This just in! Read all about! More news about the Xbox 360 price cuts have just come in. According to the Joystiq blog, an insider from the Microsoft marketing department, Microsoft plans to use the Xbox 360 Arcade Bundle as a direct competitor to the Nintendo Wii. The Microsoft marketing department plans to market the Xbox 360 Arcade with more family-friendly entertainment in order to catch up to the Wii. The Arcade bundle will come with traditional Arcade essentials such as a 512MB memory card, a motion controller, and a few montioned controlled games developed by Rare. Expect the Xbox 360 Arcade bundle to come out around the holiday season of 2008. The arcade bundle is expected to have a retail price tag of $199.

As far as the newly mentioned motion controller, it is compatible with all Xbox 360 models and will be sold seperately. With this new motion controller, we should also expect new games for the Xbox 360 that will utilize the new motion controller. Stay tuned!

- Geoff

[Source: Xbox 360 Fanboy]

Microsoft and Rock the Vote, a popular non-proft non-partisan organization that advocates political participation among youths, will team up to let Xbox 360 gamers get political. Xbox 360 users with an Xbox Live account will be able to register to vote, voice their political opinions, and participate in surveys and polls. This newly developed partnership will let gamers voice their political opinion straight from their couch. They hope that this new promotion will raise political awareness and hopefully bring out more voters for this November’s presidential election. Rock the Vote is hoping to register 2 million young voters through this campaign. This should be easy since Microsoft claims to have 12 million users. In addition to promoting political participation, Microsoft is hoping to let both political parties be aware of parental controls and safety in regards to the Xbox 360 console. Microsoft will be promoting the Rock the Vote campaign at both the Democratic and the Republican National conventions later this month. So go out there and voice your political opinion!!

- Geoff

[Source: GameDaily]

The rumors have been flying around again. And this time it seems to be true. According to gaming blog Joystiq, all three Xbox 360 models will be getting a price cut. The gaming blog stated the following:

“A few of our retail contacts, some of whom have given us good intel in the past–and who all work for separate corporations–have sent us identical information regarding a price drop.”

The rumors seem to be true due to a recent Radio Shack newspaper advertisement. All three Xbox models on the advertisement have a price drop. The 120GB Xbox 360 Elite is listed at $399, a price drop from $449. The new 60GB Xbox 360 Pro model is listed at $299, a price drop from $349. And the Xbox 360 Arcade, which does not have a hard drive, is listed at only $199, a price drop from $279. These price drops make them very competitive with the Sony PS3, which is listed at $399 for a 80GB model, as well as the Nintendo Wii, which is listed at $249. Microsoft has yet to have a official response to the rumors.

- Geoff

[Source: Joystiq]

For all of you who have been holding their breath for the new Fallout 3 video game can finally exhale. Bethesda Game Studios, the developer of Fallout 3, finally announced the release date for the video game, which is set to hit retail stores in North America on October 28th and internationally on October 31st. But this gets even more interesting. On the same week, Dead Space, the similar horror third-person shooter game developed by Electronic Arts, will be releasing the very same week. Obviously Bethesda feel confident about their product to set a release on the same week of Dead Space. It will be real interesting to see which video game will come out on top. Check out the screenshots of Fallout 3 below. Please stay tuned for more details as they come our way.

- Geoff

[Source: Xbox 360 Fanboy]

So what are the top games to play on Xbox Live for both the original Xbox and the Xbox 360. Check this out from Xbox Live’s Major Nelson.

LIVE Activity for week of August 11th

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles (based on UU’s)
1 Call of Duty 4
2 Halo 3
3 GTA IV
4 Gears of War
5 Madden NFL 09
6 Rock Band
7 Guitar Hero III
8 Battlefield: Bad Company
9 SOULCALIBUR IV
10 Fable II Pub Games

Top Arcade Titles (Full Versions)
1 BC:Rearmed
2 Fable II Pub Games
3 Braid
4 Geometry Wars Evolved²
5 UNO
6 1942: Joint Strike
7 DOOM
8 SOULCALIBUR
9 N+
10 Worms
The above arcade list is based on full versions purchased.

Original Xbox Top Live Titles (based on UU’s)
1 Halo 2
2 Star Wars: Battlfrnt 2
3 Fable
4 Counter-Strike
5 Fable: Lost Chapters
6 Splinter Cell Chaos
7 Conker: Live Reloaded
8 Doom 3
9 Battlefield 2: MC
10 Call of Duty 3

These lists are based on global unique users connected to Xbox Live or in the case of Arcade, full versions purchased that week.

- Geoff

[Source: Major Nelson]

Rumors, rumors, rumors. We hear them all the time. So what rumors do we have today? Rumors have been flying around the floors of the Leipzig Games Convention that Mircosoft will be releasing Xbox 360 controllers with a revised d-pad. Although the actual controller will have a similar appearance as the older models, but the new revised d-pad will have 32 direction support. Eurogamer has posted pictures of the new controllers. If the rumors are true, this would improve the gameplay of a lot of games. But the question it poses now is how many games would support the new and improved, or rather just revised, d-pad? And will this sexy green controller be available in the market? Stay tuned for more information.

- Geoff

[Source: Eurogamer]

That’s right folks! You heard correctly. According to the Xbox 360 Japanese website, all Xbox 360 hardware has been sold out in ALL of Japan. On the Xbox 360 Japanese website, Microsoft issued an apology (read at your own risk) to all Xbox 360 gamers and stated that they will try to alleviate the problem as soon as possible. But what could cause this whole catastrophe? Well one can blame the new game Japanese role-playing game Tales of Vesperia, which was just recently released by Namco Bandai Games. The game hit the top ten games sold within its first week of sale for the week of August 10. If anything, Namco Bandai Games should probably be the one apologizing for giving Japanese gamers something to rave about. I’m pretty sure Microsoft isn’t complaining though.

- Geoff

[Source: Xbox 360 FanBoy]

“Let the force be with you” proclaimed LucasArts. As the developer of the new video game, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, LucasArts has announced that a playable demo will be made available this Thursday, August 21, at the  XBox Live Marketplace. This demo gives players a little taste of what to expect as well as teach players how to use the new Force Grip power feature. As the first game to be developed internally by LucasArts, it utilizes modern hardware technology in order for the player to control the Force. An entirely new chapter in the Star Wars saga, the video games is set to reveal Darth Vader’s new “apprentice” as well as new revelations regarding the Star Wars galaxy. The release date for the game in North America is September 16, 2008 and will be available for the Xbox 360 gaming console.

- Geoff

[Source:GameInforWire]

It has been eight years since a new Banjo-Kazooie video game was made available for non-portable gaming consoles. Rare Ltd, the developer of the Banjo-Kazooie series, officially announced today that a demo for the latest game in the series, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, would be made available on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The official release date for the game is set to Christmas 2008. The new video games marks the tenth anniversary for the series. The new game includes all the characters from previous games as well as somenew characters. Unlike previous Banjo-Kazooie games, this game utilizes vehicles to transport the two main characters around. Keep an eye out for that demo!

- Geoff

[Source: Xbox 360 FanBoy]

It is now official. The game we closed our eyes and dreamed about. The game we’ve all heard rumors about finally comes true. Duke Nukem 3D for Xbox Live Arcade will be available for Xbox 360 consoles soon! As of the moment, 3D Realms has confirmed that the game has passed certification and has received a Mature rating from ESRB due to the “blood and gore, strong sexual content, and violence.” 3D Realms has also confirmed that the game is a finished product and that it is now in the hands of Microsoft. 3D Realms has yet to give out a release date or more details about the game. A preview for the video game will be available in the October issue of Xbox Magazine. Please stay tuned as more information comes our way.

- Geoff

[Source: 3D Realms]