CyberNet News » Gaming

Xbox 360 Black Friday 2011 Deals

Ryan — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 08:08:17 +0000

We’re calling Black Friday 2011 the year of the Xbox. After taking a quick look at the various Black Friday ads that have leaked, there’s no doubt that retailers are trying to lure holiday shoppers in with fabulously priced Xbox consoles, and Kinect bundle packs.

Below we will outline some of the best deals on Xbox and Xbox+Kinect bundles available on Black Friday this year. This will help you determine where you need to be when the doors open!

*Please double check your ad to ensure that pricing is the same in your area!

Xbox 360 4GB Consoles (Retails for $199):

Target: $139.99
Gamestop: $149.99
Kmart: $149.99

Xbox 360 4GB with Kinect Bundle (Retails for $299)

Toys R Us: $199.99 – $10 gift card = $189.99
Radio Shack: $199.99

Kinect Sensor Bar (Retails for $150)

Walmart: $99.96
Target: $99.99
Best Buy: $99.99
Kmart: $99.99
Toys R Us: $99.99

Other bundles worth looking at:

Walmart: Xbox 360 4GB Console w/ Gears of War 3, 3 Month Xbox Live Card, and $50 gift card: $199 – $50 gift card = $149
Gamestop: Xbox 360 250GB Kinect Bundle with Carnival Games (Download Token), and 3 Months Live - $399.99

Will the Mac App Store Kill Steam?

Pieter — Thu, 05 May 2011 09:21:36 +0000

Centralized software purchasing is a hot topic these days. It all began with the iOS App Store. About six months ago, Apple announced that it was going to launch an App Store for desktop computers, following in the footsteps of Ubuntu‘s Software Center. Leaked screenshots from Windows 8 show that Microsoft is working on an app store too. Does this have implications for specialized app stores such as Steam?

Why the app store model makes sense

The big Linux distributions have one big advantage over Windows: they centralize software updates in a package manager. On Windows however, you’ve got a Google updater, an Adobe updater, an Apple updater, a Java updater and so on. This isn’t very efficient. By creating a central app store, Microsoft would effectively enable developers to utilize a standardized protocol to offer software updates.

There are more advantages to the Linux packaging system: application dependencies don’t have to be downloaded if you’ve already got them. If an application depends on OpenGL and you already installed it, your application download will be considerably smaller. Less bandwidth is required on both sides and you’ll save hard drive space.

From the business side, there’s a lot of money to be made by the app store maintainer. Apple has been very public about getting a 30% cut of every sold app. App developers are incited to let Apple take this cut because it gives users a quicker way to install their software.

If a user gets a new computer, they can re-download all apps they own. Perhaps the app store even supports the synchronization of app settings. This effectively makes for a less painful OS re-install experience.

Because of the huge advantages that an app store ecosystem can offer over plain old downloads, piracy rates may drop significantly like they did for certain games thanks to Steam. Who knows?

What will happen to specialized app stores?

Speaking of Steam, this brings us to an interesting question. If the Mac App Store and the proposed Windows 8 Marketplace App Store (whatever its terrible product name will be) take off, what will happen to existing app stores that have already carved out their niche, such as Steam? Here are three scenarios.

Generalized app stores will absorb game sales – People will prefer to buy their games at the operating system’s official app store because they want all their purchases in one place and don’t like having two separate app stores on their computers. This will lead to the loss of such Steam-specific features as in-game voice chat, achievements, instant messaging, social networking and gameplay statistics.
Generalized app stores will get features that tailor to gamers – Apple has attempted bring gaming features to its iOS App Store by introducing Game Center, but it hasn’t quite taken off yet if some vague figures are to be believed. If app stores manage to integrate crucial Steam features, the now popular game manager may be going the way of the Netscape, Digg and ICQ soon. However, let’s not overlook the fact that Steam operates on both Windows and Mac, so if people abandon Steam for their native app store they would no longer be able to play with friends who use the other OS.
People stay loyal to Steam – If Steam’s features are important to gamers and the native app stores fail to incorporate them (or they don’t gain critical mass), the alarm is off… for now. There’s a lot of money to be made in game sales, so Microsoft and Apple will be determined to get it right sooner rather than later. Valve’s dominant position in the digital game store market has remained unchallenged until now and it will be interesting to see how they perform in a more competitive environment.

Solipskier Brings Skiing to Your Browser, iPhone, and iPad

Ryan — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 06:35:23 +0000

We don’t write about iPhone games on the site too often, but this one hits a bit closer to home than most others in the App Store. This one was put together by a very talented group of game developers I know, and they’ve come up with something that’s both fun and addicting. Welcome to the world of Solipskier.

What makes this game different than a lot of others? For starters this began as a Flash-based online game, and has now made its way onto both the iPhone and iPad in one universal app. The game can be played on their site for free, but for a game like this I highly recommend grabbing the iPhone/iPad version (available in iTunes for $2.99) if you really want to be fully immersed in all of the touch-screen goodness it brings to the table.

The objective and operation of the game couldn’t be simpler. In a line-rider fashion you draw the course that your music-listening skier will follow. Drawing a downward slope will cause him to pick up the speed that will be needed if you want to get some hang-time. Indicators on the screen will also give you a heads up as to when obstacles and/or gates are approaching. You want to try and get through as many consecutive gates as possible to pick up speed, and once you get going fast enough you can draw a jump to send the guy (and your score) soaring into the sky.

How about some screenshots to wet your appetite? The first one shows me going through a “tunnel” of gates, and rapidly picking up speed as indicated by the growing rainbow trail behind the skier:

Here I am 668 meters in the air, and the indicator updates to let me know how far up I am so that I can prepare for my spectacular landing. There is also a small version of the skier displayed so that you can, well, see all the cool moves he’s doing while up in the air:

If your jump/landing was good enough the judges will chime in along the lower edge of the screen:

One thing you might be wondering is how many levels there are. Just one. The placement of everything in the world is randomly generated so that you can get a lot of playing time out of the game, and you can continue trying to beat your high score. Trust me though, it can get tricky to handle yourself once you really start picking up speed… which is what needs to happen if you want to score big. I’ve managed to hit a score of 21 million on my iPhone and 23 million on my iPad, but I know others that have four or even five times that for their high score. In many ways Solipskier is as challenging as you want it to be.

Disclaimer: The developers of Solipskier are my friends, but you can rest easy knowing that I’m not getting any kind of kickback from this article. Heck, they didn’t even ask me to write about it.

Solipskier Homepage (where you can play the free Flash-based version)
Solipskier iTunes Link ($2.99 to purchase as a universal iPhone/iPad game)

Only Hours Left! Get Six DRM-free Indie Games, Name Your Price

Pieter — Sat, 15 May 2010 15:37:14 +0000

This deal will expire in a few hours! The Humble Indie Bundle is a chance for you to get six DRM-free games for the low price of- well, you can choose! Here’s the deal: a few indie game developers have partnered for a Radiohead-esque experiment where you can not only name your price, but also choose how the money will be split between the developers, the EFF and the Child’s Play charity. All games work on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.

The bundle includes World of Goo, Aquaria, Gish, Lugaru HD, Penumbra Overture and Samorost 2.

Update: the event is over. Here are some interesting statistics.

138,752 contributions were made, raising a total of $1,273,080. About 30% of that amount will go to the EFF and Child’s Play. The average contribution was $9.18. The top contributor paid $3333.33.

Average contribution by platform:

Linux – $14.52
Mac – $10.18
Windows – $8.05

High School Student Drops-Out to Play Guitar Hero

Ashley — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:31:20 +0000

This is by no means “news,” just an interesting topic of conversation sent in as a tip. Some of you may know a few Guitar Hero addicts or maybe you are one yourself, but do you think it’s a little excessive if a high school student drops-out so that he can concentrate more on the game?

Back in mid-Summer, NewsObserver.com reported on a young-man named Blake Peebles who at age 16, was given permission from his parents to drop out of school so that he could focus on Guitar Hero. Granted, he does have a private tutor which his parents pay for, but the fact of the matter is that he has the tutor because school was taking away from his Guitar Hero time.

Peebles is into some competitive gaming at a local level, but the problem is that competitive gaming isn’t very lucrative at this point. While some of the very best gamers can earn about 80,000 a year, they say that on average, gamers are more likely to make about $20,000 to $30,000, if that. Peelbes has done well when it comes to tournaments in his area, winning about $1,000 in cash, but it’s going to be a different story if he starts participating in some of the larger competitions around the country and even around the World, where there are many others participating that are just as talented.

According to one competitive gamer who won the national championship for Halo 2, being successful as a competitive gamer is tough. He says, “when you want to go somewhere with this gaming stuff, you’ve got to be in the top 1 percent.” So what do you think? Was it worth it for Peebles to quit high school so that he could focus on Guitar Hero in hopes of becoming the next big competitive player?

Thanks for the anonymous tip!

Microsoft Executes Xbox 360 Price Cuts

Ashley — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:27:46 +0000

We’ve known for quite some time that Microsoft was preparing to drop the prices of their various Xbox 360 consoles and now it has happened (although only in the U.S.). This comes at a convenient time shortly before the start of the holiday season, and they’ve managed to get the price down to the “sweet spot” for gaming consoles. The sweet spot is under $199 which is what their Arcade version will be selling for.

With the drop in price, we immediately thought of the fact that the Xbox 360 can be used as a media center extender. After looking at other media center extenders available, the Xbox 360 Arcade version is now one of the most affordable options for those who want to extend the capability of their Media Center PC’s. Some of the most popular options like the Linksys DMA2100 or the D-Link DSM-750 both cost around $250 while the HP x280n MediaSmart Connect will run about $350. While the Arcade version of the Xbox 360 doesn’t come with a hard drive (neither does the Wii), it is still a great value at the new price of $199.

The complete line-up of pricing for the Xbox 360 is:

Xbox 360 Arcade – $199.99
Xbox 360 – $299.99
Xbox 360 Elite – $399.99

Microsoft now offers the most affordable gaming console on the market, even cheaper than the Wii. Could this possibly mean that Nintendo will consider dropping the price of the Wii before the holiday season and their two-year anniversary? We’re doubtful because even today, some people are still having a hard time getting their hands on one.

So, what do you think? Is the Xbox 360 Arcade version a great bargain at $199.99 even though it comes with no hard drive?

Source

EA Uses Viral Video To Clarify “Glitch”

Ashley — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:09:18 +0000

Recently EA found themselves in a position where they could admit that there was a glitch in a game, or turn it into an amazing marketing experience. They chose the latter of the two, and it has worked out quite well for them.

You see, someone recently noticed that there’s a “glitch” in the Tiger Woods 08′ golf title where Tiger Woods plays a shot while standing on the water. The gamer took video of it and it has been seen all over the Internet. People have called it the “Jesus Shot” with Tiger “walking on water.” Instead of just acknowledging that they made a mistake, EA has decided to answer back to the poster of the video with a brilliant video of their own.

Tiger really can walk on water! It’s not a glitch afterall…

Now how’s that for using YouTube to your advantage. What a great example of a viral marketing video!

Xbox 360 Price Cut Coming September 7th? We Think So…

Ashley — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 15:07:13 +0000

Last week rumors started to fly that Microsoft was planning to drop the price of the Xbox 360 pretty significantly. We questioned it because in July, Microsoft already did some price dropping with their 20GB Xbox 360 – dropping it from $350 down to $300. This turned out to be a temporary price drop to make way for a new 60GB model. While there has been no confirmation from Microsoft that the price-cuts are coming in September, new information suggests that the rumors are true.

Take a look at the image below. Someone took a picture of what they saw on the screen at an unnamed retailer when they did a SKU inquiry for the Xbox 360 Arcade System. As you’ll see, it shows a price of $199.99 that will be effective starting on September 7th.

September 7th would be a likely date for Microsoft to make price cuts, only because it also happens to be the date that two Xbox 360 exclusive games launch – Square Enix’s Infinite Undiscovery and Rock Band 2 (this game comes out later in the Fall for other systems). If it works as planned, prices will be as follows on September 7th:

Xbox Arcade – $199
Xbox 60GB Pro – $299
Xbox 120GB Elite – $399

Source: Gizmodo

LIVE for Windows Games is Free

Ryan — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:41:21 +0000

I’m sure that most of you have heard about Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE video game service that lets players compete against each other over an Internet connection. Similarly Microsoft also has a Games for Windows LIVE service that will let you play against other people on your PC, and starting today the service is being offered to consumers for free. Previously this costed $49.95 per year, unless you were already an Xbox LIVE subscriber.

Don’t worry, I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t even know about LIVE for Windows games. The fact is that the service hasn’t really taken off on Windows despite its overwhelming success on the Xbox. Heck, it’s been out for over a year and there are only 11 LIVE enabled games for Windows right now:

Battlestations: Pacific
The Club
Fallout 3
Gears of War for Windows
Halo 2 for Windows Vista
Kane & Lynch: Dead Men
Lost Planet Extreme Condition – Colonies Edition
Shadowrun
Universe at War: Earth Assault
Viva Piñata for Windows
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II

So why haven’t Windows game developers been taking advantage of the new technology? What I’ve heard is that they too had to pay in order to incorporate the LIVE service in their games, but that’s no longer a problem. Microsoft has decided to drop all costs for developers as well, which means Games for Windows LIVE is free for both consumers and developers!

This is a very intelligent decision by Microsoft. I have quite a few friends who have been thinking about switching to a Mac, but since they play lot of games on Windows they don’t want to deal with the hassle of switching between multiple operating systems. This is going to be yet another thing to keep the gaming community tied to Windows.

[image via Wikipedia]

Sony & Microsoft Drop Console Prices

Ashley — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 19:18:47 +0000

With the E3 Media and Business Summit going on (the annual trade show for the computer and video games industry), there have been several big announcements from Sony and Microsoft.

The first big announcement coming from Sony is that they have decided to drop the price of their 80GB PS3 model to $400. This will start in September which would make the 80GB model the same price as what the 40GB model currently sells for. Engadget points out how Sony worded it. They talked about how the new 80GB model would have the “current functionality” of the 40GB model which means it looks as though the days of backwards compatibility for PlayStation 3 are gone. In a nutshell, Sony is boosting storage while keeping the same price point.

It looks like Microsoft is trying to do the same type of thing – boosting storage while keeping the price the same. Microsoft recently dropped the price of their 20GB Xbox 360 from $350 down to $300. As it turns out, this is just temporarily as a way to make room because Microsoft intends to introduce a new 60GB model for $350 which is the same price as what the 20GB previously sold for. Maybe these companies would have been better off simply dropping the prices without upping storage? We have to agree with a comment Paul Thurrott made. He says, “Microsoft is losing ground to Sony now, for crying out loud. It’s time to get aggressive.”

Also in the news is that Microsoft and Netflix have teamed up to allow Xbox 360 owners the opportunity to stream Netflix movies to their consoles (assuming they are Netflix subscribers). Now if Netflix could improve the list of movies available to watch instantly, and open this up to non-U.S. residents, there would be a lot of happy campers.

Source