Recently Microsoft announced a 4GB Xbox 360 console with Kinect bundle for $99—a shockingly low price that’s sure to turn some heads. But, is it a good deal?

On the surface, a $99 price tag seems too good to be true. I mean really… a console with Kinect for $99? That’s less expensive than a PS3, Wii or even any handheld device out there.  Count me in!

But, as you know—if something sounds too good to be true it usually is—and that’s the case here if you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.

If you’re a smart consumer who pays attention to things, you’ve probably already noticed the asterisk (*) next to the $99 price. This indicates something. In this case it indicates a required 2 year contract to Xbox Live Gold at $15/month. Ouch.

So let’s do the math:

A new 4GB Xbox 360 with Kinect bundle costs about $300. Add 2 years ($50/year) of XBL Gold and you’re up to $400.

With this new bundle you start with a $100 for the console and then add $15 each month for 2 years (24 months). That gives you a grand total of $460.

Honestly, it’s not a bad deal as long as you realize what the total cost ends up being after your contract is up. Knowing that, what do you think? Do you find that a $99 + $15/month subscription model is easier to swallow than $300 + $50 + $50?

Let me know what you think via Twitter.

According to recent rumors and Inside Mobile Apps, Microsoft has plans to discontinue their virtual currency system, Microsoft Points, by the end of this year.

This is good news, as MS Points have been a source of disgust for many gamers since they were introduced alongside the XBL Marketplace in 2005. Besides the deceptive Points to real-world currency ratio and the perpetual need to buy more Points than necessary for a purchase (damn you leftover points!), the system is dated and out of line with current standards.

Microsoft isn’t talking, of course, but reports suggest a cash-based system in line with PSN, Apple and Android marketplaces will replace the existing system. This change will not only affect Xbox Live, but the Zune Marketplace and Windows Phone Marketplace as well.

Let’s cross our fingers that this rumor turns out to be true.

A dispute over pay and working conditions resulted in about 300 workers climbing to the roof of one of the buildings at Foxconn Technology Park in China early last week. The incident began when employees asked their bosses for a raise but were denied. Employees were told either to quit with compensation or to keep their jobs with no additional payment. Many employees took the former, but the company decided to terminate the agreement anyway and not pay the promised compensation. The workers protested the action by threatening to jump to their deaths.

The standoff eventually came to an end when the mayor of Wuhan showed up and literally talked the former employees off the ledge.

These particular employees were responsible for manufacturing parts for Xbox 360 consoles and production had actually come to a halt for several hours during the protest.

Microsoft had this to say:

"Microsoft takes working conditions in the factories that manufacture its products very seriously, and we are currently investigating this issue," a spokesperson told the Huffington Post UK.

"We have a stringent Vendor Code of Conduct that spells out our expectations, and we monitor working conditions closely on an ongoing basis and address issues as they emerge.

"Microsoft is committed to the fair treatment and safety of workers employed by our vendors, and to ensuring conformance with Microsoft policy."

Foxconn factories in China were already under examination because of several suicides by employees in the past five years—actually forcing the company to install anti-suicide nets at some of their facilities. In addition to Xbox 360 components, Foxconn also manufactures products for Apple, Sony, Nintendo and many other Fortune 500 companies.

We often get questions about third-party controllers and their compatibility with our products. With a ton of these controllers on the market today, things can get confusing. Don't worry—we've got you covered. Our products were designed for OEM Xbox 360 and PS3 controllers but do fit many third-party versions. Here is a list of known controllers and their compatibility:

PS3 DualShock 3 OEM – YES

Xbox 360 OEM – YES

Xbox 360 (New D-Pad) -- YES

Razer Onza -- YES

Razer Onza TE -- YES

Power A Pro EX/Elite – YES

Evil Controllers Evil Sticks – YES

PDP AfterGlow PS3 – NO

PDP AfterGlow Xbox 360 – YES

Wii Nunchuk -- NO

PS2 DualShock OEM -- YES

Xbox Controller S – YES

MadCatz Call of Duty: Black Ops PrecisionAIM Controller – YES

Datel Turbo Fire 2 Xbox 360 – NO

OnLive Controller – YES

This list is by no means a comprehensive listing of controllers and their compatibility. We try to test all controllers that we get questions about but due to various things we can't test out everything that comes to market. If you know the compatibility of a controller and would like to share your knowledge with us and the community, please add it here.

Rumors have been circulating that Microsoft's new Windows 8 OS will introduce Xbox 360 compatibility to PC's. This is probably just a rumor, but if it's not, it could free up some space on my desk, and that would be cool.

It would supposedly work by popping an Xbox 360 disk directly in to your PC's disk drive and letting Windows 8 do its thing. The rumors also suggest that gamers will be able to access their Xbox 360 Dashboard and Xbox Live service straight through their computer—eliminating the need for an Xbox 360 console. And here's where things get iffy. Would Microsoft really be so bold as to undermine their highly successful Xbox 360's value by doing something like this? Mattel's online Magic 8 Ball says: “Cannot predict now.” Thanks a lot, stupid online 8 ball.

Technically speaking, I see no reason why this wouldn't be possible. After all, the Xbox 360 uses an every day DVD drive and isn't very graphically demanding by today's standards. The only real issue would be the aforementioned “iffy” situation.

It's also worth noting that the same rumors indicate a premium fee will be needed to access Xbox Live via Windows 8. Whether or not that is above and beyond the standard Xbox Live subscription remains a mystery.

Earlier today, publisher Paramount Digital Entertainment confirmed that Star Trek will be coming to Xbox 360, PS3 and PC in the summer of 2012. The plainly titled “Star Trek” will be the first Trek game to ever embrace J.J. Abrams' vision of the franchise—which is fantastic news because of how awesome 2009's Star Trek movie was!

The completely original story penned by God of War writer, Marianne Krawczyk and Star Trek (2009) film writers, Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman will cast players as Kirk and Spock in a stand alone adventure battling a legendary foe hellbent on ruling the galaxy.

“Star Trek challenges the boundaries of co-op gameplay with a galactic adventure that gamers and fans have never experienced,” said Tom Lesinski, President of Paramount Digital Entertainment. “Working closely with the Star Trek filmmaking team throughout development, the game is sure to deliver AAA production values, a wide variety of gameplay and all the action you would expect from the hit franchise. This will be the definitive Star Trek gaming experience.”

Development duties for Star Trek will be handled by the very exceptional Digital Extremes, who's previous works include Unreal Tournament, Dark Sector and Bioshock 2.

With as much as Star Trek the game has going for it, it would be a tragedy if it didn't deliver. Here's hoping that this is the game that Star Trek fans (like me) have been waiting for!

Like a bunch of people, I got really excited about Homefront.  The marketing surrounding the game was great and the premise of battling the Koreans in an alternate reality San Francisco sounded outstanding.  The fact that the makers of the above-average Frontlines: Fuel of War were handling development duties didn’t hurt either.  Yes, Homefront had a lot going for it.

Well, we all know how that turned out.  A little over a week has passed since its release and the overall response has been pretty “meh” at best.

The very average (and that’s being nice) Homefront raises a much more important question, though, about the video game industry and our buying habits: why do they continue to make average games, and why do we keep buying them?

My short answer is, “hope.”  Yes, Obama used it, and yes, it’s a bit cliché—just work with me.  It’s the only explanation that makes any sense.  No one sets out to make an average game—just like nobody sets out to buy one—it just happens.  Developers hope their final product is a good one and we hope our $60 purchase gives us hours of quality entertainment.  But, developers run in to deadlines and certain features need to be axed and quality issues don’t get the time they deserve to be fixed.  And I’m sure it’s just as annoying to the people that pour their hearts in to game development as it is for the end user.  But, it’s a shame that the developers and publishers know about a game’s shortcomings prior to release and ignore them.  I get it; they have made a large investment and must stay the course that their game is good.  So they leave it to us and our $60 to find out of the disappointing dysfunction that lies ahead—and that can leave quite a bad aftertaste.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.  Three more months of development could have really helped a game with as much potential as Homefront and Kaos and THQ could have saved some serious face.  Also, a $60 price tag on a budget title like Homefront is crazy.  Yes, I called it a budget title.  You can fool yourself all you want and try to justify your purchase of Homefront—but deep down you know it’s trash.  The campaign is short (not that it bothered me because I prayed for it to end), the graphics are ugly, the server issues are infuriating and the fact that when I sell or trade it without that multiplayer code that shipped in the box, the next guy will have to suffer too is insulting.  At $40, Homefront would be looking a whole lot better.

So, now I’m scared.  I’m definitely venting about Homefront, since it was the last game I had this experience with, but it’s certainly not an isolated incident.  There are so many shooters released every year and I keep waiting for that “next great shooter” to come along but continue to be disappointed.  Will somebody please step up and dethrone Call of Duty sometime soon?  I’m counting on you Battlefield.

The opinions reflected here are those of one Freek and KontrolFreek.com is not responsible for the things he says.  In fact, no one here even likes him.