Archive for April, 2006
We haven’t had a chance to test this game yet, but according to several of our readers and hardwaregeeks.com the wide aspect ratio is not properly supported in the Xbox 360 version of MLB 2K6. Hardwaregeeks.com reports that:
“HDTV users beware this game is not an HD Game and there for when played in widescreen there are stretched logos, jaggy’s and frame lag.”
If this is true, and it appears to be, it will really fly in the face of what the Xbox 360 is all about — next generation games on next generation hardware … and for our money, next generation means HD.
Technorati Tags: MLB2K6
April 20th, 2006
Not a surprise to anyone browsing the Live marketplace recently — tons of movie trailers being promoted.
Paramount has decided to join the party - and many are speculating that this effort is two-fold. 1) marketing a movie today means reaching 18-34 yr olds, and gaming is a great place to get those eyeballs, 2) it’s a marketing effort to promote future HD-DVD releases.
Item 1 makes perfect sense and is compounded by cable/tv ratings that continue to slide, especially in this younger demo.
“It hits the audience in a big way - the 12- to 34-year-old audience. That’s the sweet spot of frequent moviegoers,” said Gerry Rich, Paramount’s president of worldwide marketing. “They’re the early adopters. We think they impact and influence a lot of folks. They’re gatekeepers of what’s cool and what’s not.”
Item 2 makes some sense — although I still hold out that people rather download HD content, or rent it ( think NetFlix ), but don’t really want to own a bunch of plastic. The value is not in owning a physical good anymore, it’s in having instant access to the content, sharing with friends, tagging. mixing, etc. If anything these HD trailers will create even a greater demand for instant HD content — and microsoft should be pushing that the way iTunes did for music.
April 18th, 2006
Chris Lewis — Microsot’s regional vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa for Xbox 360 gaming console business in Europe — gave a very revealing interview to SPIEGEL ONLINE.
In the interview he spoke very openly about the forthcoming plans for an HD-DVD drive:
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Is the HD-DVD-drive for the Xbox 360 still in the pipeline?
Lewis: Absolutely, yes. We’ll say a little bit more about it at E3. It will give people access to HD DVD.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: But the 360 doesn’t have an HDMI-Interface — so you won’t actually be able to watch any HD DVD Movies on it because the obligatory copy protection mechanisms are missing.
Lewis: All I can say to you is — there are interesting developments in the pipeline. We will make sure that the HD-DVD-peripheral device will meet all the requirements for consumers to enjoy high-definition DVD playback.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: Meaning, you will be able to watch Hollywood movies in HD through your Xbox?
Lewis: Yes.
Lewis kept referring to E3, which will be in May, as the time and the place where microsoft will make their announcements.
The HDMI issue is very real, so I’m sure everyone is curious as to what microsoft will come up with. But overall this is great news for those who plan on jumping on the HD-DVD format.
HD-DVD, E3
April 18th, 2006
no this blog isn’t dead !
some RealLife issues forced a short break — but we are back. Look for new updates this week on how to get the best HD experience from your Xbox 360.
April 17th, 2006