Jalopnik Car Pack Available now
The latest round of Forza 3 DLC is out. Jalopnik is a Gawker Media blog that focuses on everything car-related. Naturally they’ve partnered with Forza to bring a hot new lineup of cars to the game in the for of DLC. The Jalopnik Car Pack which contains 10 cars will set you back 400 Microsoft points (A$6.60).
Jalopnik Car Pack includes:
2008 MAZDA FURAI
2010 HONDA CIVIC TYPE R MUGEN
2009 #40 ROBERTSON RACING FORD GT
2010 ASTON MARTIN RAPIDE
2011 BMW Z4
2010 AUDI TT RS
2010 #33 RSR JAGUAR XKR
2010 PORSCHE 911 SPORT CLASSIC
2010 ASTON MARTIN V12 VANTAGE
1992 BUGATTI EB110SS
More @ ForzaMotorsport.net
Forza Update
Forza fans shouldn’t forget there’s a major patch due for release in the next 24hrs. Codenamed Title Update 4 (TU4), the patch will be rolling out between 2AM and 4AM PST. There’s lots of changes coming, best to read all the info over at ForzaMotorsport.
Will you pay for games and apps 3 times ?
In a demo a Tech.Ed Middle East, Eric Rudder showed how a single project (in this case a game) could be published and run on 3 entirely different platforms. Running on Windows, Xbox and Windows Phone 7 which all have different input mechanisms – keyboard and mouse, controller, touch-screen and accelerometer, this begins to get very interesting.
This gets a whole lot more awesome when you find out that your game/app can sync across platforms. So hit the save point on the Xbox, run out the door and continue playing on your phone. Someone should sort through the old beyond 2000 footage, this technology is probably in there somewhere. It sounds like futuristic and probably will be some ways off before you get a triple-platform app in your hand.
My biggest question out of this is the pricing model. Are we expected to buy the game 3 times to get ultra-portability ? It’s important to also recognise that this isn’t functionality everyone wants. So building it into the price of the first purchase will hurt those who only want it on one platform. For the right price, those that want ultra-portability should pay for that feature, but at a subsidised price. Maybe after the primary purchase, you could then pickup the same app/game on the other platforms for 5-10% of the original cost. I think that’s a model that would work.
For a $100 Xbox 360 game, you should be able to get the PC version for an additional $10 and maybe an additional $5 for the mobile version. Currently pricing models don’t recognise that people game in different places, when in reality that’s very true. Imagine if you didn’t have to make the console vs PC choice, but could have the game on both for an affordable price. Crazy thought right ?
More @ Engadget
3rd Borderlands DLC available now: General Knoxx
The next chapter of the Borderlands Saga is upon us. With new guns, class mods, vehicles, missions, enemies this DLC is the biggest yet. Add to that the fact the level cap increases from 50 to 61 !! Available on the Xbox a couple of days ago, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx is now available for PC as well.
At US$9.99 it’s great value. By the way, if your playing with mates, one purchase will get your up to 5 installs 
Grab it from https://store.gearboxsoftware.com/
Return to Rapture, Bioshock 2 available now
The much loved immersive horror story that is Bioshock is back for round 2. The story line jumps forward 10 years from the original, with all the action housed in the gorgeous underwater city of Rapture. After the success of the first Bioshock, this game is loved by many, will the sequel live up to the high expectations ?
There’s already reviews starting to surface, Kotaku posted theirs about half an hour ago. Go check it out, or head over to the official site – http://bioshockgame.com
Bioshock 2 is available now on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC (Games for Windows).
More @ Delimiter
Xbox Update now available to all
Last night the Xbox 360 update was released to the public. Zune Video Marketplace and Facebook will require a quick download before use, but twitter simply requires login.
I got to review the update over the past couple of weeks, I had thought the catalogue of videos available in the Zune Video Marketplace was going to be significantly increased upon full release of the service. Sadly this isn’t the case. Sure there’ll be movies added over time, but it’s not the knockout line-up that it really should have been.
The Music marketplace was a surprise, something that wasn’t in the preview program. This is pretty much a joke of a service. Music videos are available in 480p, but costs Microsoft Points while the PS3 VidZone offers a much larger catalogue, friendlier interface and for free.
The Facebook and Twitter interfaces are really held back from the lack of a browser on the 360. A large part of social networks is their ability to link friends to content. These links are un-actionable on the Xbox. At best you can favourite a tweet, then go to a mobile or desktop browser to launch the link.
Australian Xbox 360 Elite + Forza 3 bundle revealed
The latest BigW catalogue features an unannounced Xbox 360 Elite + Forza 3 bundle. On sale for $398, there’s no details, but the Elite should come with the standard 120GB HDD. This is important to note, given there’s a 250GB version on the way.
Why this wasn’t released on the launch of Forza 3 is bizarre. Personally I’m looking to update from my launch console and I would have bought this bundle if it was available. Now I’ve bought Forza 3, Microsoft have missed a sale opportunity.
It’s currently not on their website, but be sure to check out BigW if your interested. No doubt other retailers will have this bundle in the future.
Review: Xbox Live Update Preview: Zune, Facebook, Twitter
Yesterday was a big day for the Xbox, the arrival of one of the best (if not the best) racing game available – Forza 3, as well as the launch of the Xbox Live Update Preview Program.
If you applied, like me, then you may have received an email acceptance into the preview program.
Available in the update for Australia is Facebook and Twitter integration as well as the brand new Zune Video Marketplace.
Xbox Live Update – Zune Marketplace
Other than the Zune desktop software, this is Zune’s official introduction into Australia. The Zune Video Marketplace offers movies in 1080p that start streaming instantly. It’s recommended you have least 4mbps to get HD, given how Australia’s broadband speeds are tiered, 1.5Mb will be too slow, so your going to want at least an 8Mb connection.
Quality
I hired the movie Uninvited in HD to review the quality and was very happy. Let me precursor this with the fact I’m on an ADSL2+ connection. The movie did in fact start straight away, with lower quality, then after about 30 seconds, the quality kicked in and the video was indeed great quality high definition. Now this is still obvious a lower quality bitrate than Blu-ray, so for those HD purists out there, this may not be for you. But for me this is a great service.
With HD using a large amount of data, you may be concerned about your download quota being chewed up by renting movies. A number of ISPs will offer Zune Video Marketplace content unmetered. An official list has not yet been released, but expect most to do this, it’s the only feasible way this service will work for Australian consumers.
Catalogue
Lets make no questions about this, the current movie selection is horrible. It is important to keep in mind this isn’t a product that’s officially launched, so by the time this goes public, I’d hope the catalogue of movies to choose from is dramatically improved.
Australian Pricing
New titles
Old titles
Rent HD – 420 Microsoft Points (A$6.93)
Rent SD – 360 Microsoft Points (A$5.94) Rent SD – 300 Microsoft Points (A$4.95)
Xbox Live Update – Facebook
Xbox Live Update – Twitter
Overall
In terms of updates, this is a good one that actually ads a lot of functionality. As for Last.fm, there’s no sign of it.
The new Zune Video Marketplace with a better catalogue will become my movie rental service of choice. Compared to Blockbuster On Demand available through the TiVo, the Zune rentals are in HD and millions of Australians already have their credit card with Microsoft, lowering the barrier to entry. SD videos on Zune are 4 cents cheaper at $5.94 compared to $4.95 on Blockbuster or iTunes.
The social features are nice, but without the messenger kit add-on, i don’t see people contributing content via the Xbox much. It’s $29.99, will this be the new must-have accessory ?
