After Nokia unveiled their Windows Phone-based Lumia phones at Nokia World, Microsoft also gave a preview of the things you can do with a Windows Phone 7.5 device and an Xbox console. First off, a rather predictable smartphone remote function that’ll let you control the Xbox console’s video functions using your phone, letting you browse movies and movie info on the phone while something’s playing on the console, or as a plain remote that connects via Wi-fi.
Microsoft just put up the console’s Gears of War 3 edition up for pre-order on Amazon. You know, just in case you were getting tired of your plain Xbox 360’s old look. Or in case you’re in the market for a new console and you like pretty things. Because the GOW3 edition is definitely pretty, as long as your idea of “pretty” includes a bloody red-and-black graphic highlighted by a splotchy black skull.
In case you’re still on the fence on whether to spring for the Kinect motion-control kit for the Xbox 360, here’s all you need to know: the games are fun as heck, and there’s a chance that you could hurt yourself. At least that’s what we got from the reviewer shown on the video above. What else did we learn today? Well, A) this dude has balls. You gotta love the fact that he didn’t edit the best part of the game review (at around 2:47). B) Watching people play Kinect games can be just as entertaining as playing the games yourself, and C) if you’re going to play motion control games, make sure you have enough space to move around. One more “Kinect fail” video after the break.
Besides the fact that this is Oprah’s last season, giving you a deadline to sit in a studio that’s filled with a hefty female-to-male ratio if you haven’t already, here’s another reason: free stuff is good. What could be better? If said free stuff is a free Xbox 360 console bundled with the new Kinect motion control kit, which amounts to $300 worth of motion-controlled fun for your living room. The Kinect bundle hasn’t been launched yet (it’s set for a November 4 release), so we don’t know if the studio audience already got theirs or if they just got vouchers for claiming their free Xbox 360 kits on launch day. Smart move for MS though. Oprah’s audience is certainly an untapped gaming market. Nevertheless, if we were in that audience at the time, we’d probably be easy to find. We’d be screaming the loudest.
Literally, a new twist. It’s pretty much the same wireless controller, but with a D-pad that can be twisted to take the shape of a defined “plus,” and twisted back to give you the typical disc. Apparently, some people miss the classic plus shape that you’d normally see on Nintendos, although it seems strange that they’d even bother reworking it since players are more likely to use the left stick—not the D-pad—to move around games anyway. Oh, and they also redid the colors, dropping the red/green/blue/yellow colors on the ABXY buttons and painted them in different shades of gray. Nice touch,although the lack of colors could confuse newer players who still tend to look down at the controls. Video that demos the twisty button action after the break.
