How to Use an Xbox 360 Controller On Your Windows PC

via howtogeek.com

The keyboard and mouse might be a good fit for many native computer games, but it feels downright weird to play emulated games that way. Whether you want to play Super Mario with a proper gamepad or try out a new PC title like Diablo III in comfort, we’ve got you covered.

Today we’re taking a look at how you can take a Microsoft Xbox 360 controller and configure it to work with everything from your favorite emulators to old and new PC games. Whether you want the authentic feel of a controller in your hand when you play old school games or you’re looking for a gentle-on-the-wrists way to play modern games, it’s easy to set up.

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The Xbox 360, Now A True Cable Box Killer

via techcrunch.com

Microsoft just threw down at E3 2012. After exciting the crowd with Halo and Gears of War titles, the company unveiled new additions to the 360′s vast media offering. Don’t be distracted by the video game trailers: this is Redmond’s biggest news of the show. In fact the new offering could lead to a rival of the cord cutting movement.

The Xbox 360 has nearly always had an impressive suite of media streaming options with Netflix and others. For most households, though, the offering was never enough to replace cable. In fact, it was more of a supplement. But today’s announcement brings a host of new options, stations, and apps to the Xbox 360.

With these new features, the Xbox 360 has finally become Microsoft’s Trojan Horse. The target? Cable companies.

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67 Million Xbox 360s Sold Since Launch

via technabob.com

If you ever doubted that the Xbox 360 was a crazy popular game console, consider the new stats that surfaced this week. Microsoft has announced that the Xbox 360 console has sold a whopping 67 million units since it launched. The game console has brought in a huge amount of revenue for Microsoft as well.

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Amazon Instant Video Comes to Xbox 360

via mashable.com

Amazon is making its Instant Video library available to Microsoft Xbox 360 devices, widening the pool of on-demand, streaming video content for Xbox Live Gold subscribers.

Console owners can now browse, rent, purchase and immediately stream some 120,000 movies and TV episodes through Amazon’s Instant Video app in the Xbox Live Marketplace. The addition of the Xbox 360 widens Amazon’s connected device reach. Instant Video is available on the PlayStation 3, Roku and an assortment of Blu-ray players and HDTV sets.

Those who also subscribe to Amazon Prime, a $79-per-year service that offers free two-day shipping on Amazon items among other benefits, will also be able to stream around 17,000 films and TV episodes at no additional charge. That figure will likely grow if the company continues to aggressively sign on more studio partners, a roster that already includes Discovery, Fox, CBS, NBC, Sony, Viacom and Warner Bros.

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Kinect Can Read Your Facial Expressions Now

via gizmodo.com

With a host of improvements rumored for the next Kinect, it's a little surprising to see that there's still room for the current Kinect to get better: Microsoft has added face tracking capabilities to Kinect for Windows through a software update. Which means, Kinect will be able to read and react to your facial expressions.

Act surprised? Your avatar will reflect surprised. Smile? So will it. It's part of Microsoft's new SDK for Kinect which will let developers write Kinect apps for Windows. In Microsoft's Kinect for Windows blog, it says...

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Minecraft heads to the Xbox 360 on May 9th

via engadget.com

It may not yet be quite the massive cultural phenomenon that Angry Birds is, but Minecraft is certainly no slouch in the ranks of little-games-that-could, and it's now set to expand its reach even further. Microsoft confirmed today that Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition will be available for download on May 9th, with it setting you back 1600 Microsoft Points (or $20). That will apparently buy you a fairly full-featured version of the game, including a revamped crafting interface, "natural controller movements," a tutorial mode, and split-screen multiplayer in addition to multiplayer over Xbox Live. Hit the links below for a closer look at it and the rest of the games in Microsoft's "Arcade NEXT" promotion.

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Microsoft Plans To Release The New Xbox By 2013

via businessinsider.com

Microsoft Corp. will release the next version of its Xbox console in 2013 at the earliest, as the company squeezes at least one more year of sales out of its current model, said two people with knowledge of the matter.

The company may show the successor to its Xbox 360 at next year’s E3 conference in June 2013 and put it on sale that same year, said the people, who declined to be named because the plans are confidential. David Dennis, a company spokesman, said earlier today that Microsoft won’t discuss new Xbox hardware at this year’s E3, quelling speculation that the device would be unveiled at the show.

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Xbox Live update adds 40 entertainment apps, Kinect voice and motion controls, cloud storage, and more

via digitaltrends.com

Xbox Live will receive a major overhaul, starting tomorrow, December 6. The update includes a new Windows Phone Metro-like design, voice- and motion-control functionality and a slew of new entertainment apps.

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Top 10 Xbox 360 Games of 2012

via gameranx.com

It's the end of the year, and even as we wind down with the best games of the year like Modern Warfare 3, and Skyrim, we look to see what the next year has to offer us and empty our wallets once more. There's no end to great games to look forward to, and 2012 looks like it'll shape up to be just as good as everything this year, though it's certainly hard to top.

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Xbox 360 shatters its own sales records

via digitaltrends.com

The Xbox 360 sold more units last week than any other week in its six year history.

Retailers and manufacturers around the world are likely breathing a sigh of relief before going off to count their new piles of cash that are hopefully being delivered in the form of gold coins that people can swim in, ala Scrooge McDuck. While that probably isn’t likely (or physically possible), there is no denying that the sales results from Black Friday and the beginning of the official holiday rush are impressive.

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The Top 10 Best Xbox 360 Games For 2011

via pcmag.com

Master assassin Ezio Auditore continues his battle against the Templars in Ubisoft's Assassin’s Creed Revelations. Developed by Ubisoft Montreal, Assassin’s Creed Revelations sees the expert killer following the footsteps of the legendary assassin Altaïr as he goes on a journey of revelation that takes him to Constantinople, where Templar troops threaten to destabilize the region. The game continues the series' open-world gameplay. The latest iteration includes the "hookblade," a tool which can be used to zipline across rooftops or grab enemies to yank them in for a combo attack. New to the series are trippy "Dali-esque" first-person platforming missions.

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Win a copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 for the Xbox 360, or the PS3 signed by the developers!

via digitaltrends.com

We have two copies of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 to give away, one for the Xbox 360 and one for the PS3. Read on for how you can enter to win!

On November 8, Activision launched a small, little indie game called Call of something-or other. It seemed to do ok, and it made a few bucks. If you don’t recognize that as a joke, this contest clearly isn’t for you.

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PS3 Sales Could Overtake the Xbox 360 Soon

via technabob.com

PS3 fans will be happy to know that PS3 sales are finally catching up to Microsoft’s XBox 360. Neither come close to Nintendo’s sales of 88.3 million Wiis, but hey, that console is for kids, so in my mind that doesn’t count.

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Xbox 360 once again dominates console market

via news.cnet.com

Research firm NPD announced yesterday that total industry sales on hardware, software, and accessories hit $1.16 billion last month, representing a 6 percent drop compared to September 2010 when industry sales reached $1.23 billion.

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