We're terribly sorry for the recent downtime the site has incurred, but we've been hard at work to bring the site back up. We've had issues with a few things including hosting issues as well as a bit extra, which I've outlined in our forum, but we're back now and we're working hard towards being better than ever before. Keep your eyes peeled for a forum update within the next few days that will include a section for average members to post news for the website in. That news can be taken and posted up by a staff member, giving full credits to the user, of course, and will be a great way that the community can take part in making the site a better place.

Also, it's HIGHLY advised to enter the Brewology Network through www.Brewology.com instead of using one of the mirrors like WiiBrew or PSPBrew because we're going to be adding news posts that are specific to the Brewology page itself about the latest tech trends and what-not and the only way to see such information is to enter the site through www.Brewology.com. Doing this will also filter the news from every aspect of our site into one convenient page for you to view! So please, if you haven't already, make sure to add the Brewology page to your bookmarks or homepage or just plain enter it in when accessing the site. 

Thanks for everything folks. Again, sorry for the downtime, but welcome back to the Brew!

      Yep, that's right, in the upcomming holiday season and release of major titles such as Modern Warfare 2 and Assassin's Creed 2 Microsoft has begun the next ban wave of consoles (not xbl accounts). The results of the bans have been very diversed from bannings of consoles that don't even play multiplayer games online, to those that have played pre-released games. While the exact reasons of this ban wave are unknown so far, all that is known is several people haven been banned, and others haven't. It's all random at this point. I for one haven't been banned yet but I wish the best of luck to anyone that is using ixtreme currently on their 360's.

Well it seems that Microsoft has been contacted by IGN, and reports that only a small percentage of flashed 360's have been banned.Here is the full story: IGN

Joystiq received some interesting info from a reader today. The source claimed to have taken part in a survey run by Microsoft which featured avatars playing classic arcade games in a virtual arcade setting. If that sounds familiar, you probably played PlayStation Home for 5 minutes (and then never again).

Though Microsoft has been a bit cagey with a solid release date for the upcoming Facebok/Twitter/Last.Fm update for Xbox Live, eagle-eyed UK readers have spotted the phrase "Service launches 17th November 2009" on the UK Xbox website.

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A recently uncovered FCC filing showed Microsoft was set to release a new, updated wireless network adapter for the Xbox 360. Presumably, this would allow users to stream high-definition movies and television shows. The company confirmed today that, yes, there is a new adapter, but details are still under wraps for now.

"We can confirm that Xbox 360 will offer a Wireless N Networking Adapter that will enable Xbox 360 owners to seamlessly connect with their home network with the highest wireless 'N' technology," a Microsoft representative told IGN.

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Xbox 360 today announced widespread enthusiasm from the world's leading video-game publishers for "Project Natal," a whole new way to play no controller required. Developers across the globe have embraced the technology and have begun work on titles that will deliver extraordinary entertainment experiences for everyone to enjoy. Coming just three months after "Project Natal" was unveiled at E3, the announcements at the Tokyo Game Show underscore the swift industry support for the revolutionary controller-free experiences being developed exclusively for Xbox 360, the premier games and entertainment system.

Among the elite publishers actively working on games for "Project Natal" are Activision Blizzard, Bethesda Softworks, CAPCOM, Disney Interactive, Electronic Arts, Konami, MTV Games, Namco Bandai, Sega, Square Enix, THQ Inc. and Ubisoft. Together, these publishers account for more than 70 percent of third-party software sales for this generation of console and most of the world's most recognized video game franchises.

"'Project Natal' gives the industry's creators and storytellers the freedom to dream of new experiences and to tell stories never before possible," said Don Mattrick, senior vice president for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Corp. "The support of these creative partners testifies to the excitement that 'Project Natal' is generating among the most innovative minds in the industry, and is proof that Xbox 360 not only offers the best games and entertainment today, but will lead with innovation and new ways to have fun in the future."

Further details of publishers' new "Project Natal"-inspired projects will be released at a later date.

Underscoring the widespread enthusiasm for "Project Natal" among the industry's top creative forces, Xbox 360 is hosting a high-powered panel at the Tokyo Game Show featuring three acclaimed Japanese industry luminaries: CAPCOM's Keiji Inafune, creator of "Mega Man" and "Dead Rising," Sega's Toshihiro Nagoshi, creator of "Super Monkey Ball," and Konami's Hideo Kojima, creator of the "Metal Gear Solid" series. The three developers will discuss the possibilities for the groundbreaking new experiences that can only be achieved with "Project Natal."

Unveiled for the first time in June, "Project Natal" is a code name for a whole new way to play. Combining an RGB camera, depth sensor and multi-array microphone running proprietary software, "Project Natal" enables gamers to play in a natural and inviting new way, free from the boundaries of a controller through the use of sight, sound and motion.

Publishers, who received development kits from Microsoft in early June, used the opening of the Tokyo Game Show to voice their excitement about "Project Natal."

"Microsoft 'Project Natal' could fundamentally change the way players experience sports games," said EA Sports President Peter Moore. "At EA, some of our top development teams are experimenting with these tools with the goal of delivering a completely fresh take on genres like sports and racing."

"Activision is encouraged by the innovation that Project Natal will bring to the industry and how it can transform consumers' video games experience. We have development teams working on Project Natal development kits to explore the creative possibilities this new technology affords," said Dusty Welch, senior vice president and head of Publishing at Activision/Blizzard.

"I strongly feel that 'Project Natal' will expand the possibilities of gaming. It's yet another component that adds to the appeal of Xbox 360 and demonstrates to users the broad level of entertainment it provides," said Keiji Inafune, managing corporate officer and head of Research & Development Management Group at CAPCOM. "Personally, I too am extremely excited about 'Project Natal.' It's really going to stir up our creative spirits. I think it's going to bring new ways to play and new surprises to Xbox 360 fans and help further the development of completely original content. 'Project Natal' is definitely something people should look out for."

"Ubisoft sees enormous opportunities with 'Project Natal.' With the 3-D camera, your body can become the interface," said Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer of Ubisoft. "Any barrier related to the use of pad controllers that may have existed for potential gamers is now abolished. Ubisoft is already taking advantage of this major evolution to design new types of gaming experiences and attract more people to play video games."

In addition to the broad industry support, Microsoft Game Studios is busy at work creating a diverse slate of experiences that will appeal to a wide variety of entertainment interests.

"'Project Natal' is enabling our team of developers to create experiences we couldn't have accomplished before," said Phil Spencer, corporate vice president, Microsoft Game Studios. "Microsoft Game Studios will help lead the way in bringing 'Project Natal' to life."

While laying the foundation for tomorrow with "Project Natal," Xbox 360 remains the premier device for home entertainment today. Hot new titles for Xbox LIVE Arcade were also unveiled at the Tokyo Game Show, including "Toy Soldiers," "Snoopy Flying Ace," "Bomberman Live: Battlefest" and "RayStormHD," positioning Xbox LIVE Arcade as the premier destination to enjoy the most innovative downloadable games.

Xbox 360 is also set to deliver the best new gaming, entertainment and social experiences for consumers this fall. Not only is Xbox 360 home to the most-anticipated exclusive games such as "Halo 3: ODST," "Forza Motorsport 3," "Left 4 Dead 2," and new content from Rockstar Games including the Xbox retail exclusive "Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City" featuring "The Ballad of Gay Tony," which will also be available for download over Xbox LIVE, it will also be the only place to watch instant-on HD in 1080p1 with Zune video, and listen to personalized streaming radio right in the living room with Last.fm on Xbox LIVE. And with new social experiences custom-made for the television, Xbox LIVE continues to offer the most ways of any console to connect and share with friends and family on Facebook, and post tweets on Twitter.2

Additional information about Xbox 360 at the Tokyo Game Show can be found at http://www.xbox.com/en-us/press/2009/tgs.

So can we expect more Xbox 360 games to be patched to support Natal in the future? Not so fast, says Microsoft Game Studios GM and Natal creative director Kudo Tsunoda. Speaking to Destructoid, Tsunoda explained that although Microsoft was able re-engineer older Xbox 360 games to make them compatible with Natal, a hefty chunk of code had to be altered. As such, simply "patching" the game over Xbox Live would not be enough to make older titles work. A publisher would most likely have to completely rewrite the code and then re-release the game. {SOURCE}

Wondering how to sync your accounts? Head over to http://www.XBox.com/ and sign into your account. From there, go to your account summary page then to your Payment Options. You can then Add a New PayPal Account to your Live account. You can even add multiple accounts to your Live account.

This is only for U.S. residents and the only thing you can purchase is Microsoft Points.

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Follow the source to see 136 pictures of the new cloths you can buy tomorrow! Some are pretty cool while some are... eh.... You know... Bland.

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A quick update to an article published earlier today about XBox's Games on Demand. Microsoft finally announced that they'd be release each game for 1600 to 2400 which is between 20 and 30 United States Dollars.

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In June, hints and rumors were coming in saying that the XBox 360 Pro was soon to be phased out. Well, no word yet from Microsoft but leaked images of new packaging shows that there no longer will be an option to purchase the Pro version of the console. By the looks of it, the Arcade package will offer more swag for your purchase.

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In a few days (Aug. 11th to be exact), 360 owners will be able to use the upcoming update to play Games on Demand among other features. The games that will be available were just announced. Those games are:

• Assassin's Creed
• Burnout Paradise
• Call of Duty 2
• Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
• Fight Night Round 3
• Kameo: Elements of Power
• LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
• Mass Effect
• Meet The Robinsons
• MX vs. ATV Untamed
• Need for Speed Carbon
• Need for Speed: Most Wanted
• Perfect Dark Zero
• Prey
• Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis
• Sega Rally
• TEST DRIVE: UNLIMITED
• Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas
• Tomb Raider Legend
• Viva Piñata
• Viva Piñata 2: Trouble in Paradise

No word yet on pricing but usually digital copies of games are roughly the same price as in-store.

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Along with leaks of partial track lists for GH5, representatives of both Nintendo and Microsoft have stated that you will be able to use your personal character in the game Guitar Hero 5. Pretty neat.

Comparing the two pictures above, it looks like the obviously better done version of the game is the 360's version. What's nice is that while going through the game, you can unlock gear for your Avatars.

Other GH5 news is that the Wii's version will be using Global friend codes so if you've got friends in the address book, you won't have to find out their game-spacific code and they'll be automatically added as a friend. That's pretty nice.

The only question left is whether or not the PS3's home characters are going to be in the game or not.

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So, during E3 of 2009, Microsoft stated that it would be releasing a dashboard update to include intigration of both Twitter and Facebook to their console the XBox 360. The even had executives demo both the abilities that you'd have moving from the 360's dashboard to and through the Facebook portal and Twitter portal and back. No real date had been givin for the release of the portals until now.

Appearantly, these releases will be available before Christmas this year in all regions. No real word on Last.fm but it's safe to say that it will be released around the time that Facebook and Twitter are released. What is said about Last.fm and the other two is that they are going to all be seperately downloadable and all released at different times. I guess this is to save hard disc space for those who don't want one or all of these. (Or so Microsoft won't get hammered with complaints from all three being buggy all at once.)

Whatever the case is, I'm kinda looking forward to these being released. I don't own a 360 but the more features for a console, usually the better. (I don't include the Vitality Sensor as a feature.)

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And it may never be fixed... I hate glitches...

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