1 vs 100 coming to UK from July 10

Microsoft have finally given a date for the UK beta release of 1 vs 100 (originally via this tweet), Friday July 10 for those with Xbox Live Gold living in the UK or ROI. Check their website here for more details.

UPDATE: Just to clarify, this is more than just a tweet, Microsoft's websites (as shown by their T & C's here which state that the "Beta Season" starts on July 10 in the UK.

Halo: Reach could feature Natal compatibility

In an interview with the Seattle Times, Bungie's president Harold Ryan hinted that there was a possibility that the next major Halo release, named Halo: Reach, could allow the player to use Project Natal, Microsoft's planned motion sensor controller in place of the standard Xbox gamepad. This seems likely as it would boost sales of the Wii-esque controller by "hardcore" gamers, who may be put off by the premise of the staple casual games which support controllers such as Natal, and wouldn't it be cool to shoot the Covenant with your own hands? The request that I place on Bungie is that the standard Xbox 360 controller will be remain to be supported, as many gamers will often be too tired to have the energy to use Natal.

Via Joystiq

Recon Armour up for grabs on Bungie Day

Bungie, developers of Halo 3, have declared on their Weekly Update that the coveted Recon armour permutation will be up for grabs on Bungie Day, the 7th of July on a special Matchmaking playlist which uses community maps, apparently all you have to do is to beat a team of Bungie employees on the Bungie vs The World playlist. However, as Bungie stated, just aerbout everyone who has ever played Halo 3 online will be on that playlist, so the chances of facing a Bungie employee, recognisable by their flaming helmets, are very low.

US/CA Xbox Live Silver Members can play 1 vs 100 this weekend

Those of you without an Xbox Live Gold Account in the US or Canada can play 1 vs 100 live from today (Friday 26th June) to Sunday June 28th for free! Probably a Microsoft plan to entice more Gold subscriptions, but its free so I can't complain (actually, I live in the UK so I can) but for all of you across the pond, enjoy!

No Master Chief in Halo 3:ODST

Bungie's Brian Jarrard, while speaking to Multiplayer, confirmed that Master Chief will not even be making a camoe appearance in the forthcoming game, Halo 3:ODST. This is due to the story arc, which is placed between Halo 2 and Halo 3, forces John-117 to be across the galaxy at the time when the game is set. Shame that, but the SPARTANS should make a return in 2010 with Halo Reach.

Microsoft Release Video Showing Xbox 360's Games on Demand Feature

Joystiq got their hands on a handy video from Microsoft showcasing it's new "Games on Demand" feature for the Xbox 360, which was announced at E3 last week. This new innovation looks pretty good, and games are credited direct to a credit/debit card without the need to buy Microsoft Points. But, a lot of Xbox owners with 20GB hardrives might not be too happy about only able to download a maximum 3 games, if they have nothing on that hard drive already, which seems unlikely.

Google marks 25 Years of Tetris

If you go on Google today (I don't know why I linked that, it is the most common homepage) its logo, named by them as the "Google Doodle" has once again temporarily changed to be spelt by blocks from Tetris to commemorate the game's 25 anniversary. And a quarter of a century on, it is still one of the most popular games in the world.