The Console Wars: 09.25.2005 | Xbox 360, Playstation 3 PS3, Revolution

Saturday, October 01, 2005

PlayStation 3 price still being debated

"Sony Computer Entertainment executive says next-gen price point still undetermined; explains dearth of playable PS3 games at TGS 2005.

With Microsoft announcing its worldwide pricing scheme for the Xbox 360, the onus is now on Sony Computer Entertainment to decide how much its PlayStation 3 will cost consumers.

However, SCE also needs to assure third-party publishers that its next-gen console will be affordable for a wide enough audience to ensure PS3 games will be profitable to make. Recently, Koei CEO Keiko Erikawa commented that her company would consider shifting to another platform if PS3 development proves too expensive. This is despite the fact the company is currently a big supporter of the PS3, announcing two new games at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show alone.

In an interview published in the latest issue of Famitsu, SCE executive Masatsuka Saeki emphasized that the pricing of the PS3 remains a vital--and difficult--issue for Sony. He confirmed that the company has not yet decided on a price, saying that it will be the subject of debate until the last possible minute.

When asked why there were no playable PS3 games at the 2005 Tokyo Game Show, as previously promised by SCE president Ken Kutaragi, Saeki revealed that there was a long discussion inside Sony before the show opened. While many executives argued that it would be good for the public to play demos, eventually the decision was made to only show E3-style trailers, as it was the first time the PS3 was being shown publicly in Japan.

When asked if there would be any changes to the February PS3 event where playable demos will be on hand, Saeki did not respond directly. However, he did say that SCE is planning something for the event that is sure to be a "major" surprise."

¶ D.Vader // 10/01/2005 01:48:00 PM // PermaLink //

Xbox 360 Hitting Japanese Colleges

Xbox 360 Hitting Japanese Colleges

"Another attempt to open Japan up to Microsoft's machine.

Okay, the original Xbox didn't fair so well in Japan, but Microsoft appears to be doing their best to make sure that history doesn't repeat itself.

Hoping to inform college students and the public about Xbox 360 next-generation gaming, executive officer of Microsoft Japan Yoshihiro Maruyama will be giving a free lecture on October 7th at the Tama Campus of Chu-ou College in Tokyo.

The theme of Maruyama's lecture is "Xbox 360 and HD Entertainment." In the lecture, Maruyama will discuss Microsoft's vision of the three pillars of HD Entertainment: Hi-Def, Online, and Customization. In addition, Maruyama will also be speaking about Xbox 360 and Microsoft's future post-launch vision.

This lecture will be open to the general public, not just university students. Besides MMOs, online games haven't really taken off in the country; it'd be interesting if this and Microsoft's 360 vision helped get the Japanese gaming public excited.

In the end, the December launch will tell us once and for all whether MS's new marketing approach in Japan has been a success."

¶ D.Vader // 10/01/2005 01:45:00 PM // PermaLink //

Friday, September 30, 2005

Banpresto Shows Xbox 360 Support

"With more and more Japanese developers showing support for Microsoft's newest console, Banpresto has decided it won't be left out of the party, and has announced support for the system in the form of two games.

The first game is another entry in the company's wildly popular Super Robot Wars series, wherein giant mecha from multiple different anime band together and blow things up in an SRPG game. More recently, the company has announced its intention of publishing developer Softmax's Magna Carta 2 on the Xbox 360 - a surprising move, since the original Magna Carta was released on PlayStation 2 in Japan November of 2004, and this coming winter will see the release of Magna Carta Portable on the PSP.

While Banpresto hasn't given a precise release date, it has promised a 2007 release for the game. The chances of Magna Carta 2 releasing on North American shores probably depends on the sales figures of the PlayStation 2 version of Magna Carta, which is aimed to be released later this year by Atlus."

¶ D.Vader // 9/30/2005 12:43:00 PM // PermaLink //

Half of all Xbox 360 owners will use Live - Bach

Half of all Xbox 360 owners will use Live - Bach

"European launch titles to be announced 'in the very near future'

Microsoft executive Robbie Bach has predicted that half of those who buy an Xbox 360 will sign up for Xbox Live, despite the lack of interest in the online service amongst current Xbox owners.

Speaking to Famitsu magazine, Bach admitted that the number of current-generation console owners who have subscribed to Live stands at just 2 million - around 10 per cent of the installed user base.

But he's confident that offering the free "Silver" version of Xbox Live to 360 will ensure that around 50 per cent of purchasers will take their console online. That doesn't mean they'll be playing online, though - consumers will have to pay for a "Gold" subscription for that privilege.

When asked about the potential for massively-multiplayer online gaming on 360, Bach said that it would have been unrealistic to try and get an MMO up and running immediately after a console launch. However, he did promise that a "new MMO" will be available on Xbox 360 within the next three years." [more]

¶ D.Vader // 9/30/2005 12:28:00 PM // PermaLink //

Xbox 360 Causes Riots

"Grand Theft Auto staffers reported to be working on next generation title.

One of the latest rumors out of Japan seems like it will actually cause more of a splash in America. According to a few sources, former Grand Theft Atuo staffers are at work on a new game for the Xbox 360 called 'Riot Act.' This title will apparently be unveiled in the debut issue of Famitsu Xbox 360, which is set to hit shops on Friday.

That's all the info we have at this point, but mere word of a game backed by GTA talent on powerful next gen hardware is enough to make the maguro just jump right off our plates. Stay tuned for more, hopefully later this week."

¶ D.Vader // 9/30/2005 12:27:00 PM // PermaLink //

Origen Xbox 360 Mystery Ends

Origen Xbox 360 Mystery Ends

"The mystery has finally come to an end as the Origen Xbox 360 countdown to September 27th finally concluded. Origen is a Microsoft-organized contest for some lucky gamers from the Old Continent to win one of two places to an event celebrating the launch of the Xbox 360 in the United States for three nights in November 2005.

Origen will ask you three randomly-generated test questions that'll test how good you are at sorting the hard facts from the wild rumors. Get each question right and complete their Fact or Fiction tie-breaker and you could win. Get a question wrong and you're out.

Mambo, que rico el Mambo. Mambo, para gozar! " [link]

¶ D.Vader // 9/30/2005 01:41:00 AM // PermaLink //

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Nintendo challenges gaming basics

"Nintendo's next generation games console, the Revolution, has no intention of becoming the living room's digital media hub.

The upcoming Microsoft Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will vie to be the home's gaming and media hub, as part of the strategy to widen gaming's appeal.

But Revolution aims to shake the basic formula of gaming to attract new people to the world of gaming, says Nintendo.

Microsoft starts the next-gen console war on 22 November in the US.

Sony and Nintendo follow with their wares in 2006.

Changing basics

Although there are scarce technical details about the Revolution, Jim Merrick, senior marketing director for Nintendo, told the BBC News website that it would offer new possibilities and a completely different experience by changing gaming's basic formula.

"By following conventional wisdom of making bigger, faster games, we were narrowing our audience more to hardcore gamers," he said.

A decision was made to change that thinking and "reach out" to non-traditional potential gamers.

Image of Microsoft's Xbox
The Xbox plans to be a digital entertainment hub
This is in line with what Sony, Microsoft and the wider games industry wants to do. By reaching out with gaming gear and titles that appeal to more people, more money is made.

Each of the next-generation consoles promise to change the gaming experience too.

But Sony and Microsoft's strategy differs from Nintendo's. The Revolution is not intended to be a digital entertainment hub housing all your digital content that can be accessible throughout the home.

"Our core business is not about the electronic distribution of content. Our expertise is making great games," said Mr Merrick.

Revolution does aim to take a comfortable spot in the living however: "It has to fit your lifestyle," explained Mr Merrick.

But the games industry has to do more to provide a platform that demonstrates a compelling reason why a next generation of gaming technology is needed, said Mr Merrick.

"The Xbox 360 is a technically delicate machine," he added.

"It has good processors and graphics, but it is a Xbox on steroids. They have not changed the basic formula at all," he argued." [more]

¶ D.Vader // 9/29/2005 02:32:00 PM // PermaLink //

Xbox 360 Promotional Material Arriving At Stores

"With the console launch less then two months away, Microsoft has begun sending promotional material to retail stores world wide.

Microsoft has sent out promotional material to many retailers to begin the Xbox 360 marketing blitz. Stores like Best Buy, Target, and Circuit City have all received posters showing an Xbox 360 sitting above an Xbox with the words “heir to the throne.” Other promotional materials include take-home card cut outs of the concave design of the console.

As reported here last week Microsoft and Rare will also begin a huge Perfect Dark Zero promotional blitz beginning early October, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled."

¶ D.Vader // 9/29/2005 02:31:00 PM // PermaLink //

FaceOff - Xbox 360 Faceplate Design Competition

We should have seen this coming. The Xbox 360 features interchangable faceplates to customize the look of the unit to suit your lifestyle. The site www.faceoff.co.nr provides you with a photoshop template so you can share your artistic skills with the world. Enter as many times as you like, the deadline for entries is December 19th, 2005.

Link: 360 FaceOff

¶ D.Vader // 9/29/2005 02:29:00 PM // PermaLink //

New Turok Game With Unreal Engine 3? [Xbox 360]

"Buena Vista Games announced today that they have licensed the Unreal Engine 3 for a number of next gen projects, and the first title under that agreement is a title 'based on the popular Turok franchise.'

The game will be developed by BVG's newly created Propaganda Games studio located in Vancouver. So, let's recap: New development studio, new engine, next gen system, faltering franchise... sounds like it could be a recipe for disaster, but let's keep our fingers crossed and hope the game has more in common with the third N64 Turok game than Turok Evolution. However, the studio's founders had a hand in creating the original NBA Street, as well as Def Jam and its sequel. Hey, developers who leave EA to make their own studios can't be THAT bad, right?

A quick search on Propaganda Games at GameStats reveals that apparently not only is 'Turok Next' hitting the Xbox 360, but also the original Xbox, PS2, PSP, and DS. Interesting. Globetechnology interviewed the main men behind the new studio back in July, and they seem to be on the ball when it comes to what Turok fans will be expecting and what they plan to deliver. Let's hope this turns out well for a franchise that's had more than its share of ups and downs."

¶ D.Vader // 9/29/2005 02:25:00 PM // PermaLink //

Hideo Kojima’s “Hide-O.Blog” Now Online

"It’s pretty tough to read, from what I could tell he had a soar shoulder the other day from teaching his son how to do a handstand. Check out this bit of poetic Engrish prose:

1 week it passes exactly from TGS end.
3 days, it was hard schedule, but it was pleasant.
Now it seems like after the celebration, just a little lonesome feeling.
The cool air withstands.

The cool air withstands. I know where you’re coming from brother." [more]

Related Link: KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS - HIDEOBLOG Translated Via Babelfish

¶ D.Vader // 9/29/2005 02:15:00 PM // PermaLink //

Canadians Get Their Chance To Win Xbox 360 From Pepsi

"From a press release issued yesterday Pepsi and Dorito's are working together to offer Canadian gamers a chance to win an Xbox 360 every hour, before the console hits store shelves.

In anticipation of what is expected to be massive worldwide demand for the new Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, the makers of Pepsi and Doritos are giving Canadians a once-in-a-lifetime chance to win the highly-anticipated next-generation entertainment Xbox 360 prior to general retail availability. In total, Pepsi and Doritos are giving away close to 1,000 Xbox 360 consoles throughout the 6-week contest.

For every hour from midnight on October 2nd through midnight on November 10th, Canadians can be eligible to win the new Xbox 360, one of the most powerful and feature-packed entertainment systems ever. All consumers need to do is enter a PIN number (found on labels and inside packages of specially-marked Pepsi and Doritos products) at www.befirsttoplay.ca and they are entered in the hourly draw for a chance to win a console.

"This is truly a unique offering for Canadian consumers. Where else can Canadians earn the bragging rights of having one of the first Xbox 360 consoles before they are available in stores?" said Richard Burjaw, Vice President of Marketing at Pepsi-Cola Canada Ltd.

"We are always looking for innovative ways to reward our consumers," said Dale Hooper, Vice President of Marketing at Frito Lay Canada Ltd. "Gaming has become the new social in-thing and the Xbox 360 will provide the ultimate digital entertainment thrill ride."

"This association is a great way to put the future of gaming in the hands of Canadians," said Jason Anderson, Head of Marketing, Xbox, Microsoft Canada Co. "We are very excited to be working with Frito Lay and Pepsi to give gamers across the country the chance to be first to own an Xbox 360."" [more]

Related Link: www.befirsttoplay.ca

¶ D.Vader // 9/29/2005 02:06:00 PM // PermaLink //

Origen Xbox 360 More Than Meets the Eye

"Earlier today the mystery surrounding Origen Xbox 360 was finally revealed, or was it? After some tinkering around TeamXbox has uncovered what Microsoft really has in store for Europe, and it's much more than 2 spots at Origen. The game has just begun, round one anyway.

Over the course of the weeks to come in October gamers in Europe will have at least four more chances at a trip to Origen, as the game plays out through rounds two and three. Furthermore, it seems as though there will be one lucky grand prize winner taking home the gaming rig of all gaming rigs, worth 10 grand! The 10 grand could be dollars, euros or franks for all we know, but a gaming rig worth 10 thousand anything sounds like a nice deal. At the least we expect an Xbox 360, an HDTV, and a 5.1 surround system.

After looking through http requests made by the flash that makes up the Origen Xbox 360 website, it became clear that all the dialog between the rabbits is stored in an xml file. The xml is very long, and some of it consists of error messages, link titles, and a lot of other very useless text." [more]

¶ D.Vader // 9/29/2005 02:02:00 PM // PermaLink //

Xbox 360 vs. Playstation 3 vs. Nintendo Revolution: Growing the Market

Xbox 360 vs. Playstation 3 vs. Nintendo Revolution: Growing the Market

"Growing the Market: Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, together.

Nintendo's Satoru Iwata talked about the need to grow the market out to new demographics. Nintendo is obviously doing that very blatantly with things like DS and Revolution, while Sony is using things like SingStar to go out to new markets. However, in regards to Xbox 360, he used his family's experience with the system.

Satoru Iwata," I'll give you my own example - my own family, where my wife is not a huge fan of videogames, is not somebody that plays videogames. Yet, when I brought the Xbox 360 home and showed her for half an hour everything it could do, even without showing a game played, she was sold.

She loved the idea of a wireless controller. She loved the idea of the control mechanism for the device itself sitting on the couch. She loved the idea that she could put her MP3 player in, she loved the idea of the family photographs being on the screen, and having the slideshow mode with music streaming in the background. She loved the idea of being able to connect to the PC, whether it's running XP or Media Centre Edition, and being able to do things there that are stored on the hard drive of a PC, whether that's video, whether that's music, whether that's photographs.

So all of that, I think, brought my wife - a very difficult sell from a traditional videogame console point of view - very much into the Xbox 360 fold because of the things it could do from a digital entertainment point of view. I think consumers are demanding that now.

No matter how you're gonna gauge it - we said at E3, we want a billion consumers touched in this next generation by our industry. That was an industry message. Certainly, we can see Nintendo rallying to that cry and reiterating what Robbie said on May 16th; I heard the same words come from Iwata-san of Nintendo yesterday. Their attempt, of course, is to make gaming a little bit more simple, a little bit more approachable.

In the same way, we'll continue to do things like that within our games. We're looking at maybe simplified controls, looking at games that are easier to get into - of course, still difficult to master, but that get you into the gameplay a little easier.

But yeah - we need to grow as an industry. Having a simplified controller is one tactics in what is a larger strategic battle we need to face to grow this business""

¶ D.Vader // 9/29/2005 02:01:00 PM // PermaLink //

Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD: Either Way, The Consumer Loses.

"My ongoing coverage of the inter-DVD industry slapfighting is undertaken entirely because of morbid curiousity. I LOVE it when industries fight like junkyard dogs over minor things, while people are starving, New Orleans and Texas are flooded, and wars are raging all over.

However, not only are people reading it, they're emailing us about it. I got this next piece from a PR firm after my last update. I don't know the technical bits enough to verify them. All the talk of gigapixels or whatever make my eyes glaze over, and that makes reading hard. If this is as good as I think it is, though, it doesn't matter who wins, because the consumer loses either way. Read and judge for yourself. It's a worthwhile read.

DVD Insider 08.21

It has been three-and-a-half years since next generation DVD was first announced (actually CES of 2002) by Sony. To regain its position as the guides to the future, the DVD Forum adopted a different blue ray technology approach AOD (now known as HD DVD) and thus even before present DVD products had gained widespread use, the warlords battle for royalties began anew.

While the two “standards” share blue laser technology shorter wavelength and a more precise ability to focus the laser there are enough differences to make it obvious to even the most casual Tech Watch reader to realize that a compromise solution will be difficult.

More importantly it will be too complex and too expensive to simply take the route Sony took in 2004 of throwing all of the technologies into a single burner and let the consumer choose the write/read solution he or she wants to use. Because the construction of the media and writing layer for BD and HD DVD are completely different between the two the chance for a compromise solution one where both sides save face appears to be slim to none!

Sony has Blu-ray all keyed up for the Playstation 3 (Microsoft just endorsed HD DVD for the Xbox 360), and Blu-ray offers 25GB per layer. HD DVD offers 15GB per layer but reads and writes data at the same depth as DVDs, enabling possibly better backward compatibility. Recently, Toshiba demonstrated a 45GB triple-layer HD DVD. TDK showed a 100GB quad-layer Blu-ray. JVC demonstrated a 33.5GB disc with a 25GB Blu-ray layer combined with 8.5GB DL DVD layers. It's nothing but a blue mess!

The industry appears to have learned nothing from the years of revenue lost in the standards battles. As a result, IDC in their aggressive DVD forecasts show good growth for DVD±R with burner prices now as low as $40 at retail and media in the 30 50 cents range but virtually no sales for blue laser. In the war of news releases from the two sides, the movie studies are fairly evenly split on the support of either BD or HD DVD. All of the copy protection schemes they're pushing to have built into the next-gen discs are almost maliciously attacking consumer wishes. The concept of fair use is all but an anachronism.

Fortunately for software and content developers, both sides have agreed on the same codecs which will simplify development for both approaches. Both will implement MPEG-2, MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 and Microsoft's VC-1. Both can support today’s 480p and 480i content presentation which is not a reason to buy a new digital TV set. However if you have an HDTV set with 780p/i and 1080p/i video viewing you may be persuaded to “need” blue laser recording." [more]

¶ D.Vader // 9/29/2005 02:00:00 PM // PermaLink //

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Halo 3 for Xbox 360 could be near

"Microsoft Xbox 360 and Future's Xbox World Magazine
delivers some news that Halo fans are hoping for. Halo 3 for Xbox 360.

Halo 3 (Click To Enlarge)- Free Image Hosting at www.ImageShack.us

Could the November teaser of Future's Xbox World Magazine be news of Halo 3? Something is going on, and Halo 3 might be closer than we think.

The front cover of the magazine shows a claim by Microsoft "PS3 is Dead", with the game Halo next to it. The November magazine goes on sale September 29th. This has many Halo 3 fans hoping for news of the game.

With Xbox 360 just around the corner, it could mean Halo 3. Microsoft wants to take the market by storm, and before Sony PlayStation 3 which is due for Spring 2006.

Perhaps the game, Halo 3, won't come out this year? If this is wishful thinking, then what is the front cover of the magazine all about?

Oh please tell us."

¶ D.Vader // 9/28/2005 03:00:00 PM // PermaLink //

Will Microsoft Lose $4 Billion On Xbox 360?

"At 60,000 employees and $40 billion in revenues, the company isn’t as nimble as it once was, and newer products are not yet earning the company much money. The Xbox division in particular has lost Microsoft $4 billion in four years.

This next time around, the Xbox 360 campaign appears to have a larger budget. Recently, Microsoft unveil large buildings serving the purpose of 'gaming lounges' that allow gamers to play games before they are released. Like their own private CES, TGS, or E3 shows.

Also, let's not forget the gigantic prize competition to help promote the Xbox 360's launch in America later this year, in which almost 10,000 Xbox 360 consoles will be given away to Mountain Dew and other Pepsi-related soda drinkers.

With the loses Microsoft is taking for Xbox 360, after losing $4 billion on the original Xbox, losing another $4 billion or more means that Microsoft does not expect to make a profit with this next generation cycle either."

¶ D.Vader // 9/28/2005 02:54:00 PM // PermaLink //

Ridge Racer 6 Hands-On (Xbox 360)

"A new console, another Ridge Racer game. It’s quite amazing that this time the new console doesn’t have the name “Sony” emblazoned on it. Whether you are a fan or not of the arcade racing series, there’s no doubting its influence on console launches. It was the first game I purchased when importing my PlayStation for a whopping $500 back in 1994. Namco is hoping that Xbox 360 owners will see the same merits and add Ridge Racer 6 to their collection later this year. A limited demo of the game was on display at the Tokyo Game Show and we managed to get a little time behind the wheel of the latest in the slick, arcade-racing series.

Classic Ridge Racer

Although we expect for Namco to pack in some Xbox 360 exclusive features into their latest effort, the TGS demo was a little on the thin side, but did give a good indication as to how things will feel on the track." [more]

1 video and 4 screenshots via the link.

¶ D.Vader // 9/28/2005 02:35:00 PM // PermaLink //

Infinium Labs Appoints Greg Castronuovo as VP, Marketing

Infinium Labs Appoints Greg Castronuovo as VP, Marketing;
Entertainment Executive to Form New Marketing and Sales Division Focused on Launch of Phantom Game Service

"Infinium Labs Appoints Greg Castronuovo as VP, Marketing; Entertainment Executive to Form New Marketing and Sales Division Focused on Launch of Phantom Game Service

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 12, 2005--Infinium Labs (OTCBB:IFLB) announced today that Greg Castronuovo has been named Vice President of Marketing.

As part of continued restructuring by newly appointed Chief Executive Officer Kevin Bachus, Castronuovo will refocus the marketing and sales efforts of the company with the ultimate goal of launching the Phantom(R) Game Service to market.

"Greg's extensive track record of success in igniting world-class entertainment brands makes him a perfect fit with the Phantom Game Service," said Bachus. "Greg brings a practical, hands-on understanding of what it will take to build on the growing excitement in the marketplace around the first end-to-end, on-demand video game distribution service for the living room."

Prior to joining Infinium Labs, Castronuovo was Vice President of National Promotions and Brand Activation at Virgin Mobile USA, where he was responsible for the launch of the first ever MTV-branded mobile phone.

Castronuovo also served as Vice President of Marketing at World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. where he oversaw the company's global pay-per-view division during its most profitable years. During his tenure at WWE, Castronuovo launched new pay-per-view programs such as "Fanatic Series," and oversaw the launch of "Tough Enough" on MTV, "Smackdown!" on UPN, and "RAW" on Spike TV.

Previously, Castronuovo was Vice President of National Promotions at FOX, where he developed award-winning promotional campaigns for television properties such as "The Billboard Music Awards," "Party of Five," "90210" and "The Teen Choice Awards."

Greg also held various posts at NBC where he established himself as an early pioneer in the field of Internet-based marketing. Working as Director of Interactive Marketing, Castronuovo was responsible for leading the most recognizable television brand and its advertising partners into the digital age with AOL, Yahoo! and Microsoft. Castronuovo also oversaw marketing and sales strategies for NBC Sports franchises, including the Olympics, NBA, NFL, PGA and more. As Director of Entertainment Marketing, Castronuovo opened and operated the network's West Coast marketing office, where he oversaw a team that spearheaded cutting-edge marketing campaigns such as the "3rd Rock From the Sun 3D Extravaganza" with Coca-Cola.

"The time is right for a service that delivers quality video games on-demand straight to the living room television," said Castronuovo. "The video game industry is the most technically advanced entertainment sector and yet it lags behind in broadband content distribution. The Phantom Game Service follows in the tradition of other start-up brands such as TiVo, Netflix, Sirius and XM Radio that have emerged into the market to redefine consumer choice and convenience for entertainment services."

Castronuovo received a bachelor's degree in communications from Washington & Lee University.

About Infinium Labs

Infinium Labs (OTCBB:IFLB) is in development of The Phantom Game Service, the first end-to-end, on-demand game service for delivery to the living room. Delivered over broadband, the Phantom Game Service will offer casual and avid gamers a broad library of titles, available anytime, day or night.

For more information, please visit www.phantom.net.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements included in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from such statements expressed or implied herein as a result of a variety of factors including, but not limited to: the development of the Infinium Labs technology, the successful marketing and distribution of the Phantom Game Service, acceptance by the market of Infinium Labs, products and technology, competition and timing of projects and trends in the gaming industry, as well as other factors expressed from time to time in filings Infinium Labs will make with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). As a result, this press release should be read in conjunction with periodic filings Infinium Labs makes with the SEC. The forward looking statements contained herein are made only as of the date of this press release, and Infinium Labs undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances."

¶ D.Vader // 9/28/2005 02:32:00 PM // PermaLink //

Controller Concepts: Gun Games

"What might a light gun-like attachment for Revolution's controller look like? And how might it function? Speculation and mock-ups inside.

The bigwigs at Nintendo have finally pulled back the curtain on their next-generation system's unique controller. Dubbed the "revolutionary" aspect of the platform prior to the unveiling, it is in hindsight easy to understand why. The Revolution's bold "free-hand-style pointer" unit looks like a slick television remote, but despite its seemingly minimalist design it packs a big gaming punch. Not only does the peripheral enable gamers full-freedom 3D movement in games simply by motioning with the device, but it has been created with expansion in mind. Developers unwilling to acquaint themselves with the pointer can alternatively opt to use a conventional controller shell that more or less mimics the design and functionality of a standard, Wave Bird-like device. Nintendo has also stated that a number of interesting expansions designed for everything from light-gun games to music/rhythm titles may be in the works.

In our Controller Concepts features, IGN takes a look at the possibilities open to Nintendo's new free-hand-style pointer unit with speculative insight supported by mocked-up images.

Gun Games

There is a clear different between the accepted description of a "gun game" and a first-person shooter, but we'll clarify for readers not already aware. Gun games fall into an old-school category best associated with titles like Time Crisis and House of the Dead. These titles employ a light gun device, which users aim at a television screen to target and shoot enemies and objects. Light guns work with television scan lines in order offer shooting accuracy. Console-based first-person shooters, meanwhile, bring to mind popular titles like Doom, Half-Life and Halo. These games often use a dual-analog controller configuration for movement and aiming. Nintendo's free-had-style pointer unit is able to connect with a "nunchuck" add-on (complete with analog stick and triggers), creating a perfect solution for FPS titles. Because the nunchuck unit ships with the pointer in Revolution's box, there's no need for a further add-on for any future Doom or Half-Life sequels.

But what about nostalgic light-gun games? Can they even work with Revolution, and if so, how? The good news is that they can. Traditional light gun titles rely on standard television scan lines to flourish and are not compatible with high-definition television sets. However, the Revolution uses motion sensors to detect precise movement and translate it into pinpoint accuracy, which means that light gun-style titles could be achieved with a new level of precision even on HD setups.

A light gun game like House of the Dead could effectively be played with the Revolution's pointer unit alone. Users would simply aim the device as though it were a gun at on-screen obstacles. That being true, the remote-like shape of the controller hardly conveys the feeling of holding a realistic gun. Thus, there are a number of attachments Nintendo could design to marry the free-hand-style pointer's motion-sensory flexibility with the comfort and aesthetics of a more conventional gun-like cradle." [more]

¶ D.Vader // 9/28/2005 02:27:00 PM // PermaLink //

PS3 may not be 100% backwards compatible

PS3 may not be 100% backwards compatible

"Playstation 3 may not be the all-in-wonder machine when it drops in spring 2006.

A Sony spokesperson admitted to IDG News Service that the company's next-generation console, Playstation 3, may not be 100% backwards compatible with all PS2 and PSone games.

"It’s hard to say the PlayStation 3 will be 100 percent backwards compatible but as we said earlier this year we aim to make it so as much as possible," said Reiko Sakamoto, spokesperson, Sony Computer Entertainment.

The revelation was a result of reported problems playing several PS2 games on the new silver PS2 model (SCPH-75000) scheduled to drop in Japan on Nov. 23.

PS2 games like Tekken 5, and PSone games like Resident Evil 2, saw incompatibility problems like slow data saves and frozen screens." [more]

Well even the PS2 has a few PSOne games incompatable with it. The only trouble with aiming to release a new system with backwards compatability is that your library grows with every generation.

¶ D.Vader // 9/28/2005 11:13:00 AM // PermaLink //

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Nintendo Fans Swarm Mario's Father During New York Visit

"Shigeru Miyamoto gets rock-star treatment during first U.S. public appearance.

The T-shirt in the crowd said it all: "Miyamoto is God."

More than 2,000 gamers lined up Sunday outside the Nintendo World store in Rockefeller Center to get an autograph and trade Nintendogs with Nintendo designer

Shigeru Miyamoto. Those who didn't equate the 51-year-old inventor of "Donkey Kong," "Mario Bros." and "Zelda" to a deity called him "the father of my generation," brought sketches of his face or showed their loyalty by wearing Mario hats, Power Gloves or full Link costumes.

Making his first public appearance in the U.S. since he began work for Nintendo in 1977, Miyamoto was welcomed like a rock star. He signed autographs on the second floor of the Nintendo store, a veritable museum showcasing every Nintendo system, oddities like a still-functioning Game Boy mangled from the first Gulf War, and playing cards created during Nintendo's pre-video-game history. When Miyamoto approached the store's second-floor windows, the throng below let out cheers of "Ma-ri-o!" and "Nin-ten-do!"

Miyamoto was clearly energized. "I'm very impressed that there are so many fans — not just in Japan, but here in America — that are fond of the work that I've done," he said through a translator. "I'm actually kind of embarrassed by it all."

After the signing, the jovial game designer sat down with MTV News to discuss Nintendo's past, present and future. As TVs in the store flashed footage of Nintendo's latest games, he explained just how close the wildly popular virtual pet game "Nintendogs" (see "If You Enjoy Picking Up Virtual Doggy Doo, You'll Love 'Nintendogs' ") came to being "Nintencats" and shared his thoughts on the company's next-gen system, the Revolution.

Some of the T-shirts in the Sunday crowd may have celebrated Miyamoto, but Miyamoto himself was wearing a shirt celebrating Super Mario's 20th "birthday," an event Nintendo celebrated earlier this month in Japan to commemorate the 1985 release of "Super Mario Bros." When asked why Luigi's birthday wasn't celebrated, Miyamoto searched the front of his shirt. "Is Luigi on the back of my T-shirt?" he asked his translator. He wasn't.

Miyamoto said he has a soft spot for Mario, partially because in 20 years no one on his Mario development team has ever quit.

The team gets a lot of credit from Miyamoto, who points out that even conceiving the character's name was a group effort. The character was initially called "Jump Man" when he made his debut as the player-controlled protagonist in 1981's "Donkey Kong." Nintendo had warehoused the first American copies of the "Donkey Kong" arcade game in New York. "Apparently the landlord of the warehouse in New York had a striking resemblance to the character that we had designed in Japan for the game," said Miyamoto. The New York-based Nintendo players took note. "They kept calling him Mario, and eventually we made that the formal name of the character."

Mario has gone far, but on Sunday, the big buzz game was "Nintendogs." Players with the game running on their Nintendo DS were able to unlock a hidden breed in the game, a Jack Russell, when they got within wireless range of Miyamoto's own DS.

Miyamoto acknowledged that his team had considered making the game about other animals. "The reason it ended up being a dog game is because about four years ago me and my family actually got our first dog," he said. The family's tri-color Shetland Sheepdog named Pikku sealed it, Miyamoto said, which isn't to say that "Nintendogs" doesn't contain any feline influence.

"We didn't actually create the game in terms of creating a cat portion of the game," he said. "But the funny thing is that the main programmer on the project is more of a cat person and we gradually found that there were some catlike elements being implemented in the game as well." He said that feline influence can be seen in the way the game's dogs play with toys and lick their paws.

So will there be a cat version? "It would be very easy for us to create a Nintencats game," he said. "Nintendo's philosophy is never to go the easy path; it's always to challenge ourselves and try to do something new."

One of the new things Miyamoto clearly is interested in is the controller for Nintendo's next home console, code-named the Revolution. Earlier this month, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata captured gamers' attention by revealing the device (see "Nintendo Revolution Controller Unveiled, And It's Revolutionary"). Shaped like a remote control, it will be armed with sensors that allow players to control onscreen action by moving the controller through the air." [more]

¶ D.Vader // 9/27/2005 06:21:00 PM // PermaLink //

Revolution controller a hit according to Joystiq poll

"About 10 days ago, we asked our readers to answer the following poll question: “Did Nintendo’s unveiling of the Nintendo Revolution controller bias you for or against the Revolution?” A day after we put up the poll, an early snapshot of the poll revealed that 62% of respondents had a more positive view of Nintendo Revolution because of the controller.

That positive feeling has become more pervasive. Final numbers show that 66% of nearly 7,500 respondents are now more positively disposed towards Nintendo’s next-gen console, slated for release next year.

That’s good news for Nintendo, but with a year or so before the console is released, lots can and will change. They’ll need to show us some games that utilize this controller or the enthusiastic response to it will evaporate."

¶ D.Vader // 9/27/2005 06:20:00 PM // PermaLink //

Testing out the new Revolution controller

"Though the Nintendo Revolution was partially unveiled at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo, its controller is the final piece of the hardware manufacturer's next-generation puzzle.

Speculation about the device has run rampant, primarily because its manufacturer has made a point of keeping it well hidden. Until now Nintendo has chosen only to drop hints that it would be an integral part of the Revolution's unique gameplay experience.

Today, in his keynote address at this year's Tokyo Game Show, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata touched on those themes again, giving further clues about Nintendo's vision for the future and how the Revolution's controller plays into that plan.

CNET News.com's sister site GameSpot had the chance to use a working prototype of the Revolution controller and found that it just might be revolutionary after all.

A guided tour of the Revolution controller was led by game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, whose talent has been one of the driving forces behind Nintendo's success. With the disclaimer that the day's presentation was about the controller's possibilities and not his own upcoming projects, Miyamoto and the assembled Nintendo Japan representatives unveiled the long-awaited controller, a modest-looking device that is low on flash, but big on functionality.

Starts simple, supports expansion
Miyamoto noted that the impetus for the controller design came from Nintendo's desire to do something "different" after hearing user feedback on consoles. The company felt the current generation of machines was coming close to overwhelming players by taking up too much space in their living rooms and creating briar patches of cables. As a result, Nintendo wanted to offer a solution that starts simple but supports expansion and that offers accessible experiences for casual players and more intricate experiences for hard-core gamers.

The form factor on display wasn't the absolute final design for the Revolution controller, and Nintendo reps noted that it's still a work in progress. But it was enough to give an idea of where the company is headed. The controller itself bears no resemblance to the myriad fan-generated renderings purporting to be the real deal. The unit basically looks like a slim, ergonomic television remote control that's about as long as a hand.
Photos of controller

The controller features core elements along with a few unexpected ones. A power button at the top left of the unit appears to power the Revolution console on or off. An old-school digital D pad rests just below the power button. A large GameCube controller-style A button is prominently placed below the D pad. Its counterpart B button is located on the opposite side of the remote, like the Z button on the Nintendo 64 controller. Directly below the A button is a series of three buttons: select, home and start.

Below the select, home and start buttons is another set of vertically aligned buttons labeled X and Y. On some of the prototype controllers we looked at, the X button had a small "B" next to it and the Y button had a small "A" next to it, indicating that the controller can be held sideways to approximate a classic NES controller. Directly beneath those buttons is a horizontal row of colored lights that indicate which controller slot the player is using. The plan is for the controllers to include built-in rumble packs and to run on batteries, a la the Wavebird for the GameCube.

Finally, the base of the controller features a unique plug that lets you make use of a wide variety of peripherals. One such peripheral is an analog stick attachment with two shoulder buttons labeled Z1 and Z2. Though it gives the combined items an odd appearance, the add-on demonstrates the controller's versatility. The analog stick peripheral will come included with the Revolution hardware, with other attachments to follow in the future. While Miyamoto didn't say much else about what other attachments were in the works, he did note that it's theoretically possible to have entirely different configurations plug into the port." [more]

¶ D.Vader // 9/27/2005 06:18:00 PM // PermaLink //

Perfect Dark Zero loses features

"Rare has revealed that some of the features originally planned for the Xbox 360 shooter have had to be removed or downgraded.

An article in the November issue of Edge magazine has revealed that the fifty-player online multiplayer mode promised for Perfect Dark Zero has been scaled down to only 32. While still impressive, the news is a little disappointing. Rare has also had to remove the DataDyne TV mode which would have allowed players to watch games and upload your best matches. The cutbacks have had to be made to get the game ready for the Xbox 360 launch. The console is due in the UK on December 2nd 2005, and Perfect Dark Zero should arrive on or near that date.

According to Rare the fifty-player online mode and the TV mode could both be added via a download over Xbox Live. Both would make excellent downloads, but we'll have to see if that ever happens. For now Rare are hard at work completing the game."

¶ D.Vader // 9/27/2005 06:17:00 PM // PermaLink //

Sony Announces PlayStation 3 Tool Licensors

"Officials from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) have made a number of announcements regarding development tools for the forthcoming PlayStation 3 console. As part of these announcements, the company will begin its tools and middleware licensing program for the new console from October 1st this year.

The licensing program will be offered to qualified tools and middleware companies that develop and supply products for the PlayStation 3 platform. SCEI will also begin to offer technical and marketing support to these companies at the same time.

The initial list of tools and middleware licensees for the PlayStation 3 (in alphabetical order) are Alias Systems, Autodesk, Avid Technology, CRI Middleware, Emergent Game Technologies (recently merged with Numerical Design), Epic Games, Firelight Technologies, Havok, Interactive Data Visualization, Metrowerks Games Team, Pixelux Entertainment, RAD Game Tools, SiliconStudio and Web Technology Corp.

Also today, SCEI officials announced that the company has completed its acquisition of SN Systems and will start providing evaluation versions and final ProDG tools to the development community from October, along with the PlayStation 3 SDK (software development kit).

Sony seem keen to address previous comments that the PlayStation 2 suffered from an initial lack of in-depth tools, and was relatively difficult to program for, as discussed recently by SCEE developer support manager George Bain at Game Developers Conference Europe. However, it's notable that, despite the acquisition of the company by SCEI, SN Systems will continue to offer its ProDG products to other formats, according to Sony.

Finally, the company confirmed that the Ageia PhysX SDK physics library would also be made available to PlayStation 3 developers from October, joining an evaluation version of the Unreal Engine 3 engine by Epic Games and Havok's Havok Complete XS physics engine to provide a significantly more complete set of tools for the PlayStation 3 compared to those initially available for the PlayStation 2." [more]

¶ D.Vader // 9/27/2005 06:16:00 PM // PermaLink //

Revolution rumors for serious geeks

"Since it's still months until the expected spring 2006 release of the Nintendo Revolution, there is little hard news about the next-generation console.

True, the Japanese video game giant shocked the world earlier this month by unveiling the revolutionary game controller that players will hold in one hand instead of the standard two.

Other than that, little has been known about the Revolution while competitors Sony and Microsoft long ago spilled their guts about the guts of their next-gen consoles, the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, respectively.

Now though, technology site Ars Technica has posted an article with rumors of the Revolution's specs. The site admits that it's nothing more than rumors, but attributes them to someone who had previously pegged the Xbox 360's specs almost spot on prior to any official Microsoft announcement.

In any case, Ars Technica says that the rumored specs are as follows: "A single dual-threaded IBM "custom" PowerPC 2.5GHz CPU, with 256 KB L1 cache and 1MB of L2 cache (L3 cache is rumored)."" [more]

¶ D.Vader // 9/27/2005 06:15:00 PM // PermaLink //

Han Solo Smuggles the Revolution Specifications from Nintendo

Evidently a certain Factor 5 emplyee, a Mario deep throat if you will, known as "Han Solo" has got the dibbs on the Nintendo Revolution "System 1" specifications. In a forum post on G4TV.com, he speaks of these specs being the most updated ones. Previous incarnations were stronger hardware-wise, but Nintendo is trying to cut some of the cost out of the Revolution.

System 1:
Modified Specifications

CPU
1 x IBM Custom PowerPC 2.5 GHz (Dual Threaded)
13 billion dot product operations per second

Cache Memory
256 KB L1 cache
1 MB of L2 cache
L3 cache - unconfirmed

GPU
600 MHz ATI Custom based RN520 core
The "N" stands for Nintendo (ArtX team is involved)
2048x1268 Maximum Resolution
Hi Def support - unconfirmed
256 MB 1T-SRAM
Low 1.2 ns latency with efficient Cell architechture
32 parallel floating-point dynamically scheduled shader pipelines
500 Million triangles per second theoretical
100 Million triangles per second practical
~50 billion shader operations per second Shader Performance

Memory
512 MB of 700 MHz 1T-SRAM

PPU
Revolution will support a PPU chip or Physical Processing Chip.
32 MB dedicated RAM.
Note: Link directly to the CPU, GPU and the Controller

Sound
Integrated DSP support only DD 5.1 – DTS 7.1
16 MB dedicated DSP memory (simular to the GameCube DSP) - unconfirmed

How this will compare to the Xbox 360 and the PS3 remains to be seen. Nintendo has already gone on record of not wanting to be involved with the hardware race. Their entry into the next-generation will rely more on innovation then raw hardware power. Interesting point is this is the only system so far that will impliment Physics processing on the die, rather then software.

Link: G4 Forums - Now we need specs for the revolution.
(About 2/3 - 3/4 down the page, post by Han_Solo.)

¶ D.Vader // 9/27/2005 04:36:00 PM // PermaLink //

Revolution Editor Roundtable

Revolution Editor Roundtable News Story From 1UP.com

"Is the world ready for Nintendo's Revolution?

You've already read and reread our hands-on impressions with Nintendo's ambitious controller for their upcoming next-generation Revolution controller, but we're only just starting to realize its possible implications for Nintendo and gaming at large. 1UP managed to pull aside Electronic Gaming Monthly's Executive Editor Mark McDonald (who has actually touched Revolution's controller), Ziff Davis Editorial Director John Davison, 1UP Community Manager Kimi Matsuzaki and Ziff Davis Art Director Simon Cox to pool their collective thoughts on the possibilities. Each has their own differing opinion on what Revolution means for the industry. Will it change the way we play games? Is this Nintendo's way of simply accepting its position as 3rd place in the hardware race? Is the Revolution controller a good idea that will take a company like Sony to do it right? There's plenty of questions and precious few answers, but make sure to download our editor roundtable for a look at what our editors think might happen." [more]

This is a 15 minute video with the discussion of the Nintendo Revolution Controller.

¶ D.Vader // 9/27/2005 04:12:00 PM // PermaLink //

Origen Xbox 360 exposed

Origen Xbox 360 exposed

"The countdown reaches 0, obviously followed by a boom.

For several weeks, Microsoft has carried out yet another of its very original and somewhat bizarre marketing campaigns. In the same line as Ilovebees.com to promote Halo 2, the company launched OrigenXbox360.com featuring a tree, a countdown and two green rabbits. Yes.

Today the countdown reached the end of the line and was followed by a new version of the website. The OrigenXbox360 is a competition to participate in the launch of Xbox 360. The new website features the same two rabbits as the original. The smallest of them is now called Didier. The two share an interesting dialogue about eating a fruit and going to a place called Origen. Origen is described as the place where the wildest gaming fantasies are brought to life. It is not open to the general public, only to people who discover the path. And there are many paths, with several hints available on the website. When you click on the golden fruit in the tree behind the rabbits, you are taken to a test after experiencing a most pleasant and psychedelic dance from Didier.

In the test, you first have to separate wild rumours from actual facts about the Xbox 360. Afterwards, you have to complete the following sentence "The Xbox 360 is the best thing since..." in the most original way your imagination is able to. Writing "Boomtown" will without a doubt get you very far, but other suggestion will probably be accepted as well. Finally, you input your personal details and enter the competition.

A hint of the prizes can be found in the competition terms on the website. The two prizes consist of a one person trip to an event celebrating the launch of Xbox 360 in the United States. This goes on for three nights in November 2005."

Link: OrigenXbox360.com

¶ D.Vader // 9/27/2005 01:15:00 PM // PermaLink //

God of War 2 & God of War 3 Tid Bits

Electronic Gaming Monthly's October 2005 magazine reveals some interesting tid bits about the future of the ambitious God of War franchise. A small bit tucked into the rumors corner basically says that the sequal for God of War will be on PS2. It also indicates God of War 3 will get the full next-gen treatment on the PS3. According to their sources we should see God of War 2 sometime in 2006. At this point David Jaffe has not announced if he will be working on either of the sequals.

For those of you that own the first game and have beaten it, be sure to check out the "Birth of the Beast" video in the Treasures menu. This will provide a small preview of the sequal.

¶ D.Vader // 9/27/2005 12:07:00 PM // PermaLink //

Stop Jack Thompson, StopStopKill.com!

StopStopKill.com is a website dedicated to bringing people the truth behind video game violence. This is basically an pro first amendment effort. Gamers come in all ages and games should be rated like movies are. If a game is pornographic in nature, then it should be an Adults Only title. If the game has violence and some "sex scenes" then it should be a Mature Audience title. If Jack Thompson, Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman and the rest of those in the same vaccum of thought have their way, we will all be playing Mario clones. Nothing wrong with a good kid franchise, but there should be a choice for us older gamers.

Here is what the StopStopKill.com website is about in the authors own words...

"About Us

This website is by no means a personal attack on Jack Thompson, Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman, or any other person. It is an attack on poor research and ignorant claims. For too long the media and politicians have portrayed videogame players as ignorant, blood-crazed monsters. We decided that it was about time someone stuck up for the average American videogame player.

I have said this all along: the second a report comes out linking violence to videogames, and is completely fault-proof with 100% accuracy, I will announce it on the front page in big bold letters. This endeavor is not about fighting back merely because I play videogames—it is about fighting back because of the yellow journalism used by the other side.

SSK.com is open to contributions from other websites, as well as individual contributions. All articles posted here are guaranteed to be well-researched. To the best of my knowledge, every fact and quote in them is accurate. If you find one that isn’t, send me proof and I will edit/remove it accordingly.

Lastly, the editorials and columns on this website are the personal belief of the writer, and do not reflect the opinion of the entire SSK.com staff. By reading them, you agree that SSK.com cannot be held responsible for any offensive comments or speech in them. All submitted editorials/columns, however, must be clear, have proper grammar, and not be plagiarized from another website. Obscenities are also to be limited and used only in appropriate fashion (ie: direct quotes). This website is viewed by people of all ages.

So what's the purpose?

The purpose of this website is to provide the gamer viewpoint on issues such as violence and sex in videogames. For too long the media has bashed games and gamers alike based on false accusations by others, Jack Thompson included. If you couldn't tell, this name is a parody of StopKill.com, Jack Thompson's website. As you can tell from the URL, this website aims to debunk many of the arguments used by people such as Jack Thompson with clear, level headed articles (including ones with research and sources).

We're also accepting editorials on any videogame related issues, censorship related issues, etc. You can find the email on the contact page. The only rule with editorials is they must be written with at least a decent command of grammar, and try to stay away from things like useless obscenities, name-calling, etc. Keep them level header, or at least semi-professional looking. Editorial cartoons are also welcome.

Thank you for visiting the website, and it is my hope that you can leave here with more knowledge and a new outlook on the topic of violence and sex in videogames."

Here is what the StopKill.com site has to say about it's purpose...

"This site's purpose is to give you the means to contact Miami attorney Jack Thompson if you know of someone harmed as a result of violent entertainment, including violent video games.

One current horrific example is a video game made available by Sony and Take-Two Interactive called Manhunt. This game allows you to train yourself to kill people by placing plastic bags over their heads while you watch them struggle while suffocating.

You may be a parent whose child is addicted to video games. You may know someone harmed by someone addicted to violent entertainment who copycatted that violence. The victim, whoever it is, needs help. Jack Thompson will assist in getting that person help."

The problem with this is that people could very easily say that they are copycatting violence they read in Shakespeare's Hamlet or Othello. At that point do we bring back book burnings? Who would decide for us what is too violent? At some point parents and kids have to take responsibility, but in our litigious society this might be too much to ask for. Especially if you are fishing for a pay-day.

Now don't peg me as insensitive. I think violence is just as abohorable as anyone. I just don't think people should get a pass on justice just because they point fingers at the latest video game.