GadgetReview

I had a really great experience with Microsoft customer service when my Xbox 360 died.  The process was painless and took two weeks exactly.  Word has it that the newly opened Microsoft Store in Scottsdale Arizona is prepared to make Xbox 360 repairs.

That’s good news and I’m sure that will make many a Xbox 360 owner happy as well.  I’m not sure about how many Microsoft Stores are slated to open nationwide but it would be safe to assume that all stores will offer this service.

It’s not like we are all hoping that are Xbox’s die so we can run off to the Microsoft Store but it is nice to know the support is there.  The below is from somebody in the know:

All you have to do is walk in the store with your console, drop it off at the Answers Desk and a Microsoft Store employee will then diagnose the issue that you’re having. If it’s something simple — such as a faulty power supply causing the Red Ring of Death — they’ll rectify the situation immediately.

If it has to be shipped out, however, things are just about as awesome. Once the store has received your console, the main distribution center is notified and a replacement unit can be sent right away.

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Rumors are creeping around that the best part about Microsoft’s upcoming Project Natal will be its price point.  Right now we are hearing that it will go on sale for $50.  Sounds oddly cheap to me.

Will it be bundled with any Natal-style launch titles?

In other related motion controlled gaming rumors, Sony’s “Sphere” is rumored to be priced at $100.  Industry analysts predict that while the Natal is more of an ancillary peripheral in Microsoft’s mind, the Sphere is being looked at as more of a Wii challenger.

In either case, time will tell the true price points soon enough.

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With next week’s September 15th release of Microsoft’s potential “Worm in the Apple” Zune HD, word has reached the Blogs that the product will only be available on US soil.  Seemingly looking to bring a different experience to international markets, no announcement has been made as of yet in regards to releasing the Zune HD elsewhere.

Looks like it’s time to buy a bunch and fire up your eBay accounts.

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I’m sure pretty much everyone saw this coming, but the courts have weighed in, and Microsoft Word can still be sold in stores.  The injunction preventing Microsoft from selling Word, following a lawsuit by a Canadian company over a method to process custom XML, has officially been stayed.

However, the judgment against Microsoft still seems to be standing, and that means the evil empire will be shelling out forty million dollars to that company, which will probably take about a whole week’s worth of Word sales to make back.

Meanwhile, the appeal process continues, and Microsoft’s many lawyers are no doubt filing their teeth–I mean briefs, BRIEFS!  Please don’t sue me…–in anticipation of presenting arguments on September 23rd.

[via MSNBC]

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My roommate logs a good 12 plus hours a day with his Xbox 360 on a dusty old 32″ Sony Trintron in standard definition.  Scoff!!  I would never do that to myself but there are plenty of fools that do.  Up until now, Microsoft has had the stringent policy of requiring all games to have a minimum resolution of 1280×720 (720p).

That was a good thing right?  In my eyes and I’m sure many others, yes.  I went out and bought a HD TV specifically for my Xbox 360.  According to Black Rock Studio’s David Jefferies, this is a good thing because “now we are free to make the trade-off between resolution and image quality as we see fit.”  I don’t really understand that sentence.  What I make of this is that while I have yet to see any related statistics is that most households still do not have HDTV so that is why Microsoft has dropped the requirement.  What I ask is, does it matter for the gamer who is playing in SD?

In any case, Halo 3 was the only game where the requirement was waived and know I no longer have to wonder why I thought that game didn’t look all that great in places.  I really hope that developers don’t pander to this resolution free-for-all as the Xbox 360 in my esteemed opinion, was always meant to be played in HD.

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I got some big chuckles from the Family Guy where Stewie tells Bill Gates that no one cares about the Zune.  I myself have never even touched one let alone know somebody that has one.  In recent news however, Microsoft has announced that they will no longer produce “non” touch screen Zunes to make way for Microsoft’s newest version, the Zune HD.  It’s probably for the best as beyond minor firmware updates, the “clickpad” Zunes have not seen any improvements since 2007 nor an improvement in sales.  The hard drive based Zune 80 and 120 will also be included in this discontinuation, but you can still buy them until they run out.

The Zune HD ships on September 15th for $220(16GB) and $290(32GB).

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The proprietor of Neowin has some how scored in inside man at Microsoft.  More importantly the leak is willing to share info about the Zune HD, so much so in fact that he straight up admitted to Microsoft execs that he had leaked info previously, but some how went on breathing.  I think it’s all just PR spin with a dab of reverse psychology (why would Microsoft let a leak admit to telling execs if they were pulling the strings), but if the info is accurate does it really matter?  Nonetheless, on to the juicy stuff.

So the Microsoft programmer, who doesn’t work on Zune, says that we can definitely expect the Zune HD early September and that the price of the 16GB version will cost between $249 -$280.  Using my powers of deduction that probably means we can expect the 32GB to cost $299 – $349.  The leak also went on to say that Microsoft is considering a 64GB Zune HD, which I highly doubt because once you add a 3rd choice into the mix it gets more difficult for people to decide on which one and ultimately if they should actually purchase.

[via Gizmodo]

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According to a source close the Microsoft Zune project, the Zune HD will arrive September 8th and come in an 16GB and 32GB capacity.  There’s no word on price, but since this iteration of the Zune is said to sport Nvidia’s Tegra graphics processor and an OLED screen, something we should have seen in the latest iPhone, it will no doubt be a bit on the pricier side.  But it is a Microsoft product, so how many people can there be clamoring for this PMP?

Note: I own an Xbox 360, so I’m not totally anti-Microsoft, just anti-Microsoft when it comes to competing with Apple.   Flame on!

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Just like they did with the original Xbox console, Microsoft has announced that they will no longer produce Xbox Original games for the 360.  It appears to be a move to pave the way for their new premium “games on demand” marketplace, which will offer full retail versions of Xbox 360 games for download.  Microsoft says they will release one more Xbox original game and then the service will cease to be updated.  Hmmmm…any guesses as to what that game is?  I don’t think many people will be too upset by this news as I myself have never bought one of these games.  No word on whether the service will remain active or if it will just disappear at some point.  Get em before they’re not I guess.  Onwards and upwards Microsoft!

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E3 officially starts tomorrow and hopefully we’ll be on hand for one of the days.  But like all good events, the big boys have already started to roll out some juicy news.  Microsoft announced today that they’re upgrading the Xbox’s video capabilities.

First up, they’re changing the name of their video store to the ‘Zune Store’.  Clearly they’re trying to push the whole cohesive media thing to be more like Apple, and they probably see their video game arm as a big differentiator.  Additionally, 1080p movies will now be instant on, meaning as soon as you buy it you can begin to watch instead of waiting for it to download locally on your 360.

But on to more important news.  Netflix subscribers will no longer need a computer to add movies to their queue.  Nope, you’ll be able to add them directly on your Xbox.  I’d recommend picking up a keyboard or Microsoft’s messenger kit, otherwise you might be there all day punching in titles.  I’m not sure when the update will roll out, but let’s hope its soon.

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