Forums: Xbox Live

(AP) MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - Microsoft Corp. and the chief rules enforcer for Xbox Live are apologizing to a small West Virginia town and a 26-year-old gamer accused of violating the online gaming service's code of conduct by publicly declaring he's from Fort Gay - a name the company considered offensive. The town's name is real. But when Josh Moore tried to tell Seattle-based Microsoft and the enforcement team at Xbox Live, they wouldn't take his word for it. Or Google it. Or check the U.S. Postal Service website for a ZIP code.

Barack Obama's warning against iPod, Xbox 2010-05-11 05:30:00 US President Barack Obama has criticized new forms of technology, such as the iPod and the Xbox. The leader, while addressing students at Hampton University, Virginia, also pointed out that journalists and news outlets these days have become obsessed with superficial coverage. "You're coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don't always rank all that high on the truth meter," the Telegraph quoted him as saying. He added: "With iPods and iPads...

Free Speech: President Obama, while addressing college graduates, condemns our access to new media as a subversion of democracy. Is the iPad a threat to democracy or exactly what Thomas Jefferson had in mind? At Hampton University in Virginia on Sunday, the president lamented that in an age of text messaging, the Internet and the iPad, information and its unfettered exchange had become a diversion that was putting a strain on democracy. We are not making this up. The "24/7 media environment," he told the students, "bombards us with all kinds of comments and exposes us to all kinds of...

HAMPTON, Virginia — US President Barack Obama lamented Sunday that in the iPad and Xbox era, information had become a diversion that was imposing new strains on democracy, in his latest critique of modern media.

President Obama's administration has asked Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer to create a game about reducing the U.S. deficit. Erskine Bowles, co-chair of Obama's fiscal commission, wants the game to be made so the general public can have a go to balancing the budget, reports USA Today. Such a game, should it be created, would be part of the U.S. Government trying to find a solution to addressing the United States' $12.8 trillion debt. Democratic Senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska says the game could "go viral."

The video game industry posted another disappointing sales month in the U.S. in February, with revenue down 15% from a year ago. Sales of video game hardware, software and accessories totaled $1.26 billion, vs. $1.48 billion in February 2009, the NPD Group said late Thursday. Sales of game consoles took the biggest hit last month, with revenue down 20% to $426 million. “Honestly, I had expected the industry to perform somewhat better this month,” said NPD analyst Anita Frazier. “Nonetheless, strong new releases, and Easter gift-buying bodes well for industry performance in March.”

It's astounding that until this moment, three years after the iPhone, the biggest software company in the world basically didn't compete in mobile. Windows Phone 7 Series is more than the Microsoft smartphone we've been waiting for. Everything's different now. Today, at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Microsoft is publicly previewing Windows Phone 7 for the first time. The brand new, totally fresh operating system will appear in phones this year, but not until the holidays. All of the major wireless carriers and every likely hardware maker are backing it, and they'd be stupid not to. It's awesome. Further details...

A 15-year-old boy told Buffalo Grove police that his parents had taken away his video game system and asked whether they were within their rights. They were, police told him. The teen called 911 about 12:50 p.m. Sunday but then hung up, said Cmdr. Steve Husak. Officers went to the house, and after hearing the story, told the youth that his parents have the authority to take away his Xbox as punishment.