Hasta La Gadget!

Not interested in the hassle of a $50 mail-in rebate on the Xbox 360 Elite? Then it looks like you may soon have another option that sweetens the deal over the basic $299 console, at least if Ars Technica‘s usually reliable “mole” is to be believed. As rumor has it, Microsoft will rolling out another of its usual holiday bundles around the middle of October (after the rebate deadline, naturally), this time packing Pure and Lego Batman in with the Xbox 360 Elite (no word on a new Arcade bundle). In other, more disappointing news, the mole has also apparently “confirmed” that Microsoft will indeed be dropping the price of its 802.11g network adapter once the new 802.11n model rolls out, but it’ll unfortunately still cost $79.99 — or just $20 less than it costs today (and only twenty bucks cheaper than the 802.11n adapter).

[Via Joystiq]

Filed under: Gaming, Wireless

Xbox 360 rumored to be getting new holiday bundle, marginally cheaper WiFi adapter originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When a CEO is asked to dream we shouldn’t be surprised when he dreams big. In an Reuters interview with Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings, we learn that Netflix is working in parallel to bring its services to “all the game consoles, all the Blu-ray players, all the Internet TVs.” Naturally, he added that the Xbox deal is exclusive for the time being. The company is currently focused on the big screen but “will get to mobile eventually, including the iPhone.” And while the streaming business is “booming,” he says the DVD business is still growing as well, likely peaking in “5 years or so” with people still doing DVD-by-mail over the next 20 years. Reed then adjusted his monocle and disappeared in a flash of cigar and brick-and-mortar ash.

[Via All Things Digital]

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Netflix CEO dreams of iPhone, TV, and game console ubiquity originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Image courtesy of GAME Watch

Sure, they sound like the words of a man who hasn’t begun development of any motion-controlled titles for the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, but we’re still intrigued by President of Square Enix Yoichi Wada’s statement (he’s the guy on the left) that the motion control additions to the PS3 and Xbox 360 aren’t that big of deal. He cites the other “pillars” of console use (like video playback) that somehow make motion controls a minor player — though we’d say the Wii’s sales numbers would beg to differ. Speaking of the Wii, Yoichi thinks all three major consoles will start to look rather the same by 2011, when believes the Wii followup will hit the market — in line with other rumors we’ve heard for the “Wii HD.” Three “HD” consoles with similar input options and similar graphics output certainly sounds like a boon for developers, we just hope there are enough similarities in the control systems and enough “impact” in PS3 and Xbox motion control sales to make mega triple-platform motion-controlled blockbusters feasible.

[Via Joystiq]

Filed under: Gaming

Square Enix President predicts Wii HD for 2011, doesn’t see big impact for PS3 and Xbox motion controls originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You know us, we’re the epitome of patience. Always waiting for things so patiently. But you know what we can’t wait another second for? An 802.11n adapter for our Xbox 360. The good news is that the thing looks positively imminent, after an FCC showing this week and now an appearance on a flyer inside a Gears of War 2 Game of the Year edition box in Italy. Can’t you just taste the 802.11n wafting over the Atlantic? The eternal optimists over at Joystiq also think that this flier might point to a co-existence of both types of WiFi adapter, and potentially a price cut for the overpriced original, but we suppose we’ll just have to wait and find out.

[Via Joystiq]

Filed under: Gaming, Networking

Xbox 360 802.11n adapter spotted in Gears of War 2 box, longs for the comfort of your living room originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 19 Sep 2009 23:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Carl Archambeault: you sir, are a champion. We’re not exactly sure if you’re on a first-class seat to Redmond or not, but the boys and girls in Washington could probably stand to learn a thing or two from the Xbox 1080. ‘Course, that’s probably just the fanboy in us talking — after all, who wouldn’t want the powers of an Xbox 360 and a Zune HD merged into one beautiful handheld? — but could you imagine the market shakeup if this thing became real? Paging Mr. Benjamin J. Heckendorn!

[Via Coolest-Gadgets]

Filed under: Handhelds

Conceptual Xbox 1080 handheld beautifully merges Xbox and Zune originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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