Latest News

May 2nd 2013, 11:07 am PT

Win tickets to see “Star Trek Into Darkness” Fan Sneak Shows in IMAX 3D

Want to be one of the first to see Star Trek Into Darkness?

Well I can try and help with that! Working with Paramount Pictures, I’ve got my hands on Fandango passes that can be used to see Star Trek Into Darkness Fan Sneak Shows in IMAX 3D.

How do you enter? Easy:

Answer this question by leaving a comment below: What you are looking forward to seeing most from Star Trek Into Darkness?

I’ll then randomly choose 15 people to win a code to redeem for a set of tickets on Fandago. Since the codes will only work on Fandango, this is a US contest only…sorry.

PLUS: Did you know that director J.J. Abrams did a Q&A with Xbox fans? Watch a clip of it here, and look for the entire video on your Xbox 360 dashboard the next time you sign into Xbox LIVE.


 

The rules: Deadline to enter is 11:59am Pacific on May 10, 2013. 15 randomly selected winner will be notified by e-mail or Twitter. One entry per person. Read this if you have questions about the Disqus commenting system. Contest is open to US residents only.

Note: If you do not have an e-mail address or Twitter name associated with your Disqus login, you must include your Twitter information in your comment to be eligible. Any winner who does not respond to my notification within 72 hours will forfeit the prize. For faster notification, follow me on Twitter where I can DM you if you won.

Technology, Xbox 360

May 1st 2013, 8:08 pm PT

LIVE Activity for week of April 22nd

Xbox 360 Top LIVE Titles (based on UU’s)

1
2
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Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition
EA Sports FIFA Soccer 13 
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
NBA 2K13
Halo 4 
Battlefield 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops
GTA IV
Skyrim
Modern Warfare 2
Gears of War: Judgment
Borderlands 2
EA SPORTS NHL 13 
Injustice: Gods Among Us
Halo: Reach
Madden NFL 13
Gears of War 3
Assassin’s Creed III
Forza Motorsport 4

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions purchased)

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Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition
Poker Night 2
Terraria – Xbox 360 Edition
BattleBlock Theater
From Dust
God Mode
Plants vs. Zombies
Trials Evolution
Castle Crashers 
Peggle
Catan
Quantum Conundrum
Fruit Ninja Kinect
The Walking Dead 
Motocross Madness
I Am Alive
Pinball FX2
Trials HD
Puzzle Fighter HD
Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Decade Duels Plus
  The above list is based on full versions purchased.

Top Indie Games (Full Versions purchased)

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CastleMiner Z
White Noise Online
Total Miner: Forge 
Shark Attack Deathmatch 
CastleMiner
Murder Miners 
Avatar Laser Wars 2
Avatar Deathmatch 
Discovery+
The Impossible Game
Xenominer
Avatar Farm Online
Zombie Estate 2 
Avatar Legends 
Arcadecraft
White Noise: A tale of Horror
Block World 
Paintball War
DLC Quest Live Freemium or Die
The $1 Zombie Game 
  The above list is based on full versions purchased.

Games for Windows Top LIVE Titles (based on UU’s)

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GTA IV
Dark Souls Prepare to Die Edition
Age of Empires Online
Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition
Batman Arkham City
Fable III
Fallout 3
DiRT 3
Bioshock 2 
Resident Evil 5 
Microsoft Flight
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Resident Evil Operation Raccoon City
Street Fighter X Tekken
F1 2011
Colin McRae : Dirt 2 
Red Faction Guerrilla
F1 2010
Street Fighter IV 
Virtua Tennis 4 

These lists are based on global unique users connected to Xbox Live or in the case of Arcade and Indie Games, full versions purchased during the week.

Some content (and therefore the links) may not be available in all Xbox LIVE regions.

Top LIVE

May 1st 2013, 10:00 am PT
May 1st 2013, 6:00 am PT

Arcade: Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon

Far Cry® 3 Blood DragonContent: Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon
Price: 1200 Microsoft Points
Check availability in your Xbox LIVE region
Dash Text: Playing Far Cry® 3 Blood Dragon doesn’t require a copy of Far Cry® 3. Far Cry® 3 Blood Dragon is THE Kick-Ass Cyber Shooter taking place on a bizarre open-world island crawling with evil. Welcome to an 80’s VHS vision of the future. The year is 2007 and you are Sargent Rex Colt, a Mark IV Cyber Commando who’s fighting against a cyborg army gone rogue. Your mission: get the girl, kill the baddies, and save the world. Experience every cliché of a VHS era vision of a nuclear future, where cyborgs, blood dragons, mutants, and Michael Biehn (Terminator, Aliens, Navy Seals) collide.

Add the game trial to your Xbox 360 download queue

 
 
 

Arcade, Marketplace

April 30th 2013, 10:27 am PT

Machinima Launches Worldwide on Xbox; Golden Gods Awards Streams Live

What do Alice Cooper, Metallica, LeBron James, and “Mortal Kombat: Legacy” have in common? They’re all coming to Xbox! Between Machinima launching in every Xbox LIVE market around the world, the inspirational animated series “The LeBrons: Season 2” launching on Xbox Video, and the Revolver Golden Gods Awards show streaming live via our Events Player, there are some really cool new things to check out this week. Additionally, if you’re a fan of electronic dance music (or EDM as it’s more commonly known) you’ll enjoy new details about our partnership with OneBeat Labs.

Machinima

Machinima (All Xbox LIVE Markets)
Today, the No. 1 entertainment destination on YouTube, Machinima, comes to Xbox 360* across all Xbox LIVE markets. The first app to launch worldwide on Xbox, Machinima gives you an easy, all-access pass to watch episodic narrative series like the extremely successful “Mortal Kombat: Legacy” and “Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn”, live streams, gameplay videos, and original content, including weekly and daily shows such as fan favorites “Sanity Not Included” and “How to Annoy People.” As the top global online video destination for young males, you won’t want to miss downloading the Machinima app and getting instant access to all of your favorite Machinima channels, including the main “Machinima” channel, which is one of the largest YouTube channels, “Machinima Realm” focusing on fantasy and role-playing games, and “Machinima VS“ covering the world of competitive gaming, just to name a few. Machinima speaks directly to the gaming audience and beyond, providing a destination to watch your favorite content in the comfort of your living room, or any location you choose. With Machinima on Xbox, you can also share videos directly from the app to Facebook. Check it out and download from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace now.

Golden Gods Awards Show Live on Xbox LIVE

Golden Gods Awards Show Live on Xbox LIVE (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, German, Italy, Mexico, Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom)

The 5th annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards Show in Los Angeles is back with some of the biggest names in hard rock and heavy metal. Planning to tune in and turn up the volume? You’re in luck. Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers around the world** will be able to stream and rock out to the show live right from their Xbox 360 this Thursday, May 2. Watch heavy metal favorites Metallica, Halestorm, Stone Sour and more perform live. See Rob Zombie receive the award that embodies the spirit of hard rock and metal, the Golden God Award and Metallica receive the iconic Ronnie James Dio Lifetime Achievement Award. The show starts at 8 p.m. PDT. You can also watch the “Black Carpet” pre-show special starting at 7 p.m. PDT and catch glimpses of legends like Gene Simmons, Marilyn Manson and Alice Cooper.

By tuning into the Golden Gods Awards Show on Xbox LIVE, you will have access to unique second-screen Xbox SmartGlass experiences where you can:

  • Check out the award nominees in categories like “Best Drummer,” “Comeback of the Year” and “Most Metal Athlete”
  • Participate in online polling during the show
  • Learn more info on winners as they’re announced live
  • Watch backstage interviews with artists on your tablet or smart phone while live performances are blasting from your TV
  • Discover additional information on presenters, like Fozzy frontman and WWE pro-wrestling legend Chris Jericho and others

The Xbox LIVE stream will also run a dedicated Twitter feed across the screen using the hash tag #XboxGoldenGods so that the Xbox community can make its voice heard and weigh in on all the action in real time. The “Black Carpet” kicks off at 10p ET/7 p PT on Thursday.

The LeBrons Season Two

The LeBrons Season Two (United States)
The hit animated web series “The LeBrons” is back with season two, and will be exclusively available on Xbox 360 in the U.S. via Xbox Video starting Friday, May 10th. Watch new episodes each week and a handful of trailers through August 31st, and listen to the original music soundtracks for seasons 1 & 2, all found in the dedicated “The LeBrons” hub located in the TV & Video section of the dashboard. “The LeBrons” is a family entertainment show that provides positive life messages to today’s young adults and is co-executive produced by LeBron James, Maverick Carter and Believe Entertainment Group Co-Founders Dan Goodman and William H. Masterson III. In the meantime, here’s the latest trailer of Season 2 of “The LeBrons.” Check back next Friday for the first episode.

OneBeat App

We’re working with our friends at OneBeat to bring one of richest cultural experiences today exclusively to Xbox—Electronic Dance Music (EDM). We’ll have more details to share next month, but know that we we’ll soon be launching the OneBeat app for Xbox 360 which will bring some of the richest, and most integrated, interactive entertainment experiences from the Global EDM Industry right into your living room. The OneBeat app is a one-stop shop and portal for EDM artists and fans and will connect fans by enabling content sharing across Facebook. At launch, you can check out the calendar of events, artist information, event details and even ticket sales.

*Xbox LIVE Gold subscription and/or additional subscriptions/fees may be required and sold separately. Kinect functionality available with select Xbox LIVE content and varies by feature and country. For additional details and availability, see http://www.xbox.com/live.

**Golden Gods will be available to Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers in the Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, German, Italy, Mexico, Spain, United States, United Kingdom

Xbox 360, Xbox Live

April 26th 2013, 2:46 pm PT

Show 474: #XboxReveal

Note: I’ve added the above show notes to the ID3 Lyrics data field. Check your device if this is supported.

Host: Larry Hryb, Xbox LIVE's Major Nelson (Xbox LIVE ) (Twitter)

Co-host : e (Xbox LIVE ) (Twitter)

Co-host : lollip0p (Xbox LIVE) (Twitter)

Podcast

April 26th 2013, 9:44 am PT

Bioshock Infinite Sounds

As you know I am a big fan of game audio (and audio in general) so I asked the fine folks at Irrational Games for some audio from Bioshock Infinite. They sent over a couple of files that fit the bill:

“New Objective” Ringtone (This is the tone heard in game whenever a new objective is given to the player)

“Step On Up” Ringtone (This is what one of the vending machines says when you walk near it)

You can preview them above and download a ZIP file containing both files in your preferred format:

.MP3

.M4R (for iOS)

Also, Irrational has posted 5 additional audio clips to download from their blog (“Salt Machine” is now my text tone)

Collect ‘em all!

Also: Here are some sound files from the original Bioshock I posted back in 2008 in case you missed ‘em the first time

Note: These audio clips are provided for personal, non-commercial use only

Sound Effect

April 24th 2013, 10:01 am PT

#XboxReveal

On Tuesday May 21st, we’ll mark the beginning of a new generation of games, TV and entertainment. On that day, we’ll be holding a special press event on the Xbox campus and we invite you to join us via the live global stream that will be available on Xbox LIVE and Xbox.com. If you are in the US or Canada, you can also watch the broadcast on Spike TV.

On that day, we’ll share our vision for Xbox, and give you a real taste of the future. Then, 19-days later at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles, we’ll continue the conversation and showcase our full lineup of blockbuster games.

We are thrilled to pull back the curtain and reveal what we’ve been working on.

A New Generation Revealed
Xbox Campus, Redmond WA
Tuesday, May 21st @ 1p ET/10a PT/17:00 GMT

Follow me on Twitter where I’ll share updates leading up to the event.

Xbox Reveal on Xbox.com

Events, Industry, Xbox 360, Xbox Live

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