The Witcher coming to consoles

 

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/qj/qjnet/~3/kgvA1GJPAgk/126875

About a year ago, we first heard rumblings that CDProjekt’s PC RPG, The Witcher, would be making a trip down to Xbox 360 alley. Now we finally have confirmation that the game will be heading to consoles. Not just to the Xbox 360 but to the PS3 as well.

The game’s console version – dubbed The Witcher: Rise of the Wolf – will sport a new engine, new models, and more polygons compared to the PC original. It’ll also have dynamic stuff up the wazoo: dynamic lighting, dynamic shadows, a more dynamic combat system… the works.

For the PS3 version, SIXAXIS support will be one of the game’s features. Achievements and Trophies will also be supported.

You can find out more about The Witcher’s console versions in the announcement trailer below. The one in the source link is better, but I couldn’t embed it. The vid’s got some cool sword combat sequences, but it looks like it’s all from cutscenes. We’ll have to wait a bit before we see what the new engine is capable of.

We knew it was going to happen…

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/weblogsinc/joystiq/~3/AgmFGnrGBOw/

After January 2009 arrives, games on the PS3 will be required by Sony to offer trophies, according to VideoGamer.com.

   .. Hmm.. not much else to say 

Install Halo 3 to the HD! Yeah.. Don’t.

Bungie engineers have said that installing Halo 3 to the harddrive using the New Xbox Experience will actually result in less than optimal play. While installing games can usually result in (slightly) faster load times and a quiet disc drive, a post on the Bungie forums (reported by Joystiq) by engineer Mat Noguchi explains that installing will actually make the game load slower. When the game was being produced, it was designed to take advantage of the HDD in a specific way. "If a HDD is present, we copy maps from the DVD to the utility partition on the HDD," he says. "Even if Halo 3 is already installed on the HDD, it will still copy maps to the utility partition." The problem comes because copying from the harddrive to the harddrive is much slower, because the device can’t read and write simultaneously.
A patch may be possible to adjust the way Halo 3 copies data, but Noguchi notes that Bungie shipped Halo 3 before Microsoft finalized the feature, and it would be a "significant undertaking to try and retroactively patch Halo 3." He simply says the risks and resources required would have to be measured against a fairly insignificant benefit to the player — quite simply, this is a polite "no dice." The easy solution is not to install Halo 3 to your harddrive, and to delete it if you already have. It’s probably a safe bet, though, that Halo 3: Recon won’t be copying data in the same way.

[Source: 1 UP]

Got the NXE.. Now what?!

So you’ve downloaded the New Xbox Experience, and now are staring at your TV saying to yourself ‘”Now what?!”

Major Nelson has posted a nice [top 10 list] of things to get yourself set up!

 

1) Create (or Customize) your Avatar – You can spend as much (or as little) time as you want in the Avatar Editor to personalize your little guy/girl
    Bonus: When you are done with #1, be sure to take a Gamer Picture of your Avatar. In the Avatar editor, choose Gamer Picture.
    You can use the controls to move your avatar around, zoom in and out or even change the background color (press Y)

2) Explore the all new dashboard. (hint: use the trigger and bumpers to quickly scroll up and down or left and right)

3) PAR-TAY! Check out Xbox LIVE Parties and chat with up to seven of your friends. Go to the Friends channel, choose a friend who is online and press Y to get the party started.
    You can also hit the Xbox 360 Guide button > Party >Start a Party. Once you do that, send off invites to your party (since one does not make a party.does it?)

4) Themes. While any themes you work will NXE, check out some of the new themes via My Xbox and select your profile (second slot) and then change theme.
     Xbox 360, Spectrum, Day and Night are new themes that available as part of your NXE upgrade.check them out.

5) Marketplace on Xbox.com. This new feature lets you search, browse, and purchase games and videos while you are away from your console.
    You can also perform account management functions like changing your billing information, viewing your purchase history, and downloading items you already own.

6) Netflix – Xbox LIVE Gold Member and you have Netflix? If you are in the US you can stream thousands of videos (some in HD) directly from Netflix to your Xbox 360.
    Not a member? Sign up for a free trial at Xbox.com/netflix

7) Install to / Play from Hard Drive. With the game in the tray, return to your dashboard. (pressing the guide button then Y works as always) then go to My Xbox. 
    From here press Y, which will bring up a new menu which will allow, among other things the ability to install a game to your hard drive.
    Hint: You can still use the Xbox 360 guide while installing a game to keep in touch with your friends or start a Party.

    Bonus: Before you do #7, be sure to set up what happens when you turn on your Xbox 360.  My Xbox->System Settings>Console settings.
    Then choose Start up to to choose Disc, Xbox Dashboard or Windows Media Center. Once you are done there, check the option right below it: Autostart.
    This tell your Xbox 360 what to do when you insert a game. The choices are enable or disable. I have mine set to disable so I can easily use install to hard drive.

Delete Zero Gamerscore games. You can remove any games from your games played list that you have earned no achievements or gamerscore.
    Press the Xbox 360- guide button, navigate left to the games section and choose Achievements. From here choose the game with zero gamerscore you want to remove and press X (Delete Game History.)

9) Press the Xbox 360 button on your controller to see the all new Guide.
    The team has added more functionality than the old guide, while making it more responsive. It’s a quick way to check your messages, see who is online or start a party.

10) Take a look at Community Games in the Games Marketplace. For the first time in the history of console gaming, thousands of games developed by the creative community will be available to the public.

The Next Xbox Experience early?

Word on the net is saying that Major Nelson has stated that the New Xbox Experience will be released today for anyone that signed up to be in the ‘beta’ but hasn’t gotten in yet.  So as long as you filled in your request for access with the correct ID and Serial Number for your console, you should be getting the update with in the next few hours.   For everyone else, it’s still Wednesday the 19th.