The “Valhalla” motherboard leak is actually a few days old, but it’s still worth talking about for those who are looking forward to a potential Xbox 360. Aside from the obvious physical motherboard size reduction, the most significant change seems to be the one package GPU and CPU chip. These reductions will obviously help Microsoft’s bottom line, but it could also mean price cuts for consumers as well.
Following the “360 slim” rumor comes a presentation slide indicating Microsoft’s plans to include USB storage support in their upcoming Spring 2010 Dashboard system update. According to the slide, we’ll be able to use our own reasonably priced USB storage devices and store up to 16GB of Xbox 360 related data.
The Dark Second Chapter to the Epic Science-Fiction Trilogy – Coming Early 2010 for Windows PC and Xbox 360
Guildford, UK – March 17, 2009 – Leading video game developer BioWare™, a division of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today officially announced the development of Mass Effect™ 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the multi award-winning 2007 hit, Mass Effect. The Mass Effect trilogy is a masterful science-fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life forms and mysterious uncharted planets. In this dark second chapter, Saren’s evil army of Geth soldiers has just been defeated, and humans, still struggling to make their mark on the galactic stage, are now faced with an even greater peril…
“We’re going to surpass the extraordinary gaming experience we brought our fans in Mass Effect by delivering intensified combat and expanded weapon options as well as increased depth of planet exploration, all while delivering a powerful, emotionally engaging story,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, General Manager and CEO, BioWare and General Manager and Vice President, EA. “Mass Effect 2 is shaping up to be an unforgettable RPG-shooter experience, taking players on a non-stop roller-coaster ride filled with stunning plot twists and no-holds-barred action.”
Mass Effect 2 is coming to PC and the Xbox 360 video game system in Early 2010. To see the exclusive new Mass Effect 2 teaser trailer check out the website here: www.masseffect.com
Although it was available much earlier, I decided to wait til today to update my Xbox 360 with the New Xbox Experience. I’ve got to say, this NXE interface is incredibly slick. I created my avatar, fiddled around with the menu interface and installed Gears of War 2. Then I decided to sit down and share some of my thoughts on my Microsoft’s big revamp.
The download and installation was quick and painless. I thought it was going to be a 20 minute ordeal, but it was actually much less. The introduction movie encapsulated the feel of the NXE perfectly; it’s slick, it’s modern and it’s not something your mum would shut off within 10 seconds of looking at it.
If you picked up one of those new PSP-3000 with their controversial screens, you may be wondering when the crafty homebrew scene will hack the thing. Well, your wait is over because Datel has your answer in the form of their “Lite Blue Tool”.
This little thing will enable your PSP 3000 to boot into the PSP 3000′s service mode where you could do wonderful things such as install previous firmwares and eventually custom firmwares. No instructions or videos on how the process will go down, but it is a retail product so I would imagine that it will be easy as pie.
The Datel Lite Blue Tool will be available on November 28th, 2008 for $29.99 USD.
So the New Xbox Experience update was leaked and it’s not an early build. It’s the real deal which is why Microsoft will prevent any unauthorized Xbox 360 from connecting onto Xbox Live! until the official launch date of November 19th.
I have the file here and I’m contemplating whether or not to go ahead with the install. I would love to play Fable 2 and Fallout 3 with hard drive installs, but even with just a silver account, it’s nice to be able to download updates and the like.
The “Valhalla” motherboard leak is actually a few days old, but it’s still worth talking about for those who are looking forward to a potential Xbox 360. Aside from the obvious physical motherboard size reduction, the most significant change seems to be the one package GPU and CPU chip. These reductions will obviously help Microsoft’s bottom line, but it could also mean price cuts for consumers as well.
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