Helmers Blog

It’s E3 time again. Just like every year Microsoft has some nice new XBOX 360 features to announce. Watch it live over at xbox.com.

The most, in my opinion, interesting feature will be the new XBOX 360 add-on called Kinect (also known as Project Natal), which will make it possible to control your XBOX 360 without a physical controller. Your body is the new controller!

  It’s party time again if you own an XBOX 360! Just like last Spring ‘09, in 2008 and 2007 this will be the 4th Xtival in Europe! This year the party will be bigger and better then the last editions!

See Tiësto headlining, plus MSN bring you live performances from the music scene’s best talent. There’s a lot to play for this weekend including tournaments, demos and great deals on your favourite games. This year’s glittering Xtival film stage is packed with a world exclusive James Cameron “Avatar” trailer, prizes, offers and more.

Create your own line-up and share it with your friends!

More info about Xtival Spring ‘09 (United Kingdom)

Meer informatie over Xtival Voorjaar ‘09 (Nederland / België) Plus d’information plus de Xtival Printemps ‘09 (France / Belgique ) Mehr Info vorbei Xtival Fruhling ‘09 (Deutchland / Österreich)

Più Info sopra Xtival Primavera ‘09 (Italia) winter Más Info encima Xtival Primavera ‘09 (España) More info about Xtival Forår ‘09 (Danmark)

If your language isn’t in the above list, click this link to go to your own localized version. If you get a Looking for something at XBOX.com. The page you tried could not be found’ error then Xtival is not available in your country!

Nerd Stuff Like a real Microsoft-fan/nerd I own an XBOX 360, a (Windows 7) Media Center and a Windows Home Server to satisfy my Multimedia and gaming needs. In this blog post I will tell you about my setup and why I choose the products I mentioned. There is also space for some criticism, because hey..it’s Microsoft stuff! Just kidding…I love the products, but I am missing some features. Some of the missing features have something to do with the country I live in. I love pictures, don’t you? That’s why I first show you a picture of my network, so you can’t imagine how everything is connected. If you have a question, don’t hesitate just drop me a line. How? Check my About page for my contact info. Just click the Read More link to read the whole story!

Read the rest of this entry »

Just a few days ago I received an e-mail with the invitation to test drive the upcoming Zune Video Streaming service on XBOX Live! Yeah..you have to pay (even during the testing phase) to test the streaming service, but when you complete a survey you will receive 1200 Microsoft Points (1 movie is about 500 Points).

I’m not sure what went wrong, but just a few moments  ago I received another e-mail in which the XBOX Beta Administrators announced that they discontinued the offer of 1200 Microsoft Points for completing the error reporting survey.

This was the e-mail I received :

 

Hello Testers,

We regret to inform you that we have discontinued the offer of 1200 Microsoft Points for completing the “Zune video streaming” error reporting survey. We appreciate your continued feedback during the testing process and can’t wait to bring the full service to you in November.

Movie night is still taking place this weekend and there will be a wide variety of movies available for rental during the Preview period. Please note that you will need to use Microsoft Points to rent these movies.

Even though the 1200 Microsoft Points offer is no longer available, we look forward to your continued participation in the Xbox LIVE Update Preview Program.

Regards,

The Xbox Beta Administrators

 

They still want us (the Testers) to test the video streaming stuff, we have to pay to test and won’t receive anything in return? Oke….when you’re participating in the XBOX Live Update Preview Program it’s normal you do something in return…but pay for testing the streaming of a movie (not much choice for now, only considerable old movies available in the Netherlands)…I don’t like that at all!

I can imagine that everybody was filling out a error report (to collect the 1200 MP’s), even the movie night hasn’t even started yet If the testing wasn’t gonna cost me anything (or they had new movies available) I wanted to try the service, but now I have to pay and they don’t have any recent movie….sorry…I’ll just skip the testing part!

Today was the day that the First Wave would receive the Fall 2009 Xbox LIVE Update Preview. When I turned my Xbox on earlier today (or better said : yesterday) I received the update. Ohw…another fact about the Xbox 360 : There will be no Blu-Ray drive for the Xbox 360! The Blu-Ray accessories Steve Ballmer talked about earlier were Blu-Ray accessories for the PC!

To refresh your memory : This is what’s the Xbox Live Fall Update bringing us….

1. Zune video brings movies and TV shows with instant on HD in full 1080p to your Xbox 360 console. You’ll find a huge selection, all with the amazing clarity and the convenience of cable.  Xbox LIVE members can now enjoy a true movie theater experience from the comfort of home.
2. Facebook: Now you can compare your Xbox LIVE and Facebook friends lists, update your status to share  hat movie, game or entertainment you’re enjoying, find friends and view their news feeds, status and photos on the big screen – all seamlessly integrated and custom-built for Xbox 360. Requires adult Xbox LIVE Gold account.
3. Last.fm (US & UK Only): Turn your Xbox 360 into your living room juke box with a library of more than 3.5 millions songs. Stream personalized radio stations through Xbox LIVE by skipping, “banning” or “loving” songs to tailor the radio station to your tastes – we’ve even built in “Gamer Stations” with music selected specifically for the gaming community. Requires adult Xbox LIVE Gold account.. [More Info] Twitter Stay in the know by discovering, posting, and replying to Tweets right on your Xbox 360. You can even view friend profiles, trends and conversations, or search to see who’s Tweeting about your favorite game. Requires adult Xbox LIVE Gold account.
4. Inside Xbox News & More (US Only): A new section of the “Inside Xbox” channel, “News and More” transforms Xbox LIVE into a full-fledged media portal. With a regularly-updated stream of content from msnbc.com , The New Yorker and Dilbert, “News and More” brings the latest in current events, arts and entertainment right to your fingertips.  Requires Xbox LIVE Gold account.

So…enough about the theory! Check out my video below to see all the stuff in live action (because I live in the Netherlands I can’t show you the Last.FM and Inside Xbox News & More)

 XBOX Live Update Preview Video