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Well, this is sad and unexpected: Microsoft’s Major Nelson just announced that Xbox Live Gold will be getting more expensive in the US, UK, Canada, and Mexico starting November 1. A single month will go from $7.99 to $9.99, three months will go from $19.99 to $24.99, and the yearly sub will now be $59.99, up from $49.99. Yes, it’s super lame, but to make up for it Microsoft’s running a quickie “lock in” promo for a discounted $40 one-year Gold sub starting November 1 — a nice deal if your subscription is set to expire around then, we suppose. We’re definitely wondering why Microsoft is jacking Live prices right before launching Kinect and the gaming-focused Windows Phone 7, though — we’ve heard theories ranging from an attempt to increase Entertainment and Devices revenue to a simple inflation adjustment. We’ll poke around — and we’re guessing there’s about to be a run on Gold upgrade cards.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Xbox Live Gold price increasing November 1 in US, UK, Canada, and Mexico originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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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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At this point you’d think we covered almost every nook and cranny of Windows Phone 7, from games and UI to a launch device or six, but of course there’s a few dust balls of info our swiffer of newsgathering has yet to grab up. Microsoft Canada’s Greg Milligan has revealed at a recent Xbox 360 event. The big takeaway is future plans for phone-to-console gaming. While suggesting an initial use would be companion games that bring enhancements to full 360 titles (our first thought is how both a web game and Arcade casino title directly tied into Fable 2), he says it’s something they are “absolutely” working on for the “near future” — likely initially through WiFi only due to network speed sensitivities. “Near future,” on that note, is a lot sooner that the impression we got at the recent hands-on, but in either case, we won’t believe it until we see it with our own eyes.

In news that won’t directly affect your gamer score, Twitter, which has been noticeably (and annoyingly) absent from our time with the device, Milligan had this to say: “Twitter is not part of the base platform, but we’re working closely with a number of software developers to make sure we have a twitter experience… on or very shortly after launch.” Some on the staff are divided whether or not this implies full integration or just some third-party apps, but let’s be hopeful for the former, aye? Video interview after the break.

Continue reading Windows Phone 7’s short-term future includes phone-to-console gaming, Twitter?

Windows Phone 7’s short-term future includes phone-to-console gaming, Twitter? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/microsoft/Xbox_Live_launch_titles_for_Windows_Phone_7_finally_revealed’; Hey, just a reminder that we did a full preview of Xbox Live gaming on Windows Phone 7 last night, complete with a list of launch titles — it’s looking like Microsoft will come out of the gate with a pretty killer single-player gaming experience on their new mobile platform, but multiplayer will have to wait. Go check it out right here if you missed it!

Hey, go check out our Xbox Live on Windows Phone 7 gaming preview! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/microsoft/Xbox_Live_launch_titles_for_Windows_Phone_7_finally_revealed’; We’ve known that proper Xbox Live gaming (powered by XNA) was coming to Windows Phone 7 devices, but we’d yet to see any of that thumb-spraining goodness in action besides a brief demo and a few developer videos. Well, Microsoft has finally come clean with details about its launch strategy for the platform, and from where we sit, it’s definitely looking pretty promising. First off, the company has announced a full list of launch titles for WP7 handsets, including some familiar names and franchises like Castlevania, Halo: Waypoint, Star Wars, Crackdown, and Guitar Hero, alongside a handful of newer properties like the ultra-cute ilomilo, produced in-house by Microsoft Game Studios. In total, the company will launch with over 60 game titles, with new offerings appearing every week in the Xbox Live Marketplace, just like its big brother console version. We’ve got all the details, a full list of the launch titles, and our hands-on preview after the break — so read on to get the scoop!

Continue reading Xbox Live launch titles for Windows Phone 7 finally revealed, we’ve got the full preview

Xbox Live launch titles for Windows Phone 7 finally revealed, we’ve got the full preview originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 23:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Well what do we have here? It appears our friends over at Joystiq have received word from diligent tipsters that Microsoft’s Connect customer feedback service is sending out Kinect beta program invites. Details are predictably sparse, but naming ironies aside, the note does specify that chat will be limited only to those involved in the preview program. While this isn’t really surprising given the context, Joystiq surmises that this choice clarification could hint invitees will have the chance to sample the video chat app available through the Kinect’s new dashboard, which was shown off at E3. Unfortunately, Ballmer and crew have yet to lend any official credence to these murmurs, though apparently the email address behind these notes is valid. It’s also not that outrageous to imagine Microsoft wanting to spin Kinect’s wheels in the wild before releasing it to the unwashed gaming masses on its official November 4th launch date. Considering the program would have to put hardware in the hands of testers though to pull something like this off, we’re counting on more than a few overly excited gamers shining additional light on the situation should things get serious.

Is Microsoft quietly opening up a Kinect beta program? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Aug 2010 05:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xbox 360 getting dashboard revision this November? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Entelligence is a column by technology strategist and author Michael Gartenberg, a man whose desire for a delicious cup of coffee and a quality New York bagel is dwarfed only by his passion for tech. In these articles, he’ll explore where our industry is and where it’s going — on both micro and macro levels — with the unique wit and insight only he can provide.

A core part of Microsoft’s strategy from days gone by was known as embrace and extend. With a reboot of their mobile platform due later this year, is it time for Microsoft to think about moving some of their services and applications to competitor’s platforms? To some degree, it’s already happening. Microsoft licenses the ActiveSync protocol which allows Android, iOS and other platforms to wirelessly sync with Exchange. It’s developed Bing and Live Messenger apps for iOS and also done a deal to bring mobile Office apps to Nokia’s platforms. One could argue that in some of these cases Microsoft has given competitors access to what could have been key differentiators for its own mobile efforts. I’m not sure I disagree with that analysis, but now that it’s happening, I think Microsoft should think even more broadly about porting some applications and services. Here’s what I’d like to see made available for other platforms.

Office Mobile: Sure, there are other solutions for viewing and editing Office documents on almost every platform, but none of them carry the Microsoft Office brand. A version of Office for mobile (including a touch-enabled version of OneNote) would be an instant best seller on every platform and a become the de facto standard for mobile office applications. A combination of free document viewers and a suite of applications at a reasonable cost would put Microsoft at the top of mobile productivity and at the same time help continue to drive Office sales for PCs and Macs.

Continue reading Entelligence: Time for Microsoft to once again embrace and extend

Entelligence: Time for Microsoft to once again embrace and extend originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Jul 2010 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Given the number of users and $50-a-year subscription fee, it’s hardly a surprise that Microsoft is pulling in a ton of cash from Xbox Live, but it looks like the service has recently crossed a significant milestone: the $1 billion mark. That’s what Bloomberg estimates for the past fiscal year, at least, based on the number of paid users (about 12.5 million), and a recent statement from Microsoft’s Dennis Durkin, who said that sales of downloadable content had topped subscription revenue for the first time. That translates to about $600 million from subscription revenue, and at least $600 million from other sales, for a grand total somewhere north of $1.2 billion. Can’t really blame Sony for following its lead, can you?

Update: Credit where credit is due — turns out Forbes also arrived at similar numbers back during E3. It “conservatively estimates” that Microsoft raked in $625 million selling downloadable content in the past year, resulting in more than $1.25 billion in total revenue.

Bloomberg estimates Xbox Live to be worth $1 billion+ originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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From its humble origins as a chunky black box of PC parts, the Xbox has grown into a strapping young adult — attracting a social circle including Netflix, Facebook and Twitter. Now, rumor has it that the Xbox 360’s preening for a date with Hulu, too. Though plans aren’t set in stone, Gear Live tells us Hulu has been spotted in internal Xbox 360 dashboard builds, and that Microsoft will introduce the streaming video service as part of their Xbox LIVE experience at E3 2010. The publication is mighty certain here, but at this point we can’t corroborate for ourselves. If this does end up happening, the question is how much it might cost, as we hear there’s going to be some sort of fee — perhaps Hulu will be part of that “Xbox LIVE Platinum Tier” rumor that gets dragged out most every year.

Hulu headed to a Xbox 360 dashboard near you? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 23:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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