Good news for those of you who use your Xbox to watch Netflix. The latest version of Netflix is tucked away in the latest Xbox 360 dashboard update and it has some cool new features.


You’ll find a new user interface that allows for a more streamlined browsing experience and there are up to 3 times as many titles available on screen at once. Users also have access to audio and subtitle settings, ratings, episode selection, and related title suggestions.

There’s also support for voice and gesture control when using Xbox Kinect for browsing and playing, 720p HD and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. The Netflix app will be automatically installed when you do the latest Xbox 360 Dashboard update. Netflix on Xbox 360 is now available in Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Colombia. Of course, you need both an Xbox Live Gold and Netflix streaming account to take advantage of the updated app.

[via Netflix]

Well, you get 3D video recording and DLC features as well as StreetPass improvements, support for the 3DS-to-3DS transfer service and more. There’s even a new Nintendo Zone to interact with when connected to certain Wi-Fi hotspots. It’s worth booting up your console and updating to check it all out.

The update is free of charge and easy to install directly on your 3DS handheld.

[via Joystiq]

One of the updates is just for the Xbox 360 owners that have a Kinect motion controller. With the Kinect installed and the new dashboard, the user can use their voice and gestures to navigate the console’s main menus. The update also brings with it voice search on Bing. There are also new social networking features as well. Facebook sharing is part of the update along with beacons. I have no idea what the beacons are though.

The Xbox will also gain access to Cloud Storage for game saves and your Live profile. That should mean no losing your saved games in the event your HDD takes a dump or you have to buy a new console. After the update, we should also expect a variety new apps for television, video, music, and more.

[via Major Nelson]

With no GC titles being played, you won’t need those Gamecube memory card slots either, so they are gone too. No worries though, Gamecube controller ports are still there for Wii games like Super Smash Bros Brawl.

For now, this new console has been confirmed for the UK market only, but I’m sure it will make it’s way to the U.S. eventually. The question is, how much will it cost? The Wii is already the cheapest you can buy, so how much cheaper does it get when you drop Gamecube compatibility?

[via TGDaily]

After looking at it for a few moments, you start to realize that this might be a good idea, especially if you play for hours on your Xbox 360. The new version comes with a jet-black rubberized finish, which will ensure that it will remain in your hands, no matter how sweaty they get. There are also extra parts that will allow you to customize it further. In case you’re wondering how it works, here’s a video of the first-generation Avenger in action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You can buy one Avenger for $50 (USD)but if you buy two, the company will send you a third one for free.

[via CrunchGear]

My sources sent me that picture, and they swore to me that that the Core i7 processor literally looks like its logo and is really that big. Something tells me I shouldn’t trust my sources anymore.

[via ZDNet via Gear Live]

Sadly, the folks in Cupertino don’t warn its customers about this. While it’s not exactly a major oversight, I don’t think it would have been hard to have the Snow Leopard installer end with a prompt telling users to check their Flash players.

Of course you’ll still be able to watch videos of puppies who can’t roll over even if you don’t have the latest version of the Flash player, but you’ll also be less secure because these upgrades are released mostly to address security issues. As of this writing the latest version is 10.0.32.18. You can check the version of the flash player installed on your system by visiting Adobe’s about Flash player page. If you don’t have the latest flash player then I suggest you upgrade. Or you can be macho about it and let the malware come at you.

[via geek]

Aside from new fish and new fishing spots, the update also brings a tournament mode to the game. In tournament mode, players can compete against the computer, against another player on the same iPhone/iPod Touch, or even via Wi-Fi versus other flick fishermen.

For those who are unfamiliar with the game, Flick Fishing is an intuitive and beautiful fishing game. Players have to find the right combination of bait, location and flicking & reeling techniques that works with each type of fish. It definitely does not get its name from the fact that players cast the line with just a flick of their wrist. Nope. Do you know why it’s called Flick Fishing?

Like all iPhone/iPod Touch apps, Flick Fishing is available at Apple’s App Store for $0.99. Honestly I don’t know how it plays, because I don’t have an iPhone, but Freeverse has a video demo over at their site so go check that out if you’re interested.

[via TUAW]

According to an article in the latest Official Xbox Magazine, 360 owners will be able to download a number of original Xbox titles for 1200 Microsoft points each ($15 USD). The initial titles will include Halo, Fable, Farenheit, Crimson Skies, Burnout 3 and Crash Bandicoot: the Wrath of Cortex.

While you can pick up most of these titles for less than $10 used, it’s nice to be able to grab these classics without leaving the comfort of your couch. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the dashboard update when it hits on December 4th.

The latest Xbox 360 System Update appears to be causing major problems for gamers today. Speaking from personal experience, the update appears to be completely breaking Xbox Live for some users.

The symptom is that your console will say that Xbox Live requires an update, then you’ll try to run the update and after several minutes, the update fails. It then provides advice that you need to test your connection, which eventually tells you that you need an Xbox Live update to complete the tests. I even went as far as reformatting the hard drive on my 360 to make sure there wasn’t some corrupted data on there.

A number of users over on Major Nelson’s site are also reporting similar problems this morning. Microsoft hasn’t provided any information yet on when a fix might be available. I even sat on the 1-800-4MY-XBOX line for about 90 minutes earlier this morning to see if they could provide any insight, but eventually got disconnected and gave up.

…and I thought I’d be checking out that new Stranglehold demo tonight. Oh well, hopefully someone in Redmond is listening.

The Rolleiflex MiniDigi looks virtually identical to Rollei’s original Twin Lens Reflex cameras, with a decidedly modern spin. As its name indicates, the MiniDigi isn’t quite as bulky as its larger film ancestors. Instead of snapping your shots to film, the Mini records 3.1-megapixel digital images (hopefully, they’ll upgrade this to a higher resolution in future.)

Like the cameras that inspired it, the Mini uses a top-down viewfinder. It’s even got a “crank” on the side that advances the camera to the next picture. The camera can also capture video clips and offers expandable memory via an SD slot.

If you’re shopping for one of these, be sure that you order the new 3.1-megapixel version, since there was a 2-megapixel version out there for a while too. I found the newer model over at WolfCamera for $199.

[via Josh Spear]

The impending version 1.80 upgrade adds a couple of new features, but the most significant one purportedly adds upscaling of DVD, Playstation and PlayStation 2 games to as much as 1080p resolution. I’m very interested to see how this all works, especially to see if the game upscaling works on US and Japan (hardware backwards compatible) consoles or only on the European (emulation-based) versions of the system.

In addition, the new release will add remote PSP play across the internet, and playback of media content stored on DLNA3 (Digital Living Network Alliance V3) enabled PCs and other devices.

The update should start rolling out on May 24th (at least in Europe). Sony’s PS3 system update page should have more details once the firmware is released.

Given the current dearth of games for Sony’s big black box, I’m beginning to feel like I spend more time downloading firmware updates than actually playing games.

[via MaxConsole]

A few of my all time favorites, including Phantom Dust, Jet Set Radio Future and Panzer Dragoon Orta are now playable on the 360. The complete list of newly supported games includes:

• Tenku (Japan only)
• Avatar: The Last Airbender
• Avatar: The Legend of Aang (EMEA/ANZ)
• Breakdown
• Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
• Call of Duty 3
• Cars
• Crash Bandicoot 5: Wrath of Cortex
• Daisenryaku VII
• FIFA Soccer 2007
• Full Spectrum Warrior
• Guilty Gear Isuka
• Innocent Tears (Japan only)
• Jet Set Radio Future
• King of Fighters 2002
• King of Fighters: Neowave
• Mad Dash Racing (Japan only)
• Mech Assault 2
• Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction
• Nascar 2006: Total Team Control
• NFL Fever 2004
• Oddworld Munch’s Oddysee
• Panzer Dragoon Orta
• Petit Copter (Japan only)
• Phantom Dust
• Reservoir Dogs
• Return To Castle Wolfenstein
• Rugby League 2
• Sengoku Warriors (Japan only)
• Sonic Riders
• Soul Calibur 2 (updated)
• Spider-Man 2
• Star Wars: Republic Commando
• Street Fighter Anniversary Collection
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07
• Tony Hawk’s Underground
• Ultra Bust a Move /ULTRA Puzzle Bobble
• Unreal Championship 2

The patch isn’t yet live on Xbox Live, but you can download and burn the patch to CD or DVD from the Xbox website here (instructions here) if you’re too impatient to wait for the next update on Xbox Live.

[via Deeko News]

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Among the improvements, the new version will add Friends List and text chat integration with Windows Live Messenger. In addition, the Xbox Live Marketplace will get broken out into its own blade for easier access, and will feature a changeable look based on seasonality and special events. The dashboard update will also improve the way that achievements are displayed and categorized, making it much simpler to quickly see what you’ve accomplished in your games.

Last, but certainly not least, you’ll be able to set your 360 into a special low power consumption mode so you can continue to download files even when you’re not using the console. You’ll also be able to set your console to automatically shut down after all downloads have completed.

[via Joystiq]

You’ll be able to queue up to six files for download at once, and can continue to use many features (not gameplay, though [UPDATE: According to 1UP, it sounds like downloads may actually continue during offline games.]) while your files download.

In addition to the downloading improvements, the 1.60 system upgrade will add a variety of other enhancements:

• Folding@home: Provides PS3 owners with a way to donate processing cycles to Stanford University’s medical research projects (the PS3 is said to process these simulations about 20x to 30x faster than a typical PC, so it could really make an impact here)
• Text Entry and Web Browsing Improvements: Addition of a full QWERTY on-screen keyboard; Better zoom capabilities in the web browser; Reduced text flicker on interlaced monitors
• Remote Play: Access photos, videos and music from your nearby Sony PSP via Wi-Fi
• Disc Auto-Start: Ability to set a preference of whether or not your discs should automatically start when inserted
• Compatibility with Blu-ray Disc Rewritable (BD-RE) disks

While waiting for PS3 updates to download is never fun, I do have to say I admire Sony for making such frequent improvements to their console. More details on PlayStation 3 system updates can be found here.

Sure, many of us are annoyed by the frequent system updates that we’ve had to sit through, but most of the downloads have improved the console in some way. Most recently, the 1.5 and 1.51 updates fixed the majority of problems with PS2 backwards compatibility. Now, Sony plans on releasing an update this March (tentatively called v1.6) which will fix one of the biggest shortcomings of the console, the lack of background downloading.

According to a recent Games Informer interview with Sony boss Phil Harrison, the forthcoming release will add the ability to download while you do other things, which the Xbox 360 has been able to do for some time now. The release is also supposed to include some other significant changes, but they haven’t yet been revealed.

[via MaxConsole]

The News Channel features live feeds from the Associated Press. Articles can be viewed by category or geographic locale. Stories can be navigated using a slick 3d globe interface, similar to the one in the Wii’s Weather Channel.

The News Channel is just the latest update for the Wii, with earlier releases including Weather and Internet Channels (featuring the Opera web browser.) Nintendo is expected to continue to roll out additional channels in the future.

[photos via Flickr]

Well early reports are that today’s firmware update to version 1.5 fixes this issue once and for all. I’ve already downloaded and installed the update, and it seems to have fixed the issues that I’ve encountered with some 480i games like Okami. While 480i games never look great on a large HDTV, at least they’re now playable and no worse than they looked on an original PS2.

[via Kotaku]

Well after you clear away all the bragging about selling over 2 billion songs and 1.3 million movies on iTunes, and how the Zune only captured a 2% market share in November, here’s what really has been revealed today:

• New iTunes Movie Download Partner: Paramount Studios, should take iTunes to over 250 movies available for download

• Apple TV (formerly “iTV”)
• Design looks the same as original announcement
• USB 2.0, Ethernet, WiFi (802.11 b, g & n) Connectivity
• HDMI, component, RCA and optical outputs
• 40GB hard drive
• 720p widescreen high definition video (surprise!)
• Stream audio, video, photos from up to 5 computers
• Can automatically sync content in the background and store to hard drive for immediate playback
• Ships February 2007
• Price: $299

• iPhone, a gorgeous, unified device, featuring:
• Widescreen iPod
• Mobile phone (GSM, EDGE, Quad-Band)
• Internet communicator (seamlessly switches between EDGE and WiFi)
• WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity
• Easy to use touchscreen interface
• No stylus required, use your fingers!
• Multi-finger, gesture-based controls (truly amazing)
• On screen keyboard for chat, e-mail, dialing
• Runs OS X with desktop-class applications!
• Syncs using iTunes, including contacts, calendars, notes, e-mail accounts, web bookmarks, etc..
• Full-fledged Safari web browser, no crappy WAP browsing

• E-mail: any POP or IMAP account, rich HTML messages
• Free BlackBerry-esque “push IMAP” e-mail from Yahoo!
• 3.5-inch 160 pixel per inch (320 x 480) high resolution color display
• 2 Megapixel digital camera
• Only one button on the whole device
• Motion sensor and accelerometer automatically detect when you switch from portrait to landscape modes
• Music automatically fades out when a phone call comes in
• 4 GB or 8 GB flash memory
• Dimensions: A svelte 4.5″ x 2.4″ x 0.46″ (not much bigger than a 5G iPod)
• Battery Life: 5 hour talk/video/browsing, 16 hours music playback
• EXCLUSIVE service partner: Cingular
• Ships June 2007
• Price: $499 (4 GB), $599 (8 GB)
• 2-Year Cingular Contract Required

Now that’s some news! The iPhone sure packs a wallop, but it’s a bit expensive, considering the 2 year Cingular contract commitment. That said, it is really an entire Mac packed into a portable device, so you have to give ‘em some slack on pricing. Would I like more memory for my tunes and video? Sure. But overall, it’s a pretty impressive little piece of innovation.

Check back often to see if the Apple Store has been updated to showcase today’s latest wares.

Stay tuned for more details as they become available.

Engadget managed to get their hands on an image that purports to be a new Xbox 360 case with a built-in HDMI port for true 1080p digital output. In addition, word on the street is that the new model (codenamed “Zephyr”) may feature a much bigger, 120GB hard drive.

No word yet on a release date or if any other features might sneak in (like a built-in HD DVD drive, please.)