Xbox 360 battery pack teardown

Reader, [Fox9p3400], opened up an Xbox 360 controller battery pack so we could all see what goes into one. It contains two Sanyo 2100mAh NiMH AA rechargeables (Model HR-3U 1.2V). In addition to that, there is an Atmel microcontroller (not pictured) and the copper temperature probe you can see above. He has more pictures on Photobucket.

Source Hackaday

Red Xbox 360 Controller Available for $64.99

Microsoft has just announced that players will now be able to purchase a red Xbox 360 controller with black accents for a limited time.The controller will be available for $64.99 (USD) and will be wireless up to 30 feet. The package will also include a Play & Charge cable and a red rechargeable battery good for about 25 hours of use. The controller is available in the US, Canada, Latin America, Austrailia, New Zealand and Asia.
Source Gameplasma

So What Happened to the Newton Xbox 360 Motion Controller?

It has been a while since I have typed the name "Newton” as in the semi-secret Xbox 360 motion controller wand project. So what happened to Newton?

There are two possibilities:
1. It was delayed and they are still working on it. Either the software or games is not ready.
2. It was canceled and it will never reach market. They might have decided that it was not going to work in the Xbox accessory lineup.

At PAX 08 all of the Microsoft folks that I talked to would clam up at the mention of the Newton code name. I have no doubt that the Newton project is either still going on or was real at one point before being put on hold or canceled out right. I have seen evidence of them building hardware and I think that they invested more resources than if it was just a research and development project.

They unveiled that the game Ninja Blade does not use the Newton controller nor does Banjo Kazooie : Nuts and Bolts. Also the fact that they are making another Sceen It! game that will ship with the Big Button controller is another sign that the Newton is not on track.

They might end up using the research from the Newton project on project Phoenix (the third generation Xbox AKA 720) or it might be introduced in 2009.

The Opus motherboard is out, they are working on Valhalla, Lips is out soon but not every video game hardware project in development makes it to market. I am still waiting for that Super Nintendo CD-Rom drive.

Source 8bitjoystick

Games will have to be programmed to support new Xbox 360 LE controller improvements

At last month's Leipzig Games Convention, Konami mentioned that a new Xbox 360 limited-edition controller would be coming to Europe. The company's spokesperson said that the green controller would be released alongside Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, and it was unveiled alongside the game at the show.

The Xbox 360 controller has received criticism for its directional pad, which is why this new pad sees a 16-way upgrade. That's up from the eight directions on the regular pad, although everything else on the joypad remains the same as before.

According to Microsoft, the new limited-edition green wireless controller offers "enhancements to D pad functionality, which will add to the experience of playing games where the D pad is the primary control mechanism." While only Pro Evo has been announced as supporting the new pad, various rumours suggest other games may offer support, including Street Fighter IV; however, when we spoke to Capcom about the matter, it declined to comment.

We tried the new controller at Leipzig 2008 and found it was fairly difficult to notice the difference. In office tests on Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 and Forza Motorsport 2, the control pad performed at the same standard as regular controllers on both games. It appears that games will have to be programmed to support the new pad or retrospectively offer downloadable updates.

Source gamespot

Official Xbox 360 Red controller and charge kit coming end of September - $65

Maxconsole states, "On September 30th, a new limited edition Red wireless Xbox 360 controller and play and charge kit bundle will be available across The States. The bundle will be on sale for $65 and the unique features of this compared to the blue and pink colors is that it is a "Limited Edition red finish, with newly designed black accents." Ooh, black accents :)!"

That would be that then.

Microsoft BlueTrack Unveiled: The Best Tracking Mouse Ever, Apparently

It's like Attack Of The Killer Mice around here lately. Yesterday we had the slinky new Microsoft Arc Mouse and now we have BlueTrack.

We reported on a new MS mouse using something called BlueTrack last month, which the company was modestly touting as the next best thing in Mousedom. Well, the covers are off now and Microsoft still thinks BlueTrack kicks the ass of optical and laser mouse technology. A bold claim indeed.

BlueTrack Technology employs a large blue beam and specular optics working with a new image sensor and proprietary pixel geometry to enable a mouse to work on more surfaces than any other, from "granite worktops to the living room carpet".
Source Gizmodo.

Microsoft SideWinder X8 gaming mouse gets official, examined

engadget writes:
Apparently fearing it would get lost among all its other product announcements yesterday, Microsoft waited until today to get official with its new SideWinder X8 mouse, which boasts the same BlueTrack technology as the company's new Explorer mice but in a more gamer-friendly package. Those touches include a play and charge system to let you keep playing while your battery recharges, switchable DPI settings, interchangeable feet to suit your "glide preference," seven programmable buttons, and a dedicated macro record button, to name a few. Unfortunately, you're going to have to wait even longer to get your hands on this one, with it only set to be released in February, 2009 (for $100), but you can at least get a good idea of what's in store by hitting up Maximum PC's hands-on below.
Source Engadget.

New Dell keyboard and mouse leak out

Endgadget writes about the new keyboard and mouse from Dell.
"Dell has a ways to go before it can match, say, Microsoft's peripheral acumen -- or the considerable buzz being generated by Blue Track at the moment. That said, the computer giant looks to have a couple new ones in the pipeline, and that's always a treat for the folks too poor or lazy to replace their pre-bundled keyboard and mouse. The keyboard's short-throw keys will be a love it or hate it affair, but the media keys seem nice enough, while the mouse offers sensitivity-denoting LEDs and some laser tech underneath to match those smooth, predictable contours. No word on a ship date, but look for these to show up in your new Dell boxes before long."
Source Engadget.

Microsoft's Cool Arc Laser Mouse In The Wild

gizmodo writes about microsofts new laser mouse first shown in july.
"A mouse is a mouse is a mouse most of the time but, Microsoft's Arc Laser mouse actually looks like a mouse worth getting just a little bit excited about.

It popped up on our radar first back in July but now we have some new photos of the mouse in use, along with its tiny USB dongle. The Arc is interesting, not only because of its slick looks but because it can fold away to about half of its size, thanks to a 'strong hinge'. So, you get a full-size mouse to work with on the go, but which is portable enough to stow away. Pity it doesn't stick to your laptop too like the new Logitech V550 Nano."
Source gizmodo

Microsoft cuts peripheral prices in Australia

Microsoft has announced price cuts in the Australian territory for a number of Xbox 360 peripherals, with some dropping as much as 40 per cent.

The Xbox 360 Headset and Universal Media Remote have fallen from AUD 49.95 to AUD 29.95, while the Wireless Racing Wheel is down from UAD 199.95 to AUD 149.95, reports iTWire.

Meanwhile the 120GB hard drive is down AUD 30 to AUD 199.95 and the Wireless Networking Adapter is down AUD 20 at AUD 149.95.

The peripherals cost reduction follows the new console SKU prices in the country, which are now AUD 349 for the Arcade, AUD 499 for the Pro and AUD 649 for the Elite consoles respectively.
Source games industry.

Microsoft hints at new mice: "Say Goodbye to Laser"

We'd say the jump from traditional optical mice to laser mice was pretty momentous, and it sounds like Microsoft is getting ready to jump again -- Microsoft Hardware put up a teaser this afternoon for a September 9th announcement featuring the tagline "Say Goodbye to Laser." Yeah, that's not exactly subtle, is it? We're hoping a return to old-school trackballs with grimy little wheels is in order, but we're just sentimentalists at heart.
Source engaget

Update

We're not really sure if Microsoft is peddling a revolution here or just the mousing tech flavor of the month, but we've got ourselves a much better idea of where things might be going. After that little "Say Goodbye to Laser" teaser turned our pointing device world upside down, a reader spotted this MS Explorer Mini Mouse with "Blue Track" technology over on Amazon.de. Coincidence? We're guessing no. We followed a bit more of the PI work done by our fine commenters and discovered Blue Track to be based on a blue LED combined with a wide-angle lens that's supposed to work on more surfaces than laser and optical. Microsoft only really seems to be aiming this at the portable spectrum, hence the wireless adapter and miniature size, so perhaps Blue Track isn't the end of laser after all.

Source again engadget