However, this isn’t the first time this issue has been raised. Motorola’s first claim was filed in November of 2010. The company claimed that Xbox consoles used Motorola-made technology that allows set-top boxes to work with both the Motorola Droid2 and DroidX. Microsoft’s rebuttal was that if the ban were enacted upon one third of the console gaming market would disappear in the United States.

Motorola, to no surprise, also was in disagreement over the potential reparations over this issue. The phone maker demanded that the bond would be worth 100 percent of unsold Xbox inventory. Microsoft said this was ridiculous as Motorola was unable to prove that people bought Xboxes over Droid devices due to the technology that Motorola had developed.

Judge Shaw’s recommendation could turn the tide in the ITC’s decision on the subject and should they put it up for serious consideration it will be up to the President to decide the ultimate fate of the Xbox 360.

Microsoft seems to be in quite the giving mood lately. Yesterday we reported that the company was once again starting up their initiative to give free Xbox 360′s to college students who buy a new computer. The deal today isn’t quite as good, but it could shave off almost half the price of a new game.

Halo 4 is making its way to stores this fall, and Microsoft wants you to buy it directly from them. They aren’t offering up gimmicky DLC or silly costumes. Rather, they’re going to give you some cold hard….store credit. If you pre-order the game from the Microsoft Store, you’ll get a code for $25 off of your next purchase.

The offer is good until November 5th, though the earlier you do it, the better. Sometimes these deals disappear if you don’t jump on them. The code will be emailed to you within 10 days after the game is released, and you’ll have until December 31st to redeem it. Sounds like a good way to get a cheap Christmas present for someone, if you ask me.

When the Xbox Live version of Minecraft was released, it quickly became the fastest selling game on the XBLA service. However, there was a small group of people that weren’t too happy with the game. It turns out that if you wanted to play the split-screen multiplayer, you needed to have an HD-TV, and nothing in the games description ever made mention of that fact.

Well, after hearing the numerous complaints, and perhaps even threats of some sort of class-action lawsuit (that may or may not have had a chance of succeeding), Microsoft is now offering refunds for people who bought the game and only own SD-TV’s. All you have to do is contact customer support and tell them that you bought the game and you don’t have an HD-TV, and you should be able to get your money back. That doesn’t seem too hard.

Of course, Microsoft has closed the little loophole to prevent you from getting a free copy of the game. They’ve updated the XBLA listing for Minecraft to say “To experience split-screen functionality a high-definition television is required.” Now, with all that being said, I have to wonder, how many Xbox 360 players still play on SD-TV’s?

Remember last year when Microsoft started offering free Xbox 360′s to students who purchased a new computer? Well it looks like the promotion was a success, because the company has decided to bring back the deal this year.

The promotion is already in full swing, and allows anyone in the US purchasing a computer (desktop or laptop) valued at $699 or more to get a free 4GB Xbox 360. Our friends to the north can also get the same deal, but they need only spend $599 to earn their free console. You’ll need to buy your PC at a participating retailer, such as Best Buy, Dell, Fry’s Electronics, HPDirect, Microsoft Stores, and NewEgg.

Microsoft hasn’t specified a cutoff date for the deal, but last year it ended on September 3rd. Regardless of the cutoff date, you’ll want to get in on this sooner, rather than later. The company always reserves the right to end the promotion when supplies are exhausted.

For those people who can’t wait to step back into the Spartan IV armor, and wreck havoc on the Covenant, I have some good news for you! Microsoft announced in a press release the details of the Halo 4 Limited Edition, and I gotta admit, the stuff they have in there looks pretty cool. It doesn’t come cheap, either, as it’s going to cost you $99.99. Not a bad price, though, if you consider the fact that it’s only $30 more than the regular edition and you’re getting quite a bit out of it!

So, what’s in it? First off, you’ll receive a voucher for the “War Games Map Pack”, which gives you free access to three future competitive map packs containing 3 maps each. For those of you who can’t do math, that’s 9 maps that you’ll have access to without having to pay any DLC prices. Also included multiplayer-wise is early access to six Specializations, which allow you to achieve higher ranks in the multiplayer. With each Specialization you unlock new customization options that the regular players won’t have access to until later on down the line as they’re released over time. You’ll also gain access to unique skins for your Spartan IV armor and Assault Rifle, an exclusive in-game emblem, as well as Xbox LIVE Avatar props.

If you’re looking at how the game was made, you’ll be pleased to note that behind the scenes content will be included in the Limited Edition. However, the coolest things I think I’ve seen in here are the UNSC Infinity Briefing Packet and the Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn video series. The Briefing Packet contains an armor customization schematic, a blueprint of the ship itself, and “insight into what it means to be one of humanity’s finest warriors: the Spartan-IVs.” The Forward Unto Dawn Special Edition is an extended 90 minute version of the live-action digital series. It’s supposed to provide a backstory for the Halo 4, so it’s probably something you’ll want to check out! So, overall, there’s a pretty cool list of stuff included in this version. It’s available for pre-order right now, so if you want it, you better go out and get it quick!

Microsoft has found a way to get gamers to work together in harmony, and it’s all for the cause of Halo 4. You see, the company sent out emails to members of the community, each one carrying a piece of an image. There was also a note in the email that read, “Your piece of the Halo 4 puzzle.” What could this mean?

Over at NeoGAF the team worked hard to compile as many pieces of this puzzle as they could, which they did successfully. What did these pieces reveal? Only the box art for Halo 4, which is due later this year. We’ve seen a bit of Master Chief in his appearance in the Halo 4 announcement trailer back at E3 last year, and the new box art shows us a bit more of the hero.

343 Industries has already announced the release date for Halo 4, which is November 6th of this year. I imagine we’ll be seeing much more about the game, including some gameplay footage at E3, and that’s right around the corner. This means that even more news and footage from the game could be coming soon, so keep watch.

People figured that Minecraft would make a big splash on the Xbox 360, but I don’t think anybody was expecting this! The hit indie game, developed by Notch and his team Mojang, was released on May 9th, and in just five days managed to sell over 1 million copies. The PC version of the game, which has been out officially since November, but also had been available for Beta access earlier, has sold 5 million copies of the game. It’s almost hard to imagine a game selling that many copies so quickly!

Minecraft also broke the first day record as it took the “Fastest Selling Xbox Live Arcade Game Ever” title from Trials Evolution, which sold 100,000 copies on its first day. Though it’s impossible at this particular point to know how many copies were sold in the first 24 hours, Notch did estimate using the leaderboard stats that the game sold at least 400,000 copies. In other words, Minecraft seems to have outsold the previous record holder in the first day by a 4:1 ratio.

Microsoft announced as well that the people playing the game are putting in some serious time into it, as at least 5.2 million total hours have been played, with 2.4 million of those hours going into the multiplayer. Also, 4 million total multiplayer sessions have been played. Not bad for a game that wasn’t developed by a huge company. Not bad at all.

It’s amazing to see how far gaming consoles have come. My first was an NES, which did nothing more than play video games. Later, my PS2 was able to play DVDs, and these days all of my current consoles are Netflix players. What’s interesting is that despite having created their own browser many years ago, Microsoft still hasn’t put Internet Explorer on the Xbox 360. Well it looks like that’s finally going to change.

The company is currently working on modifying a version of IE 9 that will work on the 360. It should act as a full browser, and not be limited to playing media, as the current Bing Search is. What’s more, they plan on integrating Kinect functions into to browser. That way if you enjoy waving your hands around and shouting, you’ll be able to put those to good use.

The big question in my mind is why this took so long. I mean, even the Wii has had a browser for a while now. What gives, Microsoft? While we do know they are working on this, there is no current date for when we should see this arriving on our own consoles.

Quite a bit of gamers out there are upset over some misleading information put out by Microsoft on the new Minecraft Xbox 360 version’s multiplayer mode. Most of them can’t use this feature though it’s the biggest implement into the game.

In order to utilize the multiplayer, you need to have a high-definition television. Microsoft commented on this by saying that “in game prompts alert players of the HD requirements for split-screen multiplayer.” That’s all good and well, Microsoft, but that’s not the exact case. You can see the actual in-game prompt in the photo posted above.

This has become an issue for many different players, and they’ve been up in arms with Microsoft. The company is refusing to dole out any refunds to players who purchased the game from Xbox Live’s Marketplace under this misconception. Though there have been customers posting on forums about how they’ve received full refunds for the game, a customer service representative for Microsoft’s Xbox support stated that a refund would depend on a number of different factors such as which representative was handling the case, and that in most cases players will only get a portion of Microsoft Points back, if any at all.

This is disturbing and upsetting news, especially coming from Microsoft. It looks like they aren’t trying to remedy the situation, and on top of that they’re shooting out misleading information both on their Xbox site and in reasoning as well. Hopefully something can be done about the issue, whether it’s an in-game fix or a full refund for valid customers.

According to an article posted by the team over at the Verge, Microsoft is planning to release a new Xbox 360 system bundle, and it will introduce something new within the bundle: a monthly subscription. This bundle will be a 4GB system coupled with a Kinect sensor, and it will be distributed via the Microsoft Stores across the United States for $99. The monthly subscription fee will be $15, locked in at a 2-year commitment.

The subscription service will provide subscribers with access to the Xbox Live Gold service and, depending on your cable company, some cable content and sports packages. Anyone who signs up under the new subscription will also have coverage under a 2-year warranty that will protect the system and its components.

Anyone who feels like they can’t commit until the end of the contract will suffer an early termination fee. Microsoft plans to market this bundle as a competitor to the PS3, Apple TV, and Roku services that offer customers almost the same entertainment. When you put this into perspective, it comes out to be around $459 over two years, versus picking up a new system, plus the cheapest Xbox Live membership and shelling out $420 at once for the same two-year time period. It looks like Microsoft is working hard to ensure every household has an Xbox system, though it raises a question. When does the system stop being a focused gaming console, and more of just an entertainment hub? Will hardcore gamers pass over the system in the future as it ushers in the more casual side of gaming?