Microsoft has announced today that they will be releasing a special edition updated Xbox 360 controller, with a “transforming D-Pad.”
The updated D-pad design will transform for different uses. Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb explains and shows off the controller in the video below.
When gamers twist the D-pad, it pops up, revealing a raised plus sign.
Says Microsoft: “Select the traditional plus for distinct cardinal direction movement in games like “Halo: Reach” to change weapons and perform complicated combinations and deadly finishing moves in “Street Fighter” games, or rotate the D-pad to the disc format for sweeping motions in games such as “Pro Evolution Soccer 2011.” Choose your favorite controller set-up and experience unrivaled precision for all Xbox 360 games.”
The control comes bundled with a Play and Charge Kit and will sell for $65 when it hits on November 9th.
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Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft, has begun a campaign of patent infringement lawsuits against companies ranging from YouTube and Facebook to eBay and Office Depot.
Allen’s patents were originally granted to his company, Interval Media, which shut down in 2006. The company w
“We recognize that innovation has a value, and patents are the way to protect that,” said a spokesman for Allen. When asked about the notable absence of Microsoft and Amazon from the suit,
the spokesman wrote in an email, “This is the most recent step in a long process, but it is not necessarily the end of the process.”
But do the patents themselves actually have any value? If so, why wasn’t Allen’s company able to make money on them to begin with?
The patents include 6,757,682, “Alerting Users To Items of Current Interest,” which covers suggesting items from an online store based on the content of the current page. AOL, Apple, eBay, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Office Depot, Office Max, Staples, Yahoo & YouTube are all accused of infringing on this patent.
The first question which comes to mind is how this wouldn’t be considered obvious for anyone in the online selling industry? Just because something hasn’t been worked out in code already doesn’t mean other developers haven’t thought of it.
More likely, what it means is either it’s a solution for an as of yet non-existent (or at least minor) problem or it’s simply not something they’ve decided to implement (or prioritize).
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Google has said this weekend that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a second request for information in regards to the search giant’s bid to purchase ITA Software for $700 million.
ITA software is the company behind flight information software used by Bing, Kayak and Orbitz among others.
The software helps users search for flights, compare flight options and prices, and ultimately purchase tickets.
Google has no such software built-in to its search engine, and in that respect, Microsoft’s Bing has the advantage.
Kayak and Orbitz voiced concerns that after the purchase, Google could shut off ITA information to them. Google has said it will not do anything of the sort.
Google responded to the second request: “While we think this acquisition will benefit travelers as well as those seeking their business, we know that closer scrutiny has been one consequence of Google’s success, and we said that we wouldn’t be surprised if there were a regulatory review before the deal closes. This week we received what’s called a “second request,” which means that the U.S. Department of Justice is asking for more information so that they can continue to review the deal.”
Past “second requests” have historically meant that the DOJ is concerned about the impact the deal will have on an industry.
