The Console Wars: 08.07.2005 | Xbox 360, Playstation 3 PS3, Revolution

Saturday, August 13, 2005

New Outrun Confirmed! Xbox 360 Offering Mooted!

"Sega Japan has filed a patent application with the US Patent Office for a new game entitled Outrun Coast 2 Coast.

Filed by Kabushiki Kaisha of SOJ, no details of the game were mentioned, even in abstract form, with the only information coming in the declaration that whatever it is falls into the “Video game software; computer game software” category. Well, duh…

Thus far, gossip points towards an arcade and Xbox 360 follow-up, though nothing has been confirmed at time of going to press. Further speculation claims a December launch date, tallying with the 360 chat. An enhanced version of Outrun 2 SP has also been widely mooted.

We were unable to contact Sega, though we will update this piece with comments from the Sonic firm as soon as we get them.

Update: Sega contacted us this afternoon to explain they had no comment on this news. "

¶ D.Vader // 8/13/2005 01:41:00 PM // PermaLink //

Konami to rock Xbox 360 Rumble Roses XX at TGS

"Konami will demonstrate Rumble Roses XX on Xbox 360 at the upcoming Tokyo Game Show in Japan, to be held September 16-18. Rumble Roses XX is the sequel to the Playstation 2 release.

Konami previously announced Rumble Roses XX at the Microsoft strategy event in Japan. Japanese developers, including Konami, Namco, and Bandai all have projects in development for the next-generation console.

The original Rumble Roses featured scantily clad female wrestlers performing suggestive wrestling moves. The game was a moderate seller on PS2 and can now be found in a bargain bin at most retailers.

The Xbox 360 is scheduled to launch this holiday season."

¶ D.Vader // 8/13/2005 12:09:00 PM // PermaLink //

Ten Hugely Over-rated Games

Games.net has a Top Ten of the most over-rated games ever (I suppose).

Here is the countdown:

#10 Half-Life 2 - [ Xbox ]
#9 Duke Nukem 3D - [ PC ]
#8 Halo: Combat Evolved - [ Xbox ]
#7 Jade Empire - [ Xbox ]
#6 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty - [ PS2 ]
#5 Doom 3 - [ Xbox ]
#4 Gran Turismo 4 - [ PS2 ]
#3 Mario 64 - [ N64 ]
#2 Tomb Raider - [ PS2 ]
#1 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - [ PS2 ]

[read]

¶ D.Vader // 8/13/2005 11:18:00 AM // PermaLink //

HD DVD offensive starting to crack, Blu-ray gets ammo

"In the battle between HD DVD and Blu-ray, HD DVD proponents have been counting on a Holiday 2005 launch to get a leg up on Sony, whose Blu-ray spec isn't expected to materialize before mid-2006. Now, however, it looks like the launch will be less of a coup than expected. According to the Wall Street Journal, the studios who had planned to embrace HD DVD this holiday season are scaling back their plans to have HD DVD movies on shelves. Paramount Pictures, for instance, has nixed their plans for holiday releases entirely, although they have not indicated that they are bailing out of HD DVD altogether. NBC Universal will be releasing some HD DVD titles, but they have scaled their release back 25 percent. As of today, no other HD DVD titles have been announced.

The Journal also speculates that Toshiba will likely be the only company to bring a HD DVD player to market during the holiday season, and with an expected price circa US$1,000, it's unclear how many will fly off shelves immediately. If the launch is only accompanied by 12 titles from NBC Universal, most people will play the waiting game.

Sony, Disney, and now News Corp's Twentieth Century Fox have all committed to Blu-ray, and have no plans to sell HD DVD products. Sony gained Twentieth Century Fox just last week when the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) reportedly agreed to add watermarking technology to the spec. This has kicked off a round of sniping between Blu-ray and HD DVD proponents over which solution is more secure. The debate is a bit strange because the two solutions use largely the exact same core tech, namely the Advanced Access Content System (AACS)." [more]

¶ D.Vader // 8/13/2005 10:24:00 AM // PermaLink //

Friday, August 12, 2005

KOEI confirms "Dynasty Warriors 5 Special" for Xbox 360

"KOEI has confirmed that in addition to Ni-Oh for Playstation 3, Dynasty Warriors 5 Special will be unveiled next month at the Tokyo Game Show. With hoardes of warriors flooding the screen simultaneously, DW5 is a perfect choice to port to next-generation consoles.

Also revealed in the announcement is a Winter 2005 release, just a few months away. Given the relatively short turnaround time from development to release, we can't imagine a drastic improvement from the Xbox to Xbox 360 version outside of widescreen support, additional warriors on-screen and smoother renditions of previous generation graphics. We'll take an enhanced Dynasty Warriors sooner rather than waiting a year plus for an all-new version any day of the week."

¶ D.Vader // 8/12/2005 04:14:00 PM // PermaLink //

How to install Linux on a PS2

For those of you that can't wait for PS3, here is a how-to guide on Linux for PS2. Not much of a hack really, Linux was available for the PS2 for quite some time (Click Here).

Link: How to install Linux on a PS2

¶ D.Vader // 8/12/2005 01:45:00 PM // PermaLink //

The war between Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft is about to heat up

Clash of the titans: The war between Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft is about to heat up

"While they may sound like Storm Troopers, they are actually hordes of public relations representatives for Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony, each one pitching their new console as having enough power to make in three days what took God seven days.

Three new consoles are slated for release in next several months: Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Revolution.

Starting with the PS3, it is undoubtedly the most powerful of the three consoles. The new cell processor and the console features overall can be summed up as outstanding. With that being said, comparing these three new consoles based on their power performance has very little meaning, since today's games are still not capable of taking the full advantage of what Xbox and GameCube has to offer." [more]

¶ D.Vader // 8/12/2005 01:33:00 PM // PermaLink //

Friday's Funny Links & Pics

Wolfenstein83 - ticalc.org
Now you can play Wolfenstein for your TI83 Calculator.

18-foot robot for sale
eBay: Neogentronyx Mech NMX04-1A

Source: Unknown

Video: Tom Cruise kills Oprah

The Cyborg Name Generator

Video: How to scare your loved ones with Star Wars toys!

¶ D.Vader // 8/12/2005 12:30:00 PM // PermaLink //

PlayStation 3 Initial Costs

"The initial manufacturing costs for the PlayStation 3 are suspected to be around $494 USD.

A recent report estimates that the launch costs for the three main components of the system are the RSX graphics chip, Blu-Ray disc drive, and the Cell processor. The cost is $101 USD each. In an attempt to beat Sony's new PS3 system price, Microsoft Xbox 360 could cut the $299 launch price even lower. Sony PlayStation 3 hardware will initially retail for $410 USD.

Sony has traditionally taken large losses on its new hardware to gain a market share advantage, however, it may face a disadvantage if forced into a price war, as Microsoft and Nintendo are each making more conservative choices when it comes to hardware: Microsoft is using the currently-existing DVD spec for its own media, while Nintendo has eschewed support for high-definition video, in the interest of maintaining its own history of turning a profit with each console unit sold.

Furthermore, Sony is currently still taking losses on its PlayStation Portable hardware in a continued, not yet successful attempt to beat the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance in the handheld game marketplace. The PlayStation 3 is currently expected to result in losses of over $1 billion in its first year of sales, in addition to the $1.83 billion already invested in R&D for the Cell chip, co-produced by IBM and Toshiba.

Bring on the discounts."

¶ D.Vader // 8/12/2005 10:17:00 AM // PermaLink //

Xbox 360 games cheaper than expected?

Xbox 360 games cheaper than expected? [UK]

"Amazon.co.uk has listed several Xbox 360 games for pre order at a lower than expected price.

Recent reports have suggested that Xbox 360 games would retail for £44.99 when the console is launched in the UK later this year. However, Amazon.co.uk has begun listing Xbox 360 games for pre order with the prices at either £29.99 or £32.99. So far the only games listed are Call of Duty 2 - £29.99, Kameo: Elements of Power - £29.99, Perfect Dark Zero - £32.99, Quake 4 - £29.99, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland - £29.99 and GUN - £29.99.

Other information gathered from the listings are the release dates with Quake 4 and Tony Hawk's listed for release on October 28th, Call of Duty 2 listed for release on November 25th, GUN on November 11th, Perfect Dark Zero on December 2nd and Kameo on December 9th. The release dates are probably nothing more than guesses, but if the prices turn out to be true, next-gen gaming might not be as expensive as we all thought - although we still need to buy that LCD screen for lovely HD gaming."

¶ D.Vader // 8/12/2005 09:47:00 AM // PermaLink //

DVD format war will rage for two years

"Experts predict long battle for supremacy between Blu-ray and HD DVD

The recent decision by 20th Century Fox to use Sony's Blu-ray next-generation DVD format, rather than Toshiba's rival HD DVD, is likely to spark a lengthy format war, industry experts have warned.

But the resulting discord could revive opportunities for on-demand TV, according to Gartner.

Laura Behrens, a principal research analyst at Gartner, explained that the motion picture industry hoped to introduce the next-generation DVD on a single format late in 2005.

"But the studios are now evenly divided between Blu-ray and HD DVD, guaranteeing a long market battle," she warned.

"The costs will be immense, in everything from realigned strategic relationships to manufacturing costs to consumer packaging and marketing.

"Eventually one format will win, or companies will develop affordable technology to use both, but Fox's decision will delay that moment until at least 2007."

Blu-ray technology, backed by companies including Sony, Apple, Dell, HP, Panasonic, Sharp and Samsung, together studios including Disney, MGM and now Fox, aims to put 50GB of data on a two-layer disc, enough for more than four hours of HD content." [more]

¶ D.Vader // 8/12/2005 08:07:00 AM // PermaLink //

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Xbox 360: Only Authorized Third Party Accessories

"C|Net is reporting that Microsoft Corp. is implementing a new royalty program for the next-generation Xbox that will only allow authorized third-party accessories to work with the Xbox 360. In order to ensure that only Microsoft approved hardware works, the Xbox 360 is supposed to have a new security mechanism that will be available to only those manufacturers who pay the royalty to Microsoft.

The program will also allow Microsoft to obtain some revenues back in an industry that has console manufacturers selling the hardware at a subsidized price, expecting to make a profit on the software.

'The new royalty program could be part of Microsoft's goal of turning a profit with Xbox 360, something the company was not able to do with the prior generation console', said IDC analyst Schelley Olhava.

'Microsoft has made it very clear that it's all about profitability', Olhava added. 'Maybe this is a way they are looking to make additional revenue off of the Xbox.'" [more]

Does this mean there will be bootleg accessories in the VG marketplace?

¶ D.Vader // 8/11/2005 04:33:00 PM // PermaLink //

Tokyo Game Show 2005 releases exhibitor and game lists

Tokyo Game Show 2005 releases exhibitor and game listst

"Lists of record-breaking 130 participants and preliminary game lineup unveiled; four next-gen console games expected so far.

With the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 expected to be on playable public display for the first time, this year's Tokyo Game Show is possibly the most anticipated since 1999, back when the PlayStation 2 made its public debut. According to the Computer Entertainment Suppliers Association (CESA), the primary Japanese game-industry organization that organizes the Tokyo Game Show, the number of exhibitors for this year's TGS, as of August 7, has just about reached 130 companies at 1,429 booth units, breaking last year's record of 117. So far, 73 of the companies have announced a total of 166 games and products for this year's show, including mobile games and peripherals. 30 of those are online games." [more]

Related Link:
TOKYO GAME SHOW 2005

¶ D.Vader // 8/11/2005 04:04:00 PM // PermaLink //

HD-DVD, DVD and CD on One Chip

"Sanyo Electrics has announced that it has successfully integrated on a single LSI chip support for HD-DVD, DVD and CD.

This makes the integration in electronic devices of the HD-DVD cheaper and also much friendlier than ever and could impact on future iterations of hardware platforms.

On the DVD side, the LSI supports DVD + and –R, as well as both DVD-ROM and RAM. On CD side, it supports R and RW. A first application is already scheduled with a drive for notebook which will be released in spring 2006."

¶ D.Vader // 8/11/2005 02:24:00 PM // PermaLink //

Xbox 360 launch: EBGames leaks game lineup!

By: Richard Allen

Game retail giant Electronics Boutique has updated their EBGames website with what appears to be a lineup of the games expected for Xbox 360 at launch. According to sources they are expecting the console as early as Wednesday November 2nd, 2005. The MSRP is supposed to ring in at $299.99. Not all these titles have been confirmed by Microsoft and a few of them have erroneous release date information (ie: The Godfather and Too Human). From the information I have gathered, there should be 22 launch titles as well as 7 titles coming before the end of November. Links are provided to EBGames below.

Launch Titles:
The Darkness
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
Quake 4
DEAD OR ALIVE 4
Project Gotham Racing 3
Perfect Dark Zero
Madden NFL 06
Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
Call of Duty 2
Amped 3
Condemned: Criminal Origins
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
FINAL FANTASY XI
Full Auto
Gun
Kameo: Elements of Power
NBA 2K6
NHL 2K6
The Outfit
Ridge Racer 6
Saint's Row
Top Spin 2

Before the end of November:
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006
BURNOUT REVENGE
FIFA SOCCER 2006
KING KONG
NBA Live 06
NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED
FRAME CITY KILLER

2006:
GODFATHER
TOO HUMAN

¶ D.Vader // 8/11/2005 01:54:00 PM // PermaLink //

Exclusive Xbox 360 Preview

"Today I had a chance to snap some quick pictures of the Xbox 360 at booth sponsored by Microsoft with MuchMusic and Solo Prepaid (By Bell Mobility). The Xbox is an amazing little unit with a classy design.

Although I was only able to photograph this Xbox 360 because it behind a clear plastic bubble case. The Xbox 360 will feature wireless controllers, Wireless a,b, and g connectivity for connectivity between the xbox and computer, as well 20 GB removable and upgradable hard drive, high definition graphics and different xbox live packages including a free one.

If you press read more you can view more pictures of the device itself and bluetooth wireless controller as well click the images to see the full size. The Xbox 360 is expected around November-December of 2005." [more]

¶ D.Vader // 8/11/2005 12:47:00 PM // PermaLink //

Blu-Ray and HD-DVD camps clash over security features

"War of words over complex anti-piracy measures - despite both using similar tech

The consortiums backing rival next-generation DVD formats Blu-Ray and HD-DVD have moved to taking pot-shots at each other over security features - despite the fact that both systems are adopting near-identical technologies.

The argument kicked off when the Blu-Ray Disc Association - an organisation which led by companies including Sony, which will use Blu-Ray in the PlayStation 3 - announced that it's to use a range of measures to prevent piracy of BD-ROM discs.

Among those measures is something called the Advanced Access Content System (AACS), which is also being used by HD-DVD and provides a content management system that apparently 'enables new consumer usage models around network functionality and internet connectivity'.

On top of that, Blu-Ray has a new step called the 'ROM Mark', a hidden watermark on Blu-Ray discs which can only be mastered by licensed content creators and therefore cannot - in theory - be duplicated by pirates, and a system called BD+ which allows content providers to update their encryption dynamically to deal with hacks to players, thus avoiding the scenario with DVD where encrypted content could be ripped easily once the encryption had been broken once." [more]

¶ D.Vader // 8/11/2005 11:13:00 AM // PermaLink //

Death of CD and DVD Greatly Exaggerated

Death of CD and DVD Greatly Exaggerated

"Blu-ray and HD DVD will take years to saturate market

If you read the press it is obvious that CD is long dead, DVD is rapidly dying and the consumer can’t wait for Blu-ray technology to arrive. Unfortunately, no one has convinced the people who buy the stuff that they want to change or that they are even as far along as writers lead us to believe.

While the HD and BD camps loudly exclaim the technology is here and their approach has won, industry analysts (usually very optimistic) estimate that Blue technology won’t have much of an impact in the next four years. In fact, for the next eight years DVD burners and recorders will remain the product most people buy (see figure 1 below). According to IDC they estimate that Blue burners won’t even be 10% of DVD burner sales by 2012." [more]

¶ D.Vader // 8/11/2005 10:56:00 AM // PermaLink //

Blaming video game fails for murder defense

Blaming video game fails for murder defense

"Lawyers for man convicted of killing police officers cited ‘Grand Theft Auto’

A 20-year-old whose lawyers claimed the video game “Grand Theft Auto” and childhood abuse caused him to kill three small-town police officers was convicted Tuesday of capital murder.

The jury deliberated for just over an hour before convicting Devin Moore.

Jurors were to return Wednesday to begin the sentencing phase. Moore could face the death penalty.

Defense lawyers had partly blamed Moore’s actions on the hours he spent playing video games from the “Grand Theft Auto” series, in which players shoot police officers and steal cars.

While the judge barred jurors from hearing testimony linking the 2003 shootings to the game, defense lawyer Jim Standridge reminded them that Moore, after his arrest, told police, “Life is a video game; everybody has to die sometime.”" [more]

¶ D.Vader // 8/11/2005 10:33:00 AM // PermaLink //

The problem with multiplayer games is

"The other player. Anyone who has played Counter Strike knows what I mean. Anyone who has tried a multiplayer webgame will know what I mean. If you are lucky enough to find someone else to play with, they’ll either spend most of the time cheating, insulting you or, most frustratingly, not really playing. A large percentage of multiplayer opponents will most likely disconnect before the game is over.

I tackled this problem about a year ago, on holiday in Andalucia and sadly on paper only, with a number of robots that would run on Playaholics or within specific games (the first of which was going to be a Rong clone, complete with a morphing pitch) to take over from the drop-outs either seamlessly or with some kind of warning.

The Casual Games Quarterly has a much better solution though:

Brian Goble: In Jig Words, we expanded our networking systems to allow two more community features. Jig Words has a feature that allows you to add your own digital photos into the game, but we also created a server-based “Photo Sharing” feature that allows users to send packs of photos to their friends from within the game. This is a fun way to allow our users to spread Jig Words to their families and friends.

Jig Words also features a mode of play called “Letter Racing” which puts the player in competition against 3 other players that recently played online. Using recently recorded games for our multiplayer mode gave us several significant advantages:

Once the game has started, the connection is no longer needed so lag or broken connections don’t ruin the game.
We’re able to do “smart” player matching because we know the skill level of the local player and we know the results of the already-played games. This allows us to match people with other players close to their skill level. This makes for really close/fun games and avoids the problem of grossly mismatched players and one of them not having fun getting there butt kicked (and possibly not playing the game again).
The match-making is always instant since we have a large collection of already-played games to choose from. Thus, the player never has to wait for their multiplayer game to start.
The opponents will never leave during the middle of the game since the collection of already-played games only consists of games that were played all the way to the end.

Perfect, time-shift the users into a multiplayer game. That’s genius, that’s even better than my idea ;)"

¶ D.Vader // 8/11/2005 01:22:00 AM // PermaLink //

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Project Offset Headed for [Xbox] 360? [& PS3]

Project Offset Headed for 360?

"Battlefield 1942 in the magical dark ages? Sure sounds like it!

Three entirely self-funded software developers formerly of S2 Games (Savage: The Battle of Newerth) are currently using their apartment as the staging ground for a brand new PC (and newly-revealed possible PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360) game known as "Project Offset." Named after the development team itself (which is simply called Offset), the upcoming actioner is being hailed as "unlike no other first-person shooter to date."

Set in a fantasy world similar to those found in most PC RPGs, Project Offset allows players to select from among several different character classes while forming clans to combat over ranked mission-based objectives. There will be a heavy emphasis on game mode flexibility and users can participate in solo, co-op, team, and deathmatch-style showdowns. Interested parties can also expect both long-range and melee combat as well as a throng of vehicles, creatures, and dragons to ride and drive.

In the team's latest update on its official website, further bits of information regarding the game's multiplayer aspects were described in higher detail. Of the several elements mentioned, the co-op components were listed as Project Offset's main design goal. Moreover, the typical player limit is expected to fall somewhere around 64 or higher, and the ability to gain experience points to customize and improve any one of the five available character classes has also been confirmed." [more]

¶ D.Vader // 8/10/2005 03:29:00 PM // PermaLink //

Tomb Raider creator questions next-gen capabilities

"Adrian Smith not convinced by power of PS3 & Xbox 360

A leading developer has expressed doubts as to whether coders will really be able to create anything on a par with much of the next-gen footage that has so far been released.

Adrian Smith, co-founder and operations director of Circle Studio, told gamesradar.com, "We've seen games with 500 people of a PlayStation 2-type quality or we've seen one character which looks movie-esque."

But Smith - who also co-founded Core, the studio originally responsible for the Tomb Raider series - warns that such images may not be representative of what is actually possible.

"I don't know at this moment in time that either the PS3 or Xbox 360 has the ultimate power to do such massive, high quality main characters in environments with lots of things happening."

As a veteran developer with 15 years industry experience, Smith has an understandably pragmatic reaction to early demos purportedly showing off the technical capabilities of new hardware.

"How long is it going to take the development community to actually find out what they're capable of? The original PlayStation 2 movies were spectacular and I'm not so sure that developers have even got there yet."" [more]

¶ D.Vader // 8/10/2005 03:17:00 PM // PermaLink //

Final Fantasy XI: First Xbox 360 Screenshot

"FINAL FANTASY XI is a massively multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG). The original version of the game was released in May 2002 in Japan, October 2003 in North America and September 2004 in Europe, with a subscriber base now in excess of 500,000 active accounts.

With the release of the Xbox 360 version, Square Enix will be expanding its cross-platform strategy, making FINAL FANTASY XI available to a much wider audience. Players will be able to choose their hardware and play on the same servers as existing gamers. The powerful next-generation capabilities of the Xbox 360 will provide a much more dynamic and visually impressive gateway to Vana'diel - the world of FINAL FANTASY XI.

Today, Square Enix released the first screenshot of the Xbox 360 version of FINAL FANTASY XI. "

¶ D.Vader // 8/10/2005 11:36:00 AM // PermaLink //

S.Korean man dies after 50 hours of computer games

"A South Korean man who played computer games for 50 hours almost non-stop died of heart failure minutes after finishing his mammoth session in an Internet cafe, authorities said on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old man, identified only by his family name Lee, had been playing on-line battle simulation games at the cybercafe in the southeastern city of Taegu, police said.

Lee had planted himself in front of a computer monitor to play on-line games on August 3. He only left the spot over the next three days to go to the toilet and take brief naps on a makeshift bed, they said.

"We presume the cause of death was heart failure stemming from exhaustion," a Taegu provincial police official said by telephone.

Lee had recently quit his job to spend more time playing games, the daily JoongAng Ilbo reported after interviewing former work colleagues and staff at the Internet cafe.

After he failed to return home, Lee's mother asked his former colleagues to find him. When they reached the cafe, Lee said he would finish the game and then go home, the paper reported.

He died a few minutes later, it said.

South Korea, one of the most wired countries in the world, has a large and highly developed game industry."

¶ D.Vader // 8/10/2005 11:22:00 AM // PermaLink //

Blu-ray Disc Announces Copy Protection

"Today the Blu-ray Disc Association announced it has selected AACS (Advanced Access Content System) as its content protection scheme for Blu-ray Disc media. The announcement codifies what the BDA had privately said was its likely choice all along; and, by choosing AACS, BDA matches its rival HD-DVD (backed by the DVD Forum), which long ago opted for AACS as its own content protection technology.

Both formats are now queued up and waiting for AACS to complete its specification, the status of their own specs hinging on when the content protection scheme is completed. Neither Blu-ray nor HD-DVD has officially finalized their read-only specs, pending the completion of AACS; and after they do finalize AACS, and then their own specs, you can expect a necessary QA period before either format can release product. HD-DVD still says it expects players out by end of year (recorders will be due in the first half of next year); Blu-ray expects both recorders and players to be out in the first half of next year.

The long-delayed AACS technology was originally expected in March; however, just last week a representative for AACS declined to comment on when the format is expected to be final (all the spokesperson would say was that they anticipated the spec to be final later this year). The spec is currently at its .9 version.

Blu-ray Disc's announcement of its support for AACS isn't the only way the competing next-generation optical formats have recently moved closer to parity. In June, the HD-DVD camp quietly announced it had successfully, in replication, produced 45GB triple layer discs. Although this was simply a trial run, according to an HD DVD spokesperson, the 45GB triple-layer disc should be formally to the HD-DVD spec at a September meeting of the DVD Forum. If approved, the triple-layer disc will narrow the capacity gap between the competing formats considerably, but not completely. Blu-ray already has a single-layer 25GB disc and a dual-layer 50GB disc; HD-DVD has a single-layer 15GB disc, a dual-layer 30GB, and then the triple-layer 45GB disc.

Does capacity matter to you? Which would you rather have: The three disc options of HD-DVD, or the two larger-disc options of Blu-ray?"

¶ D.Vader // 8/10/2005 10:22:00 AM // PermaLink //

Sony PS3 Fans need to Buy a Microsoft Xbox 360?

"Based on an analyst report circulating this week that Sony might delay the Sony PS3 launch to 2007 if the Microsoft Xbox 360 is a flop. Continuing this thought one could think this would imply that Sony PS3 fans should buy a Xbox 360 to make sure they get a Sony PS3 in 2006.

My opinion is that it will not be that easy for Sony. The Microsoft Xbox 360 will most likely be a hit. Halo 3 and Xbox Live are just some of the hot arguments for the Xbox 360. More discussions on this topic on Slashdot.

In other news the Xbox 360 launch date for Europe has been apparently set to November 25th reports GamesIndustry.biz. The US Xbox 360 launch date is rumored a to be either November 4th, or around the 20th [sources indicate the 25th]. The UK Xbox 360 pricing rumored ar supposed to be around $500, which is extremely high compared to the $299 rumored for the Xbox 360 US pricing."

¶ D.Vader // 8/10/2005 09:51:00 AM // PermaLink //

Both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 Equally Anticipated...

Both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 Equally Anticipated by Enthusiasts

"Next-Gen Consoles Equally Looked-Forward, Says [X-bit] Poll

Approximately equal amount of X-bit labs readers web-site are looking forward to buy Microsoft Xbox 360 or Sony PlayStation 3 game consoles. However, loads of personal computer enthusiasts are going to acquire neither of the forthcoming consoles, according to a recent poll by X-bit labs.

Sony’s PlayStation 3 seems to be a little bit more popular than Microsoft’s Xbox 360 among X-bit labs readers, who mostly come from the U.S. or Europe: 23% of the polled said they were going to acquire Sony’s game machine, while 20% said they were planning to buy Microsoft’s console, according to the poll. Only 5% indicated intention to get Nintendo’s Revolution device, which is due later than the new PlayStation and Xbox. About 46% of surveyed answered that they had no plans to get gaming machines at all.

The poll reflects that both Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 game consoles are very competitive in the eyes of potential buyers. At the same time, a huge amount of potential customers of Microsoft and Sony, who currently say that they have no objective to get a PlayStation or an Xbox, means that console makers have a large market to address with their marketing campaigns.

According to a recent survey in Japan, 60% of consumers claimed PlayStation 3 to be the most interesting among the next-generation consoles, 8% were looking forward Nintendo Revolution gaming machine and only 2% were to acquire Microsoft Xbox 360. About 30% could not decide.

Approximately 1500 readers of X-bit labs web-site, who are mostly English-speaking highly-educated computer enthusiasts, took part in the poll in mid-July."

With the exception of Nintendo, this is no big surprise. I thought Ninny would fare a bit better then 5%, but they have been quiet. MS and Sony have been beating the hype drum mercilessly.

¶ D.Vader // 8/10/2005 09:37:00 AM // PermaLink //

Gamers Prefer PS3, [Xbox] 360

Gamers Prefer PS3, 360

"When Ziff Davis Media (you know, the people who own 1UP) plopped the results from their annual Digital Gaming in America study in my lap, hours upon late night hours were spent sorting out statistics and slides, and we came away with a slew of interesting bits about gamer's attitudes towards next-generation.

Before we move on, the basics. This blind study was conducted by the Strategy Group using natural selection via telephone, projected to the entire US and took place from May to July of this year. 1,558 total surveys were collected during this three month span.

Now, onto what matters! 37% are considering purchasing a PlayStation 3 over the next 12 months, with Xbox 360 close behind with 34% and Revolution trailing at 14%. That's a surprising jump for Microsoft, considering the study found only 30% owned an Xbox compared to 51% with a PlayStation 2. If this study's an indication, they've made some serious ground in the minds of gamers this past generation." [more]

¶ D.Vader // 8/10/2005 09:13:00 AM // PermaLink //

I Was Right: Xbox 360 Will Kill Media Center

"Jason Dunn over at Digital Media Thoughts had a post a while ago about his visit to Microsoft where he got his hands on the Xbox 360:

A common question I've seen in our forums is how the Xbox deals with media. There's a 20GB hard drive on board that can be used for ripping CDs - there's a CD ripping client (I didn't see it though) that will connect to the 'Net and download track names - my assumption is that it will only rip to WMA and at a certain bit rate. The Xbox 360 will also have the ability to play photos and videos (WMV only I think) from external devices, so you can hook up your Zen Micro and play music off of it, and someone mentioned you could connect a USB thumb drive with videos and it would work. I don't know if you'll be able to copy over videos and photos from external sources - the Xbox 360 seems to be largely focused on being a conduit for content coming from another computer. On the plus side, however, you'll be able to install the Windows Media Connect software on any PC you have in the home, and the Xbox 360 will be able to access it.

So let’s do a quick checklist – the Xbox 360 can pull music, photos, and video off of any computer (or device) with Windows Media Connect? And it can also rip CD’s right to the hard drive? Plus it can play high-end video games and eventually will play HD DVD’s? Sounds like a ‘media center’ to me.

The only thing missing is TV but that’s an awful lot of money/resources for a new media center computer just for TV."

¶ D.Vader // 8/10/2005 12:11:00 AM // PermaLink //

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Will Europe & Japan have Xbox 360 shortages?

By: Richard Allen

According to research reported on last week by analysts Piper Jaffray, the Xbox 360 could face serious supply problems for the Christmas season. As reported the research firm estimates up to 400,000 in Europe and up to 200,000 units in Japan by the end of 2005. The big question is will this be enough to satisfy demand during the busiest shopping season of year. If the Xbox 360 takes off, will 1,000,000 units be enough for us greedy Americans?

¶ D.Vader // 8/09/2005 02:08:00 PM // PermaLink //

Xbox 360 connector pics reveal inside story

"We had a chance to stick our nose behind the glorious and quite ready Xbox 360 console. We saw this unit at Siggraph last and we thought that you might be interested to know what are you going to be able to connect from the back of this console when it appears.

There are just a few ports on this relatively small console. As you would expect, one of the key connectors is for a power cable. This port is anything but exciting as it is using same old power connector and cable but you need it to provide some juice to the console. You can see this one at the bottom of the picture below.

The yellow cable at the top is a normal 100 bit Ethernet cable that will let you connect your console to the wacky world of the Internet. This comes as no surprise as many homes use DSL modems or similar devices, using a plain LAN connector to get on the net.

The black port and cable next to the LAN cable is a USB port. There may be more on the final unit. You will connect your Xbox 360 game controller to this and you might want to connect more than one at some point. We actually managed to have this controller in our hands and it felt just fine and dandy.

Possibly the most exciting connector is the video out connector. Many people might wonder how will you be able to connect your console on your TV or even a display. It turns out that at this point Xbox 360 can use Composite and S Video out, two standards widely used in the USA. We are sure that the console will come with SCART cable support for European market but we cannot confirm this yet. It's interesting that the Xbox 360 can be connected to VGA displays as the demo unit at Siggraph was using VGA 720P resolution.

We also learned that the console supports all the other HD resolutions such as 480P and the top of the notch one 1080i. Your next generation display or HD TV set would be just perfect for a new console but your old TV should be just fine."

¶ D.Vader // 8/09/2005 01:37:00 PM // PermaLink //

102 Free Games from 1UP.COM [Free to Download]

102 Free Games from 1UP.COM

1Up and the guys at Computer Gaming World have provided links for 102 games that are: free to own, free to try or free to add on. Here is a list of the free to own games:

Absolute Mastermind
Babylon 5: I've Found Her
Cloudphobia
Highway Pursuit
Head Over Heels
King's Quest
Maniac Mansion
The New Adventures of Zak McKracken
Warning Forever
octis
Tyrian 2000
GLTron
N
Quazatron

Link: 102 Free Games from 1UP.COM

¶ D.Vader // 8/09/2005 01:09:00 PM // PermaLink //

Metroid Cubed

This is a bit old, but I just came accross it. Evidently someone made a conversion of the classic 1986 Nintendo game "Metroid" and created volumetric 3D graphics based on the original 2D graphics, using a customized voxel sculpting tool. Shockwave is required.

"Think of it as rebuilding the game using special micro Lego blocks, using the original graphics to choose the colors."

Link: Metroid Cubed

¶ D.Vader // 8/09/2005 12:49:00 PM // PermaLink //

Getting Naked

"Hardcore gamers know about the many arousing game mods out there. Granted none of them - as far as we know - has involved an actual sex act like Grand Theft Auto's (GTA) mod, but there are still plenty of available patches available for download if you want to add nudity content to your games. Jack Thompson, who is famous for very loudly denouncing the terrible effects of sex and violence in video games, might use this article in his next press release." [more]

Games Highlighted in the Article...
Tomb Raider
Half-Life 2
No One Lives Forever
The Sims 2
Giants: Citizen Kabuto
Neverwinter Nights
Duke Nukem 3D
Dead Or Alive 2
Max Payne 2
World Of Warcraft

¶ D.Vader // 8/09/2005 12:09:00 PM // PermaLink //

Relying on Video Game Sequels

"Electronic Arts, the world's biggest video game maker, plans to release Madden N.F.L. '06 on Tuesday. It is the 18th annual version of an increasingly lifelike game that lets players be the quarterback of a pro football team, and that sells millions of copies each year.

In this year's edition, a slice of the field lights up to give the quarterback better vision and throwing precision when he makes a pass. It also lets players follow the athletes' off-the-field activities.

But Steve Perry, 35, once an avid Madden fan, won't be lining up to buy the game. He said he dropped the habit several years ago, after his daughter was born and he tired of spending $50 to get an update of a title he already owned.

"I'm not willing to jump along and buy a new one each time," said Mr. Perry, who works in sales for a newspaper in San Antonio. "I'm not going to fall prey to that."

His complaint underscores a potential problem for Electronic Arts, which has suffered financial setbacks this year. Increasingly, industry analysts and game reviewers are wondering if the company's dependence on sequels is a sign that it is losing its creative edge.

By year's end, Electronic Arts plans to release 26 new games, all but one of them a sequel, including the 16th version of N.H.L. Hockey, the 11th of the racing game Need for Speed and the 13th of the P.G.A. Tour golf game. The company also relies heavily on creating games based on movies like the James Bond and Lord of the Rings series, rather than developing original brands.

"There's a feeling of franchise fatigue. Gamers are wondering, 'Do I need to buy this game again this year? I just bought it last year,' " said Mike Hickey, an analyst with Janco Partners, an investment firm in Denver, who has a sell rating on the company's stock.

The reliance on sequels and licensed media properties, he said, is "dampening the creative spirit."" [more]

¶ D.Vader // 8/09/2005 11:39:00 AM // PermaLink //

Who Needs 20,000 Blu-ray Discs per Month Today?

"A story (Subscription) in the Japanese Nihon Keizai Shimbun Saturday morning news paper talks about TDK's Blu-ray disc plans.

Apparently TDK is already producing 20,000 Blu-ray discs per month today. By the end of 2006 the monthly Blu-ray disc output should reach 500,000 discs.
Is TDK just producing Blu-ray discs for the Sony PS3? The whole mess over the next generation DVD format is not settled yet (HD DVD versus Blu-ray), but it looks like TDK is already moving full steam ahead supporting Sony's Blu-ray. If they do it for the Sony PS3 it makes sense. If they do it for HD movies it would be risky. Who knows what format will prevail. I just hope we end up with one and not with two.

TDK showed a 100GB Blu-ray disc in May."

¶ D.Vader // 8/09/2005 11:14:00 AM // PermaLink //

Toshiba, Clariant develop 30GB recordable HD-DVD

"Swiss chemical company Clariant International and Japan's Toshiba have jointly developed a dye that is necessary for dual-layer recordable HD-DVD discs capable of storing 30GB of data, they said Friday.

HD-DVD is one of two next-generation optical disc formats that are competing to replace today's DVDs. The other format is Blu-ray Disc.

In addition to developing the dye, which is used on each recording layer, the two companies also produced prototype dual-layer discs and verified that they work, said Junko Furuta, a spokeswoman for Toshiba in Tokyo.

At present, the highest capacity HD-DVD-R discs that have been standardised are single-layer 15GB discs. The two companies have already proposed the dual-layer disc to the DVD Forum standards body with the hope that approval will come by the end of this year, said Furuta.

There are two other formats that make up the HD-DVD family. The read-only HD-DVD-ROM format will be used for prerecorded content like movies and has already been standardized at 15GB single-layer and 30GB dual-layer. A triple-layer version capable of storing 45GB is going through the standardisation process. There is also a rewritable format called HD-DVD-RW that has been standardised at 20GB. A future version of the rewritable disc that can hold around 32GB is under development."

¶ D.Vader // 8/09/2005 10:01:00 AM // PermaLink //

Monday, August 08, 2005

Why Petition?/Call Jack Thompson!

"We've been asked several times why we're supporting a Online Petition when everybody knows that Politicians don't care about online petitions. We were asked for an answer, so here it is:

Whenever this topic hits the limelight every 6 months or so, all the same people trot out there with the PHD's on both sides of the fence arguing philosophical reasons for and against Video Games. But where are the actual Gamers? Gamers these days are something of a mix between Gen X and the (Much as I am loath to say it) the MTV generation. We cross age boundaries and we cross racial barriers. Being a gamer isn't a classification, it's a way of life. It's knowing that this thing that you enjoy so much is also enjoyed by tens of millions of people around the world.

So the next logical question is 'If there are so many gamers, why is all this negative attention coming at us from politicans and lawyers?'
Simple answer there, it's because its a (relatively) new group. Gamers have been around (at most) 30 or so years, and frankly speaking we're not the ones in power. I wrote an editorial last week about the difference in treatment that violent videogames get versus Movies." [more]

Jack Thompson's crusade against video games is equivalent to book burning! Sign the petition today!

SIGN THE PETITION

¶ D.Vader // 8/08/2005 04:21:00 PM // PermaLink //

I just wanted a video game, not eternal damnation in hell.

"So I was sitting around the other day, playing "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," when suddenly I received an email with an attachment called "hot coffee mod." So I did what I always do when I get programs from strangers in my email: I ran it.

Then I went back to playing the game and didn't notice anything different, except for when I took my in-game girlfriend back home, she now asks "how about a little coffee?" Naturally I got excited, because I was expecting to see a scene with the protagonist, Carl, and his girlfriend, Denise, sipping a tall cup of joe and discussing the finer points of globalization and how cultural distinction will shape future generations. Instead, I was shocked to learn that Denise wasn't talking about a delicious beverage made from roasted beans, but what she was really talking about was SEXUAL INTERCOURSE." [more]

Mattox puts the Hot Coffee in perspective.

¶ D.Vader // 8/08/2005 03:52:00 PM // PermaLink //

XBOX 360 PRICE TAG RUMOURS

"It's not just Sony fans who'll have to work harder for their next-gen machines, according to retailer rumours

A growing number of reports are suggesting that Microsoft is to raise the price tag of the Xbox 360, in response to SCE president Ken Kutaragi's comments that people will want to work extra hours to earn their new-fangled Sony machine.

According to internet whisperings, unnamed retail sources have revealed that Microsoft's next-gen machine will launch on November 25th in the UK, mere days after its US release, with a whopping asking price of 299 being heavily touted.

The original price tag was rumoured to be around the 249 mark, but Sony's insistance that consumers work overtime for their PS3s appears to have had a knock-on effect in the Microsoft camp.

Currently, this is all still in the misty realms of speculation, with sources admitting that the price is a "best guess" based on information from Microsoft. However, it's also claimed that the company plans to make an announcement to industry officials on August 15th, with a public confirmation two days later at the Leipzig Gaming Convention.

It's probably best to take the rumours with a pinch of salt until that official confirmation arrives - Microsoft had significant trouble shifting the the original Xbox at its launch price of 299, so it seems unlikely that the company would make the same mistake again.

Still, with the Leipzig Gaming Convention happening next week, we don't have long to wait before all is revealed."

¶ D.Vader // 8/08/2005 02:24:00 PM // PermaLink //

Nintendo Revolution: Free Online Service

"Nintendo's public image, Reggie Fils-Aime spoke about Nintendo's plans with their next console. Reggie is also the former senior vice president of marketing at VH1 has been helping push Nintendo back into a frontrunner position and translating Nintendo president Satoru Iwata's cryptic statements on innovation into a language for the common gamer.

Let's start off now with Revolution by getting to the online side of things. How that going to be different from what's already out there? Microsoft had it pretty well handled with Xbox Live.

RFA: As we get into the Internet space, the first way we're going to get there, obviously, is with Nintendo DS, which is going to be having wireless-enabled games for this holiday season. So principles that we're applying for DS are the same principles we're going to apply for Revolution, which is, we want to make it easy and included for the consumer. We want our games to be, if you will, optimized for online play. We want it to be free, so that there are no cost barriers, but we want it to be an overall fun experience so that there's also no what I call experience barriers.

By doing all that, we believe we can drive up our participation rate of online play to be well in excess of about the 15 percent you see today. And the 15 percent comes from a number of industry sources, but if you think about it, 15 out of every 100 consumers who buy an online game actually go and play it online. That's pretty small. Versus what we want to see, for example, with Mario Kart, is we want to see 80, 90, 95, near 100 percent of folks who actually enjoy the experience so much, who have access to the experience, to go do it online.

That, philosophically, is quite different than what our competitors do. There's going to be no subscription fee; we're not looking at this as a profit-driven program. We're looking at it as a way to bring more enjoyment and satisfaction to the game. And we think with what we're doing on Kart, what we're going to be doing on Animal Crossing, what we're going to be doing on future Revolution wireless Internet games, we think that's a fundamentally different model than what's being done today."

¶ D.Vader // 8/08/2005 01:26:00 PM // PermaLink //

Breaking: Nintendo Revolution Controller Shown in Japan

Breaking: Nintendo Revolution Controller Shown in Japan

"Japanese conference reveals the news we've all been waiting for...

We can confirm this is 100% authentic. Below is a photograph of an image of the Revolution controller that was circulated to members of the press at the conference. The actual controller was only held up at the front, with nobody allowed to touch it. But we can now exclusively reveal that at present the Revolution controller will look like the one below:

Okay, we're just having a laugh. Just one browse of Google News is enough to see a whole plethora of totally ridiculous Nintendo Revolution controllers. In celebration of this annoying trend of madness, some clever little person has made a website where you can design your very own uber-cool Revolution controller, just like every other Photoshoper in the world!

Click here to have a go. Whilst you do this, we're going to laugh at how many hits this article gets. Enjoy!"

A little humor from Cubed3.

Related Link:
Nintendo Controller Fake Editor

¶ D.Vader // 8/08/2005 12:51:00 PM // PermaLink //

Xbox 360 to launch in Europe on November 25 - senior UK sources

"High price tag expected for hardware and games following Kutaragi's PS3 price warning

Highly placed sources in the UK industry have told GamesIndustry.biz that the Xbox 360 is set to launch in Europe on November 25th, with the US launch preceding a few days earlier - and the price tag may be as high as UKP 299.

According to our sources, speaking under conditions of strict anonymity, the official announcement of the European date will be made by Microsoft to its trade partners on the 15th of this month, two days before a public announcement at Game Convention in Leipzig.

While they were confident of the dates being mooted, the price of the system remains less certain - with our sources indicating that Microsoft itself may not have made up its mind on the matter as yet.

"The original plan was UKP 249, but now that Sony is talking about the PS3 being expensive, UKP 299 is looking more likely," according to one source - although it was admitted that this pricing is a "best guess" based on information from Microsoft, not an official figure by any means.

Even allowing for the higher tax rates here in Europe, a UKP 299 price point would translate as around $500 in the US, which is significantly higher than is currently anticipated by most market watchers - among whom the general consensus is that the system will launch at $300, suggesting a UK price point of under UKP 200.

One area of pricing which our independent sources were more certain of was the pricing of software, with Xbox 360 titles likely to hit shelves at around UKP 44.99 - a price premium over current generation software which Microsoft is said to be unhappy with, but which has been driven by demands from third party publishers.

Microsoft this afternoon declined to comment on the reports, saying simply that "we have nothing to announce at this time.""

¶ D.Vader // 8/08/2005 12:07:00 PM // PermaLink //

Xbox 360: New Pictures & Side by Side Comparison

"Yesterday, the Xbox 360 made an unexpected appearance at GameCon 7, Ireland’s biggest multi-format gaming event. No playable content or new game trailers were available to the attendants but they had the chance to get their hands on the console and the wireless controller; which everyone agreed feels more comfortable than the current Xbox controllers.

In the pictures below, you can see close-ups of the Xbox 360, the wireless controller as well as side by side shots of the Xbox 360 with the current Xbox and their respective controllers.

Available this holiday season in Europe, Japan and North America, Xbox 360 is the next-generation video game and entertainment system from Microsoft." [more]

¶ D.Vader // 8/08/2005 10:40:00 AM // PermaLink //

Major Third Party Developers Sing the Praises of the PS3

Major Third Party Developers Sing the Praises of the PLAYSTATION 3

"PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3) Earns the Respect of the Game Development Community
The Following are supporting comments from select third party developers and publishers. (In alphabetical order of company name).

“With the new generation PlayStation platform, we can create “GUNDAM WORLD” with the quality no one has ever imagined. The philosophy, connecting millions of Cell together, makes reality get closer to the world of SF films. We are delighted to share the vision of Ken, ARCHITECT, Kutaragi.”
-Shin Unozawa, Managing Director, Leader, Game Software Group, President, Video Game Company, BANDAI CO.,LTD.

“The PLAYSTATION 3 has us really excited! So much so in fact that we are already working our hardest to get Devil May Cry 4 out for this new platform. New hardware always yields more options for developers to create exciting and fresh gameplay experiences. I believe that the PS3 is one piece of hardware that will test the mettle of our development team and help us to create some of the most amazing games, limited only by our imagination.”
-Keiji Inafune, Managing Executive Officer, Research & Development Division, Capcom Co., Ltd.

“Each generation of PlayStation has made a dramatic improvement in how we create and play videogames. PLAYSTATION 3 will be a breakthrough in how the world experiences entertainment. EA is fully aligned with Sony Computer Entertainment – we share their vision and applaud their success. ”
-Larry Probst, Chairman and CEO, Electronic Arts

“President Kutaragi has thrown down a gauntlet. That gauntlet is called the PLAYSTATION 3. We here at KOEI have gladly taken up the challenge, and are striving day and night to take full advantage of all the PS3's new possibilities. Our goal is to combine cutting-edge technology with a full range of artistic expression to deliver the ultimate form of entertainment, and please people everywhere.”
-Keiko Erikawa, Chairman & C.E.O., KOEI Co., Ltd.

“With the arrival of the next generation computer entertainment system PLAYSTATION 3, I believe it will be possible for graphic expressions, more beautiful than before, to coexist with more deep and evolved game play which utilize the Cell architecture. I also have high expectations for the evolution by the online features that will be enhanced. We will utilize the features of the new platform and will strive to create contents that will bring new excitement for our users world wide, so please have high hopes for Konami. ”
-Kazumi Kitaue, CEO, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.

“Each time SCEI launches a console, the video games business moves to the next level. With PLAYSTATION 3 it looks as if it might be time for interactive entertainment to become, finally, the world's dominant artistic medium. ”
-Sam Houser, President, Rockstar Games (Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.)

“We at Namco have used and will continue to use the advancements in audio-visual technology to deliver games that are not only appealing to the eyes and ears, but that stir emotions, speak to the heart, and remain in players’ minds for years to come. We are confident that the PLAYSTATION 3 is an entertainment system that will enable us to do just that.”
-Shigeru Yokoyama, CT Company President, Namco Ltd.

“Next-generation hardware platforms will enable SEGA to create new game concepts that offer more immersive interactive experiences. SEGA continues to pursue the fusion of creativity and technology by publishing only the best, more innovative content to gamers around the world.”
-Hisao Oguchi, President and Chief Operating Officer, SEGA Corporation

“Square Enix is extremely honored to have had the chance to provide you with this technical demonstration of what the Cell processor can bring to the PLAYSTATION 3 and the world of gaming. We are committed to fully backing SCEI’s new computer entertainment system and plans to bring the FINAL FANTASY series to the PS3 are just beyond the horizon.”
-Yoichi Wada, President, SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD.

“Ubisoft was one of the first major international developers to have its teams start focusing on next generation consoles. We are looking forward to developing outstanding games on Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.’s new system. Its powerful features will help take the industry to an even higher level in the very near future.”
-Yves Guillemot, President and CEO, Ubisoft"

¶ D.Vader // 8/08/2005 09:20:00 AM // PermaLink //

Sunday, August 07, 2005

PlayStation 3 to run OS X? Oh, please!

"I’m really disappointed with some of the stuff I’ve been reading on Mac sites about Sony’s PlayStation 3 console, and I’d like to clear the air.

Sony Magazine, an official Sony public relations outlet in the U.K., has posted details about the PlayStation 3, Sony’s next generation video game console that the company is expected to debut some time in 2006. None of what’s in there is particularly noteworthy, at least if you’ve been following the coverage here in Macworld’s Game Room and elsewhere. but several Mac news and rumor sites have grabbed hold of one tantalizing tidbit at the end of the article and let their imaginations run amuck." [more]

Well here you have the other opinion. The fact is we don't know if PS3 will run OS X. These details will emerge closer to launch. With the install base of the PS2, Apple would be idiotic not to want to port OS X to PS3. If the PS3 does become the hub of the living room, it would provide a great platform for Apple Itunes.

¶ D.Vader // 8/07/2005 12:41:00 PM // PermaLink //