So how did people come to the conclusion that the Netflix deal was like, free? It's the same thing as their instant view catalog on the PC, or their own set top box.. which from what I hear, includes a pretty shitty selection of content. It's cool, it removes the need to purchase their $99 set top box for Xbox 360 owners, in order to watch that content on their televisions.. but it's not quite as huge as I had hoped.





Thanks. Where's Wolfenstein?

I expected Wolfenstein to run on id tech 4 (even though Neo claims that they said it wouldn't, last year), so this doesn't surprise or upset me one bit. I think that id tech 4 is perfectly capable of exceeding Doom 3's presentation by quite a bit. So long as the game looks marginally better than Prey and Quake 4, I'm not going to get upset about it. I'm not a graphics whore, anyway.

I expected Wolfenstein to run on id tech 4 (even though Neo claims that they said it wouldn't, last year), so this doesn't surprise or upset me one bit. I think that id tech 4 is perfectly capable of exceeding Doom 3's presentation by quite a bit. So long as the game looks marginally better than Prey and Quake 4, I'm not going to get upset about it. I'm not a graphics whore, anyway.

I knew it! It's really not that unfortunate. The game has been in development a lot longer than Rage, or Doom 4, or whatever else id has in the pipes. It makes sense that it runs on id tech 4. And honestly, what's the big deal? These engines are meant to have legs, evolve, etc. We're still seeing loads of Source engine games, despite it being old technology, and I hardly see anyone complaining. Sure, Valve has done a better job than most at making their baby grow up with the technology, but it's still based in tech that was ported to the Xbox. There are still games scheduled for release on UE2.5!

I'm down. If Raven makes a great game, that's all that matters to me.

The New Xbox Experience: Just The Facts (And Maybe Some Conjecture)


Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg and Marc Whitten lead a Community Roundtable discussion following the company's E3 media briefing, giving us further insight into the changes coming to the Xbox 360 dashboard. Officially dubbed the New Xbox Experience, the update was said by Whitten to be a response to the glut of content on Xbox Live, a system he claims was built with hundreds of pieces of content in mind, not tens of thousands — or potentially millions, as Whitten posited.

The new look and feel for the Xbox 360 dashboard was designed to be navigable by those unfamiliar with the current "blades" interface, with the New Xbox Experience akin to a TV remote control UI. In person, it's pretty slick — the Xbox 360 logo radiates a constant pulse in the bottom right corner, with iTunes Cover Flow-style reflections and navigation giving gamers a quick clean look at their games and content.

Fans of the current "blades" interface may be saddened to learn that the update isn't an optional redesign, it's a total replacement. They'll still get a taste of the old interface via the new Guide look and feel. Hit the jump for a photo.



The New Guide
That's the new look of the Xbox 360's Guide, accessible from the big old Guide button on the standard controller. You'll have familiar access to your games, media and settings, via the pop up Guide, which loads faster and more smoothly than the current iteration. You'll also be able to hop directly into anything from your Games library — Live Arcade games, movies, installed Xbox 360 retail games — regardless of what you're currently using your 360 for.

The new Guide and the NXE interface are both said to load faster, even if you have 100+ games in your library. Whitten noted that the LIVE team is very focused on optimizing the experience.

Your Old Stuff...
...will still work in the new interface. The gamerpics and themes you downloaded will work with NXE. And while we didn't get to see it in action, Marc Whitten swears they look "beautiful" on the new interface.

Play From Hard Drive
Details on ripping games to your Xbox 360 HDD are still to be announced, but it appears that the only limitation on users is that the game disc must be in the drive in order to play. That means no lending your copy of History Channel: Battle for the Pacific to get around, you know, owning the thing. The feature is said to work with all Xbox 360 games past, present and future and is primarily a method to reduce load times.

Netflix & The Instant Queue
Xbox Live's Larry Hryb showed Netflix integration in action, updating his queue via the Web, which then updated automatically on the Xbox 360. That newly added movie was then streamed via Netflix's servers. The quality was definitely below DVD quality, but still looked good.

Where Do The Ads Go?
Microsoft said more than once that they'd be releasing more information on the update — including things like what real estate advertising will occupy in NXE — at a later date. Ads weren't visible in the demo version we were shown, but we won't be surprised when they pop up in the less sexier, real world version of the interface update.

Mystery Science Theater 360
With Avatars, LIVE Party and the ability to stream movies and TV shows with other Netflix subscribers while chatting, wouldn't that make for an excellent vehicle for mocking the worst of the worst movies? The wink and a smile that Whitten gave the Community attendees certainly made us think so, but we don't know if Microsoft plans on officially supporting the overlay of Avatars on Netflix video streams.

There Will Be No Browser
At least, not in the NXE Fall update. A Web version of Xbox LIVE Marketplace is coming, but IE 360 isn't happening right now, according to Whitten.

Screens of the New Xbox Experience can be seen in our gallery below.

Chatting with Marc Whitten and the entire Xbox 360 team at today's Community Briefing (more Community Briefing details will be coming later today), we were treated to a demo of the Netflix Xbox 360 service and how it works. Specifically, we were shown how the queuing system will be integrated and really, it's rather a straightforward process that utilizes Netflix.com.

First, to connect one's Netflix account to their Xbox Live account, customers will enter a keycode via Netflix.com that'll link the two accounts together. Then, once linked, the Netflix.com queue will instantly appear on the Xbox 360 allowing instant access to the movies. Want to change your movie queue? Simply update your movie queue online and within' 10 seconds, your Xbox 360's Netflix list will update. A very slick process indeed.

Other Netflix details we were able to learn from the Community Briefing was confirmation that only SD videos would be offered and streamed to the console (not downloaded) as the system analyzes which bitrate is the best fit for your connection. Up to eight friends can watch a movie together BUT they all must be Netflix subscribers. Finally, we were informed that Netflix's servers would handle all movie streaming and that they'll significantly upgrade their infrastructure before the Fall release.

Well everyone.....it's a very sad time, I have to tell you all that I've resigned from Rare. This Friday (18th) will be my last day at the company. Recording the stuff in Prague with Robin for Banjo has been my last task before I leave.

Needless to say my time at Rare has been the most amazing and rewarding experience imaginable and I'm going to miss not being there.

Nearly 13 years ago now, Rare gave a long haired metal fan a chance that no-one else would and I am forever in their debt.

I've worked with some fantastically talented people and it's their creativity that has spurred me on to write and create the stuff I have.........I really can't put it into words.

I wish the company and people there all the luck in the world!

Grant.

I'm surprised no one's made any GIFs.

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/36297.html

Mirrors Edge walkthrough.

Somehow, Mirror's Edge isnt impressing me anymore after watching that video ..hmmmm.