Even though we are mostly Mac and Apple users here at The Flickcast, that doesn’t mean we don’t know or care that another, more popular, company exists that provides software to run computers and the like. That company is, of course, Microsoft.

With Windows 7 being our favorite version of the OS so far, Microsoft is going to have to go a long way to convince us that they have something better up their collective virtual sleeve. That something is, at least according to them, Windows 8.

We will all get a chance to see if they are right come February 29 when the company releases what they are calling a ‘Consumer Preview’ of the new version of Windows. The company will reportedly announce such a preview at a special, invitation-only event in Barcelona.

It’s interesting that they aren’t referring to this release as a “Bata.” I guess that has too much of a stigma of unfinished software or something that still needs a lot of work. The truth is Windows 8 probably still does need a lot of work and a big service pack will follow its final release as it does for most Windows versions. Not that Apple and most other software companies are immune to updates, they aren’t of course.

Still, we do like the looks of Windows on the smartphone so if Windows 8 is anything like that, it might be worth checking out later this month. What do you guys think? Are you going to take the plunge and try out the Windows 8 preview?

Ever since the beginning of the motion gaming movement we have been waiting for a game that lets us slice and dice with a lightsaber. Finally that dream is becoming a reality with the brand new game Star Wars Kinect, a motion based game that puts you in the Jedi army during the thick of the clone wars.

This game was originally meant to be released last year, but a release date has finally been confirmed for the long awaited project, April 3rd. And to celebrate the release a special edition Kinect bundle pack is being released with a 320GB R2-D2 themed 360, a C3-PO gold controller, a white Kinect and of course the game as well.

Additionally more details about what we can expect in the game have been released, including the new Duels of the Fate mode which pits you one-on-one against Sith baddies, cool. Also a Galactic Dance-Off where you can take on Darth Vader Dance Central style, much less cool.

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Earlier this week, a rumor came out on InsideMobileApps.com stating that Microsoft may be getting rid of its Microsoft Points system in favor of a more traditional transaction system like that of the Android App and Apple App stores.

Though Microsoft gave the expected “we do not comment on rumours or speculation” response, InsideMobileApp reports of mobile developers being told to plan upcoming DLC and In-App purchases in accordance with this change. Whether this will affect just the Windows Phone which uses the Microsoft Points system that started with the XBox 360 or carry across all Microsoft platforms at this point is all speculation.

The Microsoft Points system has come under fire since the initial Marketplace pricing structure on the XBox 360 was revealed. At its origin, downloadable titles on the XBox Marketplace were either 400 or 800 Microsoft points which translates to $5 and $10 respectively.

The problem however quickly presented itself that points were sold in 500 point increments. This resulted in leftover points. It would force customers to make further purchases in favor of having unused currency sitting on their account. This problem further compounded itself when DLC evolved and was priced at other irregular point values.

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Since its release back in 2006,  the Gears of War series has been met with both fanatic praise and scornful rejection. Some boast that it “redefined the third-person shooter,” while others claim it only furthers the stereotype of gamers as meat-headed blood junkies. Whatever your stance on the franchise is, the third and (possibly) final chapter of the trilogy is here – and credit must be given where it’s due.

The development team at Epic Games end the story of Marcus Fenix and the rest of Delta Squad with a bang – both in the single-player / co-op campaign and across the online battlefield. From graphic updates to fine-tuning combat controls to completely redesigning one of the most popular multiplayer modes in recent history, all of the pieces of this blood-spattered puzzle fall gloriously into place.

Keep reading to find out how Gears of War 3 stomps on the juicy insides of its predecessors, while also managing to deliver one of the most satisfying ends to a gaming franchise.

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Sure, the Avatar Marketplace isn’t really meant for the hardcore gamers out there, or those who would remember a movie as far back as 1987, but this marketing plan is definitely one for kids of all ages.

Starting tomorrow, August 25th, you can suit up as your favorite Detroit city android policeman RoboCop as a full collection of RoboCop-themed attire makes its way to the Avatar Marketplace.

Go as simple (and bad ass) as dressing up in the full RoboCop suit and upholding your own version of “the law” against your XBox Live friends. Or you can go a little simpler, by just donning the helmet, or wearing a retro OCP t-shirt. How about an obscure “I’D BUY THAT FOR A DOLLAR” shirt or even a pet ED-209?

There’s just about something for every fan of the original RoboCop series in there.

Check out the official trailer for the collection after the jump, and be sure to grab these for a few simple Microsoft Points starting tomorrow, August 25th.

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If you own an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, you have most likely tried the already classic casual title Fruit Ninja. In its first three months, it sold over a million units and continues to top the App Store charts. Players are tasked with swiping through a fruit cluttered screen while not letting any fall off the bottom and avoiding the dreaded bombs. It is a fun frantic minigame that uses a mobile smart phone’s touch technology in an intelligent and rewarding way.

Now Halfbrick has teamed up with Microsoft for the Summer of Arcade to bring Fruit Ninja Kinect to the XBox 360. Using the Kinect motion technology, players hands act as ninja swords to slice and dice apples, oranges and strawberries in one of the most accurate uses for the Kinect since its release.

Gameplay:

In Fruit Ninja Kinect, players must use their arms to slide through flying fruit while avoiding contact with bombs or allowing fruit to fall off the screen. From what we can tell, the Kinect sensor has near pinpoint accuracy in the game allowing for control that is as accurate as it comes for motion gaming. Players can slowly move their arms into position but only when a player speeds up will it count as a sword swipe which is very important for avoiding bombs. An acrobatic player can even use their legs to kick through a wayward pear if necessary.

There isn’t much difference between Fruit Ninja for the iPhone and the Kinect in terms of gameplay mechanics save the inclusion of the pomegranate. Everyone’s favorite source of antioxidants can be used to end timed stages where players can hack away for a few seconds and build up ridiculous combos.

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Early Tuesday, Microsoft officially released Office 365, its new cloud-based Office product designed to compete directly with Google Docs and whatever Apple might decide to put up in conjunction with iCloud and the revamped Mobile Me expected later this year. The Office 365 suite, which has been in public beta for a while, is being mostly targeted at small business and the enterprise with plans for the entire suite costing between $6 and $24 per user per month, depending on features.

The small and medium-sized businesses that choose the more cost effective $6 option will only get Office Web Apps and Microsoft Exchange. Of course, any option you choose with Office 356 is still more expensive than the $50 annual fee Google charges each corporate user for access to its Google Docs suite. The service also included integration with devices such as Windows smartphones and iPhones.

I guess Microsoft must feel that people will be willing to pay a bit more for its suite of products that include Word, Excel and Powerpoint as well as Exchange. In truth, some companies pay quite a bit just for hosted Exchange so this may end up being a bargain for many businesses, especially those who want to stay in the Microsoft world but still try to cut costs.

We’ll see if this one takes off.  For more, check out the full press release from Microsoft after the jump.

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Even if you can’t be at E3 this year, don’t worry. It’s Monday and we’re not even there yet either. Oh the benefits (and hindrances) of working on a site that doesn’t just cover games. We’ve also got Apple’s WWDC announcements today and a bunch of other stuff for a Monday.

But getting back to Microsoft, our pals over at Geek Week have put together a nice list of the highlights of this year’s Microsoft News briefing at E3. And being the nice guys that we are, we’ve gone ahead and listed it right here for your use and enjoyment (with a few added bits and comments as wel).

Also, be sure to click through for the Halo 4 trailer as well! Okay, here’s the highlights’ of what Microsoft announced this morning:

• PGA, MADDEN, and FIFA will support the Kinect later this year – Nice

• MASS EFFECT 3 will support Kinect voice recognition; you will be able to speak the dialogue choices and voice combat commands to party members

• GHOST RECON: FUTURE SOLDIER will utilize Kinect for weapon customization

• YouTube, Bing, and live television are coming to Xbox Live

• Announcement of remastered HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED ANNIVERSARY

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If you’ve been waiting for a replacement for your aging PS3 or XBox 360, your wait may be a bit longer than you think. According to Kotaku, neither Microsoft nor Sony will launch new gaming consoles before 2014.

“Both [Microsoft] and Sony are telegraphing to each other that they’re delaying, to milk the current [generation] and fill in previous craters better,” one source told Kotaku. In contrast, Nintendo’s next generation gaming console is expected to land sometime next year.

But wait, all is not lost. Microsoft and Sony may decide to build onto their current systems. For example, Microsoft may release a “Kinect-upgraded” Xbox 360 in 2013. “Sony definitely isn’t launching a successor before 2014 and could stand to benefit by having Microsoft launch first as PS3 builds in North America and builds a strong position in Europe,” said Billy Pidgeon, an analyst with M2 Research cited in the article.

Microsoft has stated it will offer support for the Xbox 360 through 2015. So, it stands to reason we should see a replacement for it sometime before that. So, the 2014 date makes some sense.

Although, if I were Microsoft I might worry a bit more about how to sustgain consumer interest in a console that’s already over six years old. In the tech and gaming world, that’s almost an eternity.

Even though we try not to use very many products from Microsoft around here (we’re Mac users mostly, after all) that doesn’t mean we don’t have to jump into Microsoft’s Office Suite once in awhile. Now on its 2011 version, Office for Mac has become a pretty darn good program.

Soon, Microsoft will attempt to make it even better with the release of the inevitable Service Pack 1, which will reportedly be coming out next week. The update will reportedly include performance enhancements, as well as security and stability fixes, but it will also include major changes for Outlook for Mac.

After applying the service pack, users will be able to sync their Outlook calendars, tasks, notes, and contacts with Apple’s Sync Services, and it includes support for CalDAV calendar, which Apple is implementing in May. The update will also add a new redirect and resend buttons. iPhone and iPod touch devices will also stay in sync as well.

So, if you’re an Office for Mac 2011 user and think the suite could use some fixes, mark your calendars and get ready for some help next week.

When we first heard that Full House Poker would be at the tail end of XBLA’s spring showcase Block Party alongside the likes of Beyond Good and Evil HD, Torchlight and the spiritual successor to Contra, we were a bit skeptical. After all, how does a virtually unknown poker title fall in with blockbusters like these gems? To our pleasant surprise, the answer is very well.

Gameplay

The primary gameplay of Full House Poker isn’t very different from other standard Texas Hold ‘Em poker games. While the button layout differs, it feels pretty standard to real life poker tournaments. Players have the option to hit, hold and fold in normal play with the added bonus of fast forwarding once they have folded out instead of being forced to watch the rest of the hand play out.

One added feature is the ability to play with emotion. Using the left or right triggers, players can bluff their confidence or anxiety about the moves they make in hopes of both the computer or real life opponents may buy into. Using this creatively can give players an advantage if they properly taunt their competitors into bad plays to take the pot.

Added to Full House Poker however adds the concept of experience points and leveling to poker. Now, don’t worry. This isn’t an RPG-like system where going up levels will earn players perks or special abilities that make players better at poker. Instead, it works as a reward system. For every hand a player deals in on, they earn experience.

Winning hands earns further experience along with risky and smart plays that pan out in their favor. As levels increase, new titles, decks, tables, decor, avatar costumes and game rooms themselves unlock. Not counting in game avatar costumes, there are already 93 unlockable rewards for players to attain.

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Alright, I know I’m pretty late to the bandwagon since Kinect was released during the holidays, but I genuinely haven’t gotten to spend any time with the device. Until now.

One of the amazing things about Penny Arcade Expo is the expansive freeplay section available to attendees, and Kinect was available in full force. I stepped in front of a television armed with an Xbox 360, a Kinect, Kinectimals, and Dance Central, and I unwillingly and surprisingly fell in love.

Believe you me, I was just as skeptical about this device as I’m sure you all were, or maybe still are. And since Penny Arcade is pretty much my go-to for my videogame advice, and they aren’t the biggest fans of Kinect, I was expecting to be underwhelmed. Oh how wrong I was. Two seconds of tossing a ball around to a baby tiger and I was sold.

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