Latest Game system updates/Fixes

[Tan]

Figured we could use a thread listing any major updates for handhelds or consoles, especially if someone is patiently waiting for a fix on something.

Jan 9th Xbox 360 update:

    * Improvements to the Xbox Guide.
    * Option to retain your saved games when you delete a profile.
    * Increased accuracy of "last time played."
    * Network configuration improvements for Xbox Live®
       members in the Netherlands.
    * More detailed messaging for unreadable disk or region errors.

Gears of War Update starting 9-Jan-2007

A Gears of War update should start pushing through the system at some point tomorrow, Tuesday January 9, 2007 prior to the two new multiplayer maps being available on Xbox Live Marketplace on Wednesday January 10, 2007.

Here is a list of what was addressed in this update:

• Fixed aspect ratio distortion when using VGA cable with 4:3 displays at resolutions higher than 640x480
• Fixed voice issue with new players joining Player Match games in progress
• Players can now get the Achievement for "Dish Best Served Cold" when using Troika turret to kill RAAM
• Fixed rare situation where host could loop countdown and never start match
• Fixed rare situation where players could get stuck after chainsawing in  multiplayer
• Reduced Grenade Tag melee distance
• Enabled “Strict” NAT check on host to prevent possible connection issues
• Optimized server browser queries to return results more quickly and prevent scroll bars from hiding quality of service icons
• Reduced number of possible revives in Execution to match Warzone
• Removed host name from Ranked match server browser
• Disabled security cameras in Ranked matches
• Ranked matches now require balanced teams (3v3 or 4v4)
• Increased penalty for quitting a Ranked match to -50 points
• Added additional cheat detection code
• Additional housekeeping updates

[Tynstar]

Hmm I wonder what More detailed messaging for unreadable disk is all about. I have been getting that error a couple times a week. I think I am going to send my 360 in to get it fixed.

[Tan]

One thing to try is reseating your HDD/mem card again, I had disc read probs before and oddly enough removing the HDD and attaching it again worked. here's a couple sites for resource:

Microsoft unreadable disc support page

Alternate Temporary Fix

Try just removing the HDD and re-attaching when the power's off, it's a quick and simple fix that will probably work and save you allot of time skipping all those other unecessary steps for noobs on the M$ site. I imagine that problem has to do with games using the HDD cache while reading the discs so it's a bit of a misleading message.

Wouldn't hurt to dump your cache either, two ways 1 is to hold down "A" until the game get's to the publisher's name, and the second is to use this code which also dumps all your system updates as well, which IMO is a pain in the a$$, number 1 always worked for me, especially with the trouble Oblivion gave me with disc errors and freezes.

[Tynstar]

From http://phantasystaruniverse.com/

This is a list of the next set of updates.

Due to the holiday week as well as the New Year, the next major update will hit the Phantasy Star Universe servers on January 12. Since the gap is a bit longer than normal, this release will be considerably larger than previous updates. Take a look at what we have planned for this release!

    * All new Mission Type available within Moatoob!
    * Many new clothes types, including the Swimsuit!
    * Brand new Photon Abilities, Bullet Types, and TECHNICS
    * Level cap increased to 70!
    * Chapter 3 of the new and exciting GUARDIAN Missions
    * Weapon and Synthesis items up to Rank 10!
    * New room items, decorations, and more!

[Tan]

Spring 2007 dashboard update

Beginning the week of May 7, users of Windows Live Messenger on Xbox 360 can text chat using the virtual keyboard accessible on Xbox 360, or by connecting a USB keyboard to the console. This summer Microsoft will launch a QWERTY text-input device, a new accessory that will connect directly into the Xbox 360 controller to support text and instant messaging.

Other New Features
Beyond Windows Live Messenger, the Spring Update for Xbox 360 includes hundreds of new features and enhancements including:

    * A richer Achievement notification pop-up will showcase the name of the unlocked Achievement and the gamerscore value without needing to leave the game to check the Achievements list.
    * Enhanced family settings features for Xbox LIVE communications enable different defaults for video chat and voice chat.
    * A new Xbox LIVE Marketplace blade lets Xbox LIVE members access the content they seek—whether it is game content or TV shows and movies (available in the United States)—from one place on Xbox LIVE.
    * Updates to Xbox LIVE Arcade allow owners to quickly see which Xbox LIVE Arcade games their friends are playing and join in the fun. Xbox LIVE members can also compare progress of leaderboard scores and Achievements directly with all friends on their friends list. Expanded "Tell a Friend" capabilities make it easier than ever to boast about Achievements and high scores.
    * Expanded "Tell a Friend" capabilities make it easier than ever to boast about Achievements and high scores.
    * A new option in Auto Downloads provides faster access to the entire collection of free, trial-version Xbox LIVE Arcade games.
    * New progressive download controls provide easy access to optimal viewing options by letting people fast-forward, rewind, pause and resume as their video is downloaded from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
    * Extension of the background download functionality will allow owners to set their Xbox 360 console to turn off automatically after downloads are complete.

The Spring Update is free beginning the week of May 7 and will be easily accessible to every Xbox 360 owner through Xbox LIVE or on Xbox.com.

You may not even notice all the new features, but they are all designed to enhance your Xbox LIVE experience. Some of the other features in this upgrade include:

    * The name of game in tray is now displayed in the dashboard.
    * When the user is in the dashboard and an Xbox 360 game is in the console then the name of the game is displayed in the tray icon of the dashboard. If the user highlights the tray icon then achievements and gamer score are displayed for that game based on the signed in user. Xbox1 games show the name and image of the game.
    * Integrated support for the new Xbox 360 text input device. Note that this device includes a new wired headset.
    * Playback progress bar indicates download completion.
    * Switchable aspect ratio now available during video playback (Auto to Letterbox, Zoom, Stretch, Native).
    * Player and friends lists now quickly show session presence information for quick identification of users that are joinable.
    * Added H.264 video support: Up to 10 Mbps peak, Baseline, Main, and High profiles with 2 channel AAC LC.
    * Added MPEG-4 Part 2 video support: Up to 5 Mbps peak, Simple Profile with 2 channel AAC LC.
    * Show folder hierarchy for video content played from all devices.
    * Bookmarks are stored for each video that the user plays remembering the users last location in the file as well as the aspect ratio that the user choose for that file.
    * Video trick modes (fast forward, rewind, chapter skip) can now be used while downloading Video Marketplace content.
    * Skip forward and backward functionality has been improved to skip to the next or previous chapter. Each video is divided into 10 “chapters” allowing you to quickly skip around video content.
    * The information bar that is turned on via the On Screen Display (OSD) now shows you exactly where you are in the playback of the video file.  In addition it will also show for Video Marketplace content how much of the file has been downloaded and where the “chapters” exist in the file.
    * Windows Media protected content (WM-DRM) can now be streamed from the PC to the console. If the WM-DRM license is missing or corrupted then a specific error message is displayed to the user. Bookmarking is also stored for protected content.
    * When a user selects an item for download from Marketplace then the system will determine if there is sufficient disk space for the item and, if not, will ask the user to delete content on the HDD. The system provides a sorted by size list of videos, game trailers, demos and arcade content to aid the user in the deletion process. The same list of items are also available from within memory so that users can quickly see which items are consuming the most disk space.
    * The console will block the user who attempts to download content onto a storage device that will never have the capacity to store the item without deducting any points associated with the content item.
    * The screensaver is disabled when playing photos from any source

[captain_nintendo]

Looks like some good stuff being added.

[Tan]

It feels strange using Windows live on a console, but it's set up well and easy to use.

[James]

What's this new thing under Display Settings? Something like "Radiance", I can't remember now. It doesn't seem to do anything over VGA. I was hoping they would sort out the washed out colours.

It was a big update. It took about three to four minutes.