Gaming Roundup: Next Wii Console, Xbox LIVE Ban Fi

Techtree News Staff, Nov 21, 2009 1023 hrs IST

Let's take a quick look at the gaming buzz in the week that just passed

Gaming console makers continue to give the best out of their current offerings and also plan the future consoles. Nintendo's next Wii would be getting more than HD capabilities and may serve as an entertainment solution altogether. New games titles and firmware updates continue to flow in.

Take a sneak peek at the happenings of the gaming scene this week.

Banned Xbox 360s to get Potential Fix

As per a few online reports, about one million 'modded' Xbox 360 consoles have been banned from Xbox LIVE service. That's a sizeable number and hence, console hackers have come out with a potential fix to 'un-ban' those modded consoles. This means, there's a chance to reconnect to Xbox LIVE with firmware 'hacks'. Two new methods are been talked about online - iXtreme LT firmware and Tutorial at Xbox Scene forum. Won't Microsoft patch these firmware holes in the next update? Only time will tell.

Next Nintendo Wii to go Beyond HD

Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo's president for America region, in an interview with Kotaku threw light on its plans about the next Wii console that would go beyond HD. Nintendo is not looking forward to a step-higher or enhanced version of next Wii console. When asked about the time frame for next Wii to release, Fils-Aime did not share any dates or details. He said the next Wii console to be revolutionary and not evolutionary - like slimmer, lighter or with HD. If the consoles could get slimmer, and less power hungry, then those things could have been considered earlier. Come what may, we can expect the next generations to be powerful in terms of graphics processing and less power hungry at the same time.

OnLive Redefines iPhone Gaming

OnLive MicroConsole makers have now showed an iPhone app that runs OnLive Games on Demand service. At the Wedbush Financial Conference in New York, OnLive CEO Steve Pearlman demonstrated OnLive iPhone App running on two iPhones as technology demo. OnLive is in talks with cell phone makers before the app is released for iPhone as well as other cell phones. This U.S.-only service will initially launch OnLive Mobile app for cellphones with community, social services and also spectate other OnLive gamer's gameplay live. The last one would require high speed 3G networks or Wi-Fi for streaming the gameplay.

Sony Plans Paid PSN Subscription Service

Sony is planning to introduce a subscription-based model similar to the Microsoft's Xbox LIVE Gold membership. Sony PlayStation head Kaz Hirai, in a statement, said, "SCE will further increase sales by offering users new entertainment through the combination of hardware, software, peripheral and PlayStation Network. Especially in the online area, we are studying the possibility of introducing a subscription model, offering premium content and services, in addition to the current free services." If this paid subscription is introduce, Sony might face heat from existing PS3 userbase and chuckles from Xbox 360 owners.