8:06 AM on 4/6/2010 by Nicholas "bapenguin" Puleo
A reminder that today when you fire up your Xbox 360 consoles you'll be prompted for a system update. The update adds the previously announced USB memory support for the system.
This means you can use any 16GB USB drive, or partition off a larger drive to 16GB, for your saved games, DLC, and user profiles. This is great news for fans of co-op games, as it allows you to easily, and cheaply, store your gamertag and saved games on an external device to bring over to a friends house for some good ol fashioned couch co-op play.
Microsoft has put up an FAQ to answer all your questions regarding the update and support memory devices.
7:59 AM on 11/9/2009 by Nicholas "bapenguin" Puleo
When the New Xbox Experience was released last year, one of the greatest features of the update was the ability to install games to your Xbox 360 hard drive to help decrease loading times. Sadly, not all games benefited from this.
Most older titles were designed to be played from the disc and developers optimized data on the discs, often duplicating it in various regions on the disc, to stream loads. Games like Halo 3 and Crackdown were actually slower when installed to the hard drive.
The Crackdown team though recently released an update for the game that will remedy the situation, making loading from the hard drive a more optimized experience. It's a good time to give the game another go to get yourself hyped for Crackdown 2.
8:16 AM on 10/23/2009 by Nicholas "bapenguin" Puleo
The first batch of invites went out late last night to lucky Xbox 360 owners who applied to be in the latest preview program. With it comes the ability to access Twitter, Facebook, Last.FM, Zune Marketplace and instant 1080p on demand movies.
Quite the feature list.
Did you get in? What are your thoughts?
8:48 AM on 10/15/2009 by Nicholas "bapenguin" Puleo
Microsoft's next dashboard update will be launching soon, and they are offering gamers a chance to get their hands on it early.
What exactly will the update entail? Twitter and Facebook integration for one, making it easier to find other co-op gamers and get games going. There's also Zune Marketplace to integrate with that shiny new ZuneHD you have.
So hit this link and sign up, chances are you'll get in. They are looking for thousands of previewers.
7:58 AM on 8/11/2009 by Nicholas "bapenguin" Puleo
The new Xbox 360 dashboard is live this morning for all to download. You'll be prompted for a system update once you boot your Xbox 360 and connect to Xbox Live.
The update will get you a brand new party system in Netflix, Avatar items and unlockables, games on demand, a full rating system for all content, and enhanced user interface features like a new achievement browser and sortable friends lists. You may even see some performance improvements. You can find out the entire change log of updates on Xbox.com.
Which feature is your favorite feature of the update? What feature would you like to see in future updates?
7:52 AM on 7/29/2009 by Nicholas "bapenguin" Puleo
According to Major Nelson, if you applied to be in the customer preview of the latest dashboard update - and you were chosen - you should have received an email that looked like the above picture. The update should be applied the next time you turn on your Xbox 360.
If you didn't get accepted, don't worry, they are still accepting applications and it looks like a 2nd batch of invites may go out.
The update includes many new features including Netflix Parties, Game Ratings, UI Enhancements and numerous other tweaks. We've got a thread going with Co-Optimus member feedback right here. If you're running the new dash, let us know what you think!
11:57 AM on 2/6/2009 by Jim "txshurricane" McLaughlin
Photo from Tipheret's Flickr photostream
VG247 reported this week that Rare is teasing unlockable clothing -- and possibly accessory items -- for our Xbox 360 NXE avatars in the near future.
In a manner similar to Achievements, gamers will gain access to unique garb from select game developers as they work their way through the game.
This is something that Co-Optimus users have discussed in the forums, and it's good to see that Rare is on board with gamers in general. Of course, beyond turning Banjo into an animated papercraft...when has Rare not been in synch with gamers?
Now all we need is for Valve to get on board, and we'll have Left 4 Dead lookalike avatars and infected horde premium themes before we know it!
Thanks to Kielaran for the e-mail tip!
8:06 AM on 12/12/2008 by Nicholas "bapenguin" Puleo
I spy with my little eye a BAPenguin avatar! Can you see it? The Good Major has brought word that Xbox 360 owners can download a neat and free app called the SnowGlobe which puts your friends list inside a..uh...snow globe. Watch as the helplessly try to get out of your maniacal trap; tapping on the glass, screaming for help, and desperately gasping for air. Ok, so I made that last part up, but you can shake it and watch it snow. White X360-Mas indeed.
Speaking of avatars, if you head into the customization section for avatars you'll notice some new winter gear, free of charge, to keep your avatar nice and warm during his stay in the snow globe. These items are easily recognizable as they are marked with a star, denoting a new item. You can even download a holiday theme to go with it, free to Gold Members...no, not that one.
From what we hear we can expect new "theme packs" of avatar accessories every few months. There's no official word if they'll be free like the winter pack, but we can only hope. My guess is the first time there's a Master Chief helmet available, that'll be the first time they charge.
8:35 AM on 12/11/2008 by Nicholas "bapenguin" Puleo
We're big fans of Microsoft's revamped dashboard called the New Xbox Experience. It's not just the fancy features like a party system, streamlined interface, Netflix, or even avatars. Nope, we love it because of the new events channel which showcases awesome community events like our very own Xbox Live Co-Op Night!
Microsoft likes the NXE too. Not only for the above reasons but because they've already seen a noticeable improvement in many areas including arcade downloads, video downloads, friend requests, and more.
We've posted the full stats after the break, courtesy of the good Major.
8:38 AM on 11/29/2008 by Nicholas "bapenguin" Puleo
It was a bit of an odd week for news, with a giant holiday in the US sitting on Thursday. Despite that, there were a few big announcements to hit this week.
Here's what we have on tap for Beyond Co-Op this week.
- Columbia Pictures returns to Netflix on NXE
- Super Street Fighter II HD Remix Released
- Video Game Voice Actor Shot in India Terrorist Attacks
- Assassin's Creed 2 in the Works
- Fallout 3 DLC Coming in January
- Xbox 360 'Jasper' Spotted in the Wild
COLONY OF GAMERS NEWS
