Mobile Stew - xbox360

Purchased Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter

Mon, 27 Mar 2006 08:29:00 -0700

I'm getting a bit bored of Project Gotham 3, so I've just picked up a copy of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter for the Xbox 360. Tried holding out for as long as possible, but it seemed silly to only have one game for my Xbox 360 that I play. Haven't played it yet but I'll be online before and after the Spurs game if anyone wants to show me the ropes. Don't forget I've got a new gamertag - 'Dreem Team'

Project Gotham Racing 4 Already In Development?

Fri, 10 Mar 2006 04:15:41 -0700

I just read a feature on Kotaku that claims that Bizarre Creations are already working on PGR4 and that the next Project Gotham Racingwill be faster and harder than the current Xbox 360 title.

Bizarre�sBen Ward said, �We�ve already done some experiments, and things arelooking good.� Bizarre did not outright admit PRG 4 was already in development, but told Xbox 360 - The Official Magazine that they�d �be daft not to do another one.�

�I think we�ll be able to push the graphics a lot harder,� says Bizarre�s Gareth Williams. �When we were work

Easy Way To Stream DivX/XviD To Xbox 360

Sat, 18 Feb 2006 07:58:41 -0700

Finally it's here. Runtime, one of the original founders of the great XBMC program for the original Xbox has put together a program called Transode 360 that allows you to stream DivX and XviD files on the fly to your Xbox 360 via Windows Media Center.

I managed to get the program working within 10 minutes, following the advice posted in the Xbox Scene Forums. The code still needs some work, with some codecs working better than others, but at least it means I don't have to waste time converting my existing collection to MPEG2 or WMV to be able to watch.

If you haven't got a decent PC you might have problems using it - even my beast of a machine takes around 20-30 seconds to start playing, ...

Browse The Internet With An Xbox360

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 08:33:22 -0700

I went to a Microsoft presentation yesterday which showcased the potential applications of their software. It wasn't very interesting (although I did get some free software worth around �400 which was nice!), although it did make me realise that I wasn't getting the most out of my XP Media Center Edition PC combined with my Xbox 360.

One enhancement I added on last night lets my Xbox 360 to browse the web. This tweak doesn't install a fully-fledged browser on the Xbox 360 but it does let you bookmark sites and follow links.

To install the tweak do the following (Windows MCE required):

Xbox Live Dashboard Update

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 14:10:48 -0700

Well, after all the speculation the Xbox Live update just came through. So far, I can't find anything new so it looks like it is just a bug fix drop. Hopefully, they will have fixed the bug that causes Xbox 360s to crash if a chat invite is accepted within a game.

Anyone spotted any new features?

Playing Xbox 360 Dead Or Alive 4 This Evening

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 06:11:13 -0700

My copy of Xbox 360 Dead Or Alive 4 just arrived at work, which was a surprise as I'd forgot I'd pre-ordered it on Amazon.

I'll be playing it on Xbox Live this evening, so if you fancy trying to kick my ass then leave your gamertag below. Be warned - I might have to do a Fatal1ty on you!

PGR3: Real-Life Shots Show Off The Xbox 360's Graphics

Thu, 12 Jan 2006 14:12:41 -0700

All I can say after looking at these shots is wow. As my regular readers know, I love Project Gotham Racing 3 on the Xbox 360 and one of my favourite cities is Tokyo as the graphics make me feel like I really am racing around the city's streets.

Well, the shots above prove just how good the graphics are. Some enterprising gamer (some may also call him sad) took some holiday shots in Japan and then compared them with the game when they got back. I'm stunned by how close the gameshots are to real life.

More comparisons below: ...

Xbox360 Mod Chips For Sale In A Few Weeks

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 14:20:51 -0700

Team I.C.E have posted details of Xbox 360 mod chips that will be available for sale in a few weeks. Only NTSC versions are working at the moment.

Although it is impressive that they've managed to hack the Xbox 360 already, I'm not sure how useful these first gen chips will be. Even non-Windows XP Media Center Edition users can stream music to the xbox so the only useful capability these chips will add is to allow users to install XBMC or something similar so that videos can be streamed. Users won't be able to 'backup' Xbox360 games to the HDD like you can with Xbox Mod chips, as hackers haven't worked their way around the Xbox360's copy protection.

Now that I've got My Xbox 360 Extender fully running...

Building My First PC Was Easy - Everyone Can Do This

Sun, 08 Jan 2006 09:42:43 -0700

One of the projects I've been working on over the Christmas break is building my first PC as my old PC which was over 4 years old started acting up. It's gone really well and I've run a few tests to compare the performance between the old PC and the new machine and there is no comparison between the two. I've even managed to do some decent overclocking which wasn't as scary as I thought it would be - more on this later.

I finally settled on the specification below. My planned PC specification changed a bit at the last minute as I couldn't locate some of the components I planned to buy.

Death of Hardware-Based DVRs?

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 12:57:58 -0700

ReplayTV, one of the forerunners in the DVR player market, is exiting the hardware market and shifting to software-only products. A deal has been struck with Hauppage to bundle ReplayTV's software with its videocards.

In my view this is a smart move by ReplayTV. For years it has been scrapping with TiVO to be top-dog in the market, and it has also been left punch drunk after numerous fights with the broadcasting industry over various issues such as allowing users to fast-forward through commercials.

By aligning itself now with one of the major card manufacturers it is positioning itself nicely for when Windows Vista hits the streets with in-built Media Center functionality, opening up PC-based PVRs to the masses. I'm sure ReplayTV are looking at more bundling deals as ...

Xbox Live To Support Instant Messaging

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 05:08:34 -0700

TooMuchiAccording to an interview with the BBC, Microsoft are working on integrating Xbox Live and MSN Messenger so that gamers will be able to IM friends from within Xbox Live, and also so that MSN Messenger users will be able to receive alerts when their friends log onto Xbox Live.

This should also work on mobile phones that support MSN Messenger, although I can't see how valuable it would be to see who is playing if you are on the move.

Xbox360 Will Never Support DivX According to Major Nelson

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 04:31:31 -0700

Major Nelson of Xbox Live fame, who is also a Microsoft employee, recently stated that the Xbox360 will never support DivX. And the reason why? Because DivX is primarily used to "backup" DVDs and Microsoft don't want to get involved in this contentious area.

If this is the official view from Microsoft it's complete tosh in my view. Microsoft don't have a problem supporting DivX within XP Media Center Edition so why is it a problem within the Xbox360 Extender?

Also, MCE and Xbox360 both support MP3s. MP3 is principally a "backup" format as well - if you purchase any music it's usually in WMA or AAC format. So if they are happy to support MP3 then why can't they support DivX?

I really hope Microsoft change their views ...

Whats On Your Gadget Shopping List for 2006? Vote For Your Must-Have Gadget

Tue, 13 Dec 2005 02:43:08 -0700

Next year is going to be a huge year for gadget shopping with devices emerging with more features and storage, broadband speeds of 8Mb and above becoming the norm, HDTV broadcasts increasing and better VoIP offerings.

What toys and gadgets devices are you planning on adding to your collection in 2006? A PS3 will surely be top of many people's lists, or even a Xbox360 if you weren't one of the lucky few like me. What about a new monster HDTV or a new home WiFi network? A DVR? A Digital Camera? A Home Cinema System?

I think the Top 10 Must-Have Gadgets for 2006 will be:

Xbox360 Media Center Extender Vs Modded Xbox

Sat, 10 Dec 2005 03:25:44 -0700

A few days ago I setup Windows XP Media Center Edition on a PC so that I could access my media on my Xbox360 using the in-built Media Center Extender.

I have to say that the overall experience so far hasn't been overwhelming, but will hopefully pick up once I get my TVcard which will unlock the PVR capabilities of MCE.

I also own a Modded Xbox so below I've compared the pros and cons of each console as I see them.

Music

The Xbox360 has a cooler looking audio interface than the Xbox's, with some cool animations when you browse through a library. Both systems will download album details and track details off the internet automatically.

However, one of the major drawbacks with the Xbox360 is you can't fast-forward or rewind tracks ...

Xbox360 Picture Sells on eBay For �470

Fri, 09 Dec 2005 06:33:37 -0700

I know that there are a lot of desperate people out there trying to buy Xbox360s, but some poor punter paid �470($825) just for a picture of an Xbox360 on eBay. He thought he was buying a Premium Pack but didn't read the item description which stated:

"This auction is not for a Xbox 360 game system, but instead a picture of one. I hope you enjoy this high-quality item."

I guess it pays to always read the small print. I hope he gets his money back.