Buy An xBox 360: Payment Plan Options

With the xBox 360 still holding strong against the new PS3, many new gamers are planning on purchasing one. The biggest problem though is the price. At between $299 and $399 dollars it can be tricky coming up with the purchase cost all at once. Luckily, most of the major retailers offer some type of payment plan that makes the purchase much easier. Here's a look at several popular payment plans for the xBox 360.

Walmart's "Bill Me Later" Program

If you purchase an xBox 360 from Walmart, you have the option to use their "Bill Me Later" program. This gives you up to 90 days to pay for your xBox 360 at the retail price without any extra finance charges. The payment option is actual in the form of a loan from Chase Bank, but as long as you complete your payment within the first 3 months, you won't be charged any interest. You have to make sure and specifiy you want to use the "No Payments For 90 Days" option when you choose to use the "Bill Me Later" program.

If you have any questions, make sure to ask the salesperson before you sign any agreements and make your purchase. Rembember, if you miss your payments or are late, the interest and finance charges can add up fast.

Best Buy's Credit Card

Best Buy also offers great pricing on the xBox 360. Furthermore, you can apply for a Best Buy credit card. If approved, you can also split your payments over 90 days without worrying about paying any interest. Keep in mind, this credit card is only good for in-store purchases, but if you don't make your payments on time it can still affect your real world credit rating.

As always, use store credit like this with caution. These no-interest finance options sound great - and they can be helpful if you carefully budget your money and keep track of your payments. Unfortunately, they also make it tempting to buy more than you can afford. You'll have to ask yourself, is it really a good idea to buy an xBox 360 on this type of credit if in the end you have to pay extra fees, fines and interest because you didn't budget well?

Paypal Credit With Ebay Purchases

If you want to get a low price on an xBox 360 and split the payments up, you might consider shopping for yours on eBay. Many eBay sellers who deal in gaming consoles also offer financing plans if you make your purchase through paypal. The details of these options vary and are only available to United States residents who pass the credit approval process. With some of the financing allowing for payments to be split up over many months without interest though, the combination of eBay prices and Paypal credit is worth looking into.

Keep in mind though, when shopping through eBay, be very careful who you deal with. Despite eBay's strict rules enforcement, some scam artists still manage to list and sell gaming consoles such as the xBox 360 with no intention of delivering them. Luckily, in order to offer the paypal credit option, sellers have to pass a screening process which makes them much more likely to be safe to deal with.

Many other retailers offer variations on these payment plans, so you'll probably want to do a bit more research to find out which one is rigth for you. The descriptions above should give you an idea of what to expect though and give you a solid basis for comparing any other xBox 360 payment plan options you come across.

xBox 360 Game Review - Soccer on the XBox - Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007

Soccer on the XBox - Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 xBox 360 Game Review - Konami has always been the underdog of sports games. They never had EA backing, or the support of the big sports companies. But, they always managed to create games that played like a dream.

Winning Eleven is Xbox's first soccer offering. It's basically the same as the PS2 game but with improved graphics. It doesn't have all the features of the PS2 game.

Konami's soccer games in the past have always had an edge over everybody else's. This is because of the stunning realistic movement of the players. The team really plays together like a real team. The developers have really studied the physics of soccer and used the best technology available for the game.

Winning Eleven also has the best graphics I've ever seen on any soccer game. The backgrounds are so realistic you can almost make out the fans' faces, and the players look almost real. This is helped by the smooth movement of the game.

There are lots of set-up options so you can build your team. You can play quick games, career games or online play with other Winning Eleven players.

Most of Winning Eleven follows its predecessors, with the exception that there is more you can do offensively. There are so many ways to control dribbling, you really have to practice with the machine before you can start playing. If you know how to do it, you can control the ball perfectly, just like a real soccer game. You can stop or turn quickly, and even control how much time there is between taps on the ball. The controls are so sensitive to the touch, you can practice and learn how to finesse it just like you want to. The degree of control the player has is one of the best things about this game. You have tons of options for passes, using button combos on the controller for short, long or through passes. They've used AI technology to create the players, so you can really develop your passes like a real soccer pro team.

After you've reached a certain score (meaning that you have the technique to do them) there are a bunch of tricks you can do. You can fake out the other players, or do jutes or other common soccer tricks. These are tough to do, but can come in handy and make your game much tougher. When you first try to do tricks, it'll seem slow, clumsy and impossible. But, practice makes perfect.

The only thing I don't like about the game is the horrible music. For some reason, soccer games always have a terrible techno-electronic soundtrack. It might be the tastes of the primarily European audience. It's a minor detail, but it gets annoying. Some music preference features might be a good idea for future versions of the game.

If you want the most realistic soccer video game experience, XBox's Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 is just what you need. With some practice and experience, you'll be able to control your players so well, it's like a real game of soccer.

Where To Find XBox 360 Cheat Codes

You know, I never really considered myself a "cheater," and I always thought cheating was a low kind of thing to do, but I'm an avid gamer and I want to get further in my games. And besides, who'd be hurt if I cheated a little here and there on my XBox games?

So, maybe it's a question of honor: I got to the end of the game WITHOUT cheating! I did it all by myself! Aw, forget it, there's no glory there...

Let's Cheat!

There are tons of websites out there offering you cheat codes. What can you do these codes, anyway?

Cheat codes aren't really cheating, they're just giving your character new powers. I mean, it's not like putting a mod chip into your machine and hacking into the game itself or anything like that. In fact, nowadays cheats are built into games in the form of "easter eggs."

Remember "Adventure" for the Atari 2600, and that wall you could pass through into the secret screen? What? OK, I'm old. I'll shut up.

Alright, how about this: In "Contra" for Nintendo... up down up down left right left right b a b a - and you have 30 lives!

Okay, so cheats have come a long way since then. Some of the things you can do with cheat codes include skipping levels, giving yourself special powers, unlimited lives, indestructibility... anything you can imagine.

Serious XBox users cheat only for experimental purposes, or so they say. With cheats, you can get ahead a little or try out some new things to heighten your gaming experience. With most XBox games, you won't accrue points the same way when you use cheats. In other words, your score won't be the same as if you had done it yourself. Still, it's fun to see what you can do!

As far back as the mid-1980's there were gaming magazines that had cheat codes. Now it's a common feature of gaming magazines. But, the best place to find cheats is online. There are websites with tons and tons of cheats for you to try out.

Here are a few places to start:

www.CheatCodes.com - This site's front page has all the game system's logos. You just click on the XBox 360 and it gives you an alphabetical directory of all the games. There is all kinds of information for each game, not just cheat codes, and you can sign up and post your own cheats.

www.MoFunZone.com - Mo Fun Zone has free downloadable games you can play on your computer. On a side bar to the left of the screen, they have a game cheats section. They also have each system's logo, and an alphabetical listing of games. One of my fave XBox 360 games is Madden NFL 07, and just looking under that game, there are at least 40 cheat codes that let you do things like get 10,000 rush yards or 500 tackles!

www.GameFAQs.com - This site has tons of XBox 360 cheats. It has lots of other special features like the latest gaming new and review too. This is a good all around gaming sight.

Aside from these sites, check gaming forums. Most forums have a section full of cheats where everybody shares their best. So, get out there and have some fun!

Accessorize Your Xbox

Just like a car, Microsoft XBox consoles also have accessories. If you search for it online, there is an additional tax for shipping and delivery rate. You can get your Xbox accessories on www.amazon.com or even on www.ebay.com.

However, the XBox enthusiasts get theirs at toy stores. Besides, it is cheaper. Here is a list of the available accessories for the Microsoft XBox.

1. XBox Controllers

These are standard accessories, meaning they are made available when you buy the system. But some gamers tened to overuse their controller that they soon need a new one.

It is interesting to note that there is an array of XBox controllers available on the market. Like there are wireless controllers, XBox Eclipse controller, XBox Afterglow controller and so much more. It is all up to the gamer which one to get.

2. XBox Arcade Sticks

There are some games available for the XBox that can be controlled by arcade sticks for better game play. As opposed to the controller, arcade sticks can allow the gamers to flick their wrists more, therefore, there’s better control.

Best example where the XBox Arcade Sticks are compatible are the fighting games for the console.

3. XBox Steering Wheels

If there are fighting games, there are also driving games. Thanks to XBox Steering Wheels, the gamer can sit right in front of the TV set and drive away.

4. XBox Memory Cards

Memory cards aren't included when you buy an XBox console. This is because it isn't an essential accessory since the XBox has an 8 GB harddisk build-in. This can let the player save all his game information.

An XBox memory card is used when transferring a saved game from one XBox console to another. Some serious gamers also prefer that they back up their games, especially when it is a valued endeavor.

XBox memory cards are perfect for hardcore gamers. It is inserted in the console and plugged into the sockets on its two memory card slots.

5. XBox Headset With Communicator

The most successful game in the entire XBox franchise is “Halo”. Released in 2004, it is still as popular as ever. A headset with a communicator lets the gamer interact with the other players of “Halo” making it more real.

X-Box Cheat Sheets

A serious gamer wouldn't think twice when it comes to cheating. Obviously, he would want to finish the game without any help whatsoever. But there are those who get stuck at one point in a game and the solution they can resort to is the numerous cheat sheets that can be found online.

Before, gamers purchase the gaming magazines for a better viewpoint of the game. However, thanks to the internet, one can just sit back and surf and get all the information he needs for the game.

XBox cheats are rampant on the world wide web. So many kind souls have been generous enough to share what they know to players who are in need of it.

An example of a site that has all the cheats you need is the www.xboxcheats.com. There you will find every XBox game code, hints and video game cheats to every Xbox game out there on the market.

Gamers have collected cheat codes either from their own game play experience or from various network and sites out there. These have been placed up in their data base.

Not to mention that all these are added up thanks to the countless cheat submissions from visitors.

This access to various cheat codes is one reason why so many people find XBox to be the best video game console. It lets them try out the games that are released for this console and enjoy these in every possible way.

Take advantage of this information at your fingertips. Other sites offering the same knowledge are:
- xbox.gamezone.com
- teamxbox.com
- cheatscodesguides.com
- cheats.gamespy.com
- xbox.gamespy.com
- xbox.ign.com

And so much more. Sometimes what gamers do is they type in the game along with ‘cheat’. Example: “Need for Speed XBox Cheat”. Those keywords alone allow the search engine to peruse through page after page of the available codes, hints and cheats that have been uploaded by previous gamers.

It is interesting to note that these sites also include cheat sheets for other consoles such as the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation 3. If you feel that you can no longer solve the puzzle to a role playing game, or you want to have infinite lives in order for you reach a further stage, these are all possible just by clicking on the cheat sites mentioned above.

If you feel guilty doing about it, just think, ‘everybody else is doing it, so why can’t you?’

xBox 360 Game Review: Viva Piñata

xBox 360 Game Review: Viva Piñata - Rare's Viva Piñata for the Xbox 360 looks like a kids' game. The graphics are bright and seemingly simple, the piñatas are cute and cartoony, and the game is based on a children's cartoon. It's one of those games, though, that if you take the controller to 'help out' for a minute, Junior will still be kicking you in the ankle trying to get it back three hours later.

Viva Piñata is a sort of collecting/resource management/strategy/god game. It's like a chocolately collision of The Sims and Neopets. While it starts out simply and has a nicely-managed learning curve, as you level up the game becomes progressively more complicated to manage, which may leave some children (and some not-so-children) frustrated. It uses all the usual devices to get you emotionally attached to your piñatas too, so failures could bring tears. Then again, there's a subtle but definite undercurrent of disturbing in the game too, which has definite adult appeal.

Your job in Viva Piñata is to tend your garden so that it will attract different piñatas to come live in it. That means providing the things they like, whether that's lots of water to play in, the right plants, or other little crunchy piñatas to eat. When you attract new species, or grow new plants, or make a piñata change color by feeding it something peculiar, you get experience points. These points will let you unlock new content, and attract higher-level piñatas. So the game gets more complicated solely in response to your progress, which should mean it doesn't rapidly get out of hand.

You start off with an abandoned garden, a helpful little friend, some seeds, a watering-can, and a shovel. This shovel is your main tool, letting you dig ponds, plant seeds, or smack your beloved pet piñatas in the head until they break open, candy comes out, and all your other piñatas rush over and eat it. Sometimes otherwise loveable piñatas will make this unnecessary by attacking your other pets and biting chunks out of them while they're still alive. While doing this, they'll still be fluffy, cute and smiley.

You have limited space in your garden and a limited number of piñatas and helpers you can have. Some piñatas fight each other, some eat other piñatas, some chase each other round the garden making cute squeaking noises. You'll need to keep what you've got happy and in balance, and keep out or tame the marauding wild 'sour' piñatas. If you discover a new kind of piñata you simply must have, you may end up having to make extensive changes to your garden, which in turn may upset some of your existing piñatas. Managing all this will become complicated as you progress.

The game's interface and controls are geared towards children. The 360's buttons are context-sensitive, and the control scheme appears on the petals of a little flower in the corner of the screen, so you'll always know what you can do. You can choose a less-restrictive scheme for manoeuvring round your garden, but there's no way to disable the check screens every time you try to do something. You won't sell something when you didn't intend to, but you will get frustrated with the number of times you have to say 'yes, I'm sure!'.

There are achievements to work towards through the game, some of which are secret until you unlock them. Some you'll get just doing the things you'd be doing anyway, others you'd have to put specific effort into. There are also optional 'piñata central' challenges where you need to supply specific piñatas for a children's party. Oddly, your piñatas actually come back from these events intact, worth more, and with special 'happy' candy.

Viva Piñata contains just about every trick for making a game addictive. The bright, surprisingly details graphics look fabulous even without HDTV, and combined with a slight subversive self-parody element, the game has a much broader appeal than you might expect.

Life After Xbox Mods

If you’re a novice gamer and you’ve decided to start out your gaming experience with an Xbox, you’ll probably have lots of people suggesting you to subject your Xbox to modding. Whether this is the right choice to do or not depends entirely up to you.

What Is Xbox Modding?

Modding is a technically illegal practice that makes use of various techniques and methods to get around security measures and other restrictions programmed by the manufacturer. Just a few months after the release of the Xbox 360 to the global market, the Internet had spawned a number of modding methods to allow players to get around signature checking and advertising and permit use of game backups and other add-ons.

What Xbox Has To Say About Modding

If and when you do allow the use of mods on your Xbox, this will automatically nullify your warranty contract with Microsoft, the maker of Xbox, because several mods require dismantling your gaming unit. It will also ban you from making full use of the Xbox Live Marketplace unless you’re able to install a mod whose sole purpose is concealing the use of mods.

Four Ways For Installing Xbox Mods

Modchip

– When you install this particular mod on your Xbox, you will have to hire a technician to disassemble your unit in order to insert the chip unless you believe you have the necessary technical skills to do it yourself. One little mistake can cause the whole unit to break down completely so care and precision must be exercised when installing this chip.

Upon installation, a modchip will allow you to play games and other add-ons that are presently considered unacceptable.

TSOP Flashing

– TSOP stands for thin small-outline package and this particular mod allows you to make the motherboard of your gaming unit writable. Be aware that TSOP flashing is only applicable for Xbox units V1.0 to V1.5

Softmod

– Unlike a modchip, softmods are any modification which is implemented through a software program. When softmod is installed, players are able to gain access to previously restricted parts of the game. If multibooting is implemented, softmods won’t affect your access to the Xbox Live Marketplace. Keep in mind however that softmods don’t always work.

Hot Swap

– Lastly, with hot swaps, you can use your very own desktop to change a particular set of information inside your Xbox’s hard disk drive.

Many things can go right…or wrong when you install Xbox mods so do be sure about what you want before taking any action.

Web achievements 101: Things to do before you die

By Josh Lowensohn

While the Internet might be a soulless place that's mostly devoid of any real human warmth or compassion, there are certain things that make it better. While there might be a YouTube, we're still very much the me generation when it comes to defining a personal identity online. Some of these "Web achievements" people pick up over the years require some serious talent. Others can be had with a little luck. We've compiled a list of some of the more prominent ones--consider it a list of things to do on the Internet before you die.

Skill.
Achievements that require talent, skill, or personality

Get on Flickr's interesting picture wall. Flickr's interestingness algorithm is based on several qualities of user interaction with a photo. Flickr lists them as "where the clickthroughs are coming from; who comments on it and when; who marks it as a favorite; its tags and many more things which are constantly changing." In short, it's about how popular your photo is on an aggregate scale.

Chances of it actually happening: Depends on skill. It could be one of the best pictures on earth, but if nobody's looking at it, you're out of luck. That being said, the photos you tend to see on Flickr's explore page (the listing of interesting photos) tend to be great-looking, but even the occasional bad shot of something amazing makes the cut.


Make the YouTube featured videos list. This elusive honor puts your video on the front page of YouTube.com. Many unknown artists have gotten huge view counts and channel subscriptions out of a front page spot, which gets millions of eyeballs each day.


Chances of it actually happening: Slim. The smattering of videos in the featured videos section on the front page is picked out by a team of YouTube editors. These folks are in charge of cool hunting, and given the amount of content that's uploaded to the site each day, the best way to get noticed might be to get picked up on some other social sites for visibility first. Mark Glaser from PBS' MediaShift has a great post on the editorial process here.


Get your post on The Best of Craigslist. This elusive honor is reserved for some of the best-written, or just plain obscure postings on the popular classifieds site. There's no real science to it beside the fact that your post must be nominated by a certain amount of users before it's picked out from the crowd.


Chances of it actually happening: Slim. Getting on Best of Craigslist is incredibly tough. Nationwide only a handful of posts are picked out each week, and you're relying on Craigslist users to not only read what you've written, but nominate it.


Making the front page of social news site like Digg, Delicious, Reddit, Slashdot, and Newsvine.


Chances of it actually happening: Reasonable. The beauty of getting on these sites is that you don't have to write an article you're submitting. In most cases, the only responsibility is to write title and description. Adding a little style and flair to the original title and description can do wonders. On the other hand, writing a story, taking a picture or video that makes the front page of any of these sites is a far greater achievement than simply adding the link.

Continue reading to learn about repetitive and ego-stroking achievements galore...

Become the Reddit's all-time karma gainer. We'd classify this under repetition, except that Reddit's karma system actually requires users to submit quality content. If you're just spamming the site with a bunch of useless links, your karma will be buried into oblivion.


Chances of it actually happening: Not without some work. If you're unemployed or working for a news wire service you might have a shot. Otherwise, you probably won't be able to keep up with some of the folks on top who are submitting more than a dozen quality news links each and have been every day for years.


Repetition.
Getting these requires countless grinding or tireless participation

Acquire Elite status on Yelp.com. Becoming a Yelp Elite isn't an exact science. According to the Yelp Elite info page, people are picked out based on a number of qualities, ranging from writing style to how much content they're adding to the site. That being said, it doesn't happen overnight. For some it takes months of countless reviews.

Chances of it actually happening: Pretty good as long as you're willing to invest yourself in the site and participate. The payoff is invites to private parties, and a snazzy looking profile badge. In the case of Yelp's latest shindig, Elite members got to get into the party an hour earlier than everyone else.

Reach your Gmail in-box size limit. Google is currently giving everyone a little over 6GB of storage, but it wasn't always like that. Google broke ground by giving people 1GB free along with a little counter that would add more and more storage as time passed. Throughout the years they've tweaked the speed of the counter along with total storage. The service is now at six times the original storage capacity.



Chances of it actually happening. Depends on use. It's happened before, and it can happen again. While most home users will be fine--if you're trading around a lot of media files that max out that 20MB attachment limit, that space can eventually fill up. To those who have crossed the sacred threshold and fear deleting old messages, Google offers a paid storage expansion option to push the account up to 400 GB at a mere $500 a year.

Egosphere cred.
These are the nerdiest achievements of the bunch, and will make you feel important 2.0


Make the Twitterholic 100. The Twitterholic listing is based purely on followers on the popular microblogging service Twitter. These are people who are following your tweets, not the number of friends you have, or how many times you've updated your status.


Chances of it actually happening. If you're a male or female blogger with lots of fans, or a large Web news service, it's in the bag. Otherwise you probably need to know at least 1,000 people with Twitter accounts who want to pay attention to what you're saying. Currently No. 100 has a little over 1,100 followers with the No. 1 garnering nearly ten times that.

Get publicly slammed by Dave Winer. If you don't know who Dave Winer is, he probably doesn't know who you are either. Winer, who helped create the Web standards for podcasting, blogging and RSS is well known for writing or saying snarky things ranging from people to products.


Chances of it actually happening: Slim. If you've built a popular Web app or retail product with some usability flaws, the damage might already have been done. He could also simply disagree with your opinion.


Make the front page of Valleywag. Silicon Valley's self-proclaimed gossip rag is a blog at heart, and that means getting on it requires garnering the interest of its editors. Getting a mention on Valleywag holds more than some freebie potential traffic. You can become a hallowed member of its Facebook group "I got slammed by Valleywag."


Chances of it actually happening: Decent. Getting on the front page of Valleywag is no easy task but if you leave your cell phone unattended at a bar, are attractive, or and are dating one of Google's founders, you're a shoo-in.

How to find a Wii

by Daniel Terdiman

After spending hours driving more than 60 miles Tuesday in search of a Wii, I am pretty much convinced that there are next to none available in retail stores anywhere, nor are any stores likely to be getting more before Christmas.

You never know, of course. A call I made to a Nintendo representative revealed that it's not entirely clear if retailers will be getting more before the holiday. But time and again, salespeople told me that they didn't expect to get any more after receiving shipments last Sunday that quickly sold out.

So what's a Wii hunter to do?

As a Toys "R" Us salesman told me during my stop at one of their stores, one method would be to "Call everywhere in the world, every single day of your life if you really want one."

But if that doesn't work, here's what else you can try.

First, GameStop retailers are having a promotion on Friday in which they will accept paid preorders and will guarantee delivery of a Wii sometime in January.

But this program has gotten enough attention that I was told by one GameStop clerk that you'll probably have to line up to preorder.

You could also try buying one online. eBay, for example, seems to have many of the consoles for sale, though I would tend to doubt at this point that you could get delivery prior to Christmas. But you never know. It's certainly worth checking out the possibilities.

This is what Nintendo recommends:

"Get to know your store managers. Ask them when their shipments come in, so you can be on hand the day they show up."

"Call around. You can increase your odds by checking in with more than one store."

"Try smaller stores in out-of-the-way places. Many different kinds of stores sell video game products, so don't go to the same megamall that everyone else is going to."

"There's no one surefire way to find a Wii. But by teaming up and getting creative with your approach, you're bound to have more success than the people who just go to their local mall and do nothing else."

"If you see one, be sure to grab it!"

This is surely fine advice, and if you follow those suggestions, you'll probably find a Wii eventually, though it may still take you some time. Certainly, try to temper your kids' expectations that there will be a Wii under the tree on Christmas morning, because if you don't have one already, odds are you're not going to find one.

For its part, Nintendo is certainly aware that the shortages of the console are causing consternation among consumers, but it is taking the position that it's doing what it can to address the issue.

"If it were possible to snap our fingers and manufacture millions more, we would do it," Nintendo said in a statement it delivered to me Tuesday. "We're continually putting more and more Wiis into the pipeline, but they all sell through almost instantly. Production has already been boosted more than once, and we are actively increasing the number of systems provided to retailers around the world."

That's all fine and good, but it certainly doesn't put a Wii under your tree. And from my experience, it doesn't look as if much will. The best bet at this point is to accept that you're going to have to wait.

My advice? Keep your tree up, and when you finally find a Wii, wrap it up, put it under the tree, and pretend Christmas has been extended into January. What kid wouldn't love that idea?

The guitar wars just got kicked up a notch. The craze fueled by Guitar Hero and Rock Band has led some big bands to lend their names to custom controllers made by ArtGuitar.

KISS, Ozzy Osbourne, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Pantera will have their images and logos emblazoned on the "AG RiffMaster Guitar Controller," which Slippery Brick describes as a full-size Peavy guitar that's been turned into a game controller. The limited editions are going for $399, so these aren't for the kids. For them, there are other, less dangerous alternatives.

King.com launching new revenue-sharing games site

By Josh Lowensohn
King.com is launching its new user-generated casual games site, MyGame.com. The service combines some of the professionally made casual games offered on King.com alongside user-generated titles and those made by users with a Web-based game creation tool. Game creators who publish on MyGame.com can opt-in to a revenue-sharing program, which pays off ad clicks. The service is also promoting an advanced payment scheme similar to recording industry contracts that pays in advance to popular titles.

I had a go with MyGame's game creator yesterday, and had a good time with the three titles that are currently available for editing. Users can upload a picture either off their hard drive, or by using their Webcams. MyGame will do its best to map your face, as well as give you a quick and dirty cropping tool to fine-tune. You can then test the game to make any last-minute adjustments to your face.

Once done, users (even unregistered ones) get quick-sharing links, along with embed codes to put their creation on a blog or Web site, which I've done below. Users who decide to register with the service are given some extra power tools, like a stats manager, high-score list, and guest book.

I'm looking forward to seeing some of MyGame's future game offerings, along with some of the user-submitted content, although between Kongregate's recent inclusion of badges, and that oh-so-addicting McDonald's Flash game, MyGame must compete for my unfortunate lack of attention span.

The Best Accessories for the Xbox 360

So what are the best accessories for the Xbox 360? For any gaming console, there are two kinds of accessories: the ones you really need to get any joy out of the system, and the extras that are just for fun. With their usual marketing savvy, Microsoft launched the Xbox 360 with everything you needed to use the system available, and then over the last year, drip-fed the pure toys onto the market.

This year's Christmas present for the Xbox fanatic is the Xbox Live Vision Camera. It's available in two packages. The Standard Kit, at US$40, comes with a month's Gold subscription to Xbox Live, a wired headset, and Uno and Totemball from the Xbox Live Arcade. The US$80 Gold Kit comes with all that, a year's Gold subscription, 200 Microsoft points, and Robotron: 2084. A fully-functioning webcam, Xbox Live Vision allows video chat and personalised avatars. Games like World Series Poker use 'digimask' technology, that uses the camera to map the player's actual facial expression onto their avatar. It also allows for gesture-based gaming, promising the ability to, say, direct troops with a few finger-points, just like in the movies.

Filling the same functions for audio is the Xbox wireless headset. Given how much players thrash around in pressure situations, going wireless is worth the US$60. The headset, like the wireless controllers, works up to 30 feet from the console, which can support four headset-controller combinations at once. The headset allows for both in-game and private chat, as well as supporting voice-command-based gameplay. The headset is lightweight, fits over either ear, and comes with two sets of removable ear grips. It has an eight-hour battery life and comes with an AC charger.

If you're spending a lot of your gaming time immersed in Project Gotham Racing or Need for Speed, you've got to have the new wireless force-feedback racing wheel. Demonstrated at the 2006 E3, the system features standard gamepad buttons on the wheel itself, and floor-mounted accelerator and brake pedals. At US$150, it's at the top end of peripherals price-wise, but it's a top-quality product and comes with a copy of Project Gotham Racing 3. The game contains the drivers for the wheel: if you already own PGR3, you'll still need to install what's basically an update. There's a detachable clamp section so you can secure the dashboard to a desk, or just rest it in your lap.

With all the wireless peripherals, charging is a major factor with the 360. You want to be able to do it quickly and without losing playtime. There are two options for this. The first is the 'play and charge' kit. For about US$20, this allows you to charge your controller through the USB port, while you're using it. It takes longer for the controller to recharge, but on the other hand, you still get to use it. Or for US$30, you can go for the Quick Charge Kit. It's easy to use and even quite styly, and recharges batteries in about two hours.

If the Xbox 360's own 20Gb hard drive (which doesn't come as standard but should) is creaking at the seams on your system, you might want to consider getting an XSATA. At a reasonable US$40, this allows you to transfer files from your Xbox 360 to your PC, as if your Xbox was a USB drive. You can clear space by shifting saved games and cinematics to your computer, so you can load more fresh content onto your 360 without losing anything.

If you're looking for the best accessories for an Xbox gamer and they have 'everything', then any one of a plethora of licensed faceplates and controllers might just go down as a treat. Whatever your style of gaming, it will be a while before you run out of new toys for your Xbox 360.

Refurbished xBox 360

If you're thinking about buying an xBox 360, you might have noticed that you can save money by buying a "refurbished" xBox. Sometimes the price difference is pretty significant. You may be wondering what exactly a refurbished system is, and why it's so much cheaper.

A refurbished xBox 360 is one that has been pre-owned, but unlike a regular used system, it has been tested by the manufacturers to make sure everything works properly. They use the exact same technology to check a refurbished system as they do a new system. So, if you get one that's refurbished, that means that it should theoretically be up to the same standards as a brand new model.

Refurbished machines are often used as replacements for xBox 360's that don't work. If you know anybody who has had to return their xBox because of overheating problems or faulty hardware, they'll get a refurbished one sent to them in return. If you're past warrantee, you have to pay for that refurbished machine, which costs $129 from xBox directly.

Refurbished xBox 360's from the manufacturer are like new. They test them the same way they test new units to make sure they meet quality standards. Some gamers have had problems with the refurbished consoles, but they are usually the same problems people have with the brand new ones, like the "red rings of death" caused by overheating. The problems with the consoles are due to some kind of faultiness from the get-go, not because they are refurbished.

Even though it's as good as new, some gamers feel kind of ripped-off by Microsoft for not replacing their new, malfunctioning units with other new units. Instead, they send you a refurbished one that has been used by somebody else. It's easy to see why that would be a little insulting.

Buying a refurbished system is only about as risky as buying a new one, but still it's probably a good idea to go ahead and pay for that extra warrantee. They offer warrantees of different lengths, and the prices for the warrantees vary accordingly.

Aside from buying a refurbished xBox directly, you can find refurbished consoles for sale on eBay and other online shops. You might be able to get one for under $100, but make sure you have a good warrantee.

There have been some stories about people buying refurbished machines off the internet (not directly from the company) that had some cosmetic damage, or that had some minor problems, so buyer beware. Any time you buy anything off the web, make sure you are dealing with a reliable dealer and there is some kind of warrantee or money back guarantee.

There are also lots of stories out there about gamers having trouble with their new xBoxes, sending them back, and getting refurbished machines that didn't work any better. Again, this is due to a problem with the system's design. It can't be stressed enough: get the warrantee. Shell out the money for the longest warrantee and make sure you are covered in case anything happens.

Cheats And Codes For xBox 360: February's Top 4

All xBox 360 fanatics who want to have an edge with the most popular titles know how important it is to get their hands on the latest cheats and codes. If you are one of the brave who isn't concerned with the "ethical" issues of using this information to your advantage, please read on. Below you will find five of the most popular cheats and codes for top xBox 360 titles as uncovered for February, 20007.

Cheat Number 1: Increase Your Chainsaw Power In "Dead Rising"

If you enjoy fighting zombies as Frank West in "Dead Rising", you already know how helpful many of the items in the shopping mall can be. In some cases, they can even add more power to the weapons you collect. For example, after destroying Adam the clown, you've likely picked up his chainsaws to use against the undead. Here's the cheat: As soon as you've got his chainsaws, go to a bookstore and get a copy of the book "Engineering". As long as this book is in your possession, your chainsaws will last several times longer. Saw away!

Cheat Number 2: Unlock All Boxing Venues In "Fight Night Round 3"

Fight Night Round 3 is one of the top ranked boxing titles for the xBox 360. The realism of fist-to-face action comes alive with the incredible graphics and audio. On top of that, there are so many great venues to battle in, that this game never seems to go stale. If your patience does wear thin though and you want to unlock all the venues at once, just do the following. First, go to the "create champ" mode. Next, create a new character and give him the firstname "NEWVIEW". When you save this character, all the boxing boards will be unlocked for you!

Cheat Number 3: Restore Your Health In "Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter"

Based on the Tom Clancy novel, this Ghost Recon title is a graphically superior tactical fighting game that has become very popular since it's release. As your character Scott Mitchell is fighting in Mexico City though, he might take a few more hits than you'd like. Before Scott kicks the bucket, try this cheat:

First, press pause during game action. Now, hold down the back button and the right and left triggers at the same time. While these are held down, enter LB, LB, RB, X, RB, Y. If you do this, your health should be restored back to 100% and you can continue the battle.

Cheat Number 4: Instant Weapons In "Saints Row"

Being a member of the 3rd Street Saints and trying to take back the city of Stilwater has plenty of challenges. Luckily, the fight becomes a little easier if you know how to spawn extra weapons when you need them. Want an instant rocket launcher? No problem, just dial "#Rocket Enables". How about a pipe bomb? Punching "#Pipebomb Enables" into your cell will get you one. And if you're about to engage in some hand-to-hand combat, call "#Knife Enables" and you'll have a knife at your disposal.

Keep in mind though, never save your game when using any of the above cheats, as it will disable all of your achievements!

With theses cheats and codes for the xBox 360 added to your gaming arsenal, you'll soon find you have an advantage over your competitors. Remember to use this information judicially though, as incorporating too many cheats into your gameplay can destroy some of the thrill of the more challenging titles.

Buyer Tips When Purchasing A Used Xbox 360

Need some buyer tips when purchasing a used Xbox 360? Maybe we can help. Microsoft's Xbox 360 has been out for a year now, and with the PS3 and the Wii bursting onto the market in time for Christmas, this is the perfect opportunity for the smart budget-conscious gamer to look at buying a second-hand 360.

The best place to start looking is eBay. Now that 360s are no longer scarce, the over-inflated prices are gone, and with a bit of persistence, you'll probably be able to pick up quite a good deal. It pays, though, to be very careful you know what you're getting. If the price is suspiciously cheap, there's going to be a reason.

Make sure you know whether what you're bidding on is a Core System or a Premium Package. The core system initially retailed for US$300, the Premium for US$400. The easiest way to tell which one you're looking at from the photo is that the Core comes with a wired controller, and the Premium with a wireless one. It's really not worth buying the Core system, because it doesn't come with the 20Gb hard drive. Without the hard drive, you can't access Xbox live, save your games, or even play your old Xbox games. If you're looking at buying a second-hand Xbox 360 core system, you'll need to find out how much the hard drive is going to cost you and factor that in to what you're prepared to pay for the system.

Then there are a couple of questions you need to ask the seller. Was this one of the systems that crashed to blue screen of death straight out of the box? Was the 2006 Fall Update installed? If it wasn't, you won't be able to access Xbox Live until you download it. If it was, did it make the console brick, as it did about one percent of 360s? Has it ever been shipping back to Microsoft for repairs? Is there any warranty left on it? Retailers like EB Games offer excellent warranties on the consoles they sell for a small extra charge. You still have to be able to return the console to the store, though, and if that store is in Los Angeles and you're in Chicago, you may find that the shipping cost is dangerously equivalent to the price of a brand new Wii. The same goes for shipping a faulty Xbox back to Microsoft for repairs.

Then you need to look at the accessories you're getting with the bundle you're buying. If someone's offloading their console, they're probably getting shot of their games, too. What you really need to look for, though, is the 20Gb hard drive, and at least one extra controller - unless you have no friends. Every system should come with a composite-video/stereo audio A/V cable, and second-hand Premiums should have a component HD AV cable and an ethernet cable. Most premium packages came with the headset, though some came with the media remote instead. That last is a handy wee item that makes it much easier to use your Xbox for playing DVDs and music. All the accessories that you're going to need without getting into things like steering wheels would cost you up to US$200 to buy individually, but will probably get thrown into a sale package for only about US$50 more.

Remember to factor in the cost of shipping, too. With something this big, that could end up being a hefty portion of what you pay. Look for a console close to home.

There are other avenues to try for buyer tips when purchasing a used Xbox 360, too. Look out for places like EB Games and GameStop taking trade-ins - that means they'll have second-hand stock for sale. And while the normal retail price of the Xbox 360 hasn't budged from launch, if you keep an eye out, you might be able to find a bargain. Amazon.com ran a brief promotion where they sold band new 360s of US$100. If you're prepared to put in a bit of time and in no hurry to buy, you can save yourself a lot of money on your gaming experience.

XBox 360 Overheating Issues

Since the new XBox 360s came out, there has been lots of talk about overheating issues. According to Microsoft, this accounts for just a tiny percent of all their machines, but there are an awfully lot of overheating stories out there. Lots of XBox fans aren't happy with the way they're dealing with the problem.

Here's what usually happens: In the middle of a hot game your console freezes up. This happens a few more times, and then you see the Red Rings Of Death. The RR of D is not a feature of XBox, nor a foe in a fantasy game. The RR of D means that you're machine is overheating. Some people have reported seeing an orange screen flashing as well. The Rings shut down your machine and you lose your unsaved data. What it means is that it's overheated.

Some machines overheat after hours of play, but some do in as quickly as 10 minutes. Either way, the machine is defective and something has to be done about it.

Now, you can either send the machine in for repairs, or you can fix it yourself. Lots of gamers have been peeved at Microsoft's slow response to their overheating woes. They say that Microsoft is slow to repair the units. Often, they will offer a refurbished unit instead. Refurbished machines are as good as new, so it sounds pretty good, but there are tons of stories online of defective replacement machines. Some XBox owners have gone through 3 or 4 machines, all of which overheated!

It's a pretty sad state of affairs. Overheat sufferers claim that the company's customer service is less than helpful, and that they fail to adequately take responsibility for their faulty machines.

There are a few things you can do on your own to deal with overheating. Just like any other electronics, try to keep the back of the console clear so that the hot air can escape. With a well-made machine, this shouldn't be a problem, but if you have it all the way back against the wall, it might be a factor in why it overheats.

Supposedly, the root of the overheating problem in XBox 360s is that they tried to cut corners by using cheaply made, slow fans. There are 2 fans on either side, and they are really important for cooling the console. You can always reach back there and feel if the unit feels very cold or super hot. If one of the fans is not turning, or if it is going too slowly, you might want to replace the fan yourself. Of course, it shouldn't be YOUR responsibility to do that, but considering all the headaches customers have had with Microsoft's replacement machines, it just might save you some trouble.

If you send the machine in for a new fan, they may try to gouge you for it. If you look on the web (check eBay), you can find the exact same fans that are used in the XBox 360 for as low as $10. It isn't too difficult to replace the fan yourself, and you can find schematics and tutorials online to help you.

Another minor repair you can do yourself is to put some Arctic Silver 5 on the heatsink. This is a cooling compound that you can buy online. If you apply it on the heatsink, which is located just between the CPU and the fans, it will cool down the components. People who have used Arctic Silver report great results. It seems to keep the unit from ever overheating again.

Remember also that your XBox 360 has a year long warrantee. The original warrantees were six months, but they've since extended it, and it's retroactive. That means if you bought yours within the last year, it still should be covered.

All About XBox 360 Mod Chips

What is a "mod chip?"

A mod chip is a tiny silicon accessory that can be installed into your gaming console. It "modifies" your console, hence the name. A console with a mod chip is also known as a "modded console" or a "chipped system."


What does a mod chip do?

The mod chip takes control of your system and removes limitations that were put on by the manufacturer. It can access all the functions of your xBox 360 that have been blocked or restricted. You can import, back-up, homebrew and bypass security features. 9 times out of 10, mod chips are used to play pirated games.

Gaming consoles like the XBox 360, Play Station 3, Nintendo Wii and Gamecube are designed by the company to only play their copyrighted games. These machines also have region codes, like DVD players, so that you can't play a Japanese or Australian version of a game on an American box. In the case of the XBox, you can't play anything that isn't licensed by Microsoft, including your own creations or customized games.

The main reason for these security features is to protect against pirating games. While most mod chip users use the chip to copy games or play pirated games, there is a small minority of amateur coders and serious gamers who use the mod chip to customize their games and get more out of playing them.


Are mod chips illegal?

This is where things get tricky. In the United States, at the current moment, mod chips are legal. But, using pirated software, which is what almost all mod chip users do, is illegal. If you buy a mod chip and install it in your XBox, you will be okay, but chipping your XBox will definitely void your warrantee. It will also keep you from being able to do XBox Live.

Mod chips are illegal in the UK, but legal in Australia. They are increasingly being made illegal in more and more countries. Although some mod chip dealers have been fined and even jailed, this was usually because they offered pirating software as part of the deal. Microsoft is dealing with the problem on a case-by-case basis, but in general they are not aggressively pursuing mod chip dealers. It's possible that they let it go on because of the small minority of those who actually use the mod chip for legitimate purposes, who say, "It's my machine, why can't I do what I want with it?"

Keep in mind that mod chips do permanently alter your console, so use at your own risk.


How do I get a mod chip?

There are tons of mod chip dealers online. Most are in the $55-$85 range, although you can find them as low as $30 or $20. As a general rule of thumb, a deal that cheap is probably too good to be true. There are lots of shady dealers out there who take advantage of the fact that there is such high demand and mod chips are hard to get. Be sure to check out the dealer before you buy. I would go with a dealer that allows you to track your order.

Installing your mod chip is another consideration. They're not easy to install. It requires soldering the chip to the motherboard. If you have some experience soldering, it's a pretty easy job. But, if you've never soldered before, this might not be the best time to give it a shot.

There are some mod chips advertised as "solderless," but these are probably best to avoid. You can also get installation kits, but these will cost you. If you don't want to do the installation yourself, your best bet is probably to send your console to an installation service and have them do it. In this case, make sure they are a reputable company. Don't take any chances with your XBox!

Using a mod chip is risky. Make sure you know what you're getting yourself into before you get one!

Two Players, One xBox 360 Live Account: Can It Be Done?

Especially for families, being able to have multiple players using the same xBox 360 is very important. Luckily, the xBox 360 comes with the ability to set up different profiles for every family member allowing them to keep track of their games, media, stats and more. When it comes to using xBox live though, things get a bit trickier. Here's what you need to know.

1. xBox Live Gold Accounts

This is a very important point - two profiles cannot be configured to share the same xBox live Gold account without using techniques that go against Microsoft's terms of service. If you want to give these types of hacks a try, expect to get banned. Otherwise, if everyone in your family wants to use xBox Live Gold, you have two options.

Option #1 - Buy an xBox Live Gold account for each player in your family. Although this will allow each family member to have their own profile to use with xBox Live, this option can be very expensive. xBox Live Gold accounts cost around $49 per year per account, so multiple accounts can add up fast. If you do decide to go this route, make sure to look for discounts. Amazon frequently offers sales on 12 month xBox 360 Live Gold memberships, so it can pay to shop around first.

Option #2 - Learn to share. That's right, just buy one xBox Live Gold account, create a profile and let family members take turns sharing it. This will save you a lot of money, depending on how many in your household, and it will also teach the younger players important lessons about taking turns. When you really stop and think about it, if everyone wants to play at once, why not just play some of the games in multi-player mode and compete with your own family members?

2. xBox Live Silver Accounts

If the members of your family want to have their own profiles and enjoy some of the online features the xBox live has to offer, why not just create Silver accounts? Silver accounts are completely free and Microsoft will usually allow you to set up enough on one console so each family member can have their own. Granted, you won't be able to play the online multi-player games with a silver account, but when you're ready for that, go back to step one and learn to share.

Silver accounts still allow players to access arcade games, shopping and other media though. Plus, players can access voice chat and text messaging with their other online friends, making this free level very entertaining all on it's own.

Remember though, if you've ever been banned from xBox live before, you won't even be able to get a free silver account. That still beats being a Korean kid though. In Korea, nobody under the age of 14 can use xBox live!

Hopefully, the above information will set the record straight for anyone trying to figure out how 2 players can share an xBox live account. Just remember to stay on the right side of Microsoft's TOS and you shouldn't run into any problems.

Microsoft facing $1bn Xbox bill

From BBC News
Microsoft has said that it is facing a bill of more than $1bn to cover the cost of offering extended warranties, after failings with its Xbox 360.

The company admitted it had been forced to make "an unacceptable number of repairs" to the consoles after key hardware failed.

Customers who suffer the problems will now be given a free three-year warranty, the company said.

The failures are indicated by three red flashing lights on the console.

Microsoft, has not revealed how many of its machines have suffered the problem, but said the number was "bigger than we are comfortable with."

It added that the move - which will also see some people reimbursed for postage and repairs on consoles which were out of warranty - was aimed at keeping the loyalty of its customers.

"The majority of Xbox 360 owners are having a great experience with their console and have from day one," said Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division.

"But this problem has caused frustration for some of our customers and for that, we sincerely apologise."

It added its Xbox division was still expected to make a profit during the financial year beginning 1 July 2007.

Migration manoeuvre

Separately the company has announced an October launch of its advanced version of the Xbox - the Xbox 360 Elite - in Japan, where it lags behind Nintendo and Sony in the console market.

And the company has also unveiled plans to open a software development centre in Canada which it said was a way of hiring talented people from abroad who would struggle to obtain a US working visa.

The Vancouver location would "allow the company to continue to recruit and retain highly skilled people affected by the immigration issues in the US", Microsoft said.

PS3 DVD upscaling: A big improvement

by Matthew Moskovciak
Before yesterday's firmware update, the PlayStation 3 couldn't upscale standard-definition DVDs to high-def resolutions--a once high-end feature that's now built-in to nearly all DVD players with HDMI outputs. But what's the real benefit of upscaling (or upconverting, as it's also known)? Despite some of the marketing hype claiming that upscaling will make your DVDs appear in true high-def quality, the increase in picture quality will never come close to matching that of native HD material (HDTV broadcasts, HD DVD, and Blu-ray). Moreover, the video quality improvement is completely dependent on how good the upscaling and deinterlacing technology in your TV already is. Every HDTV is already capable of upscaling and deinterlacing; the only benefit an upscaling DVD player can bring to the table is to do it better. In some cases, the difference is easily discernible. In others, it's much more subtle. Ultimately, an upscaling DVD player might be able to make your DVDs look better, but the difference will be worth it only to "critical viewers" who pay close attention to image quality.

As the PS3 formerly did a pretty poor job of just deinterlacing DVD to 480p, there was a lot of room for improvement. We put the PS3 through Silicon Optix's HQV test suite in 1080p mode on our Pioneer Pro-FHD1 reference display. For the most part, we were satisfied. It passed the initial resolution test, which means it can display the full resolution of DVDs. The next tests didn't go as well. For example, we saw artifacts on third line on the test with three shifting lines. We've seen better performance on this test on players with HQV processing, such as the Toshiba HD-XA2, or even with the older Denon DVD-3910. On the other hand, the PS3 did a decent job with a waving flag, as there were definitely some slightly noticeable jaggies, but we've seen worse. It did even better on the 2:3 pulldown processing test, as it kicked into film mode almost immediately.

Test patterns performance is fine for the lab, but we also took a look at some actual movies. The introduction to Seabiscuit can be difficult for some players, but the PS3 handled it well, with only a few slight artifacts--occasionally we could see some flashing behavior in the old photos as the camera panned over them. We also watched a bit of King Kong, which looked fantastic (as it does on almost all DVD players).

The bottom line is that the PS3's upscaling is pretty good, although it doesn't compare to top-of-the-line players such as the Oppo DV-981HD or the new high-def disc players with HQV processing, such as the Samsung BD-P1200 and the Toshiba HD-XA2. On the other hand, the PS3's DVD performance is definitely a big step up from that of the Xbox 360 Elite. In the final analysis, when you consider that upscaling is just one of the many functions of the PS3, we think the performance is pretty impressive.

Another resolution issue worthy of note: it appears the 1.80 firmware update has fixed the 720p issue on the PS3 (the system would downconvert games and movies to 480p on HDTVs that couldn't handle 1080i or 1080p resolutions). Post-update, we were able to play a DVD movie, a Blu-ray movie, and a game (Motorstorm), all at 720p resolution. That'll be welcome news for the legions of TV owners whose sets have 720p native resolution.