It’s a bit sad when we devour in the latest and greatest of technology in one part of the world and in the other part, people manufacturing the same devices threaten to mass suicide. Foxconn is back in the news after several hundred workers producing Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console threaten to mass suicide.

The details for threatening suicide are unknown but is said that Microsoft is looking into the matter.

“Microsoft takes working conditions in the factories that manufacture its products very seriously, and we are currently investigating this issue.”

This is not the first time Foxconn has attracted attention for the wrong reasons. The company came into limelight when one of its employees committed suicide after losing an iPhone 4 prototype.

[Via TheNextWeb]

This year’s E3 is still fresh in our minds and BGR is chalking up some info that is expected at next year’s E3. According to the site, Microsoft will have a special show to unveil the next-generation Xbox. Intrinsic details are a mystery but apparently the new Xbox is under development since 2006. That’s about 5 years in development, which means we can expect something special from the Redmond giant.

The current Xbox 360 is the ninth most popular gaming console and has sold around 54.4 million units.

Kinect’s way of making ‘user as the controller’ has worked for Microsoft. The Redmond giant has confirmed that its revolution gaming sensor has sold more than 10m units worldwide also driving Kinect-standalone games to more than 10m.

Another interesting thing about this milestone is that it has bagged the award for becoming fastest selling consumer electronics device by Guinness World Records. Microsoft managed to sell an average of 133,333 units per day, for a total of 8 million units in its first 60 days, which is more an iPhone or iPad for the equivalent period.

Gaz Deaves, Editor of Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer’s Edition, said: “The sales figures here speak for themselves. We can confirm that no other consumer electronics device sold faster within a 60-day time span, an incredible achievement considering the strength of the sector.”

[Via Xbox]

Duke Nukem Forever that was under development for over a decade has finally got a release date. Its new publisher and developers – 2K Games and Gearbox Software have set May 3 as the release date for the game in US and May 6 internationally.

Needless to say it has been a long wait but hopefully will be a fruitful one for Duke Nukem fans.

Users looking to get their hands on a demo will have to enroll in Duke Nukem Forever First Access Club that can be done by buying Borderlands Game of the Year edition.

Press Release

Razer known for its premium PC gaming accessories has announced its first product for console – the Onza controller for Xbox 360 users. The Onza takes Xbox 360 gaming to a new level with customizable analog sticks and extra precision, which is missing from the standard Xbox 360 controller.

The Onza will come in two variants – a Tournament and Standard Edition. Both the variants come with an improved D-Pad, programmable multi-function buttons (MFB), PC compatibility, 15-foot braided cable and quick release USB connector. The only difference between both the SKUs is the adjustable resistance analog sticks found in the tournament edition.

Razer will start taking pre-orders from Jan 17 for $49.99 (Tournament) and $39.99 (Standard).

Product Page

Here’s a fact that recently released Kinect is doing better than Sony’s PlayStation Move. Microsoft has announced that Kinect for Xbox 360 has sold more than 1 million units worldwide in just 10 days. With the holiday season arriving soon, Microsoft has also upped its sales forecast for this year from 3 million to at least 5 million units.

Kinect went on sale in North America and Europe whereas Asian countries will get it tomorrow and Japan on November 20.

Kinect for Xbox 360 can be bought as a standalone unit or bundled with the console.

Press Release

The Xbox 360 dashboard update that was made available to previewers couple of months back is now available to all. Users signing into the LIVE service will be prompted to update. The update brings lots of new features like Kinect support, live and on-demand streaming of sporting events from ESPN3.com, Zune music support, improved Netflix UI, improved voice quality, easy gamertag creation, in-dash virtual keyboard, improved Marketplace UI and more.

[Via MajorNelson]

Microsoft today made available its new Xbox LIVE update to members who had signed up for the preview. The new update makes the Xbox 360 more entertainment-friendly and interactive. The update now adds more than 3,500 live and on-demand sporting events via ESPN3.com and about 11 million tracks from Zune, allowing members to stream songs on the Xbox and even on PC and Windows Phone 7 device.

Additionally, the new update will be compatible with Kinect, which means users will be able to navigate all these features with their voice or wave of their hands.

Press Release

[Via Winsupersite]

Microsoft, unlike Sony is not really keen on adopting Blu-ray for its gaming console. Now in an interview with a gaming site, Xbox UK’s head, Stephen McGill claims Blu-ray will be dead sooner or later.

“Actually Blu-ray is going to be passed by as a format,” said McGill.

McGill further says that consumers have shifted from DVDs to digital downloads and streaming, which Xbox currently offers these services via Zune.

[Via Thinq]

Microsoft has finally unveiled its slimmer and sexier Xbox 360 for Indian gamers. The Xbox 360 sports an all new angular design with black gloss finish, a higher capacity hard drive, built-in Wi-Fi and consumes less power.

With an estimated price of Rs. 21,990, the new Xbox 360 Slim will feature a 250GB HDD, Wi-Fi 802.11n and is Kinect-ready with a dedicated Kinect port.

Microsoft Store