Halo 3 packaging in disk-scratch rumpus
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Limited edition scare shakes gamosphere Microsoft's Ã¼berhyped launch of the (keenly-anticipated, long-awaited, etc, etc) Halo 3 has suffered a bit of a wobble after fans quickly discovered the limited edition packing could scratch the game disks.â¦
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Cock-up not conspiracy Argos has admitted breaking the official release date for Halo 3. The UK high street retailer coughed to the goof after lucky gamers reported getting their mitts on copies of the game before the scheduled release date next week.â¦
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A battle over next-generation disc standards could create a rift in console game storage. Which side are you on? There are few who contest the fact that the acceptance of CD-ROM and then DVD-ROM standards
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Microsoft Corp  is offering to replace damaged discs of its just-launched "Halo 3" game for the Xbox amid reports that special limited-edition packaging is scratching them.
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The IcePack hacker exploit toolkit has three new tools in its collection, including one that targets a zero-day flaw in Microsoft's DirectX software development kit.
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Microsoft is scrambling to replace damaged copies through a hastily established disk-exchange program.
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Tycho:  I should have all the science lined up by the end of the week, ready to stuff into the piano black lozenge I've obtained to celebrate my return to personal computing.  Wish me luck; I've never before had the opportunity to fry four processors at once.       I know things.  Specifically, things that may be of interest to you.  For example, I know if playing Eye of Judgment online is an onerous as it might seem.  It is not!  I cannot express my relief.    Well, let's try.  In my last, vast expose, I broke down a card's unique language and expressed some misgivings about online play - ultimately just accepting it, because what they're trying to do is so weird that there's no prior art.  Essentially, you "register" your thirty card deck with the system itself, where it is stored and named for future use.  This process is extremely straightforward:  it is simply a matter of you laying your cards anywhere on the mat, a few at a time.  It will probably take two minutes if you really keep on it.  Then, you jump online, choose what nation you want to play for, and track down a partner.  At this point, the game will "draw" you your five card hand by showing you the card art onscreen.  You get one Mulligan (or redraw), but if you like your hand you move into the game proper.  We laid out our deck by element, face up, and this smoothed the turn to turn process considerably.      In the build we have, and I hope this is changed for release, it shows you these cards in a single file line without their name or text - just the art.  Once you got familiar with these images, slightly modified from their card format, it's pretty quick - but the names should be displayed on this screen.  You can use the controller to pull up the names, but let's be serious - at no point should the player be forced to interact with a mundane controller once the game is underway.     You should know that the game really wants a well-lit environment.  You don't need a flare gun or anything, but we didn't have what we needed before and certain squares would slow down the game flow with partial reads that would only resolve after several attempts and minute card adjustments.  I should state that here in the office, we removed all the overhead lights, installing a single track of illumination that we point at the ceiling, where lights used to be.  We tend to transform any place we live into a cave.  So, our scenario might be somewhat atypical.    Also, I know if playing Rock Band with all the instruments off of a USB hub is onerous.  You will be happy to know that it is not - we played said instruments spread out on an actual stage, and found it more than satifactory.  The reality is that the drum kit already needs its own wire, so it isn't as though the future had actually arrived anyway.  Plus, the mic isn't wireless either. This makes the contrived brouhaha over wired guitars a fairly transparent traffic ploy.    This is a matter quite apart from Microsoft's reticence to play ball with unique, third party hardware.  And when I say "play ball," I'm taking about the shakedown operation they've got going licensing their wireless technology, which either makes products for their system more expensive or (in the salient case of Rock Band) results in them bundling a wired controller for the same price as a wireless one on a competitor's system.  This is the last holiday they can get away with this sort of thing...  right?
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Many computer users prefer to install their operating system "clean" by simply using their old Windows disc to verify they own a copy of the software. However, that appears to no longer be possible using an Upgrade version of Windows Vista.
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Microsoft's hardware-challenged Xbox has another problem on its hands.
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According to reports, copies of the eagerly awaited Halo 2 Xbox game made an impromptu debut last night on Usenet groups and pirate sites.
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MS foam home Not all gamers buying Halo 3 Limited Edition packs received a scratched disc. Copies sent out to Australia apparently contained a cunningly hi-tech device to stop the disc from being damaged.â¦
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'When we asked for exciting Vistas, this is not what we meant...' An "obscure content error which includes partial nudity" is allegedly behind the set-back Microsoft this week made to the Windows Vista version of Halo 2, originally due 8 May, then 22 May and now 31 May.â¦
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Two California residents have filed a lawsuit against Microsoft over claims that its Xbox 360 game console scratches video game discs. It's the second such suit in recent weeks.
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Also: Windows worm travels with Tetris [News.com Extra]
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Microsoft isn't the only company soaking up the gravy from this week's release of "Halo 2", the smash successor to the company's breakthrough shooting game for its Xbox console. [Missing Links]
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Three images embedded in the surface of Windows Vista's installation DVDs may be  too small to see with the naked eye, but they're no big mystery, according to Microsoft Corp. They're part of the company's anti-piracy efforts.
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I saw an ad in yesterday's NY Times that offered the complete New Yorker magazine archive, including all the cartoons and ads, going back to 1920-something for a bit more than the hard disk would cost. The ad was from J&R, the company that makes the product is Pexagon. $149. Sounds like there might be DRM. I asked for something like this from the music business. A hundred gigs of popular music for $500, all pre-installed on the disk without DRM.  Someone at the New Yorker had this idea too? It's a good one. Bulk content for collector types. Another source of revenue. I want to run my own personal radio station, so having every song of a certain genre or from a certain period makes the diff.