Hasta La Gadget!

At the Dive into Media conference yesterday, Microsoft went on stage and talked about one of its most successful products to date: the Xbox 360. Specifically, the company announced that they have sold over 76 million Xbox 360 consoles worldwide since its launch in 2005. Plus, the console has outsold the original Xbox three times over so far.

Microsoft also announced that they have sold over 24 million Kinect sensors worldwide. Granted it hasn’t been out as long as the console itself, but for only being out on the market since 2010, 24 million is certainly a respectable number. The Xbox Live community has also increased to 46 million users, which is a 15% increase from last year.

The Xbox 360 is the best-selling console in history, and for the past 24 months, the console as been at the top of the charts for every single month throughout the past two years. On average, Xbox Live users spend 87 hours per month playing games and utilizing various entertainment apps inside the online service, and the console is moving towards more of an entertainment device than ever before. Microsoft says that 18 billion hours of entertainment were racked up in 2012 on Xbox 360 consoles.

With the plethora of content that’s available on the Xbox 360, it makes sense that more and more people are using the gaming console as primarily an entertainment device, and Microsoft knows that. So, we could see the next-generation Xbox focused more towards the entertainment crowd than what we originally thought, while still catering towards gamers, of course.

[via Trusted Reviews]

Microsoft Xbox 360 sees 76m units sold globally is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

One of the most terrifying prospects we’ve heard in the past few years surrounding a gaming console – or a computer of any type, for that matter, has been re-addressed this week with the Xbox 720. This machine has not yet been confirmed as even being in development by Microsoft as of yet, but another bag of tips has been revealed with specifications and features included with the device that may set your hair on end. The first and perhaps most important of these is the idea that the included Kinect camera need to be plugged in to the machine at all times – and that it’ll be watching you constantly.

The Xbox 720 has been tipped as currently being distributed to developers under code-name Durango. Under that code-name we’ve seen a collection of information leaks large and small over the past year or so, with quite a few more than usual stacking up over the past few months. Today a source is speaking with Kotaku about this developer unit complete with a note that the features included on this unit will, for the most part, be included on the final Xbox build as well.

One element in play on this device appears to be a requirement for the new and improved Kinect camera sensor to be plugged in and active whenever you’re operating your Xbox. That’s all well and good, right? No harm in having a piece of the device plugged in as long as it’s not recording me playing Halo with uncombed hair, yes? Not if it has any implementation of Patent 20120278904 it’s not.

That patent application goes by the name Content Distribution Regulation by Viewing User. This application is for a “content presentation system and method” (the Xbox with Kinect, in this case) allowing content providers (Microsoft or whatever video company is participating) to “regulate the presentation of content on a per-user-view basis.” With this system Microsoft describes how “the users consuming the content on a display device are monitored so that if the number of user-views licensed is exceeded, remedial action may be taken.”

We must assume that this means the video being watched will throw up a warning sign, and now that the Xbox will explode into flame, of course. The same source as mentioned above has provided the image you see above this paragraph, this image coming from a specifications manual provided to developers (or so they say) here in the pre-release calm before the storm. This new Xbox 720 system will be able to not only see more “skeletons” than before (6 in one room!) it’ll have additional contact points – thumbs and all.

Have a peek at the timeline below to see more insights on what the Xbox 720 might bring later this year. And don’t forget – the Xbox 720 isn’t actually confirmed to in existence in any capacity by Microsoft as yet. We’ll hear from them soon – we hope!

Xbox 720 may be “always watching” with mandatory Kinect is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Microsoft is unlocking two of the most popular video-streaming services on Xbox Live this weekend. Xbox Live Silver members will be able to access Netflix without having to pay for a Xbox Live Gold membership. As for Hulu AdZone, you’ll still need a Gold membership on Xbox Live, but you won’t need a Hulu Plus subscription like usual.

Netflix’s new original series House of Cards is debuting this weekend, and it seems Netflix wants as many users as it can get to watch the new show, even if it means unlocking access on Xbox Live. Plus, all episodes of the new show will be available for streaming, so clear all your weekend plans and make sure to tune in if you’re interested.

Furthermore, Hulu’s AdZone on Xbox Live will be completely free this weekend using the Internet Explorer app, as long as you have a Xbox Live Gold membership (you’ll need it to access IE). Since it’s Super Bowl weekend specifically, Hulu is letting users access the Hulu AdZone in order to watch all the commercials from this year’s Super Bowl, as well as commercials from as far back as 2008 that aired during the big game.

Again, both Netflix and Hulu’s AdZone (not Hulu Plus) will be available for free. You’ll still need a separate Netflix subscription in order to access the service, but Hulu AdZone will be completely free (even if you don’t have a Hulu Plus subscription) for Xbox Live Gold members. Happy watching!

Netflix and Hulu AdZone access on Xbox Live is free this weekend is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Minecraft has undoubtedly taken the gaming world by storm — it’s unique gameplay elements have made it a popular choice among casual gamers all around the world. It turns out that as of December 31, 2012, Minecraft sales in the Xbox Live Arcade store alone reached 5 million during 2012, according to the game’s developer for Xbox 360.

Developer 4J Studios tweeted the news on New Year’s Eve, saying that the Xbox 360 edition of Minecraft “passed 5 million sales.” A week prior to that, Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson tweeted that the game had sold over 453,000 copies on Christmas Eve alone, through both PC copies and the Xbox Live Arcade.

Another tweet from 4J Studios today announced that the development team has returned to work and is working on fixing a handful of bugs brought on by Minecraft’s Title Update 7, which launched last month. The team has promised that a patch for the update will be released sometime this month.

Title Update 7 introduced animal breeding, potion brewing, experience points, enchantment tables, and new biomes and items. Title Update 8, which is still in development, will bring “The End,” a floating island made of Obsidian, a material called End Stone, a home to a high concentration of Endermen creatures, and a boss called the Ender Dragon.

Minecraft XBLA sales reach 5 million in 2012 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

There are definitely a lot of Xbox 360 gamers out there who haven’t sprung for a Xbox Live Gold membership, and Microsoft knows it. To get more gamers to try out the service, Microsoft is hosting a free weekend of Xbox Love Gold, meaning that gamers will have a full weekend of access to the $59.99/year membership at no cost.

The free weekend runs from November 29 (yesterday) through Sunday, December 2, so if you’re any kind of dedicated Xbox 360 gamer, you’ve probably already been fragging with your friends sometime in the last 24 hours or so, but for those who are just hearing about this, no worries, since you still have today and the rest of the weekend to take advantage of the free offer.

It’s also essential to note that the offer is only applicable in a select number of countries. Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States are the only countries who can take advantage of the free weekend (sorry, Europe!).

All Xbox 360 owners in these countries, regardless of their current subscription, will have access to all of the Xbox Live’s features, including online multiplayer gaming, Internet Explorer, Netflix, Hulu Plus, ESPN, Video Kinect, and tons of other entertainment apps that you can download and use at your leisure this weekend.

Xbox Live Gold is free this weekend is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.