Grave Gamer News & Views — xbox

Another Year, Another Xbox ‘Summer of Arcade’

It’s not hard to tell when summer has arrived in Florida.  Besides car tires melted like marshmallows, it’s tough to ignore the tremendous heat radiating from the sun when it moves within shouting distance of our state.  But there’s an upside to this season in which I’m often ignited where I stand: Xbox Live’s Summer of Arcade.

Beginning July 18th, Xbox owners will be bombarded by a slew of downloadable hits (“slew” meaning five in this instance).  Here’s your official release schedule:

• Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD (July 18th/1200 MS)
• Wreckateer (July 25th/800 MS)
• Deadlight (August 1st/1200 MS)
• Hybrid (August 8th/1200 MS)
• Dust: An Elysian Tail (August 15th/1200 MS)

Mighty interesting selection this year.  If you haven’t heard of a title listed, feel free to hit the link to view a trailer.  I know I already have my Moon Points targeted on Tony Hawk and Deadlight.  What’re you picking up this summer?

$99 Xbox 360 Kinect Bundle with Two Year Contract Officially Official

That so-called subscription Xbox 360 Bundle rumored last week is now available wherever there might be a Microsoft Store (which my sources say is nowhere).  For $14.99 a month, you can enjoy a brand new Slim Xbox 360 with a Kinect Sensor and a two-year membership with Xbox Live.  Adopting a contract similar to most cellphone plans, the system comes with a 24-month warranty and a termination fee that claims your firstborn if you decide to break monthly payments.

Everyone with sense and a calculator will tell you that, in the long run, it’s cheaper to just buy the bundle outright sans the contract – a fact already fueling dissenting opinions from the gaming public.  Personally, I believe Microsoft is introducing the new payment model in an attempt to normalize alternative methods for customers to attain their product, so that going forward, people aren’t put off by the company initiating the very same business model for future devices and consoles.

Many may cry afoul this generation, but imagine the next lineup of consoles that hit the scene with price tags sure to zoom right past our current $300 comfort zones.  If you offered me an Xbox 720 at release for a hundred bucks…well, let’s just say I wouldn’t quite snub my nose at it.  We could be looking at a new trend, folks.  We’ll see how this one plays out.

What’s Microsoft Up To?  A Subscription Based Xbox 360?

How would you feel about a 4GB Xbox 360 bundled together with a Kinect sensor for the low price of $99?  That’s a saving of two-hundred dollars!

But there’s a catch, friend.  In order to take that cheap, cheap bundle off of Microsoft’s hands, there’s sort of an eensy bit of a contractual obligation to take care of – for two years straight.  The subscription fee Xbox would cost you about $15 bucks a month, netting you Xbox Live access and potentially other exclusives (like deals from cable providers) and comes with a two-year warranty as well as the looming threat of a cancellation fee if you decide to cut payments with Microsoft.

The company itself has refused to comment on the possible subscribed bundle, but if the report over at The Verge is to be believed, we could see this $99 Xbox as soon as next week.  The Verge also points out that while the package is discounted at purchase, when compared to buying the full cost bundle now with two years of Xbox Live, it’s still fucking cheaper than riding out 24 months with the new bundle and subscription.

Despite that, tell a person he can make a quick buck today but make more if he waits, that person is still liable to defy reason and go for the instant gratification.  If this subscription bundle is the real deal, Microsoft knows exactly what it’s doing when it comes to ensnaring more victims customers.

Catchy, right?  Microsoft must’ve felt the gaming press’ nickname for their new-gen console was starting to stick.  Thusly, the monolithic console manufacturer has revealed their own special codename: the Durango.

If the moniker conjures images of the Mexican state bearing the same namesake, you’re a liar. We all thought of the car. It’s okay to admit car advertising is seared into your brain –...

Yet another rumor concerning Xbox’s next big It are circling the trades.

Today’s rumor is that Microsoft may be planning on releasing two separate SKU’s for their successor to the Xbox 360’s throne.  One SKU would be an economical version of the system that’s stripped down to a basic, Kinect ready setup and little more.

The premium console on the other hand would come equipped with more robust features such as an optical disc drive, backwards compatibility, and a hard drive.  While we know less than nothing about the tentatively dubbed Xbox 720 (including an ETA), I wouldn’t be surprised to see this rumor comes to life since that’s been pretty much Microsoft’s strategy with the 360, offering up differently priced bundles.  At the end of the sales day, it’s the smartest fucking thing a console manufacturer can do: target the casual audience while still catering to the hardcore.