Microsoft – Page 4

LG Windows Phone 7 – Optimus 7 and Quantum Hands On Video

October 12, 2010October 15, 2010 Doug Groves Bell, hands-on, LAYAR, LG, Microsoft, Optimus 8, Optimus Quantum, Panorama Shot, Scan Search, ScanSearch, slider, sneak peek, Telus, video, Windows Phone 7, WP7, Xbox Live7 Comments

At a recent LG event, we got some hands on time with LG’s two Windows Phone 7 devices headed towards the Canadian market, the LG Optimus 7 slate style phone on Telus, and the LG Optimus Quantum QWERTY slider on Bell. Both phones sport 16GB of RAM and 1GHz processors, with the real differentiator between the two being the choice of keyboard or not. The Optimus 7 has a 3.8″ screen, while the keyboard packing Optimus Quantum has a slightly smaller 3.5″ screen. During our demonstration, Frank Lee of LG…

Windows Phone 7 in Canada: What We Know So Far

October 11, 2010October 15, 2010 drsquid Bell, canada, event, HTC, LG, Microsoft, Omnia 7, Optimus Quantum, Rogers, Samsung, smartphone, superphone, Telus, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, Windows Phone 7, WP73 Comments

Today marked the big reveal of Microsoft’s reboot of it’s mobile strategy with Windows Phone 7. At 9.30 AM EST Microsoft finally pulled the covers off for the world to see the initial phones that will be available at launch (November 8th in North America), though much of the OS has already been shown in great detail prior to today. My first reaction was that the handset selection is a little slim, and there is not much innovation beyond the base ‘chassis 1’ specifications. However this is a launch of…

Stupid Gaming Forum Arguments 001

October 8, 2010July 30, 2014 Doug Groves editorial comic, Kinect, Microsoft, PS3, PS3 Move, rgbcomic, Sony, Xbox 3601 Comment

If you’ve spent even a little bit of time reading gaming forums or comments over the past couple of months, you’re probably familiar with the PS3 Move vs Xbox Kinect flame wars that have broken out…

Xbox Dashboard Fall Update 2010 – Netflix in Canada on the 360

September 29, 2010October 2, 2010 Doug Groves Arcade, Avatars, Kinect, Microsoft, Netflix, netflix how to, netflix on xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox Dashboard, Xbox Live, Zune1 Comment

The Xbox Dashboard getting a fall update is about as dependable as the leaves changing colour and pumpkins popping up at every corner store. If you’ve already signed up for the preview program (now closed), you should have it now. Though we Canadians don’t get all the goodness of our US brethren (no ESPN and no Zune Pass), the update does support Canadian Netflix access, and gives the user an idea where Microsoft is headed, not just with the Xbox, but with it’s interface metaphor across a wide swath of…

Child of Eden at Tokyo Game Show – Rez Super HD?

September 28, 2010September 30, 2010 Doug Groves Child Of Eden, Genki Rockets, Microsoft, Playstation, PS3, Rez, Rez HD, Sony, Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Tokyo Game Show, Trance Vibrator, Ubisoft, Xbox Live Arcade4 Comments

Child of Eden, from Q? Entertainment, the spiritual successor to Rez HD (Rez remade), had an extended demonstration at the Tokyo Game show. If you’re not familiar with Rez HD, it’s ostensibly a 3rd person shooter where your hacker avatar attempts to infiltrate an advanced computer network controlled by an AI named Eden. The game itself was completely on rails, but that didn’t stop it from becoming one of the best titles released on the Xbox LIVE Arcade. What makes that game stand out is it’s balance of visuals and…

Kinect for Xbox 360: on display in Toronto and soon Montreal

September 27, 2010September 29, 2010 Doug Groves BigPark, Dance Central, Good Science, harmonix, Kinect, Kinect Adventures, Kinect Sports, Kinectimals, Microsoft, Montreal, Rare, Toronto, Ubisoft, Xbox 360, Your Shape: Fitness Evolved7 Comments

If you’ve been hearing about Microsoft’s Kinect for the Xbox 360, but haven’t yet had a chance to see it in person, you can get an early hands on right now, as long as you’re in Toronto. To help promote the launch of the full body interface, Microsoft has leased a storefront and filled 2 storeys with Kinectified Xbox 360s, to give the public a chance to go hands on, as it were. Covering 2 floors, there’s a variety of playable demos, including Kinect Sports from Rare, Your Shape: Fitness…

Microsoft expanding Zune Services internationally

September 21, 2010September 24, 2010 Doug Groves Microsoft, MP3, press release, Windows Phone 7, Xbox, Xbox Live, Zune, Zune Pass7 Comments

With Windows Phone 7 just around the corner, it’s no surprise that Microsoft finally announced their first round of international expansion of the Zune service, providing digital entertainment services to more than 20 countries. Not all countries are created equal however. The much vaunted Zune Pass will be available in the UK, France, Italy and Spain, for 9.99 euros. The Zune pass allows users to have unlimited access to the Zune music library from Windows PCs, Windows Phone 7 and Xbox Live. Unlike the US version, which costs $14.99 US,…

Plants vs Zombie on XBLA – the least great version? (review)

September 15, 2010September 20, 2010 Johnathan Leger game review, Microsoft, MS Points, Plants vs. Zombies, Pop Cap, PvZ, review, XBLA, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Arcade1 Comment

It’s no secret that Plants vs Zombies from Pop Cap is one of the favourite ‘go-to’ games in the RGB Filter bullpen. Solid gameplay and great visuals, along with with a good sense of humour (and zombies) is a winning combination, and PvZ is proof of that. When Pop Cap announced that it was shambling over to Xbox LIVE Arcade, with new game modes and a truly HD visual makeover, we had our 1200 MS Points at the ready. Does the the game hold up in its console incarnation, or…

Halo: Reach – a review and a fond farewell

September 14, 2010September 20, 2010 Doug Groves Bungie, FPS, game review, Halo, Halo: Reach, Microsoft, multiplayer, ODST, review, Xbox, Xbox Live1 Comment

A Fond Farewell When Halo: Reach was announced as a prequel, a lot of gamers expressed their concerns,making comparisons to Lucas’s critical failure with the Star Wars movie prequels. This totally ignores that one of the defining differences between film and video games is that it’s pretty hard to make a game worse than the original. Unless, as a developer, you’re completely phoning it in, a large part of the art of game making, as opposed to film making, is tweaking the elements of gameplay, not just making the graphics…

Acer X3400 review

September 10, 2010September 10, 2010 Doug Groves Acer, Acer X3400, home theater, HTPC, Media PC, Microsoft, review, small form factor, Windows 7, Windows Media Center, WMC10 Comments

When Acer first announced their line of X3400 small form factor PCs, I don’t think they had me in mind. They were clearly targeting people with limited space, and in need of somewhat limited computing power. The initial press release announcing them was clearly shooting for dorm rooms and light-medium use, and not much more. However, when I took another look at the basic specs, I have to admit I was kind of curious. Given the small form factor, but room for expandability, could this be a good balance for…

New Xbox 360 controller to fix the mushy D-pad

August 31, 2010 Doug Groves controller, Microsoft, Microsoft Canada, Play And Charge kit, transforming D-pad, Wireless, Xbox 3602 Comments

Microsoft has announced an updated wireless controller for the Xbox 360, which should fix the problems with the original controller’s D-pad. Although it functions just fine, the design of the original left a lot to be desired, as it can be somewhat mushy and imprecise in regular usage. I got accustomed to it fairly quick, but it has nothing on either Sony or Nintendo’s D-pads. Of course, I’d argue that the PS3 controller is an anachronism from controller days gone by, and is only barely more ergonomic than a Colecovision…

At X’10 – Fable III interview with Josh Atkins

August 31, 2010September 20, 2010 Doug Groves fable 3, Fable III, interview, josh atkins, lionhead, Microsoft, PC gaming, preview, Show, x10, Xbox 360, Xbox Live3 Comments

In our final interview at Microsoft’s X’10 event in Toronto, we talk with Design Director Josh Atkins of Lionhead Studios about what to expect in Fable III, and the importance of storytelling in video games, from the writing to the voice talent. One of the goals was to engage the player enough to actually put down the controller and think about the moral decisions they make. “For us, the idea of a choice, it really has to make you care. It can’t just be so good/evil. It’s got to be…