(This is a snippit from a recent email I recieved from Microsoft.) 

Here’s what you can expect to happen:
You probably know the New Xbox® Experience is coming, but do you know what to expect on November 19?
1. Sign in to Xbox LIVE® to automatically start downloading the update.
2. With a lot of new content being downloaded, the update may take a while. As always, you won’t be able to use your console while it’s downloading.
3. Once the update finishes, your console will reload the welcome page, and you can start exploring the New Xbox Experience.

You’ll want to take a look at the previews of what is coming on xbox.com. You can get more information on how the download will work, learn about the Xbox LIVE Party and photosharing, and find out how you can instantly stream Netflix® movies.
 

And here is a video just to top it off

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Wii Fit Accessories

Wii Fit Games

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The game comes packaged with two wireless motion-sensitive microphones. This ties in with the features that allow you to compete against your friends or family and a co-operative element that allows you to try and crack the song together. Lips will hit stores in America on November 14th and in Europe on November 21st, 2008.

North American list:
1. a-ha “Take on Me”
2. Nirvana “In Bloom”
3. Alicia Keys “No One”
4. Peter Bjorn and John “Young Folks”
5. Aly & AJ “Potential Break Up Song”
6. Queen “Another One Bites the Dust”
7. Avril Lavigne “Complicated”
8. R.E.M. “The One I Love”
9. Ben E. King “Stand by Me”
10. Radiohead “Fake Plastic Trees”
11. Beyonce “Irreplaceable”
12. The Ramones “I Wanna Be Sedated”
13. Blondie “Call Me”
14. Rascal Flatts “Stand”
15. Chris Brown “With You”
16. Rihanna “Umbrella”
17. Coldplay “Yellow”
18. Roxette “Listen to Your Heart”
19. Depeche Mode “Personal Jesus”
20. Sara Bareilles “Love Song”
21. Destiny’s Child “Survivor”
22. Sheryl Crow “Soak Up the Sun”
23. Dido “White Flag”
24. Taylor Swift “I’m Only Me When I’m With You”
25. Duffy “Mercy”
26. The Bangles “Walk Like an Egyptian”
27. Duran Duran “Hungry Like the Wolf”
28. The Fray “Over My Head (Cable Car)”
29. John Denver “Take Me Home, Country Roads”
30. The Jackson 5 “ABC”
31. Johnny Cash “Ring of Fire”
32. The Police “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”
33. Leona Lewis “Bleeding Love”
34. The Raveonettes “Love in a Trashcan”
35. Lil’ Mama “Lip Gloss”
36. Trace Adkins “Ladies Love Country Boys”
37. Lupe Fiasco (featuring Matthew Santos) “Superstar”
38. Weezer “Island in the Sun”
39. Maroon 5 “Makes Me Wonder”
40. Young MC “Bust a Move”

United Kingdom list:
1 No One - Alicia Keys
2 Stand By Me - Ben E. King
3 Irreplaceable - Beyoncé
4 Call Me - Blondie
5 Boogie 2Nite - Booty Luv
6 With You - Chris Brown
7 Yellow - Coldplay
8 Personal Jesus - Depeche Mode
9 Survivor - Destiny’s Child
10 White Flag - Dido
11 Mercy - Duffy
12 Hungry Like The Wolf - Duran Duran
13 An End Has A Start - Editors
14 It’s Raining Men - Geri Halliwell
15 Virtual Insanity - Jamiroquai
16 Ring Of Fire - Johnny Cash
17 Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs
18 Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall
19 Love At First Sight - Kylie Minogue
20 Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis
21 Superstar - Lupe Fiasco (feat. Matthew Santos)
22 Makes Me Wonder - Maroon 5
23 Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day - Morcheeba
24 In Bloom - Nirvana
25 Young Folks - Peter Bjorn And John
26 Another One Bites The Dust - Queen
27 Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead
28 I Wanna Be Sedated - Ramones
29 Umbrella - Rihanna
30 Listen To Your Heart - Roxette
31 Amazing - Seal
32 Put ‘Em High - Stonebridge
33 Song For Whoever - The Beautiful South
34 Just Like Heaven - The Cure
35 ABC - The Jackson 5
36 Naïve - The Kooks
37 Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police
38 I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers
39 Love In A Trashcan - The Raveonettes
40 Bust A Move - Young MC

Scandinavian list:
1 The Sign Ace of Base
2 Take On Me a-ha
3 No One Alicia Keys
4 Complicated Avril Lavigne
5 Stand By Me Ben E. King
6 Call Me Blondie
7 No Promises Bryan Rice
8 It’s Not The Fall That Hurts Caesars
9 With You Chris Brown
10 Yellow Coldplay
11 Personal Jesus Depeche Mode
12 White Flag Dido
13 Mercy Duffy
14 Hungry Like The Wolf Duran Duran
15 Let’s Groove Earth, Wind & Fire
16 Ring Of Fire Johnny Cash
17 Can I Get Get Get Junior Senior
18 Ruby Kaiser Chiefs
19 Love At First Sight Kylie Minogue
20 Bleeding Love Leona Lewis
21 Himlen Runt Hörnet Lisa Nilsson
22 Makes Me Wonder Maroon 5
23 Special Mew
24 Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day Morcheeba
25 In Bloom Nirvana
26 Young Folks Peter Bjorn And John
27 Another One Bites The Dust Queen
28 Fake Plastic Trees Radiohead
29 I Wanna Be Sedated Ramones
30 Umbrella Rihanna
31 Listen To Your Heart Roxette
32 Amazing Seal
33 Walk Like An Egyptian The Bangles
34 Erase/Rewind The Cardigans
35 Hate To Say I Told You So The Hives
36 ABC The Jackson 5
37 Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic The Police
38 Love In A Trashcan The Raveonettes
39 Eg Vil Ha Deg Valkyrien Allstars
40 Bust A Move Young MC

German list:
1. 2raumwohnung - “36 Grad”
2. Ace of Base- “The Sign”
3. Alicia Keys - “No One”
4. Avril Lavigne - “Complicated”
5. Beyoncé - “Irreplaceable”
6. Blondie - “Call Me”
7. Chris Brown - “With You”
8. Coldplay - “Yellow”
9. De Randfichten - “Lebt Denn Dr Alte Holzmichel Noch…?”
10. Depeche Mode - “Personal Jesus”
11. Dido - “White Flag”
12. DJ Ötzi (feat. Nik P.) - “Ein Stern (…Der Deinen Namen Trägt)”
13. Duffy - “Mercy”
14. Fettes Brot - “Emanuela”
15. Fool’s Garden - “Lemon Tree”
16. Johnny Cash - “Ring Of Fire”
17. Kaiser Chiefs - “Ruby”
18. Kylie Minogue - “Love At First Sight”
19. Leona Lewis - “Bleeding Love”
20. Maroon 5 - “Makes Me Wonder”
21. Modern Talking - “You’re My Heart, You’re My Soul”
22. Morcheeba - “Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day”
23. Nena - “99 Luftballons”
24. Nirvana - “In Bloom”
25. OOMPH! - “Augen Auf!”
26. Peter Bjorn And John - “Young Folks”
27. Peter Schilling - “Major Tom (Völlig Losgelöst)”
28. Pohlmann - “Wenn Jetzt Sommer War”
29. Queen - “Another One Bites The Dust”
30. Radiohead - “Fake Plastic Trees”
31. Ramones - “I Wanna Be Sedated”
32. Reamonn - “Supergirl”
33. Rihanna - “Umbrella”
34. Roger Cicero - “Frauen Regier’n Die Welt”
35. Roland Kaiser - “Santa Maria”
36. Roxette - “Listen To Your Heart”
37. Seal - “Amazing”
38. The Jackson 5 - “ABC”
39. Xavier Naidoo - “Dieser Weg”
40. Yvonne Catterfeld - “Erinner Mich Dich Zu Vergessen”

Australian version exclusives:
1. Cold Chisel - Khe Sahn
2. Missy Higgins - Scar
3. Shannon Noll - Shine
4. Olivia Newton-John - Magic
5. Silverchair - Straight Lines
6. Men at Work - Be Good Johnny
7. John Farnham - You’re the Voice

Your country not listed? Check the Wikipedia overview.

Here is a video for ya too.

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Here is a little about it from: Wired

Like so many other technological advancements, the Xbox 360’s Fall Dashboard Update has purportedly cropped up on YouTube well before its official release.

The footage includes the new, stream-lined user interface, the process through which users can install games to disc and a benign reminder that you’ll still need the game in the system to enjoy the thing.

I won’t fuel the endless debates over whether this advancement will inevitably lead to consoles that require lengthy installs, but this certainly opens the door to the console manufacturers — companies who would love nothing more than to sell you additional, proprietary hard drives — for a new, near-guaranteed revenue stream.

Think they’ll balk at that?

It is rumored that this new Xbox experience will be released on November 19.

I’m pretty excited about it, are you?

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Which game will get your hard earned cash this year?

I couldn’t find a decent article on the comparison between BC and COD4, so here it goes.

Battlefield: Bad Company

A new competitor in the console shooter franchise, battlefield:bad company makes its mark with the brand new frostbite engine developed by EA and swedish company DICE. To start this off, let me just mention possibly the coolest feature this game has.

Destructible environments

Never before done on a console, Bad Company gives the player the ability to blow up anything and everything in a beautifully designed sandbox environment. Everything from trees to even the ground can be destroyed and damaged. Obviously there are some small limitations like the frames of some building are unable to be destroyed but neverthless. No more going around and inside door to kill an enemy, just blow the back wall down and engage in your assault.

Storyline

Yes! thats right the battlefield series now has a fully developed storyline. No more bots on multiplayer maps. Bad company follows a four man squad of rebellious soldiers that are placed in the army’s ‘useless’ pile. After a series of events the soldiers featuring; Marlowe, Haggard, Stillwater and Redford decide to go AWOL in the search of mercenary gold. The player is given 8 missions to play with difficulties ranging from easy to veteran. Surprisingly each mission took an hour or two to finish and they consist of checkpoints where the players game is saved.

Multiplayer

The flagship of all the battlefield games has been the multiplayer and bad company sure doesn’t disappoint. Apart from the voip issues on the ps3 (mic problems) which DICE are working on fixing. The multiplayer is pretty flawless. Battlefield online combines tactical and strategic elements with squad/team play. Battlefield Bad Company features two game modes.Gold rush - a basic attack and defend type game, where attackers have to destroy the opposing teams ‘gold crates’ and vice versa.Conquest - the original game mode from the battlefield games. Conquest is a ticket based game, where the tickets are the amount of lives a team has. When all the tickets are gone that team loses, similar to a team deathmatch mode apart from the fact that tickets can be reduced quicker if bases/flags are captured.

Conclusion:Apart from some minor set backs with the mic issues on the ps3 and a slight grain effect in the graphics. Battlefield:Bad Company makes up for any of its mishaps with the outstanding online gameplay which incorporates team work and strategic gameplay with some beautifully rendered destructible environments.
9/10

Call of Duty 4

Winning the award of game of the year in 2007 Call of Duty 4 does bring a truely innovative approach to shooters. With its class based system (which I find very cool by the way ) and a plethora of game modes COD4 really does redefine the genre of ’shooter’.

Singleplayer

Unfortunately, unlike Bad Company the singeplayer is very short. The game can be completed within a maximum of day or so however it is an intense day of gameplay. The story centres are the theme of terrorists helbent on destroying the world with stolen russian nukes. It doesn’t sound all that exciting but the missions are quite enjoyable, there are a number of shocking moments during the game but it is something you can get aquainted to rather fast. The AI is much stronger and smarter in this version of COD making the gameplay all the more compelling. You are equipped with an arsenal of deadly weapons and class based system which lets you create your own weapons by modifying, adding, subtracting existing weapons and kits.The only major flaw that I see with COD4 and it is something that will start to bother you if had played Bad Company earlier is the lack of freedom you have within the game and obviously the non destructible environments. Especially in the singeplayer the missions all seem to constrict you and the barriers that the game gives you such as a plank of wood as a barricade making it impossible for you to look around and go further then required. The game is very linear in the fact that the mission can only be played a certain way, you don’t have the freedom you do in BC where you are able to finish a mission the way you want to finish it.Whether it be by land, by air, in a vehicle or from hundreds of metres away.

Multiplayer

The multiplayer in COD4 is truely one of the most exciting and gripping I have ever played. The fast paced action, the UAI strikes, etc makes the online gameplay a captivating experience. Especially if you are a fan of a predominantly deathmatch based game. The online gameplay truely feels like a multiplayer experience with no voip issues at this point in time and clan support. COD4 really gives it the online a team sort of feel.There are a quite a few game modes available, seek and destroy being the second most played and really the more strategic and tactical one. Seek and destroy is really similar to battlefields gold rush mode where its based on the theme of attacking and defending.

Conclusion:

A great game with stunning visuals and although the singleplayer is short and the sandbox environment is non existant the game definately makes up for what it lacks. With a sequel coming out shortly ‘world at war’ it’s hard to say whether as many people will still be playing this but nevertheless it is definately worth your money.
8.5/10

The verdict

Personally I am a fan of both games and think that you probably purchase both at one time or another, however Battlefield: Bad Company would have to take the cake. Although battlefield has some mic issues and doesn’t have clan support as of yet it definately has the potential to be updated (which it will) making it win over the competition. The freedom of the sandbox environment in BC, decent singleplayer and superb strategic multiplayer is simply put, better than COD4. Call of Duty 4 has reached it’s peak where BC can still grow for atleast another year until the sequel comes out, where COD has a new sequel releasing in a couple of months. I’m starting to not make sense anymore, haha.In conclusion:At this point in time.

Battlefield: Bad Company > Call of Duty 4

for more tips and game reviews visit http://www.skateass.com/wordpress

Article Source: http://articlenexus.com

Eric roberts is the owner and avid blogger of skateass.com

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The basic pack comes with the Wii Remote and Wii Sports, which features five distinct wii games for you to enjoy. Other packages may include one or more of the many different controllers available for the Wii as well as different games to suit your taste.

The Wii takes a rather unique approach to the way in which it is used which is why it has become such a rage. With the easy-to-use Wii Menu which resembles TV channels, you can easily navigate with the wireless controller by simply pointing at the screen. The Wii Menu includes the Mii Channel (which allows you to customize your own character for play), the Wii Shop where you can purchase additional channels for your Wii console through WiiWare, and much more.

The Wii console is also backwards compatible with the Nintendo GameCube, which means that you can plug in your old GameCube controller and memory cards and play those games on it too. You can connect the GameBoy Advance to it as well. If you have a Nintendo DS, the Wii console can communicate with it over a built-in wireless networking capabilities. This allows you to use the DS as a controller in games such as Pokemon Battle Revolution, and the Wii can enhance or expand other DS games as well. Despite the common misconseption that the Wii console is suitable only for children, there is now a huge collection of games available for the whole family to enjoy.

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Sony New PlayStation 3 Console
Gaming consoles are extremely very popular and are one of the best forms of entertainment today. With a gaming console, you will be able to entertain yourself when you’re bored or spend some quality time with your family and friends. Just imagine, you can play your children’s favorite games after a long day at work. Because of gaming consoles, you will be able to relax and play with your children at the same time.

So, if you are interested in the upcoming PlayStation 3, you should know about the latest news about it. PlayStation 3 news is complete with information that you can use in order to improve your gaming experience. The latest news about PlayStation 3 will enable you to know about the different new accessories available and also about the different latest games being offered.

PlayStation Console
The latest news in PlayStation 3 today is about the format it supports. The Blu-ray drive is an advanced disc drive that is integrated in the new PlayStation 3. This Blu-ray disc drive is one of the latest technologies in the disc media and is able to store data 5 times higher than that of your regular DVD. This means game developers will be able to develop far more realistic games with greater details.

The Blu-ray drive is one of the latest additions to gaming consoles and no other gaming console is using the Blu-ray drive except for PlayStation 3. Another benefit of Blu-ray drive is that it can read almost any disc media. This means that your investment in your old PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games can still be played through the PlayStation 3. What’s more is that the Blu-ray drive will be able to play your DVD movies and even audio CDs. This makes that PlayStation 3 an all-in-one hub for home entertainment.

Another latest in the PlayStation 3 news is that Sony will reassert PlayStation 3 shipments. By the end of the fiscal year on March 21, 2007, Sony expects to ship a total of six million systems worldwide. Sony believes that the six million units to be sold worldwide is not a difficult target. This is because of the growing anticipation and growing popularity of the PlayStation 3 worldwide even before the hardware is actually released.

Gaming Info
News of the expected retail price is also out. There are two configurations for PlayStation 3 that Sony will be releasing in the market. One is the basic configuration that will cost US$499 and the other is the premium configuration that will cost US$599 in the United States. The main difference between these two configurations is that obviously, the premium configuration will contain more integrated features, such as a 60GB upgradeable hard drive, built-in Wi-Fi capability, and flash card readers.

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Nintendo is giving you a pretty cool alternative to using real money to purchase software titles. It’s a pretty straightforward process. At the back of your Wii points card, you simply scratch off the area that’s silver, and you’ll see a bunch of numbers. You simply punch these numbers into your Wii account, and then you’ll be on your way to purchasing more titles.

The card itself is more flimsy than a typical credit card, but still, it gets the job done. As soon as you load the points to your Wii account, the card is essentially useless anyway. A word of caution would be to make sure you’re not paying more than $20 for the card, not including tax, because some stores, you’d be surprised, may possibly charge more than that.

Yes, it’s true, if it’s your goal to purchase a video game as a gift for someone, it can be quite difficult. You know, sometimes you see these Wal-Mart gift cards and whatnot, and if you think about it, what a great way to get someone a videogame related gift card via the Wii points card. In this way, whoever receives the gift can then choose the game they want. No more taking gifts back or worrying whether or not you chose them the right game.

Another great thing about the card is the convenience. Typcially, in order to purchase any game accessory, you would have to go to the store, make sure it’s in, and then make the purchase of course. Using the points card, you literally have your store at your fingertips. Turn on your Wii, go to the Wii shop channel, and there you have it.

You also don’t have to worry about the game being sold out, since your not purchasing something that’s physical. So there you have it. If you have yet to purchase games through the Wii shop channel, get yourself a Wii Points card and put it to use. It’s a different way of buying games, but you just may like it. Good luck!

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How wrong we all were.

When the console was displayed at the 2005 E3 conference, everyone went bananas for its amazingly unique and exciting control scheme. Queues were literally out the door just to be able to get a chance to try out the system for the first time.

Although the graphics for the games on display were not as good as those found on the XBox 360, most people didn’t care - it was the Wii Remote and Wii Nunchuk that really got them interested. Heck, my parents wanted to know about it and they hadn’t played video games since 1984!

It was then revealed that the console would be released in 2006, as part of a systematic deployment across the world. As time passed by, many waited with baited breath for the chance to try a truly innovative form of playing video games…

Finally the day arrived, but something unexpected then happened -  everywhere sold out! And by sold out, I mean you couldn’t get one for love nor money. People were queuing up overnight just to get the chance to own a games console, for goodness sake! There were reports of fights breaking out, and general pandemonium whenever a shop received a delivery was commonplace.

Even up to one year after the release of the system, many people still couldn’t get their hands on one. Thankfully, this distribution problem has since cleared up - meaning that anyone who wants to enjoy the experience that only the Wii can give you, can do so quite easily.

After all is said and done, Nintendo really outdid themselves on almost every level. With some great games and titles that the whole family can enjoy, the Wii is one of the greatest video game consoles the world has ever seen.

I can’t wait to see how they try and top it!

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