Xbox

In its own special way, my Xbox 360 let me know it was time for some spring cleaning this week. I could've danced with Bill Gates' minions and mailed in my system for service. Instead, like Sarah Palin, I went rogue.  Before we begin, let's get something straight: Microsoft didn't want me to do what I did to my Xbox. I had to break at least three different sticker seals that clearly stated that I was voiding any and all warranties by doing what I did. If you ever plan on sending your system to Microsoft for service or reselling it as a "pure" system, do not do what I'm about to describe.

Amazon's hosting service has been approved for government use, a formerly obscure math lecturer has received hard-won praise for an incredible accomplishment, and Oklahoma City is working to dig out from a devastating tornado. Welcome to your online trends report for Tuesday, May 21, 2013. The massive tornado that hit the Oklahoma City region yesterday is believed to have killed at least 51 people, as of this writing. That number is expected to rise as more victims are dug out of the rubble.

COLLEGE PARK - The University of Maryland football recruiter who lost his job for allegedly giving cash to a Baltimore prospect did so when the youth said he wanted a $200 "Xbox" video game system for Christmas, according to sources familiar with the incident. Neither the recruiter, Rod Sharpless, nor the youth, Victor Abiamiri of the Gilman School, has spoken publicly about the matter - which Terrapins coach Ralph Friedgen yesterday termed a "terrible mistake." "I have known this person for 25 years and he is a very good person and a very good man. And he is going through a tough time right now. My heart and prayers go out to him," said Friedgen, in his first public comment on the incident.

Check back on this slug frequently for updated details about the Xbox release. Microsoft today showcased details of its next-generation gaming platform, Xbox One, which will succeed the Xbox 360. The announcement at Microsoft's Redmond campus followed significant speculation about the new device, which is expected to include a built-in version of the formerly detached Kinect module. Don Mattrick, president of the interactive entertainment business, debuted the box at 1 p.m. EST Tuesday, with the Microsoft team showing off a "hub"-style device that relies heavily on voice commands and gestures for control.

News reports about a University of Maryland football recruiter who lost his job for allegedly giving money to a Baltimore prospect say it happened because the football player wanted to buy an Xbox. So what is an Xbox? It's a video game system made by Microsoft. The software giant's much-anticipated entry into the video gaming console wars took place in November 2001 with introduction of the Xbox, which plays DVD-based games. It also can play DVD movies once you plug in an add-on kit. Despite Microsoft's high hopes and great hype leading up to launch, the $199 Xbox has remained behind Sony's PlayStation 2 (also $199)

Some products live up to their hype. It remains to be seen whether Microsoft's first foray into video game consoles will fulfill its promise - but the Xbox is off to a good start. The top suits at Microsoft, who launched the console Thursday, have vowed that their game machine won't simply compete with consoles from Nintendo and Sony for the attention of families around the world, but also with books, television and the Internet. After spending several hours playing a half-dozen Xbox titles, I can say that Microsoft has done its homework.

Microsoft is calling the Xbox 360, which comes out tomorrow, the most powerful video game system in the world. Sharp graphics and photo-realistic games can show the rustling of blades of grass or emotions on a character's face. But there's something else about the Xbox that makes it stand out. It comes in pink. Faceplates for the sleek new system also come in faux woodgrain, silver, aluminum and other colors that Microsoft hopes will be at home in a living room. The 360 represents a major step in Microsoft's bid to transfer its dominance from the computer room to the den. The new Xbox can play DVDs and CDs. It can wirelessly connect to a home computer, take music files, photos and video from the computer and play them on the TV. Digital music players, such as iPods, can be plugged directly into the Xbox.

Gamers like to complain that publishers are content to crank out sloppy sequels and boring movie-to-game conversions. Of course, when innovative games do come along, they rarely leave a blip on the gaming consciousness. When is the last time you heard anyone talking about Rez, a Sega title for the PlayStation 2? Well, here we go again, although this time the marketing muscle might be powerful enough to make gamers notice. Microsoft recently sent out previews of its Music Mixer title.

Back in June, the Discovery Channel aired a documentary on the trials and tribulations of developing three Xbox games. One of them was Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge, scheduled for release Tuesday by Microsoft. I was eager to play it because the documentary revealed that Crimson Skies ($49; suitable for ages 13 and older) did not come together easily. Midway through its development, half the design and programming team was sacked and the game substantially redesigned because Microsoft Game Studios boss Ed Fries declared it boring.

Scott Anderson originally opened his Gamenet party and game center in Bel Air for kids to have fun. But since opening two years ago, something unexpected happened. “The adults have taken over,” says Anderson of Fallston. And why not? Where else can you find a 300-square-foot dance floor, a 92-inch high-definition projector, gaming TVs and consoles, pool tables and cushy leather furniture to relax in with friends, and not have to clean up afterward?  The room is called The Garage, and it's been getting booked most weekends by adults who want to watch the Ravens, hang with their corporate colleagues or just have a grownup birthday or Halloween party.

As traffic continues to flow to coverage of Super Bowl preparations, the Roe vs. Wade anniversary and post-inaugural activities, a few newer topics have also bubbled to the surface in our collective consciousness. Instagram is posting impressive numbers, and in an only-slightly-less blatant PR move, likely specs for the next generation of XBox have "leaked. " Also debuting this week: The Following , a show about crazy, violent people that is linked to Baltimore in a different way than other recent shows about crazy, violent people.

Two Baltimore County boys traded a Bersa .380-caliber gun for an Xbox 360 in a swap that ended when officers found a handful of bullets in jeans left in a school locker room, police said Friday. The exchange between the 12-year-old students at Deer Park Middle Magnet is the third gun-related incident in county schools since the academic year started in late August, including a shooting at Perry Hall High School that left one student seriously injured. The recent gun violence — and the extent to which Baltimore County students have had access to weapons — has unnerved many in the school community.

This year has already been a watershed event for games in many respects, but for the most part we have now settled into the post-E3 dog days. For many gamers, this is a great time to reboot and actually get outside for a change, because as far as the release calendar goes, we are in the eye before the storm. Even with titles like "BioShock: Infinite" and "Grand Theft Auto V" shelved until 2013, there are still quite a few gems yet to be released in 2012. "Borderlands 2" Sept.

"NCAA Football 13" EA Sports Xbox 360/PS3 Score: 3 out of 4 In its 20th year of making college football games, EA Sports enters "NCAA Football 13" as the strongest version of the game in the 360/PS3 era. It's not perfect and it's not revolutionary, but almost every change made from "NCAA Football 12" was meaningful and positive. On the turf, the most noticeable upgrade comes in the form of a re-tuned passing game. The spread and shotgun formations' dominance over college football is now a palpable experience in "NCAA Football 13. " Quarterbacks drop back more realistically, and the player has an enhanced ability to control the touch and direction of the ball like never before.

Microsoft thinks consumers aren't viewing their favorite games, movies and television shows on enough screens.   That's the premise behind “SmartGlass,” a feature debuting later this year that is designed to enhance the entertainment experience by simultaneously invading your Xbox, smartphone and tablet.   At Monday's E3 event in Los Angeles, the “SmartGlass” hinted at some practical luxuries, such as picking up a show from a pause-point on your TV and taking it with you on your tablet.

Microsoft led off the lineup of developers and publishers who will be showcasing everything new in digital entertainment at this week's E3expo in Los Angeles. While the news out of Redmond was very heavy on the Xbox's capabilities as a media center, there was still plenty of gaming news and announcements for the coming fall and following year on the world's best-selling console. Microsoft Studios president Phil Spencer proclaimed this year as the “biggest year ever for games on the Xbox.” Not surprisingly, Microsoft opened the event with an extended trailer for “Halo 4” (in stores Nov. 6)

Parents shopping for the best deal on a video game console for Christmas have several options right now. All three of the major consoles - Nintendo's GameCube, Sony's PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's Xbox - have dropped in price over the past year. Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft are also offering official bundle deals, giving purchasers free games and hardware along with the console. Here's a rundown on each system so that parents can decide which best suits their household. GameCube Right now, the GameCube is the cheapest of the systems, selling for $99. It's also the system best suited for younger gamers, with such kid-friendly fare as the Mario titles, including the much-anticipated racing game Mario Kart: Double Dash.

Downloaded singles 1.Gold Digger, Kanye West featuring Jamie Foxx 2.Photograph, Nickelback 3.My Humps, Black Eyed Peas 4.Run It! (Remix featuring Juelz Santana), Chris Brown 5.Boyfriend, Ashlee Simpson[ Courtesy iTunes] Downloaded albums 1.Unplugged, Alicia Keys 2.Extraordinary Machine, Fiona Apple 3.Elizabethtown (Music From the Motion Picture), Various Artists 4.Late Registration, Kanye West 5.Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1, Jackson Browne[ Courtesy iTunes] Video Game Sales 1.Madden NFL 2006, PS2 2.Madden NFL 2006, Xbox 3.NCAA Football 06, PS2 4.Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike , Xbox 5.Nintendogs: Dachshund and Friends, DS

"Dragon's Dogma" Xbox 360/PS3 Capcom Rating: 3 stars out of 4 “Dragon's Dogma” has the elements of everything you'd expect from an open-world action role-playing game with a fantasy setting. Even the box art smacks of a “Dungeons and Dragons” guide. Once you get inside “Dragon's Dogma,” you realize that it is unlike any fantasy RPG (or almost any) game you've played before. The key feature of “Dragon's Dogma” is the “pawn” system, a format that allows the player to create one “main pawn,” a character that follows you perpetually, and two other pawns that are sourced from an online database of other players' pawns.

'Game of Thrones' Xbox 360/PS3/PC Cyanide Rating: 2 stars out of 4 It's never easy to adapt popular source material to a video game, even when the starting points are the best-selling books of George R.R. Martin and their successful HBO television version. While “Game of Thrones” the role-playing game makes an earnest attempt at interactive fan-fiction, it lacks the technical prowess of a good RPG and most of Martin's unforgettable characters to set it apart.