Forza 4 to Get Head-Tracking via Kinect

Forza 4 on the XBox will feature head-tracking. The system will work by using the Microsoft Kintect camera to track where a user is looking and with that data, the screen will then adjust to show you what you are looking at. The system is demonstrated in the video below and shows a driver testing a car around a track with it enabled.

[Read more…]

Kinect Accuracy Could Quadruple with Firmware Update

We hear today that the Microsoft Kinect could be getting a firmware update that couple potentially quadruple the accuracy of the motion sensing controller.

The update, that Microsoft [MSFT] is working very hard on, aims to switch compression technology so that more data can be passed from the Kinect to the Xbox 360. [Read more…]

Xbox Live Rewards Program Now Available

The Xbox Live Rewards program has now launched. The service was first tested a year ago and has now been available to all in the UK and the US.

Joystiq describes it as being like Club Nintendo although you get Microsoft points in return for various things like extending your membership, activating netflix as well as getting points for doing surveys. [Read more…]

Kinect Doesn’t Require You Actually Play – In One Case

The Kinect controller for Xbox has certainly done very well. It uses an array of cameras to track where you are and track your movements. This data is then used to make you as the controller in various games.

The video clip below shows what happens when you decide not to do anything at all other than sit there… Of course this wont work for all games, but just for fun we thought we’d show it anyway to reveal what games with auto steering (or bouncing off walls) can achieve. [Read more…]

Gears of War for Kinect???

Inspite of it’s massive launch earlier this month and selling millions of units world wide, the funky camera is still receiving a lot of stick from not so eager “hardcore” gamers. They have good reason too. Just taking a quick glance at the titles available at the moment, it seems to be the more casual gamer that will benefit the most from Microsoft’s latest tech with games tending to fall into family/party/minigame/rhythm gaming genres. [Read more…]

Fable 3 DLC Detailed

Microsoft have announced the first DLC to be made available to Fable’s third instalment named the Understone Quest Pack. With this new DLC you’ll have the opportunity to buy new properties such as houses and new shops.

The main quest known as “The Voice”, will have you exploring an a new land found deep underground which was built by a Mr Montague Hummes in trying to hide from the “Spire” noted previously in Fable 2.  [Read more…]

Angry Birds Coming to the Big (TV) Screen

Pigs have taken your eggs. What better way of getting back at them by firing ‘angry’ birds from a massive slingshot directed straight at them. That’s pretty much it as far as the premise goes and that’s really all you need to know.

Since it’s launch on the iPhone back in December last year, Angry Birds has gone from strength to strength. With downloads literally in the millions, the fowl-flinger has seen huge success amongst it’s rivals and since then has more recently arrived on smartphones running Google’s Android operating system and is currently still doing rather well indeed. [Read more…]

Kinect’s First Day

Well it’s been a day since Microsoft’s new hands-free, motion sensing camera – Kinect, arrived in the UK.

With such titles as Kinectimals and Dance Central, we gain a small glimpse at what Kinect is capable of. But this comes with mixed reviews. Many users have complained about the spacial requirements deemed necessary by the hi-tech camera where others have found difficulties in the camera’s ability to recognise faces. Though these haven’t seemed to dampen the new peripherals impact on the nation. [Read more…]

5.6 Million Copies Sold – Call of Duty: Black Ops

We posted an article yesterday regarding pretty impressive stats concerning Xbox LIVE’s online multiplayer gamers logging on to Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Receiving raving reviews (GameSpot for example giving the game a 9.0 with the only downside being that the campaign mode is too short) Black Ops has managed to sell 5.6 million copies in the UK and North America combining to gross a grand total of $360 million during the game’s first 24hrs. Though inspite of this, many gamers arrived home after the games midnight release disappointed due to lag issues and graphical glitches and the like. [Read more…]

Over 1,000,000 online gamers – Call of Duty: Black Ops

Rather astonishingly (depending how you look at it) Treyarch, the developers behind the latest Call of Duty game, have, at the very least, over 1,000,000 reasons to celebrate today.

That’s the number of online multiplayer gamers registered on Xbox LIVE as of 0900 hours GMT. [Read more…]

New Fallout Patch for New Vegas

A multitude of posts regarding Fallout: New Vegas and it’s bugs started cropping up as gamers got to grips with their new desert wasteland soon after release day. Though credit where credit’s due, Bethesda did their job and fixed various known issues via online updates across the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 days later.

We reported on this before and posted a couple of fan-uploaded videos including a moonwalking dog and a one of New Vegas’ new characters playing a scene right out of the exorcist. [Read more…]

Ninja Gaiden 3 – A few new details

The Ninja Gaiden series in general has always been notoriously difficult for those less coordinated of gamers and is by no means casual-gamer friendly, but does on the other hand, provide great visuals, stunning boss fights and decent gameplay.

For it’s third installment, Team Ninja have given a few bits of information regarding Ryu Hayabusa’s latest outing including a bloodied concept image above. [Read more…]