Posts Tagged ‘microsoft’

There’s a hope for Polish XboX Live and Games For Windows Live. As far as I know the creators of WWL are about to receive an official statement from Microsoft head quarters in USA.

Too bad Microsoft waited a month to do this… We will post more details here as soon as we know something.

UPDATE:

Here’s an official Microsoft statement about XboX Live sevice in Poland:

Xbox is very committed to the Polish market and is appreciative of the passion and excitement that our community of users show for our products, including Xbox LIVE. This year, 2010,  is going to be a historic year for Xbox and our aim is to bring to our Polish community of users the full and best interactive experiences possible on the Xbox 360. We currently finalizing our plans for the Polish market that we will become public at the forthcoming E3 consumer trade show, later in June.  Our Polish community of Xbox users should expect to hear more about how we will take the Xbox 360 experience to another level in Poland.

They didn’t even bother to sign the freaking letter (no one knows who wrote this, it just says Microsoft). I say fuck them and their legal games in Poland, just don’t buy new XboX 360 games if your country isn’t supported – like the upcoming Bad Company 2 (a 100% multiplayer game which has no…multiplayer).

I’ll get back to laughing now!

That’s right, it’s less than a day for Microsoft to respond on the lack of XboX Live and Games For Windows Live in Poland (and the most of central, eastern European countries). I wonder if they’re going to send anything at all, at least an e-mail?

We’ll see!

A very nice weekend sale on Games For Windows Live has just started, the first title is: Batman: Arkham Asylum for only $12.49 (75% off!)

More games coming on next weekends. More information can be found here.

Warning! Games For Windows Live is NOT supported in some countries.

Microsoft has exactly 27 days, 6 hours, 14 minutes and 34 seconds while I write this. 27 days for what you say? Well you probably heard about We Want Live group. They sent a letter to Microsoft and gave them 30 days to respond to their demands for the XboX Live service in Poland (Games For Windows Live too I guess). If your country doesn’t have Live too simply go to their website and see what you can do for you country!

Will Microsoft have the balls to answer? We will find out soon.

You can now buy several Games For Windows Live games using the official Microsoft Games For Windows Live application. The prices are in dollars which is ok but they aren’t really very different from other stores around the globe. Check out the Microsoft store!

Microsoft has announced that on December 15th, Games on Demand comes to Games for Windows Live, which means they are going to start digitally distributing PC games.

The Xbox 360 Games on Demand program has been doing well enough, and services like Stardock’s Impulse and Steam have already proven the viability of the digital download store model, so now we’re getting Games on Demand for Games for Windows Live.

"With Games on Demand, we didn’t just want to create a cut-and-paste version of existing digital distribution services," said Mike Ybarra, general manager of LIVE Engagement Services. "We challenged ourselves to deliver an integrated platform that takes full advantage of the unique capabilities offered by the LIVE service. Our goal has always been to create a seamless online gaming experience for the Windows community, and Games on Demand is a great step toward that end."

The main difference between Games on Demand and something like Steam is the use of Microsoft points to purchase games along with actual cash money, but it’s certainly a start. If they can keep prices competitive, they could be on to something.

Service’s launch lineup will include Resident Evil 5, Red Faction: Guerrilla, and Battlestations: Pacific, along with Live-enabled versions of popular downloadable titles like World of Goo and Osmos. If those aren’t enticing enough, there’s also a free Live-enabled version of Tinker, the Windows Vista Ultimate Extra exclusive for those willing to download the Games for Windows Live client when the service goes live on the 15th.

You can download the Games for Windows Live client at Microsoft’s official website.

People in the console modding community are well aware that in general, console manufacturers look down upon them. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo have all stated numerous times they do not endorse modding, and with the advent of online play becoming so important, keeping the playing field equal for everybody is an important concern. Instead of "Punkbuster for the console," the typical approach is to ban people from service. As of this week, Microsoft has done just that on a mass scale, banning over 600,000 Xbox Live accounts in the U.S. and Canada.

The bans won’t stop there, either. Rumors indicate Microsoft is aiming to shut off upward of 1 million consoles before the end of the year — it seems likely that the company may target Europe or another large region next. This hasn’t made things easy on Microsoft’s call center, which is getting inundated with calls from angry customers. Microsoft’s goal is to get all modded consoles off their network to cut down on piracy.

Not all hope is lost for the shunned, though. It seems that Redmond has gone after the console itself, and only prevented it from connecting to Xbox Live. The consoles still function, and the accounts in general appear to be still active, so if you are desperate for online play and don’t want to fight Microsoft on it, you can always buy another 360. That’s certainly not what many people want to hear, particularly those who view console modding as a right.

This mass banning will undoubtedly renew debates about whether or not hardware modifications should be permitted. Of course, since Xbox Live is an extended service, Microsoft certainly does reserve the right to kick people off — and this is an example of them demonstrating they are willing to let people go.

Source: TechSpot