• great moments in journalism

    Microsoft cans whistleblowing game tester

    So much for radical transparency. Microsoft's embrace of honest online criticism stopped at VentureBeat blogger Dean Takahashi's insanely long story about how the software giant launched its Xbox 360 game console despite production flaws. The story had one source brave enough to go on the record: Robert Delaware, a contract game tester, who talked about a bug he encountered during testing phases persisting as the Xbox went into production. Now he's out of a job and faces a civil suit from Microsoft for violating a nondisclosure agreement. More »

    9:00 PM on Mon Sep 15 2008
    By Nicholas Carlson
    922 views, 3 comments

    Latest by stoppay: Are these the same guys? [newyork.ucbtheatre.com] more »

  • microsoft

    Xbox users can register to vote from the couch

    Microsoft and Rock The Vote today announced a partnership to allow Xbox 360 owners to register to vote via Xbox Live, which I'm sure sounds almost as fun to gamers as learning how to get girls drunk so they'll go to strip clubs in Grand Theft Auto IV. There's also going to be some polls and a chance for users to "voice their opinions," says the press release, which also handily points out that because it claims 12 million users, "if Xbox Live were a state, it would rank as the country’s seventh largest, giving it approximately 20 electoral votes." (Photo by Sebastian Fritzon)

    9:00 AM on Mon Aug 25 2008
    By Nicholas Carlson
    449 views, 11 comments

    Latest by WilliamMarkFelt: Who people? more »

  • apple

    Jeff Zucker's Zune revenge

    Having dropped Apple's iTunes store in a dispute over pricing, NBC Universal will soon start selling downloads of TV shows like The Office and 30 Rock for its Zune media player. If NBC chief Jeff Zucker manages to scrape some sales out of Microsoft's handheld also-ran, it will be a miracle — and the surest proof yet that content, not hardware, is king. Don't hold your breath. Microsoft's Zune has always seemed like a parody of Apple's iPod. Want to buy songs? Well, first you buy "points" from Microsoft, which you can then exchange for music at some bizarre exchange rate. Nothing about its user interface seems quite right compared to Apple's polish. The system for TV shows is no better. Though Microsoft also makes the Xbox, shows downloaded to a Zune won't play on the videogame console unless you're adept at fiddling with cables. By going with Microsoft, Zucker is betting that technology doesn't matter, design doesn't matter, and market share doesn't matter. He must really believe in his prime-time lineup. (Photo via Fake Steve Ballmer)

    9:00 AM on Tue May 6 2008
    By Owen Thomas
    1,176 views, 7 comments

    Latest by audiophil: @jbelkin: great idea! I'd call the show 'Welcome to the social' more »

  • format wars

    Sony wins Blu-ray, loses online-video war

    I'm as ready as anyone to declare Sony the victor in the epic high-definition disc battle. Its Blu-ray, now supported by Warner Bros., looks set to best Toshiba's HD-DVD. In Hollywood, where they still care about the industrial process of shipping plastic discs by the millions to retail stores, this matters. In the Valley, we've long since moved on. Sony executives still dream of formats, hardware, and an empire of lock-in. To them, "software" means the creative content screened in theaters, dropped into CD players, or played on a videogame console. That's why they're doomed to lose the real war. More »

    10:19 AM on Mon Jan 7 2008
    By Owen Thomas
    956 views, 4 comments

    Latest by gkanapathy: Really, WMA and Fairplay aren't a "format"? They don't constitute a way to create an "empire of lock-in"? From what it more »

  • microsoft

    Xbox mastermind wants to own Hollywood

    J Allard, VP of Microsoft's entertainment and devices devision and one of the gurus behind the Xbox and the Zune, has some crazy plans that he hopes will put Microsoft on top of entertainment — and it has nothing to do with discontinuing the brown Zune. In his ramblings to Saul Hansell of the New York Times Bits blog, he revealed he's looking to create an entertainment-distribution service that will do all the heavy lifting for content providers. Microsoft's online gaming service and the Zune's Internet interface are built on the same platform. The implication? More »

    4:42 PM on Fri Nov 16 2007
    By Mary Jane Irwin
    746 views, 3 comments

    Latest by Wabewalker: @mtalinm: The difference is that Apple delivers, while Microsoft dreams. Hollywood may hate Apple, may even fear Apple, but in more »

  • microsoft

    If you're making money, you're not worth a damn

    Microsoft remains in high spirits after its Entertainment and Devices division, responsible for the Xbox and Zune, posted a profit last quarter. This division hasn't made it into the black in years. Papa Steve Ballmer is so proud, he's planning "an upscale campus" for the product group. No doubt Redmond hopes to spur these slackers' performance by making corporate rock stars like J Allard and Robbie Bach feel drunk with power. (Note to Ballmer: Don't take that literally. Actually including a bar may not boost productivity.) What message is Microsoft sending to its less troubled children? If you want nice things, start losing money.

    2:35 PM on Thu Nov 8 2007
    By Mary Jane Irwin
    471 views, Comment

  • microsoft

    World, tell us why Google is better than us?

    At least Microsoft owns up to its inferiority. Early next week a band of dejected Microserfs from across the company, from chief software architect Ray Ozzie on down, are meeting to discuss the company's floundering Web services like Windows Live Search and Hotmail. During the two-day powwow, they'll be discussing strategy and trying to figure out how to get Google addicts excited about the Microsoft's Live offerings. To help fuel discussion, Larry Hyrb, director of Xbox Live programming and official videogame-community spokesperson (who posts under the alias Major Nelson) asks Xbox users, "What do you think we don't get? I know Google may be better in some areas, but what makes them better? What makes us not as good?" I'm sure the minds at the Googleplex are resting easy to learn that Microsoft is still trying to figure out how to even copy Google well, let alone out-innovate it.

    11:50 AM on Fri Oct 5 2007
    By Mary Jane Irwin
    1,045 views, 6 comments

    Latest by sggrf: The people that work for MSN.com need to understand that their prowess in software is NOT transferable to the web. more »

  • breakups

    Halo 3 developer gains independence

    Having finished the fight to bring out hot new shoot-'em-up videogame Halo 3, and in the process helping Microsoft rake in $300 million in sales, Bungie has, as rumored, reclaimed its independence from Microsoft, which acquired the studio in 2000. As part of the deal, Microsoft is holding onto a small equity stake and will continue to churn out Halo titles with the aid of Bungie. Meanwhile, the studio will be free to develop new titles and publish games with Microsoft Games Studio — so there's really no need to overreact. Sure, Bungie put Microsoft's Xbox videogame console on the map — but as the Xbox morphs into a set-top box for the living room, bringing Internet music and video downloads straight to your flat-screen TV, it's not clear that hot videogame titles are what's going to drive sales in the future.

    9:45 AM on Fri Oct 5 2007
    By Mary Jane Irwin
    196 views, 1 comment

    Latest by 0x6772: Somehow I doubt this means Bungie will go back to being a Mac-only game maker, though. more »