Gizmodo Australia » gears of war

Half Of Next-Gen Console Owners Are Playing On Standard-Def TVs

Adam Frucci — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:40:00 +0000

It’s easy for those of us with HDTVs to forget that not everyone has them yet. And Epic’s Mark Rein’s stat that over half of Gears of War 2 players played it on an SDTV really brings that home.

If you’re wondering why Microsoft and Sony are going to drag this current generation of consoles out for as long as possible, look no further than this:

Over half the users who played Gears of War 2 so far do not have HDTVs…My point is, of the systems that are out there now, the majority of them aren’t plugged into HDTVs. So there’s no way we’re ready for the PlayStation 4 or the Xbox Whatever.

More than half. That’s a pretty wild statistic. And of course Microsoft and Sony won’t want to invest in a whole new console until everyone has an HDTV, because without that, there’s really not much more for them to upgrade. People need to upgrade themselves first.

That being said, I’m still annoyed that the Wii is only in standard def. Sony and Microsoft may be catering to less than half of their userbase with HD graphics, but at least they’re offering the best experience possible to their entire audience. [Eurogamer via Kotaku]

Xbox 360 Played On Dallas Cowboys’ 1,040 Square Metre Screen

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 21:45:00 +0000

The current largest video screen in the world, in the Dallas Cowboys stadium, measures an insane 48 x 21 metres. Metres! And what better way to show that immensity off than by playing a little Gears of War?

Apparently the gamer who masterminded this hedonistic joyride was Steve Fatone, brother of *NSYNC’s Joey and music video director for luminaries like, um, the Jonas Brothers. So maybe his taste in music is suspect, but we think we just might get along with him anyway, after this indulgence. [Engadget]

Microsoft Releasing Gears Of War Xbox 360 Bundle

Nick Broughall — Tue, 26 May 2009 01:00:46 +0000

If you’re a gamer who doesn’t yet own an Xbox 360 or a copy of Gears of War or its superb sequel, the Microsoft has come up with a pretty awesome bundle just for you.Both games, an Xbox 360 Pro console (which is the version with a 60GB HDD) for $449, which is just a $50 premium over the regular Pro console price. Kotaku says that it’s a limited edition bundle though, so if you’re keen on it (and you should be), better get in fast when it hits shelves on June 4.

[Kotaku]

Photos That Make You Want to Get Off that Couch and onto the Battlefield

Andi Wang — Thu, 21 May 2009 00:40:00 +0000

Putting Lancers and games aside, BoingBoing has put together an awesome gallery of photos and descriptions of robots, machines and weapons—real life’s gears of war. [BBG]

A Chainsaw Bayonet Strapped to an AR-15 Rifle is the Ultimate Zombie Killing Weapon

Sean Fallon — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:00:00 +0000

No doubt inspired by games like Gears of War and countless zombie killing scenarios in popular culture, a weapons enthusiast on the AR-15 forum has managed to modify his rifle with a chainsaw bayonet. There isn’t much as far as details are concerned, but the video after the break complete with maniacle hillbilly laughter is all you need.

[AR-15 via The Firearm Blog via Crunchgear]

Gears of War 2 Gets Us Excited For Alien Homicide

Jason Chen — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 21:20:00 +0000

Microsoft’s other popular Xbox 360 shooter is Gears of War 2, which hits stores tomorrow. We already got hands-on coverage of the custom-painted, custom-content Zune that accompanies this global marketing push, but here are some more shots of the exterior and some more details about what you get when you buy one.

The Zune has the full Gears of War 1 soundtrack, nine Gears of War videos (trailers and such), and 244 images such as concept art and photos of people who worked on the game. If you’re a Gears fan that’s on the fence about buying a Zune, this is a pretty viable option considering all the GoW extras you get. $US279 gets you the 120GB version (which will be outdated in two years when Gears of War 3 debuts).

[Zune]

Hands On Gears of War 2 Zune, Better Xbox 360 Integration Coming ‘Within a Year’

Matt Buchanan — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:29:00 +0000

Here’s the special edition Gears of War 2 Zune coming out next month, in the flesh. It’s total sex if you’re into dripping blood and skulls and boxy media players. (You sick bastard.) Oh, and good news for Zune Guy: Marketing director for Zune Jason Reindorp told us that a serious “step up” in Zune and Xbox 360 integration will happen “within a year.” Finally, though they’re taking their sweet time getting to where they should’ve been a long time ago.

Also on hand were the next round of Zune Originals coming out later this month, the Zodiac series, with Spanish artist Catalina Estrada designing ones around the Western signs, and Iosefatu Sua doing up the Eastern set for a total of 24—both lines are requisitely trippy.

Gears of War 2 Zune Coming on Nov 7, Preorders Start Tonight

Gizmodo US Edition — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:07:09 +0000

Killing two marketing birds with one stone, Microsoft’s bundling some of its Zunes with various Gears of War 2 (launching soon!) paraphernalia. Each 120GB Zune will sport a laser-etched “Crimson Omen” and come pre-loaded with 244 pieces of media, including the soundtrack, behind-the-scene videos and concept art. The entire package will cost you $US280 and will start shipping on November 7th. Pre-orders on Amazon.com and Walmart.com will begin at 3am EST tonight. Looks like M’soft’s stopped going after babies and chosen to focus on teenage boys instead. [Engadget]

Gears of War 2 Bundled with R/C Tank at Best Buy

Mark Wilson — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 20:30:00 +0000

Good news! Those who pre-order Gears of War 2 Limited Edition at Best Buy will score an R/C Centaur tank free. Bad news! We don’t know if the tank is a real, living R/C tank or just some sort of downloadable, in-game content. And this spy shot from a recent Best Buy pre-holiday meeting in Dallas really doesn’t confirm things either way. Still, free R/C tank! Never look a free R/C tank in the mouth, etc. [Kotaku]

Someone’s Dragon Collection Melted on this Gears of War Xbox 360

Mark Wilson — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:30:00 +0000

Sure we like the design, but we love that despite the muddy, spontaneous pewter finish of this homemade Gears of War Xbox 360, the creator very carefully negotiated all of the Xbox’s machined ventilation holes. All-in-all, it’s a pretty decent-looking mod, and those red lights are actually pretty quite when they’re not signaling a melted 360. [Llama's]