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I’m in South Beach, Miami, today. I arrived late last evening to a surprisingly mild evening — for some reason I expected it to be warmer even though I should know better.

The Winter Music Conference is in town, as evidenced by many of the clubs mentioning the WMC in their marquee and by the folks I see walking around — I think. However, I’m here for work. The event I’m flew out to staff is one of the few official WMC events on Tuesday to kick off the conference. Ben, one of my colleagues has put together quite the event: Paul Oakenfold is playing with members of the Florida Classical Symphony and a three-piece band, featuring the soundtrack he did for our game, The Bourne Conspiarcy, while Cee Lo makes an appearance as a special guest. The entire thing is being streamed live on Yahoo! and you can get there from the Bourne Sessions web site.

If you happen to live in Florida, or near it, and want a guaranteed entrance to the show, enter Joystiq’s Joyswag giveaway for a chance to get in — note that entries close at 12:00 PM ET.

Word came out over the weekend that Harmonix CEO Alex Rigopulos, in a lengthy OXM interview, finally confirmed the gaming community’s fears about Rock Band on Xbox 360 — that the Special Edition bundle would not have a wireless guitar, but a wired one. Of course a wireless version of the Rock Band guitar does exist, but it will only be available as a seperate purchase for Xbox 360 owners. The salt in the wound comes from the news that the PLAYSTATION 3 version of the Special Edition would indeed bundle in a wireless guitar.

Ouch.

The reason? Joystiq quotes Rigopulos as saying, “The cost of wireless technology on the Microsoft side is higher and to be able to offer those bundles at a price point that would be reasonable for consumers it was necessary … on the 360 side we are also bundling a hub.”

The reason behind the wired guitar in the bundle is rather unfortunate. I believe this is one of the few times that Microsoft should have worked to ensure parity between the bundles across the different platforms at all costs. This is one of those times where the folks in charge of these third-party relationships and third-party accessory licensing should have been thinking about the best interests of the brand and the platform as a whole. It seems that other factors were more key — most likely not setting the precedent of reducing or subsidizing the cost of the technology for accessory makers.

I can see that being an important factor, among several others, all extremely valid. However, it’s just a shame that it provides the PLAYSTATION 3 bundle of Rock Band a competitive advantage when Microsoft should be doing everything in their power to slam the door on one of their competitors. And that is a strategy that I feel remains valid despite Microsoft’s current lead in the global marketplace versus Sony.

Over on GameSetWatch, Simon caught something interesting during what might be one of his many games of Boom Boom Rocket — a familiar building. In his post, Simon says that the building happens to be facsimile of the 30 St. Mary Axe building in London. He points out that the, according to the Wikipedia article he and I both linked to, this isn’t the first time the building was used in a video game, having made an appearance in The Getaway 2: Black Monday for the PlayStation 2.

The only thing missing from the post was a screenshot of the building in the rhythm game developed by Bizarre Creations, so, finding his post interesting, I decided to oblige. I got credited more than I should have — I really didn’t go beyond the call of duty, I just wanted to contribute to what I found to be an interesting article. At least with 30 St. Mary Axe and the genre Boom Boom Rocket resides in, Bizarre Creations doesn’t have to worry about answering to a higher power.

First community summary for 2007 and it’s JULY. So awesome. - Ed.

• Microsoft Extends Warranty to Three Years for Xbox 360 Consoles Afflicted by Three Red Lights
• Circuit City Weekly Circular Reveals $100 Price Drop on PLAYSTATION 3

Microsoft Extends Warranty to Three Years for Xbox 360 Consoles Afflicted by Three Red Lights

Microsoft announced this week that they will be extending the warranty to three years for any Xbox 360 consoles afflicted with a general hardware failure, as indicated by the three red lights. In addition, the warranty would be offered retroactively to customers who have already had their consoles repaired by offering refunds for any out-of-warranty repairs that have been paid for. The announcement was accompanied by an open letter from Peter Moore and a posting on Gamerscore blog. An analyst conference call with Microsoft executives, transcribed by Joystiq, provided more detail as well. As part of the announcement, Microsoft also revealed that they would take a $1.05 billion to $1.15 billion pre-tax charge in fiscal fouth quarter as part of the warranty extension.

The announcement was far and away the discussion with the highest volume among the community this week both because of the nature of the warranty and, subsequently, the implications of the pre-tax charge Microsoft will take. Initial reactions from bloggers and the community were mostly positive at Microsoft’s move to reassure their existing customer base, exemplified by comments such as “Classy show, Microsoft. Real classy. Let’s hope this move is coupled with hardware revisions to keep your customers — and shareholders — happy.” from Joystiq. However many did say that they felt it was about time for Microsoft to address the growing discussion and media attention the console was garnering in recent months as pointed out by Chris Kohler over at Game|Life where he states that it looks “like this issue finally caught up to Microsoft. With a renewed interest in the problem and E3 coming up, they couldn’t just continue to deny that it exists.”

Community members on forums also felt the apology and warranty was an unprecedented move by Microsoft in support of their customer base and that, given the consistent denials of any issues present in the console in the face of media inquiries for the past year or more. Over on the massive NeoGAF thread, posters were initially happy about the news (”Wow, didn’t expect this. Even an apology. Pretty good! Clever that they did this before E3.”) and felt that they could “game without fear” now. One poster did some “napkin” math and using the (obviously flawed) calculation of dividing the $1 billion charge by $400 for each console, theorized that Microsoft expected upwards of 2.5 million consoles rendered inoperable by the three red lights. Curiously this figure was later cited on at least one mainstream news story. Later on, discussion turned more cynical on how Microsoft either had to have been aware of the issue for a significantly longer period than they had let on and that the warranty was only now extended because the bottom line and increasing customer dissent had forced Microsoft’s hand — in addition to some speculating that this move could pre-empt any class action lawsuits that may have been pending. As time passed since the announcement many, such as Xbox 360 Fanboy, began to wonder if this move was enough to instill confidence in those who have been disheartened by or even dissuaded from the Xbox 360 console due to the reports of hardware issues.

It’s clear that regardless of where the discussion lay or what the nature of the discussion was, a large majority of the community felt very passionate on their views and what they felt they deserved out of both the console itself and from Microsoft given the announcement of the warranty extension. Writing on Aeropause, George Walker summarized the dissenting views among the community in a post titled “Microsoft Warranty Fallout (not the good kind)” by stating

What makes the mistake into a full-blown failure is when you strive to cover it up, pretend like nothing is happening, and then after months and months of ignoring the issue, then you finally decide to do something about it, only after it becomes obvious that it’s hurting your bottom line. See, if you were smart, Microsoft, you would’ve realized a LONG time ago that it could’ve been addressed for much cheaper than $1 billion if you had done so a YEAR AGO.

That’s what you get for trying to screw over your customers. Thanks for playing.

The announcement was picked up widely across the blogosphere this week by blogs such as Joystiq, Kotaku, Destructoid, Evil Avatar, Engadget, Gizmodo, Xbox 360 Fanboy, Aeropause, Game|Life, Ars Technica, Siliconera, GayGamer.net and Cathode Tan.

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Circuit City Weekly Circular Reveals $100 Price Drop on PLAYSTATION 3

A reliable forum member of the Cheap Ass Gamer (and DVDTalk) forums posted information from an upcoming Circuit City weekly circular which revealed that the chain would be selling the 60 GB model of the PLAYSTATION 3 at the reduced price of $499 on July 12, down from the $599 price point the console was released at in November 2006.

The circular and the subsequent scan of the circular (as posted by Kotaku) grabbed a significant amount of attention as many bloggers and community members have long griped about the high-price of the PLAYSTATION 3 console. Many have also felt that the exceptionally low monthly sales for the console as reported by the NPD Group is a clear result of the high price point. As a result, the price cut elicited an overwhelmingly positive reaction from the community as they felt Sony was beginning to understand what would make them be more competitive against two lower priced consoles in the marketplace. Many feel that this will help sales for the console a little, but at $499, the PS3, as one member on NeoGAF states, “will have a really nice price for what it offers. Still probably won’t be cheap enough for the masses to bite, well, en masse.”

The price cut was confirmed late Sunday night via a Sony press release which also announced a new, albeit limited edition, variant featuring a larger hard drive (80 GB) and Motorstorm bundled into a $599 package.

News of the circular was picked up widely by blogs such as Joystiq, Kotaku, Destructoid, Evil Avatar, Engadget, Gizmodo, PS3 Fanboy, Game|Life and GayGamer.net.

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Looks like someone jumped the gun too quick and posted a press release due to go out on Monday. The release, most likely to be released over the AP wire at 12:01am on July 9, reveals that Sony is indeed reducing the retail price of the 60 GB version of the PLAYSTATION 3 to $499. However, the release also mentions the interesting and unexpected development that Sony will release a 80 GB version of their console, bundled with Motorstorm, at the retail price of $599 — essentially replacing the $599 version.

The full release, in case it is removed, from KOTV.com is reproduced below.

New Version Of PlayStation 3 To Go On Sale In August; Sony Cuts Price On Older Model
AP - 7/8/2007 6:57 PM - Updated 7/8/2007 6:58 PM

Sony Corp. announced a revised PlayStation 3 console Monday with a bigger hard drive for storing downloaded content such as video games and high-definition movies.

The new $599 PS3 increases the system’s storage capacity from 60 to 80 gigabytes and also includes a retail copy of the online racing title “MotorStorm,” a company spokesman said.

Starting Monday, the current 60 gigabyte model will cost $499 _ a $100 price drop.

The larger capacity machine won’t be available in the United States and Canada until August.

It plays into the company’s upcoming strategy of eventually offering downloaded high-definition movies, video games, movie trailers and demos, Sony spokesman David Karraker said.

Karraker said further details on high-def movies for download would be released at a later date.

The announcement comes two days before the E3 Media & Business Summit in Santa Monica, Calif., where dozens of industry heavyweights including Sony rivals Microsoft Corp. and Nintendo Co. are expected to show off their latest games and related products.

In April, Microsoft began selling a version of its Xbox 360 with a 120-gigabyte hard drive and a souped up high-definition video connection. Called Xbox 360 Elite, the black-colored system sells for $479.99.

Xbox gamers who already own the $399.99 20-gigabyte model can buy a snap-on 120-gigabyte hard drive for $179.99.

Karraker said Sony would use the E3 show to focus on two areas: ways to increase the number of consumers who own PS3s and other products such as the PlayStation Portable handheld system, and expanding the system’s library of available games.

He said Sony would be releasing 100 new video games during the current fiscal year, including 15 titles that are exclusive to the PS3 such as the hack-and-slash action title “Heavenly Sword.”

UPDATE: The official Sony press release (via Joystiq) reveals that the 80 GB model is currently listed as a limited edition bundle only.

Ever wanted to see what a game design document looks like?

David Jaffe did us all a favor and posted his design document for his upcoming title Calling All Cars over on his blog — it was originally titled Criminal Crackdown for those of you with short memories. It was pretty interesting to see him remark that “over the years, I’ve seen my game design docs drop from 200 pages to 5-10 page pamphlets.” That’s a big difference and I’m sure is a bit easier for him to manage.

It it’s pretty cool to see this type of thing, which I’m sure rarely gets seen outside of the walls of most studios and development houses. Jaffe says the final game is only 20% - 50% original to the design document, so this could turn into a great informal case study on what had or was changed during the process by the time Calling All Cars is released on the PLAYSTATION Store in March.

A weekly summary of what is being talked about quite a bit in the gaming community.

• Gears of War commercial with Mad World soundtrack
• David Jaffe speaks to Newsweek about EDI and XBLA
• Electronic Arts worries gamers with The Godfather downloadable content

Gears of War commercial with Mad World soundtrack released
Since I saw this Gears of War video a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been silently waiting for it to be released publicly. It was torture. Sitting in a darkened office at Microsoft, the first two viewings of this video gave me the chills. And it still does every time I watch it from the Xbox Live Marketplace download — and it’s been multiple times already. While I was already looking forward to Epic and CliffyB’s opus this holiday, the video officially got me to the point where I couldn’t wait for the game to be released — a sentiment that Brian at Kotaku echoes as well. That’s a hard thing to do since the last time I saw and touched Gears of War was back at E³.

ArsTechnica’s Opposable Thumbs blog opines why the trailer might be so moving, noting that it’s “good to see people who are actually excited about their game try a different feel for their ads and put more thought into sharing that enthusiasm.” The same sentiment which crossed my mind during my first viewing, and I was glad to see such a different and evocative approach taken instead of the usual “lots of guns and explosions” hard sell.

Always a good source of different viewpoints on the same thing (and often beaten to death), NeoGAF’s thread dedicated to the Gears of War commerical is quite the read with a not-insubstantial 35,000+ views. The posters in the thread discussed the merits of everything from the soundtrack choice, the rain, the glass refraction effects, to the in-engine graphical details (nevermind all the Halo talk… for now). If you’re one of the unfortunate few who have been living under a rock in the past week, you can watch the standard or high-definition versions at the links below. Do it. Now.

• Gears of War commercial - standard resolution version
• Gears of War commercial - high-definition version

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David Jaffe speaks to Newsweek about EDI and XBLA
Earlier this week, N’Gai Croal of Newsweek posted an interview with David Jaffe, designer of the Twisted Metal series, God of War and Criminal Crackdown as an upcoming PS3 downloadable title. While I’ve known of David, I’ve never seen him or met him until he appeared as one of the more outspoken of the four heralded game designers on MTV’s “Gods of Gaming” segment. It should come as no surprise then that his interview style is a big more free-wheeling than others and that was definitely present in N’Gai Croal’s piece. In it, Jaffe took a few jabs at the current game offering on Xbox Live Arcade service by calling it more of an oldies radio station based on all the classic game available. I can see how this quote can be taken incorrectly in a written article since there is not much information to contextualize it and provide the tone Jaffe had.

No doubt that is what happened to Joystiq when they summarized the interview with David Jaffe. Chris Kohler at Game|Life somewhat concurs with Joystiq’s analysis while mentioning Jaffe’s move away from epic games to the shorter, quicker release downloadable market. Brian Crecente over at Kotaku took a more rigorous approach to analyzing down the interview, mentioning that while he didn’t agree with Jaffe’s take on Xbox Live Arcade, he welcomes the competition from Sony so both platforms push each other to excel. Even industry business site Next Generation picked up on Jaffe’s comparison between the PS3 and Xbox 360’s downloadable offerings through a music analogy.

A user on NeoGAF posted the Joystiq story and the board heavily debated the merits of the quote and Jaffe’s intent. After some time, David himself popped into NeoGAF and both explained what he meant in the interview and posted a link to his blog, where he responds to the Joystiq post and again explains that he was only being lighthearted by reiterating that he was only “cracking a joke and not realizing how shitty and petty it sounded until I saw it in print.” It just shows how rather difficult it is to not be wholly serious in a print interview, because things can easily be taken in either direction. Something which interviews such as the MTV segment, showing both video and audio, help avoid.

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Electronic Arts worries gamers with The Godfather downloadable content
Following up on Tiger Woods 07 downloadable content, which included things you could unlock while playing the game through, a sizable amount of in-game content for The Godfather was released this week on Xbox Live Marketplace. The downloadable content included several new missions, in-game items such as weapons and in-game currency. It is the latter which made gamers take notice at the downloadable content, even if many did not own the title itself. These are precisely the type of downloadable content that the gaming community feared — ones that could possibly give some sort of advantage of those less fortunate than others. In this case, it only affects a single player title. Gamers hope that this release doesn’t indicate that this type content will accelerate and turn into content which could imbalance multi-player games, similar to how MMOs have been affected.

A slew of bloggers reported on this latest series of downloadable content with the same concerns. Joystiq points out how the downloadable content “charges” a gamer twice “when you realize you don’t have enough virtual money, you turn around and use more real money to buy more virtual money, so you can re-buy the gun you already bought with real money.” On Game|Life, Chris Kohler points out how he feels that gamers are being charged by content which was not created after the game was released, but rather that the game content was already included and gamers were only paying to unlock it. On ArsTechnica’s Opposable Thumbs blog, Ben Kuchera echos the worry of the gaming community by warning that “EA tends to take these kinds of ideas way too far, so let’s see how they’ll make this a bad idea in the next year or so.”

Several message boards voiced their displeasure with this type of paid downloadable content, nearly all referenced these as a continuation of the Tiger Woods 07 downloadables. Over at Quarter to Three the original poster summed up the sentiment by stating “I don’t know which is worse… selling money, or selling this: [The Level 4 Weapon Bundle].” NeoGAF was likely among the most outspoken of message boards getting over 200 replies and 7,000 views in a mere 16 hours — the posters were visably not thrilled about this downloadable content.
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