A source from inside Microsoft has given us a juicey peice of information, starting Spring 2009 Microsoft are to begin patching achievements into original Xbox titles, starting with Halo: Combat Evolved and Fable and aiming to update the entire back catalogue by Winter 2009. We were told by our source that this is to get gamers interested in original Xbox titles, and if succesfull they plan to make more titles available for download and backwards compatible, there's still hope for you Deus Ex fans out there Each game will have 500 achievement points. And testing is also responsible for some original Xbox titles apearing on gamers profiles. - Read article at Europe-Nintendo.com

Swedish Modder Gets Xbox 360 To Run Almost Silently

A Swedish modder, Janne Strom, has devised a way to make the Xbox 360 run at whisper-like levels. Using a Lian Li XB01 case and some Noctua NH-U9DO coolers, the modder was able to get his Xbox 360 running at near silence. The YouTube video he posted shows just how quiet his modifications made the console. While he succeeded in eradicating the system's noise pollution, he was left with quite the eyesore.



Source: G4TV.com

Given the amount of first-person shooter online gaming I partake in these days, it was bound to happen… In a recent Call of Duty World at War online match with more than the usual amount of trash talking going on (guilty, as charged), one player who couldn’t hold his own in the virtual battle or in the verbal sparring took it to another level when he threatened me, saying “I’ll kill you in real life with a real gun.” Of course, it’s highly unlikely I’m in any danger. What we have here is a maladjusted individual with poor anger management and interpersonal skills. - Read the rest of this article at zatznotfunny.com

2008 has been a good year for PlayStation 3 owners. We saw the release of big time exclusives such as Resistance 2 , LittleBigPlanet and Metal Gear Solid 4. Sony also showed us that there is still a good reason to invest in the PS3 even though big names such as Grand Theft Auto and Final Fantasy have gone multi-platform. 2009 looks to be another big year for the PlayStation. With the release of PlayStation Home, the implementation of the new trophy system and another big year of games, the PS3 has its eye set on the future. Here is a countdown of the top 5 PS3 exclusive games that will be released in the coming year. - Read the list at arandomgamer.com

The PlayStation Blog notes that the December 22 (i.e. today) PlayStation Home update will restore voice chat to the service. The feature was "temporarily" suspended with the 1.04 patch, but now the oral racism and sexism can flow freely again in personal spaces and clubhouses with 1.05. - Read article at Joystiq.com