microsoft

Xbox 360 Shiny

It’s a busy week in console land. Microsoft is dropping the gloss-finished  Xbox 360 in favor of a model with a matte surface. Although I appreciate the visual appeal of the shiny black 360, I think the duller model will blend better in most game rooms. It will also be less prone to pick up fingerprints, something the original PlayStation 3 was notorious for as well before they themselves went to a matte finished model.

Speaking of Sony’s machine, it’s getting a price cut of $50 to $249. That’s a good price, in my mind, for the console at this point in it’s life cycle. It’s still a good system and $200-300 is about the price range that most gamers, in my experience, are most comfortable dropping for a new piece of hardware. That’s all on the console front for now. We’ll be back when there’s more to report.

Games for Windows

My attempts to produce a review for Section 8: Prejudice have been cut short, and I’m frustrated enough to run an article on the issue. The reason for the cancelation is Microsoft’s Games for Windows initiative.

Previously I’ve had not trouble with Games for Windows and Microsoft’s GFW Live software. However, recently I’ve been having issues with games supported by it left and right. Bulletstorm simply refused to boot and now Section 8: Prejudice won’t launch, either. I cannot run the new Games  for Windows Marketplace, either. This is a rather recent development because I was able to run Section 8  and the marketplace within the last month.

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