Hasta La Gadget!

This week the folks at Microsoft have revealed a feature that should very well have been part of the ecosystem all along: the Xbox Live account migration tool. This process allows you to port your Xbox Live account from place to place with minimal hassle – that’s country-to-country, mind you. The pieces of this puzzle you can always take with you are different from those that cannot move region to region – this being the reason why the tool has taken so long to develop.

What you’re able to bring with you region to region is your Xbox LIVE profile, this including gamerscore and unlocked achievements galore. You can bring along time you’ve got left on your Gold membership as well as any Microsoft Points you’ve got saved up. The rest is really up to the region you’re headed to. The following items may not (and most likely wont) be able to move with you:

1. Some services you use now might not be available in your new region. To find info about services, like TV providers, available in a specific region, visit the Xbox.com website for that region. (To find that other region’s website, click the name of your current region at the bottom of any Xbox.com page.)

2. Xbox Music subscriptions can’t be moved. If you have a current Xbox Music subscription, it will be cancelled as part of the move. Any subscription time remaining can’t be refunded.

3. Some content may be blocked in the new region because of legal obligations or regional restrictions. Before you change your region, make sure you’ve downloaded any purchased content you want to keep, like movies or music. Content purchases aren’t refundable.

This information comes from Microsoft itself, and a full Region Change Overview can be found as well if you’ve got some really, really specific questions or concerns. Some of the odd rules here include a limit of 1 region change every 3 months and the fact that you can change a child’s account’s region with a parent’s account staying in the original region so long as the parent signs region change agreements on the child’s behalf.

You’ll be agreeing to a statement such as this: “Clicking ‘I Accept’ means that you have read and understood the effect of moving your account, including the pre-requisites and restrictions, as listed on the Region Change Support Page and have read and agree to the Xbox LIVE Terms of Use and Privacy Statement” and it’ll all be really, really simple from top to bottom to get from one place to another. If you’ve got lots of purchased content, you might want to think twice about moving.

This tool is live for all right this minute, so if you’re about to hit the runway, get prepped at once! Head over to Account Migration at the Xbox LIVE webspace and make it happen! Also have a peek at the timeline below to keep up to date on recent Xbox Live goings-on here on SlashGear.

[via Major Nelson]

Xbox Live account migration tool nutshells the process is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is a sales juggernaut in the U.S. In fact, according to the latest data from NPD, the Xbox 360 led all consoles in sales for 24 months in a row. The console even was able to beat out the Nintendo Wii U in December – a surprising feat considering that console just went on sale in November and the Xbox 360 has been available for seven years.

The Xbox 360’s staying power in the U.S. is nothing short of astounding. In December, alone, Microsoft sold 1.4 million consoles in the U.S., indicating gamers see no reason to hold off on buying the device until the Xbox 720 launches later this year. Better yet for Microsoft, many of those folks sign up for Xbox Live, providing the software giant with a steady stream of revenue over the course of its lifecycle.

All of that success, however, has me thinking: why is the Xbox 360 – a console that, at launch, some thought would be trounced by the PlayStation 3 – so popular in the U.S.?

Perhaps the first reason is its core market. Microsoft isn’t trying to take on Nintendo’s more casual gamers. Instead, Microsoft has found a loyal following in the hardcore segment, where gamers like to play online, pick up shooters, and play for hours. To those gamers, the Xbox 360 is a device worthy of its success.

According to NPD, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was the most popular game in the industry last year. And for the fourth year in a row, the Xbox 360 version was the most popular option among U.S.-based consumers. That’s perhaps as much a testament to the console as it is its robust online-gaming service that delivers the features today’s customers want far more effectively than on competing consoles.

Speaking of competing consoles, is it possible that they’re causing the Xbox 360 to be so popular? Granted, the PlayStation 3 has sold more units worldwide than the Xbox 360, but let’s not forget that that is due mainly to Sony’s international success. In the U.S., the Xbox 360 is still the dominant force.

“Gamers became more wary of the PlayStation Network after the hacking scandal”

Perhaps that’s due to Sony’s sluggish online services. Although they’ve been around for years, Sony’s online services haven’t really caught on until recently. Plus, with the hacking scandal that rocked the platform, gamers became a bit more wary of the PlayStation Network.

The Wii and Wii U might also be pushing gamers to Microsoft. As mentioned, those consoles cater to a casual sector of the market – one that Microsoft doesn’t really care about. At the same time, hardcore gamers who have played the Wii and Wii U and try to stick with it have trouble. Like it or not, the consoles just aren’t capable of keeping their attention as much as the Xbox.

Finally, I think we should point to the Xbox 360’s strong library. For years now, it has offered just about every major franchise, and exclusives like Halo have kept customers coming back. Hardware might get all of the attention in the marketplace, but it’s software that drives customers to buy the consoles. And on that front, Microsoft is winning handily.

Of course, the Xbox 360’s success might be due to several other factors. Why do you think Microsoft’s console is so popular today?

Why is the Xbox 360 so popular in the U.S.? is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Microsoft is silent no longer on its buyout of R2 Studios. The software giant has officially confirmed its purchase of R2, a home automation and entertainment startup, for an unspecified amount. It’s also clearer that ex-Sling chief and R2 founder Blake Krikorian is central to the deal — he’s becoming a VP in the Interactive Entertainment Business, and much of the release (after the break) centers on Krikorian’s content-related design experience and how it could help the Xbox. We’ll just have to be patient enough to wait for the eventual results in our living rooms.

Continue reading Microsoft confirms R2 Studios acquisition, makes Krikorian a VP with the Xbox in mind

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft

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Source: ZDNet

[CES 2013] For years now, gamers have been playing on screens that have advanced greatly in the last 30 to 40 years. We’ve gone from black & white displays, to CRT monitors, all the way up to what we play our games on now. What we didn’t think of was to try to expand our gaming view from our TVs and monitors to the entire room, which is exactly what Microsoft is proposing with its proof-of-concept that’s being demoed at this year’s CES.

Microsoft’s IllumiRoom uses a combination of Microsoft’s Kinect and a projector in order to project images around the TV onto your walls and even furniture while you’re playing a game. IllumiRoom can be used to expand what you’re seeing within your TV as well as to add ambiance to certain games such as snowflakes falling around the player as they’re in a level filled with snow.

The video above showcases what the IllumiRoom is capable of, all in real-time and captured for the concept video live as it happens. Microsoft assures us no special effects were added to the video after it was recorded, which means if this is the kind of technology we can expect from our next Xbox, then we plan on pre-ordering it immediately.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Razer Artemis concept controller makes me feel like playing Mechwarrior all over again, An artist’s imaging of a Nintendo-made Angry Birds game,

While Astro Gaming and Mad Catz like to announce stuff in a controlled drip-drip, Turtle Beach — as usual — is going ahead with a tactical blitz of new gaming headsets at CES. Just as we’ve come to expect from the company, CES 2013 looks no different and no less exciting for audio-concerned gamers. While the headset veteran isn’t showing anything with a major wow factor (think back to the PX5 from CES 2011), it’s made some welcome updates to its Ear Force lineup, and finally announced concrete pricing info for its soon-to-be flagship Seven Series tournament models. We’ll likely see some some major announcements come E3, but for now, join us past the break — especially if you’re hoping to replace the likes that old PX21 (and its not so sturdy earcups) of yours.

Continue reading Turtle Beach highlights latest Ear Force gaming headsets for 2013, prices tournament flagship Seven Series

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Portable Audio/Video

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Source: Turtle Beach