Microsoft

Microsoft will begin to remove games from the Xbox Live Arcade if they meet all three of the following criteria:

• more than six months old
• less than 65 Metacritic rating
• demo download to purchase ratio of less than 6%

Gamerscore Blog recently answered a number of common concerns - even if a game is removed from the service, those who purchased it will still be able to play it (including online functionality) and re-download it if required.

As to what games will be removed, here are the games that have less than 65 on Metacritic - obviously I can’t comment on which of these have a conversion rate of below 6% - but I can certainly say I wouldn’t miss any of them:

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When you’ve got a problem, it definately helps to get snooty and demand to speak to the supervisor in charge. And if they’re not available to take your call, perhaps you should try the CEO. Like this guy:

I was one of the first to get an Xbox 360 when they came out, paying way more than I should have. I had problems with the console right out of the box and after weeks of haggling with their normal customer service department, I was contacted by their escalation department. Within a week, my problems were solved and they sent me a bunch of free stuff (games & controllers). Fast forward two years, and I’m having the same problem. I emailed both Bill Gates and Kathleen Hogan(Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Customer Service, Support and Customer and Partner Experience) yesterday…

I was contacted within twenty-four hours from the escalation department and a new console is on its way.

In doing a little bit of research, I figured out the email addresses for both and am providing them for your loyal readers. The link I am including will also provide the entire corporate teams names and titles.

khogan@microsoft.com
billg@microsoft.com

Make of this what you will…

via Consumerist

A Microsoft insider has talked to 8Bit Joystick’s Jake Metcalf about the Xbox 360’s hardware failures. The insider is reported to be someone who was part of the consoles development and testing throughout its conception.

According to the anonymous source, the 360 was rushed out in order to get the drop on the PS3. The reason for the high failure rate was an under resourced development which resulted in ultra cheap heat sinks being used, incompatible hardware and poor construction. Worst of all, Microsoft may not have enough Xbox 360s to cope with returns this year.

He has some moderately comforting news that the current generation Xbox have a failure rate of under 10% compared to the old generation failure rate of 30%.

via 8Bit Joystick

Yet another price drop has arrived for the Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel. Previously US$130, you can now pick one up for a reasonable US$99 along with a demo of Forza Motorsport 2. With the imminent release of Burnout Paradise you would be crazy not take them up on the offer.

via Major Nelson

You might have been ecstatic when we reported that Goldeneye was soon coming to Live Arcade, but it’s time to change your Myspace moods to depressed because the game has been put on an indefinite hold. The reason behind the unfortunate turn of events is a licensing disagreement between Microsoft and Nintendo. It’s no wonder really, given Nintendo probably want their legendary game on their own arcade service.

Want even more hurt? The game was only 2 months away from release and included all the maps and weapons of the original. Worst of all it was all set up for online multiplayer.

If you are of the opinion that online petitions have actually achieved anything, then you might want to head over to this one and help reverse the decision.

via Joystiq

Team Fortress 2 fans are in for a bit of a treat in the coming weeks. It has been confirmed that 360 players will be getting a new patch that has already been sent off to Microsoft for approval. The patch will fix “several game-play exploits, improve bandwidth usage, improve stats reporting and fixes some menu bugs.”

PC players will be getting maps as they are individually released and 360 users will get a pack. It is not known when we will see them trickle out or if they will be free.

Valve are also planning to give players the same tools they used to make the videos for the game. Valve hopes that this will create a plethora of user created content to show off the different classes. As above, we don’t not know when this feature will be hitting.

There has been no word on the PS3 version of the game, but given that Valve are not handling that game we wouldn’t really expect them to talk about it.

via ShackNews

Even with the high prices they have to pay those Brits are going console crazy, with Microsoft now reporting they are having trouble keeping up with demand. Microsoft says that units have to be sent out to stores as soon as the warehouse receives them and that they are even having trouble finding enough vans for the job.

On the Wii side of things, hoards of Brits are crossing the English Channel to raid the French’s plentiful stockpile. Many French stores are employing a “one Wii per customer” policy to keep the madness at bay.

GamespotUK via The Mirror

IBM announced today that it has discovered a new way to manufacture 32nm chips. In their announcement they mentioned that their partners may see the new chips by the end of 2009. With Microsoft being one of those partners, it seems logical to assume that we could see smaller, quieter, faster, cheaper and cooler Xbox 360s being rolled out around that time.

via TVG

A recent update has added 84 Xbox games to the list of titles that are backwards-compatible, and will play on an Xbox 360. The update boosts the total to 465 backwards-compatible games. For a list of the recently added games, have a look after the jump.

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Greenpeace has announced Nintendo as the worst offender in their Guide to Greener Electronics report. Nintendo received a straight 0 from the rating system, and Microsoft weren’t that much better at 2.7 - however Sony did very well, coming equal third with a score of 7.3.

via 1Up