Turns out that a new snapshot (unofficial) version of my favourite DVD to iPod Converter is available. With the new version came new features like the one that allows me now to convert almost anything to wonderful iPod compatible movie files.

“HandBrake is an open-source, GPL-licensed, multiplatform, multithreaded DVD to MPEG-4 converter, available for MacOS X, Linux and Windows.”

I tried anything in my library, including some matroska movie files. Just everything worked – amazing!

Source: http://handbrake.fr/?article=snapshot

It’s not as many of those fance company-blogs like gizmodo have written: not the Xbox Media Center project (which makes XBMC for Windows, Linux, Xbox 1 and OSX) renamed itself – infact only the fork of OSXBMC renamed itself to PLEX.

“The one name that stuck was Plex. I like it because it evokes “cineplex” and the suffix means “comprising a number of parts” which the application certain does. In mathematics, you use the suffix to mean “ten to the power of the number” (e.g. oneplex = 10).

Because there are no four-letter domain names left (seriously, try to find one!) we decided to square the plex, so to speak. Think of either plex^2 or plex squared (the beta logo below tries to connote the word “plex” inside a square that might represent a TV screen). The domain names are plex2.com, plexsquared.com, and plexsquare.com for good measure. They are not active yet.

In the coming days, we’ll be working on the rebranding process, including the application packaging, logo, web domains, etc. In the longer term, we have some exciting things in the skin department as well. Stay tuned, and thanks for all your support; we really are lucky to have such an great community.”

Along with the new name comes a new logo:

Source: http://www.osxbmc.com/
Source 2: http://www.plex2.com

If you are – just like me – still using the very good and always updated Xbox Media Center for your slightly hacked XBOX 1 console you should take a look at the new XBMC.org website:

Not only that these guys a making a great job creating the best Media Center that I’ve ever was allowed to use, they are even porting it to different platforms:

“It’s currently being ported to both Linux (x86 Ubuntu 32bit) and Mac OS X. Team XBMC is looking for talented developers to help with this effort.

Official XBMC software application names:

• XBMC for Mac OS X
• XBMC for Linux
• XBMC for Xbox “

That means: If you have a OS X or Linux box, you should visit the site too and take a look at the (early) snapshots of XBMC for your platform.

Source: http://www.xbmc.org

Thanks for linking to me. And you kotaku readers: grab the RSS feed and keep on reading this blog!

“Most broadband routers use Network Address Translation (NAT). Windows Internet Connection Sharing also uses NAT.

For most devices that use NAT, port forwarding is not required to connect to Xbox Live. This is especially true if you use an Xbox Live certified device. Port forwarding should only be needed if you use a proxy server or a true firewall device instead of, or in addition to a NAT. Sometimes, you may have to configure port settings on a non Xbox Live certified router or gateway.
If there is a firewall device between the Xbox console and the network device, you may have to configure the firewall to enable communication on specific network ports. If the NAT status in the Network Status area of the Dashboard is “moderate” or “strict,” you may have to configure port settings.”

The following ports must be available for Xbox Live to operate correctly:

• UDP 88
• UDP 3074
• TCP 3074

Source: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/908874/en-us

“This material represents thousands of man-hours of work, and was presented during last month’s Gamefest 2006 conference (when we announced XNA Game Studio Express).

Good news: These content files represent a colossal amount of up-to-date knowledge, delivered right to your computer. Your brain might explode from the information overload, but you’ll die happy. (FYI: Most of the content is PPT slide decks and audio recordings. You’ll have to page the deck yourself as you listen. There are also a few movie demos and a couple of white papers)

Bad news: These are big honking files. Some exceeding 500Mb. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya.”

Gamefest 2006: Graphics Track

• Introduction to Direct3D 10: Coming to a PC Near You
• Using Direct3D 10: Getting the Most from Your Direct3D 10 Engine
• Effects 10: Driving the New Effects System
• Exploiting Direct3D 10: Advanced Techniques Using Direct3D 10
• Advanced Lighting and More from Microsoft Research
• Xbox 360 Direct3D and GPU Performance Update
• HLSL Shader Compiler Update for Xbox 360 and Windows
• Under the Hood: Revving Up Shader Performance
• Seven Ways to Skin a Mesh: Character Skinning Revisited for Modern GPUs
• HDR the Bungie Way
• Cross-Platform Graphics Engine Development

Gamefest 2006: Windows and Xbox 360 System Programming Track

• Designing Multi-Core Games: How to Walk and Chew Bubblegum at the Same Time
• Multi-Core Memory Coherence: The Hidden Perils of Sharing Data
• Sublime C++ for Games
• Games as Malware: Why Security is Your Problem Too
• Hardening the Box: The Xbox 360 and Windows Vista Security Models
• Supercharging I/O: Hard Disk, DVD, and Memory Unit
• Memory Management Internals: Allocation Strategies for High Performance
• Power Debugging: Nasty Bugs and How to Find Them
• Taming the CLR: How To Write Really Fast Managed Code
• Windows Performance Topics for Games
• Xbox 360 CPU Performance Update
• Developing Games for Windows and Xbox 360: Stories from the Trenches

Gamefest 2006: Developer Tools: XNA and Visual Studio Track

• Working Smarter and Building Faster with Visual C++ 2005
• Managing Content Builds with XNA Build
• An Introduction to Agile Development
• Creating Games with the XNA Framework
• A Closer Look at the XNA Framework Content Pipeline
• Managing Content Builds with XNA Build

Gamefest 2006: Visual Arts Track

• Dynamic Animation in Next-Generation Games
• Exporting SOFTIMAGE|FACE ROBOT into a Real-Time Engine
• Procedural Texturing Using ProFX: 2K Textures in 2KB
• How’d They Do That? Graphics Samples Explained
• Creating Captivating Visual Content for DirectX 10
• Shaders and Shader Tools for Artists
• Pushing the Pipeline: Creating a Next-Generation Art Pipeline in Less Than Six Months
• Photorealistic Lighting Solutions for Next- Generation Games using Turtle 3
• Strategies for Coping with the Demand of High Def Art

Gamefest 2006: Cross-Platform Xbox Live Track

• Live Anywhere: Bringing the Live Experience to Windows
• Session Enhancements: Host Migration, Improved TrueSkill™ and More
• The New Xbox Live Server Platform: Opening up the Network
• Community Extensions: Further Options to Customize Your Game’s User Experience
• Achievements and Stats: Adding to the “Just Five More Minutes” Factor

Gamefest 2006: Casual Games Track

• Developing Games for Xbox Live Arcade
• Developing Web-Based Games for MSN Games
• Preparing Casual Games for Windows Vista
• Developing Casual Games for MSN Messenger
• Future Platforms and Opportunities for Casual Games

Gamefest 2006: Audio Track

• Full Service Audio: A Comprehensive Guide to Tools, Libraries, and Services for Audio on Xbox 360 and Windows Vista
• The Fundamentals of Audio Rendering on Xbox 360 and Windows Vista
• XMA Implementation and Aesthetics (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Compression)
• Using the Top Rear Left-of-Center Low Frequency Speaker: How Multi-channel Audio Works on Xbox 360 and Windows Vista
• Distributed Composing: Managing Audio Collaboration and Cross-Platform Deployment for XACT Projects
• An Analytical Study of Audio Implementations for Existing Windows and Xbox 360 Titles

Gamefest 2006: Game Middleware Track

• Adding Camera-Based Gesture and Face Tracking to Games
• Making Your Game Sound More Cinematic
• Extensible .NET Tools for Game Development – Guidelines and Lessons Learned
• An Overview of Voice Recognition Implementation
• Meshing AGEIA and Granny
• Combining Different Middleware Solutions to Create a Customized Platform
• The Convergence of AI, Physics and Animation
• The Dos and Absolutely-Do-Nots of XLSP: A Middleware Perspective
• Advanced Tools and Techniques for Shipping Your Game On-Time
• Creating a DirectX 10 Shader Authoring Sandbox Using SOFTIMAGE|XSI
• The State of the (Audio) Nation: A Conversation with Leading Audio Content Middleware Solutions

Gamefest 2006: Producer and Business Development Track

• Games for Windows Vista: Nail the Essentials, Showcase the Innovations
• Marketplace: Future of Digital Distribution
• Making your Windows Titles Come ALIVE Anywhere!
• Expanding Your Audience Through Accessibility
• Rise Above: Improving Your Game’s Chances for Success by Focusing on What Players Want

Gamefest 2006: Quality Assurance and Certification Track

• Introduction to Windows Error Reporting as a Service
• Games for Windows Vista Compatibility: The Essentials
• Microsoft Games Testing Organization: Testing Evolved

Source 1: http://www.microsoftgamefest.com/
Source 2: http://letskilldave.com/archive/2006/09/11/Gamefes…

More than 2 years from now I wrote about Super Mario War. And now it’s time to take another look on the project and the upcoming version.

Super Mario War is a Super Mario multiplayer game. The goal is to stomp as many other Marios as possible to win the game. It’s a tribute to Nintendo and the game Mario War by Samuele Poletto. The game uses artwork and sounds from Nintendo games. We hope that this noncommercial fangame qualifies as fair use work. We just wanted to create this game to show how much we adore Nintendo’s characters and games.

Features:

• Up to four players deathmatch fun
• a whole bunch of game modes (featuring GetTheChicken, Domination, CTF, …)
• Comes with the leveleditor – you can create your own maps…
• … and a lot of people did so. There are currently over 400 maps
• More fun than poking a monkey with a stick
• The whole source code of the game is available
• uses SDL and is fully portable to windows, linux, mac, …
• CPU Players
• will make you happy and gives you a fuzzy feeling

Source 1: Super Mario War in 2004

Source 2: http://smw.72dpiarmy.com/

Here we are – the newest episode of XBox3000 TV (german).

Download WMV (1100 MB)
Download iPod kompatibles MP4 (480 MB)

Nat

Here we are – the newest episode of XBox3000 TV (german).

Natürlich kann das ganze auch iPod kompatibel über den Podcast bezogen werden.

54 Minuten

Games-News:

• Halo 3 kommt
• Forza2
• GTA 4
• Xbox Live Update
• Neue Call of Duty 2 Maps
• Hitman Blood Money Demo
• Neue Games auf der E3

E3

• Major Nelson vs. Bill Gates

Gerüchte

• HD DVD ohne digitalen Kopierschutz?

Über den Tellerrand

• Sony E3 Press Con
• Nintendo Wiiii

Games

• Tischtennis bei Take 2!
• PGR3 Entwickler machen „The Club“
• LEGO Star Wars II

Weiteres:

• Wir sparen für Xbox „DREI“

Gewinnspiel:

• Preise von Wooosh.de

So someone created a comparison picture of all the current available non-handheld consoles. Damn this Nintendo Wii is small.

Source: Aeropause

I have to admint that when I first drove the Warthog in HALO 1 my first thought was “It’s a french car! The steering is so indirect and tipsy like in every french car I drove to this point.”

And who would have thought that I was right? (well beside of moi) It’s a PEUGEOT! It’s a concept car and therefore it’s worth a lot of money…though it lacks the turret on the back…

Source: Warthog Testdrive

Here we are – the newest episode of XBox3000 TV (german).

click to watch

Natürlich kann das ganze auch iPod kompatibel über den Podcast bezogen werden.

One of the new key features of XBOX Live! and XBOX 360 is the gamerscore. Every user has a gamerscore which simply is the number of points the user achieved in all the games he/she played.

Since the games more and more tend to NOT have any cheat-possibilities everyone likes to get some tips how to boost the gamerscore. That’s exactly what Achieve360points does. It lists all the available achievements for every XBOX 360 game and gives you some advise how to actually get them.

Source: http://www.achieve360points.com

Here we are – the newsest episode of XBox3000 TV (german).

Natürlich kann das ganze auch iPod kompatibel über den Podcast bezogen werden.

Games-News:

• Mutiplayer Patch für CoD2
• Halo kommt als Comic
• Microsoft gibt Entwickler vollen Zugriff auf Xbox Live
• Shane Kim Interview: Halo3, E3 2006 und PS3
• Epic Records Partnerschaft mit Microsoft
• Silent Hill 1 für 360
• E-Sport.com
• Ein Blick zum Konkurrenten: Playstation 3

Specials:

• Samsung Euro Championship auf der CeBit 2006

Game-Previews:

• The Outfit
• Full Auto
• Oblivion
• Tomb Raider

Weiteres:

• Wir sparen für Xbox „DREI“

Gewinnspiel:
Preise von THQ:

• Faceplates „The Outfit“

For some game generations we have the Nürburgring in racing simulations. But now a new challenge: Top Gear is in my opinion one of the best car- and motor-sport magazines ever made (and coming up the next months again).

So this magazine has a test track where all the cars have to do a power lap to set a time.

And that’s exactly what I want to do: I want to set a time and compete with others on this track. Wouldn’t it be great? Even after Jeremy Clarksons Gran Turismo experiment where JC exercised on a PS2 and raced the real track afterwards…

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear

Here we are – the newest episode of Xbox3000 TV (german).

Natürlich kann auch eine iPod/PSP Version der aktuellen Episode per Podcast empfangen werden. Einfach den Podcast abonnieren.

Games-News:

• Medal of Honor Airborne angekündigt
• Rainbow Six Critical Hour für Xbox360
• Kommt noch Xbox1 Software?
• Star Trek Legacy – neuer Kotor Konkurrent?
• Splinter Cell Double Agent verschoben
• Ghost Recon 2 Content!
• New Xbox Live Arcade Games
• Vorsicht mit Xbox 4GB Festplatten
• Stargate SG1 angekündigt
• Call of Duty 3 angekündigt
• Festplatte zwingend notwendig!
• Gerüchteküche…
• Deutsche Casemod-Meisterschaft gestartet

Specials:

• Interview mit Microsofts Xbox Live Product Manager Frank Halgasch

Gewinnspiel:
Preise von Microsoft

• Pro Evolution Soccer 5 Xbox Live Kit
• Conker T-Shirts
• Perfect Dark Zero Kalender
• Xbox1-Developer-Mousepads
• bestickte Xbox Live Caps

oh dear, what a mess.

Source: kotaku

We’re very proud to present the newest episode of XBox3000 TV. You can watch the WMV – oh and it’s in german.

Or you can get the iPod compatible version via the podcast rss feed.

P.S.: yes we know the sound is poor – Promise: next time it’s better.

Source: http://www.xbox3000.de

MyGamerCard provides since some 40 days a service that allows you to put your XBOX live gamercard on your website or in web forum avatar pictures. Great service.

Source: http://mygamercard.net/

I did not really have the time to get into the game but it surely is a step forward. It’s faster it has better graphics… Just awesome!

Click to watch…turn the volume down..it’s LOUD

Source: Burnout Revenge

It’s not that long ago that ID Software released the sourcecode of Quake III: Arena. Since the release many people worked on the sourcecode and one particular man did a very good job by porting Quake III to the Xbox:

Source 1: Carcharius’ Blog
Source 2: The Quake III: Arena sourcecode

So finally there is a multi-screen mode in Forza Motorsport. For each display you need a XBOX+Display and a copy of Forza Motorsport. When you have that, link them with Systemlink and start Forza Motorsport…then there’s a hidden option which you’ll find this way:

“Select the Options menu then scroll to the bottom of the menu. Then push the left thumbstick down and scroll down to a hidden option on the screen. You’ll see the words “Network Cockpit Settings” at the end of the list.”

Pressing the Left Thumb-Stick down…and there it is…

Configure it…and go go go…

and this is what you get, when you have 3 XBOXes and 3 Displays and 3 Copies of Forza Motorsport:

Source: Forza Motorsport Community

and you all can be there . Just apply here.

At 0430 my time it’ll start…damn thats over a hour waiting…

Source: Xbox.com E3 Webcast

We had that in other racing simulations/arcade racers. But did it ever looked that nice?

Source: Forza Motorsport

“Goddamn, I…I gotta tell you, I’m fairly excited to see what you’re capable of, if Morpheus is right and all…We’re not supposed to talk about this, but if you are…Damn, it’s a very exciting time. “

don’t miss it this friday on MTV.

(thanks to marc for the idea)

It would be great if this special build of Forza Motorsport would be available publicy…but unfortunatly it isn’t. Anyway this is the setup I would like to play in the future.

“The above photo shows you the proper way to experience Forza. Yea, those are all DLP screens…with the racing wheel. This is being played on a private build of the game that supports multiple screens. It’a a great way to experience one of the best racing games to come to Xbox.”

Source: Major Nelson

Here is the press release in german:

Source 1: http://www.xboxfront.com
Source 2: http://www.speedlink.de
Source 3: http://www.xbox3000.de
Source 4: http://www.thespoke.de

I made a little movie while I played Forza Motorsport … I have to play with my video captureing setup, because the quality could be better… but you will get a good impression how great this game is:

In only a few days you can buy the most realistic and fantastic looking racing simulation for your XBOX. It’s called Forza Motorsport and is there to beat Gran Turismo 4.
I had the chance to play a little bit with it…and it’s insanely great! More than 50 cars. Dozens of tracks. And a realistic driving model I never experienced before.

Here are some ingame screenshots to tease you for the 3rd May:

I strongly recommend buying this game!

Source: Forza Motorsport

The following information is not confirmed:

For the upcoming launch of the Xbox 360 on MTV Xbox3000 and Xboxfront are going to present a huge event. With MTV on the big screen and over 300 guests and VIPs they’re going to celebrate Xbox-Lifestyle at it’s best.

Reportedly there are tickets available… When I know more or the information is confirmed I’ll write again.

Source 1: http://www.xbox3000.de
Source 2: http://www.xboxfront.com

the speculations about the upcoming Xbox 360 increase rapidly. It’s fun to see everything going nuts these days And so does engadget:

“So what are we looking at? A power button? A removable hard drive? A slideout tray for the optical drive? The only thing we know for certain is that we’ve all fallen into Microsoft’s viral marketing trap, that’s for damn sure.”

Source: engadget

dyne.org productions proudly present:

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             8                        8             8

        .oPYo8 o    o odYo. .oPYo. 88 8oPYo. .oPYo. 8 o8 .oPYo.

        8    8 8    8 8′ `8 8oooo8    8    8 8    8 8  8 8    ‘

        8    8 8    8 8   8 8.        8    8 8    8 8  8 8    .

        `YooP’ `YooP8 8   8 `Yooo’ 88 `YooP’ `YooP’ 8  8 `YooP’

        :…..::….8 ..::..:…..:..::…..::…..:..:..:…..:

        :::::::::ooP’.::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

        :::::::::…:::::: version 1.4.1 :: codename LUMUMBA :::

Dynebolic is the linux distribution that is used by the reply2all Team of FeM e.V. for interactive video installations based on effecTV.

Source 1: http://www.dynebolic.org
Source 2: http://effectv.sourceforge.net/
Source 3: http://www.skureal.de/?id=reply2all

XBCD is the name of the driver that makes it possible to use the standard Xbox Controller with your PC games. Finally you have a real joypad for your PC…

“Exports ~32 controls to Windows:

• Up to 24 digital buttons.
  
• 7 axes(X, Y, Z, RX, RY, RZ, Slider) in Windows 2000/XP.
  
• 6 axes(X, Y, Z, RX, RZ, Slider) in 98/ME.
  
• POV hat switch with 8 directions Controller buttons, axes, and the digital pad can be mapped to any of the controls exported to Windows.
  
• Supports up to 8 different configurations. The active configuration can be selected by pressing both Analog Sticks simultaneously. Controller can be reported to Windows as a gamepad or a joystick.
  
• Threshold settings for Buttons, Triggers, and Axes.
  
• Deadzone settings for Analog Sticks.
  
• Scaling of axes for sensitivity.
  
• Gamepad settings can be saved to a file for later use.
  
• Rumble support.
  
• Adjustable maximum force for each actuator.”

Source: http://www.redcl0ud.com/xbcd.html

Hands on Doom 3 for the Xbox. It’s in stores within the next weeks…

Dr. Betruger…

Today I had some 20 minutes to take a quick look at “American McGee’s Scrapland” – a game that I got for PC (thanks Marc) and Xbox.

Generally it’s a 3D Adventure that incorporates running and talking and flying around in spaceships’n’stuff B-) The graphic is quite impressive…just like the “WOW”-Effect when you first see Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay on the Xbox. I cannot say really much to the gameplay until I played it more… but the first impression was, that it’s slightly different than any other 3rd Person Jump-n-Run-Adventure-Racing Game (like GTA…)… It seems that the directions on the controller are depending on the angle of the camera… if that’s cool or if that sucks, I don’t know at the moment… it was just different.

One cool feature that I saw: You can build your own Custom-Ship. There’s some sort of editor in the game where you can select the parts your ship will be built of.

Source: http://scrapland.gamesweb.com/

Two days ago i received this brand new Speedlink Green Lightning Wheel for testing.

And today my mate namenlos messaged me: “Pizza, Office ? Bring your Xbox!” – and because the Pizza-idea is great so i brought my Xbox and the wheel.

This was the setup of the wheel:

Okay. Enough pictures, now some text:

In my opinion the wheel has a much better quality than what you normally expect at this pricing-level (~€30,-). It is completely made of black plastic and some green rubber. You got all the Buttons you have on the normal Xbox Controller and some more – for instance the foot pedals. The wheel does not have any force feedback – but it vibrates when the normal controller would vibrate (you can disable that). Finally you can adjust the steering-sensitivity in 3 levels: 30 degree, 60 degree and 90 degree.

I’ve tested the wheel with Colin McRae 2005, V8 Racedriver 2 and Burnout 3 with completely different experiences: Colin McRae 2005 was not playable at all – It seemed that the wheel and the game were totally out of sync: When you steer it took the game some seconds to react. Very fungous. Colin McRae is hard with the normal controller but its unplayable with the wheel.

V8 Racedriver 2 was the complete opposite. Out of the box it just worked perfectly. After one hour of testing I was able to achieve the same or even better lap-times than with the normal Xbox controller. I found the highest steering-sensitivity level to be perfect.

Burnout 3 was – well playable but far from perfectly playable. It seems that the more arcade-style games are not the best games to play with the Speedlink wheel. The game reacted immediately to steering commands – but at all you have to steer to much to get the car moved around the circuits even when you use the highest sensitivity.

Finally some words to the foot-pedal: They do their job – but they could be improved: The next time please make the pedals wider.. i had some problems locating the pedals with my feet in the heat of the battle.

So my conclusion: When i drive on the Xbox i normally drive V8 Racedriver. So the wheel works great for me – but its generally useless for any semi-realistic or arcade racing game.

Source: Speedlink

Das hier ist Marc Bosch – seines Zeichens Macher und Chairman von Xbox3000.de – und er hat sich für die kommende CeBIT gerüstet. Mit diesem zugegebenermassen extravaganten Haarschnitt kann man ihn auf der CeBIT bewundern.

“Als erste Xbox-Vereinigung der Welt organisieren wir Events, veröffentlichen Spiele-Tests und berichten von den wichtigsten Xbox-/Games-Events in Deutschland.
Zusätzlich richten wir die offiziellen Deutschen Meisterschaften (German Xbox Games Cup) in ausgewählten Xbox-Spielen aus.
Natürlich werden wir auch 2005 die World Cyber Games Qualifikationen durchführen und die Besten der Besten nach Singapur schicken.”

Quelle: http://www.xbox3000.de