Hasta La Gadget!

Autumn is fast approaching — and you know what that means: it’s round about time for an Xbox Dashboard update. Sure, we got a peek of Microsoft’s upcoming harvest back at E3, but the good folks from Redmond invited us to take a closer look at what they’re calling the “most significant update to the Dashboard since NXE.” Senior project Manager Terry Ferrell was on-site to walk us through an early engineering beta and show us how an updated Metro UI, Bing search and deeper Kinect integration is going to change the way folks manage their entertainment content.

Continue reading Xbox Live Fall 2011 Dashboard update preview: Bing search, voice control, and a Metro overhaul

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Xbox Live Fall 2011 Dashboard update preview: Bing search, voice control, and a Metro overhaul originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Call of Duty certainly knows how to wear out its merchandising welcome. After announcing a line of eye strain-reducing glasses and a series of branded headsets, Activision’s juggernaut franchise is steamrolling its pre-release hype all over a custom Xbox 360. The limited edition 320GB console comes bundled with two similarly bedecked wireless controllers, a requisite copy of Modern Warfare 3 and even includes franchise-specific boot sounds. You can snag this video gaming swag on November 8th for a cool $399, or grab the headset and controllers separately. It’s your call and your paycheck, after all. Official presser awaits you after the break.

Continue reading Modern Warfare 3 limited edition Xbox 360 set ushers in last wave of marketing hype

Modern Warfare 3 limited edition Xbox 360 set ushers in last wave of marketing hype originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Sep 2011 08:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to Engadget’s Back to School guide! We know that this time of year can be pretty annoying and stressful for everyone, so we’re here to help out with the heartbreaking process of gadget buying for the school-aged crowd. Today, we’re getting our game on — and you can head to the Back to School hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back — at the end of the month we’ll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides — and hit up the hub page right here!

Let’s be honest, balancing coursework with recreation is just as important as maintaining a balanced food diet — perhaps even more. After you spend countless hours hitting the books, cramming for tests, and writing papers, you’re just going to need something to turn your brain to mush. Don’t worry, we have just the thing: video games. It doesn’t matter how many midterms you have, we’re sure we can find something to help you slack off. Of course, it’s not going to be easy; you’ll have to wait until next semester (at least) to get your hands on the PlayStation Vita, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have options now. Jump past the break — we can probably help you find something to get you through mid-terms with your sanity intact. Don’t want to shell out cash to have fun this semester? Enter our back to school sweepstakes! Simply leave a comment below for a chance to win, and drop by our giveaway page for more details.

Continue reading Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: gaming

Engadget’s back to school guide 2011: gaming originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft has been slower than Sony to jump on the 3D gaming bandwagon — not surprising considering it isn’t the one desperately pushing the televisions needed to experience them — but today the company confirmed rumors that Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary will be playable in 3D. Joystiq experienced a demo at Gamescom in Germany, and reports that it only works with the game’s updated graphics mode, and that the game’s producer claims the framerate will stay consistent even in 3D. While there are already a number of Xbox 360 games that support 3DTVs, this is the first one we’ve heard developed by Microsoft, although Epic revealed earlier this month that the Microsoft-produced Gears of War 3 will support 3D. that’s good news for gamers that have made the extra dimensional jump already, while those of us playing in 2D can hopefully still see performance improvements, especially while playing co-op — we always bring a wingman / shoulder to cry on for The Flood.

Microsoft confirms 3D support in Halo: CE remake for Xbox 360 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Aug 2011 11:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If we didn’t already know those cats were mad about customizable controllers, we just got a reminder: the Mad Catz Major League Gaming Pro-Circuit Controllers. These professional-grade PS3 and Xbox 360 controllers allow competitive gamers to adjust the gamepad’s weight and swap out key components — such as exchanging the controller’s analog stick for a D-pad. Want your PS3 controller to have a Xbox 360 layout? No problem. If the insane kitty’s ambitious Onza competitor isn’t your thing, check out the MLG Tournament Edition Fightstick, featuring the same Sanwa Denshi components used in Japanese arcade cabinets. It may not have its sibling’s stick-swapping action, but its 13-foot controller cable, classic layout, and left-right stick toggle mode (for emulating the missing analog thumbstick) still aims to please. The Arcade Fightstick can be had now at the GameShark store to the tune of $160, but the Pro-Circuit gamepads aren’t due out until closer to the end of the year. Hit the break for a pair of extra pictures and the standard PR.

Continue reading Mad Catz Major League Gaming controllers offer swappable thumbstick layouts, fancy arcade buttons

Mad Catz Major League Gaming controllers offer swappable thumbstick layouts, fancy arcade buttons originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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