MLG's rather lengthy and detailed list of rules, regulations, gametypes and guidelines for their MLG St. Louis event are now up on their website.

Even now a few Xbox 360-related tidbits are floating to the surface:

• Xbox365 has a piece on Cimtek, a company contracted by Microsoft to test and monitor their remote manufacturing subcontractors in China.
• eToychest has the transcript of the Xbox 360 Press Conference at E3.
• ExtremeTech has an interview with Todd Holmdahl, head of Xbox hardware.

• Xbox360 points out CNN/Money's estimation that a good Xbox 360 and HDTV setup will cost over $1700.
• Major Nelson has put up a four-part comparison of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 specifications. IGN has the same raw data if you happen to prefer reading black text on white instead of the reverse.
• BetaNews analyzes the Xbox 360's GUI.
• The Tech Report has details on the Xbox 360's ATI GPU.

DiehardSouljah has posted links to three videos in the High Impact Halo forum; they look like sneak peeks at some of Bungie's as-yet-unreleased Halo 2 maps due out later this summer. They're shakeycam footage, most probably from the E3 floor. Thanks supernostro for the heads-up in #hih.

UPDATE: KP has also posted several small vids of the new Halo 2 maps sent to him from E3. You can view them individually, or download the whole archive.

Kiziko has a very short E3 hands-on with the Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack. It's unclear whether they mean all nine maps or just the four so-far released, but as far as we know Bungie is allowing all nine to be played at the show.

Price points, smack talk, mac talk, and rip, mod and burn today in a specially-compressed E3 2005 random edition of Narc's Rants. I'm not at E3, so the rose-colored glasses are off.

Mnemesis has posted an update in the HBO forum from the floor of E3: he says Bungie is showing off the next five multiplayer maps, Stubbs the Zombie by Wideload is "gritty, dark, hilarious, and really fun to play" and Major Nelson is a together guy who knows good pizza. Thanks Louis Wu at HBO for the linkage. Wu is on his way to E3 as we speak.

GamesIndustry.biz is reporting that Microsoft says Xbox games will need to be recompiled to work with Xbox 360. This would seem to indicate-- although it is not yet clear-- that even your old games will have to be repurchased in order to run-- unless the console can recompile it by itself, which seems extremely unlikely. Not good news for those banking on this feature. Thanks 3Suns, who linked to this in the HBO forum.

UPDATE: I'm retagging this as a rumor. Major Nelson has already busted it. Move along, nothing to see here.

So, Microsoft lets the bomb drop this week that the Xbox 360 will be backwards compatible-- sort of. That "sort of" should include Halo and Halo 2, according to Newsday via HBO. But as they look backwards to look forwards, is Microsoft reaching far enough back for owners of the original console? This is the latest of Narc's Retorts.

• GameSpot has a head-to-head comparison of the announced specificiations for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.
• eToyChest points out Xbox 360 preorders available at EBGames. The $59.99 price probably bears no relation to the (as yet unannounced) actual price of the console.
• Kelstek points out an impressive (and supposedly in-game) screenshot of a title called Ninety-Nine Nights for the Xbox 360 that may hold appeal for longtime fans of Bungie's Myth series of RTT (Real Time Tactics) games. And no, now is not the best time for a "Strategy vs Tactics" debate.
• BDGamer points out a promotion by Microsoft and Pepsi that will give away Xbox 360 consoles.
• Kikizo Games has a nice page covering the Xbox 360 announcement, in words and pictures.