Live Action “Sleeping Dogs” Fight Film
August 8, 2012 Leave a comment
Australian website imposes tax on IE7 users
June 14, 2012 Leave a comment
An online retailer from Australia ‘Kogan’ has had it with Internet Explorer 7. Anyone who visits the website using IE 7 will be charged an additional 6.8% tax (IE tax) on purchases. Interestingly that figure is derived as 0.1% for each month since the browser was released. Visitors using the dated browser are greeted with a pop up which says install a better browser or pay the tax.
Rumored No disc drive for Next Xbox
March 10, 2012 Leave a comment
MCV has learnt that Microsoft has been telling partners that the Next Xbox will NOT include a disc drive.
The briefings have been issued under what MCV’s source describes as “the strictest NDA” they have ever encountered.
Although the console will not include a disc drive, it will offer compatibility with some sort of interchangeable solid-state card storage, although it is not known whether this will be proprietary or a more standard format such as SD.
Furthermore, a 2013 launch date for the hardware has been confirmed. What is less clear, however, is the intended timing of Microsoft’s announcement.
As revealed by MCV earlier this year, an E3 2012 reveal could still very much be on the cards.
The omission of a disc drive signifies the beginning of a new era for games consoles and represents a potentially savage blow to the already beleaguered video games retail sector.
Of course, retailers will tell you that they are already involved in the digital market. Indeed, GAME is enjoying growing revenue from the sale of digital download cards for digital-only titles and DLC.
Nonetheless, the abolition of physical games is bad news for retail however it is spun. With the Next Xbox positioned as a digital centric platform, the relevance of retail will once once again eroded.
When contacted by MCV Microsoft said that it does not comment on rumour and speculation.
UPDATE: Microsoft has issued a fuller statement to MCV.
“Xbox 360 has found new ways to extend its lifecycle like introducing the world to controller-free experiences with Kinect and re-inventing the console with a new dashboard and new entertainment content partnerships. We are always thinking about what is next for our platform and how to continue to defy the lifecycle convention. Beyond that we do not comment on rumors or speculation.”
300 Chinese Foxconn Workers ‘Threaten Mass Suicide’ At XBox Plant, Reports Claim
January 10, 2012 1 Comment
Around 300 Chinese workers who manufacture XBox consoles took to a factory roof and threatened bosses with mass suicide over a dispute about pay, unconfirmed reports have claimed.
The workers were employed at the Foxconn Technology Park in Wuhan in Hubei province. Foxconn is an independent, global manufacturing partner to companies including Apple, Microsoft and Sony.
According to unverified reports emerging from anti-government Chinese news websites, about 300 workers took to the roof of the Taiwanese-owned factory on 2 January to protest against their employers.
Those reports have sinced been repeated by websites including Kotaku, but neither Foxconn or Microsoft has yet commented on the story.
According to the reports the employees had asked bosses for a raise but in response were told to either quit with compensation or keep their jobs at their usual salary.
Most workers apparently decided to leave, but the company did not hand over the money as promised.
According to the China Jasmine Revolution website, the workers were only dissuaded a day later when the mayor of Wuhan talked them out of committing suicide.
Foxconn factories in China have been the scene of several suicides by workers in the past, including 14 in 2010 alone at its Shenzhen plant, after complaints of low pay and poor conditions.
Michael Rundle
