Xbox Music will be launched tomorrow on Xbox 360, will come pre-installed on Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 devices

Microsoft, tomorrow will release (via upgrade) the new dashboard for the Xbox 360 console. Along with it, once the download is complete, users will find the new service XBox Music , which will also be pre-installed as standard on new devices on all Windows 8 and the new Windows Phone 8 smartphones.

Skull of Shogun, a cross-platform game that will allow us to play on Xbox 360, Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8

As we explained in several articles, Windows 8 and Windows Phone Apollo share the same "core". This means that porting an application from one platform to another will be extremely simplified and  Skulls of the Shogun it is a concrete example.

The team of software developers in the house 17-Bit Studios , in fact, has recently announced that the gameSkull of Shogun will support cross-platform gameplay , so we can play simultaneously on Xbox 360, and Tablet PC Windows 8 and Windows smartphones phone. For those who still do not know, Skulls of the Shogun is a strategy game set in Japan in which we control through a Samurai asynchronous turn-based gameplay where the player can handle multiple games at once regardless of its opponents.

Microsoft patents virtual gaming glasses and helmet for Windows Phone and Xbox

It seems that plans for the future of Microsoft's gaming industry covering a mix of past and future and they can be discovered by a patent registered in Q3 2010 and published March 15, 2012.

These are two ideas that could be used for Windows Phone and Xbox 360 (or the next generation of Xbox) which take 3D glasses and a helmet for virtual reality.

Simulated by a virtual screen display mounted on helmet / glasses that allows the peripheral vision to sense its surroundings and at the same time creates a stereoscopic image using the laser. Yet it is unclear the precise working and future applications, as well as we do not know if the system is indeed transformed into an accessory for gaming soon.

Sure, it would be a good idea, especially if associated with Kinect to bring the player deeper and deeper into the virtual worlds of various titles. 

Via BGR

Promotion: Get Free XBOX's with the Nokia Lumia 800 in South Africa

The Lumia 800 was thought to be launched in South Africa on the 7th of February and this recent poster from Vodacom clearly says 26 January 2012.


Simon Dingle is the first one that spread the news about this awesome deal from Vodacom.Anyway, if indeed the first 200 customers that purchase a Lumia 800 will be handed an Xbox, then all we can say is that we’re feeling pretty jealous right about now.Although there’s no mention of the price


.Starting at 8 A.M. January 26, we’re probably going to see some large mob gathering in front of Vodacom’s store in the hopes of taking advantage of this truly interesting deal.

Via

Awesome competition from Microsoft Canada

Microsoft Canada have just started a promotion entitled "The Developer Movement" where they are handing out cool toys to dev's just for publishing high-quality apps to the Windows Phone Marketplace

The promotion is called The Developer Movement and runs from the 16th December to the 20th May.

Here are the rewards:

PUBLISH 1 QUALITY APP        
Select a reward below: 

• A Kinect™ Sensor for Xbox 360® 

• 10,000 Microsoft Points 

• Monster® Beats™ Headphones 

• A 1TB External HD 

PUBLISH 2 QUALITY APPS      
Select a reward below:     

• A Windows® Phone 7     

• A $500 Gift Voucher     

• 35,000 Microsoft Points     

• An Xbox 360® with     

• Kinect Bundle 

PUBLISH 3 QUALITY APPS      
Your apps will be considered by our judges for publicity across:     

• The Xbox Newsletter     

• The Xbox Live Dashboard     

• MSDN Website     

• MSDN Flash Newsletter     

• Canadian Developer Blog

Source: The Developer Movement  Via: WPCentral

Windows Azure / Windows Phone contest in France - four most popular publications will win a Windows Phone or Xbox 360

Nazer Aminou Student Developer from France,just tip us that in France Microsoft is organizing a contest on Windows Azure / Windows Phone.

Participants must use a raytracer hosted on Windows Azure to generate a scene and post it on a web site before December 30, 2011.On January 3rd 2012 the four most popular publications will win a Windows Phone or Xbox 360.

                                                              

This is Nazer's scene for the contest

More info about the contest and the rest of the scenes can be found here

Thank Nazer for the tip 

Microsoft Introduces “12 Days of Xbox” Sale for Windows Phone

Microsoft usually runs a weekly campaign for Xbox LIVE titles on Windows Phone where they discount one title per week from its normal price. In a new campaign to finish out 2012 with a bang, they are running a sale called “12 Days of Xbox” for Windows Phone where they will be discounting three popular titles in the Marketplace: Fruit Ninja, Hydro Thunder Go! and Fable: Coin Golf.

Celebrate the countdown to 2012 with special offers on Windows Phone 7 games. Three mobile titles, Fruit Ninja, Fable: Coin Golf and Hydro Thunder Go, will be on sale for the entire campaign, giving customers the opportunity to get a great deal on mobile phone games every day during the campaign.

All three titles are excellent and should be purchased whether they are discounted or not, so be sure to take advantage while they are at a lower price point. I’ll update with more details and availability

Via: WindowsPhoneMetro

Singtel offers you free Xbox for every Lumia 800

These operators are really in a mood to drop that Xbox to anybody thinking of buying Nokia’s Lumia 800. Singtels offer in Singapore actually isn’t just about Xbox 360, but you get Halo Reach and that’s not all, you also receive $75 Marketplace app voucher.

Offers seem to be only via the online shop from 7am onwards. Available as long as there’s Xbox’s and games available. Pretty kick ass offer if you ask me. Get yourself a phone and Christmas presents for the kids or for own use.

Via:nokiagadgets

Halo Waypoint with ATLAS is now live in the Marketplace

For those yearning for the big v1.3 update to the Halo Waypoint app, you're wait is over. As reported the other day, Microsoft delivered on the 10th as promised. 

Here's quick refresh on the addition of ATLAS: 

"Halo ATLAS uses maps (sponsored by Brady Games) to provide valuable multiplayer data to Halo Reach and Anniversary players. When we say Halo Anniversary players, we really mean Reach players because the non-campaign Anniversary multiplayer simply piggybacks off of Reach.

The connectivity with Reach is possible because during multiplayer games, Reach constantly sends out packets of data called heartbeats that contain gameplay status. Halo ATLAS provides a bunch of that information in near-real-time to smartphone users." Pretty huge deal and probably the second most anticipated update this week (Xbox Companion being number one, of course).  Read the rest of our detailed post for all the changes or just head here to the Marketplace to get the update/new version. 

Source:WPcentral