Xbox Live just got a little bit more progressive this morning, with Microsoft proudly announcing that gamers are now allowed to share their sexual orientation in their profiles. Previously, you were not allowed to express sexuality in your Xbox Live profile, but Xbox Live head of policy Stephen Toulouse has revealed that a number of terms have now been permitted.
Gamers will be able to use Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and Straight to denote their sexuality, if they so desire. Microsoft had been working with GLAAD and “Microsoft’s LGBT community” to narrow down the terms.
Note that those are the only terms allowed. Use of those words in an insulting manner won’t be tolerated either, so it seems as if Microsoft has retracted its scorched earth policy and will now be reviewing the use of these words on a case-by-case basis. That, of course, is very good news for our many gay readers.
It may not seem like a big deal to many of you, but it was certainly a big deal to some, and it’s very cool that Microsoft has taken the stick out of its arse and decided to judge the use of these words on their own merits. Microsoft doesn’t do everything right, but this was definitely a good thing. Well done!
[Via Stephen Toulouse's Twitter]
While Nintendo has comfortable dominated the motion-controlled-gaming space for the past few years, that all changes this Fall. Both Sony and Microsoft will be stepping into the ring, with the motion control wand and Project Natal respectively.
But which solution, if any, will consumers flock to? Analyst Michael Pachter is giving the nod to Microsoft, saying that in the first year Natal will outsell the currently-unnamed Sony motion controller 5-to-1.
“I think that the Sony motion controller will have some problems gaining traction, since it is not an ‘in the box’ solution,” he told PS3Center, saying that would limited adoption to one or two million sold “at the outset.”
“A year of so after launch, there will be 10 million [Project Natal units] out there,” he predicts, “which will probably attract more third party support.”
Microsoft has been pushing Natal strong since its reveal at last E3, where as Sony — which will reveal the controller in more detail at GDC next month — has been relatively quiet, not yet even giving it a proper name. Many third-party developers have had Natal development kits for awhile now; we’ve heard rumblings of some rather high profile IPs that take advantage of the camera that are already deep in development.
This question is open to those who own both an Xbox 360 and a PlayStation 3 (loyalists, please sit this one out, if you can): Which motion controller are you most interested — Sony’s or Microsoft’s?
Natal to outsell PS3 Wand 5-1 – analyst [CVG]
According to Sony, the PlayStation 3 is a better deal for publishers when compared to the Xbox 360. Publisher relations VP Rob Dyer has stated that the $299 price point has given the PS3 an edge, and that publishers are now showing their support.
“[Microsoft] had a year’s head start against us, so we’ve been playing catch-up ball,” explains Dyer. “Before the price cut, they had a two-to-one advantage; if you were a third-party publisher looking at the index, you should have been selling twice the number of units on the 360 as you would on the PS3. So what we did when following a particular title was see if we over or under-indexed against that. So anything below 2, we over-indexed, meaning we did better, and above 2 meant it was under-indexing.
“What it shows you is that as our installed base has been growing, we’re now down to a 1.6 to 1.0, and what we’ve been finding is that outside of the shooter category we literally over-index every single category –sports, fighting, action/adventure, music, etc. We do better for our publishing community than 360 does. As our installed base starts catching up and gaining on 360, you’re going to see the publisher side much quicker get to par than even if we had the same number of [360 hardware] units. So for instance, with a title like Madden, I think the index was 1.4 to 1.0, which meant we way oversold on PS3 versus 360, given the installed base. That’s only going to get better and better as the installed base continues to grow.”
Good for Sony. Sure took them long enough, but I’m glad that the PS3 is doing well in spite of Sony’s hamfisted attempts to scupper its own momentum. Good show!
PS3 Better Serves Publishers Than 360, says Sony [Industry Gamers]
“The richness of the technology is going to really enable experiences that never had existed before,” said Microsoft’s Aaron Greengerg to CVG at X10 last week. “And we’re not just speaking about what we’re doing this year, but I think two, three, four, five years from now as this evolves.”
That sounds promising. I like that Microsoft is not afraid to talk big about Natal. They’re not afraid to give it a 5 year lifespan already. We know next to nothing about it, but we will very soon, starting out at this year’s E3 and leading all the way up to the holiday 2010 release.
“Millions of consumers this Holiday will be able to experience Project Natal and this is just the beginning of something that will change the way consumers interact with entertainment and change way our publishing partners think about game development.”
Coming from Greenberg, it sounds less like a tease and more like a promise. Again, that’s something we can appreciate.
Aaron Greenberg on Project Natal’s five-year lifespan [CVG]
Alan Wake on PC was so obscure that I didn’t know it was supposed to be happening, but now it’s definitely not. It was revealed that the “psychological action thriller” from Remedy was no longer coming to PC, as previously promised, and that just sucks.
A PC version was expected to arrive after the launch of the Xbox 360 version, but Microsoft has confirmed that such plans are now scrapped. The decision was apparently based upon atmospheric, rather than logistic concerns. Alan Wake just plays better on a couch in front of the TV screen, claims the publisher.
“Some games are more suited for the intimacy of the PC, and others are best played from the couch in front of a larger TV screen,” states Microsoft. “We ultimately realised that the most compelling way to experience Alan Wake was on the Xbox 360 platform, so we focused on making it an Xbox 360 exclusive. Both Microsoft and Remedy have long histories in PC game development. This decision was about matching this specific game to the right platform.”
Of course, many PC gamers can and will argue that it’s not very hard to play PC games on a TV while sitting on the couch, but I wouldn’t expect Microsoft to listen. Like Dead Space 2, this is yet another game deemed too good for the lowly PC crowd. It’s looking like a worrying trend could start.
Microsoft: Alan Wake will no longer be coming to PC [Strategy Informer]
Microsoft’s holding its big media event X10 today in San Francisco, and we’ll be there to bring you all of the coverage and announcements starting at 1:30 Pacific today.
But what can you expect? Here are the games we’re told to expect: Alan Wake; Crackdown 2; Fable III; Halo: Reach; Splinter Cell: Conviction; Final Fantasy XIII; Dead Rising 2; Lost Planet 2; Ghost Recon; Perfect Dark XBLA; Game Room on Xbox LIVE; and more.
We’re expecting to get “super pissed” by Fable III, and word around town is we’ll finally get a solid release date for Alan Wake. Of course, that won’t be all — we expect some surprises, too.
Coverage starts at 1:30 Pacific. Hope you wore comfortable pants today.
Rumors of Mass Effect coming to the PlayStation 3 have been given a fresh dose of fuel thanks to some new source code dug out of the PC version of Mass Effect 2. According to Polish site Kikoo, the code suggests that a PS3 version of the game exists somewhere, perhaps locked away in a golden vault in the polar region.
Electronic Arts has offered a staunch “no comment” on the situation, neither confirming nor denying the code and what it might mean. For what it’s worth, here is the code itself:
[SFXGame.BioSFHandler_CharacterR?ecord2]m_nMaxRenegade=1900
m_nMaxParagon=1957
m_srXPFormat=340881
m_srSpendTalentPointsMessageXBox?=348754
m_srParagonRenegadeMessageXBox=3?48755
m_srSpendTalentPointsMessagePC=3?48753
m_srParagonRenegadeMessagePC=348?755
m_srSpendTalentPointsMessagePS3=?348755
m_srParagonRenegadeMessagePS3=15?3007
So, what does this all mean? Possibly something, possibly nothing at all. Still, rudderless conjecture is loads of fun, so let’s all set about doing that, shall we?
Mass Effect 2 na PS3? [Kikoo]
Microsoft’s Game Room looks pretty damn neat, although there are some things which have lessened its appeal recently. Here’s another possible one: Game Room is rated “E 10+.”
What this means, according to a Microsoft representative, is that games which would garner a rating of “T” or “M” will not be made available on the service. No Mortal Kombat or any other sort of graphically violent game would stand a chance.
It’s not a huge deal, considering how many classic arcade games wouldn’t be considered inappropriate for anyone prior to the 1990’s, but there will be some gaps in the catalog as a result. As long as I can get Crystal Castles, it doesn’t bother me too much. I guess Death Race 2000 is right out, though.
Microsoft’s Genius – Rate The Room, Rate Every Game – But Those Rated Teen And Up Left Out [GamerBytes]
The month in which Lionhead Studios plans to publicly show off Fable III for the first time has been known for a while now, sure, but questions of exactly when, where, and in what capacity have gone unanswered.
Over on the Fable III Facebook page, we are told Microsoft’s X10 event in San Francisco on February 11 is where the big reveal is happening. Quite a bit more to go on, huh? It’s still unknown whether or not it will be a hands-off sort of thing, though. At the very least, it sounds like there will be video of the game.
Fable II is one of the only 2008 releases still sitting on my to-play list. My hope is that similar to how Mass Effect 2 impressed me so much that I went back and played the original Mass Effect, so too will Fable III encourage me to dive into its predecessor.
Microsoft’s digital moon money is the subject of a new lawsuit from Philadelphia attorney Samuel Lassoff. Lassoff’s class action suit alleges that Microsoft ripped him off when they charged him real money for rainbow dollars, and that he was charged for purchases he did not complete due to faulty downloads.
The attorney believes that Microsoft “engaged in a scheme to unjustly enrich itself through their fraudulent handling” of his Xbox Live account. He also claims that he is but one of “hundreds” of customers to be stung by Microsoft’s willingness to charge for services not rendered.
Microsoft’s strawberry sugar coins is stupid, but I can’t quite understand what’s happening here. As far as I’m aware, if you buy a product from Xbox Live and the download fails, your account can always redownload it at a later date. Unless Lassoff’s account is locking him out of games he purchased, of course, then he has something to complain about. Don’t think I ever heard of that happening, though.
If we could sue Microsoft just for having a crap currency system, however, you can count me in.
Microsoft Points Draw Class Action Suit [InformationWeek]
