Tag: live

Bing gets more visitors than Twitter

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Figures released show that Microsoft’s ‘knowledge engine’, Bing, got more unique visitors than Twitter, Digg and CNN in June. It also scored more visitors than Embroidery Online, Taxidermy.net and Non-League Daily but I suppose that’s not as significant.

The site was visited by nearly 50 million users – 49,571,922 to be precise. Twitter got 22,997,148 visitors in the same period, CNN got 28,645,202 and Digg got 38,961,981.

Microsoft reportedly spent £61million on the launch of Bing. So it’s money well spent then? Well, maybe, but Bing isn’t really designed to rival Twitter, Digg or CNN is it? It’s meant to rival Google. Google got 145,948,025 unique users in June, so it’s still got a way to go then.

It’s even still trailing Microsoft’s other search engine, Live, which got 79,405,701 visitors. This was a 21% drop from May though, indicating that users are ditching Live in favour of Bing.

Are you guys using Bing? If so, what do you think? I’ve only really had a quick look – I quite liked the video searching with playback available via the thumbnails. Although I’m told you could do this with Live anyway.

I’m just not getting the whole Bing name either. The Bing will always be Silv’s club in The Sopranos to me. Fuget about it.

(via Revolut!on & Compete)

Paul Lamkin Internet

1 vs 100 on Xbox LIVE begins on Friday

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Microsoft has announced that the “largest interactive gameshow in the world” – 1 vs 100 – is to launch in beta this Friday.

Xbox 360 LIVE Gold subscribers, who are aged 18 or over, will have the chance to compete against thousands of other players to win real prizes including a Fiat 500 and Samsung Q210 notebook during the two-hour show.

The game, which is based on the Endemol gameshow which airs in the UK before the National Lottery draw will have a regular schedule for gamers to tune in for. Adam Valkin, Endemol’s global head of media and new business said: “Endemol is very excited to be working with Xbox LIVE to bring the global hit TV game show 1 vs 100 to a new audience. We’re also delighted that Microsoft has chosen a flagship Endemol format to launch its groundbreaking new platform, which takes interactivity and social gaming to a new level.”

Let us know how you get on if you play 1 vs 100 this Friday.

(via CasualGaming & Microsoft)

Paul Lamkin Gaming

Microsoft announces improvements to Xbox Live

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Microsoft today announced plans to extend the services offered on Xbox live, pushing the console even further from being a pure games machine to include movies too. There’s also plenty of content for existing games, and a gameshow.

Starting with the movies, Microsoft has done a deal with NBC Universal, which means that a limited selection of films will be offered for people to buy using Microsoft points, in both standard and high definition. Average price is £3 – £5, depending on which format you want, and how new the film is.

Then there’s a selection of bonus content for a variety of games. More content for Gears of War 2, Grand Theft Auto IV, Fallout 3, Tomb Raider, Fable 2, Lips, Rock Band, Guitar Hero World Tour and Scene It will be available, all of which will be exclusive to the Xbox 360 platform.

Lastly, there’s going to be some sort of weird quiz show thing called 1 vs 100. Over to Microsoft to explain it: “a completely exclusive, completely interactive television quiz show game giving gamers the chance to compete against each other and win real prizes”. Is anyone even remotely excited about that?

Overall, it’s a decent upgrade to the system and a ‘thankyou’ to owners, but I don’t think it’s going to be selling any new consoles over this. Especially when the company is banning people who identify themselves as a lesbian.

Duncan Geere Gaming

Quake Live is now open to all

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Ever play much Quake 3? Lots of people did, and now you can enjoy that same twitchy deathmatch experience in your browser. Quake Live is now open for business to everyone, after an extensive closed beta. Oh, and did I mention it’s totally free?

Just point your browser to the Quake Live website, sit in a queue for a bit, install the plugin, restart your browser, sit in the queue for a bit longer, and then you’re in. The game ranks you by completing a 10-minute training match, and then you’re ready to go.

Technically, it’s less impressive than it seems. It basically just uses your browser as an interface for a program that runs on your PC. That said, though, the ranking and matchmaking system is sophisticated, pitting me mostly against people that weren’t a million miles better than me.

Developers ID Software make money from it from ads on the walls of the arenas, as well as advertising on the socreboards at the end of the matches, and in the border of the browser window.

You’ll find that the site’s rather busy right now, as it’s only just become available, but if you perservere, then the actual ingame experience is pretty good, even on an aging PC with a rubbish internet connection.

What’s your experience been of Quake Live, so far? Let us know in the comments.

Quake Live

Duncan Geere Gaming