Microsoft has inadvertently announced that the "New Xbox Experience", meaning the upcoming system update, will be hitting this November. While not quite a "fall" update (though I guess ’Winter Update’ doesn’t quite have the same ring to it), the update is set to completely redefine how the Xbox Dashboard works, and will have a slew of new features attached to it. While we haven’t had a chance to try it out firsthand, it looks prettier, but also a bit more complicated. And after two years on the 360’s design, it will take some time to adjust, which may or may not be a bad thing.

Xbox Live will be offline on September 29th, at 12:01am, according to Microsoft’s Larry "Major Nelson" Hyrb. It will be offline for "up to 24 hours" for maintenance, in preparation for the coming fall update. The update will not be the complete overhaul we’ve seen much of over the last few months. Hyrb also points out that most of Xbox.com will also be offline, with the main exception of the forums, which will be read only. All this means that the 29th is the perfect day to get back on Team Fortress 2, which you’ve most likely been denying for some 360 game. Shame!

Tests for the Halo 3 Beta have now come to a finish and the results proved to be very successful. More than 820,000 users played the beta and played an equivalent of 12 million hours online.

The most interesting attraction was the new saved-film feature, which gave players the ability record their games and share them over Xbox LIVE. As a result, more than 580,000 saved films created by users.

With the release date looming closer and closer, XBox has several items in store for new players, including the limited edition Halo 3 wireless controllers (AU$89.95), as well as the headset (AU$69.95).

Apple is in the news with rumors about a supposed video rental service due out this autumn. They already offer films for download and have distribution deals with Walt Disney and Paramount, but are in talks with major Hollywood studios at the moment.

One studio exec says that the service is looking to compete with the cable companies and anyone else offering VOD into the home.

The $2.99 downloads would be viewable for 30 days and playable on at least one other device like an iPod or iPhone, but their software would prevent copying.

VOD is a growing revenue stream for cable companies and satellite operators, such as Direct TV. Online services which offer this service include Xbox Live, Movie­link and Unbox, but none of these has a customer base as large as Apple.

source The Financial Times Limited 2007

Pac Man the Original video game is making a comeback!

According to my super top secret sources, Pac Man will be reborn on Microsoft’s Xbox Live online service as a final tribute for designer Toru Iwatani, who is retiring. The new game, Pac Man Championship Edition, is the second and final version Mr Iwatani personally designed, and was created for the final round of the Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Championship in New York and features dance music and mazes that change shapes, the pinnacle of interactive entertainment.

Now, I have never personally played this version of Pac Man and I’ll tell you what, I NEVER will. Nothing will even come close to the genius of the original Pac Man. The 4 pixels, the crude and electronic soundtrack that looped and looped endlessly, the distinctive "whaka whaka, whaka" sound of Pac Man. I mean if you want a great game this is it. Trying to make Pac Man better than the original is like freshman art students  trying to repaint the Sistine Chapel with rollers and 3 colors. Bottom line, the original will never be replicated and if you want a come back, dust off your old Nintendo, clean off the cartage, get a nice frosty one and eat cherries like there’s no tomorrow.