Hasta La Gadget!

This might not be as sexy as its recent physical redesign, but the Xbox 360 is about to take what might be a major leap forward for many gamers. The console’s voice chat codec is going to be tweaked in an upcoming system update to allow a higher bit rate, and consequently better audio, through. Originally put together to run on 64k internet connections with the original Xbox, the codec’s finally catching up with our broadband times and should see itself renewed some time this fall, potentially alongside the retail launch of Kinect. Great, now when 12-year old kids destroy us in Halo, we’ll be able to hear their high-pitched gloating with crystal clarity.

Microsoft set to up bit rate on Xbox Live voice comms, pwners everywhere rejoice originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 03:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There aren’t many unresolved mysteries with Microsoft’s new console by this point — apart from perhaps why it wasn’t named the Stealthbox, like we were suggesting — but one thing that hasn’t been covered in excruciating detail yet is the new 360’s splicing of the CPU and GPU into the same chip. Microsoft has remedied that today, informing us that the 45nm system-on-chip (codenamed Vejle; sorry, Valhalla fans) inside the refreshed Xbox makes do with a relatively minimal 372 million transistors, requiring only 40 percent of the power and less than 50 percent of the die space of its 2005 ancestor. A somewhat bemusing addition, noted by Ars, is the FSB Replacement sector you see in the image above. It’s designed to induce lag in the system so that the Vejle chip doesn’t run faster than the old stuff, something Microsoft couldn’t allow to happen. Facepalm away, good people, facepalm away.

Microsoft details Vejle, the new Xbox 360’s system-on-chip architecture originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 04:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Yeah, you thought you were so clever waiting for the 4GB Xbox 360 to come out. A mere $199, while all your sucker friends had already sprung the $299 for the hard drive-equipped model. You thought you could live a happy, fulfilling life swapping thumb drives and carefully cropping your download collection. But you can’t, can you? Night sweats, day sweats, you’ve got it bad. You need a hard drive, and now Microsoft’s got a $130 250 gigger just for your wreck of a self. The drive has started popping up in GameStop stores and on GameStop.com, and while Microsoft still hasn’t actually officially announced the accessory, when has that stopped you before?

Update: Yep, it’s official — Major Nelson just posted up a video saying the drives are headed out to retailers this weekend. Check it after the break.

Continue reading Xbox 360 S 250GB hard drive sneaks into stores, Microsoft cackles as you fall into its trap (update: official)

Xbox 360 S 250GB hard drive sneaks into stores, Microsoft cackles as you fall into its trap (update: official) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re looking for video proof of the latest and greatest Xbox 360 firmware mod, you won’t find it in the video after the break, but we’re almost willing to take it on Team Xecuter’s word and long-standing reputation that they’ve hacked the new Xbox 360. Banding together with Team Jungle and commodore4eva — the hacker who brought backups to the original console in 2006 — the group says they’ve successfully patched the DVD drive to play burned discs. Better still, they’re promising that a public release of said patch “will be available shortly” to help you unlock a Stealthbox by your lonesome. Just remember, kids, circumventing DRM isn’t always legal, even if you’re copying games that you bought right off the shelf.

[Thanks, Tito]

Continue reading New Xbox 360 hacked to play ‘backup’ discs, public release underway? (video)

New Xbox 360 hacked to play ‘backup’ discs, public release underway? (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 15 Aug 2010 17:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well… this is interesting. Prior to Kinect hitting the masses in November, one Eedoo looks to be doing the world one better (or worse) with the eBox. In what can only be described as a bizarre tale of mystery, a Lenovo co-founded company has decided to produce what amounts to an Xbox 360 knockoff as well as a motion sensing peripheral that unquestionably takes inspiration from Kinect. In fact, we don’t even know if conventional controllers are a part of the deal, but word on the street has this one getting official in November and shipping early in 2011. Beyond that, details are few and far between, but you can follow the links below for a couple of videos (one’s after the break) and a smattering of cellphone snapshots.

Continue reading Lenovo side project to launch Xbox 360 / Kinect knockoff in China: hello, eBox

Lenovo side project to launch Xbox 360 / Kinect knockoff in China: hello, eBox originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 12 Aug 2010 14:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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