Do you own a Kinect? Did you know that the Kinect sensor and the power supply cable that comes with the the sensor have two DIFFERENT warranties? That’s right. Unfortunately I found this out today while on the phone with XBOX Kinect support. About six months ago, I purchased a Kinect to give to me two sons as a birthday present. They absolutely loved it, and spent a lot of time playing the bundled Kinect Adventures.
About a week ago the boys fired up their XBOX to play, and got a message that the Kinect sensor was getting insufficient power. I checked it out and did some troubleshooting, but could not get it to work properly. I checked the XBOX support page for help, and also googled the issue. It seems like it is a moderately common issue for the AC power cable to go bad. I opened an online case with an agent (mistake), and after asking me a few troubleshooting questions was told that I should probably call the support line for additional help. I waited until today to call so I would have plenty of time to get this issue corrected. The first agent talked me through all of the usual troubleshooting, and we determined what I already knew. The power cable was bad and would need to be replaced. Then came the bad news…..”the cable is actually out-of-warranty, so it will cost you $39.95 for a replacement.”. I was a little surpirsed by this and asked him to repeat it to me. Evidently the sensor is covered by their hardware warranty which is one year. The power cable is considered an accessory, and as such only carries a 90 day warranty. He then asked if I would like him to charge the card that is on file, and I responded “absolutely not”. I ended the call rather frustrated to say the least. After stewing over it for a few minutes, I decided to call back and move up the chain. When I explained to the second agent the situation and what I was just told by the prior agent, he apologized and said that it was probably a misunderstanding. So we revisited the issue and he was getting an order set up to send me a replacement cable. Then came the kicker…..”Sir, can I put you on hold for a few minutes?”. When he returned to the line, he said that they would ship a replacement cable out right away. They just needed authorization to charge my credit card in the event that the warranty should turn out to be expired. I reminded him of what the other agent had told me about the warranty difference between the sensor and the power cable, and told him that I was not authorizing any charges whatsoever. He then said that they would not be able to send the cable out because I did not agree to pay the charge. So basically he was using a very underhanded tactic to try and charge me for a replacement cable. I asked to speak to his supervisor. The supervisor pretty much held the same line, that I would not be getting a replacement cable unless I paid $39.95 for it. And he even went as far as to tell me that if he had this issue, then he would have to pay the same $39.95 to replace his cable as well. Seriously?? Look dude, you can crap in a box and slap a Microsoft label on it and I will buy it. But don’t throw a load of BS my way and expect me to accept the situation because you say that you would be in the same boat if you were in my shoes. That kind of stuff is condescending to a customer.
The bottom line in this story is that it is completely asinine to have a peripheral that REQUIRES an external power supply for the XBOX360 Elite that I play on, and that the entire package would have pieces with different warranties. Granted, I can completely understand that an accessory like a controller may not deserve the same one year warranty as a new console. And I can completely understand that if you purchase the XBOX360 Slim bundled with Kinect, the power supply is not included (or necessary) and as such it would be an accessory if purchased separately. However you would think that a company as large as Microsoft, with their very well documented XBOX hardware issues, would want to make sure that hardware issues are handled correctly. A power supply that came included with a standalone Kinect package should be covered by the same warranty that the sensor has. An “accessory” power adapter that can be identified by serial number can be covered by their 90 day accessory warranty. What is really backwards is that support was quoting me $39.95 to replace the cable. The official Microsoft Store is listing the power supply for $34.99. Unfortunately Microsoft is more concerned about my money than taking care of a loyal customer that has an “8″ next to his gamer card on XBOX Live. If you have an older XBOX with a Kinect, be sure to baby your power cable. Evidently it is very fragile. If you don’t have a Kinect yet, don’t buy one unless you have the newer model console.

If you are looking for a wireless headset to use with your PS3, XBOX360, or Wii console, this is definitely one to consider. The wireless range is outstanding, easily reaching a distance of 30-50 feet including through walls. The earpieces completely conver the ears, and are sound-isolating. The boom mic can be raised up if you are not using voice chat, and is very adjustable as far as distance from your mouth. When the mic is in the upright position, it is automatically muted. On the left side of the headset there are independent controls for game and chat volume, as well as a mute button that toggles on and off. The earpieces and top piece of the unit are adequately padded for several hours of use. In my experience, battery life is in the 8-10 hour range. The unit is charged via a USB cable that connects into the base station.

There are only a few negatives that I have found with this headset. First of all, it is not 5.1 surround sound. For me this is not ‘huge, but I didn’t have to pay full retail for mine either. I previously used a Turtle Beach X1 headset, and I can tell you that the sound on this unit is better. Another small negative is that if the boom mic is too close, your voice is very loud on the other end (so I’ve been told). All in all, these small issues don’t detract much from the overall quality of the unit. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate this headset at 8.

Details are sketchy, but rumor has it that Disney, the parent company of the ESPN networks, is planning to stream live sports via XBOX Live.  According to the short article that I read, it will be similar to the ESPN360 service that is currently available online.  As an avid sports fan, ESPN is one of the major reasons that I still have cable at all.  If this plan comes to fruition, I will almost definitely kiss my cable bill goodbye.  Between Hulu, Netflix, and this, my entertainment needs will be satisfied.

I was reading a post on Gizmodo this morning, and Bumblb19 was the first person that came to my mind. Knowing his penchant for buying special editions of games that are bundled with helmets or other geeky toys, I knew that this would be right up his alley. It is being reported that when Modern Warfare 2 is released, there will be a super-duper special edition called the “Prestige Edition”. This package will include thee game in a special metallic case with some other paraphenalia, bhut also has the special bonus of including a working set of night vision goggles. If that wasn’t creepy enough, there is also a face head on which to store your goggles when you aren’t scoping out your teenage neighbor that looks like Megan Fox keeping a watchful eye out for burglars in the neighborhood. No official word as of yet as to what the price of this package will be, but you can bet that the pricetag is going to be hefty. I am guessing somewhere in the neighborhood of $200+. While it is very geeky and seems pretty cool, it’s too rich for my blood. I’m sure the first question that my wife would have is “What in the * do you need night vision goggles for?”. Unfortunately in PA, it is illegal to hunt at night, so that leaves me with no out. However, the first time that I go to visit my mother in Ohio after MW2 is released, I’m staking out Bumblb19′s house. Too bad he’ll see me coming from a mile away……

Some may argue that this isn’t necessarily gaming related, but I say it is, so there. It is June 5th and E3 has come and gone for this year. However, the hot news isn’t over yet! Monday starts the Apple WWDC (World Wide Developer’s Conference), which is Apple’s own little version of E3. Of course, the biggest expected announcement is that of a new 3rd generation iPhone. I love Apple and I love my iPhone, but seriously….do they need to come out with a new model every year? I am the proud owner of a 1st gen iPhone, which I use extensivly for gaming….I mean productivity. Last year’s iPhone was a nice announcement, but the carrot wasn’t tasty enough to get me to bite. This year could be different. I am interested to see what new gaming innovations will be unveiled, if any. My thought is that if Apple has no new gaming innovations for the iPhone, then they are not trying to make it a serious competitor in the handheld gaming market. On the other hand, if they come out with a forward facing video camera as rumored, that could introduce a new dimension in iPhone to iPhone gaming. More to come next week!

During my morning Gizmodo read, I came across a post where John Shappert, VP of Interactive Entertainment at Microsoft has stated that he thinks that they’re less than halfway done with the 360. I realize that Project Natal is a huge step for the console, but less than 50%? Come on. The original XBOX was released in 2001 and was discontinued in 2006. That’s 5 years for you math majors out there. This November will mark the 4th birthday for the 360, which would make one think that an XBOX 720 (or maybe XBOX Natal) could be coming next year. Apparently not. Don’t get me wrong, I think that this is a good thing. Maybe the poor sales performance of the PS3 to date has the console makers reevaluating their strategies. Why sink an outrageous sum of money into research and development of a completely new console when it will take you a few years just to break even (or even longer if you are Sony). It makes much more sense to stretch the life of the current generation, and spend those R&D bucks on innovations like NXE, Natal, and anything else they may have up their sleeves, which aren’t nearly as expensive to develop. Another reason why I hope this is true is because I don’t feel like dropping a few hundred bucks more on a new console. If things like Natal are as good as advertised, they’ll get my money. I have a lot of games for my 360, and I hope that it continues to adorn my entertainment center for years to come (with only GREEN lights). Full article is over at Gizmodo.

OK, so this isn’t official E3 news, but it’s definitely worth a mention here anyway. Amazon.com is running a promotion right now for game trade-ins. If the total value of your trade-ins is $75 or more, then you will get that amount, plus an additional $75 to put towards a new console. So if you are hot for a PS3, you can trade in enough games, get the money from them plus an extra $75, so you would have at least a $150 down payment. Of if you want a DSi, you can trade in and have at least $150 to put towards it. Now that’s a price that Mama can handle! Here’s the link.

Ok, so I am jumping the gun and not listing details. This is definitely a developing story, so I’ll be back with more if someone else doesn’t beat me to it. Microsoft has unveiled the 306′s motion control unit, and there is no Wii-mote required. The few shots that I have seen are pretty sweet. This could be A LOT of fun.

**UPDATE**
OK, so the new motion control setup is called Project Natal, which I think is kind of a strange name, but whatever. Rather than using a controller like the Wii setup, this unit can detect your motions. You can kick, jump, move, etc, and it get translated into the game. At first look, this is utterly amazing. However, although seeing is believing, I want to really SEE it. How much of the demo is Hollywood smoke and mirrors. Another super-cool feature is that when the camera sees your face, it can automatically sign you into Live. I am not ready to declare the Wii dead, but this defilitely takes a lot of wind out of their sails. Now let’s see what Sony’s counter is…..other than the PSP Go.

While doing my morning reading, I came across an article in the London Sun about the harsh conditions of prisons in the UK. From 2005-2008, the UK Prison Service spent roughly 220,000 pounds (or around $350k) on game console systems that were given to inmates for good behavior. A convicted child murderer got a Wii, while another prisoner got a PS3. There was a large public outcry that went up, and now the prison bureau has decided that in the future prisoners must buy their own consoles. The last time I checked, prison was about punishment. Even in our own country, prisoners are treated to decent meals, cable TV, and can even get a college education. time to get these jokers back to busting up rocks.

In what I consider a welcome move, Microsoft is going to start calling out cheaters. Now mind you, this isn’t cheaters who place a mic up to a speaker to get an achievement, but rather people who knowingly manipulate a game to excel over others. For a little while now, Microsoft has adopted a policy of resetting a cheater’s gamerscore to 0 in order to discourage cheating. After evaluating this policy, it has been determined that it wasn’t working as well as they had thought, and thus the new policy was born. With the new policy, if someone is found to be cheating, glitching, profile switching, etc, then their gamerscore will be set to 0 as before, but now their gamercard will also be labeled with a “Cheater” tag. We’ll see how this one works out. The article that I read did not list any more specifics, like how long you will be branded as a cheater. I personally don’t care if I was labeled a cheater (I don’t cheat), but with a gamerscore that has yet to top 5000, I don’t have much to lose. Any thoughts on this one?

I read an interesting article that says that Wal-Mart has plans to start taking used games for store credit. This is the second story that I have read today that is showing a much more offensive retail strategy for “the Wal-Mart”. The trade in strategy is aimed directly at the exil empire known as EB/Gamestop. The Wal-Mart plan has a twist though. Rather than some pimple-faced, bespectacled nerd taking your trade in, this one will be done at a Redbox style kiosk. To do a trade, you scan the barcode on the game box, then insert the game disc followed by the box. Here’s the kicker…..then you insert your credit/debit card, which I am guessing is how they’ll keep people honest. Once you are done, the machine will print out a voucher for your in-store credit. It’s an interesting concept, but we’ll have to wait and see if this works out the the point of a nationwide rollout. My guess is that the pilot program was run in Florida, which is where the stores were that sold the Special Edition DS (box full ‘o rocks) and PSP (stick full ‘o porn).

It seems like the world may get motion control for the XBOX 360 after all. Techflash is reporting that Microsoft and CXO J “Don’t call me Jay” Allard have applied for a patent for a “magic wand”, which is purported to be the said motion control device for the 360. Here’s an interesting tidbit……the patent application was originally filed in November of 2007, which is a year after the Wii was released. So while the world has been moaning about how Microsoft and Sony were behind the game on motion control, it looks like at least one of those two started working once they saw the success of the Wii. The question that remains is “is this it?”. Only time will tell.

For any geezer gamers out there like me, Amazon has a nice deal on some classic coin-op arcade games for XBLA. They’re only $2.96 each. Titles included are: Gauntlet, Galaga, Joust, Dig Dug, Paperboy, Ms. Pacman, Golden Axe, and TMNT (1989). I’m about to get nostalgic. Titles can be purchased here. Enjoy!

I am sure that most people have heard the story about the kid that got a PSP from Wal-Mart in Florida recently and found out that someone had left a Memory Stick full of porn in it. Well, here’s another blow (no pun intended) to the Wal-Mart electronics department. A mother bought a Nintendo DS for her son on his birthday, from Wal-Mart (coincidentally in Florida). When they got it home, the kid opened the box and it was full of rocks wrapped in a Chinese newspaper. Of course, the minimum wage sales associate at the Wal Mart did not want to help them at all, and suggested that they contact Nintendo directly. It would be bad enough if the story ended there, but it gets better. It turns out that this same box was returned to that Wal-Mart, and somehow ended up re-sealed and put back on the shelf. Now that is just rude. After this information was revealed (it wasn’t specified how this was found out), Wal-Mart changed their tune and gave the woman a full refund plus a $20 gift card. So it seems that when we buy anything electronic from a Wal-Mart in Florida, you are gambling. You could end up with a porn stash, or you could end up with nothing but a box of rocks. Caveat emptor my friend, caveat emptor.

At long last, we have DLC for Left for Dead. And not just any DLC, FREE DLC (the best kind). This new content unlocks the remaining two levels for multi-player mode, which is a more than welcome addition. It also adds a new multi-player mode called “Survival”, which is supposed to be similar to Horde mode in Gears 2. Get your red-hot DLC and we’ll see you on Live tonight!

Article is HERE. I almost fell out of my chair reading it. Moral of the story, if you’re going to try and steal a car, make sure that it doesn’t belong to a cop.

As was one of the topics on GHR Epidose #63, Time Warner has plans to start a tiered system for their cable Internet service, charging based on usage. What should come as no surprise to anyone is that there are not a whole lot of fans of this approach, and fortunately a lot of TW customers in San Antonio and Austin, Texas made their displeasure with these plans be know. Time Warner has decided to put off their test run of the comsumption based pricing until October, which will buy them time to formulate a PR campaign to ease the blow. In another one of TW’s test markets, Rochester, NY, Time Warner is facing a mass exodus of customers to their rival, Frontier Communications. Frontier had formerly announced a tiered plan, but has since rescinded this idea because of public outrage. If your cable company has plans for consumption based pricing, let your voice be heard. The best way to speak is with your wallet. Full article can be found here.

Amazon.com now carries Xbox Live Arcade titles, which can be purchased with real money, not space bucks. At this point it looks like they are just carrying the Arcade games and not any DLC like Rock Band tracks or map packs, though I would not be surprised to see this in the future. When you buy a title, Amazon simply sends you the code to enter on Live to get your game. Personally, I think that this is a nice service, and is a lot better than having to do “Microsoft Math” to figure out how many points I need to buy to get a few games. Now I can just pay my $10 or $15 and be done with it. No leftover points loitering around my account. I am curious to see if the prices on Amazon are adjusted to reflect any “sales” that Microsoft runs from time to time on particular games.

Many of you are probably already aware of this, but I thought I’d post anyway in case you haven’t seen it yet. Starting April 7th, Rock Band and the new Star Trek film will be giving away 500 free tracks every day for 15 days. Enter your information here for a chance to win.

Deep insinde the evil lair of one of the Gamerhusbands…….

Gameloft has released a new updated version of everyone’s favorite elementary school classic, The Oregon Trail. I remember getting to play this game on the Apple IIe as a reward for doing good in class.

Overall: 9.3

Presentation: 9.5

The presentation is superb and very true to the original game. It is hard to beat an updated classic, and this one was done right.

Graphics: 9.4

The graphics are a big update from the days of playing on a monochrome green monitor. The game has a nice “cartooney” look to it that is sure to appeal to anyone.

Sound: 9

Sound is sound. I didn’t hear any audio glitches while playing, and the music and speech are clear and at a good volume.

Gameplay: 9.7

This game is just plain fun, especially if you remember the old game. Your goal, of course, is to travel the Oregon Trail to Oregon, avoiding obstacles and sickness on the way. You have to remember to watch your food and wagon strength, and rest along the way from time to time. As you travel the path, there are minigames that you will encounter. The minigames are there just like old times, though with updated looks. In the fishing minigame, you drag your finger down to drop your line, and then tap the man to make him reel the fish in. In the hunting minigame, you tap the animals to shoot, which seems simple but can become tricky if you get swarmed by a herd of animals. The minigame that I enjoyed the most was the “float across the river” game. This game utilized the device’s accelerometer to have you “steer” your wagon around odstacles in the river while picking up coins and boxes.

Replay Value: 9

This game has a lot of different paths that you could take, so it definitely has replay value. There are several side quests athat are available, which I only did a few of my first time through. I plan to be playing this game for quite a while, and also teaching my kids how to play it.

I just read an interesting article over at CNET. Apparently Nintendo has realized that they are drastically behind the 360 and PS3, and may be getting ready to equip the Wii for movie streaming capabilities. It’s an interesting notion, but who really wants to watch those movies in glorious 480p over component cables? Perhaps this move is preparation for the next generation Wii, which is almost certain to sport HD capability. Not surprisingly, Nintendo has declined to comment.

Anyone who knows me really well knows that I am a sucker for a good deal. I found an interesting one at Best Buy’s website today that I thought was worthy of being shared, given all of the hype about the new Watchmen movie that comes out tomorrow. If you purchase any of the Xbox 360 items on THIS page, you will also receive 2 free tickets to see Watchmen. None of the prices are outstanding, but when you factor in what it costs to go to a movie, it’s a nice deal. So if you need some Space Bucks to buy the new Burnout Paradise toy car pack, get some free movie tickets while you’re at it. Enjoy!

According to Konami, a Metal Gear Solid game will be coming to the iPhone platform this spring. I am a little skpetical, but from looking at the trailer it might be worth at least a look. A lot of it will come down to the price point for me personally. The forst 12 levels of the game are slated to be released sometime this spring with 8 more levels to come as free upgrades at a later time. With recent games like Sim City, Super Monkey Ball, and now MGS, the iPhone/iPod Touch is starting to establish itself as a legitimate portable gaming platform. Only time will tell.

Several blogs that I read this morning have confirmed that the rumored Special Edition RE5 Red Elite is for reals, and will probably be released March 13th to coincide with the release of Resident Evil 5. The package will include the usual fixins (wireless controller, 120Gb hard drive, etc). What’s really sweet is that not only is is going to be at the usual Elite pricepoint ($399), it will also include the RE5 game as well as Street Fighter 2 HD Remix. Whether you are a Resident Evil fan or not, if you’re in the market for an Elite, this is definitely the way to go. This package is available now for preorder at Best Buy.

For anyone who is salivating with anticipation, the new DSi is available for preorder at Amazon.com. The price for is $169.99 with free shipping. Personally, I like my kid’s DS Lite. It’s a fun little machine to use while taking the kids to the pool (if you know what I mean). I am not totally sold yet that all of the new features of this machine are worth the extra money, though it would be nice to snap a “mid-strain” shot to use as my Facebook profile pic. Link is for the Matte Black version only. The blue one is not showing on Amazon yet. Enjoy!

Well, if launch day in Japan is any indication, Street Fighter 4 is going to make gobs and gobs of cold hard cash for Capcom. It is being reported that Capcom has sold about 86,000 units of SF4 on “day one”. Around 58k of those units were for the PS3, with the remaining going to the 360. I am anticipating those ratios being flip-flopped here in the US due to a much larger install base of 360′s over PS3. Source:Here. I am looking forward to playing this game at some point, but am not D1C. Is anyone else?

While re-watching the NFC Championship yesterday, I noticed a sweet move by the Cardinals’ Darnell Dockett after a sac on a 3rd & 1 play. Rather than doing bull horns, raising his fist, or doing some other lamely choreographed move, he busted it out in style. Master Chief style. And we all know how the Master does it. This was a really creative idea by him, because he was just fined 2 weeks prior to the tune of $20,000. He had to come up with a new way to taunt hs opponent without the hefty pricetag. It is very clear that the referres involved in this game are not familiar with the Halo universe. Watch the short clip here.