Console

Microsoft's glossy-black Xbox 360 has been discontinued in favor of a matte finish, the company has confirmed.

"We are actively transitioning all our Xbox 360 S consoles to a matte finish," Larry Hryb, Microsoft's director of programming for Xbox Live, wrote on his blog Friday.

Microsoft unveiled the Xbox 360 S last year at the E3 gaming expo. The company currently sells the glossy 250GB version for $299. The 4GB model, which retails for $199.99, already boasts a black matte finish that, Hryb says, the 250GB offering will also get.

Opinions vary over the value of a glossy device. Some like the sleek look, while others can't stand its tendency to show fingerprints and smudges. Prior to the launch of the Xbox 360 S, Microsoft offered white and black matte finishes on its console.

By transitioning to a matte finish, Microsoft is following a move Sony has already made. That company's first-generation PlayStation 3 featured a glossy finish that attracted fingerprints. However, the company's slim-line version, which it launched a couple of years ago, dropped the glossy finish to avoid that problem.… Read more

At least one game developer is wondering why console makers are even considering releasing next-generation hardware.

Speaking to IndustryGamers in an interview published yesterday, Epic Games President Mike Capps said that Apple's iPhone should be enough to make console makers second-guess their desire to launch follow-up devices.

"If you look at the ridiculous acceleration of iPhone hardware and technology, trying to find a sweet spot for tech to make your mobile game... I mean, what would your mobile game look like in 2015?" Capps pondered in the interview with IndustryGamers. "Who knows how fast that's … Read more

One of the greatest things about the iPhone (or any smartphone) is that it has music listening capabilities so you can bring your tunes with you anywhere. Also, with tons of music apps in the iTunes App Store, you have even more ways to listen to, edit, mix, and organize your music.

There are many apps in the app store for listening to music, like the popular Pandora Radio that's great for music discovery, or Djay for iPhone that lets you mix and scratch with your music. But there are also some music apps that are in a league by themselves--the ones that are admittedly quirky, but still quite useful to music lovers.

This week's collection of apps are all unique music tools. The first lets you stream your music to game consoles; the second auto-matches rhythms for beat synced mixes; and the third offers a gesture-based interface for easy control of your music.… Read more

AirMusic is a unique music app that lets you stream music on your iPhone to popular gaming consoles. Some readers may already use Apple's Airplay feature that streams music to your Apple TV. But with AirMusic, you can stream music to your XBox 360, PS3, or a PC running Vista or Windows 7.

To get started, you'll need to be on a shared Wi-Fi network with the console or computer to which you're going to stream. Then, you simply turn on Air Tunes via a slider within the app and navigate to your music folder on your … Read more

Consumer spending on video game hardware and software is on the rise, according to a new report from research firm Gartner.

Spending on hardware, software, and online play will reach $74.4 billion this year, Gartner said yesterday, up 10.4 percent from the $67 billion consumers spent last year. The market researcher said that consumers around the world will spend nearly $18 billion on game hardware this year and $44.7 billion on game software. Online gaming revenue will reach $11.9 billion in 2011, Gartner predicts.

"This large market size means that many consumers embrace gaming as … Read more

Sony is planning to launch a follow-up to the PlayStation 3 next year, DigiTimes is reporting.

Citing "Taiwan-based component makers," DigiTimes says production on the console will start at the end of this year. However, the component makers did not say exactly when next year the device might launch.

Though DigiTimes' sources call Sony's next console the PlayStation 4, it's important to note that the company has yet to even announce its next console, let alone name it.

DigiTimes didn't report on the device's graphical capabilities, but the publication's sources said the console will boast a Kinect-like feature, allowing users to play games with only the movement of their bodies.

The DigiTimes report comes just a few months after game blog Kotaku cited its own sources saying that neither Sony nor Microsoft were planning to launch follow-ups to their current consoles until 2014. So far, however, neither company has said for sure when they might release new hardware.… Read more

The iPad doesn't need any gaming help, in one sense: iOS games are thousandfold and selling like hotcakes, making Apple's tablet an already-rich platform for games of all sorts. Still, I (and many others) have had a dream: what if you could add a Bluetooth controller and play real, PC/console-quality games on the iPad? Would that be a game-changer?

Check out the above video and the hands-on gallery below, and decide for yourself.

Short answer: Yes, it could be, especially if those said games weren't even stored on the device itself. OnLive, which we've written about many times, is a cloud-based gaming service that streams remotely stored PC games, while the local user controls the game via keyboard or controller. It sounds like magic, but OnLive actually works, creating a valid option for laptop owners who have underpowered Netbooks, or via last year's TV-connected MicroConsole, a console alternative. Games are saved in the cloud, and titles can be played via subscription or individual purchase license.

Now, here's the long answer.… Read more

Many PC users love to tinker with the hardware and software on their machines. Other people consider any time they spend using Windows' built-in system tools a total waste. In between are those of us who understand the value of a little preventive maintenance--as long as it doesn't take all day.

Windows 7's arsenal of maintenance and system-tweaking utilities has been enhanced through the addition of new tools and improvements to existing programs. Unfortunately, one of my favorite Windows utilities isn't available in the Home Premium version of Windows 7: the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) is … Read more

I'm just going to go ahead and apologize right now for this being sold out, which it inevitably will be by the time the Cheapskate newsletter arrives in your inbox. It doesn't seem to matter how many times I say so, but if you want to catch the deals while they're in stock, you have to visit the site in the morning. I almost always post before noon, ET, and more often in the 9-10 a.m. range. OK, end of rant.

Looking for an inexpensive media-center extender? Check this out: GameStop has the refurbished Xbox 360 Pro 20GB for just $99.99, … Read more