This news should be causing more than a few smiles in Redmond as the news that the Xbox 360 beat out Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s Playstation 3 when it comes to worldwide sales for the first time ever.

It’s old news for for the Microsoft gaming console to beat out its competition nationally but it has never bested either one of them, let alone both, in the global gaming console marketplace.

The news of this champagne popping news came after Sony released its earning report yesterday which showed that the company had only sold 6.5 million units worldwide over the holiday quarter and when it combined with Nintendo’s sales of only 5.6 million for the Wii in the same quarter it showed both companies coming in behind Xbox 360′s sales of 8.2 million.

Now according to the team over at GeekWire this is the first time since 2006 that Xbox has lead worldwide holiday sales which is the same time that both the PS3 and Wii were just being launched.

Here’s the bigger news: The Xbox 360′s strong holiday quarter also put the Microsoft console ahead in worldwide sales globally for the full year of 2011, with 14.9 million units sold, compared with 14.1 million for the PS3 and 10.33 million for the Wii.

According to our data, compiled from historical earnings reports, it’s first time the Xbox 360 has topped the worldwide console market for a full year of head-to-head competition with the PS3 and Wii.

via GeekWire

Congrats to Microsoft and the Xbox team.

For the first time ever Xbox sales top Wii and PS3 worldwide is a post from: The Inquisitr

This is an interesting way to accomplish two things: show people what they are missing by not having a Gold Xbox account and how good the next release of Mass Effect is going to be.

The way it works is this – the demo for Mass Effect 3 contains both the single player mode, which is available for Silver level members, and it also it contains the demo of the multiplayer side of the game but to be able to use it you need a Gold member account for Xbox.

So what they have done is made it so when you download the Mass Effect 3 demo to play Microsoft will temporarily upgrade your Silver account to a Gold level until the game releases in full retail glory on March 6th. The demo on the other hand is available as of Valentine’s Day.

Now because you have this temporary Gold account access on Xbox you will also be able to check out and use the premium apps like: Netflix, Hulu Plus, as well as access the Deal of the Week. So even if you aren’t a Mass Effect fan (why the hell not I would ask) this is a great way to give the Gold account a test run to see if it is worth paying for.

A win-win in either case I think.

via TechnoBuffalo

Turn your Xbox Silver account into Gold for a month by playing Mass Effect 3 demo is a post from: The Inquisitr

Paying $130 for a 320GB hard drive is insane, however Microsoft plans to remedy that pricing by offering the storage unit with bundled gaming options that some users might find attractive.

Microsoft announced on Wednesday that the systems first 320GB hard drive will go on sale later this month with Gears of War 3, Modern Warfare 3 and other bundles for a cost of $130.

If that pricing still seems steep to you Microsoft is also throwing in an Xbox Live download code for Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, a download valued at $20.

I’m still not impressed by the pricing structure however Xbox 360 users with a large library of data too back up might just be willing to bite the bullet for more storage, especially if the right bundles come along.

Are you willing to spend $130 for an Xbox 360 hard drive that only offers 320GB of space?

320GB Hard Drive For Xbox 360 Arrives This Month, Costs $130 With Extra Perks is a post from: The Inquisitr

I vote fake.

[Facebook]

[Pic] Is this the best girlfriend of all time? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Did you know rescrubbing for surgery can take doctors like twenty minutes?

That’s like a whole episode of Arrested Development. But surgeons need to reference stuff like images while surgery-ing, and it’s a pain in the ass they have to deal with, or people would have like, jellybean germs in their surgical incisions. A hospital in Canada, however, has implemented the use of Kinect to manipulate images during surgical procedures.

Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto is believed to be the only hospital using the Kinect in such a fashion, and Dr. Calvin Law underscored the system’s amazing benefits for surgeons:

Those interruptions sometimes cause more than an hour’s delay over the course of a surgery, said Law, a surgical oncologist with the hospital’s gastrointestinal cancer team.

“It all adds up,” he said. By eliminating those delays, the hospital could save enough time to operate on more patients, he said.

If such technology becomes more widespread, doctors say it could help make surgery even more precise, and cut down on OR time per patient, allowing more patients to get treatment.

Canadian hospital using Kinect in surgery is a post from: The Inquisitr

Videogame sales body The NPD Group has just confirmed that Call of Duty: Black Ops has now sold more copies in the U.S. than any other game ever.

Though it’s yet to spill exact figures, the shooter topped the U.S. sales charts for February, and surged past Nintendo’s Wii Play to the top of the all-time sales list:

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360)
2. Wii Play (Wii)
3. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS2, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360)
4. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (PS2, Xbox)
5. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (PS3, Xbox 360)
6. Wii Fit (Wii)
7. Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
8. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PS3, Xbox 360, DS)
9. Madden NFL 07 (PS3, Xbox 360, Xbox, PS2, PSP, DS, GC, GBA, Wii)
10. Call of Duty: World at War (PS3, Xbox 360, DS, Wii)female writer/poet sites, etc.

This happy news for Activision shareholders comes after it was revealed Black Ops became the quickest game to make $1 billion in December 2010.

[Via press release]

Call of Duty: Black Ops becomes best selling game ever in the U.S. is a post from: The Inquisitr

Sources close to Joystiq are claiming that a high-definition remake of Halo: Combat Evolved from the Xbox 1 is being worked on, and that the new old Halo will see a release on the Xbox 360 this holiday season. Currently, the launch date is pegged as November 15th, exactly ten years after the first ever Halo game released.

By the sounds of it, it’s not just a quick sharpen-the-edges job, either. 3D TV support, 1080p visuals, and brand new art assets are all set to appear in the game, with control configurations from more recent Halo games also included. Now original developer Bungie has flown Microsoft’s nest, Joystiq’s mole reports that Saber Interactive, a New Jersey-based studio who put together the so-so TimeShift, will take charge of the project.

Multiplayer details are yet to be confirmed, though the rumor mill says there will be online co-op.

Though I’ve marked this as a rumor, I think it’s safe to say this is happening. I mean, who can’t see Microsoft milking Halo‘s tenth birthday? More power to them, I say – the original game remains the pinnacle of the franchise for me.

If Joystiq’s sources are correct, that also means Microsoft previously LIED TO US, shattering my complete 100% trust in faceless, profit-driven, multi-national conglomerations. It’s a sad day.

[Via Joystiq]

[RUMOR] Original Halo getting hi-definition remake this year is a post from: The Inquisitr

Over the past couple of years, Sony’s given a few PS2 classics a high-definition makeover and released these beautified remakes on the PlayStation 3. I used to think that was a cheap tactic, until Sony announced ICO and Shadow of the Colossus would get the same treatment, at which point I made this kind of sound: GJQPLMWYATDFUIG34FJF2HDUF.

So hi-def remakes, in my fickle mind at least, are now Officially Awesome. The sad news? Microsoft won’t be following suit. In an interview with IGN, Microsoft Game Studios Corporate VP Phil Spencer ruled out releasing graphically upgraded versions of Xbox 1 games on the Xbox 360:

“I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad idea. I’m going to think about it from the customer’s perspective, and are we really delivering something of value to the customer at a price that they want? We obviously have a lot of new things going on, so the thought of re-doing a bunch of things is probably difficult to just weave into the overall portfolio. If you can provide real value to the customer, there could be possibilities for that, but I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it.”

That means we won’t be getting high-definition edition of Xbox 1 classics such as Ninja Gaiden Black, Jet Set Radio Future, Panzer Dragoon Orta, and, of course, the legendary first Halo game (which is still the best title in the series YES I WENT THERE).

And that, dear reader, sucks.

[Via IGN]

Microsoft rules out high-definition Xbox remakes is a post from: The Inquisitr

Currently I don’t own an Xbox so I really don’t have a frame of reference as to whether these changes are for real or an improvement over the existing one. Hopefully by Christmas though I’ll be able to convince my wife that we deserve to spoil ourselves with a nice Kinect bundle, after all our grandson could have a lot of fun when he comes to visit (that’s my plan and I’m sticking to it).

These leaked videos come courtesy of Engadget – enjoy the tease session.

LEAKED: New Xbox 360 dashboard goodness [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Colorware this week began showing off their Xbox 360 S designs.

The new colors, available for the newest iteration of the Xbox 360 comes with 46 custom color options and will run customers $175 per design for an already owned system and $500 for the custom paint job on a new gaming console.

Colorware has always done a great job of providing top notch paint jobs for various pieces of electronics and looking at the new Xbox 360 S designs this time is no different, just take a look at the picture at the top of this page.

You can find out more info at the official ColorWare website.

Xbox 360 S Gets Splashes Of Color Courtesy Of ColorWare is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Xbox 360 presentation at E3 is over and our living rooms will never be the same. I’m still trying to absorb everything that was announced today but it is clear that with the arrival of the new slimmer Xbox 360 and the launch of Kinect on November 4 – just in time for the Christmas buying season – Microsoft has made it clear that it is your home entertainment future.

As expected the games – especially the big name titles like Gears of War 3, Fable III, Halo: Reach, and from Crysis a new game called Kingdoms – were the backbone of the presentation by Microsoft executives. However there were a couple of other announcements – both expected and unexpected – that show just how Microsoft is trying to position the Xbox 360 as your entertainment hub.

Of course the expected news was the announcement and demonstrations of Kinect – once known as Project Natal – that everyone was really waiting for and for once the press didn’t even come close to the reality. From supposedly children’s games like Kinectimals (which I think will be just as big a hit with adults even if they won’t admit it) to the still be delivered Star Wars game (2011) Kinect has all the bases covered.

As far as I am concerned, and I say this as someone who doesn’t own an Xbox (although that could very well change now), Microsoft has just raised the bar when it comes to both serious and casual gaming. On top of that the whole social aspect of Kinect makes it perfect for the living room whether it be gaming with your friends to using Video Connect to keep in touch with your social circle.

But the sleeping giant in today’s presentation and one that should have cable companies really worried is the just announced integration of ESPN live sports access. Not only the access but that those with Xbox Live Gold membership get the content for free.

As my good friend Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins says – this is a major deal

This is a major deal – the ability to watch live streaming sports anywhere but on a cable connection is almost impossible to find (at least, legitimately). It’s one of the first steps by Microsoft to truly supplant the need for a wired connection to a video content provider. So far in the conference, no announcement has been made regarding a partnership with Hulu, and since it’s coming towards the end of the conference, such an announcement seems unlikely.

Tie that is with a Netflix and Hulu account and who the hell needs cable television anymore.

As important as a new design for the Xbox is, or things like Kinect might be it is this deal with ESPN that could truly be the turning point for Microsoft as it looks to solidify its place as your only entertainment hub you will need.

Microsoft stakes its claim on the living room with Xbox and Kinect is a post from: The Inquisitr

Exactly 26 days ago, Microsoft shut down Xbox Live for the original Xbox. Amongst other things, that meant no more Halo 2, which still enjoyed a healthy online following at the time.

While the rest of the world simply shrugged and moved on, 16 intrepid gamers refused to let go of their beloved Halo 2. Instead, they kept their consoles powered on and connected to the game’s online mode, remaining permanantly logged in until they were either kicked off or their Xbox 360 consoles died.

Well today, the last Halo 2 diehard fell. Xbox Live member “Apache N4SIR” posted the following on the Bungie.net forums:

“May 11th @ 0158hrs I was FORCEFULLY REMOVED!! I thought I’d be the one turning off the lights but that was done for me. Good night everyone, My [Xbox 360] Elite needs a rest.”

Yep, he was booted off in the end. That means his Xbox 360 was on for almost a month straight, and yes, I’m also astounded it didn’t catch fire. A brave effort, Apache!

See also: That. Is. Awesome: Modded Halo Xbox 360 for sale

[Via MTV Multiplayer]

Last Halo 2 squatter turfed out by Microsoft is a post from: The Inquisitr

Microsoft ended XBox Live support for the original XBox on April 14th, meaning users can no longer play some games, including Halo 2.

But a handful of players aren’t going down without a fight. Fifteen days later, 12 holdout players remain online (it was 16 two days ago), and they’re looking to keep it up for as long as possible. In the original post on the Bungie.net forums, a player explains:

Throughout the past week, a small group of dedicated Halo 2 players kept their Xbox’s on so that they could enjoy the game for a while longer. (As long as we don’t turn off our Xbox’s, or lose connection, we can stay online. Our Xbox’s have been on for nearly 14 days straight!) Each day the amount of people decreased, at a rapid rate.

A lot of us became really good friends, and it’s almost like we’re family now.

The user, Joe Campbell, goes on to explain their mission:

We will keep playing until we are all forcibly removed. It could be by Microsoft, Bungie, our Xbox’s overheating, or just lagging out. Not for competition, not for a prize, but for the love, and memory of Halo 2.

The numbers are steadily decreasing, but here’s to hoping they can keep it up for a while. Stay strong, brothers.

Dedicated Halo 2 players won’t quit, who will be the last man standing? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Where do you start with this one. Bet you they weren’t expecting that reply though

(via Buzzfeed)

Why Your Sons XBox Was Suspended is a post from: The Inquisitr

For Xbox or Xbox 360 owners who play Xbox 1 games online – yes, they do exist – today is a sad day. From midnight tonight, online support for the original Xbox and all of its games will be cut off forever, meaning the likes of Crimson Skies and MechAssault will lose part of what made them great.

Most significantly, this spells the end of online gaming in Halo 2 (above), a game that still attracts a significant number of players. As you’d expect, tonight is likely to see the Xbox 1 servers jam-packed with nostalgic gamers (one site is even doing live coverage of the last two hours).

So farewell, old Xbox Live, and thanks for the memories. As much as I loved gaming across the Dreamcast’s wheezy 28k dial-up modem (Phantasy Star Online! ChuChu Rocket! Magical times!), I’ll always remember you as the platform that really got me into online games. *Sniff*

What a shame the 14-year-old racists and homophobes who so often popped up there aren’t also disappearing. 

[Via Giant Bomb]

Original Xbox Live service getting shut down tonight is a post from: The Inquisitr

Last week, Microsoft started rocking its banhammer in a big way, permanently banning 1 million Xbox Live users from the online gaming service for playing on a modded Xbox 360. But was Microsoft’s choice to ban 5% of the Xbox Live community a bit too conveniently timed?

Boutique law firm AbingtonIP thinks so, and argues that the timing of the bannings – which took place shortly before the launch of Modern Warfare 2 – was deliberate. By cutting users off just before the year’s biggest game arrived, AbingtonIP claims that Microsoft netted a ton of money from potential Xbox Live subscribers, before banning their modded consoles.

Of course, by the letter of the law, Microsoft would seem to be in the right – modding your console does violate the Xbox Live Terms of Service. Yet banning so many users when it did could land Microsoft in trouble for what Joystiq legal columnist Mark Methenitis calls a “deceptive business practice concern.”

AbingtonIP is currently investigating the case before it considers bringing a class action lawsuit to obtain a refund for the sums of money left on the banned Xbox Live subscriptions.

[Via Joystiq]

Microsoft could face legal action over mass Xbox 360 bannings is a post from: The Inquisitr

Yesterday Kim reported here about the big ban hammer that Microsoft had dropped on about 600, 000 users that either had modded systems or pirated games. It turns out that those bans are permanent leaving those banned users with Xboxes that are next to useless – especially when it comes to online play.

Well word late today via Matt Peckham at PC World is that there has been a dramatic rise in the number of Xboxes showing up on Craigslist and eBay. Prices for these next to useless consoles range from a buck to well over the retail price and often includes a full raft of games and other goodies to entice buyers.

There is also an apparent “want to buy” market for the banned systems but in most cases as with this one they are looking for more than just the box for their money.

“I’m looking to buy one of the newly banned X-Box 360′s,” adding that it needs “to come with some new games such as Modern Warfare 2 and what not.”

I can see the logic of doing that especially if you had no plans whatsoever of playing online. Hmm .. maybe this would be a good time to actually get a console.

Banned Xbox sets headed to an auction site near you is a post from: The Inquisitr

Cries of frustration, anger and grief rose up from parents’ basements across the land as a million Xbox Live players found themselves cut off from the service in an anti-piracy blitz by Microsoft.

Microsoft describes the number of affected modded consoles as “small,” and commented on the move unapologetically:

“We have taken action against a small percentage of consoles have been modified to play pirated game discs,” Microsoft told GamesIndustry.biz today. “In line with our commitment to combat piracy and support safer and more secure gameplay for the more than 20 million members of our Xbox Live community, we are suspending these modded consoles from Xbox Live.”

While banninated users can’t participate in Xbox Live, affected consoles work offline, so the console isn’t totally bricked. That’s of little comfort to users who have fallen afoul of the ban, one of whom commented at length to the BBC:

I wasn’t expecting it. I was just like, ‘OK, what do I do now? Is this just a joke?’ So I thought, ‘Let me restart the Xbox’. I restarted, signed in again, same message. I did that three times, same message. I was pulling my hair out thinking, ‘No, why me?’

It’s like telling someone their dog’s just died. It was pretty much like that for me. I love it, I love playing Xbox live. I play with my mates all the time. It’s just a good laugh, we all sit there chatting, playing games. Now I don’t know what to do.

The move comes just as the highly anticipated Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 hit shelves- a release that was reportedly widely pirated before it was available for purchase. Although many users have praised the ousting of the rule-circumventing Xbox owners, alienating 5% of the 20 million players on Xbox Live just seems counterintuitive. I also imagine that the users who would spend money to mod their consoles (the user quoted by the BBC spent £100 to do so) might also be the players who are dedicated enough to pour revenue into the company in other ways. Well- perhaps they were the customers who poured revenue into the company in other ways, but that’s not very likely now.

Microsoft unleashes banhammer on 1 million Xbox Live players is a post from: The Inquisitr

Xbox Live is going to be down for an unspecified amount of time on August 11th, but this time for a worthwhile and explicable reason. That’s because Microsoft will be updating your console with a brand new free dashboard update! Hurrah! Here’s what it’ll bring you (a looong, more detailed version can be found here):

• An update that fixes issues with limited games and with dashboard.
• The Games on Demand service to the Game Marketplace.
• Community Games are now known as Indie Games.
• The abilty to rate content (uses a 5 star rating system).
• Xbox Live Gold Member Veteran Status.
• Various improvements Netflix.
• Eject when there is a disk in the tray! (Yay?)
• The Avatar Marketplace.

Some of this is a bit trivial. In fact, there’s set to be a much meatier update this fall, one that will introduce full Facebook and Twitter integration. Nevertheless, the “instant on” streaming of Netflix movies and the ability to watch films from the service simultaneously with other users is neat. Also quite cool: the new “Games on Demand” service, which allows you to buy full Xbox 360 titles straight from Xbox Live.

On the other hand, there’s the frankly pointless Avatar Marketplace, where you can blow Microsoft Points on game-themed clothes and accessories for your Xbox Avatar. Man, is it just me, or does Microsoft take us all for absolute idi – * looks at post image again * – OHHH MY GOD REMOTE CONTROL HALO WARTHOG YOU CAN GET A REMOTE CONTROL HALO WARTHOG!!1!

[Via Xbox.com]

Xbox 360 summer dashboard update hitting soon is a post from: The Inquisitr

Gawker, Twitter, Facebook: all have temporarily gone down in the past few days in what has been a week of high drama on the stormy Internet seas. Last night, Xbox Live joined them in Downtime City, further disrupting all of our meticulously arranged lives.

There’s still no word from Microsoft explaining the drop in service (which occurred while most of North America was wrapped up in bed), but it seems to be back up for now. I’ll be keeping an eye on the situation over the next few hours, if only because I’ve saved an hour tonight to head online and embarrass myself with friends on 1 Vs. 100.

Man, and to think I almost considered going outside for a moment. Jeez, close call.

Xbox Live down overnight, makes apparent recovery is a post from: The Inquisitr