Microsoft Corp. today announced that the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system has sold over 10 million units in the U.S., making it the first current-generation gaming console to break the 10 million mark in the U.S. The U.S. install base contributes to global sales of over 19 million.

The China Economic News Service reported today that Microsoft has assigned Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC), Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) and Nanya PCB to manufacture, test and package the latest version of Xbox 360, codenamed "Jasper". TSMC will build ATI Xenos graphics and memory controller hub (GMCH) for the new Jasper console, using 65nm process. ASE was contracted to package and test the two chips, while Nanya has won orders to supply flip-chip packaging substrates, reports CENS.com. Current Xbox 360 consoles named Falcon utilize GMCH and eDRAM cores manufactured using 90nm process technology at TSMC as well as CPU built at IBM using 65nm fabrication process. The new Jasper Xbox 360s are projected to consume less electricity, use less complex cooling systems and logically produce less noise. In addition the revised consoles will fix the so-called "red ring of death" issue that plagued many Falcon systems. Microsoft will reportedly make available the Jasper version of XBox 360 game console in August this year.

One more Xbox 360 Blu-Ray rumour goes down. Last week DigiTimes reported that Pegatron Technology has secured an order from Microsoft to manufacture Xbox 360 consoles with Blu-ray support for release this fall. Microsoft today officially denied the report.

As we have stated, we have no plans to introduce a Blu-ray drive for Xbox 360,

said a Microsoft official in an email to GamePro.

Games are what drive consumers to purchase game consoles, and we remain focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster games available.

End of statement.

Although Microsoft smashed all recent rumours that a Blu-Ray drive for Xbox 360 was in production, today DigiTimes issued a new statement claiming that a company under the name of Pegatron Technology is now going to be the OEM producer of feature Blu-Ray Xbox 360 consoles. Unfortunately, it's unclear to me whether the original submitter meant that the Blu-Ray support will be added as an add-on device, or there'll be a whole new version of the 360 console with internal Blu-Ray drive.

Pegatron Technology, an OEM subsidiary of Asustek Computer, has secured orders from Microsoft to assemble Xbox 360 consoles equipped with a Blu-ray Disc (BD)-ROM drive, with shipments to begin in the third quarter of 2008, according to the Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) newspaper.

, the site claims. We should see if that's true in a short time. Usually Microsoft issues a statement in two or three days after the publication to decline the rumours.

Microsoft on Tuesday has slashed the price of its Xbox 360 console in four Asian markets between 5% and 20%, in an effort to expand the console sales in the area. "This price drop is part of Microsoft's ongoing strategy to bring Xbox's high-definition gaming and entertainment experience to an even wider user base," Microsoft said in a statement.

The estimated retail price for the model with a 20-gigabyte hard drive was cut Tuesday 19.5% in Singapore to 499 Singapore dollars ($366), while in Taiwan it was cut 17% to $10,360 Taiwan dollars ($341). The unit price in Hong Kong fell 10.7% to $2,499 Hong Kong dollars ($321), while in South Korea it will be cut 5.1% to 369,000 won ($369) on Thursday. In Singapore, Microsoft also cut the price of its Xbox 360 Arcade model, which lacks a hard drive, by 13.1% to 399 Singapore dollars. The price for the Xbox 360 Elite model, which comes with a 120-gigabyte hard drive, was cut 12.5% to 699 Singapore dollars.

Microsoft has announced, Ninja Gaiden 2 will ship for Xbox 360 on June 6 a date that applies to North America and Europe. Though it was just released on the Xbox, the Ninja Gaiden series has been around for a long time. The original Ninja Gaiden which some of you might remember, was an 8-bit console arcade game released in 1988 in North America by Tecmo. Ninja Gaiden 2 features more blood, gore, and graphic violence than the previous installment. It includes scenes of Decapitation, Dismemberment, arms and legs flying through the air, and bodies being ripped apart.

Even though Microsoft has ceased all production of its HD DVD add-on accessory for the Xbox 360, apparently its team of software engineers weren't quite done with supporting the peripheral. Microsoft released on Tuesday a software update for all Xbox 360 HD DVD users. As soon as an Xbox 360 owner with the drive attempts to play an HD DVD movie, Xbox Live will immediately prompt for an update. Those without Xbox Live access will be able to download the update separately later this week, according to Microsoft's Larry Hyrb. This update includes compatibility improvements with certain titles and extended support for network features.

It was yesterday when I first saw the report from DigiTimes, and I decided to wait on purpose before posting it here. First it was the 1st of April, second it sounded too good to be true: "Lite-On IT is developing built-in Blu-ray Disc-(BD) ROM drives for the Microsoft Xbox 360 game console" that will start shipping in the second half of 2008. Well I was right, the unspecified DigiTimes sources have misled a lot of hardware news sites. Microsoft responded today to the rumour with the following statement: "No. Lite-On is not manufacturing Blu-ray drives for Xbox 360. As we have stated, games are what are driving consumers to purchase game consoles and we remain focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster game available ... For our customers who want a premium movie experience we offer the largest library of on-demand HD content available and the ability to play back DVDs in high definition." This is the second time when a rumour is spreading around the web that Xbox 360 will get Blu-Ray support, but unfortunately that's also the second time when Microsoft crushes all hopes with a single sentence.

It may sound impossible, but sometimes even companies like Microsoft (or big people like my boss who accidentaly changed my system specs) have a sense of humour. :) Today's Spring false announcements advertised over at Xbox.com include the wood paneled Vintage Edition Xbox 360, a monstrous Xbox 360 wireless helmet, the Xbox 360 Recon Edition with 1TB energy-efficient HDD, and a board game that connects to Xbox Live witout internet connection. If you want to learn more on one of these unique Microsoft products please follow Microsoft's steps closely.
Step 1: Check Tuesday's date
Step 2: Slap yourself

Xbox Live director of programming Larry "Major Nelson" Hyrb wrote on his blog today, that the Xbox Live Gamertags of confirmed cheaters have been corrected. He explained what his team is doing to the accounts of the most serious offenders:

• Resetting the entire Gamerscore for an account to zero
• The account will be unable to regain all previously obtained achievements and Gamerscore, however, the players will have the ability to gain future Achievements by earning them fairly, like the majority of the Xbox LIVE community does.
• The account will be clearly labeled as a cheater for the community to view on xbox.com. In dash, the personal view of the gamercard will be labeled as well.

"Xbox Live remains committed to keeping the service free of cheating in order to maintain a fair and level playing field for everyone," Hyrb wrote. To find out more about Gamerscore corrections read the FAQ on Xbox.com.

Supposedly, a senior official at Acer (the Taiwan-based company that specializes in PC notebooks) told BetaNews they are thinking about producing a "PC-based game machine." Furthermore, according to Acer's senior vice president, James T. Wong, this game machine would operate off an "open standard" philosophy, in contrast to the "closed" systems (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii).

Microsoft has commented that there are still no plans in place to introduce a Blu-ray player for the Xbox 360, despite comments by Stan Glasgow which seemed to hint that such an add-on could be on the way. A spokesperson for the company said:

There are no plans to introduce Blu-ray. In response to Stan Glasgow's statement that Blu-ray is a possibility for Xbox 360, we have made no such announcement. Games are what are driving consumers to purchase game consoles and we remain focused on providing the largest library of blockbuster games available.

So Xbox 360 owners could find themselves without the ability to watch new HD movies in the coming months as film producers stop selling HD DVDs.

Microsoft today announced it is lowering the estimated retail price (ERP) for its Xbox 360 family of consoles in Europe. Now with an entry-level ERP of €199.99/£159.99, Xbox 360 is a mass market entertainment proposition with something to offer for every interest and budget. From Friday, 14th March, Xbox 360, which includes a 20GB hard drive and one wireless controller, will have an ERP of €269.99/£199.99 - a saving of €80/£50 on the current ERP. The Xbox 360 Elite, which comes with a massive 120GB hard drive enabling consumers to store huge quantities of content downloaded from Xbox LIVE Marketplace as well as their own music, will have an ERP of €369.99/£259.99 - a saving of €80/£40. The Xbox 360 Arcade console, perfect for those wishing to make their first foray into the gaming and entertainment world of Xbox, will have an ERP of €199.99/£159.99 - a saving of €80/£20. The new ERPs are part of Microsoft's ongoing strategy to make the console affordable for even wider audience of potential buyers.

The Financial Times citing an unnamed senior executive reports that rivals Sony and Microsoft are discussing the possibility of offering a Blu-ray drive for the Xbox 360. Sony Electronics US president Stan Glasgow also noted that the company was holding discussions with both Microsoft and Apple over Blu-Ray. The report even claims that there is also the possibility of an internal Blu-ray drive being incorporated into a new, more expensive Xbox 360 model, as it is already done in the PlayStation 3. Currently all Xbox 360 consoles support the HD-DVD format only, but since Toshiba abandoned production last month, Microsoft has no choice but to reconsider Blu-ray as vital step forward. Microsoft refused to comment on the story.

A number of industry sources have indicated that Microsoft is due to cut the price of all Xbox 360 SKUs in Europe. According to TechRadar backed up by numerous UK retailers, the price of every Xbox 360 SKU is to be slashed by as much as €50 on March 14th across Europe. If true, the Arcade Xbox 360 will retail for around GBP 150 in the UK - cheaper than Nintendo's Wii console - the Elite will sell below GBP 240 and the Premium at just under GBP 200. Microsoft of course declined to comment on the story before press time, as expected.

Lian Li has prepared something special which might interest all Xbox 360 owners. This is a pre-production sample of a brand-new custom Lian Li Xbox 360 chassis. Made from aluminium, the enclosure features enough space for all the internal components of the console along with pre-prepared water-cooling holes in the rear. In addition, the chassis has all the necessary outputs like HDMI ready to be connected at the back of the case. There you'll also find a single low-speed 120mm exhaust fan. Release date for this case is still unknown, but expect price around $80 USD when it hits the shelves.

Microsoft apparently didn't get the memo about HD-DVD being dead until late this week. Microsoft announced that the HD-DVD add-on for the Xbox 360 is no longer being manufactured. Those that have already been manufactured and haven't been sold yet will most likely be sold at a discounted price until they're all gone. Despite the fact that they are no longer making an HD-DVD add-on, Microsoft will still provide a full warranty for the thing. They will also provide as much support for the device as if HD-DVD didn't die earlier this week.

Today at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2008, Microsoft Corp. provided an exciting glimpse at what promises to be another landmark year for games and online entertainment on the Xbox 360 platform and officially announced the launch of "Gears of War 2," exclusively for Xbox 360 this November.

It would seem as though despite $1 billion of R&D against such an event, a Microsoft Xbox 360 failed in front of a live audience. The infamous Red Ring of Death (RRoD) popped up in the middle of a Microsoft XNA demo. Microsoft XNA, when it works, is a very powerful and easy to use tool that can be used to develop video games. If you follow the source link, you can catch a video of the prominently displayed Xbox 360. The Game Developers Conference is currently happening in San Francisco. Hopefully, Microsoft can get a new Xbox 360 to show off Microsoft XNA. Until then, Microsoft is not going to enjoy the ridicule of several thousand developers, and many times more gamers.

Microsoft's PR team sent out this statement regarding the recent developments in the HD DVD camp and rumors that there will be a Xbox 360 Blu-ray add-on drive in the near future:

We do not believe the recent reports about HD DVD will have any material impact on the Xbox 360 platform or our position in the marketplace. As we've long stated, we believe it is games that sell consoles and Xbox 360 continues to have the largest next-gen games library with the most exclusives and best selling games in the industry. We will wait until we hear from Toshiba before announcing any specific plans around the Xbox 360 HD DVD player. HD DVD is one of the several ways we offer a high definition experience to consumers and we will continue to give consumers the choice to enjoy digital distribution of high definition movies and TV shows directly to their living room along with playback of the DVD movies they already own.

Microsoft is seeing shortages of its Xbox 360 video game console in the United States, as the company failed to anticipate strong post-holiday demand, an executive said on Wednesday. "We are really running short of product here in the United States," Jeff Bell, head of global marketing for Microsoft's games business, said in an interview. "You could say we misjudged demand. We're literally out of stock in many stores. We think this will have an impact on our sales," Bell said. "It may cause the overall industry number to be down a little bit." Microsoft sold nearly 1.3 million Xbox 360 consoles in the United States in December, when the entire video games industry gets a boost from holiday shopping. The Xbox 360 competes with Nintendo's Wii console, as well as Sony's PlayStation 3.

The Xbox 360 HD DVD Player price has dropped from $179.99 to $129.99 (U.S. MSRP), Microsoft announced today. This new price is effective immediately in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Microsoft is also offering the player with five free HD-DVD movies.

Industry giant Electronic Arts is predicting much greater success for Sony's PS3 console over the next year, following disappointing sales in 2007. Last year the PS3 lagged well behind the Wii and Xbox 360 in terms of sales, with the Wii coming out significantly ahead of both. However, EA is predicting that the coming year will see Nintendo sell between 12m and 14m Wii consoles, Sony between 9.5m and 11.5m PS3s and Microsoft just 6m to 8m Xbox 360s. The PS2 is still expected to sell in its millions, with estimated figures of 3.9m to 4.9m units. Meanwhile EA reckons the DS will continue to dominate the handheld market by selling 14m to 16m units, with the PSP struggling to compete on 6m to 8m. That said, Xbox 360 sales figures can be expected to drop gradually, as the market is likely to become saturated sooner given its much earlier release date.

Microsoft said Monday it will launch a new version of its Xbox 360 game console in Japan on March 6. The company said the model, which targets new users, was launched in the U.S. at the end of last year. In Japan, its Y27,800 price tag will match that of existing models, but it will come equipped with more extras, including an extra 256MB memory unit, wireless controller and game pack. Microsoft's belated release of its latest console in Japan comes as the Xbox 360 continues to be outsold by Nintendo Co.'s Wii and Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 in the country.

Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division, the portion of the company responsible for the Xbox line of video game consoles, has brought in profits of over $500 million for the first time. Financial documents from Microsoft reveal that, during the first six months of the company's 2008 fiscal year, the entertainment division brought in $4.98 billion in revenue, marking an operating profit of $524 million. During the same time period in the 2007 fiscal year, the division amassed $3.98 billion in revenue but reported a loss of $423 million. Overall the company shipped 4.3 million Xbox 360 units in the quarter, adding up to 17.7 million since shipped launch, with a total of 9.15 million sold in North America. As previously reported, Microsoft reported the whole of its $1.06 billion loss due to the Xbox 360 warranty extension in its 2007 fiscal year.