HMV have pulled MW2 Prestige Edition from thier site on the Xbox 360. The site now simply states that it is “Unavailable”. PS3 fans however can still get it there as it’s still for sale. Some time ago, it was reported that it was unavailable but it seems this was just to update the price as originally it was £149.99 on the site and it was readded as £119.99, the difference this time being that only the Xbox 360 version has been pulled rather than both.

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2008 was a phenomenal year for the Xbox 360, but I’m not here to get teary-eyed and nostalgic. Now that all the “Best of” and “Worst of” lists have been compiled, praised, scorned, and faded into darkness like New Year’s Eve, it’s time look ahead to what the future might bring. Or rather, what the self-righteous geek inside of me thinks Microsoft should do to please my every whim in 2009. Without turning this into a console argument let us know what you think the 360 needs to dominate the globe 2009 by heading over to our forums (click here) and discussing this article!

10) Pandora – For the uninitiated and internet-defunct, Pandora is a free, online service that tracks your favorite bands and streams music from other potential favorites with uncanny accuracy. Imagine having your own digital DJ while waiting for your downloads, kicking back with a few friends, or playing a few rounds in Call of Duty to the fret-blasting power of DragonForce. I won’t wait in breathless anticipation for this one, but it would be a nice addition to the multi-media future of NXE.

9) One System to Rule – Variety may be the spice of life, but only if you know what you’re supposed to be cooking. As a former retail-clerk, I can tell you with absolute certainty that the average consumer has no idea what gigabytes, Jasper chips, or HDMI have to do with gaming. I can also tell you that if you bought a system outside of the previous year, lending $300 to a crackhead might have been a better investment. Microsoft, don’t be like Sony. Make this the year for one reliable system with all the bells and whistles.

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Microsoft has been targeted in a class-action lawsuit by angry consumers who have had their game discs scratched by their Xbox 360 consoles.

The Xbox 360, when tilted, causes the game disc to collide with parts inside the disc drive, which produce the deep circular scratches on the game disc.

The class-action lawsuit claims that Microsoft knew of the issue before-hand, and could have easily solved it by adopting a slot-loading disc drive like the ones found on the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii.

“Because these greater gyroscopic forces are combined with both a weak magnetic force for holding the disc in place, and a tray-loaded design that can be oriented vertically, uncoupling of a disc during normal console use was a predictable result,” the lawsuit reads.

During a deposition, a Microsoft employee said that the Xbox team knew of the issue prior to launch, but did not resolve the issue.

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"Now that many of you have the Holiday Theme and Snow Globe how about turning your Xbox 360 into a virtual fireplace? Xbox LIVE Member SniperED007 used the XNA tools and whipped himself up a nice little project that has all the sights and sounds of a nice wintery fireplace. You can see video of Fireplace at XNA.com, and you can add the demo directly to your Xbox 360 download queue*. According to SniperED007, Fireplace will allow you to ‘Enjoy the awesome ambiance of a crackling fireplace in your living room. With realistic smoldering embers and flickering flames it sets the perfect backdrop for a relaxing evening.’ The full version will cost you 400 points

2008, it was predicted, was to be the beginning of the end for Microsoft. It’s lead over Sony was born of an early launch and the competition fumbling its first year, some said. But with the forward-looking PS3 picking up steam, the 360 would slowly lose market share and eventually cede the year, sales-wise, to Sony.

Now however, it looks like that won’t be the case, and the reason for the turn-around is also the story of the console’s 2008—a series of strong management decisions and wise market reads that could give the business the strength to power through the entirety of the generation.

Edge will also be covering Sony, Nintendo and the PC’s past 12 months in the days to come.

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If its Xbox Live arcade games you live for, you’ll be glad to know that Microsoft is offering up to five Xbox Live arcade games free this Christmas. The games are Zuma, Marble Blast, Sonic The Hedgehog, Assault Heroes and 3D Mini Golf and here’s how you can nab them off the Xbox Live Marketplace:

Absolutely everyone can take advantage of this special deal. If you’re an existing subscriber all you need to do is renew. If you’re completely new to the whole Xbox LIVE experience, just follow the simple steps required to create an account and away you go. As long as you sign up for 12 months you’re eligible to choose your favourite Xbox LIVE Arcade game from a fabulous selection of five.
After subscribing, to qualify for your free game all you need to do is download a new Gamer Pic or Theme associated with one of the five titles. Of course you can go ahead and download more if you wish, but only the first game chosen will be the one you’ll receive. Also please bear in mind that this offer is only available to customers who subscribe to Xbox LIVE directly through Xbox LIVE, not using a prepaid card.
The offer runs between 23 December 2008 and 5 January 2009, so you’ve plenty of time to decide which game best suits your mood.

This holiday season, Xbox 360® fans can accessorize even further. Microsoft’s award-winning Xbox 360 Wireless Controllers are now available for a limited time in red with newly designed black accents. Experience wireless gaming from up to 30 feet and enjoy uninterrupted play with the included Play & Charge cable and red rechargeable battery, which provides up to 25 hours of play on a single charge. When the battery runs low, you’re given ample warning so you can connect the included Play & Charge cable for continuous play.

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Redmond, Washington—Microsoft is giving consumers more gigabytes for their buck. The company today announced an Xbox 360® console with triple the storage space of the original console, but for the same price of $349 (U.S.) estimated retail price.

Available in retail stores in the U.S. and Canada starting in early August, the upgraded Xbox 360 will include a 60GB hard drive for storing the growing wealth of digital entertainment available for the console, including music, movies, television shows, and game content. In addition, Microsoft today dropped the price of its 20GB Xbox 360 console in the U.S. and Canada to just $299 (U.S.) (ERP) while supplies last, a savings of $50.

"We know consumers need more and more space to store the amazing digital content Xbox 360 offers, and we’re giving it to them at no extra charge," said Albert Penello, Xbox director of product management at Microsoft. "No one device offers the depth and breadth of entertainment that Xbox 360 can deliver, and now you’ll have three times the storage to manage all that great content."

Xbox 360 is just one of three Xbox 360 gaming and entertainment systems Microsoft offers. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Arcade, which comes with a 256MB memory unit and five Xbox LIVE Arcade games, is a value for the whole family for $279 (U.S.) (ERP), and the premium Xbox 360 Elite console is available with a 120GB hard drive for $449 (U.S.) (ERP).

Out of the box, the Xbox 360 console is ready to provide an incredible gaming and entertainment experience:

• Xbox 360 console: The console is equipped with a cool white finish and three powerful core processors capable of producing the best in high definition (HD) entertainment (up to 1080p for gaming), 16:9 cinematic aspect ratio, anti-aliasing for smooth textures, full surround sound, and high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) output.
• 60GB Hard Drive: The 60GB detachable hard drive allows you to save your games and store television shows, movies, music, pictures, trailers, levels, demos, and other content available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace, the premier one-stop digital download center for entertainment.
• full article

Redmond, Washington—Microsoft is giving consumers more gigabytes for their buck. The company today announced an Xbox 360® console with triple the storage space of the original console, but for the same price of $349 (U.S.) estimated retail price.

Available in retail stores in the U.S. and Canada starting in early August, the upgraded Xbox 360 will include a 60GB hard drive for storing the growing wealth of digital entertainment available for the console, including music, movies, television shows, and game content. In addition, Microsoft today dropped the price of its 20GB Xbox 360 console in the U.S. and Canada to just $299 (U.S.) (ERP) while supplies last, a savings of $50.

"We know consumers need more and more space to store the amazing digital content Xbox 360 offers, and we’re giving it to them at no extra charge," said Albert Penello, Xbox director of product management at Microsoft. "No one device offers the depth and breadth of entertainment that Xbox 360 can deliver, and now you’ll have three times the storage to manage all that great content."

Xbox 360 is just one of three Xbox 360 gaming and entertainment systems Microsoft offers. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Arcade, which comes with a 256MB memory unit and five Xbox LIVE Arcade games, is a value for the whole family for $279 (U.S.) (ERP), and the premium Xbox 360 Elite console is available with a 120GB hard drive for $449 (U.S.) (ERP).

Out of the box, the Xbox 360 console is ready to provide an incredible gaming and entertainment experience:

• Xbox 360 console: The console is equipped with a cool white finish and three powerful core processors capable of producing the best in high definition (HD) entertainment (up to 1080p for gaming), 16:9 cinematic aspect ratio, anti-aliasing for smooth textures, full surround sound, and high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) output.
• 60GB Hard Drive: The 60GB detachable hard drive allows you to save your games and store television shows, movies, music, pictures, trailers, levels, demos, and other content available from Xbox LIVE Marketplace, the premier one-stop digital download center for entertainment.
• full article

t seems that Microsoft is really in a tearing hurry, to put the specter of Vista very quickly behind it. Windows 7 that was only recently announced, has already been displayed to developers and is now all set to enter a beta by sometime in January. This fact has been confirmed in this blog, by Microsoft’s Keith Combs. It seems that copies of the new OS will be available, to people who attend the Microsoft developer conference, that will take place in January, in Chicago and Minneapolis.

This marks probably the fastest turn-around time for a new OS, by Microsoft. Keeping in mind just how long Windows Vista was in development and how badly it has been panned by consumers, Microsoft is now just focusing on taking Vista, polishing it up with improved UI features and performance related tweaks and just introducing it as a new OS called Windows 7.