Microsoft’s anticipated update of 
the Xbox 360 dashboard has gone live, bringing new features to sports and music fans.
The system update, which is mandatory for all users who wish to connect to Xbox Live, brings over 3,500 live and on-demand sporting events per year to the system, courtesy of ESPN3. That partnership will also include scoreboards, voice chat and the ability to “predict the winner” of games via polls.
Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog
Two years ago, Nintendo could do no 
wrong. The Wii was at the height of its retail domination and competitors were scrambling for second place.
Today it’s a much different story and the looming holiday season could be a crucial one that determines the strength – and perhaps the future – of the company’s core console business.
If you want to know how much money 
your favorite movie earned at the box office, it’s pretty easy to find out — just look at USA Today or head online. Curious about how well a music CD sold? Billboard or Nielsen’s SoundScan service will let you know.
If you want to know how your favorite video game has sold, though, you’re essentially out of luck.
Up until now, PlayStation 3 owners who 
wanted to stream a film through Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” feature had to manually insert a disc into their devices. As of Oct. 18, they won’t have to bother anymore.
Next week, a system update will make instant Netflix streaming a native application on the game console – putting it in parity with the Xbox 360, which had exclusivity on dashboard streaming until now.
The NPD Group, which is the chief reporting 
agency for video game sales, is making some changes in the way it releases data – changes that will obscure insight into how the industry at large is faring.
Starting this week with the September sales numbers, the organization says it will no longer release any hardware sales information and will cease offering specific sales data for the industry’s top selling titles.
Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog
[Following Microsoft’s new details on Windows Phone 7, Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris talks to the company and analysts to examine how Xbox Live 
may help the smartphone OS thrive.]
Microsoft’s gamble with Windows Phone 7 is anything but a sure bet – but the inclusion of Xbox Live as a prominent part of the operating system could be the ace up the company’s sleeve.
Mobile gaming has been evolving rapidly over the past three years – and tying it to a service that has been so phenomenally successful for Microsoft could position the company to regain market share.
While Microsoft’s previous efforts in mobile 
technology haven’t generated a lot of support or enthusiasm, the company is incorporating a variety of entertainment elements into its upcoming phones — which could be key to winning marketshare.
A trio of handsets featuring Windows Phone 7 — which many analysts feel is the company’s last chance to make a real impact in the mobile space — will hit AT&T stores on Nov. 8. Other carriers will follow shortly thereafter. (Some European customers will get the phones on Oct. 21.)
For the past four years, Nintendo has the market to itself 
when it comes to motion control gaming. That’s finally coming to an end – and it has some people wondering about how the company will fare moving forward.
In mid-September, Sony launched PlayStation Move, a motion sensor that mimics – and, in some ways, improves upon – the Wii remote. Come November, Microsoft will join the fight with Kinect, a camera-based system that eliminates the need for controllers altogether.
While Nintendo kicked off the motion control revolution 
four years ago and quickly dominated the field, Microsoft and Sony are betting there’s a lot of life — and money — left in the category.
Last Sunday, Sony’s new PlayStation Move controller went on sale and in November Microsoft will launch Kinect, it’s motion-tracking camera that essentially transforms players’ bodies into the controller. Both products are gambles — and, to some degree, risks — for the companies, who are hoping to keep the current generation of video game systems relevant for several years.
[What’s the right balance between quality and release spacing for theHalo franchise, pre- and post-Bungie? Gamasutra editor-at-large Chris Morris 
examines how other franchises have been affected by more regular iteration.]
Within four days of its release, fans spend the equivalent of over 2,300 man-years playing Halo: Reach. While Bungie’s sendoff to its most famous franchise is certainly a resounding success, though, the long-term fate of Halo is starting to become more questionable.
On Wednesday, Microsoft corporate VP Phil Spencer told IGN that the company is looking to increase the frequency of Halo releases.
Chris Morris: Journalist 