Windows 7 Release Candidate Now Available

Microsoft has a lot riding on the upcoming release of its new operating system, Windows 7, and it’s doing everything possible to insure that the software gets a favorable reception — including effectively giving it away for free for the first year.

Starting Thursday, MSDN and TechNet subscribers can download the official release candidate for testing. The general public will be able to get downloads beginning May 5. The RC version of Windows 7 will not expire until June 1, 2010.

There were some initial reports that demand for the RC software was so heavy that Microsoft’s servers failed under the load, and visitors were greeted with the message “We’re sorry! The page you were expecting to see has been removed or is unavailable.” By early afternoon, however, the servers were back up and running.

Almost Perfect?

The release candidate is considered by Microsoft to be a “near-finished” product, with only minor changes likely before to the official Windows 7 release late this year or early next year. According to company representatives, the milestone means the software is ready “for partners to develop new applications, device drivers, and services, and ready for IT pros to evaluate Windows 7 and examine how it will operate in their environment.”

“Listening to our partners and customers has been fundamental to the development of Windows 7,” said Bill Veghte, senior vice president for the Windows business at Microsoft. “We heard them and worked hard to deliver the highest-quality release candidate in the history of Windows.”

Microsoft says more than 10,000 companies have signed up for access to development tools designed to help existing software and hardware work with Windows 7.

Home Run Needed

It’s a little difficult to reconcile Microsoft’s earnings last quarter of $13.65 billion with its palpable sense of urgency over the success of Windows 7. But there is no…

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Microsoft expects PS3 price drop ‘in the next couple of months’

Now that the PS3 costs less to make, shouldn’t Sony be passing on its savings to you? That’s what Xbox 360 product manager, Aaron Greenberg, expects will happen via a price cut before summer.

Speaking to Edge Online, Greenberg said that, “We [Microsoft] absolutely expect the PS3 price drop to happen in the next couple of months,” adding, “We’re frankly surprised it’s taken this long.”

Sony isn’t surprised; it’s poised to turn a profit on the system for the first time … in the next couple of months. SCEI president Kaz Hirai very much wants this to happen — no doubt even more so given the fine mess Sony currently sees itself in — but the pleasing of stockholders just might have to take back seat to making sure PS3 stands a fighting chance with consumers.

Source: Joystiq

Microsoft Reveals Top Xbox 360 Games of 2008

As the trend of looking back at 2008 continues, Microsoft has provided lists of the year’s 20 most popular Xbox 360, Xbox Live Arcade, and original Xbox games.

As noted by Xbox Live programming director Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb, the original Xbox and 360 lists were calculated by the amount of online Xbox Live users playing each game, while the Xbox Live Arcade list was based off sales of the 360 downloads.

1. 1. Halo 3
   2. Call of Duty 4
   3. GTA IV
   4. Gears of War 2
   5. Gears of War
   6. CoD: World at War
   7. Guitar Hero III
   8. Battlefield: Bad Company Demo
   9. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Demo
   10. Rock Band
   11. Fable II
   12. Mirror’s Edge Demo
   13. Madden NFL 09
   14. BF: Bad Company
   15. Rainbow Six Vegas 2
   16. UNO
   17. Castle Crashers
   18. COD: World at War Multiplayer Beta
   19. Forza Motorsport 2
   20. Too Human – Demo

Xbox 360 Top Live Titles

To see the rest of the lists, visit ShackNews.com

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