Well sorry we were gone. Please be patient with the staff as we go through new updates.  The Brew should be back up for a few weeks unless we come across more needed fixes. At least we can add more news for you now. 

Well we are back! Thanks to MonkeyMaximus (I bother that man constantly for you members) the news maker is back up. Over the past week or so when we tried to post some news it would give a file permission error. Now it is fixed

so expect some updates on all of your favorite consoles.

BKF/ Staff 06-13-2008

The National Purchase Diary released their monthly sales report, with only 1,969,800 next generation consoles sold. The Nintendo Wii was in first at 714,000 sales, 36% of all sales that month. Nintendo DS sold 414,800, and the PSP sold 192,700. The Xbox 360 was fourth place this time, at 188,000. The PS3 ranked fifth with only 187,100, very much less than expected. Though many estimates for sales were off by large numbers, it was a good month for Nintendo and the Wii.

[source: qj.net]

Well we all know one time or another we have had to call that dang customer service. It is a dreaded feeling calling and listing to the machine try to help you. 

Jason at Doombot has developed a process for reaching intelligent life at XBOX customer service. He discovered this easy 4-step procedure thanks to a XBOX 360 that enjoys not reading discs.

1. Call 1-800-4-MY-XBOX.
2. Get a reference number for your problem as quickly as possible. You may need to say “I already did that” when they try to make you do the troubleshooting script, just to expedite the process.
3. Hang up and call the escalated support number, 866-506-3826.
4. Talk to someone who knows what they’re doing. 

I know companies make these machines so they don’t have to spend as much money… but can you make them a little smarter? 

The newest Grand Theft Auto game took a long time to make, and apparently, it was the most expensive. Rockstar Games let slip that the game supposedly cost $100 million to make. This breaks the previous record of $70 million. This massive figure is a sign of the video game industry’s expansion, and a good reason not to pirate games. Funny thing is, Rockstar has gained all that money back (probably doubled it) in less then these 2 days.

Microsoft has finally posted the full list of unlockable achievements on Xbox.com.  This list has been a rumor for some time now, but has been finally confirmed.  This list includes 50 different achievements for a total of 1,000 points:

Microsoft is currently assembling a team which may very well work with renowned Hollywood director Peter Jackson. The official Microsoft website recently posted a listing on its career page looking for talented people willing to "help develop a new experience in the Halo universe".

 Does this also mean that there might also be a possibility of the revival or our dreams of the long awaited Halo movie everyone was talking about last year?  Unfortunately, there has been no word on that specifically… yet.

EA has just confirmed that Brett Favre is this years pick for Madden's cover boy.

This will be the first time that Madden has displayed a retired player on the cover.  This unorthodox choice was commented on by Madden NFL Executive Producer Dale Jackson saying,  "Madden NFL Football and Brett Favre are sports icons who have set the standard and revolutionalized their positions within their respective genres, Brett Favre is a perfect fit for the Madden NFL 09 cover as he epitomizes everything the franchise has stood for the past 20 years – longevity, excellence, and a love of football."

Also, on his blog, head of EA sports Peter Moore says, "It is with great pride that we take the bold step of featuring a retired player on the front of packaging, an honor normally reserved for a player at the peak of his game. I say with great pride, because some may question the marketing strategy behind this. I don't for one minute. In this, the 20th year of this storied game franchise, as far as I was concerned there was only one choice. As we look back over the past couple of decades in the NFL, Brett stands out to me personally as a beacon for everything that made me a huge fan of this great game from almost the moment I arrived from the UK in the early eighties…"

Yes, it's true, Grand Theft Auto 4 has been leaked. Apparently, this is only pertaining to the PAL version of the game, unless someone can come forth and say for sure that the NTSC version was also cracked. Does this spell disaster for Grand Theft Auto 4? No, not necessarily. Many people are saying that it may jeopardize the possibilities of a PC version in the future because so much money will have already been lost that opening up the game in the PC market would only be asking for more piracy. Those critics may be correct. After all, you don't see Microsoft or Bungie talking about Halo 3 on the PC do you? Halo 3 was also leaked to the internet about one week prior to its release just as Grand Theft Auto 4 was. Let's hope both make their way to the PC platform, but more importantly, it should be stressed that you should BUY games worth buying, and with a franchise like the Grand Theft Auto series, you know this next installment will be worth your 50-60 clams.

Here it comes, a Wiimote clone for the 360. With the Wii leading the way in sales across the globe no wonder Microsoft had to try the Wii's secret. The project is being codenamed Newton at the moment. Newton is also going to use an LED sensor bar that can be powered by the USB ports on the 360, it is going to have an LED sensor on the front accelerometer and gyroscope sensor that can detect tilt and motion, rumble motors, wireless two way data communication with the 360, a built in Microphone for Xbox Live and voice-activated games.

Newton will probably be out by winter of 2008. Microsoft is rumored to have licensed patents from Gyration which is the same maker of the Wiimote… legally, Microsoft is not ripping off Nintendo but rather licensing the technology from the same place that Nintendo got it.

It will still be a few months before we see leaked photos of the final version. Until then we can only dream of what it will look like and how it will sell. This can be a great thing for Microsoft. People will decide “Hey, why not buy this console so we can get the best of both videogame worlds!” With the Arcade system coming down to the Wii’s price then it will be even more of a selling point.