xbox

Game industry sees hardware sales plummet 42 percent

The latest data out on the gaming industry indicates one, simple message: times are tough.

Overall spending on game industry products in the U.S. in April hit $495.2 million, down 25 percent compared to the $657.5 million consumers spent during the same period in 2012, according to monthly sales data on the game industry from research firm NPD. Hardware sales were hit hardest with just $109.5 million spent on consoles and handhelds last month. That figure is down 42 percent compared to the same period in April 2012.

Once again, the Xbox 360 led the market … Read more

No more points for Xbox players, report says

Xbox users may be able to use gift cards and credit cards, instead of points, to purchase games and other content.

"Sources familiar with Microsoft's Xbox plans" told tech news site The Verge that Microsoft will replace its Xbox Points system with gift cards. The gift cards will let Xbox owners buy currency to purchase games and other content. Users also will be able to use credit and debit cards to buy Xbox items online.

The gift cards would work in the Windows Store and the Windows Phone Store, The Verge added. Microsoft may announce the new … Read more

Analyst: Nintendo sold 55,000 Wii U units in April

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter has released his monthly estimates on console sales, and not surprisingly, given recent months, April didn't look too swell for Nintendo and its Wii U.

According to Pachter, who estimates console sales in the U.S. based on retail checks, Nintendo sold just 55,000 Wii U units in April, down 19 percent compared to March. The company's Wii, which has been on store shelves for years, sold 75,000 units in April, according to Pachter.

Microsoft was once again the leader in the console market in April, selling 205,000 Xbox 360 units … Read more

Debate continues over Internet sales tax bill

CNET Update drops it like it's hot:

In this edition of Update:

- Learn how the Internet sales tax bill could change online shopping and how it impacts businesses.

- Master the art of creating a strong password that's easy to remember.

- Get clues on what the next Xbox can do -- and why it might not require a constant Web connection.

- Discover your inner Dogg with the Snoopify photo-editing app, which taps into the latest app-payment trend.

CNET Update delivers the tech news you need in under three minutes. Watch Bridget Carey every afternoon for … Read more

The 404 1,265: Where we build weapons of mass distraction (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Today I learned Dave Chappelle was in a "Home Improvement" spinoff that was actually made.

- Twelve things that will get you banned on Xbox.

- You won't remember anything, including this article, unless you print it out.

- Senate passes Internet sales tax bill by 2-to-1 margin.… Read more

How to connect game controllers to your Mac

While the Mac platform has not been noted for catering to hard-core gamers, there are still many popular gaming titles and gaming accessories available for the Mac OS. If you own a Mac and have a few games you would like to try, then you might also be interested in getting a gaming controller or two up and running with your system. While the Mac's keyboard and mouse ought to be enough for most purposes, having a dedicated gaming controller can give you the feel of playing with a gaming console.

Of the game controllers available for home computers, … Read more

Next Xbox may not need constant Web connection

Plenty of video gamers had feared that the next Xbox console from Microsoft would require a constant Internet connection.

But a new internal e-mail to the Xbox team, reported on by Ars Technica, suggests that the console won't always need to be plugged into the Web.

"Durango (the code name for the next Xbox) is designed to deliver the future of entertainment while engineered to be tolerant of today's Internet," the e-mail said, according to the Ars report. "There are a number of scenarios that our users expect to work without an Internet connection, and … Read more

Crave Ep. 119: The flexible MorePhone contorts when you get a call

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This week on Crave, we take a look at a concept phone that can change its shape when you get a notification. Plus, Microsoft shows off the IllumiRoom projector that puts gamers inside video games and we play another round of "Into It Not Into It"! … Read more

Will the next Xbox be called Xbox Infinity?

The next Xbox -- still code-named Durango -- has never been formally confirmed by Microsoft as even being in production. But that certainly hasn't stopped the rumors from flowing.

The most recent crop suggests that the moniker for the so-called Xbox 720 will actually be the Xbox Infinity, with a logo (including the tagline Infinite Entertainment, Infinite Possibilities) showing up for a time on Reddit, according to a report in Forbes.

The other new rumor surrounds the controller, which is said to have a touch panel similar to that of the PlayStation 4. Not only will it allow gestures, it's also apparently clickable, thus working like the d-pad does on the current generation of controllers.

None of this sounds outside the realm of possibility, but the Forbes story does note that a second "official leak" has revealed a totally different logo, with no mention of Infinity at all. … Read more

IllumiRoom projector explodes Xbox action out of your TV

Microsoft's new projector concept, IllumiRoom, could let the next Xbox take over your whole room. First shown off at CES in January, the company's research division has explained the idea in more detail in a new video embedded below.

IllumiRoom isn't a real product yet, but the idea is that it's a projector that sits on your coffee table, wirelessly connected to your Xbox. It doesn't replace your TV. It uses a sensor to see where your TV is and blocks out that part of its projection, enhancing your experience with explosions and movement in your peripheral vision. … Read more