halo

For fans of the hit Halo video game franchise, San Francisco is the place to be Friday. That's because Microsoft is hosting a hands-on press event where invitees will be able to play the game (click here for screenshots) for the first time.

Microsoft said it wouldn't be making any announcements at the event, but those in attendance will have a chance to get an advance look at the game before the company opens up its beta on May 16.

Our Xbox 360 Elite review sample showed up late yesterday afternoon, and we're working up a full review. But that's gonna be a 3,500-word monster intended more for casual gamers and tech newbies who don't know a thumbstick from a joystick or a shoulder button from a trigger. For those in the know, here's the crib sheet on the Elite.

Cosmetics: The Xbox 360 Elite has a matte-black finish. I strongly prefer it to the "iPod white" color scheme of past Xbox 360 models. The included wireless controller and Xbox Live headset are … Read more

Forget 300. The real way to make ancient history and literature cool is...Halo?

We've already seen World of Warcraft used as a way to bring The Canterbury Tales into the digital age. But that was a student project--this interesting story, which we read on Joystiq, is the project of a professor at the University of Connecticut who's looking to better connect his students with the literature they're assigned in class. This would be Robert Travis, an associate professor of modern and classical languages, who has gone so far as to take an Xbox to class into … Read more

Are you ready? If not, maybe you'd better get ready to be ready.

That is, of course, if you're one of the millions of fans of the Halo franchise. Because on May 16, Microsoft's Bungie Studios will finally open up the Halo 3 multiplayer beta.

To participate in the beta--which will only cover the multiplayer aspects of the game--players need to have purchased a specially marked copy of the action game, Crackdown, or have won a spot through any one of a series of regional contests.

Those who do have a spot will be able to log … Read more

If the Halo video games, action figures, and dubious body armor aren't enough Master Chief goodness for you, then you'll be happy to know that the alien-fighting supersoldier is getting his own collectible miniatures game. WizKids, makers of the HeroClix and HorrorClix miniatures games, is creating a new "-Clix" game based on Halo. Halo ActionClix will feature dozens of tiny, plastic Master Chiefs and Spartan soldiers, each equipped with tiny, plastic weapons, and able to pilot not-quite-as-tiny plastic vehicles.

Like the other -Clix games, Halo ActionClix is a tactical tabletop game where players can collect tiny … Read more

Gamespot reports that a new "A-Hole Button," so coined by Bungie Studios, will allow Halo 3 gamers to mute unwanted...ahem feedback...from other players.

The new feature will allow the back button on the Xbox 360 controller to bring you to a menu where you can choose to instantly mute other players.

The feature came in response to complaints from Halo 2 community players about poorly behaved players ranting and raving against other gamers on Xbox Live, a community liaison told Gamespot.

Don't worry, you won't smell anything unsavory when watching this video, I promise. Somehow, we're still not sick of talking about gadgets after being at CES 2007 in Las Vegas--in fact, we've returned with a whole new appreciation for the weird and random! I'm joined this week by Ariel Nuñez of Gadgettes fame. Here are the links:

Oh, and yes, I'… Read more

I can see how the concept for the 'Halo suit' came about. A guy with some tinkering skills and an affinity for all things Xbox was watching pessimistic reports of the latest worldwide conflicts on TV. And he thought to himself: The Master Chief could solve this thing with one snap of his cybernetically-enhanced fingers.

So he got to work. He spent two years building an authentic, working Halo suit that he's hoping will eventually be used by soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's no Halloween costume. The $15,000 armor can protect against knives, bullets, and bombs; … Read more

I have a confession to make. I haven't seriously played a first-person shooter on a game console since GoldenEye on the Nintendo 64. I just couldn't get into the controls. It was awkward enough on the N64, but circle-strafing with dual analog pads just feels wrong to me.

The modding group XCM has unveiled the prototype for the XFPS 360, a PS/2 (the keyboard/mouse blug, not the gaming system) adapter that works with the Xbox 360. It plugs into one of the Xbox 360's USB ports, and offers the PS/2 keyboard and mouse support, … Read more