Entertainment Electronics Blog

Not only is the Xbox 360 S obviously physically smaller than the original Xbox 360 model, it also boasts a new combined graphics and processor chip that allows the redesigned system to run more silently, consume less power, and should also make it less prone to hardware malfunctions.

VentureBeat has a full break down of this new “Vejle” chip (named after a city in Denmark, for whatever reason), with its combination of CPU and GPU on the same chip being the key to its boost in performance. Rather than have a separate chip for each function (as all past Xbox 360 models had), the combined chip makes the systems cheaper to produce, as well as significantly less power hungry — the Xbox 360 S uses a whopping 60 percent less power compared to a launch 360 from 2005.

And the benefit isn’t just a small save in your power bill, as the smaller, quieter chip should also — in theory — have eliminated the dreaded “Red Ring of Death” malfunction once and for all. The cause of the RROD was that the graphics chip in earlier Xbox 360 models would eventually run so hot that they would warp the system board. But with the new combined chip, Microsoft says that even in hot conditions the new 360’s fan doesn’t have to top 55 percent of its capability.

The smaller chip (it uses 50 percent less space than the two chips needed in original 360 models) is also what allowed Microsoft to add in extra features like built-in 802.11N Wi-Fi.

VentureBeat’s full story has many more details on just what it took for Microsoft and IBM to actually manufacture the chip, along with a lot of diagrams of the new chip itself. So if you’re a tech-head interested in that kind of stuff, be sure to check it out.

Halo: Reach will give fans of the series a look at its universe — and a lot more Spartans — before the events of the original Halo: Combat Evolved took place, but according to Bungie community director Brian Jarrard, they planned at one point to make Halo 4 instead.

“Even before the idea to build a game based around Reach came about, a lot of other concepts were explored, up to and including a proper ‘Halo 4,’ where Master Chief was going to wake up from cryo-sleep and we were going to tell that story,” Jarrard said to MTV multiplayer. Spoiler warning if you never beat Halo 3, but for those whose memories are only a little hazy, the game ended with Master Chief encasing himself into cryo-sleep as he drifted aimlessly with Cortana in space on half of a destroyed frigate.

As for why they decided against another direct sequel, Jarrard said that “it just wasn’t as interesting to the team to just pick up where that left off and all the baggage that came with it.” Still, considering this will be Bungie’s last Halo (as they’re moving on to a mysterious new franchise in a publishing partnership with Activision), Jarrard also says Reach will tie into the trilogy nicely. “We don’t want to open up a whole bunch of doors that we’re not going to close,” he said. “By the end of this, it’s all going to come to a nice, neat finish, and if people want to then go play the Halo trilogy, I think they’ll have a better understanding of what’s going on, but it’s not required at all.”

Halo: Reach is set for release on September 14.

Despite persistent rumors the contrary, Final Fantasy XIV won’t be appearing on the Xbox 360.

In a recent interview with Eurogamer, creator Hiromichi Tanaka said that the problem lies with the “closed” nature of Xbox Live.

“[Live is] different to the normal internet environment, so when we wanted to introduce this game in the same environment as Windows PC it had to be PS3, so that was our choice,” he said.

“Microsoft has a different point of view: they want to have a closed environment for Xbox Live. We’re still talking to… We couldn’t come to an agreement on Xbox Live.”

Interestingly, Final Fantasy XI is one of the few MMOs currently available on the Xbox 360. Tanaka didn’t elaborate on the differences between the two.

Final Fantasy XIV will be available on the PS3 and PC later this year.

At E3 today Konami showed the first trailer of its next Silent Hill game, with the working title of Silent Hill 8.

The game is scheduled to launch in 2011 on the PS3 and Xbox 360, and promises to be “a next generation horror game that fans truly deserve,” according to a statement released today by Konami.

The game stars prison inmate Murphy Pendleton, who escapes from a prison transport vehicle and finds himself stranded in Silent Hill. From the glimpses we’ve seen in the trailer, Pendleton will have to deal both with the supernatural horrors of Silent Hill and with the cops, who are on his trail.

We should have more substantial details soon, but for now check out these first screenshots from the trailer, which we should have available on the 1UP later today.

DeathSpank, the downloadable action-RPG by Hothead Games, officially has a release date.

Developed by The Secret of Monkey Island creator Ron Gilbert, DeathSpank stars the eponymous hero and his sidekick, Sparkles the Wizard, as they “collect loot” and “solve crazy puzzles.” Both characters will be able to team up in local co-op play.

It will be released for $14.99 on the PlayStation Network and 1200 Microsoft Points on Xbox Live Arcade. Look for it on July 13 and July 14 respectively.

Crackdown 2 is just a few weeks away from release, but you’ll be able to try it out much sooner than that. A demo of Crackdown 2 will be released on the Xbox Live Marketplace this Monday, June 21. Major Nelson has posted a list with details on upcoming releases on the Live Marketplace.

Besides the Crackdown demo, next week looks like an especially busy one. Monday will also see the release of Mirror’s Edge and Bee Movie Game on Games on Demand. On Tuesday, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will get Onslaught Mode as DLC for 800 Microsoft Points ($10) and the free ‘Outlaws to the End’ DLC will come out for Red Dead Redemption. And next Wednesday, Jenga, Pictureka!, and Connect 4×4 will be released for Hasbro Family Game Night, along with two new 800-point Xbox Live Arcade games: Risk Factions and Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project.

Sometimes telling a loved one goodbye for the last time is just too painful, especially after spending the better part of the last decade at one another’s side. Such is the case for a handful Halo 2 fans who’ve refused to let go of their first-person shooter of choice, even after Microsoft pulled the plug on the original Xbox Live roughly two weeks ago.
It turns out these intrepid gamers have been able to remain connected to the old Live service as long as they don’t shut down their consoles or lose their internet connection. As a result, there are still around 13 people still playing Halo 2 online. The initial group of holdouts started much, much larger, but — as tends to happen when you leave your system on for weeks at a time — many have dropped out due to their consoles overheating, random disconnects, and other issues.

A fellow going by the name of Joe Campbell decided to chronicle this stalwart bunch of Halo players in a thread on the official Bungie forums. You’ll find his updated list of remaining Halo 2 users inside, as well as links to any livestreams that may still be running.

“We will keep playing until we are all forcibly removed,” Campbell writes. “It could be by Microsoft, Bungie, our Xbox’s overheating, or just lagging out. Not for competition, not for a prize, but for the love, and memory of Halo 2.”

THQ has revealed the full roster for UFC Undisputed 2010, slated to be released next month. GameStop has the list, which includes some 100 fighters across multiple weight divisions.
Additions include Marcus Jones, Pat Barry and Luiz Cane. Notably absent are Wanderlei Silva and Randy Couture, the latter signing on with EA’s MMA game. This year’s featured fighter is University of Minnesota and WWE alum Brock Lesnar, who is the current UFC Heavyweight Champion.

The demo set to be released this week will feature light heavyweights Lyoto Machida, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Rashad Evans and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

The full game is due on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PSP on May 25. Check out the full roster below. “N” denotes new fighters, “P” refers to fighters available in promotional deals and “L” refers to PS3 exclusive legendary fighters.

HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
Mustapha Al-Turk (N)
Andrei Arlovski
Pat Barry (N)
Shane Carwin (N)
Mirko Cro Cop
Junior Dos Santos (N)
Todd Duffee (N)
Gabriel Gonzaga
Antoni Hardonk
Heath Herring
Marcus Jones (P)
Cheick Kongo
Brock Lesnar
Justin McCully
James McSweeney (P)
Frank Mir
Roy Nelson (P)
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Eddie Sanchez
Brendan Schaub (P)
Dan Severn (L)
Kimbo Slice (N)
Stefan Struve (N)
Cain Velasquez
Fabricio Werdum
HEAVYWEIGHT & LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISIONS
Mark Coleman
Brandon Vera
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
Ryan Bader
Stephan Bonnar
Jason Brilz (N)
Luiz Cane (N)
Steve Cantwell (N)
Rashad Evans
Forrest Griffin
Matt Hamill (N)
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
Keith Jardine
Jon Jones (N)
Chuck Liddell
Lyoto Machida
Tito Ortiz
Mauricio Rua
Thiago Silva
Krzysztof Soszynski (N)
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT & MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISIONS
Vitor Belfort (N)
Michael Bisping
Rich Franklin
Wilson Gouveia
Dan Henderson
Anderson Silva
MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION
Yoshihiro Akiyama (N)
Ricardo Almeida
Alan Belcher (N)
Patrick Cote (N)
Kendall Grove
Dennis Kang (N)
Chris Leben
Demian Maia
Nate Marquardt
Drew McFedries
Dan Miller (N)
Yushin Okami
Nate Quarry (N)
Chael Sonnen (N)
MIDDLEWEIGHT & WELTERWEIGHT DIVISIONS Martin Kampmann
Mike Swick
WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION
Thiago Alves
Carlos Condit (N)
Marcus Davis
Jon Fitch
Royce Gracie (L)
Dan Hardy (N)
Dustin Hazelett (N)
Matt Hughes
Anthony Johnson
Dong Hyun Kim (N)
Josh Koscheck
Chris Lytle
Karo Parisyan
Amir Sadollah
Georges St-Pierre
Paulo Thiago (N)
Frank Trigg (N)
James Wilks (N)
WELTERWEIGHT & LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISIONS BJ Penn
Diego Sanchez
Matt Serra
Sean Sherk
LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION
Nate Diaz
Frankie Edgar
Efrain Escudero
Terry Etim (N)
Spencer Fisher
Kenny Florian
Hermes Franca
Tyson Griffin
Clay Guida (N)
Joe Lauzon
Gray Maynard
Cole Miller (N)
Ross Pearson (N)
Kurt Pellegrino (N)
Jens Pulver (L)
Dennis Siver (N)
Joe Stevenson
Caol Uno (N)

It’s not nearly as big in North America as it is in Europe, but gamers on both sides of the pond will soon be able to enjoy MotoGP. Capcom has announced that the motorcycle racers will be available in North America next month.

Users will be able to download all 2010 season content for free, which includes new tracks, team updates and new motorcycles. The content will be available free.

If you’re into motorcycle racing, then it sounds like a treat. If you’re not sure, a demo should be out sometime soon.

MotoGP 09/10 will be out March 16 on Xbox 360 and PS3 in North America, and March 19 in Europe.

Have you downloaded the Battlefield Bad Company 2 demo on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360? If you have, you’re not alone. EA has tweeted that some 3.5 million people have taken the plunge on both platforms.

The demo launched earlier this month, and will end next week. Interest in the demo can potentially be chalked up to Battlefield 1943, which enjoyed considerable success as a downloadable title last year.

If you haven’t tried it out, you have until February 25 to download it and play it for yourself. After that, you’ll have to wait until it arrives on the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 on March 2.