We’ve been waiting for a mobile version of the Xbox platform for a long time. A very long time. I think the success of the iPhone has killed that dream, and the new Windows Phone 7 is going to be the closest we’ll see for a very long time.

The problem is, the Windows Phone 7 doesn’t really do all that much. Ballmer and company were quick to tout its Xbox Live integration, but what do you really get? You can collect mobile achievements for some more Gamerscore (does anyone actually care about Gamerscore?), browse leaderboards, play turn-based games though not in real time, and take a peek at your Avatar (possible from any web capable phone already).

Those are pretty lackluster features for a phone that’s supposed to bring your entertainment experience on the go. Ron Pessner, the GM of Xbox LIVE Mobile had this to say: “It has always been our vision to expand the Xbox LIVE service to connect people to their games, entertainment and friends wherever they go, and the launch of Windows Phone 7 Series is an important step toward that goal.”

It’s a baby step, my friend, as in you guys finally have a platform that isn’t fugly so you actually did some development for it. Color me unimpressed.

Samuel Lassoff is sick of buying up Xbox Live points and, as an attorney, he decided to do something about it. He’s suing Microsoft, claiming that the Xbox Live point system “unjustly enriches” the company by forcing users to buy point bundles that can’t be used in their entirety.

It seems weird that it’s the unjustly enriching that we’re worried about, not the exploitation of the consumer. There are plenty of companies out there getting unjustly rich off all sorts of scams. Target’s recent video game setup service is a great example. Whatever the reason, though, I’m glad to see someone get indignant enough to try their hand at stopping the giant in its tracks.

Microsoft said recently that it never meant for the points system to confuse people, but that just can’t be true. What other reason is there for inventing a currency system that isn’t 1-1. Branding? No. Anything else? No, not really. Luckily, it’s about to change, and with impending litigation it may change sooner than expected.

Source: Information Week

It was only a matter of time, really. PC peripheral manufacturer Razer has decided to enter the console market, starting with the Xbox 360. The company has preliminary approval from Microsoft to release a 360 controller and headset.

The controller, called the Onza, will run $50 for the wired version, supposedly for a lag-free game experience (what wireless tech are you guys using again?), no word on a wireless version. It looks almost exactly like the Microsoft controller, except that the start and back buttons have been moved. Oh, there are also some pretty lights. Razer also boasts a new Hyperesponse technology, which means I dunno, it starts firing before you see your enemies?

The headset will be wireless, featuring a 5.1 virtual surround system and the ability to chain-gang base stations for private team conversations. It’s like party chat! The headset also has some noise-canceling features, so you can really tune out that nagging girlfriend. The headset will run $130. Read more at Razer’s official press site.

If you’re in the market for an Xbox Live Gold subscription this month, Amazon has you covered. Of course, subscriptions you buy at retailers are usually a card with a code, so even if you aren’t up for renewal for six months this may be worth your time. Amazon is selling the normally $50 subscription for just $34.99.

Saving $15 isn’t a bad deal at all. The product page doesn’t list an end date for the deal or a stock count, so I’d get mine as soon as possible.

Source: Amazon

If you’re interested in what it feels like to get a temp ban on Xbox Live, go do a little suicide bombing in Modern Warfare 2. As Microsoft’s Stephen Toulouse tweets it: “While IW works on getting the MW2 glitch fixed, people we catch using it will recieve suspensions from LIVE. Play fair everyone.”

Now I understand the idea to an extent – bans because of game ruining – but banning players for something that game developers missed seems a little ridiculous. There are far easier ways to ruin games, like throwing them in your opponents favor, that won’t get you banned (I’m not talking about boosting here). And really, who hasn’t gotten a little tipsy/slaphappy/what-have-you and had a little fun.

I won’t say the glitch isn’t a game breaker. It is. But temp bans on a paid service for a glitch that almost everyone in the game is now aware of? One that really isn’t that hard to stop (how bout you don’t shoot the guy running around with a javy)? This kind of thing makes me want to go eat a glass apple.

Microsoft’s latest update for Xbox Live added Facebok and Twitter integration to the service, a feature that is reportedly reaching millions of Xbox Live subscribers. Microsoft’s official usage stats for the first week show that two million users logged in to Facebook accounts, with another half million creating new accounts. The first statistic isn’t so surprising – two million users is roughly ten percent of all Xbox Live subscribers – but I found the second pretty shocking.

The two million users stat is sort of pointless because just about anyone forced to download the update will give it a shot once. And why not log in so that you don’t have to later on? To me, though, the service is too stripped down to use often, and Facebook pictures are rarely the sorts of things that need to be viewed on a TV screen, but that’s just me.

Microsoft didn’t give any data regarding Twitter adoption, other than to say that the service has received tweets from almost every region where Xbox Live is present. Color me unimpressed.

Source: CNet

Xbox Live GM Marc Whitten had an interview with Venture Beat this week in which he talked a lot about policing the network’s 20 million subscribers. Whitten calls the banning process “a cat and mouse game,” and denied a recent rumor that Microsoft had banned a million users for playing on consoles that had been modified to play pirated software.

I cannot explain to you why people would think it was a million people. It wasn’t a million people. Check the veracity of that claim. It was one news source. I think we do a really good job understanding what people are doing on the system. That applies to intellectual property (piracy) and how we treat the community in terms of harassment. We are committed to making it better and better.

You hear that, pirates? Whitten is watching you. The rest of the interview is some boring talk about Facebook and Twitter integration. As for playing Facebook games on your Xbox, that’s probably not coming any time soon. Whitten said things will continue to mesh more and more closely, so it’s possible we’ll see full integration in the future. For the time being, Microsoft seems more than content just giving us access to social media over the console.

Source: Venture Beat

I’ve often wished that my gaming skills would land me a swanky job (they kind of have, being that I write here), as I’m guessing a lot of gamers have. The British government wants to grant that wish, and it’s using Xbox Live to do a little recruiting. According the UK’s Guardian, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) will be running ads in Call of Duty (presumably MW2), Left 4 Dead 2 and Assassin’s Creed II to try to attract “quick-thinking 18- to 34-year-olds to its ranks.”

Not only will the agency be running ads, it will be using the games to monitor a players teamwork, problem-solving skills, and mental acuity. To be honest, I think the old GCHQ could use a mental acuity test. This thing sounds great from the inside, but for the people who have to monitor the candidates of this job hunt, it will probably be a nightmare. Imagine all of the dreck you’d have to swim through just to find a decent, motivated candidate. No offense, gamers, but we come from all walks of life, and my guess is that the pool of players has a similar thoughtless-blob-to-productive-genius ratio to the rest of the world.

The GCHQ sees it differently, though. “…the fact remains that many potential candidates remain unaware of GCHQ and what we do. Using video on Xbox LIVE helps carry our message to the right people in a creative and innovative manner.” Whatever you say, spokeswoman. Just don’t put me on the search committee.

Source: Guardian

Sony’s 10-year plan for the PS3 finally seems to be coming together…halfway into its life cycle. As a Netflix press release announced today, the PS3 will be adding the ability to stream content from the rental service. The new feature will be offered free of charge to PS3 owners;all that’s required is a subscription to the Netflix service, which can cost as little as $9 a month. By contrast, the same service for the Xbox 360 requires that users have a gold subscription to Xbox Live, which runs $50/year.

There is a catch, though. While services like that on the Xbox 360 give users access to BD Live content, the PS3 version requires a special disc for the drive in order to access BD Live content. It’s a small trade-off, particularly if you consider the $50 upcharge for the 360.

At any rate, the PS3 is finally becoming the console we all wanted it to be. Sure, it’s all coming a bit late, but better to have these things than not.

When I first heard Band Hero I thought it was a joke. Shouldn’t that be “Band Heroes?” In any case, isn’t it the most terrible name for a video game ever? I just didn’t think it was real. Well, it is. As it turns out you can actually get the demo on Xbox Live.

Here’s the blurb from Major Nelson:

Band Hero features an all-star lineup of pop music featuring the best variety of classic chart-topping hits and current hot artists. This demo features Finger Eleven “Paralyzer”, Katrina & The Waves “Walking on Sunshine” and Taylor Swift “Picture to Burn”. Includes Party Play and the all-new Sing-Along mode.

I’m willing to admit that the music games usually illicit at least a tepid interest for me, but this is an exception (right along with DJ Hero). Not my kind of music, and even if it was, I might boycott in protest. Alas, it seems nothing can stop Bob Kotick and his relentless quest to swindle the masses out of every last penny we’ve got.