No, you won't be able to run Xbox 360 games on your Mac - yet. However, this little hack may be handy if your XBox and your cable modem are in separate rooms,  and you don't want to shell out $100 for a wireless adapter.

Step 1:  turn off your Xbox 360 and connect a standard ethernet crossover cable from the network port of the 360 to the ethernet port on your Mac. On the Mac, go to System Preferences>Sharing.  Click the "Internet" tab.  On the "Share your connection from..." drop-down, select AirPort. Check Built-in Ethernet on the box underneath, then press 'Start'. You will get a cautionary dialogue box; accept it. Your window should look like this:

Step 2:  Turn on your 360, go to the dahboard and navigate to the System pane. Select "Network Settings" and then "Edit Settings". Change IP settings to Manual. Back in OS X, enter Terminal and type, without quotes: "ifconfig en0". The first IP address, which is probably 192.168.2.1, is your Gateway address.  Enter this on your Xbox. For IP address, enter 192.168.2.2, and 255.255.255.0 for the Subnet Mask.

Step 3: Save your settings on your Xbox 360. It  may automatically test the new connection; ignore this, because it will fail. Go back into the settings menu and this time choose DNS Settings, making this manual as well. Next, you'll need to go back into Terminal and type in "dig" (again, without quotes) and press enter. At the bottom of the results you will find a line saying "SERVER:" (see below). The IP address following (underlined below) is your Primary DNS server, so enter that into your Xbox. Don't enter anything under Secondary DNS server.

In Network Settings on the Dashboard, select "Test Xbox Live Connection". You should now be able to connect to Xbox Live.

Atari? You mean the company that produces cheap, grade "B" games based on tired old franchises like "The Matrix"?

After a process that has cost around $20 million and taken three years, Atari is almost ready to change that image with their new Xbox 360 offering, Test Drive Unlimited. "We've been a poor-performing company for far too long," says Nique Fajors, Atari's V.P. of sales and marketing. "We're hoping that Test Drive really helps bring credibility back to the brand." The delays and cost overruns have raised a few eyebrows, but Fajors was adamant that the game not be released until he felt it was absolutely ready."

If this screenshot and the prospectus are any indication, Fajors patience may pay off in spades. TDU models the entire Hawaiian island of Oahu. Players will be able to race any of 90 different autos over more than 1,000 miles (1600 km) of virtual roads. The game is still in testing mode by the developers (no word on beta, yet), but eventually, Oahu - at least in its cyber-incarnation - will be swarming with thousands of Internet players, challenging each other to "stop light rallies." The primary platform will be the Xbox 360, upon which the graphics and sense of speed promise to be dazzling.

This is no bad thing for Microsoft either, who stands to collect a royalty on every copy of the game sold. Microsoft plans to use this game as a "showpiece" to promote the possibilities of their console and gaming network.

Developed by Eden Games, TDU will retail for $59.99. Exact release date has yet to be determined.

  

In a recent interview, Call of Duty Executive Producer Marcus Iremonger talked about the joy he's had bringing the game to life. Among other subjects, he discusses his interest in the history of the Second World War, and this project has been so near to his heart.

CoD is a first-person shooter that takes the player to several different battlefields across North Africa and Europe during the global conflict against fascism, which lasted from September of 1939 and ended in August of 1945. Published by Activision, the game is available for the XBox 360, with versions for the PS3 and Wii platforms planned. The game took both a nomination and a "best-of-show" award at the recent E3 2006 Conference.

You can view a video of the Marcus Iremonger interview here.

This year's Austin Game Conference, scheduled for 6 to 8 September 2006 in Austin, Texas, has a line-up of keynote speakers that reads like a Who's Who in the gaming industry. The Conference will officially open at 10 AM on Wednesday, 7th September, with an address by Blizzard Entertainment's Rob Pardo, VP of Game Design. Pardo was the lead designer for World of Warcraft, possibly the most popular MMO game in the industry's brief history.

Dell Computer founder and CEO Michael Dell will hold a "fireside chat" in the Austin Game Tech Pavilion the following day at 4:45 PM. This will be followed up the next morning at 9:30 with an address delivered by Hugo Award winner and sci-fi author Vernor Vinge entitled "Inside Out." Other speakers scheduled include Raph Koster, John Smedley, Sanya Weathers and Sean Dalberg.

The program of the Conference will include seminars on Games in Asia, Multiplayer Business/Production, Multiplayer Design, Multiplayer Service and Support, Future of The Development Pipeline and Next Generation Game Development. Industry professionals can pre-register until 21 July at 40% off the $495 conference fee by  going to the Conference Website.

Christopher Sherman, director of The Game Initiative - the organization sponsoring the Conference - says, "We are extremely pleased to have so many visionaries and industry leaders join us at the fourth annual Austin Game Conference...with this year's theme of 'Brave New Worlds' the Austin Game Conference hosts industry influencers, including game developers, technologists and business professionals from around the world."

Sherman also pointed out that Austin, Texas is one of the top 5 cities in the United States for video game development.

The folks at Turbine, Inc. have been quite busy working on improvements for Dungeons and Dragons. Regarding performance, the item of interest to those using the XBox 360 controller with their PCs is the fact that these will be more responsive to player input. What's better, these players will now be able to run at full speed.

There are also a huge (and I mean HUGE) number of improvements - currently in progress for the upcoming Twilight Forge Module - to the User Interface. Take a deep breath, and check out the Full Article for all the details!

Halo 3's development team reports that multiplayer lab now functions as a  single player lab as well, so gamers will eventually be able to play through a selection of single player Campaign missions.

Currently being tested are the new AI and the encounters. Players will see some untextured placeholder surfaces, as well. Interestingly, while most players focus on technology's ability to provide awesome graphics, they often overlook what the XBox 360's processing power can do for AI (Artificial Intelligence) as well - after all, behaviors, reactions and animations are what really make for the gaming experience, whereas great graphics without great action is just great art. At this point, the AI is more noticeable in opponents' behavior, but don't dismiss it for your human allies.

One player, identified only as "Frankie," described one single-player encounter in a Halo session:

"I swear I saw some Grunts do a classic pincer-movement to trap me in a narrow canyon. I was battling um, something bigger than a Grunt, and suddenly, I'm being peppered by a second group of jerks, mostly Grunts, who'd been sent in around my flanks to take me out. Grunts are still grunts though, and once I showed some serious opposition, a couple of them panicked and fled, but they nearly had me and it was quite a shock."

In a related story,  the first copy if the Halo Graphic Novel has just come back from Marvel, and goes on sale later this month. There are plans for a "proper" launch at this month's ComicCon in San Diego.

Halo 3 is a sci-fi themed, first-person shooter published by Bungie Software.

Frank West is a freelance photojournalist looking for the scoop of a lifetime. Pursuiing  a promising lead, he winds up in a small suburban town and finds it  overrun by zombies. Escaping to the local shopping mall he hopes to find safety. Instead, he winds up fighting for his life against an endless horde of the undead, using anything he can find to fight off the flesh-hungry mob. Meanwhile, he must search for the truth behind the horrendous epidemic...

Such is the story of Dead Rising, a sure-to-be best-seller for the Xbox 360. We found this recent video trailer we thought you might find interesting...but be warned - it's not for the faint hearted (and you might want to avoid watching it right before dinnertime).

Download: [Dead Rising Trailer]

The long awaited Invasion Map Pack for Call of Duty 2 has finally arrived!

The Invasion Map Pack - which can be purchased for 800 Microsoft points - features five new multiplayer maps that will take players to historic battlefields as diverse as the hedgerow country of northwestern France, the beaches of Normandy, the deserts of North Africa and the frozen urban landscapes of Russia.

According to Grant Collier, studio head of publisher Infinity Ward, “The Invasion Map Pack is another way for us to extend the Call of Duty 2 universe...we’ve mixed things up with the Invasion Map Pack, providing a variety of diverse environments that are sure to provide hours of multiplayer action.”

With the recent release of the Bonus Map Pack and the Skirmish Map Pack, this release brings the total number of multiplayer maps to nine.

Developed by Activision and published by Infinity Ward, CoD 2 is currently the top selling game for the Xbox 360. It is a first-person shooter based on historical campaigns of the Second World War, and is rated T ("Teen" - blood, violence and mild profanity) by the ESRB.

  

Corporate crime and malfeasance. It's nothing new (crack open your history book and look up "British East India Company," "Robber Barons," and "The Gilded Age"), and maybe its just that we've noticed it more since the infamous Enron collapse five years ago.

In any event, it's starting to hit home for the gaming community. PS game developer  Take-Two Interactive  is now the subject of a grand jury investigation.  Wall Street analyst Michael Pachter has advised investors to be cautious buying into this company, because the recently issued subpoenas indicate that criminal indictments are not far behind.

"We believe that it is likely that one or more Take-Two employees may be subject to a potential criminal indictment," says Pachter.

T2 Interactive announced earlier this week that the County of New York had issued grand jury subpoenas, requesting several documents from the past five years. It is not currently known if the corporation itself is under investigation, or specific individuals.

"It is impossible to speculate what the specific charges may be given the broad scope of the subpoenas, but we think that there is likely ‘probable cause’ for the New York DA’s office to seek such subpoenas," Pachter adds. "We expect the grand jury investigation to take several months, and if indictments are issued, we believe that final resolution could take as long as two years."

Despite Bill Gates' heroic efforts, careful planning and market analysis, teamwork with U.S., European and Japanese engineers AND special deals with some major game publishers, his baby - the XBox 360 - is not going over well in Japan.

Why should the world's wealthiest and most successful entrepreneur experience such dismal failure in a country where video gaming is practically a national obsession? It's a bit of a mystery, but here's some hints.

The launch date: 10 December, 2005. This was probably not the best choice, possibly because Christmas is more of a Western holiday. Japan is a society in which only a small percent of the population is Christian, and although the holiday is observed by most Japanese of all faiths, it is quite different. Gift exchange is a very small part of it, and is mainly between couples "going steady," who exchange small items of an intimate or "cute" nature.

Another reason: a initially weak game selection. Ridge Racer 6? Tetris?!? Every Party...? Even Dead or Alive 4 was delayed, leading to a mere 100,000 units sold by January.

There's hope - while the initial launch was lackluster, some better games now in the pipeline could pull sales figures up. If Microsoft can get the Japanese gaming heavyweights on board with the XBox 360 platform, the coming months might show a comeback.