PC and Xbox 360Skyrim players are already enjoying Dawnguard and Hearthfire (sorry PS3 players), but it looks like Bethesda isn’t quite finished releasing DLC for its latest epic. A particularly savvy Bethesda forums member has taken an up close look at the code for the Skyrim beta 1.8 update and has possibly unearthed details about Skyrim‘s next piece of DLC. According to this user, who goes by the name of Mardoxx, Skyrim‘s next DLC could be called “Dragonborn,” and it’s taking place in area that isn’t actually a part of Skyrim.
Specifically, we’re talking about Solstheim, a rather large-looking island that lies just north of Morrowind and northeast of Skyrim. There are other locations mentioned too, including Raven Rock, Castle Karstaag, Miraak Temple, Telvanni Tower, and the Standing Stones. Even better? It looks like players will be riding dragons at some point in this DLC, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that there will be dragon mounts – Eurogamer points out that it could just be a scripted event.
Still, we know that Bethesda has played around with the idea of dragon mounts, so it may not be long before you can summon a dragon from the skies and fly over the lands of Skyrim on its back. In any case, there were other goodies spotted in the code for beta update 1.8, like mounted spell casting, new armor types, and a few new creates and items that Mardoxx claims are “not that interesting.” PS3 players take note, as PS3 DLC was also specifically mentioned in the code. We’re not sure what the mention of PS3 DLC means, but it may just be a glimmer of hope for players who have been waiting a really long time for Skyrim DLC with nothing to show for it.
It’s been a while since we last visited Solstheim, which was a location in the Bloodmoon expansion for Morrowind. If all of this is legitimate – Mardoxx warns that it could be an elaborate prank on Bethesda’s part – then there is definitely reason to get excited. For now, however, we wait for something in the way of official confirmation from the studio. Stay tuned.
Yesterday, we saw how there will be a new game from the Minecraft creator, but today the spotlight is all on Minecraft Xbox 360 update 1.8.2 that will deliver a new mode as well as world type, in addition to a slew of gameplay tweaks and bug fixes that ought to make for a more pleasant and interesting gaming experience. Mojang’s Minecraft Xbox 360 update 1.8.2 will, as we promised before, come with Creation Mode and a superflat world type, while introducing updated mob sounds, a slew of new combat mechanics, critical hits, the ability for players to parry with a sword, as well as change the name of your world save.
Not only that, pressure plates can now be placed on fences, while new food and items include apples, raw and cooked chicken, raw beef, steak, melons and its seeds, rotten flesh (!), and cobwebs among others. Those who go through the tutorial mode on the Xbox 360 will find that it too, has undergone a fair bit of changes.
The Xbox 360 dashboard hasn’t received much of a redesign or update in a while — not that it really needs one, but I’m sure a lot of gamers are wanting something new and fresh with a console that’s over seven years old. However, Microsoft is rolling out a dashboard update today with some new features and more apps.
The update now includes Internet Explorer for Xbox and the new Xbox Music app that we heard about yesterday, as well genre search and the extension of voice search for the YouTube app. Other than that, Microsoft rearranged a few things and made very minor changes like font resizing, but they also added more tiles to the screen, which means you can see more content on a single page.
The overall look of the Xbox 360 dashboard hasn’t change at all, though. It’s still the same Metro-like tile UI and we have a feeling that won’t change for a while, since Microsoft is looking to add uniformity across all of its products. However, one of the most-welcomed new features in the update is the ability to “pin” your favorite apps, TV shows, music or websites right to the Xbox 360′s home screen.
Internet Explorer is probably the biggest new feature besides Xbox Music. The new browser is based off of IE9, but is designed with a TV screen in mind, so text and windows are larger than the desktop version. Obviously, typing still sucks if you don’t have a chatpad for your Xbox 360 controller, but that’s not uncommon. The dashboard update will be slowly rolling out today for all Xbox 360 users and will coincide with the release of Xbox Music.
It seems that the long wait is over, as the official update to the new Xbox 360 dashboard is now available to Xbox LIVE subscribers worldwide. In order to make sure that this particular release is as stable as possible, Microsoft will employ a gradual deployment across subscribers and regions throughout the whole of next week. It is said that the first deployment phase will have a reach of around three million consoles around the globe, while additional users will be updated over the course of a fortnight. Having said that, what Microsoft is trying to tell you is simple: Just be patient with us, all you need to do is check back in frequently if your eyeballs are not greeted by an immediate update. Hmmm, this is starting to sound like one of those Android operating system updates…
Your chance to shout voice commands at Engadget is coming today, as Microsoft is rolling out its Fall Dashboard update to the Xbox 360 today, headlined by the inclusion of Internet Explorer. The update also adds a version of its popular “pinning” functionality, a variety of specialized sports apps (NBA, NHL, and Monday Night Football from ESPN), the ability to recommend and rate content, and some UI tweaks across all of the 360 Dashboard’s categories. Xbox Music is also in there, as is SmartGlass support, though the latter won’t have any functionality until October 26, according to Microsoft’s Major Nelson. The update may not come immediately, as it’s being rolled out gradually across various regions. 3 million folks get in this week, while others may not see it until a week or two from now, says Microsoft. We’ve got a full hands-on right here for you to read in the meantime, of course.
Is it Fall again already? Must be time for another Xbox 360 Dashboard update. Every year Microsoft Drops the console a little bit of code to match the descending leaves, delivering new features, interface tweaks and additional content to hide behind the Xbox Live Gold paywall. Redmond’s latest update isn’t quite the overhaul it gave the gaming rig last year, but minor changes can have big effects. Join us after the break to see the machine’s latest update, and what it means for you.
Starting today, Microsoft will officially release a new software update to all Xbox 360 users that will include a big blue icon with an ‘e’ stamped on it. Yep, the Xbox 360 is finally getting Internet Explorer, a real browser for your TV. More »
Get ready, Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition players, because you’ve got a massive update headed your way. Update 1.8.2 is scheduled to launch tomorrow, and it adds a ton of new stuff for you to see and do. PlayXBLA originally reported an October 16 launch date for update 1.8.2, which was later confirmed by 4J Studios, the developer that handled the porting duties when Mojang decided it was time to bring Minecraft to the Xbox 360.
Perhaps the most important addition in update 1.8.2 is Creative Mode. Yes, you’ll finally be able to build with infinite numbers of every item type in a world with no enemies whatsoever, which is a feature Xbox 360 players have been asking for right from the very beginning. Survival Mode is in for a quite a few additions itself, as 4J Studios has tossed strongholds, ravines, abandoned mineshafts, and villages into the mix. Sounds like it’ll be time to start a new world once update 1.8.2 lands.
Not enough for you? Update 1.8.2 also adds a ton of new items to the game, including things like Ender Pearls, chain armor, and melons. You can now sprint if you’re playing in survival mode, and 4J has even made a few biome code additions with this update, adding rivers and oceans. Have a look at the changelog below, but we warn you: it’s really long.
Additions
• Added Creative Mode. • Disabled Achievements and Leaderboard updates if the player is in Creative Mode, or if the world has been previously saved in Creative Mode. • Added a simple tutorial for Creative Mode. • Added sprinting to Survival Mode. • Added flying and sprint-flying to Creative Mode. • Added new items to the game – Melon, Melon Slice, Melon Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Raw/Cooked Beef, Raw/Cooked Chicken, Rotten Flesh, Pumpkin Seeds, Iron Bars, Fence Gate, Stone Bricks, Stone Brick Slabs, Stone Brick Stairs, Brick Slabs, Brick Stairs, Ender Pearl, Web,Vines, 10 more Music Discs, and Chain Armor. • Added new items to the crafting menu – Melon, Melon Seeds, Glass Pane, Fence Gate, Iron Bars, Stone Bricks, Stone Brick Slabs, Stone Brick Stairs, Brick Slabs, Brick Stairs. • Added terrain generation features – Strongholds, Villages, Abandoned Mineshafts and Ravines. • Biome code additions, including rivers and oceans. • Changed the bow to have drawing and firing action. • Added a quick move to the dispenser. • Added a quick equip for armor to the inventory interface. • Added a quick move for ingredients and fuel in the furnace interface. • Brought forward the mining speed changes from 1.2.3 • Brought forward apples dropping from leaf blocks from 1.1 • Brought forward change from 1.2.3 to make pumpkins and melons grow from stems much faster, and not require farmland around the stem to grow on. • Fix to vines brought forward from 1.2.3 to stop them spreading too much. • Added the Food Bar to the HUD. • Added stacking for food items. • Added the eating animation. • Enabled crafting mushroom stew without a crafting table. • Added the blocking move with swords. • Changed all the text descriptions for food to show how much they refill the food bar. • Passive mobs will now flee when hit. • The snout on pigs now protrude from their head. • Skeletons now hold full size bows. • Animals no longer despawn which makes it possible to capture them. • Zombies now drop Rotten Flesh instead of Feathers. • Updated some mob sounds. • Shears can now collect Tall Grass and the new Vine. • Improved sunrise and sunset. • Improved the rain edges (when looking up in rain). • User-placed leaf blocks no longer decay. • Cloud height raised to the top of the map, so clouds can no longer phase through blocks. • Cloud movement syncs with the game’s time. • Both Wooden and Stone pressure plates can now be placed on fences. • Improved chest model with a 3D lock, and opening and closing animation. • Added a countdown timer to the autosave to stop it being such a surprise. • Added the ability to rename an existing saved world. • Added map icons to the in-game player list to match their color in the map. • Added a confirmation dialog on the player choosing to exit without saving. • Added a character display when sprinting or flying. • Updated the How To Play HUD with the Food Bar information. • Added descriptions for Creative Mode and Sprinting to the How To Play menus. • Updated the Download Content menu with pictures of the DLC available. • Removed Herobrine.
Options Changes and Additions
• Changed the Gamertags Display option to mean display/hide gamertags in-game and on maps. • Added an option to select Creative Mode or Survival Mode on creating or loading a world. • Added an option to disable clouds. • Added additional options to the world creation – Superflat land (creates a flat world near bedrock in both the Overworld and the Nether), enable/disable Structures and Bonus Chest. • Added Host options – toggles for Player Versus Player, Trust Players to stop players being able to mine without permission from the Host, Fire Spread, TNT Explodes, and Host Privileges. • Added in-game player options for the host – Can Build and Mine, Moderator, Kick Player, Can Fly, Disable Exhaustion, Invisible. • Store the Online, Invite Only, and Friends of Friends options in the player’s profile. • Tutorial World Changes: • Changed the Tutorial world to enable the new terrain features in it. • Added mini tutorial for sprinting in the Tutorial world. • Added mini tutorial for eating in the Tutorial world. • Added Music Disc Quests in the Tutorial world – players can search the world for the 12 chests, each containing one of the Music Discs that can be played in a Jukebox.
Fixes
• Fix for duplication glitch. • Fix for aspect ratio of things in hand when in splitscreen mode. • Fix for issue with player data not saving (player starting world with no items they had when they saved). • Fix for redstone tiles burning out when they shouldn’t. • Fixed issue with Minecart with Furnace not being able to move another Minecart. • Fixed particle code for flipped 3rd person view.
Oh, look at that – it appears 4J Studios has removed Herobrine with update 1.8.2. It’s a shame too, as Herobrine was really awesome, but what can you do? 4J Studios says that the update will begin rolling out at 2AM Pacific tomorrow morning (October 16), but warns that it may take a few hours before every region has the update. Get ready Xbox 360 players, because you are definitely in for a treat.
Halo 4 will definitely be one of the biggest games of the year, so it really isn’t much of a surprise that some Xbox 360 owners are eager to download a pirated version of the game that popped up on torrent sites over the weekend. Microsoft isn’t taking this leak lightly though, as MCV reports that the company is handing out permanent Xbox Live bans to anyone caught playing the game with their console connected to the Internet. In other words, you might want to think twice before taking advantage of those Halo 4 torrents.
Of course, pirated versions of Halo 4 will only work on modded Xbox 360s, and why anyone would take their modded console onto Xbox Live is entirely beyond us. Some particularly dumb 360 owners are doing just that, though, as evidenced by the email MCV posted. The email is from the Live Enforcement Team, and lets the user know that they’ve violated the Xbox Live Code of Conduct. The punishment? Permaban, baby.
Though the email states that users won’t be able to log into Xbox Live during their suspension (which is never-ending in this case), it’s a little unclear at the moment if Microsoft is banning consoles or just gamertags – two very different things. If Microsoft is banning consoles, that means the console will never be able to access Xbox Live again, effectively bricking it as far as multiplayer and Xbox Live Arcade are concerned. If Microsoft is only banning gamertags, then the infringing gamer could just create a new tag and go online with that, which is a far less severe punishment.
In any case, you’re in for some headaches if you’re caught playing Halo 4 ahead of release while your 360 is connected to Live. Microsoft has launched an investigation to find out who leaked Halo 4 ahead of release, but in the meantime, the company is showing us that it has no problem at all with dropping the banhammer left and right. We’re going to go ahead and suggest that you just wait for Halo 4‘s official release on November 6 – yes, its release is still a few weeks off, but we’re thinking that waiting three weeks is much better than having your Xbox Live privileges taken away.
It’s over, folks. Or at least nearly over. Write it down — time of death: 12:01AM ET, October 16. That’s when the Zune brand is officially no more, and “Xbox Music/Video” and its store replace the Zune Marketplace; the final, quiet end of a brand that’s been waning for years. “Yes, the Zune brand is gone, and the Zune products are gone,” Xbox Music GM Jerry Johnson told us in a meeting last week. While Zune devices will still work with Windows 7, and the Zune Pass simply becomes the Xbox Music Pass, the brand is effectively no more, joining the Kin and Microsoft Bob in the annals of MS history.
Bizarrely, the branding will continue on for Windows 7 and Windows Phone 7 users, with the Zune Marketplace mirroring Xbox Music’s content. That’s likely due to Xbox Music being exclusive to Windows 8 devices (which includes the Xbox 360, despite its age, and Windows Phone 8) — Microsoft promises a continued focus on Xbox Music going forward, while Zune support drops out. In the end, though Zune was a failure for Microsoft, Johnson said it was a worthwhile learning experience for the company. “The Zune brand got associated with a device, and what we did with Xbox Music is actually turn around and say, ‘Let’s build something from the ground up, leveraging what we’ve learned from a lot of these different things.’ But it’s not gonna be device-centric, it’s gonna be service-centric,” he explained.
In Johnson’s eyes, the failure of Zune as a brand is directly tied to the failure of Zune as a device — and having the highly successful Xbox brand tied to its media offerings, he’s hoping to skirt previous negative perceptions and relaunch Microsoft’s place in media delivery. Whether that’ll happen remains to be seen, but either way, this is the final nail in the Zune’s coffin — not just as a device, but as a thing in the world.
Update: Looks like Microsoft hasn’t forgotten the loyalty of the diehards who stayed with Zune until the end, as Zune Music Pass users are getting 1,000 Microsoft Points for free along with the switch to Xbox Music.
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Yesterday, we saw how there will be a 
It seems that the long wait is over, as the official update to the new Xbox 360 dashboard is now available to Xbox LIVE subscribers worldwide. In order to make sure that this particular release is as stable as possible, Microsoft will employ a gradual deployment across subscribers and regions throughout the whole of next week. It is said that the first deployment phase will have a reach of around three million consoles around the globe, while additional users will be updated over the course of a fortnight. Having said that, what Microsoft is trying to tell you is simple: Just be patient with us, all you need to do is check back in frequently if your eyeballs are not greeted by an immediate update. Hmmm, this is starting to sound like one of those Android operating system updates…
