Today, Xbox 360 HD-DVD player users will be prompted for an auto update.

 According to Microsoft’s Major Nelson, the update adds a plethora of audio options and 1080p support via the Xbox 360 Elite.  Also added will be a new option for users to select from the following audio output formats via TOSLINK or HDMI: Digital Stereo (2 channel PCM), Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1, and WMA Pro.  Also new on the audio front  is an added “Dynamic Range Control” toggle for digital audio output.

In addition, the update will deliver improved HD DVD networking support, improved HD-DVD title compatibility, improved performance with MPEG-4 AVC / H.264, the previously-mentioned 1080p via HDMI supported on the Xbox 360 Elite with HDCP compliant displays, and improved parental controls.

Xbox Live-less gamers will see details on how to get the update via Xbox.com later this week, Major Nelson said.

Officials from Namco Bandai have announced plans to release Dynasty Warriors: Gundam, a co-venture with Koei, to North America in late summer for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

Developed by Koei’s Omega Force development team, Gundam is a variant of the company’s Dynasty Warriors series (known as Sangoku Musou in Japan) using the Mobile Suit Gundam brand from Namco Bandai. The game, referred to as Gundam Musou in Japan, was first released on March 1, with the PS3 version enjoying standout sales of more than 171,000 units in its initial week of availability.

The game features the same sort of the tactical button mashing gameplay exemplified by existing Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors releases, as players take control of their favorite robotic Mobile Suit to wage battle within the popular Gundam universe.  Gundam includes a variety of unlockable content, as well as multiple game modes, such as Official, Original, and Versus modes.

“Dynasty Warriors: Gundam is the result of a monumental collaboration between two great companies. This partnership extends far beyond the title’s development and encompasses all disciplines including marketing, sales and promotions in order to bring this unique title to North America,” said Makoto Iwai, executive vice president and COO, Namco Bandai Games America.

Next week, as a result of the first countermeasure by the content and software industries to combat intensive efforts by hackers to break copy-protection technology, new HD-DVD movies that won’t play on some players will hit the shelves.

A few months ago, hackers first poked a hole in AACS and have since been able to decrypt HD-DVD movies and, theoretically, upload them to file-sharing networks.  The development ironically involved the use of an HD-DVD add-on drive for the Microsoft’s Xbox 360.  Ironically, Microsoft is one of the backers of the AACS system.

The new method uses the Xbox’s HD-DVD drive to read the volume ID for a disc, one piece of information needed to eventually decrypt and copy a disc, but that security gap will be closed for some time with the new discs.  Earlier this month, however, hackers scored another success in compromising AACS technology, an effort cryptography experts say foreshadows a difficult road ahead in keeping pirates at bay.

Through sophisticated software probes, hackers found the device key in InterVideoDVD, a software program now owned by Corel. On April 6, Corel issued an update for the InterVideo WinDVD playback software that refreshes and further obscures those device keys. New HD DVDs issued after April 23 will not work on players running the old software.

Electronic Arts has officially announced plans to release the next game in Criterion’s Burnout racing series with Burnout Paradise for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

As earlier confirmed by EA, this latest edition of the Burnout franchise will move from the series’ traditional lineup of pre-formatted races, and instead adopt an open-ended ’sandbox’ style game world offering players “an unprecedented level of crash deformation” where players can “do anything, anywhere, anytime.”

The announcement also says that players will “explore the city, discover events, and look for the best opportunities to crash, jump and pull signature takedowns.” Burnout Paradise follows the recently launched Burnout Dominator, released in March 2007 exclusively for the PS2 and PSP, as well as the current-gen debut of Burnout Revenge in late 2005 and Xbox 360 SKU debut in early 2006.

“We have been working towards Burnout Paradise for quite some time. Next generation consoles have opened up a raft of new gameplay opportunities and the Criterion team has leapt at the chance to innovate and raise the bar to an all-new high,” said executive producer Pete Hawley. “There are going to be some big surprises and a lot of new features but the core of the game is still pure Burnout. Instant accessibility will be reinforced by innovative on-line capabilities which will see Burnout Paradise smash racing conventions.”

Burnout Paradise will launch in winter 2007.

Bethesda’s release of Shivering Isles, the expansion set for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, has been plagued with the formID bug, which causes items to inexplicably disappear after a certain number of hours have been logged in.  Now, although a beta patch for the PC was released, users were warned about downloading and using it at their own risk.

Luckily, a final patch to fix this oversight may be released for PCs as soon as next Monday (4/30).  It’s being reported that Bethesda developer Ashley Cheng points towards an announcment on the Bethesda forums indicating that the team is, at the moment, putting the finishing touches on the patch, which could go live for PCs across the world next Monday. Bethesda, however, points out that Monday has not yet been finalized and is only a target date.

Initially, the formID bug’s overall affect on the Xbox 360 version was unknown at the time of its discovery, but it has since been confirmed that the bug does, in fact, cause Xbox 360 users to lose items.  As a result, this PC patch will also be accompanied by an update for the Xbox 360 version of the game, which will be made available through Xbox Live.

Xbox 360 owners with a hefty collection of original Xbox games will be delighted to hear that just over 30 new games have been added to Microsoft’s backwards compatibility catalogue.  To play these games on an Xbox 360, simply insert the original Xbox disc into the system, which will prompt you to download an update.

 
According to a post on Major Nelson’s blog, these new updates also contain upscaling for owners of televisions capable of running in resolutions of 720p and 1080i.  Here’s a quick list of all the new games that have been recently added and/or updated:

 
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Breakdown
Call of Duty 2: Big Red One
Call of Duty 3
Cars
Crash Bandicoot 5: Wrath of Cortex
Dai Senryaku VII: Modern Military Tactics
FIFA Soccer 2007
Full Spectrum Warrior
Guilty Gear Isuka
JSRF: Jet Set Radio Future
MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf
Mercenaries
NASCAR 2006: Total Team Control
NFL Fever 2004
Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee
Panzer Dragoon ORTA
Phantom Dust
Reservoir Dogs
Return To Castle Wolfenstein
RugbyLeague 2
Sonic Riders
Soul Calibur 2 (updated)
Star Wars Republic Commando
Street Fighter Anniversary Collection
The King of Fighters Neowave
The King of Fighters 2002 & 2003
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 07
Tony Hawk’s Underground
Ultra Bust-A-Move
Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict

Two old Halo:Combat Evolved maps have been updated for Halo 2, both of which can now be downloaded.  The maps, renamed Tombstone and Desolation, have already been uploaded and should have appeared on the servers within your region.

 
Bungie notes that the two-map pack will cost U.S. gamers $4.  Microsoft points won’t cut it this time, so players will need a valid credit card.  Users of original Xbox systems should have no problem, but users who play the game on Xbox 360s will need to add a valid credit card to their dashboard’s payment options if they haven’t already. Users who do not have a valid credit card are screwed.

 
Bungie also warns that Xbox 360 owners from PAL regions may experience problems with the emulated Xbox downloader, especially in the case of gamers who have connected their systems via VGA cable.  In such cases, it is recommended that you connect your systems to a standard TV via the yellow composite cable that came with your 360.  Once the maps have been downloaded, reconnect your Xbox 360 through your usual configuration.

 
Lastly, Bungie has also noted that, within around the first week of the maps’ availability, players will only be able to experiment with them in Custom Games.  Once that period passes, however, the new maps will be required on the following Matchmaking playlists:
Rumble Pit — Unranked — FFA
Team Slayer — Ranked — 3/4 vs. 3/4
Team Skirmish — Ranked — 3/4 vs. 3/4
Team Snipers — Ranked — 3/4 vs. 3/4
Team SWAT — Unranked — 3/4 vs. 3/4
 

Microsoft, in an effort to gain ground in the Japanese market, has announced a new Xbox 360 bundle that includes the game Trusty Bell. 

Trusty Bell was announced for release in North America as Eternal Sonata and is a fantasy re-telling of the dreams of virtuoso composer Frédéric Chopin as he sleeps in the final hours before his death.  The game features a mixed real-time/turn-based battle system.

The new console bundle will be released on June 14 and will include a Core edition Xbox 360 (memory pack or hard drive will have to be purchased separately in order to save in the game), the game, and a special soundtrack DVD also offered as a pre-order bonus for those buying the game alone.

The bundle will be the second released by Microsoft in its efforts to sell Japan’s gamers on the console, after last year’s bundled release of Mistwalker’s Blue Dragon.  Whether Trusty Bell will be able to match or exceed Blue Dragon’s performance has yet to be seen, with 8-4 Ltd’s John Ricciardi predicting as part of the report that the new RPG “will definitely make a little buzz, but nothing that’ll last beyond a couple of weeks.”