Microsoft releases pricetag for XBox 360 Kinect bundle

Though most of the gadgets first pass through a “pre-planned” set of rumors and guessing tunnels before being officially announced by their makers yet Microsoft seems to have come above the false methods of marketing and henceforth the company silently announced the pricing of its Kinect bundle without any hoopla covering the press release.

Xbox 360 paired with Kinect has something for everyone. Play an exciting game of football in “Kinect Sports,” go for the ride of your lives with the massive jumps and full-body stunts in “Kinect Joy Ride,” or adopt a pet tiger cub with “Kinectimals.” Get the most out of your morning workout with “Your Shape: Fitness Evolved.” Your virtual trainer will help you meet your specific fitness goals by providing feedback on your form in the comfort your own living room. Gather friends for a dance party, or work on your own moves one step at a time with “Dance Central” by MTV Games and Harmonix. Spend quality time with friends and family around the world through Video Kinect*. Watch your favourite movies, TV programmes and live sports from Sky on Xbox LIVE**, all with the wave of a hand.

The Microsoft XBox 360 is set to be launched on November 4th in USA and November 10th across Europre. They do come with the options of standalone and 4 Gb alternatives. Pricing could be an issue for the Kinect bundle with Kotaku guessing it to be $399 while Microsoft tagging it to be £300.

Source: GadgetLite, Engadget

No Red Ring of Death on Xbox 360 Slim

Xbox 360 is a great console that has achieved huge success on the market, but there is only one thing that Xbox 360 users fear and that’s the infamous Red Ring Of Death. Red Ring Of Death appears on your power button and it will prevent your Xbox 360 from working.

Red Ring Of Death is a common problem with Xbox 360 and it is caused by hardware failure, similar to the Blue Screen Of Death on PC. In most cases Red Ring Of Death appears due to the overheating issues and the only way to fix it is to take your Xbox 360 to the repair shop or fix it on your own if you’re skillful enough. Taking your Xbox 360 to the repair shop might be the best solution but it’s a long process that could take weeks therefore it’s no wonder that Xbox 360 users are fearing the Red Ring Of Death.

With all other improvement the new Xbox 360 Slim should be free of Red Ring Of Death, but it’s not great as it sounds. Although there won’t be the infamous Red Ring Of Death around your power button your Xbox 360 will warn you if there’s a hardware failure with a simple red dot on the power button.

There won’t be Red Ring anymore but instead users got Red Dot Of Death which is the same thing. Microsoft promises that there won’t be any hardware failures but how will new Xbox 360 Slim handle them remains to be seen.

Source: ubergizmo,GadgetLite

Xbox 360 to get fresh controller, better D-pad in time for the holidays?

Microsoft seems to have caught the hardware tinkering bug. Having overhauled its Xbox 360 design, the software giant is now said to be keeping busy in the lab working on the console's controller. Such is the word coming from our buddies over at Joystiq, whose reliable source indicates that Redmond will soon produce a new 360 controller with a redesigned D-pad. As the story goes, when you rotate the directional pad ninety degrees, it'll rise up by about a quarter of an inch, making it more accessible for those that still care to use it (e.g. fighting game fans). No details on what sort of bundled or standalone retail fate this little guy may have, but the holidays are its unsurprising destination. We just hope the Bond-esque mechanism comes with an appropriately futuristic swooshing sound.

Source: engadget