Xbox LIVE $100 Platinum Membership the Next Step?

Most of us know by now that the Xbox LIVE price will be raised from $50 a year to $60 in November. What most of you probably don’t know is that Wedbush Morgan Securities’ Michael Pachter predicted that this price hike would occur, and that he made one other prediction. That prediction has to do with a higher tier membership level priced at $100. Currently, we have the free Xbox LIVE Silver membership and $50 a year Gold membership. Could a third be on the way?

Xbox 360 Controller D-Pad Finally Redesigned

That headline is not a typo. This post goes out to all those brave left thumbs we’ve lost along the way. Thumbs who’s owners refused to purchase a fightpad (or stick) and instead decided to just push through it, no matter how thick and gross the callus got. This one is for you. No more having to fear playing fighting games on the 360.

Ok, on a serious note, earlier today Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb posted on his blog a quick hands on video with the upcoming wireless controller as well as some fresh press shots to boot. Not only has the D-Pad been revamped, the color scheme has also gone a totally different direction from what we’ve all become used to for the last 5 years. Gone are the candy colored X, Y, A, and B buttons and in are 4 different shades of gray. At first it may say sound like it’s new look seems a bit boring but upon further investigation it’s actually pretty slick, and dare I say – industrial or Apple-esque?

The pad will cost you 65 greenbacks (with a packed-in Play and Charge kit) when it hits store shelves on November 9th. This leads one to believe that Microsoft is banking on gamers coming in for Black Ops and leaving the store with a brand new controller to go with it. Gamers in Europe can snag one of these later on in February. I’m wondering when the Slims will start getting this thrown into the box as well as what happens to those that ran out and bought the newer systems this summer. Hit the jump to check out the press shots as well as Major Nelson’s quick video tour.

[Major Nelson]

Views: 201

Xbox Live Subscription Card Discount Extravaganza

Earlier today we bombarded you with the frightening news that Microsoft will be increasing the price of Xbox Live subscriptions this November. No matter how much of an MS fan you are, this news is utterly dreadful.

However, in a very “save the day” fashion, numerous retailers have amicably reduced the price of the 12 month subscription card by $10. At Newegg, Amazon, and a number of other retailers, the subscription will run you $40.

The relief comes in the fact that this November, that same subscription will cost the same as a new video game, a whopping $60. At select retailers you can buy as many as you please, for a limited time. So suppose you bought four cards right now. They’d run you $160, but over the next four years you’d save $80.  It’s at least worth considering before November.

Move is No Better Than Kinect

You know it kills me; nowadays people just can’t get enough of talking about how Microsoft’s Kinect is terrible, not appealing, and just overall a complete mess. I’m not saying I disagree with these claims. The first word that comes to mind when I think of Kinect is boring. Honestly, all the game-play videos and games just look like complete garbage, and I can’t believe they expect people to pay $150 for it. I think it takes a very specific kind of consumer for Kinect to look enjoyable at all.

Yeah the voice commands and what not are cool, but what kind of gamer do they think will pay $150 for that functionality? So, since we’ve all confirmed that I too think that Kinect will suck eggs, on to the real meat of the motion gaming fetish: the PlayStation Move. It seems like everyone has very low expectations for Kinect (which again I understand) but everyone is behaving as if Move will be the best thing to hit the PlayStation this year. This is what I do not agree with.

Halo: Reach Loses to the Pirates

It looks like Microsoft has lost the battle to pirates, as they have found a way to breach the private servers meant for gaming press and now have the ability to bypass download codes given to writers.

Now that the code has been leaked, images are popping up on many public torrent and P2P sites. The images are even appearing on NZB aggregators and Usenet binaries newsgroups. Now Microsoft and Bungie are going to have to fight the  hordes of people who will post spoilers way before the game’s September 14th release.

Of course, anyone who is caught playing a copy of Halo: Reach on Live before the release date will receive a life-time ban, so think twice before you go torrent hunting.

Red Dead Redemption Liars and Cheats DLC Coming

We here at DualShockers, at one point, had our own little posse rummaging through the towns of RockStar’s Red Dead Redemption’s multiplayer world. Of course, we didn’t advertise who we were; we just went in there like a mob of of immigrants looking for work at a fruit farm. Our job, though, wasn’t to pick fruit – it was to terrorize the inhabitants of Red Dead Redemption’s online province. Shooting horses, hogtying passing human players, killing off baddies, and riding through the desert sands as the sun’s sheltering glimmer quietly disappeared into the mountains.

After doing this for a couple of weeks, however, killing people off just got… well, boring. There seemed to be a lack of substance then. But now, with the the new DLC “Liars and Chear Pack,” it seems that the DualShockers crew will once again gallop through the star-filled skies to take advantage of what’s to come on September 21st.

The “Liars and Cheats Pack” will contain a plethora of new highly-requested features to expand the Free Roam world which includes the long-awaited Multiplayer Poker and Liar’s Dice. With the addition of Poker and Dice comes the a brand new Competitive Multiplayer mode. For those of you who recall the Free Roam Pack was originally supposed to be a free download. But because certain folks limit the number of free things that can be given away, Rockstar, instead, decided to add it to the Liars and Cheats Pack.

After the jump, you’ll be exposed to a couple of features that will accompany the upcoming DLC.

GamesCom 2010: Ex-Midway CEO Joins Microsoft’s Quest for Mobile Gaming

After spending almost twenty years at a struggling Midway before its demise, Matt Booty, who was their CEO, is now joining forces with Microsoft to help them with their mobile gaming business as general manager.

Before getting this grand opportunity to work with Microsoft, he had been working for Midway since 1991. Matt had played many roles at Midway, starting out as an engineer and programmer, VP of product development and VP of Worldwide Studios. It was in 2008, when he was made a CEO of the already falling company, only to be let go when the Chicago studio closed.

So now the Booty lives on to make games for a company bigger than the one he even ran for not that long. Let’s see how Microsoft’s newly expanding mobile studio pans out in the future!

GamesCom 2010: Windows Phone 7 Getting Mountain of Games

Would you like to play a game with me? It’s called guess how many video games will launch with the Windows 7 Phone? Higher, no higher, no seriously you’re not even guessing properly here you sound like you have no faith in a wireless device. Okay, well if you want to just end the nonsense right now I’ll tell you how much – A LOT. These aren’t your mom’s cell phone games either, they support Xbox LIVE and there are some titles in the list that should draw heads pretty quickly such as Halo Waypoint, Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst, Castlevania, Guitar Hero 5, Women’s Murder Club: Death in Scarlet, oh wait, how’d that one get in my list? Anyways, hit the break for more the entire list of launch titles currently set to drop on the device and stay tuned to DualShockers for full coverage on everything Windows 7 Phone will have to offer upon release.

PS3 sharper than Xbox, says UK Advertising Standards Authority

2010 has not been a good year so far for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console. A lack of decent exclusive titles, a lackluster E3 conference, the loss of supposedly exclusive titles to Sony and now this – a ruling from the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority printed in one of the countries most widely read daily newspapers.

Buy Clover: A Curious Tale, Help a Child of War

Isn’t it great being able to buy a game and help someone out at the same time? Right now, with the purchase of Clover: A Curious Tale from XBLIG, people can now contribute in helping a child or two in war-stricken territories such as the Congo, Uganda or Afghanistan. The companies behind the game, Binary Tweed and Blitz Game Studios will be donating all royalties from the game’s first weekend’s sales to War Child, a charity with the goal to help all children affected by war in their territories.

The game is a enhanced version of  the original title Clover, which was a platform-puzzler. With thanks to Blitz 1UP, an initiative of Blitz Games Studios to help rising indie game developers, Clover: A Curious Tale will have voice-acting, 50% more puzzles, multiple endings, overhauled animation as well as French and Spanish translations.

The weekend this all goes down is August 21-22, so if you or someone you know is interested, keep a look out for the game.

Views: 105

GamesCom 2010: Microsoft Flight Takes Off

Fans of the long-time running flight simulation game series Microsoft Flight Simulator are in for a treat as the series is revived with a new spin. Microsoft Flight was announced today at GamesCom for Games for Windows LIVE on PC. This game will join the new Age of Empires Online title announced today in leading the way for Microsoft to

“…mark the beginning of our return to PC gaming in bold new ways.”

according to Phil Spencer, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft Game Studios. Enjoy this teaser trailer inviting you to keep your eyes out for more on the upcoming title.

Age of Empires Online = Hardcore RTS + Farmville

Bringing back the Age of Empires franchise Age of Empires Online will be hitting the PC Games for Windows – LIVE platform exclusively in 2011 through digital distribution. This game will feature a persistent world where the action and strategy go hand in hand and do not stop just because you have to get off the game. The way players will be able to ally, experience the classic Age of Empires style of play, and allow their empire to continue to evolve even when they are offline (reminiscent of Farmville) is an evolutionary step for the title as well as Real Time Strategy in general and has great promise. Check out the screens and recently released trailer as well as beta sign-up information after the break.