Xbox Live

When Microsoft unveiled its Windows Phone 7 (WP7) Series at Mobile World Congress 2010 in February, it said that the device’s Games hub would put the power of Xbox LIVE in the palm of your hand. With the phone’s planned October release date rapidly approaching, the company has chosen Gamescon 2010 in Germany to reveal the first wave of Xbox LIVE games that will be available on launch. Read More

Microsoft has signed an agreement with Australia’s dominant pay TV provider, Foxtel, to stream over 30 channels to Xbox 360 consoles through Xbox LIVE. The Foxtel by Xbox LIVE service will allow Xbox 360 owners in Australia to access Foxtel channels without the expense of a Foxtel installation and set-top box. Instead, to access the subscription service users will need an Xbox 360 console, Xbox LIVE Gold subscription, broadband connection and a Foxtel by Xbox LIVE subscription. Read More

Having spent around five hours with the single player campaign and around 15 hours on multiplayer, I still feel I've only scratched the surface of what's on offer in Bad Company 2, so I'm not going to call this a full review. My impressions focus on the multiplayer aspect of the game. In short, it's the new high-water mark of multiplayer gaming on the Xbox 360. Read More

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has unveiled the Windows Phone 7 Series at Mobile World Congress 2010, saying it has been designed for "life in motion". The new phone will bring together Xbox LIVE games and access Zune music and video for the first time, with manufacturing partners already building handsets which should be available in stores by mid-2010. Read More

Harmonix has opened beta registrations for the Rock Band Network, a service that allows independent labels and bands to publish songs as paid downloadable content for Rock Band and Rock Band 2. For now, it's Xbox 360 only, with plans to launch on PS3 eventually. Bands can "suggest" a price point of either US$1, $2 or $3, and take home a 30% revenue share. Read More

The controversy caused by leaked scenes of a level of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 where the player mows down innocent civilians at a Russian airport has done nothing to slow sales of the much-anticipated game. Released worldwide on November 10, the game has set an all-time entertainment industry record, grossing an estimated US$550 million in its first five days. Read More

Cloud computing is a concept that has been touted as the next generation technology for some time and with major players such as Google, Microsoft and Apple now heartily embracing the idea it seems its time has finally come. While the advantages of the approach have long been recognized, the Internet speeds required to make it feasible have meant that cloud computing has remained a blip on the horizon until recently. But with high speed connections becoming more and more available around the world companies are rushing to get on the cloud bandwagon lest they be left behind and miss out on the ‘next big thing’. And it’s not just the standard office applications like word processing, spreadsheets and databases that are making the move. The world of gaming could also be headed for a shake up as Palo Alto-based OnLive tests the water in providing on-demand games streaming over a broadband connection. Read More

A demo of Halo Wars, the eagerly awaited real-time strategy game set in the Halo universe, has been released on Xbox Live. The 1.4GB demo is available to Xbox Live members in all regions. Read on for our impressions. Read More

After having been available in Japan since 2008, the demo for Capcom's upcoming survival horror game Resident Evil 5 has finally been made available to Xbox Live Gold subscribers in all regions. Silver account holders have to wait until January 29, with PS3 owners getting theirs last on February 2. Everyone else will just have to check out the screenshots. Read More