Posts Tagged: ‘Xbox’
It’s no secret I love Microsoft Kinect hacks — I’ve posted videos of some on here in previous blog entries. Now I’d like to include a pair I discovered while browsing other tech sites. The first I learned about on CNET. It’s a video of a Roomba robot following gesture commands given by a human using the Kinect device as a camera. Click through to see the video.
As I type this, I’m sitting on a plane, flying toward Los Angeles. It’s time for the Electronic Entertainment Expo, also known as E3. The video game conference nearly died out a couple of years ago when organizers decided to scale back and offer a more sedate experience. I guess video games and subtlety don’t go hand in hand.
April 15th was a traumatic day. Not only did it mark the day citizens of the United States had to turn in their income tax forms, but also it was the final day of support for the original Xbox on Xbox Live. Microsoft cut the old consoles out of the online platform. If you want to play online with an Xbox, you’ll need a 360 to do so. One of the casualties of this decision was Halo 2′s online multiplayer feature — something some players are unwilling to give up.
Last week, Marc Whitten posted on the Xbox 360 press page some discouraging news. Microsoft will stop supporting games for the original Xbox on Xbox Live. That means you won’t be able to play online with or against your friends in classic games like Halo 2, Crimson Skies or Star Wars Battlefront. And that means your old Xbox consoles won’t work online anymore.
Microsoft is tweaking Xbox Live and plans to introduce new features to the service. According to the press release, some of these changes are incompatible with the classic Xbox games.
Lots of stuff going on today, so here are some highlights:
Nintendo dropped the price of the Wii to $199 in the United States. John P. Falcone wrote in CNET’s Crave blog about the change, which comes hot on the heels of Sony’s cut in the Playstation 3′s price to $299, and a little farther back, Microsoft’s cut in the 120GB hard drive version of the Xbox 360. I’m guessing that will help push the three consoles through the holiday season, but I’m also thinking sales will remain slow, based on what I’ve heard.
Andrew Nusca wrote at ZDNet that Microsoft‘s acquisition of Danger has yielded two Sharp-manufactured phones, the Turtle and the Pure. These are part of the so-called Pink Project. The pictures look a little like Danger’s Sidekick devices. A few days ago, Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet said Pink Project phones will use a version of Windows Mobile 7 and will be able to use the Zune music store.
Until recently, independent game developers were a rarity in the world of video game consoles. With the advent of developer kits like Nintendo’s WiiWare, this market has fundamentally shifted — check out our HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more.
Get a console-by-console update on the developments of the 2008 E3 exposition in this HowStuffWorks podcast, including news on improved online features and expanded memory. Check out our HowStuffWorks article “How Video Game Systems Work” to learn more.
Recent Postings by Category
BrainStuff
- Thank You and Best Wishes to Marshall Brain
- Contest – Design a $300 house and win $25,000
- How the Philtrum works – the place under your nose where your face comes together
The Coolest Stuff on the Planet
Keep Asking
- Why can a 5 foot 8 inch man dunk a basketball on a 10 foot rim while some people of taller stature can’t?
- What happens to our sun once it runs out of fuel?
- How do we know the age of the universe?
Stuff Mom Never Told You
- Hollywood’s First Magical Makeover Movie
- 7 Types of ‘Friends with Benefits’ Relationships
- How Sad Breakup Songs Make Us Feel Better
Stuff to Blow Your Mind
- Blow Your Mind: Slay Your Paper Tigers
- Space Religion: Cao Dai and the 72 Inhabited Exoplanets
- Blow the Mind: Objects of Love
Stuff You Should Know
- “In The Neighborhood” by Jon Stewart Mosman
- “Thanatos” by Christopher Vincola
- “Frame Story” by Adam Pracht
The Stuff of Genius
CarStuff
- Show Notes: Heart-stopping Last Laps of Racing
- Never say Never: Jaguar XJ220 Spotted in the Wild!
- What’s your pick for the 2013 Indianapolis 500 pace car?
How-to Stuff
PopStuff
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 152: Final Episodes
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 151: Mailbag!
- PopStuff Show Notes: Episode 150: Barbie!
Stuff They Don't Want You To Know
Stuff to Change the World
- Who will own the Arctic?
- Obesity: The New Global Crisis
- Bill Gates Makes For A Pretty Decent Cartoon

