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As previously rumored, Microsoft is set to debut a brand new revision to its Xbox 360 controller, which improves the oft-loathed D-pad among other cosmetic touches.

The newly-redesigned and patented D-pad allows users to switch between the traditional Xbox 360 disc-like configuration to a more oldschool raised “plus” with a simple twist, as seen below.

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Microsoft execs will be delivering this year’s Tokyo Game Show keynote, which will be the first of two keynotes when the show kicks off in September (via Adriasang).

Tentatively titled “Xbox 360’s Vision and 2010’s Strategy,” it will be deliveredy by Microsoft Home & Entertainment Division head Takashi Sensui and Microsoft Game Studio corporate vice president Phil Spencer. The speaker for the second event has not yet been announced.

Microsoft last delivered the TGS keynote in 2008, where they focused on the New Xbox Experience and Halo 3 ODST. Previous TGS keynotes by Sony and Nintendo have included the reveal of the DualShock 3 and the Wii Remote.

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The first bit of interesting MMO news from Gamescom 2010 belongs to Microsoft, as the software giant has announced the latest entry in the venerable Age of Empires franchise. Age of Empires Online will offer players the chance to take their city-building adventures to the next level via a persistent online capital that grows even when its owner is offline.

The new title also features co-op multiplayer questing, trading, and a leveling mechanic in addition to story-based gameplay. Age of Empires Online will also feature free online gameplay via the Games for Windows platform, as well as a new graphical style that represents something of a stylistic departure from past titles in the series.

Filed under: New titles, News items

Microsoft announces Age of Empires Online originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 17 Aug 2010 01:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft has won a court case launched in 20044 against the company and its competitor Sony, according to a report from Gamasutra.

The companies were accused of infringing on a 1994 patent owned by Harold Milton Jr., which related to “apparatus and method for electrically connecting remotely located video games,” or to put it simply online multiplayer gaming.

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Love them, hate them, or be completely indifferent toward them, but in every case Achievements have become a permanent fixture in modern gaming since the launch of the Xbox 360. And in a new Xbox Engineering Blog post, Xbox Live and platform architect Vince Curley gives a detailed explanation of how the Achievements system works, as well as divulges some surprising facts behind their creation — including that the now-infamous “Achievement unlocked” toast and sound effect was a last-minute addition that almost never existed.

Curley explains that although a key aspect of Xbox Live is the consistency you see across all games, they still wanted to give game developers leeway in making their own unique presentations, which is why the Achievement “toast” almost never came to be. “Some people argued that gamers wouldn’t want the toast popping up in the heat of battle and that game designers would want to use their own visual style to present achievements,” Curley writes. “Others argued for consistency and for reducing the work required of game developers. In the end we added the notification popup and its happy beep, which turned out to be the right decision, but for a long time it was anything but obvious.”

Curley also recalls how the Achievement system was not “well understood” by developers early on, partly because Microsoft failed to give enough early guidance. “Because of this, early implementations of achievements were inconsistent and not as good as they could have been,” Curley writes. “Some games did the minimum required: 5 achievements which were tossed out for basically just starting the game. Some games made the achievements way too hard or too easy. Our developer support team has done an amazing job of providing guidance, including creating a 21-page, 8,000 word whitepaper on best practices for achievements.”

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Microsoft is distancing itself from the $150 Kinect price point, which seemed all but confirmed until today. MCV notes that the company has added a footnote to its Microsoft Store listing, which reads: “Official pricing has not been announced. $149.99 is an estimate only and subject to change.” Xbox Live policy and enforcement director Stephen Toulouse similarly tweeted, “All prices now *no matter what the retail source* are placeholders.”

It’s clear why Toulouse stressed “no matter what the retail source.” Earlier this week, most took the Microsoft Store pricing as confirmation of the $150 tag, particularly after several retailers had already listed it for that price as well. Now the price is up in the air once again. Microsoft could be rethinking its price strategy in response to members of the community balking at the cost — but if rumors regarding production cost are true, the company might not have much budging room. We should know by GamesCom at the very latest, so we don’t have to wait too much longer.

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If you’ve been following the news regarding Microsoft’s Kinect add-on for Xbox 360 since E3 last week, you’ll know that the price has been the topic of a lot of speculation. Specifically, it was interesting that Microsoft refused to announce or discuss a price at the show — leading many to wonder if it was to let Sony show its hand with the PlayStation Move’s price first. Many sources, such as the retailer GameStop, indicated that Kinect would cost $150 — even allowing people to pre-order it at that price. Yet Microsoft remained silent on it, stating only that we’d hear the price within the next few weeks.

Well, Microsoft’s own online store has been updated with a listing for Kinect, and lo and behold it costs $150. Not a huge shock at all — it’s just the timing that seems odd.

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The redesigned Xbox 360 will be getting a new SKU later this year. Microsoft has confirmed a $199 variant for the fall, making it the slim equivalent of an Xbox 360 Arcade.

The $199 variant was discovered in an internal marketing Q&A by Kotaku, and later confirmed by Microsoft (via Joystiq). It is unknown whether this version will include a hard drive or internal WiFi.

A Kinect bundle was also mentioned in the Q&A, but the document said that they have “no additional details about pricing or retail strategy to share at this time.” Microsoft declined to comment on the Kinect bundle.

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