Xbox Living

Brace yourself for some shocking news. Are you ready for this?

Grand Theft Auto IV is selling well.

Yeah. I didn’t see that coming either.

So how well is it selling? Lets take a look at some initial data:

• 6 million copies of Grand Theft Auto IV have been sold in the first week since the launch.
• Over half of those (3.6 million) were sold on launch day.
• The game has raked in over 500 million dollars in sales.
• In North America, 60% of GTA IV copies sold are for the Xbox 360 platform, over the PS3. In Europe, the Xbox 360 claims about 55% of the sold copies.
• Grand Theft Auto IV has overtaken Call of Duty 4 as the #1 game on Xbox Live (for now, at least)

It all comes down to this: the release of Grand Theft Auto is now the biggest entertainment launch in history.

As for the console wars, Microsoft was quick to declare its own victory in the number of Xbox 360 copies sold over the PlayStation 3.

The fact that downloadable content will be Xbox-exclusive may have helped Microsoft take the lead in GTA IV sales. The company arranged a $50-million U.S. deal to ensure that GTA IV downloads will only appear on the Xbox Live service. However, Sony PlayStation boss David Reeves spoke out this week, claiming that DLC for the game probably will make its way to the PS3, eventually.

At any rate, Grand Theft Auto will probably reign for quite some time: I’m all hyped out for now.

Here’s an interesting article written by author Stephen King in his Entertainment Weekly column. King has taken a stand against the media and some politicians on the frequently-debated issue of video game violence, describing Massachusetts’ proposed ratings legislature as “lunacy”.

“What makes me crazy is when politicians take it upon themselves to play surrogate parents. The results of that are usually disastrous. Not to mention undemocratic.”

King’s stand is mostly against the double-standard that legislators and media outlets seem to have on the industry. That is, video games seem to get into trouble for far less than films do.  He points out that the proposed bill itself creates a different standard for games:

“[The bill] means, by the way, that a 17-year-old who can get in to see Hostel: Part II would be forbidden by law from buying (or renting, one supposes) the violent but less graphic Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.”

King also suggests that the danger posed by any violently-motivating quality of video games is far less than the U.S. lack of adequate gun control.

I’ve been saying it all along: the responsibility lies on parents to uh, y’know — parent. Considering how most DVD players, cable boxes and video game consoles have parental controls these days — shouldn’t concerned parents actually use them?

I couldn’t resist posting this one:

The end credits theme from Portal done with the music composer in Super NES game Mario Paint.

Just as an aside, I picked up The Orange Box recently. I really don’t know how I managed to not play it until then. Half Life 2 is an enjoyable game, of course, and Team Fortress 2 is a nice change for Xbox 360 multiplayer action. But the gem in this little ensemble is definitely Portal.

If you haven’t grabbed a copy and tried out Portal yet… uhm, get off your ass. Or don’t, and order it online. I don’t really care. Just play it. Not only will you have lots of puzzling fun with one of the most eccentric games out there, you’ll understand all of the creepy Internet talk about cake.

It’s no secret (sorry Microsoft) that the Xbox 360 has an appalling failure rate. I’m currently on my third Xbox 360 system, but I’ve spoken with others on their fourth or fifth. It’s been estimated that about 1/3 Xbox 360 consoles fail. Early models of the console would scratch discs and read games as if they were DVDs (presenting the ironic “please insert this disc into an Xbox 360 console” message.) But the most persistent and annoying problem is the infamous “Red Ring of Death“.

The Red Ring is occurs when the Xbox 360 experiences a general hardware failure. If you see the red ring (three of the four lights on the console’s ring of light will flash red), chances are that your system is dead and will need repair or replacement. The biggest culprit behind the red ring is overheating — the circuits inside the Xbox 360 become brittle at high temperatures and can degrade or break apart. Microsoft claims to have fixed the problem on newer consoles.

There’s no perfect way to prevent your Xbox 360 from experiencing the red ring, but there are a few things you can do to improve your chances:

Keep your Xbox 360 in an open area

If you keep it tucked in a little cubby in your entertainment unit, your Xbox 360 can get a little stuffy. Heat gets trapped easily in small areas, and the Xbox 360 is already bad enough at managing its temperature. Instead, keep it standing up in an open area where it has some room to breathe. Also, try and keep it away from windows — both direct sunlight and a winter breeze can be harmful to your system.

Don’t turn the system off right away

When you’re playing a game, the system is operating at its highest temperature — the GPU is pushed to its limits and the disc drive is spinning away. If you shut down your console abruptly, it may cool too fast — which can be a problem as well. Sudden temperature changes can cause the circuits to separate or bend inside the console — which could eventually lead to the red ring.

Instead, leave your Xbox 360 on the Dashboard for about 10 minutes after play. On the dashboard, the system doesn’t have to work as hard and the CD drive is still — this lets the Xbox cool off a bit before the heat is taken away completely. After about 10 minutes, you can shut down the console and let it cool down the rest of the way.

If the weather outside is frightful…

In the winter, you might want to avoid transporting your Xbox 360 outside — especially if you live in a northern climate (like, say, Canada). If your Xbox starts to freeze, its tender electronic insides can get hurt.

If you do need to move your Xbox 360 around in the wintertime, let it warm up to room temperature before you start playing it. Otherwise, your Xbox will heat up too quickly, and the circuitry will distort or snap as a result. If that happens, you’re guaranteed a Red Ring.

Be careful with cooling fans

If you use a cooling fan, be sure that it does not draw power from the Xbox 360 itself. Some units draw power from the system, which can also cause hardware failures. Microsoft will go as far as to void your warranty if you use one. If you do use a cooling fan, be sure that it has its own plug and that it doesn’t draw any power or interfere with the Xbox in any way. (It might be safer, though, to use the Xbox 360 without a fan while your warranty is still good.)

If you do use a fan, be sure to turn it off as soon as you power down your Xbox 360. If you don’t, the system will cool too fast and may suffer damage.

Don’t use a surge protector

The Xbox 360’s giant brick of a power source includes a built-in surge protector, so don’t worry about frying your console. Plug it directly into the wall socket — a surge protector limits the power flow to the Xbox, which Microsoft warns can be harmful to your console.

If you do see the Red Ring…

• Don’t panic. First of all, if all four lights are flashing, it’s not a hardware failure — that warning means your AV cable isn’t properly connected to the console.
• If your wires all check out, try leaving the console alone for a while (at room temperature) and then trying again.
• If nothing works, call the Xbox support line. Microsoft extended the warranty to three years for the red-ring problem, so your console is protected for three years from the day you purchased it. Since the console was released in November 2005, that means all consoles are under warranty until at least November 2008.
• Microsoft is pretty quick about replacing consoles with this problem. When I got the red ring a few months ago, I got my replacement in 6 business days. I’m told that’s quick, and it might be because I’m not too far from the nearest service center in Toronto, Canada. The average wait time is said to be about 22 days.

Good luck. There’s a 33% chance you’ll need it.

Ever get sick of being called a noob in Call of Duty? Tired of blaming lag when you get pwned in Halo 3? Can’t finish those last few Guitar Hero songs? We have just the thing for you!

A German firm has developed a new drug that’s designed to make you better at playing video games. FpsBrain is supposed to boost your mental alertness and response times — which is probably useful in many situations but is being targeted at gamers because it contains less caffeine than most energy supplements, preventing the shaky caffeine jitters that could ruin a good game.

The ingredients are mostly vitamins, amino acids and a touch of caffeine, making it about on par with your average energy drink. Aside from being a little unnecessary, it’s not particularly unhealthy and has passed German health & safety requirements.

A bottle of 60 capsules costs €19.90, which is roughly $30 U.S.

Creepy.

It finally happened to me.

Anyone who’s familiar with the Xbox 360 console knows that it has a few technical problems. Chief among them, is what’s infamously known as the ‘Red Ring of Death’. Occasionally, this occurs when the console is overheated or when the power supply is faulty — but this also occurs as a result of unspecified hardware failures within the system itself.

And today it happened to me. Suddenly, my Xbox 360 stopped functioning, and displayed the red ring (which starts off as a full ring, but quickly turns to the “three flashing lights” variety.) It took about a minute of the standard troubleshooting tips to determine that I would need to part with my console, as it would need repair (or replacement).

For those of you who haven’t gone through this, here’s the drill: Microsoft will send you an empty box via courier. Once you receive it, you place your console (sans hard drive or accessories) in the box, and ship it back to them using the prepaid labels they provide. They’ll then send the repaired console back to you, unless they discover that you’ve tampered with your system — in which case they send it back without repair. According to the agent, this process will take about 3-4 weeks in total.

My console isn’t under normal warranty anymore, but Microsoft has provided an additional 3-year warranty only for the red-ring problem. This is my first encounter with the red ring, but this will be my second time sending my Xbox 360 in. About a year ago, my console recognized all games as DVDs and refused to play them. That repair process (which I believe was simply a replacement) took about one week.

The main frustration for me is that I had just moved on to the final level of Mass Effect. I’ve been enjoying that game, and now I’ll have to postpone its finale until the end of the year. This also means I probably won’t have my Xbox 360 for the holidays.

Microsoft is compensating me with a free month of Xbox Live Gold…. an incredible $9 value. Yippee.

I’ll try to use this new free time for good (getting work done, maybe writing some reviews for this blog) and not evil (buying a PS3).

Last week did a spectacular job at keeping me away from the Web. Between some unfortunate family happenings and my own bout with the flu, I was unable to post. But at the same time, last week was quite busy for Xbox 360 gamers — enough to give me something to do while I was stuck in bed for a couple of days.

On Tuesday, both Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga were released for the Xbox 360.

Call of Duty 4, of course, is the much-anticipated sequel to a series that has proved quite popular on the Xbox 360, and on Xbox Live. But CoD4 takes us out of the World War II setting of the previous games in the series, and puts us in a modern environment. And does it ever. The graphics on this game are incredible, and the pure realism of character movements and voice acting make you feel like you’re there, minus the complete terror.

Meanwhile, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is essentially a compilation of the two previous games, uniting the two trilogies that make up the Star Wars movie franchise. The Complete Saga contains all of the Episode I-VI levels from both games, as well as some previously unreleased levels, new characters and other bonus features. And, of course, for you achievement nuts: an extra 1000 Gamerscore for playing through again. Plus, Lego Star Wars? Just plain fun, however old you are.

And of course, with us sliding into the holiday season, there will be more new releases over the next few weeks. The major ones are:

• Assassin’s Creed: On November 13, sneak around a dramatically realistic Holy Land and seek out your targets.
• Kane & Lynch: Dead Men: On November 14, Embark on a journey of crazy violence.
• Mass Effect: On November 20, explore a massive galaxy and experience what promises to be the finest action-RPG gameplay of the year.
• Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess: On November 20, journey to the past of Vana’diel and unlock new jobs such as Scholar and Dancer.

Also out over the month are: BlackSite: Area 51 (Nov 12), WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2008 (Nov 13), Need for Speed ProStreet (Nov 13), Soldier of Fortune: Payback (Nov 13), College Hoops 2K8 (November 18), Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Burning Earth (November 19), Rock Band (November 20), History Channel: Battle for the Pacific (November 27). And of course, Guitar Hero III, which came out last month, is very popular this holiday season — and equally difficult to find.

It’s time to start playing nice for Santa.

The Xbox 360 is a power-hungry machine. That’s easy to determine with one look at the massive brick of a power supply that comes packaged with the system. The machine eats up 160 watts of power, more than double the power usage of the original Xbox. Clearly, the system isn’t environmentally friendly. You could do worse, though; playing games on a PS3 or a PC will use even more power.

Take a look at how the various video game platforms compare with each other in terms of power usage:

Source: hardCOREware.net

As you can plainly see, the Nintendo Wii is the clear winner here, and that’s no surprise. Nintendo designed the machine to be small, quiet, cheap and efficient. The Wii is also far less powerful than any of its competitors in terms of graphics processing. If the environment were the only factor, I’d say let’s all just play the Wii instead.

But there are some great games on the Xbox 360, as well as the best online play across any platform. So sorry, Earth, but we’d like to keep playing. So how can you minimize your Xbox 360’s power usage and feel a little less guilty about the countless hours you spend online?

Well, for starters you can unplug your Xbox 360 when it’s turned off. Like all consoles, the Xbox 360 isn’t really off when it’s off. Instead, it goes into a ’standby’ mode that maintains a network connection and keeps looking for a nearby controller to activate it. This standby mode continually eats 2.5 watts of power. That’s may not sound like much, but it certainly adds up over time. (Interestingly, the Wii is at the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to standby mode — if you use the WiiConnect24 feature to keep your console up-to-date, the system will use 9.5 watts of power in standby.) So when you’re not playing, switch off your powerbar or unplug the console to save some of this energy.

Next, you can not watch DVDs on your Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 eats up much more power than a standard DVD player, so watching movies on your 360 is an unnecessary energy drain. There’s a more selfish reason to do this as well — all video game consoles have a tendency to wear out and playing DVDs only adds more spin time to your disc drive. Better to put that entertainment mileage on a cheaper player.

Use rechargable batteries for your controllers. Okay, this one won’t necessarily save energy but it’s an environmentally friendly step for your 360. Microsoft sells a rechargeable pack for the wireless controllers, but you can get rechargeable AA batteries for less. Slap these in and prevent dozens (or hundreds) of alkaline batteries from piling up at the dump.

None of these tips are particularly difficult to follow and they’ll help cut back your Xbox 360 power usage significantly. In turn, that will help the environment — and save you some coin on your energy bill. Sounds like a plan to me.

It’s one of the most anticipated games, ever. It’s had the most pre-orders in history (with over 1.5 million in the U.S. alone).

Halo 3 is finally here! It’s release day, people.

I’m most looking forward to get into the online play of Xbox Live. Solid online play has been a cornerstone for most popular Xbox 360 titles, and with the incredible success of Halo 2 online, as well as the popularity of the Halo 3 Beta, it’s sure to be fun.

My beautiful wife pre-ordered me a copy of the game from Amazon, so I’m just waiting for it to arrive. They’ve already sent confirmation that it’s on its way.

So — will I see you on Halo 3’s Live battlefield?

Update: I got my copy! Thank you Amazon.ca for having such quick shipping on pre-ordered items. I was a little worried I wouldn’t get it until later in the week. Already played through the first mission and a couple of basic training online matches. Fun, fun.