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New Zune HD Games Available Today

Nov. 11, 2009 Paul Thurrott | Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows

From Microsoft:

Over the weekend we pushed out a Zune HD firmware update, version 4.3, which enabled 3-D gaming on Zune HD. Today six new games are available in the Zune Marketplace. The new games take advantage of Zune HD’s beautiful multi-touch OLED screen and accelerometer and some (Project Gotham Racing: Ferrari Edition, Audiosurf Tilt and Vans Sk8: Pool Service) utilize the powerful NVIDIA Tegra processor to deliver immersive, 3D gaming to Zune HD. As with the other games offered for Zune, these games are available for free to Zune HD users and feature a short ad at start-up.

In addition to existing games on Zune HD the new games include:

Audiosurf Tilt: Audiosurf creates a rollercoaster ride from any song. Choose any song from your music collection and watch Audiosurf turn it into a unique roller coaster track for you to ride. The song you choose determines the shape, the speed, and the mood of each track. Tilt your Zune like a steering wheel to collect colored blocks and avoid speedbumps. Unlock more than 30 designs, each with its own special theme and color palette.

Checkers: Enjoy the classic game of Checkers in a beautiful outdoor park setting.  Play against the computer or against a friend.

Lucky Lanes Bowling: Bowl in different game modes: exhibition, blackjack, golf. Play in five different bowling alleys with unique themes, all with the swipe of a finger. Choose from twenty different bowlers and twenty two different ball styles. You can play against the computer or play with up to four friends.

Piano: Play your own tune, or play along with your favorite music on this electronic piano.

Project Gotham Racing: Ferrari Edition: Tear through the streets of London, Tokyo, and New York in the Ferrari of your choice using multi touch controls and the built in accelerometer.

Vans Sk8: Pool Service: From the Admiral to the old abandoned rec center pool, Bucky Lasek and Omar Hassan know a good bowl to skate.  Hit the pools and put these Vans skaters to the test with all the tricks in their bag and achieve hero status once you unlock their pro model skateboards.

We're excited to be bringing these games to Zune users today. And, as we’ve said in the past, we will be delivering additional applications for Zune HD including Facebook and Twitter in the future.

Discuss this Article 38

evgenij
on Nov 11, 2009
This is nice and all but are the games actually good? I played many games on an iPhone and got bored very quickly. The only game that ever impressed me on an iPhone was Spore. Hopefully that game will be on a Zune some day as well. Thanks for the news, Paul.
anonymous
on Nov 11, 2009
This post was mentioned on Twitter by vmry2: Microsoft releases 6 new games for Zune HD http://is.gd/4SAYi
Trombonez
on Nov 11, 2009
I've played PGR on the Zune HD; quite nice! graphics are smooth and the tilt-to-steer works great. Audiosurf is somewhat strage, but it worked. The piano is useless, since you can't see more than an octave per screen. However, multitouch works! I was able to play music while playing these games. Have not tried checkers and that bowling game.
Ocean
on Nov 11, 2009
Any sales numbers on the Zune?
EricoF3
on Nov 11, 2009
Ho! Apple have some seeds in their OS... Noooooo! I thought OSX has noe security issus??!!!
mikegalos@msn.com
on Nov 11, 2009
EricoF3 I'm assuming you mean the mobile release of OS X that applies to iPod Touch and iPhone since this is a Zune topic. Since: The iPhone runs everything either under the "root" account or the "mobile" account which has full root permissions The passwords for both accounts that ship with iPhone are * all lower case * only six letters long * words that are in a normal dictionary file * were cracked 3 days after the iPhone shipped * still haven't been changed Nobody who is both sane and even partly aware of computer security says that OS X has no security issues.
Waethorn
on Nov 11, 2009
Neeto! However: a) The Zune HD is still only available in the US. b) Neither the Zune HD, nor the iPhone has shown any kind of gaming prowess that comes close to the PSP. Sorry, but nothing compares to having hardware buttons - which includes placement designed for gaming. If Microsoft wanted to design a real gaming handheld, they should have a real button layout on a Tegra-based device and tailor it towards games, not just an all-purpose PMP with games as an afterthought.
rr0de74@live.com
on Nov 11, 2009
@erica and Mike...What is he talking about? Hard to understand him/her. I guessing he is talking about this....?????? http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/11/09/first_known_iphone_worm_ri... Well stupid is as stupid does, jailbreak your phone and not be aware that the default password needs to be changed. On Topic, will these games force you to watch a add before they launch like was rumored? If so that would be a total killjoy. I agree MW2 on the PS3 is all the gaming you need right now!!!!
mikegalos@msn.com
on Nov 11, 2009
rr0de The stupid ones aren't those who "jailbreak" their phones and don't know that they need to change the undocumented root passwords. The stupid ones are a company that uses root level for all processes, uses VERY, VERY weak passwords for those two root level accounts and doesn't even bother to change the passwords for years after they were cracked and spread to the hacking world despite multiple revisions to the system software. Now THAT is stupid. btw, you're wrong about only people with "jailbroken" iPhones being vulnterable. The only relevent thing that jailbreaking adds is a few extra tools to make logging in easier. The horrible password issue is there for ALL iPhone users who haven't changed their password.
EricoF3
on Nov 11, 2009
No no no!! I talk about That: http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=1910&tag=trunk;content
fzanes
on Nov 11, 2009
@gfryesc1 If everything on here is "uninteresting" to you, why do you keep coming back here...it makes you looks like an idiot.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Nov 11, 2009
EricoF3 Actually, I think Apple is correct in issuing their "mega-patch" to fix 34 Mac OS X security bugs. Fixing security holes is something every software vendor should be doing. The real issue is that they waited until they had that large a set of fixes since that left those holes open for a while longer than needed. Of course, some of them are also pretty embarassing on their own (like storing PPP passwords in clear text in a locally unsecured file) but at least, unlike the iPhone password fiasco, they fixed it.
daveinla
on Nov 11, 2009
Mike, why do you bother answering Erico's grammar mistakes and wrong facts laden posts ?? Not even worth it...
daveinla
on Nov 11, 2009
Mike: How do you gain access to a not jailbroken iPhone when you know the root account/pass ?? Sorry just a noob question !!
mikegalos@msn.com
on Nov 11, 2009
daveinla "Mike, why do you bother answering Erico's grammar mistakes and wrong facts laden posts ?? " Because even with his errors in grammar (that are certainly less of a problem than my errors would be if I tried posting in Quebecois French), his postings are still more valuable and useful than yours.
WebGuy3000
on Nov 11, 2009
daveinla said: Mike: How do you gain access to a not jailbroken iPhone when you know the root account/pass ?? Sorry just a noob question !! You don't. There are no such issues, as far as I've been able to determine, unless you have a jailbroken iPhone running SSH with the default root password.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Nov 11, 2009
daveinla "How do you gain access to a not jailbroken iPhone when you know the root account/pass ?? " Through holes in running daemons, buffer overflow hacks, man in the middle attacks, malware on a Mac/PC connected to the iPhone, etc. Remember that you are talking about a device running an always on Internet connection on top of a complex OS. Any internet facing protocol running on the platform is accessable to anyone on the internet. And on top of that, every single device is also known to have an interface to a Mac or PC so software running on them can get into the iPhone through that connection as well. Now, add to that NO anti-malware software and you could be pwned for years without knowing it. There are a couple of standard rules in the computer security world and the second one applies here: If the attacker has physical access to your computer, it really doesn't matter what else you do, you're pwned. If the attacker has root access to your computer, it really doesn't matter what else you do, you're pwned.
mikegalos@msn.com
on Nov 11, 2009
WebGuy "You don't. There are no such issues, as far as I've been able to determine, unless you have a jailbroken iPhone running SSH with the default root password." You really are saying there are no security issues on an Internet and LAN connected Unixoid system with all users running as root with effectively no password because they removed SSH? Really?
WebGuy3000
on Nov 11, 2009
"You really are saying there are no security issues on an Internet and LAN connected Unixoid system with all users running as root with effectively no password because they removed SSH? Really?" No. I'm saying that those are the requisite conditions for the current exploit everyone's talking about.
EricoF3
on Nov 11, 2009
@mikegalos@msn.com: I know all vendors should give security patch to user. This is not my point! I refere to Apple *fans* that always tells Microsoft to have a lot of security issues and that insinuate that Apple have no security issues because of the perfection of OSX and ... the perfection of Steve *asshole* Jobs... Not that *ass hole* qualification associated to Steve Jobs is not from me, but from Robert Sutton, the author of the book called : THE NO ASSHOLE RULE. Which explain why he is an *Asshole* Also, Mike, Thanks to defend me against the idiots... You are right, French is much more difficult than English so...
EricoF3
on Nov 11, 2009
@mikegalos@msn.com: I know all vendors should give security patch to user. This is not my point! I refere to Apple *fans* that always tells Microsoft to have a lot of security issues and that insinuate that Apple have no security issues because of the perfection of OSX and ... the perfection of Steve *ass*hole* Jobs... Not that *ass hole* qualification associated to Steve Jobs is not from me, but from Robert Sutton, the author of the book called : THE NO *ASS*HOLE* RULE. Which explain why he is an *Ass*Hole* Also, Mike, Thanks to defend me against the idiots... You are right, French is much more difficult than English so...
mikegalos@msn.com
on Nov 11, 2009
webguy " I'm saying that those are the requisite conditions for the current exploit everyone's talking about." Which is fine but that isn't what was asked. The question was: " How do you gain access to a not jailbroken iPhone when you know the root account/pass ?? " And I'm not sure that remotely logging in to a computer with a known username and password is really up to the term "exploit". I'm not sure it would even qualify as up to the script kiddy level.
Waethorn
on Nov 11, 2009
"I agree MW2 on the PS3 is all the gaming you need right now!!!!" I'd like to see longer first-person games actually. Something with a compelling storyline. I rented MW2 and finished it in 2 nights. I'm waiting for Heavy Rain, but the new Ratchet and Clank looks fun, while also offering an engaging plot and memorable characters: http://www.gametrailers.com/video/launch-trailer-ratchet/58398 http://www.gametrailers.com/video/exclusive-super-ratchet/56787 I just finished Uncharted 1 awhile back. Good game. Still a bit short, but amazingly well made and captivating. The second one is definitely on my rental list. Also watching for the 2 new Assassin's Creed games to come out - one is for PSP. I'd love to see the game Heavenly Sword expand into a series. That was an extremely good game.
gfryesc1
on Nov 11, 2009
I dunno, fzanes, I probably keep coming here for the same reason that Paul keeps going to all these news sources that he, in turn, ridicules from his high horse. I guess I'll stop when he does.
daveinla
on Nov 11, 2009
"Because even with his errors in grammar (that are certainly less of a problem than my errors would be if I tried posting in Quebecois French), his postings are still more valuable and useful than yours." cough cough... Thanks Mike you're so kind !! but hmmm, this confirms some doubts I had on your judgmental abilities now... You could say French as written canadian French and regular French are the same besides few vocabulary words.
daveinla
on Nov 11, 2009
"Also, Mike, Thanks to defend me against the idiots... You are right, French is much more difficult than English so..." so your French must be even Wooooooorse !!! Tabaaaarnaaaaaaaaaaaaacle !!!!! LOL !
WebGuy3000
on Nov 11, 2009
mikegalos@msn.com is, as always, correct. I defer to his superior understanding and apologize for my previous comment.
robertsjoe
on Nov 11, 2009
What's a Zune. The Zune is a dead product. It's about as exciting to the general customer as Oracle databases are. They have no mindshare. Apple and Google rule that department.
robertsjoe
on Nov 11, 2009
@mikegalos is back and spewing his FUD. And why is @waethorn here. He should be banned.
robertsjoe
on Nov 11, 2009
@mikegalos: "btw, you're wrong about only people with "jailbroken" iPhones being vulnterable." This, and most of your posts, shows you have no idea what you're talking about. The Zune is a joke. Get it? Good, boy. Run along now, other people want to use the computer there.
EricoF3
on Nov 11, 2009
daveinla said: so your French must be even Wooooooorse !!! Tabaaaarnaaaaaaaaaaaaacle!!!!! LOL! I hope you will show us your french here once a day Dave... French Canadian language is far more than the world "Tabarnacle" ... For all who have don't understand "Tabarnacle" is the worse word to say in french canadian... This is like *F*u*c*k* or *F*u*c*k*Y*o*u* ... in english... if they are the worse word!!?? Is there any worse word than these? So, has we could see Dave is the kind of guy the only remember bad word of a languages... Like me... So... It seems we are not so different, lol isn't we, Dave? lol
Waethorn
on Nov 11, 2009
"And why is @waethorn here. He should be banned." >:)P "The Zune is a joke. Get it? Good, boy. Run along now, other people want to use the computer there." No, security on OS X is a joke. Have fun killing aliens lately? Get your shields up. Oh, you don't have any? LOL! " For all who have don't understand "Tabarnacle" is the worse word to say in french canadian... This is like *F*u*c*k* or *F*u*c*k*Y*o*u* ... in english..." It's actually equivalent to yelling "Bloody Christ!" in church, and in a predominantly Catholic society, it's doubly bad.
rr0de74@live.com
on Nov 11, 2009
The jailbroken phone opens the door because of SSH. There could be other openings. However as it stands right now, there are no other known openings so you cant hack it. I dont agree with the user account/passowrd choice but right now if you CANT get a chance to use the user/password then it does not matter. @erica OS X and Windows will continue to have security patches. Every time you modify the OS to add features or abilities you run the risk of opening up holes. MS just released this patch... http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS09-065.mspx Its a given that OS patches will be released. I dont care about patches, I just apply them. I care about REAL attacks. I dont see them on OS X, but just this week my sister n law, got a popup she thought was an OS warning about a virus on her FULLY PATCHED Vista PC, running MSE per my advice. She clicked OK to clean it or whatever, I was not there, and she got nailed. Nailed so bad that when I tried to run malwarebytes the junk on the PC blocked it. I had to download a different .exe file name from malwarebytes put it in the same folder and run it. In this case there is nothing that could have stopped (patch/sofware wise) because the user let it in. The fact is Windows is a huge target. Sadly the average user cant tell if these pop-ups are Windows telling them something or a hunk of maleware.
robertsjoe
on Nov 11, 2009
Microsoft admits to copying OS X in Windows 7. http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/11/11/microsoft_official_admits_... Nobody can be surprised. After all, copying is Microsoft's MO.
EricoF3
on Nov 11, 2009
Waethorn said: "It's actually equivalent to yelling "Bloody Christ!" in church, and in a predominantly Catholic society, it's doubly bad." Yes, it is doubly bad... But, it is better to tell: daveinla is a "Ticoune" or daveinla is a "Cave"... Is less blasphemy but is it probably more accurate lol...
lotsamystuff
on Nov 12, 2009
Paul, why don't you mod out people like "EricoF3" who continually engage in personal attacks? He brings nothing to the conversation. If you're going to rail against others for OT posts and threaten to ban them, you should apply the same principle here. And as much as I hate to admit it, "robertsjoe" is right that "Waethorn" should be banned for continually linking to malware. How sad to see what this blog's comment section has been reduced to.
Waethorn
on Nov 12, 2009
"And as much as I hate to admit it, "robertsjoe" is right that "Waethorn" should be banned for continually linking to malware." Sorry, but that's twice. And according to robertsjoe, OS X has no malware, so :-p
Waethorn
on Nov 12, 2009
@losta: Paul should ban you for being irrelevent. You troll on here more than anyone, because all you do is b1tch and moan about other users.

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