Microsoft has tried, unsuccessfully, for a few years now to penetrate the PC gaming industry with their Games For Windows label as well as trying to integrate it all into the Live platform, along with Messenger, Writer, and a bunch of other little apps. The results have been not only lackluster but down right annoying, Games For Windows ends up feeling like a roadblock instead of a an asset to the game. Well, Microsoft seems to want to change this with a revolutionary initiative that will “change the world”! What’s this miraculous new strategy? Make everything look like Xbox Live but with Farmville. Seriously Microsoft? Cute avatars and Bejeweled is the best you can come up with? If this is what it takes to change the world wait until you see what I’ve created in my toilet bowl, it’s going to fucking blow your minds.

Yup, that about sums it up. See you guys next year.

Okay, seriously though, Microsoft’s conference wasn’t that bad. I’ve seen worse (Nintendo 2008, for example). At least they showed some pretty good looking games. If Nahu’s five line synopsis wasn’t enough for you, hit up the break for the long-winded tl;dr details.

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What is one thing we can all agree on that would make Windows a better operating system? An official OS-Tan! Well, that is just what Microsoft has decided to add in for their Japanese language version of Windows 7. Buyers of the Japanese version of the upcoming Windows 7 will also receive a special theme voiced by Mizuki Nana, the VA behind the well loved Fate Testarossa from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, and Allison Whittington from Allison & Lillia. And lets not forget the star of this new theme, an officially sanctioned Windows 7 OS-Tan! Let’s all welcome Nanami Madobe into our hard drives! 

This seems like a great way for Microsoft to get some more sales over in Japan. Especially the otaku demographic.  Hell, I know a few people over here that wouldn’t mind picking up a copy just for this. What about you guys?

[Akiba PC]

Nothing is better than getting home after a long day, grabbing your favorite beverage and sitting in front of the TV to do some gaming; maybe you’re going to chat with that friend you met in game or watch a movie on Netflix. Then, suddenly without warning it happens. The flash of your Xbox LEDs indicates a serious malfunction.

Sadly, this has affected many of us gamers, so much so Game Informer magazine decided to do a survey amongst their readership. A staggering 54.2% reported either the dreaded Red Ring of Death or an E74.

However, being the devil’s advocate, don’t let these findings scare you away from buying the 360. Results suggest newer models are less susceptible to overheating and the console is used on average more, by about 3-5 hours, than the PS3 and the Wii. So while M$ is making improvements on design and quality, it’s still a shame to know more than half of every Xbox360 in the wild has issues.

[Consumerist via Joystiq]

We knew it was coming, it just made sense. Every time the Zune got an upgrade the rumors came flooding once more. “Microsoft is making a handheld!” Well of course they are but up until now it wasn’t anything but business logic and rumors. No more though! Shane Kim, a MS VP recently declared in an interview that "For us, it’s a matter of focusing on ‘when’". That, right there, is an admission of what we all knew was going to happen. He went on to say:

"because if we chased after a mobile or handheld opportunity, we would not have the resources and ability to do things like instant-on 1080p HD, Facebook, Twitter, Project Natal … And so we’ve chosen to focus on the living room experience from a hardware standpoint, if you will, but we’re building a service in Live that will… extend to other platforms. No question about it."

Oh, cool stuff Microsoft, so not only are you confirming that you will eventually release a handheld but that it will run Live? Well color me shocked! What’s next, are you going to announce this device will use electricity? Oh right, I shouldn’t get ahead of myself, an announcement like that will probably take another 2 years.

[Gearlog]

Still waiting anxiously for September 8th, when Raiden IV hits the 360? Yeah, so am I. Hell, I’m waiting for it to hit the shelves like Zack Morris waiting for the bell to ring on the last day of school at Bayside. “Fare the well Mr. Belding!”

While September 8th is still a good 6 weeks away, UFO Interactive has revealed to us that the first shipment of Raiden IV will ship as a Limited Edition bundle and will include an exclusive soundtrack at no additional cost. In addition, there will also be a GameStop Limited [variant] Edition of the game that will include a “Secret File”  cd packed with “enemy and boss data, concept art and other secret material.”

I think my 6 week wait just got a little longer. Perhaps I will take a trip to the land that time forgot (AKA my closet) and return to my shmup roots. Perhaps occupying myself with some old-school shooters will help pass the time. “Anyone for some Life Force or Alpha Mission? No? How about some Area 88?”

What do you plan on doing to help pass the time?

So if you read Dasuraga’s log of Microsoft’s conference today you read about Project Natal, the suposed Wii-killer functionality of the Xbox 360. Now there’s a video to explain it further.

First things first, I’m a little reluctant to believe everything shown in this video, it could very well be just application concepts. However, if it’s real, if the technology is as good as shown, then this is huge! The technology to clearly capture the movements of several people, with facial and vocal recognition would open up games to a whole new range of experiences in games and applications. Forget flailing your arms around, skating or driving a car, those are blunt and coarse examples of what could be done.

Project Natal is extremely promising, but I remain skeptical, it could very well end up being a supped up eye-toy.

Is this a Wii Killer? I doubt so, not this generation, by the time it catches on and develops to full potential it would be too late in the game to knock the Wii off its place. However this totally changes the outlook of for the next generation of consoles. Now Nintendo has real competition and the only real winners will be us, the gamers. What are your thoughts on Project Natal? All hype? Game-changing? Let us know!

Well, E3 “officially” starts tommorow, but as per tradition, Microsoft holds their conference the day before. This year was not lacking in terms of new announcements, although some could argue about the quality of what was announced.  We had new games, new parternships and even new ways of playing games announced;Hit the jump to see what.

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Get ready for more nuts and more bolts action as Rare gears up (pun intended) to release the first major add-on pack for Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts: Lord of Game’s (L.O.G.’s) Lost Challenges. Slated for an April 7 release, the add-on will feature 12 new challenges, 7 new multiplayer games and the chance for gamers to add 250 achievement points to their gamerscore. Oh, and I should mention that gamers who complete L.O.G’s challenges will be rewarded with a new version of Klungo’s Arcade Game. All this for what, only 400 MS Points ($5.00)?! Sounds like fun to me. Read more!

I have to admit to not having thought much of the 360 to begin with. But having watched it materialize into this pretty decent console with a tight library of games, solid online and Japan slowly warming to it – I had to hop on board. So a few days ago, I went and treated myself to a brand spaking new Xbox 360 Elite. Most of my mates owning a 360, Street Fighter IV and vowing to buy Resident evil 5 day of release were also defining factors which shoved me into taking the dive.

If any of you own an Xbox 360 and have a shiny gold Live account, be sure to share your gamertags. I’m not fussy. I’ll accept Friend requests from any one. The more the merrier!!

Post your gamertag or your gamer profile link in the comments section of this post. If we get enough gamertags and activity going on, then the next step – gaming parties. Who doesn’t love a good ol’ party!