CD Projekt said that if a game doesn’t make a lot of money, it’s the developer’s fault. The guy who goes to GameStop to save a few bucks isn’t the one to blame. Now, Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch is sharing a similar feeling. “I don’t think we should prevent people from playing used games. I understand why they would want to do it, but I think the approach should be different,” Karch said in a recent interview.

Under the rumored Xbox 720 infrastructure, every game would be registered to one and only one Xbox 720 unit. Then, if a customer tried to put that disc in another system, even if it was a second system that he bought or just wanted to play at a friend’s house, it would not work. “$60 is a lot to pay for a game and if a player buys a dud and is stuck with it, then that’s just not fair to force him to keep it,” said Karch. He said the way to ensure developers and publishers still make money is to better encourage in-game purchases, so even someone who gets the game through GameStop or Ebay or whatever can still be a profitable customers.

[via CVG]

Despite its name, Halo 4 will be the eighth title in the Halo franchise, but it will pick up with the legacy that Halo 3 left. There had been speculation before E3 that Halo 4 would be developed for the Xbox 720 (or whatever the next Xbox happens to be called), but those rumors were quickly quashed. As far as game mechanics are concerned, players will once again actually play as Master Chief.

The official description of the game is as follows: “Set in the aftermath of Halo 3, Master Chief returns to confront his own destiny and face an ancient evil that threatens the fate of the entire universe. Halo 4 marks the start of a new trilogy that begins with its release in 2012.” Previous reports have pegged the game’s target launch window at the holiday season at the end of this year.

[via CVG]

The FiOS internet connection will have you rolling out on 35/35 Mbps so you’ll have no lag when fragging, and a guarantee from the FCC in the form of tests which say FiOS internet is the #1 in delivering speeds as advertised. According to other FCC tests, says Verizon, FiOS connections provide customers with even MORE internet speed than they pay for as well, and not only that, Verizon claims that it’s America’s most advanced 100% fiber-optic network. How about that!

That’s of course now what you came for, of course, you came for the Halo, so have a look above at the Halo: Anniversary Campaign trailer and know what you’re getting into. Then note that you are, believe it or not, also getting more than just gaming-ready speed for your full Halo experience. With your FiOS TV Prime HD, you’ll get over 30,000 VOD titles per month, over 7,000 of these in HD, and 195 all-digital channels with 50+ of them in HD, and if you’re in NY, you get 315+ channels with FiOS TV Extreme HD, and 75+ channels in HD.

Then there’s the phone stuff, which is interesting since the last time I saw someone use a landline it was my grandmother, and that’s no joke. However, you do get phone coverage including unlimited nationwide residential calling as well as “crystal clear sound quality.” Sounds lovely! And of course if you’ve got your Xbox LIVE Gold membership, you can also access your Live TV app from your Xbox and get FiOS channels like ESPN, CNN, and TNT. You can check for availability of this whole situation by heading over to Verizon.

In 2008 it was Payton’s family that pulled him in to the USA, his role at Microsoft coming soon after in 2008. Now here in 2011, Payton has been inspired to leave the giant of a project Halo 4 by a mister Jake Kazdal, another developer who, after working with such gigantic projects as Steven Spielberg’s LMNO, left his post at a level-A company to work on his own project Skulls of the Shogun. What Payton saw was a developer whose skills had developed to a point where he did not need to work on AAA projects to get a release out into the world, and thusly his mind was made up. When the company you work for has more power over the project you’re working on than you do to do your job, you make your own job:

“I had a great run at Microsoft. I don’t regret one day of it. But after a few years, there came a point where I wasn’t creatively excited about the project anymore. The Halo I wanted to build was fundamentally different and I don’t think I had built enough credibility to see such a crazy endeavor through. … I think time is the most valuable thing we have, and I’ve decided that I’m not going to waste one more day working on something that doesn’t speak to my values.” – Payton

Payton’s new group Camouflaj is working on two projects at the moment. Both of which he says will see the light of day before too long. Whether or not either project will be able to be in a playable state any time soon is another story entirely. Speaking with Kotaku (above and below) he mentioned his ultimate goal at the moment.

“Some people say I’m crazy, but I want to make a game that one billion people play at once, and it’s something that hits them harder than a great book or film.” – Payton

Sounds good to us! Can’t wait to see what’s in the works!

[via Kotaku]

Designer Ben Caulkins took a big box of gray LEGO bricks and created what may be the crowning achievement in the world of LEGO design. Ben built himself a Halo Master Chief Spartan suit that he can wear, and that suit looks really, really good. Ben spent six moths building the suit and constructed it to fit his body. Ben says that he thought a lot about what part he would create first and settled on the helmet. That helmet also required the most planning he says.

The visor is from a motorcycle helmet and looks really good. The next part was the body armor. Some LEGO purists won’t like the next part. Some of the bricks had to be glued together to keep them from falling apart. I think we can forgive Ben for having to use glue. The suit is awesome, and I can see you being able to wear the thing without breaking it without some glue. You can read all about how Ben created the suit and some of the issues he worked through on The Brothers Brick.

[via Kotaku]

The rumor picked up speed when Games Master magazine ran a story that made a few assumptions that the Halo: CE remake was underway at 343 Industries. The development studio is the new home for the Halo franchise, so it would be expected that if a remake was being made, it would happen here. The HD-fused title would be made using the Halo: Reach engine.

But, Microsoft decided to step in, and squash some people’s dreams right out of the gate. According to the company, “Right now our focus is on supporting Halo: Reach. We have nothing to announce at this time.” Sure, that’s a denial to some people, but obviously Microsoft left some (major) room to wiggle in and out of there if they need to. So, some might consider that anything but a denial. Is a remake coming? It’s a possibility, and it would mean that a Halo title could be an “easy” launch for next year. Anyone crossing their fingers for this?

[via Joystiq]

Video demos after the cut

“The fight for humanity rages on a galactic scale. From a frozen xeno-archaeology site harboring secrets millennia old to an orbital anchor defending the stars high above planet Reach – and to mysterious places far, far beyond – Bungie’s Noble Map Pack injects three new explosive environments into the multiplayer battlefield, each designed to reinforce all of Halo: Reach’s vital warfronts, from small scale engagements to massive Invasion battlegrounds.”

You’ll obviously need a copy of Halo: Reach if you want to do anything with the map pack. More information at Xbox.com here.

Halo: Reach – Breakpoint demo:

Halo: Reach – Tempest demo:

Halo: Reach – Anchor 9 demo:

Microsoft has unveiled a new and very cool holiday lights theme that you can download and install on your PC to make your computer festive. The theme has three wallpapers that all look cool; my favorite is the Christmas tree in the middle of the snowy forest. It looks really cold.

The official blog post announcing the new theme also mentions that next week Halo fans will get a glimpse into the process behind creating the cool game with a new Windows 7 theme with Halo Reach concept art. I bet Halo fans just jizzed in their pants right now.

O’Connor is a person who has the utmost confidence in the Halo series and knows exactly what it’s worth to whoever wants to work with it. To a high level network executive that approached him after his panel at this conference that said to him “We want to do something with Halo,” he simply replied “Bring piles of money.” To that the executive rightly said “for Halo, we will.”

Good news? At least good vibes for those who still want the movie, stuck for a while now here in pre pre pre production heck. O’Connor said that once they’ve gotten past the lawyers, Microsoft would be happy to allow any great director put their own vision to work on a Halo movie, “If Danny Boyle wants to make a Danny Boyle-style movie, that’s great. Let Danny Boyle be Danny Boyle. We would not constrain a director.” That’s what I like to hear.

He noted that there’d be a possibility of a Halo project working on a HBO or Showtime network, “We’d love to see Halo as a television series. Look what HBO did with Band of Brothers or even Rome. Something like that would work because the Halo universe is so vast.”

But most importantly, he wants to speak to your mom, “There will be a Halo movie. We don’t need a movie. But we’d like a movie. We’d like the moms of gamers to see the movies because they would love our characters. Maybe we’ll even fund it ourselves.”

Now just to keep you pumped up, lets look at this fan-made movie trailer made by fans for fans (NOT by Microsoft), and let your brain run wild with the possibilities once a project like this gets greenlit:

[Via TechLand]

SlashSPACE
Today, Boeing has received first signals back from LightSquared’s SkyTerra 1 satellite after its launch at 12:29 p.m. Eastern time on November 14th on an International Launch Services Proton vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. What will this big momma do, you ask? It’ll bring us 4G connective capabilities, that’s what! When operating fully, the satellite will use and combine ground-based beam-forming equipment and ground stations to create LightSquared’s Space-Based Network, the company’s first. LightSquared plans on combining with a network of more than 40,000 base stations to offer both ground and satellite coverage for the entirety of the USA, offering a wholesale 4G LTE wireless network in “the first four markets” by Q3, 2011. Off blast!

[Via PopSci]

R3 Media Network

SlashPhone
LG Vortex Heading To Verizon
Walmart Give Away $100 Giftcard For Purchasing a Smartphone

Android Community
Gingerbread Confirmed Today, Working on Nexus S, As Presented by Google CEO Eric Schmidt at Web 2.0 [TASTY]
Motorola MOTOPAD to be 7-inch Android 3.0 debut?
20+ custom Adam apps claim Notion Ink
Black Flyday helps you find shopping deals for holiday season
PC World yank Toshiba’s Folio 100 over poor buyer feedback?
Another Dual-Core Samsung Phone Confirmation (Plus More Anzu)
Sony Ericsson LiveView On Sale NOW in Several European Markets
ViewSonic ViewPad 7 tablet Now on Amazon for Pre-Order Price of $600
Pulse News Reader Goes FREE on All Platforms Today [FREE]
LG Vortex Announced by Verizon, Available November 18
US Cellular Announces Nov 19 Release of Their Version of Samsung Galaxy Tab
AT&T Unrolls Release Date of November 21 and Pay As You Go Data Plans for Samsung Galaxy Tab

SlashGear
Apple iTunes announcement “you’ll never forget” promised for Tuesday Nov 16 [FEATURED]
Android 3.0 MOTOPAD is Motorola & Google’s Honeycomb opener?
A Week with the HTC HD7: Hardware [FEATURED]
Verizon Ad Leaks Look at Pantech and LG LTE Modems
Jolicloud Jolibook Official Press Photos Now Available (2 Sizes?)
Why I can’t wait to get rid of my DVR [COLUMN]
DIY USB Floppy Disk Mixes the Best of Both Worlds [NOT MILEY RELATED]
Pillow Universal Remote Control Costs only $30 [SWEET GIFT]
Halo’s Master Chief Helmet is Wearable, Made of LEGOs
Holiday Gift Guide 2010 [FEATURED] [LOTS OF SWEET GIFTS]
Facebook Modern Messaging System Offers Full Social Integration and History [FEATURED]
Movie Review: Skyline [COLUMN]
T-Mobile Samsung Tab Review [REVIEW]
Verizon Galaxy Tab Review [REVIEW]
LG E2360V LED Display Review [REVIEW]

To see more Daily Slash posts, click here: [The Daily Slash] or here: [SlashGear Morning Wrap-Up]

The helmet, which is ridiculous in how accurate it is to the helmet in which it is based from, is made entirely of LEGOs. However, while that’s impressive in its own right, it gets really interesting when you realize that you can actually wear it. For those who purchased the Legendary Edition of Halo 3, you’ll remember that a Master Chief helmet was included in the package, but you couldn’t wear that one (without some work, anyway). This one is designed to be worn. It’s just a shame it’s right after Halloween.

[via Brothers-Brick]

Considering Halo: Reach just came out, Microsoft isn’t talking up the next game in the franchise, let alone the exact release date. But, Microsoft is apparently planning on releasing these titles faster. In a brand new interview with IGNMicrosoft Game Studios’ Vice President Phil Spencer said that the Redmond-based company intends to release the Halo games at a faster frequency. He points out that there’s no exact strategy that says they have to release a new game every year, but that the three year waiting period between Halo titles, which was what was happening previously, is probably not frequent enough.

Spencer points out that waiting so long in between releases, that the overall engagement for the titles could dwindle. Because of that mind state, Microsoft is planning on “a more persistent Halo engagement for customers and not go dark for two years.” While a new game every year might not be the best plan, Spencer says that Microsoft wants to provide gamers with “an ongoing relationship” with the franchise.

Truth be told, it will be up to Microsoft to find a sweet spot for the release of future titles. Spending too much time in between titles could indeed make people stop caring about the franchise, but three years in between Halo titles in the years before hasn’t made the franchise any less successful, either. However, on the flip side, releasing sequels every year might be too much, and people may get exhausted. It could also seem that Microsoft is milking a franchise that many believe they’ve already been milking.

The faster release schedule for video games within the franchise has grown since 2009, surely. The industry saw the release of Halo: Wars in February of 2009, which was then followed by Halo: 3 ODST in September of the same year. And then ultimately, the release of Halo: Reach just a week ago. While neither the RTS-based Halo: Wars or the side-story themed Halo: 3 ODST saw the sales numbers that other pivotal releases, like Halo 2 and Halo 3 saw, they were indeed successful in their own right. If Microsoft can find the right way to keep fans of the franchise engaged, before the release of a major title, then they can probably keep the Halo universe going for quite some time.

[via IGN]

A Twitter leak from a product designer claiming to have designed some accessories for the Nintendo 3DS claims that the launch date for the portable console is November 20. The person who posted the Tweet later edited it and Nintendo has made no official statement on the launch date at this point. BPG Werks unveiled a new rideable device for soldiers that looks part tank and part Segway called the Shredder. The device can be ridden by a rider or controlled remotely.

Nintendo is celebrating the 25th birthday of Super Mario. Fans in the UK can enter a video contest to win a special Wii bundle to celebrate the birthday. Kensington pulled the wraps off a new iPad accessory this week called the PowerBack. The PowerBack is a case with a kickstand and a battery inside that extends the battery life of the iPad by five hours.

An awesome rubber band gatling gun debuted early in the week that is crazy expensive at $499. The thing weighs 20 pounds, is made of CNC machined aluminum parts, and will hold 64 rubber bands. Nokia officially unveiled the C6 and C7 smartphones Tuesday. Both of the devices use a ClearBlack display that promises better viewability in direct sunlight.

Microsoft released Halo: Reach this week and to promote the pending launch early in the week the company had a person dressed like a real Spartan flying around wearing a jetpack in London. Canon debuted a few new cameras this week and among them was the new PowerShot G12. The camera can records HD video and has HDR settings among others.

Nokia unveiled the E7 4-inch QWERTY smartphone early in the week with a capacitive touchscreen. The phone has 720p video recording and lots more with a price of about $636. Nikon unveiled a new D7000 DSLR camera with 16.2MP and full HD video shooting. The camera has some other nice features like continuous autofocus when recording that video and will cost right at $1500 in kit form.

New phones from HTC leaked mid-week and we snapped a couple pics of them when an exec left them sitting out for a potty break. The devices were unveiled on stage later in the HTC presentation. If you are the sort that likes to build things, Nanodots debuted this week and they are really cool. The little magnetic balls stick together and you can build all sorts of cool designs using them.

A new design for Twitter was launched with endless scrolling and in-line media. It sounds pretty much like that iPad app that launched a few weeks back. HTC will launch an Android tablet in Q1 2011 according to DigiTimes. The tablet will reportedly run Android 3.0.

HTC has a Media Link wireless adapted set to land in Q4. The device will work with some HTC handsets for streaming media to sets without DLNA support built-in. We went hands on with the mophie juice pack powerstation for the iPad, iPhone and any other USB device. The station has a 3600mAh battery inside and a pair of USB ports.

We learned on Thursday that the update for the PS3 adding support for 3D gaming and movies was coming on September 21. The update will bring the PS3 to v3.50. A cool wearable webcam for life casting and other uses called the Looxcie surfaced late in the week. The camera combines a Bluetooth headset with a 480 x 320 resolution 15fps camera with 4GB of storage.

Incipio launched a watchband case for the iPod nano called the Linq. The case protects the nano and lets it be worn on the wrist like a watch. A rumor surfaced that claims the PSP2 is in the hands of developers right now. A developer from Netherrealm Studios let it slip that his firm had one of the portable devices in house.

Thursday Samsung’s Galaxy Tab went official and the thing will be coming in four versions to major wireless carriers. That means that Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint are all getting their own version of the tablet. A cool net-slate thingy surfaced from Dell that has a prototype device with a screen that swivels leaving the fixed frame in place for conversion to a tablet. It’s strange looking but pretty cool, Dell offered no details on the device.

Olive unveiled its cheapest media streaming device last week that sell for $1000, which is nearly half the price of some the 4D. The new server is the 03HD and it has a 500GB HDD and CDR drive inside along with support for lots of media formats. Intel unveiled its plans at IDF this week for 15nm Atom processors. The catch is that there is no time frame offered so the 15nm processors could be decades away for all we know.

Best Buy’s CEO announced this week that the iPad is stealing as much as 50% of the laptop market. The iPad is certainly selling well and the statement was made along with the announcement that the iPad would be coming to Best Buy this month. HP unveiled a new camcorder that is pocket size and can record 1080p resolution video. The camcorder is called the V5020u and will ship in October. Thanks for reading this week’s edition!

Whether or not Halo: Reach will out-sell other FPS titles still coming out this year, like Call of Duty: Black Ops is anyone’s guess at this point, but Steven McGill obviously has his own opinion. He’s the head of Xbox over in the UK, and he was on scene to watch as a Spartan flew over Trafalgar Square in London. It may not be the biggest marketing aspect of the whole period leading up to Reach, but it’s certainly one of the coolest. Check out the video below to see it for yourself.

[via VG247]

According to Stephen McGill, who is the Director of Xbox and Entertainment for Microsoft in the United Kingdom, Reach is going to outself Black Ops. He goes on to point out that 34 million people have purchased a Halo video game, and that all of those 34 million people are going to want to play Reach. He may be accurate in his speculation: Reach is the final Halo-based title that’s coming from the house that built Halo, Bungie Studios. And with the video game developer’s Swan Song, they are throwing pretty much everything into the bucket, even the kitchen sink, to make sure that this title is the most enjoyable of the series.

However, the Call of Duty franchise has picked up considerable steam since the debut of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and picked up a ridiculous amount of players, along with racking up the earnings along the way. When Joystiq spoke with Michael Pachter, a Wedbush Morgan analyst, the results weren’t so conclusive for the Halo title. He says that it will be a toss-up between the two titles, as far as sales go for the Xbox 360, but that he believes that Black Ops will prevail, and sell the majority of titles. (This is Activision’s biggest published title to date.) And when they spoke with EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich, he pointed out that while both titles will do very, very well, the idea that Reach will out-sell Black Ops is “aggressively optimistic,” but it just “won’t happen.”

While review units have been sent out for Halo: Reach, the reviews have yet to break cover — as the game hasn’t been released, yet. But so far, from what people have been able to talk about, Reach is panning out to be a Bungie instant classic. And reviewers are probably already readying their final inputs to showcase a rating of 9 or above. A 10 may not be likely, but it is certainly possible.

As for Call of Duty: Black Ops, no one expects that title to get a rating below a 9, either. So, a ten point difference in ratings, which could make or break a title when people are looking for their next game to buy, isn’t likely. With that being said, Reach may just be out-done by the fact that seeimingly more people enjoy the more “realistic” battle, rather than the usage of shields and super soldiers.

There does seem to be some clarification needed here, though. When McGill says that Reach will out-sell Black Ops, it’s assumed that he means on the Xbox 360. However, Black Ops won’t be sold just on the Xbox 360. It’s seeing a multi-platform release (on the PC and PlayStation 3), so the sales numbers will already be skewed in that respect. However, the question of whether or not one title will out-sell the other on one console is still up in the air. We’d have to agree that, while Call of Duty has amassed a wide following and earned plenty of awards, Halo‘s fanbase may be just strong enough to pull ahead in the sales,when it’s all said and done. What do you think? Which game is going to take the title?

[via Joystiq]

There’s also a Standard Edition copy of Halo: Reach itself, together with a token for the Limited Edition Elite armor set and an episode of “Halo Legends”.  Microsoft has even preloaded Halo sound effects onto the 360 itself.

Otherwise it’s the same, slimmed-down Xbox 360 as is on sale now, so you get a 250GB hard-drive and integrated WiFi b/g/n.  It’ll hit shelves worldwide on September 14th, priced at $399 in limited quantities.

Press Release:

COMMEMORATE THE LAUNCH OF THE BIGGEST GAME OF THE YEAR WITH THE XBOX 360 LIMITED EDITION “HALO: REACH” BUNDLE AND ACCESSORIES

Microsoft and Bungie also reveal Forge World for “Halo: Reach,” empowering aspiring game designers to build and share unique map creations over Xbox LIVE when the game releases this September

The biggest game of 2010, “Halo: Reach,” is getting the ultimate hardware treatment. The Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle launches day and date with the game on September 14 and provides both an incredible value and a stunning way to celebrate the iconic franchise. The commemorative bundle will be available with matching custom “Halo: Reach” Limited Edition Wireless Controllers. Additionally, Microsoft and Bungie revealed an onslaught of other “Halo: Reach” news today at Comic-Con International, including a first look at Forge World, Versus Firefight mode and more.

The Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle is Available for Pre-Order Today

The Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle features an exclusive silver design and comes with two custom Xbox 360 Wireless Controllers with artwork inspired by the game, a Standard Edition copy of “Halo: Reach,” a token for the Limited Edition Elite armor set, an episode of “Halo Legends” and a “Halo: Reach”-themed Xbox 360 wired headset. As an added touch, the specially designed console in the Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle not only captures the look and feel of the game, but also features custom sound effects from the “Halo” universe.

Designed by Bungie, the Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle includes all the features of the newly designed Xbox 360 console, such as a 250 GB Hard Drive and the fastest built-in Wi-Fi for the easiest connection to Xbox LIVE. The bundle is available in limited quantities and only while supplies last, so fans who want to own a piece of the “Halo” mythology are encouraged to pre-order quickly. The Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle has a suggested retail price of $399 USD, and will be available on Sept. 14. To offer a closer look at the contents of the Xbox 360 Limited Edition “Halo: Reach” Bundle, Microsoft and Bungie unveiled an unboxing video of the bundle, which is available for download today on Halo Waypoint and Halo.Xbox.com.

“Halo: Reach” Limited Edition Wireless Controller and Wireless Headset Available Worldwide in Late August

In addition to the exclusive new console bundle, Microsoft and Bungie unveiled the “Halo: Reach” Limited Edition Wireless Controller and the “Halo: Reach” Limited Edition Wireless Headset, both of which feature a distinctive silver color and exclusive “Halo” artwork by Bungie. Available in late August for $59.99 (U.S.), the “Halo: Reach” Limited Edition Wireless Controller includes an Xbox LIVE token for an animated Covenant Banshee Avatar item. The “Halo: Reach” Limited Edition Wireless Headset will also be available in late August for an estimated retail price of $49.99 (U.S.). Both accessories are being produced in limited quantities and are available for pre-order today.

Forge World and Versus Firefight Modes Revealed

Continuing the “Halo” tradition of offering players a groundbreaking level of customization, Microsoft and Bungie announced Forge 2.0, a robust set of new editing tools built into “Halo: Reach” that will empower aspiring game designers to easily create and share their unique “Halo: Reach” multiplayer map creations with the world. Set on one of the series’ iconic “Halo” rings, Forge World is a massive, beautifully-rendered landscape that serves as a giant canvas for players to build unique map creations alone or cooperatively with up to seven friends on Xbox LIVE or system link, or three friends via split-screen. Utilizing the upgraded Forge 2.0 toolset, Forge World holds unlimited creative potential for millions of armchair designers to sculpt, build and share the most intricate and visually stunning maps they can imagine. To showcase the new features in Forge 2.0, Bungie released a new ViDoc that will take viewers on a whirlwind tour of Forge World, which is available for download today on Halo Waypoint, Halo.Xbox.com and www.bungie.net.

Additionally, Microsoft and Bungie are giving attendees at Comic-Con International the first public hands-on with the Firefight multiplayer mode at the Xbox booth, including the newly unveiled Versus Firefight mode, which pits a team of player-controlled Elites with Covenant AI support against a team of player-controlled Spartans. Everyone who plays a Firefight match will receive a free token to unlock an exclusive Noble 6 helmet for their Xbox LIVE Avatars.

The “Halo” excitement at Comic-Con continues throughout the week at the Xbox booth, and on Sunday there will be a special “Halo” panel hosted by 343 Industries at 11:00 a.m. in Room 32AB. “Halo” franchise development director Frank O’Connor hosts this panel of renowned “Halo” creators to discuss the future of the broader “Halo” universe, including appearances by authors and representatives from long-standing partners including Tor Books and Marvel Comics. Additionally, a few lucky fans will receive Comic-Con exclusive commemorative posters celebrating the “Halo” universe by attending the panel event.

Developed by acclaimed studio Bungie exclusively for Xbox 360, “Halo: Reach” launches worldwide on Sept. 14, 2010, and in Japan on Sept. 15. “Halo: Reach” is available for preorder in Standard, Limited and Legendary editions at participating retailers worldwide. The Standard Edition has an estimated retail price of $59.99 (U.S.), and the Limited and Legendary editions of the game will retail for $79.99 and $149.99 (U.S.), respectively, and are packed with extras fans won’t want to miss. As a special bonus, fans can receive a token to unlock an exclusive in-game Spartan Recon Helmet, by picking up a copy of the game on launch day at North American retail stores, and outside of North America by making a pre-order reservation at participating retailers. Fans are encouraged to pre-order quickly as quantities of the Limited and Legendary editions are selling fast and are expected to be completely pre-sold by launch.

The first of which is the standard edition, which, pretty standard, features the video game and manual. There’s nothing special about this, other than you’re getting your hands on Halo Reach. The next version up is the limited edition. The game disc will be housed in a recovered ONI “black box,” an artifact bag containing Dr. Halsey’s personal journal, which focus on detailing previously held secrets of the Halo Universe. Also, it includes an exclusive in-game Armor permutation for the Elite player model.

And finally, the Legendary Edition. This features everything that the limited edition has inside, but it also comes with a statue of the Noble Team (the main characters of the game) standing in front of a rock, which has been created by MacFarlane Toys. The entire packaging is ornate and UNSC-themed, and finally there’s an extra exclusive multiplayer Spartan armor effect. Basically, if you’re going to get an edition, the Legendary version is probably the way to go. Price wise, you’re looking at $59.99 for the regular edition, $79.99 for the limited edition, and $149.99 for the Legendary Edition. And, as always, the limited and Legendary editions are going to be “while supplies last,” so act accordingly.

[via Bungie]

The Best of R3 Media

HTC Hero Gets Android 2.1 Leaked: So, people aren’t patient. We get that. Then again, when companies like HTC are slow to push out updates, the patience is hard to come by. And, despite the fact the latest rumor of Android 2.1 going the official route is April 9th, why should you wait any longer? A brand new leak for the HTC Hero has hit the Interwebs, but this is isn’t like all the other ones. This is a test ROM, officially from Sprint, for their branded Hero. It’s already rooted, and it’s not for the faint of heart. Don’t even try this unless you know what you’re doing. It’s not worth bricking your phone. [via Android Community]

The iPad Runs Quake at 70fps. ‘Nough Said: Quake is one of those ports that seems to be making the rounds quite well. In fact, we might even consider it the right of passage for some of the best portable gaming devices on the market. So, seeing it on the iPad isn’t that alien to us. Sure enough, it took a strong-willed developer less than 24 hours with his very own iPad to compile the game onto the tablet, and run it at a beautiful 70fps thanks to that A4 processor and PowerVR SGX GPU. There’s no control scheme right now, and he hasn’t made it public yet. But hey, at least you know it exists. [via Everything iPad]

AT&T Wants You to “Rethink Possible”: AT&T doesn’t have the best reputation on the block. In fact, it might be one of the least liked carriers out there. Or, perhaps the dissenter’s voices are just the loudest. Whatever the case, AT&T is hearing it, because they’re changing their ways. Starting to change their ways, anyway. They’re moving away from a monster wireless carrier, and trying to make people see them as a progressive lifestyle change. Interesting, to say the least. The change will take several months, and we’re wondering how this is going to go over with the customers. [via SlashPhone]

The Dredge Net

The Halo Movie Still Exists: If you’re a gamer, and if you’ve played any games within the Halo franchise, then you’ve probably heard (at least once) that there was a movie being passed around the high executives in Hollywood for quite some time. In fact, a few high ranking names were even tagged to direct and produce the film (who subsequently went to produce and direct another alien-based flick, District 9), but it all went down the drain when no one could agree on money. In fact, Microsoft even said the project was dead entirely. But, Frank O’Connor of the Redmond-based company and of Bungie Studios fame says the project is, in fact, still alive. They’re just biding their time, waiting for the perfect moment to launch it to the world. Consider our patience waning. [via Tom's Guide]

LED Chinese Chess Board of the Future Makes You Want to Learn How to Play: Playing board games is probably on the way out, especially considering tablets seem to be making it a lot easier, and more convenient, to play all of them. But, that’s not stopping other people from creating new ways to play chess. Take this LED Chinese chess game, for example. Based on a silica gel chessboard, you can roll it up for easy access when you’re travelling. You can push LED lights down, and they will activate based on the side that you’re sitting. There’s even a computer on board, just in case you can’t get someone to play with you futuristic Chinese chess set. [via Yanko Design]

England Isn’t Participating in Any 3D World Cup Matches: So, 3D is a huge part of the technology industry lately. And it’s probably not going anywhere any time soon. The World Cup is one of, if not the biggest sports events on the entire planet, and so FIFA (and everyone else even remotely tied to the football experience) is trying to make 3D games a possibility. They’ve made it happen before, and they’ve even got a huge list of matches that will be played in 3D. England isn’t included in any of the matches, though. Which is a huge crying shame, to be honest. [via CNET UK]

Litter Box Isn’t Much of a Box: If you’re a fan of cats, then you know that you don’t just get a cute, fluffy animal. You also get a smelly, large box to hold all the stuff they don’t want in their bodies anymore. Hey, it’s a part owning a cat. But, scooping is a hassle, especially when you have to sit over the box and smell all those fumes while you scoop the clustered mess. So, get ready to smack down $97 for this fancy litter box, where an air purifier will help you get rid of those terrible scents. Well worth the money, right? [via DVICE]

Opening up the headset and clicking the arms into place automatically powers it up; similarly, folding it back up will put it into standby. Jabra provide a simple carrying-pouch for transporting the HALO, together with a USB to microUSB cable for recharging from your laptop and – especially welcome – a mains adapter. The HALO supports the A2DP stereo profile, increasingly common on cellphones and PMPs, together with the AVRCP control profile. The latter is used to remotely control play/pause, volume and track-skipping on whichever device is connected, though its usability is sometimes dependent on whatever your source is; the iPhone 3GS, for instance, will allow for remote play/pause and volume control, but track-skipping must be done on the handset itself.

Bluetooth headsets walk a narrow line between overloading with buttons and attempting to make a few controls do far too many things. Jabra falls slightly on the latter side, with a single multifunction button that manages pairing, voice-dialling, call answering and play/pause, and a strip that handles both volume and track-skipping. Both are touch-sensitive, and we had mixed results with usability; the single button is large, slightly-dished and easy to find while wearing the HALO, as is strip for volume use. However skipping tracks – which is done by tapping the extremes of the strip – is trickier, as it requires your finger accurately locating the right position without seeing or feeling it. Something you get more used to with regular use, yes, but frustrating at first. Still, we’re glad that Jabra have hidden the status LED on the inside of the band, rather than as a flickering beacon on the outside.

Pairing the HALO is as straightforward as most headsets make it these days, requiring holding down the multifunction button until pairing mode is triggered, searching on whatever device you’re connecting, and tapping in the default 0000 PIN. Some more recent devices automagically guess the PIN based on Bluetooth headset tradition, making connectivity even easier. Since the HALO supports multipoint Bluetooth, you can have two devices connected at any one time, meaning the HALO can serve double duty with, say, a cellphone and a laptop. They’ll also remember up to six more devices. There’s also a bundled headphone cable which, when attached, turns the HALO into a regular wired stereo headset, useful if you want to use a device that lacks Bluetooth.

Unfortunately plugging in that cable shuts off the HALO’s Bluetooth functionality, which means you can’t then use the headset with one non-Bluetooth device and your cellphone, for instance. What it does allow is for comparison between wired and wireless audio quality, and we were reasonably pleased with the HALO. Like many Bluetooth headsets we’ve tried, treble and mid tones are emphasized while bass is less impressive; even over a wired connection, bass lacked the thumping hit we’d have liked to hear. Voice call performance was far more impressive, with the dual-microphone array and noise-reduction DSP adding up to natural and clean sounding audio for our test callers. There’s no microphone boom, but even from up around the ears the dual-microphones did a good job of isolating our voice. It’s not as impressive as some of the more complex mono headsets we’ve tried lately, such as the Plantronics Discovery 975, but it’s certainly usable with moderate background noise.

Jabra HALO Unboxing video and hands-on walkthrough

Jabra quote up to 8hrs talktime or music playback, or up to 8 days standby. We’ve been finding the HALO manages a little less than that, topping out at around six or seven hours wireless use. Plugging in the wired connection obviously will increase that usage time, and it takes a couple of hours to recharge the battery; the LED indicator on the inside arm lights up red while charging and winks out when the HALO is full.

Minor usability quibbles aside, the Jabra HALO is a decent choice for anybody wanting both wireless media use and hands-free conversations. Dual connectivity is very handy, while the wired option provides a fall-back option for when you’re occasionally using a non-Bluetooth device; we only hope that Jabra tweak their next-gen model to support both wired and wireless connections simultaneously. At $129 the HALO isn’t the cheapest headset we’ve seen, but it’s attractive, easily transported, comfortable and performs as expected; it gets a thumbs-up from SlashGear.

Seeking some clarification, VideoGamer.com spoke with Brian Jarrard, who is the community and Public Relations Director. He stated that at this point, Bungie doesn’t know what they’re doing. He said at this point in time, talking about whatever game is set to launch after Reach would be nothing but speculation. And when VG pushed a bit harder, looking for some kind of precise comment regarding the fate of Halo at Bungie Studios, Jarrard added, “I wouldn’t confirm or deny at this point. We’re really excited to get Reach out the door. Beyond that, we’re not at liberty to say right now what’s next.”

Furthermore, Jarrard added that there is still a lot of work to get Reach out by next Fall, and that afterward anything is possible. Bungie still wants to craft games they want to make, and that could be Halo, or it could be something completely different. To be frank though, in regards to the infamous Studio, there’s a single line that should send up some red flags: “…we’re not at liberty to say right now what’s next…” This isn’t the first time Bungie has made a comment like this (in fact, it’s a general rule of thumb for them, when a game is in the works at their studio), and it’s definitely common practice when Microsoft has a hand in the operation. They did the same thing at E3 last year, where Halo 3: ODST was originally set to be announced. So what do you think? Do you want another Halo game? Or would you want to see Bungie start with a fresh IP? Let us know.

[via VideoGamer.com]

Underneath the artificially battle-scarred bodywork there’s the guts of a Nissan Patrol 4×4.  That gives the Warthog all-wheel drive and a turbocharged engine, and while trick independent-wheel suspension wasn’t possible in time for this particular replica, it’s still reportedly “a blast”.

Before they let Alistair drive, they made him dress up in a Halo cosplay costume.  Normally I’d commiserate – not that there’s anything wrong with cosplay, but neither Alistair or I could really pull it of – but since he managed to get the gig while not even having a driving licence, I’ll just say it’s suitable punishment.

[via Kotaku]

The problem arises because of the way Halo 3′s developers tried to pre-empt loading time frustrations.  The game automatically copies map data onto the Xbox 360′s hard-drive; now, when you try to install the whole title to the disc using the NXE system, Halo 3 is actually copying from one part of the drive to another.  That takes longer than it does to go from disc to drive.

Developers Bungie have explained that Halo 3 was shipped before Microsoft finalized the NXE disc-copy feature, and as such they were unable to make the game compatible.  While a patch is possible they don’t sound especially keen, describing it as “a significant undertaking” especially when gamers aren’t actually prevented from playing Halo 3.  Perhaps all that’s needed is a warning that flashes up on the Xbox itself should gamers try to copy the title across, mentioning that performance for certain games won’t be improved.

[via Kotaku]

You can pre-order the game now, so if you absolutely must get it the day it comes out, you’ll be set. Plus, you’ll get an in-game extra: a Warthog with flaming decals. Are you excited yet?

A few features of the Halo Wars collector’s edition include a Halo Wars: Genesis graphic novel, an in-game “Honor Guard” Wraith vehicle, Spirit of Fire patch, Six Leader Cards, and three new multiplayer maps called the “Assembly,” the “Orbital” and the “Sandbox.” You can expect to pay $60 for the standard edition and $80 for the collector’s edition.

Check out the Halo 3: Recon trailer video after the cut

Microsoft describe Halo 3: Recon as a “standalone expansion” and promise “hours of new campaign excursions and multiplayer gameplay.”  Action is based on Earth but apparently concentrates more on covert ops techniques than firepower: “”[while] the feel of this new chapter greatly resembles that of previous ‘Halo’ experiences, ‘Halo 3: Recon’ will require you to employ more elements of stealth and cunning than ever before.”

New multiplayer Halo 3: Recon gameplay will also be supported, although details are scant.  We do know that new maps will be on offer, together with fresh items for the Forge multiplayer level-creation system supplied with Halo 3.

[via MTV]

Looks like the guys over at Bungie are giving you a good excuse to get trashed (because lets face it, if you’re a drinker you look for any holiday like Cinco de Mayo to get plastered) and play some Halo today. Today, and today only you’ll be earning double XP under “Fiesta” style rule sets.

You’ll need to make sure you’ve got the Heroic and Legendary map packs, otherwise you’ll be drinking and earning regular XP.

[via Kotaku]

He goes on to claim that he was a 2.5 tier support agent, which means he was about as good as it gets as far as Comcast support goes and that he was actually employed by Convergsys, a company that Comcast had outsourced some support work to in Canada. Well apparently he got sick of the crap, looked up the kid’s IP, and thus had access to his account information, then called his father, who was the real owner of the account. Informed the father of the potentially illegal activities his son was involved in.

Then Sir Lagzalot claims to have heard the man beat his kid with the whole thing ending in what he swore was the sound of an Xbox being smashed. Then the father put the kid on the phone with the “Comcast Rep” and Sir Lagzalot identified himself as the guy they were just being dicks to, talk about Pwned. Anyways, through various efforts he was eventually identified as Mark Ribeiro, his picture above, Comcast has requested Convergsys remove him from the Comcast account and that he be investigated for the likely several acts of unlawfulness displayed by this event. Maybe Sir Lagzalot will write a book about it, “Power Corrupts; Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely”.

Sir Lagzalot also offered up screenshots of the App he used to perform this activity and has also made claims of giving up credit card info of Comcast customers. So, this gentleman may in fact be in a lot of trouble, lets see how far his claims of “I can restart your modem with a push of a button…so don’t piss me off,” go now.

[via DSLReports]

Starting this Tuesday at 2 am you’ll be able to download the latest maps for your favorite FPS (well, for Halo 3 at least). Sure, plenty of you have likely already purchased the maps already, but for those that haven’t felt like dishing out the required $10, you’ll want to jump on this one.

For those that have recently purchased the Heroic Pack and are wondering about some kind of refund, I wouldn’t get your hopes up. There is no plan (that we’ve heard) of refunds, just some good clean (free) fun for those that haven’t paid already.

[via Joystiq]

Like I said, the team never used it, so it’s more or less brand new, save for the small amount of dust that might have built up on the machine. The current bid is $15,000 if you want this literally one of a kind machine.

Shipping is free if you can pick it up in Kirkland, Washington, otherwise it ranges from $200 to $2000 depending on where you live in the continental US, and if it has to leave that are either to hit Hawaii, Alaska, or Puerto Rico, or worse yet, internationally, I’m sure those shipping costs spike up quite quickly. They did use it a few times to test it and make sure it worked, and it does, but that’s it, so, fire up your bank accounts. I wonder if it comes with a case or two of Mountain Dew’s Halo Game Fuel drink?

[via Kotaku]

The plan, as it stands is for Jonathan to be online next Wednesday (Feb. 27th) from around Noon to 2:00PM. The only small catch is that he’s going to be playing from Portugal, which means there’s gonna be some lag.

If you think you can take him down, sent a friend request to his gamertag “KORN Jonathan1”. Good luck getting through, as users are reporting that his friend list is full. If you’re lucky, he may clear out a few friends just for the event.

[via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

They are making 100 pairs of them, no word on size. They appear to be primarily made of black leather then some sort of canvas type material that has silhouettes of the various guns from the game printed on it.

Other than that there are blue accents including blue Adidas logos and the sole is blue with a black or grey “Halo” written on them. If you want a pair, they are $110, I’d love a pair, and I’d pay that for them, but they chances of them making a pair in size 15 is pretty slim.

[via geekologie]

It’s up for auction on eBay and it’s a life-sized replica of the Halo weapon. It’s 36”x14” and has a mirror finish stainless steel blade.

If you happen to be the lucky winner of the auction you’ll get a collector’s card, a walnut wall plaque and a Certificate of Originality from, Lionheartsrealm, the creator of this masterpiece. Also if you happen to win this auction, I envy you completely.

[via technabob]

I’m going to go ahead and throw this out there… I’m a Halo fanatic. Just like classic Molly Shannon; I love it, I love it, I love it! I’ve even got a plasma sword keychain just incase I’m attacked by the flood on my way to town.

That being said, you can see why I’m excited about this messenger bag. Just like Master Chief himself this bag is more than it may first seem. It may look like just a bag but it can hold a 15” laptop, two textbooks and just about all the ammo(gadgets) you may need in the outside world.

It comes in khaki or gray and has the UNSC logo on the front. It used to be Red vs. Blue but now it’s khaki vs. gray (and gray is winning).

Halo 3 Messenger Bag [via ThinkGeek]

Honestly I’m not that impressed with the saying, because there are so many better things that could be put on the Xbox than “My girlfriend kicked my ass at Halo”. They should consult with this girly and come up with a better response.

This faceplate is being sold on ebay currently for $24.99. Although I’m not a huge fan of this faceplate the same person that made this one made several other really cool ones.

Two Custom Halo 3-Themed Xbox 360 Faceplates for Sale on eBay [via hawtymcbloggy]

Free is a bit of an overstatement. If you’re going to spend that much money you may as well throw in the extra $60 and buy the game yourself. That being said for a micro second after hearing this news I was sad that I upgraded two months ago and missed out on the free stuff. Then I remembered that my Xbox 360 and Halo 3 were a gift and all was well.

For anyone who is still hiding under the rock that is the original Xbox I highly suggest you use this offer. For anyone who doesn’t even have the original, let this be a lesson to you that good things come to those who game.

Here’s how to redeem the offer:

1. Buy an Xbox 360 console between November 21 and December 21, 2007.
2. Convert your current paid Xbox LIVE account to an Xbox LIVE Gold subscription.
3. Register here between November 21 and December 21, 2007 with promotional code XBX7777, with your new console serial number, and a valid mailing address.
4. Look for your copy of Halo 3 in your mailbox!

Halo 3 free – Bungie leaks deal for new 360 owners [via technabob]

Microsoft is a little late in the game on this one. Wii’s virtual console has been selling antiquated NES, SNES and N64 games for the past year, and Sony has some sort of game downloading platform for the PS3 that nobody really uses.

The download will run you about $15. Not bad considering you would pay more than that for a used copy at the local video game re-sell store.

Autum Xbox 360 update to enable downloadable Xbox games, including Halo 1 [engadget]

I don’t know how much of a split it is, here is an analogy of the situation from my perspective though, it’d be like you telling your parent you were moving out, but you move out, into the room above the garage, technically its out, but your still very, very connected. Really all this has done is made it possible for Bungie to work on other games/platforms if they want to.

Anything that has the word “Halo” in it is still very much a combined effort between Microsoft an Bungie, and Bungie is still going to work closely with Microsoft Game Studios, oh, and a quot from Bungie head honcho Harold Ryan, the team “will continue to develop with our primary focus on Microsoft platforms”. So all of you getting your undies in a bunch over the possibility of Bungie games hitting other platforms such as Mac (Bungie’s original starting point) and Wii and PS3 don’t get your hopes too high, I mean that is more or less why they broke off, but one or two titles a year for platforms other than Microsoft based ones isn’t much.

It’s official: Bungie breaks free of Microsoft [via AppleInsider]

It’s not just the Halo 3 pack you get – there’s also a Limited Edition Halo 3 Zune signed by J. Allard, a vast array of Xbox 360 peripherals and accessories including the rare aluminium-cased Accessory Package, and pre-loaded content of the sort you could merely dream about (if you were having a particularly Halo 3-themed dream). 

Proceeds from the auction go to the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County, and the auction ends at 16:05 PDT today (that’s a little under four hours away at time of writing).

Bill Gates signed Halo 3 eBay Auction [via GayGamer]

Actually they probably could, Halo is a massive money-making machine, but they probably don’t want to, working on the same games for 7 years probably has just about everyone at Bungie ready to go out of their minds. Plus if you remember, Bungie used to make games exclusively for the Mac platform before MS bought them.

But like I said, word on the street is they are going to be leaving Microsoft, some reports have even gone so far as to say Bungie staff are slowly being removed from MS staff rosters meaning the only thing missing is a formal announcement, which might not come till the end of this coming quarter. The deal would give MS rights to all future Halo games and would give them first refusal to publish any games Bungie releases from here on out.

Possible Bungie departure would open door to Mac games [via AppleInsider]

Microsoft are, unsurprisingly, ecstatic, and are using this as an opportunity to crow about their general brilliance.  Look away now if you’re allergic to superlatives…

“Halo 3 has become a pop-culture phenomenon… not only is Halo 3 setting sales records, it’s also redefining entertainment” Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios

September 25th also proved to be the biggest day yet for Xbox LIVE, the online gaming network, with in excess of one million players logging on to shoot at and berate each other in the new game.

Major Nelson [via Gear Live]

It really is amazing how far a properly laid marketing plan can go. Bungie, Microsoft, and the numerous Halo fan boys, you can rest now, you have done it, you have taken over the free world.

I am sure there are several of you that have had the pleasure of playing this amazing game, I myself have not, and probably won’t get the opportunity to do so for a while because this is a busy week. So enjoy it for me, and I’ll let you know if I think it was worth it as soon as I get some free time.

Master Chief Rings NASDAQ’s Bell [via Kotaku]