating this issue. We have a stringent Vendor Code of Conduct that spells out our expectations, and we monitor working conditions closely on an ongoing basis and address issues as they emerge. Microsoft is committed to the fair treatment and safety of workers employed by our vendors and to ensuring conformance with Microsoft policy.”

About 1.7 Million Xbox 360 Consoles Were Sold Last Month

Amit Chowdhry — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 08:01:09 +0000

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has announced that about 1.7 million Xbox 360 consoles were sold last month alone. During the week after Thanksgiving, Microsoft sold 1 million consoles alone. Currently the Xbox has the largest market share of any console at 49%. It has been the top-selling console for a year straight too. The Microsoft Kinect helped drive the sales of the console as it is one of the best-selling consumer devices of all time. [BusinessInsider]

Microsoft Xbox Live Software Update Will Allow You To Navigate Through Content With Voice or Hand Gestures

Amit Chowdhry — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:00:19 +0000

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is launching a new interface for Xbox game consoles that will allow users to navigate through music, movies, TV shows, games, etc. by waving your hand or using your voice. The upgrade will be going live tomorrow.

Microsoft is also launching several other new features through the upgrade. This includes a new dashboard user interface and improved Kinect voice commands.

“We think you’re going to use one device for movies, music and games in the future,” said Ross Honey, general manager of Xbox Live entertainment and advertising, in an interview. “We want to make the content accessible and enhance the actual experience. We think you will want to watch it on Xbox as it is more social and more personal.”

The update will give people access to on-demand TV, movies, and user-generated videos. For example, you will be able to have access to 26 TV channels from Verizon’s FiOS TV service or Comcast’s complete library of 10,000 On Demand movies.

When you say the word “Xbox,” the Microsoft Kinect motion-sensor wakes up. You can say “Bing” to use the search function across the console. From there if you say “Iron Man 2,” then the movie will be pulled up. You can watch the movie through Zune, Vudu, Epix or Netflix from there. Netflix requires a separate subscription.

The new user interface was designed around Microsoft’s signature Metro look, which has square tiles and buttons that are used on Windows Phone 7. When Microsoft releases the Windows 8 desktop operating system, it will also have the Metro look.

About 57 million Xbox consoles have been sold around the world and 35 million users have logged on to the Xbox Live service at least one in the past 3 months. About 40 content partners are expected to be a part of the platform and apps will be rolled out gradually over time from them.

Buy A Windows 7 PC, Get A Free Xbox 360 If You’re A Student

Amit Chowdhry — Sat, 21 May 2011 20:09:07 +0000

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has announced a solid deal for students. If a student buys a Windows 7 PC for $699 or more over the summer, they will also get a free 4GB Xbox 360 S. This offer will be running from May 22nd through September 3rd. The deal can be redeemed through online retailers like Dell.com and HP.com along with Best Buy and Microsoft Store locations.

Online buyers need a .edu e-mail address to confirm their student status and retail customers need to show a student ID. For now this deal is available for U.S. residents, but it will soon be available for the French and Canadians.

[GamaSutra]

Microsoft Milo Game Uses Same Technology As James Cameron’s Avatar [VIDEO]

Amit Chowdhry — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 02:44:05 +0000

“Emotion Capture” – Directing Milo from John Dower on Vimeo.

John Dower worked on an Xbox 360 Kinect project called “Milo & Kate.” Milo & Kate was developed by Lionhead Studios and creative director Peter Molyneux. Dower worked on creating a 3D character and directed motion capture and animation. Milo is a voice-and-motion game from Lionhead Studios that was never released. Milo uses the same technology as James Cameron’s Avatar movie. [Microsoft-News]

Microsoft Hit $6.63 Billion In Profit Of Q2

Amit Chowdhry — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 18:07:35 +0000

Microsoft Corporation recently announced their second quarter earnings. They posted a $6.63 billion profit on revenues of $19.95 billion. This is very comparable to their earnings from last year. The company sold about 300 million licenses of Windows 7 and they saw a strong increase in their entertainment division.

A lot of the earnings were due to strong Xbox 360 console and the Kinect motion controller sales. Windows and Windows Live revenues had dropped nearly 30%. There aren’t any solid numbers out yet about the Windows Phone 7, but we do know that they shipped 2 million licenses to manufacturers recently.

8 Million Kinect Controllers Sold In 60 Days

Amit Chowdhry — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 17:04:29 +0000

According to a slide that was released a little bit before the Microsoft earnings announcement, there was some impressive growth in the Entertainment and Devices division. This division generated about $3.7 billion this quarter, compared to $2.4 billion last year. About 8 million Kinect controllers were sold in the first two months of launch. Xbox Live memberships increased 30% and Xbox 360 console sales increased 21%. “We are enthusiastic about the consumer response to our holiday lineup of products, including the launch of Kinect. The 8 million units of Kinect sensors sold in just 60 days far exceeded our expectations. The pace of business spending, combined with strong consumer demand, led to another quarter of operating margin expansion and solid earnings per share growth,” stated Microsoft CFO Peter Klein.

Joshua Seal Kidnaps His Son-In-Law Allen Begley, But Trades Him For An Xbox 360 [HALL OF SHAME]

Amit Chowdhry — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 03:03:31 +0000

Here’s an interesting story: Joshua Seal had recently kidnapped his employee Allen Begley, who is also his son-in-law. Seal thought that Begley stole $245 worth of rings from a job site, which would negatively effect his business.

Seal had even beat his son in law before letting him go free in exchange for the neighbor’s Xbox 360. Joshua Seal and another employee Bradley Marshall had captured Begley by telling him that they needed help moving a saw. Marshall and Seal took Begley to a room, locked the door, and beat him mercilessly.

Begley told the kidnappers that he didn’t have the money. So he called his friends and family and tried to get some cash. Linda Begley, the mother-in-law of Allen got a call from Allen around 3:30-4 on Sunday afternoon — he was crying and was upset. Joshua Seal told Linda that he already gave Allen a black eye and would continue to beat him until he got some money. Linda contacted a neighbor, who offered Joshua an Xbox 360 in exchange for Allen. Both of the parties met at a convenience store for the exchange.

Begley called the police beforehand and they arrested Joshua Seal at the scene. Marshall turned himself in at the Justice Center. Both of these men are being charged with Especially Aggravated Kidnapping. Just the thought of being traded for a gaming console is disturbing. I would be just as disturbed as Woody Harrelson when he was traded for a washing machine in the movie Semi-Pro. This story is going in the Hall of Shame.