That source link below is your gate to Ubisoft's official site for the Beta Test of Tom Clancy's EndWar. Interested much? See if you're suited up for the task by checking out the requirements and other information at the full article.

A few days ago, Microsoft announced that it will be going into a partnership with the British Telecom (BT Group) to provide Xbox 360 consoles with on-demand programming. While the service will not need the broadband TV service's set-top box, it seems that the setback is that the console will not be able to watch or record live TV. Details in the full article.

Xbox Live is now five and it's bigger and better than ever before! With comprehensive features that revolutionized the home console gaming experience and a large user base, there's little doubt that Microsoft owns the premiere online gaming service for consoles. The Live is 5ive party now rages and playing games like Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will yield sweet Xbox 360 goodies. On that regard, we'll take you on a brief look back at how Xbox Live started it all.

 

If you're from the UK and interested in getting IPTV via your Xbox 360 game console, site 360 Gamer has some news for you that you may be interested in. And the most interesting of news is the revelation from some sources that only British Telecom (BT) subscribers will get the service in the UK.

Such a deal isn't confirmed yet by Microsoft and BT hasn't claimed exclusivity to the rights for the service, but no other firms have been listed in on the loop, giving the impression that BT just might be getting it all.

"Online gaming is a market we have targeted heavily for our BT Total Broadband service, with many tens of thousands of gamers already enjoying the UK's best performing ADSL broadband service," says an unnamed BT representative.

Speculations suggest that whichever firms acquire the rights to the service by entering a deal with Microsoft can acquire consoles directly from the American giant and equip the hardware to best suit the service.

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, our friends in India will finally be getting some Xbox Live goodness as the online service has been announced to push through this coming September. The news was confirmed by a certain Sanjoy who is a senior member of community 360Indians.

According to Sanjoy, he went to Microsoft's headquarter in Gurgaon and met with executives Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division Country Manager Mohit Anand as well as with Microsoft Xbox 360 Product Manager Vivek Kulkarni.

The more interesting part here is that the launch will coincide with the release of highly-anticipated video game Halo 3. Accordingly, Halo 3 will be released in India on September 24 and 25 while the Xbox Live launch will take place between September 23 and 30.

The event will be attended by top honchos but Sanjoy didn't mention who. Regarding the title, India will be getting both the Standard Edition and Special Edition but not the Legendary Edition. A copy will cost Rs 1,895 (US$ 46.89).

Xbox Live service, furthermore, will be available in one-month, three-month, and 12-month denominations. Sanjoy also heard that Microsoft is planning a bundle for India that will include a Live subscription, a broadband Internet connection, and a video game.

It was also revealed that Stranglehold, as well as copies of Gears of War and Forza 2 will also be available during the above mentioned dates. Hey guys, you know what, we heard Indian gamers are quite good in FPS. So you better prepare for them.

War between high-def formats is hot, with software sales in favor of Sony. It's no secret that the PS3 alone brings Blu-ray players to millions of households, and 360's HD-DVD drive attachment can attract plenty of customers.

Even so, research firm The Diffusion Group have found out that game consoles aren't that significant in the numbers of movies being played at home.

Research based on 2000 households with consoles that double as multimedia players reveal that only 13% actually view movies on the same machine they play games. Out of that, 74% are still using the good 'ol DVD for their entertainment, while almost a quarter enjoy online services to purchase or rent videos online.

Director of primary research and author of the report Dale Gilliam III stated:

Today’s next-generation games consoles such as the Xbox 360 or Sony PS3 are true digital multimedia powerhouses. Yet very few of these devices are connected to the Internet and, even though these same platforms may feature a high-definition DVD playback system, very few consumers are using them for non-gaming media applications.

Get a lowdown of other findings they've published in their report:

• Approximately half of U.S. broadband households have at least one game console (GC) in the home with 15% having two or more game consoles;
• Among broadband households that own a game console, 52% have a console in their family or living room, compared to 24% with a GC in the second bedroom, and 21% with a GC in the den or game room;
• Though the majority (80%) own a console capable of playing DVDs, only 30% stated that they owned a console and that it actually enabled DVD playback – a fact that demonstrates how poorly many consumers understand the capabilities of today’s game consoles and a major barrier to persuading consumers to start using these platforms for non-gaming media consumption.
• Among those that own a game console connected to the Internet, 42% have used their game console to watch an Internet-based movie on their TV.

""In a report by Next Generation, ABI Research director Mike Wolf speculated that North American Internet-to-TV video solutions will reach US$ 1.5 billion in revenue. However, instead of the available Internet-to-TV hardware solutions, Wolf believes that it will be consoles to spur the immediate growth of the market.

 

Wolf speculates that all this will happen in the next five years. So according to his estimates, customers on next-gen consoles such as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will comprise almost 60% of the market revenue by 2012. He even notes that consoles could overtake even Steve Jobs' Apple TV.

Because of the multiple entertainment capabilities of such consoles and their requirement for broadband connections, consumers would find more value and appeal in game consoles as capable Internet-to-TV products. That doesn't include the roomy hard drive storage and the fact that the console is already next to a TV.

However, the console has a long way to go to make waves in the market. ABI Research's recently conducted study entitled "Over-the-Top Internet Video to the TV" pointed out that 71% of people who purchase video over the Internet do so on a PC. 16% of the remaining simply burns the video into DVD and watches it on TV, while 8% download and view videos on their video console.

Aside from the fact that only 12% of the surveyed people do purchase videos online, the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii will also have to contend with next-generation Internet-to-TV products from Comcast and Netgear, aside from the Apple TV and Sony's own future Internet-to-TV entertainment products.

But consoles already have an edge in growth: Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft all provide online purchase options by drawing funds from accounts. If Wolf's predictions do come true, analysts believe the console rise in the market will be phenomenal. "“This is just the beginning,” Wolf concluded.

 

Catering to the Xbox 360 and the PC, the HomePlug AV add-on by LinkSys provides broadband home networking through your power outlet, allowing both current and bandwidth to flow through your electrical wiring. This time around however, Intellon has officially announced in a press release a new integrated circuit that does exactly that same thing.

The INT6000 HomePlug AV IC are integrated directly to your Xbox 360's power supply, or that of your AMD LIVE! PC, allowing both platforms to stream HD video and high quality audio to each other, over you existing home wiring. Contributing to AMD LIVE's open-platform approach, HomePlug brings interconnectivity between Microsoft's next-gen console and an AMD LIVE! PC running Windows Vista.

Like their ordinary HomePlug devices, Intellon is certain that additional wiring will no longer be needed. The technology is claimed to provide full Quality of Service (QoS) support and guarantee, as well as the added stability and robust features to discourage doubt of the product's capabilities.

A full technical demonstration of the product will be revealed in an AMD presentation, "Whole Home Media Access over Mixed Topologies," to be held in May 17, 2007 at WinHEC.

To be quite frank about it, Wi-Fi causes on occasion time delay and dropped lines during online play, regardless if you're using Microsoft's Xbox 360 or Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3). So this solution being offered by powerline chipset supplier DS2 might be of help to all of us.

The Spain-based company just announced its UPA compliant 200Mbps chip that is compatible with your average, standard wall sockets. Dubbed as "UPA Plugtested 200Mbps chipset," DS2 promised that this should provide a simple and reliable broadband connectivity that offers the necessary bandwidth for uninterrupted high performance online gaming. Zero latency, or so they say.

Victor Dominguez, Director of Strategy and Standardization at DS2 had this to say about the product:

Our technology extends high-performance Internet connections to any room in the home, making it possible for consumers to enjoy high-quality, high-definition online gaming and other bandwidth-hungry applications without interruption.

Anyway, if you're interested to give this product a try, DS2 added that the chipset can be purchased in the following technologically advanced network products providers:

• Allnet
• Corinex Communications
• Comtrend Corporation
• Conceptronic
• D-Link, Defidev
• Ilevo, Logitec
• Netgear
• Pirelli Broadband Solutions
• Toyo Network Systems
• Xavi

British-based broadband provider BT Internet is tempting Xbox 360 owners in the UK to come to the Dark... er, actually switch over to their broadband network by gettng rid of the need for some ugly cables. For new subscribers, or for those who decide to switch from other broadband providers to BT Total Broadband, they're giving out free Xbox 360 Wireless Adapters so that they can hook their new wireless BT broadband hub (available in more premium packages) to their 360s.

The offer is good through June 30, 2007, though it's only for new subscribers/switchers. It's not necessarily a bad offer as the Wireless Adapter goes for around £60.00 across the pond, but it's only useful if subscribers get the premium broadband packages that throw in the wireless hub for free.

All in all, this counts as recognition from the telecomms industry that gaming has become a big, fat, lucrative market. So why not milk it?