Once upon a time I was considering going pro as a Halo player. No joke. I was in college, logging several hours of play a day and winning local tournaments as often as I could find them. Being in college, though, I was dead broke, unable to afford the plane ticket and lodging it would cost to to get from central Ohio to one of the early MLG tournaments with hopes of landing a team spot and competing at the national level. At the time, pro gaming, at least for consoles, was just getting its start, and there wasn’t another venue that would offer that kind of opportunity before I was set to graduate and find myself in need of gainful employment.

If you’re in that same situation, things have gotten a bit better. There are loads of pro leagues all over the country, and regional tourneys happen all the time. Breaking into the MLG scene can still be pretty tough, which is why Doritos has put together the Pro Gaming Combine in select cities around the country. You still have to get there, and there is an entry fee, but pro gaming has reached a point that, if you’re any good, you can easily get noticed at an event like this and start to make a name for yourself.

The combine runs for three days at a time with both team and solo categories. Players who demonstrate the highest level of “slaying power, teamwork/communication, leadership, objective play and support play” will be selected for further evaluation by the MLG Scout Team and given an opportunity to play at an MLG Pro Circuit event and an invite to the National Championship Competition, all expenses paid. Combine registration is $100 per team or $10 per player, which is much better than the actual circuit tickets last time I checked.

For the date and location schedule, check out the official page at MLG. There will be several online events leading up to each tourney, giving you the chance to see how you stack up before spending that Hamilton or Benjamin on your registration.

Since Sony announced the PS3 Slim, Microsoft has been fighting to gain some press coverage, and it’s a fight they intend to win. In the latest Redmond leak, an Engadget tipster found a 250GB Xbox 360 Elite bundled with two controllers and Forza 3 (which you’ll recall also isn’t out yet), all for €280.

The bundle, which translates to about $400, is a pretty sweet deal. Granted, you no longer get that HDMI cable, but you will get two controllers and what looks to be a great game along with some extra hard drive space. Honestly, the hard drive space doesn’t thrill me. Sure, it’s nice for adding movies and downloading games, but this is something Microsoft should have done years ago.

The best news of it all may be that some intrepid hackers will find new ways to use the extra space. If you aren’t aware, the current 360 hardware only allows connections from the specific size hard drives Microsoft sells. It is possible to hack together your own HDD, but you’re maxed out at 120GB, which is truly pathetic. Though doubtful, the update could mean Microsoft has lifted that restriction.

Source: Engadget

So spaketh Microsoft’s Chris Lewis to GI.biz, so let it be true. But wait that’s not true. That’s like the opposite of flexibility. That’s imposing choice on consumers who may not want to spend $30 on an HDMI cable at Best Buy or wherever else they buy their gaming hardware.

But let’s be fair. Let the man’s words speak for themselves. “We wanted to get the Elite pricing to a figure that is acceptable for consumers so they have the option of a premium console gaming experience. Removing the HMDI cable gives the flexibility to consumers who can then decide which type of cable they want for their specific gaming and TV screen set-up,” said Lewis. You know, that still sounds like the opposite of flexibility.

Let’s pick this one apart, shall we? First, Lewis suggests that the HDMI cable may have been part of the cost of the Elite Xbox 360. HDMI cables are like $4, and as someone who has used the $50 version alongside the $4, I can’t tell a difference in quality. He goes on to suggest that not giving you cables means you have flexibility in your standard of video quality. I don’t know about you, but when I bring home a new toy, I like to play with it. Maybe I just don’t plan ahead as well as Mr. Lewis, but if I’ve just purchased an HD capable system, I want it in HD. I don’t want to run out to hastily buy a new cable because I just can’t wait (and believe me, I can’t wait).

As flimsy as the statement may be, it doesn’t lead us to the real reason Microsoft dropped the cable. It’s not cost. It just flat out isn’t. So why? And why no more component cable?

Yes it was one of the worst kept secrets in gaming industry of late, but Microsoft has finally officially confirmed the price cuts for both the Elite and Pro Xbox 360 systems. Of course the Pro version is going the way of the Dodo, which is to say straight to extinction after dropping the price by $50.

Microsoft was making the rounds, telling most major news outlets today that they were officially confirming every single rumor. They were even fairly good natured about it. The rep that contacted Ars Technica said, “We’re going to shock you if you’ve been either traveling for a long time, or you don’t read your own site.”

As for the change to the Elite, which if you don’t know means it no longer includes an HDMI cable nor component cables, the Microsoft rep told Ars, “According to our research, most of the customers who bought the Elite weren’t using the HDMI. We’ve removed it, and passed it on as part of our price savings.” Lucky us! They’re passing along that $3 savings. Wow. Thanks Microsoft. Now I can never say you didn’t give me anything.

Looks like the Xbox 360 is officially getting a price cut that will bring the system in line with the new PS3 prices. The cut, which would only be coming to the Xbox 360 Elite system, brings the console down from $399 to $299.

I say officially because the first actual sighting of the price came in a Meijer catalog. Now we have a second in a Wal-Mart ad that sports the new Elite console box and doesn’t show the once-included HDMI cable (nor component cables you may notice). The new SKU is actually kind of a crap deal. You get no HD support. Instead, they give you a hard drive boost that, frankly, isn’t big enough if Microsoft wants to get serious about downloadable content.

I’ve always preferred the Xbox to a Playstation, but this really makes the PS3 a whole lot more appealing. Granted, I don’t know their game lineups nearly as well, I’m not as familiar with the controller, but they’re supposedly adding a 250GB hard drive and you get Blu-Ray support.

Microsoft’s Xbox Division may have shipped more units this year than last, but they certainly didn’t make more money. Not by percentage anyway.

This is the type of story that’s a little difficult to quantify, but I’ll do my best to make the mess of it all fairly clear. Yes, Microsoft’s Xbox division is reporting profits to be down some 66% from last year. Yes, they made $161 million less than last year. It’s all sort of difficult to place, though. The company sold 2.5 million more consoles this fiscal year, and Xbox Live subscriptions were up some 73% in June. So while dollar percentages may be down, and yes that’s likely due to some price reductions, it’s tough to say that Microsoft isn’t doing well.

Of course, no one’s doing well right now. The economy has had a taxing effect on our video game industry, but if you look at the full story, Microsoft is doing what I’ll call “okay.” All in all, not a bad quarter, Microsoft.

There’s a lot of pride and one-upping that comes along with beta testing in the video game world. It’s not exactly the same for OS upgrades, but for the super nerds out there, OS betas sport the same clout.

Microsoft has just unveiled their version of an OS beta via Xbox Live update previews. To sign up, just sign in to Live using your Gamertag, fill out the Xbox Live Update Preview Sign Up survey and you’re good to go. From there, Microsoft will select “multiple thousands” to participate in the preview for load testing.

What’s in the update? You’ll get access to the new Games on Demand section, Netflix Movie Parties, and Avatar Awardables. Not a bad lineup for the new update. The program will be open to both Gold and Silver members, with preference given to the Golds. Microsoft said they’ll be contacting people who have been awarded a spot in about a week. Stop back and let us know in the comments if you’re one of the lucky few (relatively speaking, of course).

There’s a definite line drawn between serious racing games and games like Burnout:Pardise. The former has almost always attracted the serious gearheads – people who want the ability to fine tune every part of a car, some of whom actually know what the hell they’re doing. The latter is for people like me, who just enjoy driving really fast and looking at pretty cars. Okay, so I also like the former, but I really don’t know what I’m doing, which makes it tough to really get into the game. I’ll race around the early tracks, completely dominating the competition, but by the time it gets to the long races (like the 4-5 hour matches) I’m just bored.

Turn 10, the guys who put out the Forza franchise, want to change that, and they say it all comes down to conventions of development. Korey Krauskopf told Kotaku he thinks developers have become too specialized.

“I think that’s more about developers trying to be different, not an indictment of the user. I think it’s that game companies are making their games more specialized,” he said of the increasing specialization in games like Forza. By making the game incredibly detailed, developers limit their player base because it confuses your average player. That’s Krauskopf’s take anyhow.

For others, like myself, it’s just too much information. I love learning new games, mastering new playstyles, but a game like Forza takes more time than I’m willing to commit to learn all the ins and outs. Turn 10 plans to add all sorts of “auto-tuning” features to Forza 3 alongside huge customization for multiplayer matches with the hopes that it will draw a more casual crowd. ‘Kopf cites games like Halo 3, where players can edit almost everything about the world, including handicaps/assists for certain players, to create a competitive experience for everyone.

As a short list, Forza 3 will include team modes, racing handicaps, one-button racing, auto-tuning, brake and acceleration assists, among other aids for the challenged gamer. Maybe I’m just a little too competitive, but you can bet your ass I won’t be using any assists in my gaming, no matter how badly I need it. For those folks with a more healthy disposition toward friendly gaming I’m sure this is a welcome addition to the franchise.