How Xbox 360 can save lives

We all know that video games are therapeutic to some of us. Shooting down airplanes during World War II or playing some virtual bowling soothes the savage beast, right? And likewise, our console systems are now at the center of our entertainment universe, offering games, television and movies to keep us occupied for hours. But can home console systems serve an even greater purpose beyond those distractions? According to an Associated Press report, home consoles can be used to detect heart defects and what happens when a black hole collides with a star. Amazing.

A computer scientist at the University of Warwick in England is using the Xbox 360 to detect heart defects and helping prevent heart attacks using some custom designed software and the Xbox 360. Revealed in the August edition of the Journal of Computational Biology and Chemistry, this system was created by scientist Simon Scarle, whose connection to the video game industry is more than tenous. The software being used to do this is based on software he developed when he worked in the Rare video game unit of Microsoft as an engineer.

Besides developing the software, Scarle modified the graphics chip in the 360 so it could deliver data tracking for electrical signals moving in the heart around damaged cardiac cells. This method allows doctors to identify arrhythmia, a disturbance in the normal rhythm of the heart which causes it to pump blood less effectively.

Besides being a clever use of the Xbox 360 hardware, Scarle’s little experimental invention has other benefits; it is a lot cheaper than the method currently used: super computers. To create a heart model presently, researchers must use supercomputers or a network of PCs to process millions of mathematical equations related to the proteins, cells and heart tissues, which is a time consuming expensive process. Scarle’s Xbox invention can deliver those results, five times faster than current methods and at a cost that is 10 times cheaper, according to the study.

But Scarle is not alone in his use of home consoles for scientific research The Xbox 360 isn’t the only video-game console that is being used for scientific research. At the University of Massachusetts campus in Dartmouth, Mass., scientists and researchers are using the Sony PlayStation 3 to simulate black-hole collisions. This allows them to simulate what might happen when a black hole swallows a star. And of course, we can’t forget Sony’s support of the Folding @ Home project, which is also helping provide massive number crunching processing power through networked PS3’s sharing the burden around the world.

Incredible stuff.

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts soundtrack this week

Sumthing Else Music Works announced that the official soundtrack for Microsoft and Rare’s Xbox 360 exclusive, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, will be in stores and available for digital distribution June 30. Obviously the original soundtrack features the original music score from the third installment of the Banjo-Kazooie series developed by Rare. That music was composed by Robin Beanland (Killer Instinct, Conker’s Bad Fur Day) and Grant Kirkhope (Banjo-Kazooie, Banjo-Tooie) and David Clynick (Perfect Dark, Perfect Dark Zero).

The soundtrack album be released on June 30th to retail outlets through Sumthing Else Music Works and will be available for digital download on Sumthing Digital www.sumthingdigital.com and iTunes.

Rare working on secret Project Natal stuff

Microsoft’s Shane Kim told Kotaku that Rare is working on a myriad of projects besides its established franchises s - specifically relating to Project Natal, Microsoft’s motion sensing technology.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that it is probably Avatar and interface related. If you were paying attention to Microsoft’s Project Natal presentation during its E3 press conference there was a bit about how you can manipulate menus and avatars using the tech. Since Rare created those avatars my sense is that some of their work efforts are going towards those features.

Peter Molyneux’s secret promotion

Peter Molyneux has been promoted to creative director of European studios at Microsoft Games Studios - or I should say he was promoted to that position … over three months ago. While he will still head up Lionhead studios, in his new role he’ll also oversee Rare and other external projects in Europe. Molyneux quietly took on the new job in Molyneux of this year, proving that he’s a cheeky little monkey.

Molyneux had hinted at a big announcement via his twitter feed yesterday afternoon and apparently this was the big surprise announcement he was referring to. It will be interesting to see what his influence will be on Rare and other studios, and whether or not this new job will diminish work on Milo and other Lionhead project. He also noted via his twitter feed that “Milo” is actually a game and not a tech demo. Milo was shown at the Project Natal presentation. Basically it is an NPC that has the ability to react to facial expression, tone, and even colors. the character also seems to recognize familiar faces, though how that works is not quite clear yet.

Banjo Kazooie to XBLA in Nov.

Rare’s classic platformer, Banjo Kazooie, will finally see the light of day on Xbox Live later this year. Microsoft announced that the game, originally released on the Nintendo 64, will be landing on Xbox Live Marketplace on November 26. The game will costs 1200 MS Points and those that have pre-ordered the new Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts game, will be able to get their hands on the Arcade version almost two weeks before anyone else.

Anyone who pre-ordered will be able to use the “Stop ‘N Swop” before those who buy the game at retail. Microsoft also said that it plans to release the follow-up, Banjo-Tooie, on XBLA in 2009.

A Pocket Full of Pinatas

THQ has released the portable Viva Pinata game, Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise for the DS to retail outlets worldwide. Based on the original Viva Pinata game from Microsoft Game Studios for Xbox 360, the game allows you to create your own garden and populate it with a variety of strange and unusual pinatas.

Along with the usual garden management and pinata caretaking duties, players can look forward to seven brand new piñata species, a new Playground Mode which allows players to create a fertile garden full of pinatas, and the ability to trade items among friends using the Nintendo DS local wireless connection. Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise will also include 12 playable levels based on episodes from the hit TV show starring Hudson Horstachio, Fergy Fudgehog and Paulie Pretztail.

Will this portable Pinata game be filled with fun? I do not know, nor do I care, but if you do then you can find out by picking up your copy at your favorite retailer…

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts Pre-Order Detailed

If you are one of those people that is hot and bothered with the prospect of playing Rare’s Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, then you will probably want to know about today’s freshly announced pre-order bonus. Players that put down money early on this upcoming Xbox 360 title, will receive a free Banjo-Kazooie Xbox LIVE Arcade redeem code at participating retailers.

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts is hitting U.S. store shelves on November 14, and pre-orders begin today. For the retail price of $39.99, those who pre-order at participating retailers will get in on all the Banjo fun right off the starting line, and as a special bonus, will also receive a free download code for the original Banjo-Kazooie, launching on Xbox LIVE Arcade later this fall.

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