Microsoft to offer free Xbox Live Arcade game to Live member

[Saner]

ya 800 pts would be generous.

[eXo]

Source: A string of reports tracing back to predictions pieces on UK-based gadget site Stuff.tv and in The Seattle Times.

What we heard: When Microsoft decided to back HD-DVD in September 2005, many assumed the soon-to-be-launched Xbox 360 would eventually support the next-gen video format. Sure enough, at the 2006 Consumer Electronic Show (CES), then-Xbox marketing chief Peter Moore unveiled the console's external HD-DVD drive. While Microsoft touted the peripheral as its way of offering consumers more choice, many wondered if it meant Microsoft didn't have enough faith in the format to make it standard in its multi-million-unit-selling console.

In September 2006--two months before the 360's external HD-DVD player launched--Taiwanese electronics-industry news site Digitimes reported that Microsoft had designed a 360 with an internal HD-DVD drive to rival the PlayStation 3's built-in Blu-ray Disc player. However, the predicted early 2007 launch period came and went without an HD-DVD-equipped hitting the market. The rumor then faded--until October, when reports surfaced of a joint effort between HD-DVD creator Toshiba to create a 360 which would support the high-definition format.

With CES 2008 just around the corner, speculation is growing that Microsoft will use the gadget-centric event to unveil a new HD-DVD equipped Xbox 360. This week, a series of reports sparked by the two aforementioned pieces raised the possibility that Bill Gates will use his final CES address as Microsoft's chairman to announce a new console which Stuff.tv calls the "Xbox 360 Ultimate." According to stuff's "guesstimate," the new console will have many of the same features as the PS3, including 1080p HDMI video output and built-in Wi-Fi. It will also feature the 65nm CPU and GPU, which will enable it to be cooled by a "near-silent" fan, and will sport a massive 320GB hard drive--or so Stuff.tv editors speculate.

[PSOLaguna]

On 2008-01-04 13:34, kizu wrote:
i wonder if we can download the orginal gmaes like Halo of Fable which cost 1200. save me tons of points

Id actually consider replaying those games if they had
any achievements

[McLaughlin]

They won't switch to HD-DVD eXo, because each and every 360 owner as of now won't be able to play the games they'd release.

That's over 10 million customers who would be very pissed off.

[Nidarrock]

With regards to the free game. It's great that they admit to a problem, although not technically fixing it. What I heard is they are waiting until most of the 1 month trials are done to see how many stay online before doing any real fixing. Anyways, they needed to do something and they did. While points would be the best solution, a free XBLA game is by far not the worst. Unless you own it already.

[amtalx]

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/846/846420p1.html

Looks like we are getting Undertow. It supposed to be good (I didn't play it long enough to form a real opinion) but letting us choose would have been much nicer. What if you already bought Undertow? Then you get a handshake and a kick in the junk I guess.

[Jaspaller]

Good god MS, just give us points instead!

[ABDUR101]

I'd of rather had the points, makes a helluva lot more sense than tossing a game out considering it'd give everyone the option to buy what they want.

Oh well, appearently the life-less nerds at MS don't socialise enough to know what common sense is.

[Darkly]

im pleased, the game would cost 800 points, so its a lot better than getting root beer tapper or something.

yet confused, so i'm assuming the developer isn't owned by microsoft - how are they working the finances out? surely Ms cant pay for every copy of the game downloaded, so anyone know how that works?


EDIT: 'I thought they would be giving out a new game. On xbox360achievements.org, it says that you can call 1-800-4MY-XBOX if you already have it, and they will "take care of you"...'

- from a poster named orfin




<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Darkly on 2008-01-18 12:16 ]</font>

[ABDUR101]

*BOOMHEADSHOT*

..easier than giving out 800ms points though right? Anyway, atleast its a decent game from what I've heard. It would have been more appropriate(and make more sense) to just divy out the points.