Filed under: Gaming

*Price includes Tom Clancy’s G.R.A.W., NHL ’07, Live Arcade Volume 1, three-month Xbox Live Gold membership, 1,250 Microsoft points, a wireless modem, and three years of Sympatico high-speed internet from Bell Canada.

With “next-generation” consoles being released every three to four years nowadays (save for Sony’s PlayStation 3, which has a stated 10-year life span), some people (read: parents and spouses) are a little hesitant to throw down upwards of $300 for a system that will probably be gathering dust in the attic even before the wireless controllers need replacing. Well Canadian children will soon have a new angle to work when begging their folks for an Xbox 360, thanks to a package that Bell Canada will be offering from November 5th through sometime next year which includes Microsoft’s latest console, a handful of games, and broadband service for CAN$59.95 a month (or CAN$54.95 for you lucky Quebecers). The catch here is that you need to sign up for an unusually long three-year commitment; furthermore, it’s unclear if you’ll be able to purchase the nearly-worthless console at the end of the contract or be given the opportunity to upgrade to an Xbox 361 once it hits stores. It’s also not clear what kind of upload / download speeds you’re getting with this offer — an important piece of the puzzle in deciding whether or not this bundle is a good value. Still, if you’re the type who’s already renting your apartment, leasing your car, and paying way too much money to Rent-A-Center each month for your home theater gear, this promotion may be right up your alley.

[Via digg and HappyBeggar]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time

Filed under: Gaming

Making it perfectly clear that even the mightiest CEOs sit up at night fretting over their competitors’ products, his highness Sir Howard Stringer recently confessed to having an “obsession” with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 after inadvertently mentioning the PS3-rival in an interview with the Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg. Stringer’s admission followed what can only be described as a classic Freudian slip, in which he substituted the words “Xbox 360″ for “X-Men III” when bragging about the success of Sony Pictures’ The Da Vinci Code. After some prodding from Mossberg, Stringer even went on to pay Microsoft founder Bill Gates something of a backhanded compliment, admiring Gates’ ability to put a positive spin on setbacks like the constantly-slipping Vista release date while still managing to take shots at the PS3 for its own delayed arrival. So, the obvious question that now presents itself is: who would win in a fight, Gates or Stringer? Comments are on and awaiting your thoughtful analysis.

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Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Storage

Besides the disheartening news that the cheaper version of the PlayStation 3 will lack WiFi, a memory card reader, and mosty significantly, an HDMI port, we've now learned that the $500 PS3 may also be shipping with wired, and not wireless, versions of that rumble-less, Wii-like controller. While adding separate Bluetooth controllers would only set you back a few bucks -- if, in fact, the lower-end model actually ends up shipping with BT functionality -- boosting your console's storage capacity in the future may be a non-starter, as Sony reps supposedly told Games Radar that the 20GB hard drive isn't upgradeable. With so many significant differences between the two configurations (and let's not forget the snazzy metallic lettering you get on the $600 models), it's not clear how many consumers are going to agree with Sony's Kaz Hirai that the "crippled" version of the console is a "good value" for them.

[Thanks, J and Ameya T.]

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

In a denial that should come as a surprise to no one (what, like they were really gonna tip their hand this early?), Microsoft’s Xbox chief for Northern and Eastern Europe told UK tech site T3 “that we’re not even thinking about handhelds at the moment.” Neil Thompson’s remarks came just days after the Internet was buzzing about a claim made by author Dean Takahashi in his new book, Xbox 360 Uncloaked, that said half of the 360 development team immediately began working on a portable ‘box right after the next-gen console was launched last November. Thompson went on to say that although the big M has no plans to release a PSP-like device, the huge mobile phone market offers the company a “really good opportunity” to connect people with “other entertainment experiences.” You heard it hear first, folks: instead of wasting all that money on hardware development, Microsoft is simply going to develop an Xbox emulator for cellphones that lets you pull content directly from the Live service (either that, or Thompson was just towing the party line in order to keep the wraps on this supposed Xbox2Go — you be the judge).

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Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Storage

Bad news for PSP owners: Macworld is reporting that the recent 2.7 firmware update makes it impossible for the handheld console to play content captured by the Neuros 2 Recorder. Even worse, files that you had previously recording using your Memory Stick-equipped Neuros will no longer work once you upgrade to 2.7. For now, Neuros is taking a three-pronged approach to the problem: they're working on a firmware update of their own for the Recorder 2, attempting to convince Sony to adjust their code in future upgrades, and, least helpfully, recommending that their customers avoid making the move to 2.7. Also, the company claims to be working on a solution that, at the very least, will allow those folks who insist on upgrading to convert their old recordings into a 2.7-friendly format.

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds

So we don't actually have any new information on the U.S. pricing and release date of Nintendo's DS Lite; rather we're simply here to pass on the fact that these important details will supposedly be available on Thursday. Our hot sister blog Joystiq is reporting that a recent 1UP podcast revealed both the May 4th announcement as well as the actual pricing/launch info, but the latter deets were bleeped out in order to conform with pesky embargoes and non-disclosure agreements. You can be sure that we'll be on high alert later this week to bring you all the info as soon as it's available, and remember, the sooner you start standing in line for your new DS, the sooner we can post amusing pics of people suffering for their hobby.

[Via Joystiq]

Filed under: Gaming

Remember those five teenage girls from Ravenna, Ohio, who on the eve of April first placed seventeen Mario Bros. inspired question cubes around town? Well, after HAZMAT, the Fire Dept. and the five-O were called in and the dust settled it looked like those little ladies were in for some serious trouble. Though it turns out the town of 12,000's dropping the case against them, the case prosecutor stating of the squeaky-clean teens he "not believe that they had any bad or malicious intentions." Gee, ya think? Sure, we can understand a little why some people who didn't ever play Mario (like you, or us at Engadget) might have gotten concerned at the sight of these boxes, but we're just glad that a slight case of Midwest terrorist hysteria didn't ultimately result in some crazed teenage witch hunt.

[Via Joystiq]