The new "Transformers" DVD hits store shelves today and for us tech gurus -- or geeks, depending on one's point of view -- it's not exactly a great day.
If you have a shiny new Blu-Ray player or a Sony PlayStation3 just waiting to see Michael Bay's hit movie in splendid high definition, you're out of luck.
"Transformers" is being released by Paramount only on the HD-DVD format. The company stopped releasing Blu-Ray discs in August. That also means "Shrek The Third" will not hit stores in Blu-Ray format.
Paramont is in the minority here, as most major studios are supporting Blu-Ray. Some major retailers are stocking only Blu-Ray players and Blu-Ray is all you can rent from Blockbuster.
But just when Blu-Ray gets some serious momentum, the New York Times reports that Paramount received $150 million in financial incentives to get out of the Blu-Ray business.
What it does is make life tough for the consumer. There are a few next-gen DVD players that will do HD-DVD and Blu-Ray, but they cost around $1,000. Most studies show consumers aren't planning to buy a next-gen player yet anyway, and those that are, well, they're confused.
Both systems will deliver crisp clear HDTV signals. Blu-Ray will deliver better picture, however, and better audio. HD-DVD has better bonus features. But in the end, packaged media is on its way out. The future seems to point to digital downloads, something Microsoft is already offering via Xbox Live and Apple via its iTunes store.
DirecTV also plans to launch a "Download On Demand" service that will allow customers with broadband connections to download HDTV content. Many cable services also offer similar on-demand options.
But right now, nothing is better -- in terms of picture quality and immediacy -- than the packaged disc. You can buy or rent the DVDs before they hit cable/satellite PPV outlets or HBO. You can store them easily. The problem is this has become another Beta vs VHS war. I think Blu-Ray has the advantage, but the way things are going, neither format may win.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Why is there a TV show called "Pants Off/Dance Off"?
So I'm watching Fuse TV, or more truthfully channel surfing past Fuse TV and, wait, there's a large woman on TV stripping. Yes, stripping.
She's super-imposed over Madonna's "Like A Virgin" video, trying hard to find the beat. She never does. Meanwhile, there are captions -- sort of VH1 "Pop-Up Video" like -- going off everywhere and there's an anonying host talking over the whole thing and trying to be funny in an '80s MTV sort of way.
I'm sitting there watching this woman writhe around in a black lace bra that is about one twist from a Wardrobe Malfunction, and I'm wondering why is this on the air. I keep thinking somebody actually wrote a script and did a storyboard for this?.
Apparently, "Pants Off/Dance Off" is a big hit for Fuse, which stops the dancers just before they show off their private parts, asking viewers to visit a special page on the network's website to see them go all the way and to vote on which "Pancer" is your favorite.
But the dancing is very suggestive and probably a bit much to be airing all times of the day.
On the website, the dancers do show the goods, but they are digitally altered so you can't really see anything. Now I know we're in the age of Reality TV and in an age where Flava Flav and Bridget Neilsen can become a real-life couple, but I'm not getting why grown men are dancing badly on TV to old '80s music -- and taking their clothes off.
This is all so Eric Estrada.
This weekend, Fuse is having a Prance-a-thon where it will show all of its "Pants Off" shows back to back.
I think I will be watching "Sanford & Son" reruns instead.
Besides, Aunt Esther could outprance any of these beady-eyed fools on Fuse.
She's super-imposed over Madonna's "Like A Virgin" video, trying hard to find the beat. She never does. Meanwhile, there are captions -- sort of VH1 "Pop-Up Video" like -- going off everywhere and there's an anonying host talking over the whole thing and trying to be funny in an '80s MTV sort of way.
I'm sitting there watching this woman writhe around in a black lace bra that is about one twist from a Wardrobe Malfunction, and I'm wondering why is this on the air. I keep thinking somebody actually wrote a script and did a storyboard for this?.
Apparently, "Pants Off/Dance Off" is a big hit for Fuse, which stops the dancers just before they show off their private parts, asking viewers to visit a special page on the network's website to see them go all the way and to vote on which "Pancer" is your favorite.
But the dancing is very suggestive and probably a bit much to be airing all times of the day.
On the website, the dancers do show the goods, but they are digitally altered so you can't really see anything. Now I know we're in the age of Reality TV and in an age where Flava Flav and Bridget Neilsen can become a real-life couple, but I'm not getting why grown men are dancing badly on TV to old '80s music -- and taking their clothes off.
This is all so Eric Estrada.
This weekend, Fuse is having a Prance-a-thon where it will show all of its "Pants Off" shows back to back.
I think I will be watching "Sanford & Son" reruns instead.
Besides, Aunt Esther could outprance any of these beady-eyed fools on Fuse.
Monday, October 15, 2007
DirecTV continues HDTV assault: 14 new channels Monday including Speed HD
DirecTV has been launching new HD channels each week for nearly a month now. Until Monday, the launch date had always been Wednesdays.
But Monday, DirecTV launched 14 new HDTV channels, including four regional networks and six pay-per-views. DirecTV had previously only had one HDTV PPV channel. It now has seven.
Besides the pay-per-view channels, which are $4.99 each, DirecTV launched HDTV versions of HGTV (Channel 229-1), FX HD (248), Cartoon Network HD (296), Fox Business Network (359), Speed HD (607), Fuel (612), Fox Sports Detroit (636), Fox Sports Southwest (643), Fox Sports West (652) and Prime Ticket (653).
HGTV or Home Garden TV's HD channel airs different programming than the standard definition version.
DirecTV fans are getting FX HD just in time for the acclaimed "Nip/Tuck" TV series. Racing fans should enjoy getting motorsports news and programming in HD on Speed and all sports fans are getting several more regional sports nets in HD to go with the handful DirecTV is already showing.
To receive DirecTV's new HDTV programming, customers must have the company's new receivers, including the HR20 DVR, which is faster than its old TiVo version and just as reliable. DirecTV worked with several websites to get feedback on the HR20 after it launched last year to less than stellar reviews. After a few updates, the satcaster has gotten it right and finally delivered on the HDTV it had been promising for years.
As the Christmas season approaches, DirecTV is the clear leader in channel choice and picture quality. It should be fun to see how cable companies and DISH network responds.
But Monday, DirecTV launched 14 new HDTV channels, including four regional networks and six pay-per-views. DirecTV had previously only had one HDTV PPV channel. It now has seven.
Besides the pay-per-view channels, which are $4.99 each, DirecTV launched HDTV versions of HGTV (Channel 229-1), FX HD (248), Cartoon Network HD (296), Fox Business Network (359), Speed HD (607), Fuel (612), Fox Sports Detroit (636), Fox Sports Southwest (643), Fox Sports West (652) and Prime Ticket (653).
HGTV or Home Garden TV's HD channel airs different programming than the standard definition version.
DirecTV fans are getting FX HD just in time for the acclaimed "Nip/Tuck" TV series. Racing fans should enjoy getting motorsports news and programming in HD on Speed and all sports fans are getting several more regional sports nets in HD to go with the handful DirecTV is already showing.
To receive DirecTV's new HDTV programming, customers must have the company's new receivers, including the HR20 DVR, which is faster than its old TiVo version and just as reliable. DirecTV worked with several websites to get feedback on the HR20 after it launched last year to less than stellar reviews. After a few updates, the satcaster has gotten it right and finally delivered on the HDTV it had been promising for years.
As the Christmas season approaches, DirecTV is the clear leader in channel choice and picture quality. It should be fun to see how cable companies and DISH network responds.
NBA 2K8 wins battle of basketball videogames
NFL-licensed football video games were better when two or three companies were battling to one-up each other, as was the case until EA Sports gained a monopoly with its "Madden NFL" series a few years back.
At least in the realm of video-game basketball, there's still some healthy competition going on.
Three separate NBA video games hit store shelves earlier this month: EA Sports NBA Live '08; Sony's NBA '08; and 2K Sports NBA 2K8.
They are all effective NBA simulations that allow gamers to choose their favorite team and take them through a game or season of pretty realistic-looking NBA play.
After two weeks of intense play, I am going to give the championship trophy to NBA 2K8. It's got the best combination of realistic game-play, TV-style presentation and features. But the competition is catching up.
I'd rate 2K8 as 3.5 stars out of 4, Live a 3 and NBA '08 a 2.5.
Let's examine.
Gameplay
• NBA Live on Wii is crazy. You rotate the controller down for a dunk and pull up for a jumper by quickly moving the controller up and down, but I found it was easy to dominate this version with a "go-to move," something I didn't find in the PS3 or 360 versions.New for '08 is quick-strike ball handling. Using the right analog stick, you can quickly perform a variety of moves that can help shake the defense. Post play is also much improved. I also liked how EA Sports has made the virtual players shoot best from parts of the floor where their real-life counterparts excel.
• NBA '08 is so detailed, you can easily make out the different kinds of sneakers players are wearing.
Sony has put emphasis on the season mode, which requires players to manage players and balance the team chemistry as much as win and lose. The artificial intelligence is also improved, and I liked the new "Power Boarding" system, which rewards you for getting good position on misses.
• More than anything else, 2K8 outpaces the competition here. It plays faster and smoother and is easiest to control. Running real NBA plays is seamless. There's even a button to press to help get your shooter open. Cool. You can also make your players guard a little harder with the press of another button.
Presentation
• NBA Live was the best-looking of the four games. It was clean, and I also noticed Live and 2K8 looked better on PS3 than 360 (NBA '08 is only available for PS3). Live runs at 60 frames per second on PS3, twice as fast as EA Sports' "Madden NFL '08." It shows.
Live also improved player spacing and made AI-controlled players react more like the real thing. The announcers make you feel like you're watching on television.
• Ian Eagle and Mark Jackson provide commentary for NBA '08, though it's not as in-depth as the other two. The game also seems to play a little slower than the other two.
• The PS3 version of 2K8 looked better than the Xbox 360 version, but the 360 version played a touch smoother. But generally speaking, this is how basketball sims should look and play, down to making sure all your players are happy in dynasty mode. And 2K8 has the best announcer banter.
Extras
• Live has an eight-team international tournament with real FIBA rosters. In my tourney, the U.S. won the gold medal.• NBA Live '08 has some good mini games, like Fast Break and Block-A-Shot.
• 2K8 has a dunk competition where you can choose from hundreds of jams in the four-player event. Plus, you can customize your players' free-throw-shooting style, dribbling and post moves.
Online
• Live allows you to create leagues with up to 32 teams.
• NBA '08 will release roster updates (as will the other two) as well as other game features for download.
• 2K8 has an online ticker that updates you with real sports headlines and a co-op mode that allows two users to team up against the computer.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Even more new HD from DirecTV
DirecTV added the Food Network in HD Wednesday, along with HD versions of the National Geographic channel, CNBC and MGM-HD, which shows MGM movies all day.
DirecTV now offers 52 HDTV channels and has increased its picture quality to where its now an industry-leader on that front.
DirecTV plans to add the Cartoon Network, Fox Business, Fuel, FX, HGTV, NBA and the Speed Channel by the end of this month.
By the end of the year, it promises to carry as many as 70 HD channels.
In Charlotte, customers can choose between DirecTV, DISH and Time Warner Cable. DISH offers 41 HDTV channels.
Time Warner Cable, which recently added several channels, now carries 16. Time Warner also offers a HDTV on-demand service, which allows customers to choose HDTV programming instantly from a database on a hard drive. DirecTV has plans to launch a similar service this year.
To compare, visit HD websites for DirecTV, DISH and Time Warner.
DirecTV now offers 52 HDTV channels and has increased its picture quality to where its now an industry-leader on that front.
DirecTV plans to add the Cartoon Network, Fox Business, Fuel, FX, HGTV, NBA and the Speed Channel by the end of this month.
By the end of the year, it promises to carry as many as 70 HD channels.
In Charlotte, customers can choose between DirecTV, DISH and Time Warner Cable. DISH offers 41 HDTV channels.
Time Warner Cable, which recently added several channels, now carries 16. Time Warner also offers a HDTV on-demand service, which allows customers to choose HDTV programming instantly from a database on a hard drive. DirecTV has plans to launch a similar service this year.
To compare, visit HD websites for DirecTV, DISH and Time Warner.
Indoor golf technology can improve your game
Local golfer Bill Shelton uses Golftec indoor learning center to improve his swing as golf pro Noah Vinyard looks on.
When Charlotte's Bill Shelton wanted to improve his golf game, he decided to try out a new learning center he'd heard about in southern Mecklenburg called GolfTec.
The indoor facility sits near the intersection of I-77 and Tyvola Road. Inside, PGA Class A teaching professional Noah Vinyard attached Shelton to several harnesses which would measure several angles of his swing and tell him where his faults were.
Basically whenever Shelton got out of position, there was an audible beep. Better yet, Shelton could watch his swing in super slo-motion via a hard drive that allowed him to go frame by frame, forward and backward.
Vinyard quickly noticed that Shelton was overswinging, and picking his front leg off the ground. By using the cameras and harnesses, Vinyard quickly got Shelton to swing tighter and cleaner.
Vinyard said the technology has helped make Golftec a national leader in golf lessons. There are plans for 300 locations nationwide, including a new facility in Huntersville. Indoor golf lessons are nothing new in Charlotte. There are at least three similar facilities throughout the city. All are good. Despite being here for just over a year, Golftech already has more than 200 regular clients who buy packages of lessons that come with use of the indoor facility.
"I love teaching indoors," Vinyard said. "It takes the ball flight out of it. If you're outdoors, you might make a good move and shank it and then the person looks at me like I'm crazy. In here, I can show them through technology that you're making a better move."
Golftec has put its sensors on more than 200 professional players and can instantly put you in a split screen with golfers of similar build.
In Shelton's case, he's paired against Ernie Els. Shelton can see what a man of similar height -- Shelton's 6-2 and Els 6-3 -- would look like making a great golf move. After a few looks at Els and himself on split screen, Shelton gets a really good idea of what he needs to change.
Vinyard swears by the system, saying he's helped local golfers go from shooting 106 to 89 in a few months. There's a wall of fame just outside the golf simulators where students leave the balls they use to put up career scores. The board is getting crowded.
"I teach everything from an 8-year-old girl to an 80-year-old man," Vinyard said. "I got him to shoot 79."
But does it work?
After his 45-minute lesson, Shelton went to the range a few times and worked on his game -- then he shot his best rounds in months, an 84.
"It was easy to follow and easy to understand," Shelton said. "I think I'll definitely be going back."
Get more golf news at my golf column
When Charlotte's Bill Shelton wanted to improve his golf game, he decided to try out a new learning center he'd heard about in southern Mecklenburg called GolfTec.
The indoor facility sits near the intersection of I-77 and Tyvola Road. Inside, PGA Class A teaching professional Noah Vinyard attached Shelton to several harnesses which would measure several angles of his swing and tell him where his faults were.
Basically whenever Shelton got out of position, there was an audible beep. Better yet, Shelton could watch his swing in super slo-motion via a hard drive that allowed him to go frame by frame, forward and backward.
Vinyard quickly noticed that Shelton was overswinging, and picking his front leg off the ground. By using the cameras and harnesses, Vinyard quickly got Shelton to swing tighter and cleaner.
Vinyard said the technology has helped make Golftec a national leader in golf lessons. There are plans for 300 locations nationwide, including a new facility in Huntersville. Indoor golf lessons are nothing new in Charlotte. There are at least three similar facilities throughout the city. All are good. Despite being here for just over a year, Golftech already has more than 200 regular clients who buy packages of lessons that come with use of the indoor facility.
"I love teaching indoors," Vinyard said. "It takes the ball flight out of it. If you're outdoors, you might make a good move and shank it and then the person looks at me like I'm crazy. In here, I can show them through technology that you're making a better move."
Golftec has put its sensors on more than 200 professional players and can instantly put you in a split screen with golfers of similar build.
In Shelton's case, he's paired against Ernie Els. Shelton can see what a man of similar height -- Shelton's 6-2 and Els 6-3 -- would look like making a great golf move. After a few looks at Els and himself on split screen, Shelton gets a really good idea of what he needs to change.
Vinyard swears by the system, saying he's helped local golfers go from shooting 106 to 89 in a few months. There's a wall of fame just outside the golf simulators where students leave the balls they use to put up career scores. The board is getting crowded.
"I teach everything from an 8-year-old girl to an 80-year-old man," Vinyard said. "I got him to shoot 79."
But does it work?
After his 45-minute lesson, Shelton went to the range a few times and worked on his game -- then he shot his best rounds in months, an 84.
"It was easy to follow and easy to understand," Shelton said. "I think I'll definitely be going back."
Get more golf news at my golf column
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
New PSP hits store shelves
There’s a new PSP on store shelves.
The redesigned hand-held game is 33 percent lighter, 19 percent slimmer and loads games faster. Sony has sold more than 26 million PSPs since they were introduced in March 2005.
I can tell you the new unit is much better than its predecessor. It’s easier to use, and your hands don’t fatigue as fast while holding and playing it.
You can get the new $169 unit in black, silver or white. The best thing is, you can buy a new component cable to play your new PSP on your television.
I loved the new unit and so did my kids, Khamani, 3, and Trey, 7. They barely let me play anything. The kids liked how the new game was easier to hold, and Khamani kept going on about how it looked better than the old one (my test unit was silver).
A new video out jack, which allows you to output to your TV, sends games at 480x272 resolution. It’s not exactly PlayStation 2 quality, but it’s better than you might think. You can output movies and videos in full standard definition (think non-HDTV channels on the digital tier of cable).
A few other features:
The new silver unit comes bundled with the game “Daxter,” a TV show and a 1-gigabyte memory stick for $199. Another pack includes the white PSP with a silk-screened image of Darth Vader on the back. The PSP exclusive “Star Wars Battlefront” game also comes with the pack, for $199.
The new system includes six months of complimentary wireless access at more than 7,000 T-Mobile HotSpot locations throughout the country, including most Starbucks.
Remote play allows PSP users to access photos, music, and non-game video from their PlayStation 3’s hard drive anywhere using a Wi-Fi connection.
PSP users can also access RSS feeds from Web sites or transfer programs from their TiVo to watch on the go (provided you have TiVoToGo software)
7 days, $300 million for ‘Halo 3’
“Halo 3” generated more than $300 million in sales in its first week on the market, according to Microsoft, which released the game Sept. 25. That makes it the fastest-selling video game ever. The game has also accelerated sales of Xbox 360, the only console you can play “Halo 3” on.
According to initial reports from retailers worldwide, Xbox 360 console sales have nearly tripled compared with the weekly average before the launch of the new game.
More than 2.7 million gamers played “Halo 3” on Xbox Live in the first week, representing nearly one-third of the 7 million Xbox Live members worldwide.
News N NotesWorld-reknowned gamer Rafik “LoSt-CaUzE” Bryant has been wearing noise-canceling headphones from Able Planet to win gaming championships.
He just released a new line of headphones that eliminate external noise distractions and protect his hearing by providing full sound at lower volumes.
ESPN and Electronic Arts will air the season premiere of the “Madden Nation” reality series at 11 p.m. Tuesday Oct. 9 on ESPN2. It repeats often on the ESPN family of networks.
The eight-episode series pits the nation’s top 13 “Madden NFL 08” gamers – each representing a real-life NFL player sponsor – against each other in elimination-style tournaments. NFL stars Matt Leinart, Larry Johnson and Steven Jackson will be among the players featured during the gamers’ nine-city bus tour.
Xbox 360 gamers will be able to buy pink and blue controllers this holiday season for $49.99 each. These are in addition to the black and white controllers currently available.
All Xbox 360 wireless controllers also use optimized technology that allows users to wirelessly maneuver within a range of 30 feet. Two AA batteries provide 30 hours of uninterrupted gaming.
The redesigned hand-held game is 33 percent lighter, 19 percent slimmer and loads games faster. Sony has sold more than 26 million PSPs since they were introduced in March 2005.
I can tell you the new unit is much better than its predecessor. It’s easier to use, and your hands don’t fatigue as fast while holding and playing it.
You can get the new $169 unit in black, silver or white. The best thing is, you can buy a new component cable to play your new PSP on your television.
I loved the new unit and so did my kids, Khamani, 3, and Trey, 7. They barely let me play anything. The kids liked how the new game was easier to hold, and Khamani kept going on about how it looked better than the old one (my test unit was silver).
A new video out jack, which allows you to output to your TV, sends games at 480x272 resolution. It’s not exactly PlayStation 2 quality, but it’s better than you might think. You can output movies and videos in full standard definition (think non-HDTV channels on the digital tier of cable).
A few other features:
The new silver unit comes bundled with the game “Daxter,” a TV show and a 1-gigabyte memory stick for $199. Another pack includes the white PSP with a silk-screened image of Darth Vader on the back. The PSP exclusive “Star Wars Battlefront” game also comes with the pack, for $199.
The new system includes six months of complimentary wireless access at more than 7,000 T-Mobile HotSpot locations throughout the country, including most Starbucks.
Remote play allows PSP users to access photos, music, and non-game video from their PlayStation 3’s hard drive anywhere using a Wi-Fi connection.
PSP users can also access RSS feeds from Web sites or transfer programs from their TiVo to watch on the go (provided you have TiVoToGo software)
7 days, $300 million for ‘Halo 3’
“Halo 3” generated more than $300 million in sales in its first week on the market, according to Microsoft, which released the game Sept. 25. That makes it the fastest-selling video game ever. The game has also accelerated sales of Xbox 360, the only console you can play “Halo 3” on.
According to initial reports from retailers worldwide, Xbox 360 console sales have nearly tripled compared with the weekly average before the launch of the new game.
More than 2.7 million gamers played “Halo 3” on Xbox Live in the first week, representing nearly one-third of the 7 million Xbox Live members worldwide.
News N NotesWorld-reknowned gamer Rafik “LoSt-CaUzE” Bryant has been wearing noise-canceling headphones from Able Planet to win gaming championships.
He just released a new line of headphones that eliminate external noise distractions and protect his hearing by providing full sound at lower volumes.
ESPN and Electronic Arts will air the season premiere of the “Madden Nation” reality series at 11 p.m. Tuesday Oct. 9 on ESPN2. It repeats often on the ESPN family of networks.
The eight-episode series pits the nation’s top 13 “Madden NFL 08” gamers – each representing a real-life NFL player sponsor – against each other in elimination-style tournaments. NFL stars Matt Leinart, Larry Johnson and Steven Jackson will be among the players featured during the gamers’ nine-city bus tour.
Xbox 360 gamers will be able to buy pink and blue controllers this holiday season for $49.99 each. These are in addition to the black and white controllers currently available.
All Xbox 360 wireless controllers also use optimized technology that allows users to wirelessly maneuver within a range of 30 feet. Two AA batteries provide 30 hours of uninterrupted gaming.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Time Warner gets in on HD War
DirecTV has grabbed all the headlines lately with its plethora of new HDTV channels, which are being delivered to customers without the compression of many of its competitors.
DirecTV's now offering 41 HD channels with plans to release at least 25 more this month.
DISH and Comcast have bolstered their HD lineups of late and now Time Warner Cable in Charlotte is expanding its lineup.
The company added TBS-HD in time for the baseball playoffs. Mike Munley, president of the Charlotte division, said customers will see several new channels on Oct. 15: TA&E, Golf/Versus, MTV and the new Fox Business Channel.
DirecTV's now offering 41 HD channels with plans to release at least 25 more this month.
DISH and Comcast have bolstered their HD lineups of late and now Time Warner Cable in Charlotte is expanding its lineup.
The company added TBS-HD in time for the baseball playoffs. Mike Munley, president of the Charlotte division, said customers will see several new channels on Oct. 15: TA&E, Golf/Versus, MTV and the new Fox Business Channel.
Friday, October 05, 2007
PS3 drops to $400? Pirates of Burning Sea drops in '08
With Microsoft and Xbox 360 stealing all the headlines with the hot "Halo 3," Sony is trying to get people talking about its products again.
There is serious steam behind reports Sony will introduce next week a 40-gig PS3 for $399 that will contain the Blu-Ray player but may not be backwards compatible with PS2 and would have less USB ports. If true, that's a brilliant move for Sony on two fronts: it drops the PS3 to a price point that gamers have bought at before (PS2 and 360) and it gives home theater owners a serious Blu-Ray DVD player at a very cheap price.
Sony is locked in a war over next-generation DVD -- Blu Ray vs HD DVD -- and the cheaper player will only help with that.
The other big Sony news is the announcement that Pirates of the Burning Sea will launch Jan. 22. It's a heavily anticipated MMO (massively multiplayer online title) and will feature action on the high seas. The game is set in the new World 1720s.
Gamers will chose among the French, Spanish, English, or Pirate nations, playing a naval officer, a freetrader, a privateer, or a pirate. Each nation has more than 1,000 missions, meaning you'll be playing this for a long time. And you'll fight at sea where you can destroy or board and seize a competitors’ ship.
On land, a player can run land mines, lumber mills, and shipyards to produce goods all players will need. You can even create your own sail and flag designs.
Pre-orders are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, October 23rd. Players that pre-order will receive an invitation to the “Pre-Boarding Party” giving them access to the live game 15 days prior to launch. During this time, players can level up to 20 and keep their characters after launch, with a purchase of the game and paid monthly subscription.
There is serious steam behind reports Sony will introduce next week a 40-gig PS3 for $399 that will contain the Blu-Ray player but may not be backwards compatible with PS2 and would have less USB ports. If true, that's a brilliant move for Sony on two fronts: it drops the PS3 to a price point that gamers have bought at before (PS2 and 360) and it gives home theater owners a serious Blu-Ray DVD player at a very cheap price.
Sony is locked in a war over next-generation DVD -- Blu Ray vs HD DVD -- and the cheaper player will only help with that.
The other big Sony news is the announcement that Pirates of the Burning Sea will launch Jan. 22. It's a heavily anticipated MMO (massively multiplayer online title) and will feature action on the high seas. The game is set in the new World 1720s.
Gamers will chose among the French, Spanish, English, or Pirate nations, playing a naval officer, a freetrader, a privateer, or a pirate. Each nation has more than 1,000 missions, meaning you'll be playing this for a long time. And you'll fight at sea where you can destroy or board and seize a competitors’ ship.
On land, a player can run land mines, lumber mills, and shipyards to produce goods all players will need. You can even create your own sail and flag designs.
Pre-orders are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, October 23rd. Players that pre-order will receive an invitation to the “Pre-Boarding Party” giving them access to the live game 15 days prior to launch. During this time, players can level up to 20 and keep their characters after launch, with a purchase of the game and paid monthly subscription.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
DirecTV adds MTV-HD in time for Bon Jovi
In a surprise launch, one day after it launched 11 new HD channels DirecTV continued with its plans to the HD leader.
The company launched another HDTV channel Wednesday morning.
MTV-HD is now channel 332 on DirecTV receivers.
Viewers can see the 2007 MTV Music Awards in HD tonight/tomorrow at 1 a.m. Other programming highlights include a hi-def Red Hot Chili Peppers concert and a Bon Jovi unplugged concert.
The company launched another HDTV channel Wednesday morning.
MTV-HD is now channel 332 on DirecTV receivers.
Viewers can see the 2007 MTV Music Awards in HD tonight/tomorrow at 1 a.m. Other programming highlights include a hi-def Red Hot Chili Peppers concert and a Bon Jovi unplugged concert.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
DirecTV continues HD assault with more new channels
DirecTV customers woke up to a surprise Wednesday morning -- more HD channels.
The satcaster continued on its mission to be the leading provider of high quality HD channels adding six national channels and five regional sports networks to its package. DirecTV launched 21 new HD channels late last month. The satellite provider now has 41 HD channels, not including local channels. DirecTV offers ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in HD locally.
Here is a list of the latest HD offerings:
Bravo HD
USA Network HD
SciFi Channel HD
HBO West
Cinemax
Cinemax West
YESHD
NESNHD
SNYHD
CSN Mid-Atlantic HD
CSN Chicago HD
The satcaster continued on its mission to be the leading provider of high quality HD channels adding six national channels and five regional sports networks to its package. DirecTV launched 21 new HD channels late last month. The satellite provider now has 41 HD channels, not including local channels. DirecTV offers ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox in HD locally.
Here is a list of the latest HD offerings:
Bravo HD
USA Network HD
SciFi Channel HD
HBO West
Cinemax
Cinemax West
YESHD
NESNHD
SNYHD
CSN Mid-Atlantic HD
CSN Chicago HD
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Is Bill Gates signed Halo 3 package worth $9K?
Apparently this is to benefit charity, but I just cannot fathom paying $9,000 for a videogame system and some games.
Can you?
Can you?
Monday, October 01, 2007
Halo 3 Doesn't Disappoint
"Halo 3" has lived up to the hype.
Last week, Microsoft delivered the most highly anticipated video game in history, and it generated an estimated $170 million in first-day sales in the United States alone.
That's more opening-day business than blockbuster movies like "Spider-Man 3" and books like "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
The game is, in a word, brilliant. At its core, it's a great first-person shooting game, and though there are lots of those, "Halo 3" feels bigger than most of the competition. It looks beautiful. And it finishes off a storyline that many fans were upset with after a cliffhanger ending in "Halo 2."
The third installment's story centers around hero Master Chief, who is fighting to stop a group called the Covenant (a nasty alien coalition with bad intentions) and save mankind. To be honest, this felt more like a major sci-fi movie than a video game. The plot is very well-thought-out.
As the game begins, the Covenant is on its way to our planet, hoping to use space weapons called Halos that could destroy our world. Master Chief and his friends are trying to stop them with the help of new friends and new weapons, including a Bubble Shield that blocks weapons but not people.
Up to four players can now engage in cooperative play in story mode -- on one unit, or on Xbox Live. (I did find that in multiplayer mode, via Xbox Live, that there were too many younger players going at it for me to truly have fun.)
Another new feature I like is the ability -- once you've completed the campaign -- to go through any of the game's nine chapters in any order you want. Going back through, even without story mode, can be fun, given that you can tally points for kills. This adds replay value as you wait for "Halo 4" -- and there will be a "Halo 4."
" `Halo 3' has become a pop-culture phenomenon," said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. "Not only is `Halo 3' setting sales records, it's also redefining entertainment. Within the first 20 hours alone, we (saw) more than a million Xbox Live members come online to play `Halo 3' -- that makes September 25 the most active Xbox Live gaming day in history."
Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Game of the Year. (Grade: )
News and Notes
DFC Intelligence, a group that tracks the industry, has released its September intelligence report. Among the highlights:
• DFC forecasts the Wii to be the hardware sales king in Japan -- and maybe the world -- but feels the PlayStation 3 will be a strong second. By 2012, it predicts the PS3 will lead in software revenue even though the Wii will have sold more units.
• In its heydey, the PlayStation 2 accounted for 30 percent of all interactive entertainment revenue. DFC forecasts the most successful current-gen platform will only account for half that.
• DFC thinks that unless the Xbox 360 has a strong fourth quarter, it'll end up a distant third behind the other two consoles long-term.
• The company thinks the PS3 looks to "be a solid platform for the 2009-2012 time period."
• The PC gaming business is expected to grow by 80 percent over the next five years.
VIDEO GAMES Langston Wertz Jr.
Langston Wertz Jr: 704-358-5133; lwertz@charlotteobserver.com; want more games news? Visit Langston's blog at http://langstonwertz.blogspot.com
Last week, Microsoft delivered the most highly anticipated video game in history, and it generated an estimated $170 million in first-day sales in the United States alone.
That's more opening-day business than blockbuster movies like "Spider-Man 3" and books like "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
The game is, in a word, brilliant. At its core, it's a great first-person shooting game, and though there are lots of those, "Halo 3" feels bigger than most of the competition. It looks beautiful. And it finishes off a storyline that many fans were upset with after a cliffhanger ending in "Halo 2."
The third installment's story centers around hero Master Chief, who is fighting to stop a group called the Covenant (a nasty alien coalition with bad intentions) and save mankind. To be honest, this felt more like a major sci-fi movie than a video game. The plot is very well-thought-out.
As the game begins, the Covenant is on its way to our planet, hoping to use space weapons called Halos that could destroy our world. Master Chief and his friends are trying to stop them with the help of new friends and new weapons, including a Bubble Shield that blocks weapons but not people.
Up to four players can now engage in cooperative play in story mode -- on one unit, or on Xbox Live. (I did find that in multiplayer mode, via Xbox Live, that there were too many younger players going at it for me to truly have fun.)
Another new feature I like is the ability -- once you've completed the campaign -- to go through any of the game's nine chapters in any order you want. Going back through, even without story mode, can be fun, given that you can tally points for kills. This adds replay value as you wait for "Halo 4" -- and there will be a "Halo 4."
" `Halo 3' has become a pop-culture phenomenon," said Shane Kim, corporate vice president of Microsoft Game Studios. "Not only is `Halo 3' setting sales records, it's also redefining entertainment. Within the first 20 hours alone, we (saw) more than a million Xbox Live members come online to play `Halo 3' -- that makes September 25 the most active Xbox Live gaming day in history."
Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Game of the Year. (Grade: )
News and Notes
DFC Intelligence, a group that tracks the industry, has released its September intelligence report. Among the highlights:
• DFC forecasts the Wii to be the hardware sales king in Japan -- and maybe the world -- but feels the PlayStation 3 will be a strong second. By 2012, it predicts the PS3 will lead in software revenue even though the Wii will have sold more units.
• In its heydey, the PlayStation 2 accounted for 30 percent of all interactive entertainment revenue. DFC forecasts the most successful current-gen platform will only account for half that.
• DFC thinks that unless the Xbox 360 has a strong fourth quarter, it'll end up a distant third behind the other two consoles long-term.
• The company thinks the PS3 looks to "be a solid platform for the 2009-2012 time period."
• The PC gaming business is expected to grow by 80 percent over the next five years.
VIDEO GAMES Langston Wertz Jr.
Langston Wertz Jr: 704-358-5133; lwertz@charlotteobserver.com; want more games news? Visit Langston's blog at http://langstonwertz.blogspot.com
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
DirecTV HD part of nefarious plan to control TV
DirecTV launched 21 new high definition channels Wednesday morning, officially kicking off its plans to get more of the high dollar customers who pay premium prices for next-generation offerings like HDTV and video on demand.
DirecTV now offers 31 HD channels and promises to add 18 more in two weeks and 70 by the end of October. At the end of the year, DirecTV has plans for up to 100 HD channels.
Comcast added five new HD channels to its lineups Wednesday to try to answer DirecTV's salvo: A&E HD, Food Network, HGTV, National Geographic and the NFL Network.
Late Wednesday, DISH announced several new HD networks: Altitude Sports and Entertainment (ch. 360), known as the television home of the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche; Comcast Sports Net Mid-Atlantic (ch. 374), providing extensive coverage of professional teams from Washington, D.C.; Comcast Sports Net West (ch. 359), featuring Sacramento Kings basketball; and FOX Sports Ohio (ch. 375), delivering coverage of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Currently, DISH and DirecTV are the kings of HD channels, well ahead of cable and Verizon's FIOS service. DirecTV's new HD channels, which require a new dish and receiver for older customers, are better looking than DISH, which has to compress its HD channels more due to less satellite capacity.
Cable has similar bandwidth problems and cannot offer as many channels currently.
DirecTV's new channels look nearly as good as what customers can get with an off-air antenna and as good as FIOS, which had been the industry standard.
DirecTV is also getting ready to launch its video-on-demand service, which will use high speed internet to help deliver content. VOD is one huge advantage cable has had over satellite. Currently in field trials, DirecTV's service allows you to record up to three shows at once -- two live shows and one from the internet.
Having seen DirecTV's new channels for a few hours, I am amazed at the quality and clarity. These are as good as over-the-air. I hope it stays that way.
If it does, and DirecTV makes their HD-DVR free or basically free, it could win the HD war before everyone else can get their answers ready.
Here is a list of DirecTV's new channels:
1. A&E (Channel 265)
2. Animal Planet (Channel 282)
3. Big Ten Network (Channel 220)
4. CNN (Channel 202)
5. The Discovery Channel (Channel 278)
6. The History Channel (Channel 269)
7. The Movie Channel East (Channel 544)
8. NFL Network (Channel 212)
9. Showtime West (Channel 540)
10. Showtime too (Channel 538)
11. The Smithsonian Channel (Channel 267)
12. The Science Channel (Channel 284)
13. Starz Comedy (Channel 519)
14. Starz East (Channel 522)
15. Starz West (Channel 540)
16. Starz Edge (Channel 520)
17. Starz Kids and Family (Channel 518)
18. TBS (Channel 247)
19. TLC (Channel 280)
20. Versus / The Golf Channel (Channel 604)
21. The Weather Channel (Channel 362)
DirecTV now offers 31 HD channels and promises to add 18 more in two weeks and 70 by the end of October. At the end of the year, DirecTV has plans for up to 100 HD channels.
Comcast added five new HD channels to its lineups Wednesday to try to answer DirecTV's salvo: A&E HD, Food Network, HGTV, National Geographic and the NFL Network.
Late Wednesday, DISH announced several new HD networks: Altitude Sports and Entertainment (ch. 360), known as the television home of the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche; Comcast Sports Net Mid-Atlantic (ch. 374), providing extensive coverage of professional teams from Washington, D.C.; Comcast Sports Net West (ch. 359), featuring Sacramento Kings basketball; and FOX Sports Ohio (ch. 375), delivering coverage of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Currently, DISH and DirecTV are the kings of HD channels, well ahead of cable and Verizon's FIOS service. DirecTV's new HD channels, which require a new dish and receiver for older customers, are better looking than DISH, which has to compress its HD channels more due to less satellite capacity.
Cable has similar bandwidth problems and cannot offer as many channels currently.
DirecTV's new channels look nearly as good as what customers can get with an off-air antenna and as good as FIOS, which had been the industry standard.
DirecTV is also getting ready to launch its video-on-demand service, which will use high speed internet to help deliver content. VOD is one huge advantage cable has had over satellite. Currently in field trials, DirecTV's service allows you to record up to three shows at once -- two live shows and one from the internet.
Having seen DirecTV's new channels for a few hours, I am amazed at the quality and clarity. These are as good as over-the-air. I hope it stays that way.
If it does, and DirecTV makes their HD-DVR free or basically free, it could win the HD war before everyone else can get their answers ready.
Here is a list of DirecTV's new channels:
1. A&E (Channel 265)
2. Animal Planet (Channel 282)
3. Big Ten Network (Channel 220)
4. CNN (Channel 202)
5. The Discovery Channel (Channel 278)
6. The History Channel (Channel 269)
7. The Movie Channel East (Channel 544)
8. NFL Network (Channel 212)
9. Showtime West (Channel 540)
10. Showtime too (Channel 538)
11. The Smithsonian Channel (Channel 267)
12. The Science Channel (Channel 284)
13. Starz Comedy (Channel 519)
14. Starz East (Channel 522)
15. Starz West (Channel 540)
16. Starz Edge (Channel 520)
17. Starz Kids and Family (Channel 518)
18. TBS (Channel 247)
19. TLC (Channel 280)
20. Versus / The Golf Channel (Channel 604)
21. The Weather Channel (Channel 362)
Monday, September 24, 2007
Got Halo? How is it?
It's less than two hours until area stores begin to sell what's anticipated to be the biggest videogame of all time, Halo 3.
A recent price cut has helped sales of the Xbox 360 spike and this release could push an even bigger sales spike for Microsoft.
"Halo 2" generated a record $125 million in U.S. sales in the first day. "Halo 3," created by Bungie Studios and exclusive to the Xbox 360, is expected to easily top that.
I've heard that more than a few of you, um, older gamers are planning to take vacation days or sick days to accommodate some marathon "Halo 3" sessions tonight and tomorrow.
More than 10,000 U.S. retailers are planning to open their doors at midnight Sept. 25 to allow early birds to get their game first.
Other advance events:
• Pontiac is teaming with Microsoft to provide 1,000 lucky winners a copy of "Halo 3" before it's available in stores. To participate, visit www.pontiac.com/halo3.
• David Stremme will drive the No. 40 Target/"Halo 3"-inspired race car at the NASCAR Dover 400 on Sept. 23. Select NASCAR drivers will have a chance to test-drive "Halo 3" during a private event before the race.
• Best Buy stores will give free Xbox LIVE Gold subscriptions to customers Sept. 25-27. The company also will give away 8,000 Microsoft Points to 144 randomly selected people.
• Microsoft will release a $399 Xbox 360 "Halo 3" Special Edition Console, featuring an authentic Spartan green and gold finish. The unit will come with a matching Xbox 360 Wireless Controller, a 20-gigabyte hard drive, a headset and a Play & Charge Kit.
Simpson in the news again
O.J. Simpson was named a suspect in a confrontation at a Las Vegas casino hotel room involving sports memorabilia last week. Simpson denied breaking into a hotel room to get sports memorabilia he said belonged to him.News also broke last week that Simpson received $50,000 from 2K Sports to lend his likeness to its "All Pro Football'' title released in July. Simpson was ordered to surrender his earnings to the estate of Ron Goldman, who was slain along with Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, 13 years ago.
The Goldmans won a $33.5 million judgment against Simpson in a wrongful death lawsuit. Simpson was acquitted of criminal charges in 1995 but was found legally responsible for their deaths in a civil court two years later.
Madden Challenges kick off
The new year of Madden Challenges -- designed to find the best Madden players in the world -- kicked off Sept. 15 in Dallas, Texas.
This year, there will be competitions on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2. Regional winners will take home $1,000 plus other prizes and advance to the national finals later this year in California.
There will be no regional in Charlotte, though events will be held in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 27 and Atlanta on Nov. 10. For a complete list of locations and more details, visit www.maddenchallenge.com.
A recent price cut has helped sales of the Xbox 360 spike and this release could push an even bigger sales spike for Microsoft.
"Halo 2" generated a record $125 million in U.S. sales in the first day. "Halo 3," created by Bungie Studios and exclusive to the Xbox 360, is expected to easily top that.
I've heard that more than a few of you, um, older gamers are planning to take vacation days or sick days to accommodate some marathon "Halo 3" sessions tonight and tomorrow.
More than 10,000 U.S. retailers are planning to open their doors at midnight Sept. 25 to allow early birds to get their game first.
Other advance events:
• Pontiac is teaming with Microsoft to provide 1,000 lucky winners a copy of "Halo 3" before it's available in stores. To participate, visit www.pontiac.com/halo3.
• David Stremme will drive the No. 40 Target/"Halo 3"-inspired race car at the NASCAR Dover 400 on Sept. 23. Select NASCAR drivers will have a chance to test-drive "Halo 3" during a private event before the race.
• Best Buy stores will give free Xbox LIVE Gold subscriptions to customers Sept. 25-27. The company also will give away 8,000 Microsoft Points to 144 randomly selected people.
• Microsoft will release a $399 Xbox 360 "Halo 3" Special Edition Console, featuring an authentic Spartan green and gold finish. The unit will come with a matching Xbox 360 Wireless Controller, a 20-gigabyte hard drive, a headset and a Play & Charge Kit.
Simpson in the news again
O.J. Simpson was named a suspect in a confrontation at a Las Vegas casino hotel room involving sports memorabilia last week. Simpson denied breaking into a hotel room to get sports memorabilia he said belonged to him.News also broke last week that Simpson received $50,000 from 2K Sports to lend his likeness to its "All Pro Football'' title released in July. Simpson was ordered to surrender his earnings to the estate of Ron Goldman, who was slain along with Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, 13 years ago.
The Goldmans won a $33.5 million judgment against Simpson in a wrongful death lawsuit. Simpson was acquitted of criminal charges in 1995 but was found legally responsible for their deaths in a civil court two years later.
Madden Challenges kick off
The new year of Madden Challenges -- designed to find the best Madden players in the world -- kicked off Sept. 15 in Dallas, Texas.
This year, there will be competitions on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 2. Regional winners will take home $1,000 plus other prizes and advance to the national finals later this year in California.
There will be no regional in Charlotte, though events will be held in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 27 and Atlanta on Nov. 10. For a complete list of locations and more details, visit www.maddenchallenge.com.
College football gamers to vie for national title
First, there was the "Madden Challenge." Now, EA Sports has launched the "NCAA Football Challenge" in an effort to find the best college football video gamer in the country.
The tournament, which uses the "NCAA Football 08" game, started Thursday at Southern Cal and will hit major college campuses throughout the country -- including Georgia Tech and Virginia -- throughout the next few months. Each campus visit will feature two days of competition.
To see the schedule, see www.ncaaafootballchallenge.com.
"We're creating the opportunity for gamers across the country to compete and find out who's the best at NCAA Football 08," said Brian Movalson, marketing director for EA Sports.
The two finalists get a trip to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., in January.
Consistent with all other challenges in the "EA Sports Challenge Series," the "EA Sports NCAA Football Challenge" also will have an online component where competitors play against other online players.
Winners from the registered online tournament will then compete against winners of the regional tournaments for a trip to the Rose Bowl finals and a chance to compete along with the "college campus" tournament winners for the $10,000 grand prize.
Game-designing contest
Ever wanted to be a part of the design team for a video game?Konami Digital Entertainment will give fans of the "Contra 4" mobile game a chance to do just that.
To participate, visit www.konamimobile.com/contradesign and enter your sketches for new characters in the game. The promotion runs through Oct. 1.
Konami will announce 20 finalists on Oct. 7. The ultimate winner will have his or her character included in the final release of the game -- and probably launch a new career.
Sales update
The NPD Group, which tracks the video game industry, has released its August sales report.
A few notes:
• Software sales are up 22 percent to $488 million, with the "Madden 08" titles dominating game charts. "Madden" for Xbox 360 was the top seller (896,600), followed by the PS2 version, "Bioshock" for Xbox 360, and "Madden" for PS3.
The Nintendo Wii and DS again were hardware sales kings. Xbox 360 sales went up (276,700 from 170,000 in July). PS3 sales went down (130,000 from 159,000).
• Combined game hardware and software sales were up to $993 million, well past the $669 million of August 2006.
• Year-to-date, the industry is up 43 percent overall in sales compared to 2006.
News and Notes
• Xbox 360 owners with the Xbox Live service can get a sneak peak at 2K Sports' upcoming title over the next week. The free downloadable demo of "NBA 2K8" -- due in stores on Oct. 2 -- includes a four-minute exhibition game.
The new release, the game maker says, will have "a host of new contact animations that bring a new level of physical play in the post and while playing defense, new offball play system, and hundreds of new Signature Style animations that capture all the jump shot, dribble, and dunk moves performed by every major NBA athlete."
Now, that's a mouthful.
• A new Lara Craft "Tomb Raider" game is being readied for a holiday release. The game is being totally redesigned for the Nintendo Wii system. Should be interesting.
• Nintendo and Future US are teaming to publish Nintendo Power magazine, which offers tips, tricks, reviews, maps and strategies each month. Formerly produced in-house by Nintendo of America, Nintendo Power covers all Nintendo gaming systems and their associated first-, second- and third-party software.
VIDEO GAMES Langston Wertz Jr.
Get more games news at http://langstonwertz.blogspot.com; reach Langston at 704-358-5133 or lwertz@charlotteobserver.com
The tournament, which uses the "NCAA Football 08" game, started Thursday at Southern Cal and will hit major college campuses throughout the country -- including Georgia Tech and Virginia -- throughout the next few months. Each campus visit will feature two days of competition.
To see the schedule, see www.ncaaafootballchallenge.com.
"We're creating the opportunity for gamers across the country to compete and find out who's the best at NCAA Football 08," said Brian Movalson, marketing director for EA Sports.
The two finalists get a trip to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., in January.
Consistent with all other challenges in the "EA Sports Challenge Series," the "EA Sports NCAA Football Challenge" also will have an online component where competitors play against other online players.
Winners from the registered online tournament will then compete against winners of the regional tournaments for a trip to the Rose Bowl finals and a chance to compete along with the "college campus" tournament winners for the $10,000 grand prize.
Game-designing contest
Ever wanted to be a part of the design team for a video game?Konami Digital Entertainment will give fans of the "Contra 4" mobile game a chance to do just that.
To participate, visit www.konamimobile.com/contradesign and enter your sketches for new characters in the game. The promotion runs through Oct. 1.
Konami will announce 20 finalists on Oct. 7. The ultimate winner will have his or her character included in the final release of the game -- and probably launch a new career.
Sales update
The NPD Group, which tracks the video game industry, has released its August sales report.
A few notes:
• Software sales are up 22 percent to $488 million, with the "Madden 08" titles dominating game charts. "Madden" for Xbox 360 was the top seller (896,600), followed by the PS2 version, "Bioshock" for Xbox 360, and "Madden" for PS3.
The Nintendo Wii and DS again were hardware sales kings. Xbox 360 sales went up (276,700 from 170,000 in July). PS3 sales went down (130,000 from 159,000).
• Combined game hardware and software sales were up to $993 million, well past the $669 million of August 2006.
• Year-to-date, the industry is up 43 percent overall in sales compared to 2006.
News and Notes
• Xbox 360 owners with the Xbox Live service can get a sneak peak at 2K Sports' upcoming title over the next week. The free downloadable demo of "NBA 2K8" -- due in stores on Oct. 2 -- includes a four-minute exhibition game.
The new release, the game maker says, will have "a host of new contact animations that bring a new level of physical play in the post and while playing defense, new offball play system, and hundreds of new Signature Style animations that capture all the jump shot, dribble, and dunk moves performed by every major NBA athlete."
Now, that's a mouthful.
• A new Lara Craft "Tomb Raider" game is being readied for a holiday release. The game is being totally redesigned for the Nintendo Wii system. Should be interesting.
• Nintendo and Future US are teaming to publish Nintendo Power magazine, which offers tips, tricks, reviews, maps and strategies each month. Formerly produced in-house by Nintendo of America, Nintendo Power covers all Nintendo gaming systems and their associated first-, second- and third-party software.
VIDEO GAMES Langston Wertz Jr.
Get more games news at http://langstonwertz.blogspot.com; reach Langston at 704-358-5133 or lwertz@charlotteobserver.com
DirecTV set to launch 70 new HD channels
If you have DirecTV, you may want to tune to channels 9300 and 9301 right now (7 p.m., 9/24) where DirecTV is testing some of its new high definition channels, which will launch Tuesday or Wednesday.
The satellite provider says it will provide up to 70 HD channels by the end of October and as many as 100 by the end of the year. That will put DirecTV well in front of other cable and satellite providers when it comes to HD programming, and best of all, early reports show that DirecTV will not overly compress the feeds to save bandwidth as many providers are doing.
This means viewers will get crystal clear pictures. There have been many complaints about satellite and cable providers downgrading HDTV pictures mainly to save bandwidth. For the uninitiated, so-called "downrezzed" HD looks miles better than standard digital or analog programming but it doesn't compare to true HD, which you can see via an antenna in most markets, including Charlotte.
I just looked at DirecTV's test channels and if the new HD channels have this quality, there will be a lot of high paying customers switching to get images this good on their flat screens.
The satellite provider says it will provide up to 70 HD channels by the end of October and as many as 100 by the end of the year. That will put DirecTV well in front of other cable and satellite providers when it comes to HD programming, and best of all, early reports show that DirecTV will not overly compress the feeds to save bandwidth as many providers are doing.
This means viewers will get crystal clear pictures. There have been many complaints about satellite and cable providers downgrading HDTV pictures mainly to save bandwidth. For the uninitiated, so-called "downrezzed" HD looks miles better than standard digital or analog programming but it doesn't compare to true HD, which you can see via an antenna in most markets, including Charlotte.
I just looked at DirecTV's test channels and if the new HD channels have this quality, there will be a lot of high paying customers switching to get images this good on their flat screens.
Friday, September 14, 2007
No videogames without good grades
There's a GameStop in Texas where the store owner won't let kids buy videogames unless an adult confirms that child has good grades.
Check it out
Check it out
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Electronic Arts developer: PS3 Sucks
OK, the next few days are going to be fun in the world of video games if this report turns out to be true.
Several industry websites and blogs reported today that a NASCAR developer for Electronic Arts has bashed the PlayStation 3 when asked about a comparison between it and the Xbox 360.
“The truth is the PS3’s tools and the way it works just sucks," the developer is quoted as saying. "The truth is they are both virtually the same in terms of hardware when it comes to how powerful they are, maybe the PS3 has a few different things that makes it a bit more advanced, and Sony has this idea that it is designed for optimal development but that’s a load of crap."
And he goes on:
"In the last generation we would make the game for PS2 and then port it over to Xbox, but because Xbox was easier to develop for, we could actually enhance the title a little if we wanted to. The case with this generation is different, now we make the game for 360 first and then port it over to PS3, but we really don’t have the time to mess with how the PS3 works to really add to much more. It will change in the future, but for now it sucks.”
Of course, we all know that EA's latest sports efforts, including Madden '08, have run at 30 frames per second on PS3 versus 60 frames per second on Xbox 360. It makes a world of difference to the player. I highly recommend the 360 versions over the PS3.
Some people will say EA is lazy, a common complaint, but the news that 2K Sports new basketball game will run at 60 frames per second PS3 will make some of the most earnest fan boys stop and think for a second.
Several industry websites and blogs reported today that a NASCAR developer for Electronic Arts has bashed the PlayStation 3 when asked about a comparison between it and the Xbox 360.
“The truth is the PS3’s tools and the way it works just sucks," the developer is quoted as saying. "The truth is they are both virtually the same in terms of hardware when it comes to how powerful they are, maybe the PS3 has a few different things that makes it a bit more advanced, and Sony has this idea that it is designed for optimal development but that’s a load of crap."
And he goes on:
"In the last generation we would make the game for PS2 and then port it over to Xbox, but because Xbox was easier to develop for, we could actually enhance the title a little if we wanted to. The case with this generation is different, now we make the game for 360 first and then port it over to PS3, but we really don’t have the time to mess with how the PS3 works to really add to much more. It will change in the future, but for now it sucks.”
Of course, we all know that EA's latest sports efforts, including Madden '08, have run at 30 frames per second on PS3 versus 60 frames per second on Xbox 360. It makes a world of difference to the player. I highly recommend the 360 versions over the PS3.
Some people will say EA is lazy, a common complaint, but the news that 2K Sports new basketball game will run at 60 frames per second PS3 will make some of the most earnest fan boys stop and think for a second.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Cable or satellite, you decide
This is a big moment in time for cable TV providers, like Charlotte's Time Warner, and satellite providers, DirecTV and DISH.
The battle is for the HDTV customer, the high end guy, and all the services are lining up their pitches to him.
DISH has recently launched a suite of new HDTV channels, bringing their total to an industry best 38 -- for $20 per month. DirecTV has nine or 10 national channels, depending on package, for $10 per month. DirecTV also offers ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox locals here in Charlotte.
DirecTV will launch more than 70 HDTV channels next month, instantly making themselves the national leader.
Time Warner in Charlotte offers 10 national channels, all the local channels and some HDTV on demand programming. Costs vary per package but a direct HDTV add on with one box is $13.45 per month. Cable is working on a solution called Switched Digital Video that will allow it to expand HD offerings in the future.
I think the ultimate winner will be customers who should get better choice, more channels and hopefully better quality. The satellite networks have been peppered by criticisms over their "HD-Lite" picture quality by viewers and industry insiders. The thinking is the sat companies have to stretch their limited bandwidth and "downrez" their signals. DirecTV won't have those problems in a few weeks.
But here's my question, which service do you guys think is best now, and which do you think will be best in 12 months?
The battle is for the HDTV customer, the high end guy, and all the services are lining up their pitches to him.
DISH has recently launched a suite of new HDTV channels, bringing their total to an industry best 38 -- for $20 per month. DirecTV has nine or 10 national channels, depending on package, for $10 per month. DirecTV also offers ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox locals here in Charlotte.
DirecTV will launch more than 70 HDTV channels next month, instantly making themselves the national leader.
Time Warner in Charlotte offers 10 national channels, all the local channels and some HDTV on demand programming. Costs vary per package but a direct HDTV add on with one box is $13.45 per month. Cable is working on a solution called Switched Digital Video that will allow it to expand HD offerings in the future.
I think the ultimate winner will be customers who should get better choice, more channels and hopefully better quality. The satellite networks have been peppered by criticisms over their "HD-Lite" picture quality by viewers and industry insiders. The thinking is the sat companies have to stretch their limited bandwidth and "downrez" their signals. DirecTV won't have those problems in a few weeks.
But here's my question, which service do you guys think is best now, and which do you think will be best in 12 months?
Ghost Recon is cool futuristic thriller
Defend U.S. border in futuristic `Ghost Recon'
Credible story line helps make this war game fun to play
LANGSTON WERTZ JR.
Defend U.S. border in futuristic `Ghost Recon'
Credible story line helps make this war game fun to play There are no video games that look better and more realistic than fighter games.
That's certainly the case with Ubisoft's "Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2" (; rated T for Teen).
The game is set in 2014. You're a soldier sent out to handle a threat to the recently completed border wall along the United States-Mexico border.
You lead a team called the Ghosts and you have three days to stop enemy fighters from invading U.S. soil. Problem is the wall goes for 1,900 miles. That's a lot of ground to cover.
Playing the game is simply breathtaking. The environments -- which include a look at El Paso, Texas, seven years into the future -- are very realistic.
What I liked most about this game was the very believable story line.
I tried the PlayStation 3 and PSP versions, though the game is also available for Xbox 360 and PC.
The PSP graphics, as you would expect, do not compare to the next-gen version, but the portable version maintained many of the same features and -- bonus! -- it's got its own story line.
On the handheld game, you're up against 400 bad guys who are smuggling weapons to Mexico -- playing GRAW 2 in the barber shop and on the deck in the backyard was very cool.
But I had more trouble turning off the PS3 version. It makes use of the motion-detection system in the PS3 controller, and the artificial intelligence of the enemy has been ramped up.
Enemies will go on top of buildings to pick you off or try to surround you. It's much more intuitive than many war games I've played, but your teammates' AI has been improved as well. You'll get specific commands from them to help you determine where the enemy is -- or might be.
Review: Boogie
Electronic Arts' new Nintendo Wii title (, rated E for Everyone) very nearly worked.It's aimed at being a karaoke game for the Wii, but falls just a little short of the mark.
The game comes with a microphone to attach to your Wii for use in the game, where you dance and sing and make "Boogie" videos you can share with friends.
First off, there's not really much dancing. You basically point your Wii-mote in four different directions and shake it (the upcoming Wii balance board, a unique floormat that enhances gameplay a la Dance Dance Revolution's accessory, would make this game much better).
There's a story mode here involving five characters, but it didn't hold my interest long. You can unlock some clothes and songs, but that's about it.
In the music video creation area, you can make a clip with you in it and add some special effects. Some of these are turning up on YouTube already.
I wish the game included more current songs and the dancing tools could be a little better, but this is a game that has promise. "Boogie 2" could be great, with a little tweaking.
Review: Mega Man StarForce
Capcom knows this Nintendo DS game will sell. The Mega Man series has sold more than 27 million units worldwide.
There are a few new heroes introduced, and you can trade attack sequences easier with friends.
You play as a young boy named Geo Stellar who walks around the real world. But when he puts on a special pair of glasses and merges with some special energy (work with me here), you become Mega Man and zoom to the alternate world.
In the alternate universe, you battle strange energy forces, usually seen from a viewpoint behind Mega Man's back.
You'll need to explore both worlds to move ahead in the game, and I'm told there are 40 hours of gameplay here. I didn't get that far, but fans of the series won't be disappointed (, rated E for Everyone).
By the way, there are three different versions of the game: Dragon, Leo and Pegasus. The key difference is the transformation Mega Man undergoes along the way.
Langston Wertz Jr: 704-358-5133; lwertz@charlotteobserver.com
Credible story line helps make this war game fun to play
LANGSTON WERTZ JR.
Defend U.S. border in futuristic `Ghost Recon'
Credible story line helps make this war game fun to play There are no video games that look better and more realistic than fighter games.
That's certainly the case with Ubisoft's "Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2" (; rated T for Teen).
The game is set in 2014. You're a soldier sent out to handle a threat to the recently completed border wall along the United States-Mexico border.
You lead a team called the Ghosts and you have three days to stop enemy fighters from invading U.S. soil. Problem is the wall goes for 1,900 miles. That's a lot of ground to cover.
Playing the game is simply breathtaking. The environments -- which include a look at El Paso, Texas, seven years into the future -- are very realistic.
What I liked most about this game was the very believable story line.
I tried the PlayStation 3 and PSP versions, though the game is also available for Xbox 360 and PC.
The PSP graphics, as you would expect, do not compare to the next-gen version, but the portable version maintained many of the same features and -- bonus! -- it's got its own story line.
On the handheld game, you're up against 400 bad guys who are smuggling weapons to Mexico -- playing GRAW 2 in the barber shop and on the deck in the backyard was very cool.
But I had more trouble turning off the PS3 version. It makes use of the motion-detection system in the PS3 controller, and the artificial intelligence of the enemy has been ramped up.
Enemies will go on top of buildings to pick you off or try to surround you. It's much more intuitive than many war games I've played, but your teammates' AI has been improved as well. You'll get specific commands from them to help you determine where the enemy is -- or might be.
Review: Boogie
Electronic Arts' new Nintendo Wii title (, rated E for Everyone) very nearly worked.It's aimed at being a karaoke game for the Wii, but falls just a little short of the mark.
The game comes with a microphone to attach to your Wii for use in the game, where you dance and sing and make "Boogie" videos you can share with friends.
First off, there's not really much dancing. You basically point your Wii-mote in four different directions and shake it (the upcoming Wii balance board, a unique floormat that enhances gameplay a la Dance Dance Revolution's accessory, would make this game much better).
There's a story mode here involving five characters, but it didn't hold my interest long. You can unlock some clothes and songs, but that's about it.
In the music video creation area, you can make a clip with you in it and add some special effects. Some of these are turning up on YouTube already.
I wish the game included more current songs and the dancing tools could be a little better, but this is a game that has promise. "Boogie 2" could be great, with a little tweaking.
Review: Mega Man StarForce
Capcom knows this Nintendo DS game will sell. The Mega Man series has sold more than 27 million units worldwide.
There are a few new heroes introduced, and you can trade attack sequences easier with friends.
You play as a young boy named Geo Stellar who walks around the real world. But when he puts on a special pair of glasses and merges with some special energy (work with me here), you become Mega Man and zoom to the alternate world.
In the alternate universe, you battle strange energy forces, usually seen from a viewpoint behind Mega Man's back.
You'll need to explore both worlds to move ahead in the game, and I'm told there are 40 hours of gameplay here. I didn't get that far, but fans of the series won't be disappointed (, rated E for Everyone).
By the way, there are three different versions of the game: Dragon, Leo and Pegasus. The key difference is the transformation Mega Man undergoes along the way.
Langston Wertz Jr: 704-358-5133; lwertz@charlotteobserver.com
Thursday, August 23, 2007
DocuPen Scanner Is Smart Release
Sometimes the best ideas are the simplest ones.
The new PlanOn DocuPen portable scanner is exactly what it says. It's a little bigger than the pen at your workstation or desk and you basically hold it sideways and run it down a page. It'll scan into the unit in about four seconds.
The pen has a 8MB flash memory on board to store documents and a USB interface to quickly load into your computer.
What can I say? The thing works, even with pictures. Great device (Ranking 4 out of 4 stars).
NOTES
-- Computer-maker Alienware is now featuring 4x Blu-ray Disc drives in all desktops. Alienware's Area-51 7500, Aurora 7500, Area-51 ALX and Aurora ALX desktops are the industry's first and only systems to offer 4x Blu-ray Disc drives, which provide up to a 100 percent read/write performance increase over standard 2x Blu-ray Disc drives.
-- Nuance Communications and Jingle Networks have a long-term agreement to enhance the consumer experience for 1-800-FREE411 callers. Directory Assistance calls are up as much as $3.50 per call. It's nice to get information for free, right?
-- Guitar Hero fans can get an exclusive sample of the upcoming "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" video game demo with the launch of "Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground,' slated to ship to stores on October 9. Players who purchase Tony Hawk for the Xbox 360 get an exclusive two week head start on experiencing the demo.
-- Sony is ready to deploy a new Eye Toy peripheral for the PlayStation 3 that it claims has more motion-sensing potential than the Nintendo Wii. The EyeToy would serve the same function as the motion bar that sits atop the TV during Wii play.
-- 2K Sports will be release "Top Spin Tennis" for the Wii next spring. The company claims "Top Spin Tennis features fun, flawless tennis action and the most real life tennis experience to date for the Wii."
The new PlanOn DocuPen portable scanner is exactly what it says. It's a little bigger than the pen at your workstation or desk and you basically hold it sideways and run it down a page. It'll scan into the unit in about four seconds.
The pen has a 8MB flash memory on board to store documents and a USB interface to quickly load into your computer.
What can I say? The thing works, even with pictures. Great device (Ranking 4 out of 4 stars).
NOTES
-- Computer-maker Alienware is now featuring 4x Blu-ray Disc drives in all desktops. Alienware's Area-51 7500, Aurora 7500, Area-51 ALX and Aurora ALX desktops are the industry's first and only systems to offer 4x Blu-ray Disc drives, which provide up to a 100 percent read/write performance increase over standard 2x Blu-ray Disc drives.
-- Nuance Communications and Jingle Networks have a long-term agreement to enhance the consumer experience for 1-800-FREE411 callers. Directory Assistance calls are up as much as $3.50 per call. It's nice to get information for free, right?
-- Guitar Hero fans can get an exclusive sample of the upcoming "Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock" video game demo with the launch of "Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground,' slated to ship to stores on October 9. Players who purchase Tony Hawk for the Xbox 360 get an exclusive two week head start on experiencing the demo.
-- Sony is ready to deploy a new Eye Toy peripheral for the PlayStation 3 that it claims has more motion-sensing potential than the Nintendo Wii. The EyeToy would serve the same function as the motion bar that sits atop the TV during Wii play.
-- 2K Sports will be release "Top Spin Tennis" for the Wii next spring. The company claims "Top Spin Tennis features fun, flawless tennis action and the most real life tennis experience to date for the Wii."
Monday, August 20, 2007
HDTV Gaming and BioShock rules
With prices falling fast, now is a great time to think about enhancing your game-playing experience with a new HDTV.
High-definition sets -- which display more lines of resolution than standard analog TVs and are built with widescreen aspect ratios -- bring out the best in next-gen consoles such as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. And the Nintendo Wii, though not specifically designed with HDTV in mind, looks much better on the new displays, too.
Playing games on a good HDTV is about as big a jump as switching from black-and-white to color television.
But up until recently, if you were a heavy gamer, you probably heard that playing games on HDTV wasn't a good thing -- because game images could be left permanently imprinted on your screen. That's something the TV industry calls "burn-in."
Burn-in was mainly an issue for older rear-projection HDTVs (which were heavy and bulky, and took up half your living room). On the newer flat-screen LCD and plasma models, you don't have much to worry about. LCDs are more resistant to burn-in, and look better in bright rooms, but newer plasmas have special coatings that minimize reflections and deliver smoother pictures.
LCDs come in smaller sizes, whereas plasmas generally start at 37 inches. So if you want a 32-inch or smaller set, you'll have to go LCD.
If you are choosing a larger TV, unless you have an extremely bright room with windows facing the TV, plasma is the way to go. It's generally cheaper than LCD, and you can get plasmas now at the highest resolution available: 1080p.
In terms of picture quality -- for both playing games and watching television -- plasma is king. It provides deeper colors and can process the color black much better (though LCD is improving). And good "blacks" mean better picture quality overall.
"Years ago, the life span on plasmas was short," said Jeff Cove, vice president for technology and alliances for Panasonic. "It might have been 30,000 or 20,000 hours. In those days, if you kept a static picture on plasma, like a game or a Microsoft spreadsheet, you could have an after-image that wouldn't go away." Today, he said, lifespan on plasmas has been increased and the potential for burn-in has been eliminated.
But here's the bottom line: If you're not playing on HDTV, you're not seeing half of what your next-gen console can do.
Review: `BioShock'
I don't think I've played an Xbox 360 title that looked as amazing as this one (from Irrational Games, it's rated M for Mature).
The game takes place beneath the sea and starts off with a horrific "Lost"-style plane crash in the North Atlantic.
You are the only survivor. You must swim to a lighthouse as the plane sinks around you. Once there, you find a mini-submarine, which takes you to Rapture, a city hidden beneath the sea (yes, this storyline definitely brought "The Matrix" to my mind).
The city was created by a man named Andrew Ryan (the Architect?), who envisioned an idealistic society of intellectuals. The experiment, you'll find, has failed terribly. The city is full of corpses with little girls looting the dead, and some of the people have morphed into biologically mutated humanoids who want to kill anyone not like them -- or not willing to become that way.
In Rapture, there's a full-scale genetic war going on.
I don't want to give away too many details, because this is really an awesome game. It traps you inside the story and gives you some moralistic choices, but it's probably best to fight first and think second.
To survive, you will have to use some of the genetically enhanced technology you will run into, called plasmids. But like steroids, the side effects aren't good.
And, like Neo from "The Matrix," you'll have to make one ultimate decision that will affect your gameplay.
Here's your first candidate for game of the year. Excellent (Rating: 4 out 4 stars).
Langston Wertz Jr.: 704-358-5133; lwertz@charlotteobserver.com
High-definition sets -- which display more lines of resolution than standard analog TVs and are built with widescreen aspect ratios -- bring out the best in next-gen consoles such as the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. And the Nintendo Wii, though not specifically designed with HDTV in mind, looks much better on the new displays, too.
Playing games on a good HDTV is about as big a jump as switching from black-and-white to color television.
But up until recently, if you were a heavy gamer, you probably heard that playing games on HDTV wasn't a good thing -- because game images could be left permanently imprinted on your screen. That's something the TV industry calls "burn-in."
Burn-in was mainly an issue for older rear-projection HDTVs (which were heavy and bulky, and took up half your living room). On the newer flat-screen LCD and plasma models, you don't have much to worry about. LCDs are more resistant to burn-in, and look better in bright rooms, but newer plasmas have special coatings that minimize reflections and deliver smoother pictures.
LCDs come in smaller sizes, whereas plasmas generally start at 37 inches. So if you want a 32-inch or smaller set, you'll have to go LCD.
If you are choosing a larger TV, unless you have an extremely bright room with windows facing the TV, plasma is the way to go. It's generally cheaper than LCD, and you can get plasmas now at the highest resolution available: 1080p.
In terms of picture quality -- for both playing games and watching television -- plasma is king. It provides deeper colors and can process the color black much better (though LCD is improving). And good "blacks" mean better picture quality overall.
"Years ago, the life span on plasmas was short," said Jeff Cove, vice president for technology and alliances for Panasonic. "It might have been 30,000 or 20,000 hours. In those days, if you kept a static picture on plasma, like a game or a Microsoft spreadsheet, you could have an after-image that wouldn't go away." Today, he said, lifespan on plasmas has been increased and the potential for burn-in has been eliminated.
But here's the bottom line: If you're not playing on HDTV, you're not seeing half of what your next-gen console can do.
Review: `BioShock'
I don't think I've played an Xbox 360 title that looked as amazing as this one (from Irrational Games, it's rated M for Mature).
The game takes place beneath the sea and starts off with a horrific "Lost"-style plane crash in the North Atlantic.
You are the only survivor. You must swim to a lighthouse as the plane sinks around you. Once there, you find a mini-submarine, which takes you to Rapture, a city hidden beneath the sea (yes, this storyline definitely brought "The Matrix" to my mind).
The city was created by a man named Andrew Ryan (the Architect?), who envisioned an idealistic society of intellectuals. The experiment, you'll find, has failed terribly. The city is full of corpses with little girls looting the dead, and some of the people have morphed into biologically mutated humanoids who want to kill anyone not like them -- or not willing to become that way.
In Rapture, there's a full-scale genetic war going on.
I don't want to give away too many details, because this is really an awesome game. It traps you inside the story and gives you some moralistic choices, but it's probably best to fight first and think second.
To survive, you will have to use some of the genetically enhanced technology you will run into, called plasmids. But like steroids, the side effects aren't good.
And, like Neo from "The Matrix," you'll have to make one ultimate decision that will affect your gameplay.
Here's your first candidate for game of the year. Excellent (Rating: 4 out 4 stars).
Langston Wertz Jr.: 704-358-5133; lwertz@charlotteobserver.com
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Is Madden on Xbox 360 clearly better than PS3?
I am a really big fan of Sony's new PlayStation 3 unit, but it's been disappointing to play the latest sports titles on it and have them look so inferior to the Xbox 360 version. Sony has touted the PS3 as more powerful, but some game makers are apparently not able to unlock the right door yet.
Three of the hot new football titles, EA Sports' Madden and NCAA Football and 2K Sport's All-Pro Football '08 look infinitely better on Xbox 360 than PS3. Initially, I leaned PS3 over 360 on the college title, but after more time, the difference is clear -- as clear as it is on the pro titles.
Turns out, the games runs at 60 frames-per-second on Xbox 360 and only half that on PS3. More frames equals smoother images and gameplay.
Am I the only one seeing this? Here's a good video comparison.
Three of the hot new football titles, EA Sports' Madden and NCAA Football and 2K Sport's All-Pro Football '08 look infinitely better on Xbox 360 than PS3. Initially, I leaned PS3 over 360 on the college title, but after more time, the difference is clear -- as clear as it is on the pro titles.
Turns out, the games runs at 60 frames-per-second on Xbox 360 and only half that on PS3. More frames equals smoother images and gameplay.
Am I the only one seeing this? Here's a good video comparison.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Madden '08 best in years
The new "Madden NFL 08" video game that hits stores today looks better than its predecessors, and it plays better, too.
EA Sports appears to have heard complaints from some fans who kept saying not much was changing in new Madden releases except for the player rosters.
In 08, you can instantly identify where your own and your opponent's best players are on the field. This allows you to try to create mismatches and use your audible buttons more than ever before. There's a new front office mode that allows you to create a team and a stadium if you like (which I took as an assault on "All Pro Football," which does the same thing but doesn't have the NFL license).
You can even become the receiver at the start of a play, get yourself open and press a button to call for the ball.
The game has new player moves and new animations that look cool, too, but the running game is the improvement I liked most. It's easier to see the running game evolve. You can follow your blockers and burst to daylight.
I also think Madden is smarter this year. You can't just fade back 30 yards and fling the ball down the field every play. You can't take a speedy quarterback from Atlanta, who shall remain nameless, and dominate a game at will. This plays more like real football. But it could feel more like real football.
At their heart, video football games were always like taking control of a TV broadcast. Take Two's "All Pro Football" -- which trumps Madden in looks -- has that feel. There are announcers talking about the players and the plays. There are TV style cut-ins. We see the players on the field talking. You get the TV-style sound effects.
Madden no longer has Madden and Al Michaels or Pat Summerall doing play-by-play and color. It's a boring one-man "radio" guy. I'd love to see EA Sports hire two or three announcers like Take Two does to spend hours in the studio to create a true TV style audio presentation. It also wouldn't be bad to incorporate a pregame and halftime show.
What we get now on Madden is the voice of former Rams star Marshall Faulk giving pregame predictions -- but not calling the teams by name.
Now it's not all bad, though. Madden, more than ever, looks like the real thing. Players are drawn to scale better than ever (though I wish they appeared larger like on "All Pro"). Steve Smith wears armbands high on his forearms and has a familiar gait. Chris Gamble has long braids flowing out of the back of his helmet. It's little touches like this -- and you'll find them for all your favorite players and coaches -- that make this Madden so much fun.
"All Pro" is an awfully good title with lots of good features, but without the NFL teams and stadiums, it can't give you the experience Madden does. If you can, get both. If you only get one, get Madden. (Rating: 3 stars out of 4.)
Video Games Langston Wertz Jr.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Langston Wertz Jr: 704-358-5133; lwertz@charlotteobserver.com
EA Sports appears to have heard complaints from some fans who kept saying not much was changing in new Madden releases except for the player rosters.
In 08, you can instantly identify where your own and your opponent's best players are on the field. This allows you to try to create mismatches and use your audible buttons more than ever before. There's a new front office mode that allows you to create a team and a stadium if you like (which I took as an assault on "All Pro Football," which does the same thing but doesn't have the NFL license).
You can even become the receiver at the start of a play, get yourself open and press a button to call for the ball.
The game has new player moves and new animations that look cool, too, but the running game is the improvement I liked most. It's easier to see the running game evolve. You can follow your blockers and burst to daylight.
I also think Madden is smarter this year. You can't just fade back 30 yards and fling the ball down the field every play. You can't take a speedy quarterback from Atlanta, who shall remain nameless, and dominate a game at will. This plays more like real football. But it could feel more like real football.
At their heart, video football games were always like taking control of a TV broadcast. Take Two's "All Pro Football" -- which trumps Madden in looks -- has that feel. There are announcers talking about the players and the plays. There are TV style cut-ins. We see the players on the field talking. You get the TV-style sound effects.
Madden no longer has Madden and Al Michaels or Pat Summerall doing play-by-play and color. It's a boring one-man "radio" guy. I'd love to see EA Sports hire two or three announcers like Take Two does to spend hours in the studio to create a true TV style audio presentation. It also wouldn't be bad to incorporate a pregame and halftime show.
What we get now on Madden is the voice of former Rams star Marshall Faulk giving pregame predictions -- but not calling the teams by name.
Now it's not all bad, though. Madden, more than ever, looks like the real thing. Players are drawn to scale better than ever (though I wish they appeared larger like on "All Pro"). Steve Smith wears armbands high on his forearms and has a familiar gait. Chris Gamble has long braids flowing out of the back of his helmet. It's little touches like this -- and you'll find them for all your favorite players and coaches -- that make this Madden so much fun.
"All Pro" is an awfully good title with lots of good features, but without the NFL teams and stadiums, it can't give you the experience Madden does. If you can, get both. If you only get one, get Madden. (Rating: 3 stars out of 4.)
Video Games Langston Wertz Jr.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Langston Wertz Jr: 704-358-5133; lwertz@charlotteobserver.com
Monday, August 13, 2007
NCAA fine warm up for Madden 08
We're still a few hours away from the release of "Madden NFL 2008" (Aug. 14), but EA Sports has a pretty good appetizer with its excellent "NCAA Football 08" game for all platforms (3 stars out of 4).
EA gets beaten up every year by folks who say it simply updates rosters and re-releases its sports game, but you can tell some work has gone into NCAA this year.
The thing looks better and plays faster than last year, noticeably so. Player models are cleaner and animations are pretty much spot on. Players do still appear to "merge" and move through each other sometimes, but you'll notice running backs reaching out to follow their blockers and not sticking to them. You will see true running motions and multiple tackle animations, which adds to the realism.
I tried the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions and would give the latter the nod in terms of clarity, especially on an HDTV, but it looks great on the 360, too. And if you're into the dynasty mode, where you run your team over a series of seasons, you're going to love this. You can recruit players and the game will limit how long you can talk to them. And true to life, better programs like Notre Dame and Southern Cal have an easier time getting great players than North Carolina or Wake Forest.
Even better, a new Campus Legend mode lets you become a high school phenom and run up your numbers in state playoff games and then choose your school. Now that's cool. This is the best football game on the market, trumping 2KSports' "All Pro Football," which is hurt by somewhat anemic graphics and lack of real teams and stadiums.
PlayStation 3 price drops
Amazing what a little price drop can do.After Sony discounted its PlayStation 3 by $100 last month, dipping to $499, sales shot up more than 135 percent at Sony's top five retailers.
I think $500 is the magic number for Sony, which still plans to release another $599 PlayStation with a larger hard drive this month (not so smart) and a slew of new games this fall and into 2008 (quite brilliant).
But $600 is too much, even for a game unit that comes with a built-in Blu-Ray disc player. It's just hard to plunk down that much money for a game system.
Check the numbers.
In June, the PlayStation 3 sold just 98,500 units, far behind the other two big console game systems: the Nintendo Wii (381,800) and Xbox 360 (198,400).
But the NPD Group, which tracks industry trends, thinks PS3 is now on track to meet its sales forecasts but will remain behind Wii and the 360 in sales until at least the middle of next year, when Sony begins to release the bulk of its new PS3 game titles. Sony would be wise to remain aggressive on pricing, though, because as more people try the unit -- especially its base of installed PS2 devotees -- they will discover that it's the best of the three next-gen systems. By far.
A challenge for Xbox 360
Microsoft is dealing with defective 360s and dealing with an important holiday season. Xbox 360 will need late-fall release "Halo 3" to drive a really strong holiday sales season to hold onto second place behind the Wii. The NPD Group believes, as I do, that if a heavy holiday season doesn't push Xbox hard (and Sony keeps its aggressive pricing), Microsoft may find itself in a distant third position come the first quarter of 2008.
Consider that in 2007, Nintendo has shipped more than 6 million Wii systems, Sony more than 4 million PS3s. Microsoft has moved just more than 1 million 360s. Video Games
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Visit my Games N Gadgets blog at http://langstonwertz.blogspot.com, which is updated several times each week with the latest in gaming news, along with test drives of cool tech gadgets.
EA gets beaten up every year by folks who say it simply updates rosters and re-releases its sports game, but you can tell some work has gone into NCAA this year.
The thing looks better and plays faster than last year, noticeably so. Player models are cleaner and animations are pretty much spot on. Players do still appear to "merge" and move through each other sometimes, but you'll notice running backs reaching out to follow their blockers and not sticking to them. You will see true running motions and multiple tackle animations, which adds to the realism.
I tried the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions and would give the latter the nod in terms of clarity, especially on an HDTV, but it looks great on the 360, too. And if you're into the dynasty mode, where you run your team over a series of seasons, you're going to love this. You can recruit players and the game will limit how long you can talk to them. And true to life, better programs like Notre Dame and Southern Cal have an easier time getting great players than North Carolina or Wake Forest.
Even better, a new Campus Legend mode lets you become a high school phenom and run up your numbers in state playoff games and then choose your school. Now that's cool. This is the best football game on the market, trumping 2KSports' "All Pro Football," which is hurt by somewhat anemic graphics and lack of real teams and stadiums.
PlayStation 3 price drops
Amazing what a little price drop can do.After Sony discounted its PlayStation 3 by $100 last month, dipping to $499, sales shot up more than 135 percent at Sony's top five retailers.
I think $500 is the magic number for Sony, which still plans to release another $599 PlayStation with a larger hard drive this month (not so smart) and a slew of new games this fall and into 2008 (quite brilliant).
But $600 is too much, even for a game unit that comes with a built-in Blu-Ray disc player. It's just hard to plunk down that much money for a game system.
Check the numbers.
In June, the PlayStation 3 sold just 98,500 units, far behind the other two big console game systems: the Nintendo Wii (381,800) and Xbox 360 (198,400).
But the NPD Group, which tracks industry trends, thinks PS3 is now on track to meet its sales forecasts but will remain behind Wii and the 360 in sales until at least the middle of next year, when Sony begins to release the bulk of its new PS3 game titles. Sony would be wise to remain aggressive on pricing, though, because as more people try the unit -- especially its base of installed PS2 devotees -- they will discover that it's the best of the three next-gen systems. By far.
A challenge for Xbox 360
Microsoft is dealing with defective 360s and dealing with an important holiday season. Xbox 360 will need late-fall release "Halo 3" to drive a really strong holiday sales season to hold onto second place behind the Wii. The NPD Group believes, as I do, that if a heavy holiday season doesn't push Xbox hard (and Sony keeps its aggressive pricing), Microsoft may find itself in a distant third position come the first quarter of 2008.
Consider that in 2007, Nintendo has shipped more than 6 million Wii systems, Sony more than 4 million PS3s. Microsoft has moved just more than 1 million 360s. Video Games
Want More Video Game News?
Visit my Games N Gadgets blog at http://langstonwertz.blogspot.com, which is updated several times each week with the latest in gaming news, along with test drives of cool tech gadgets.
So what's OJ doing in a videogame anyway
The big news in the gaming world last week surrounded O.J. Simpson.
Video games and O.J. are two universes that had no business intersecting.
But it turns out that Simpson will surrender any money he makes off the football game "All Pro Football" to the estate of Ron Goldman, who was slain along with Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, 13 years ago.
The Goldmans won a $33.5 million judgment against Simpson in a wrongful death lawsuit. Simpson was acquitted of criminal charges in 1995 but was found legally responsible for their deaths in a civil court two years later.
Last week, a California judge ordered Simpson -- who has maintained innocence and vowed never to pay the jury award voluntarily -- to give the Goldman estate any earnings from the game.
So to review: Simpson gets terrible publicity (again) and Take Two Interactive, which makes "All Pro Football" and paid Simpson to use his likeness in it, gets terrible publicity, too.
All of this begs the question, "Why?"
Simpson never should have appeared in the game. It's hard to believe someone sat at a meeting and seriously thought that was a good idea. But they did, and, better still, they felt it was cool to create a team called The Assassins and give it a knife-wielding mascot.
When the Assassins do something good on the field, a big hooded mascot pops up over the scoreboard and starts violently jerking his knife up and down.
I know you can't wait for your 10-year-old to see that.
Worst of all -- whether you think O.J. did it or not -- Simpson can be added to The Assassins if a user chooses.
Take Two has also released violent titles like "Grand Theft Auto" and "Manhunt 2," which was so bad it was banned in Britain. But it's not just that company, which makes great sports games.
Despite study after study that shows playing violent video games leads to aggressive behavior, the market is flooded with more violent games every year, and they are getting more and more aggressive. Women are raped. People are beaten, shot or worse. Every year, the graphics get better and look more real.
I have heard the argument that the games are no worse than what you see at the local Metroplex. Well, I don't have a controller in my hand making Arnold or Vin Diesel shoot the bad guy over and over. And when the movie ends I'm leaving. I can play the game all day.
It's not all the companies' faults, though. Violent video games are among the best selling titles annually. The public eats them up. But it's time for the companies to find other ways to chase the dollar.
Nintendo's making a killing making simple, fun and easy-to-play games. That still works.
So does making a great football game, which "All Pro Football" could be -- minus one team and one player.
Reviews
Jeanne d'Arc: Sony reinvents the Joan of Arc legend with a pretty cool PSP title based in the 15th century.You play as Jeanne, or 13 other human or mystical characters. France and England are locked in their Hundred Years' War.
You must defeat the English and a rather ugly army of demons who want to destroy mankind (no battle game is complete without the evil demons set to blow up the world, right?).
I really liked the graphics, and the game features the popular multi-tap fighting style. As you move through the game, you can gain teammates with different abilities and use them in battle. You can use up to seven in one fight (Rating: 2.5 out of 4 stars).
Pet Vet 2: Think of this as a sort of Sims for pet lovers. Like Pet Vet 1, this title is aimed at children and allows them to take care of sick animals.
Players study the pet's symptoms and use real-life instruments to try to nurse their pet back to life. There's even a riding course behind the office to take the horses out for a stroll. Good fun and educational, too. (Rating: 3 out of 4 stars).
Madden 08: The new Madden title debuts Tuesday. Look for our review in Tuesday's Health section.
Want more gaming news?
Visit my blog at langstonwertz.blogspot.com for more game news and reviews as well as test drives of hot tech gear.
Langston Wertz Jr: 704-358-5133; lwertz@charlotteobserver.com
Video games and O.J. are two universes that had no business intersecting.
But it turns out that Simpson will surrender any money he makes off the football game "All Pro Football" to the estate of Ron Goldman, who was slain along with Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, 13 years ago.
The Goldmans won a $33.5 million judgment against Simpson in a wrongful death lawsuit. Simpson was acquitted of criminal charges in 1995 but was found legally responsible for their deaths in a civil court two years later.
Last week, a California judge ordered Simpson -- who has maintained innocence and vowed never to pay the jury award voluntarily -- to give the Goldman estate any earnings from the game.
So to review: Simpson gets terrible publicity (again) and Take Two Interactive, which makes "All Pro Football" and paid Simpson to use his likeness in it, gets terrible publicity, too.
All of this begs the question, "Why?"
Simpson never should have appeared in the game. It's hard to believe someone sat at a meeting and seriously thought that was a good idea. But they did, and, better still, they felt it was cool to create a team called The Assassins and give it a knife-wielding mascot.
When the Assassins do something good on the field, a big hooded mascot pops up over the scoreboard and starts violently jerking his knife up and down.
I know you can't wait for your 10-year-old to see that.
Worst of all -- whether you think O.J. did it or not -- Simpson can be added to The Assassins if a user chooses.
Take Two has also released violent titles like "Grand Theft Auto" and "Manhunt 2," which was so bad it was banned in Britain. But it's not just that company, which makes great sports games.
Despite study after study that shows playing violent video games leads to aggressive behavior, the market is flooded with more violent games every year, and they are getting more and more aggressive. Women are raped. People are beaten, shot or worse. Every year, the graphics get better and look more real.
I have heard the argument that the games are no worse than what you see at the local Metroplex. Well, I don't have a controller in my hand making Arnold or Vin Diesel shoot the bad guy over and over. And when the movie ends I'm leaving. I can play the game all day.
It's not all the companies' faults, though. Violent video games are among the best selling titles annually. The public eats them up. But it's time for the companies to find other ways to chase the dollar.
Nintendo's making a killing making simple, fun and easy-to-play games. That still works.
So does making a great football game, which "All Pro Football" could be -- minus one team and one player.
Reviews
Jeanne d'Arc: Sony reinvents the Joan of Arc legend with a pretty cool PSP title based in the 15th century.You play as Jeanne, or 13 other human or mystical characters. France and England are locked in their Hundred Years' War.
You must defeat the English and a rather ugly army of demons who want to destroy mankind (no battle game is complete without the evil demons set to blow up the world, right?).
I really liked the graphics, and the game features the popular multi-tap fighting style. As you move through the game, you can gain teammates with different abilities and use them in battle. You can use up to seven in one fight (Rating: 2.5 out of 4 stars).
Pet Vet 2: Think of this as a sort of Sims for pet lovers. Like Pet Vet 1, this title is aimed at children and allows them to take care of sick animals.
Players study the pet's symptoms and use real-life instruments to try to nurse their pet back to life. There's even a riding course behind the office to take the horses out for a stroll. Good fun and educational, too. (Rating: 3 out of 4 stars).
Madden 08: The new Madden title debuts Tuesday. Look for our review in Tuesday's Health section.
Want more gaming news?
Visit my blog at langstonwertz.blogspot.com for more game news and reviews as well as test drives of hot tech gear.
Langston Wertz Jr: 704-358-5133; lwertz@charlotteobserver.com
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
OJ ordered to pay Goldmans videogame royalty cash
First off, I never understood why 2KSports choose to put the likeness of OJ Simpson in their new "All Pro Football" videogame, which features NFL legends like Barry Sanders and John Elway. That's the kind of publicity a company probably doesn't want.
Today, came some more.
Relatives of murder victim Ron Goldman won a court order seizing any money Simpson earns for lending his name and likeness to the game, which includes a team called the Assassins (and that team has a knife-wielding mascot).
Under the order issued by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Gerald Rosenberg, any earnings to Simpson that "have been paid, are due or may be due in the future" for use of his image and likeness in the video game must be turned over to the Goldman estate.
In the game, legends like Simpson can be assigned to any team, so it's possible you could add Simpson to the Assassins, whose mascot makes a chopping motion with the knife when the team does well.
The Goldman's won a $33.5 million judgment against Simpson in a wrongful death lawsuit which was brought against Simpson in 1994, following the stabbing deaths of Goldman and Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson.
Simpson, a former NFL star running back, was acquitted of criminal charges in 1995 but was found legally responsible for their deaths by a civil court jury two years later.
Tuesday's legal victory was part of an effort by Goldman's estate to satisfy that judgment. Simpson has maintained his innocence and vowed never to pay the jury award voluntarily.
The football game was published by Take-Two Interactive. Take Two, which makes some of the best sports simulation games in the market, has earned controversial press in the past for games like "Grand Theft Auto" and "Manhunt 2." Manhunt 2 was banned in Britain and given an adults-only rating in the U.S.
Take-Two told the Associated Press Simpson was compensated, but declined to say how it obtained rights to use his likeness. The company also has issued a statement saying the knife-wielding Assassins mascot is "not specifically associated with O.J. Simpson, and the game does not promote any such connection."
Here is a video of Simpson from the game
Today, came some more.
Relatives of murder victim Ron Goldman won a court order seizing any money Simpson earns for lending his name and likeness to the game, which includes a team called the Assassins (and that team has a knife-wielding mascot).
Under the order issued by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Gerald Rosenberg, any earnings to Simpson that "have been paid, are due or may be due in the future" for use of his image and likeness in the video game must be turned over to the Goldman estate.
In the game, legends like Simpson can be assigned to any team, so it's possible you could add Simpson to the Assassins, whose mascot makes a chopping motion with the knife when the team does well.
The Goldman's won a $33.5 million judgment against Simpson in a wrongful death lawsuit which was brought against Simpson in 1994, following the stabbing deaths of Goldman and Simpson's ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson.
Simpson, a former NFL star running back, was acquitted of criminal charges in 1995 but was found legally responsible for their deaths by a civil court jury two years later.
Tuesday's legal victory was part of an effort by Goldman's estate to satisfy that judgment. Simpson has maintained his innocence and vowed never to pay the jury award voluntarily.
The football game was published by Take-Two Interactive. Take Two, which makes some of the best sports simulation games in the market, has earned controversial press in the past for games like "Grand Theft Auto" and "Manhunt 2." Manhunt 2 was banned in Britain and given an adults-only rating in the U.S.
Take-Two told the Associated Press Simpson was compensated, but declined to say how it obtained rights to use his likeness. The company also has issued a statement saying the knife-wielding Assassins mascot is "not specifically associated with O.J. Simpson, and the game does not promote any such connection."
Here is a video of Simpson from the game
Monday, August 06, 2007
Big Bargain: PlayStation3 for $350/Nutrisystem update
Just a quick note to let you guys know that Sony Style is offering $150 off any purchase made using its Sony Financial credit account, which has instant online approval. It is also offering interest free financing until 2009.
So if you buy the PS3 at its current $499 price and use Sony's financing arm, you get to deduct another $150 at checkout. Pay it off fast enough and you can get a pretty good steal.
Just a little FYI.
NUTRISYSTEM UPDATE
A lot of you have asked about the Nutrisystem plan since I reported a few weeks ago about my 30 pound weight loss and a 50 pound weight loss of a friend I had start with me. I can also report that another one of my boys has dropped about 20 pounds in two months.
Some folks wondered how does it compare to Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig. I have never tried Craig, but I heard it can be expensive. Unlike Weight Watchers and some of the other programs, you don't have an in-person support group or weigh-ins, but you do get a pretty extensive network of online people sharing your experiences and a telephone counselor, if you choose to use them.
Expect to spend about $450 per month on the system, adding the cost of the Nutrisystem products and the additions you have to buy. I have been surprised after nearly 11 months on the system that the foods have not gotten repetitive and I actually look forward to my NS meals. Some of them are as good as eating at your local restaurant.
I was skeptical when I saw the commercial with the sports legends talking about how this really worked, but it really -- really -- worked.
So if you buy the PS3 at its current $499 price and use Sony's financing arm, you get to deduct another $150 at checkout. Pay it off fast enough and you can get a pretty good steal.
Just a little FYI.
NUTRISYSTEM UPDATE
A lot of you have asked about the Nutrisystem plan since I reported a few weeks ago about my 30 pound weight loss and a 50 pound weight loss of a friend I had start with me. I can also report that another one of my boys has dropped about 20 pounds in two months.
Some folks wondered how does it compare to Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig. I have never tried Craig, but I heard it can be expensive. Unlike Weight Watchers and some of the other programs, you don't have an in-person support group or weigh-ins, but you do get a pretty extensive network of online people sharing your experiences and a telephone counselor, if you choose to use them.
Expect to spend about $450 per month on the system, adding the cost of the Nutrisystem products and the additions you have to buy. I have been surprised after nearly 11 months on the system that the foods have not gotten repetitive and I actually look forward to my NS meals. Some of them are as good as eating at your local restaurant.
I was skeptical when I saw the commercial with the sports legends talking about how this really worked, but it really -- really -- worked.
BARGAIN ALERT: PlayStation3 for $350
Just a quick note to let you guys know that Sony Style is offering $150 off any purchase made using its Sony Financial credit account, which has instant online approval. It is also offering interest free financing until 2009.
So if you buy the PS3 at its current $499 price and use Sony's financing arm, you get to deduct another $150 at checkout. Pay it off fast enough and you can get a pretty good steal.
Just a little FYI.
So if you buy the PS3 at its current $499 price and use Sony's financing arm, you get to deduct another $150 at checkout. Pay it off fast enough and you can get a pretty good steal.
Just a little FYI.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Family says infant died in Xbox caused blaze
It's kind hard being the Bill Gates company these days.
Gates' Microsoft is repairing millions of faulty Xbox 360s barely two years after recalling more than 14 million Xbox units due to potential fire hazard concerns with the power cords.
Now this.
A Warsaw, Ill, family is suing the technology giant, claiming that a bad Xbox 360 sparked a catastrophic fire at their home, which killed their infant son.
According to Information Week, Microsoft is asking the suit be dismissed, saying that misuse or abuse led to the blaze.
The family filed the suit in December, claiming the wiring that connected the Xbox 360 to an electrical outlet became so hot that it started the blaze. The lawsuit asks for unspecified damages.
The suit is being heard in U.S. District Court in Central Illinois and names Microsoft, Wal-Mart (where the unit was purchased) and an unnamed power supply maker as co-defendants.
Should be interesting to see where this goes.
Gates' Microsoft is repairing millions of faulty Xbox 360s barely two years after recalling more than 14 million Xbox units due to potential fire hazard concerns with the power cords.
Now this.
A Warsaw, Ill, family is suing the technology giant, claiming that a bad Xbox 360 sparked a catastrophic fire at their home, which killed their infant son.
According to Information Week, Microsoft is asking the suit be dismissed, saying that misuse or abuse led to the blaze.
The family filed the suit in December, claiming the wiring that connected the Xbox 360 to an electrical outlet became so hot that it started the blaze. The lawsuit asks for unspecified damages.
The suit is being heard in U.S. District Court in Central Illinois and names Microsoft, Wal-Mart (where the unit was purchased) and an unnamed power supply maker as co-defendants.
Should be interesting to see where this goes.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Videogames setting $ales records
Don't know someone who games?
You're in a serious minority.
Total videogame hardware sales were up in June to $398.6 million, according to the NPD Group, which tracks game statistics. That was better than 34 percent from the same period a year ago. Portable gaming hardware dipped six percent from 2006 to -- and let's all feel sorry for them together -- $130.6 million in sales in June.
All told, in 2007, the video game industry has had $2.3 billion in hardware sales – well ahead of the $1.37 billion sold last year.
I think the mainstream media is still behind the times when it comes to gaming. Men are playing. Women, in larger numbers of playing. The coveted 25-to-54 audience is playing. Hollywood gets it. Seems about every fifth movie these days is made from a game or has a game tie-in.
And as I look to the future, I think gaming is only going to get bigger.
You're in a serious minority.
Total videogame hardware sales were up in June to $398.6 million, according to the NPD Group, which tracks game statistics. That was better than 34 percent from the same period a year ago. Portable gaming hardware dipped six percent from 2006 to -- and let's all feel sorry for them together -- $130.6 million in sales in June.
All told, in 2007, the video game industry has had $2.3 billion in hardware sales – well ahead of the $1.37 billion sold last year.
I think the mainstream media is still behind the times when it comes to gaming. Men are playing. Women, in larger numbers of playing. The coveted 25-to-54 audience is playing. Hollywood gets it. Seems about every fifth movie these days is made from a game or has a game tie-in.
And as I look to the future, I think gaming is only going to get bigger.
Monday, July 23, 2007
The I-Phone killer? and Chris Paul covers 2K8 hoops
The iPhone is expensive and the plans to use it are even more expensive. And for those of you who don't want to pay what the (albeit very cool) iPhone costs, you may want to try Yahoo! Go 2.0
It's a free downloadable software service available for specific Internet-ready phones. Users can search the mobile web, share photos, utilize GPS maps, read breaking news, get weather and financial updates.
Check it out and please report back what you think.
-- Speaking of cellphones, I found a pretty cool and inexpensive toy you may want to pick up. The SideWinder Charger is a 2.5 ounce cellphone charger that actually allows a person to manually charge their mobile phone with a handcrank. The SideWinder retails for $24.95 ($29.95 CAD) and can be purchased online at www.istdesigns.com or in selected stores.
Chris Paul coverboy for NBA 2K8
Former Wake Forest All-American Chris Paul, a starting point guard for the New Orleans Hornets, will be on the cover of NBA 2K8.
“It’s a great honor,” Paul said. "I’m a big time video gamer and it’s a dream come true to be on the cover and represent the next NBA 2K game, NBA 2K8.”
NBA 2K8 will be available this fall for the Xbox 360 and PS3.
NASCAR '08 To Get Original Country/Rock Soundtrack
Electronic Arts will pack NASCAR '08, due out July 26, with a mix of country and rock on its soundtrack. Mulit-platinum country duos Brooks & Dunn and Big & Rich trade paint with hard rock’s Velvet Revolver and Airbourne to represent the fast and dangerous sounds of the total NASCAR experience.
“NASCAR 08 puts gamers behind the wheel with a soundtrack that puts the pedal to the floor,” said Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing at EA. “Today’s NASCAR has 75 million of the most brand-loyal fans in all of sports, and any music mix must be a real reflection of true NASCAR culture. It’s more than country. It’s bigger than rock. This soundtrack is 100% cars ‘n’ guitars adrenaline that will blow gamers’ doors off.”
News N Notes
-- This Wednesday, EA’s “Wing Commander Arena and Konami’s Super Contra debut on Xbox LIVE Arcade.
-- Kuma Games and Spike TV are developing a title based on Spike TV's new action-drama limited series The Kill Point. Beginning Sunday, July 22 with the premiere of the series, Kuma will release action-packed gameisodes that allow television viewers to jump into "The Kill Point's" bank robbery gone wrong plotline - playing as a police officer or bank robber in a high intensity hostage crisis. Kuma's gameisodes are now available for free download at www.SpikeTV.com
-- Sony has redesigned www.station.com, which will host more than twenty free games, a new look and improved functionality. The newly revamped site will host free trials of the majority of SOE’s MMOs; casual games such as PopCap’s Bejeweled 2, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune; and mobile games such as Q*Bert, Snoop Dogg Cruisin’, and the recently released God of War: Betrayal. I
It's a free downloadable software service available for specific Internet-ready phones. Users can search the mobile web, share photos, utilize GPS maps, read breaking news, get weather and financial updates.
Check it out and please report back what you think.
-- Speaking of cellphones, I found a pretty cool and inexpensive toy you may want to pick up. The SideWinder Charger is a 2.5 ounce cellphone charger that actually allows a person to manually charge their mobile phone with a handcrank. The SideWinder retails for $24.95 ($29.95 CAD) and can be purchased online at www.istdesigns.com or in selected stores.
Chris Paul coverboy for NBA 2K8
Former Wake Forest All-American Chris Paul, a starting point guard for the New Orleans Hornets, will be on the cover of NBA 2K8.
“It’s a great honor,” Paul said. "I’m a big time video gamer and it’s a dream come true to be on the cover and represent the next NBA 2K game, NBA 2K8.”
NBA 2K8 will be available this fall for the Xbox 360 and PS3.
NASCAR '08 To Get Original Country/Rock Soundtrack
Electronic Arts will pack NASCAR '08, due out July 26, with a mix of country and rock on its soundtrack. Mulit-platinum country duos Brooks & Dunn and Big & Rich trade paint with hard rock’s Velvet Revolver and Airbourne to represent the fast and dangerous sounds of the total NASCAR experience.
“NASCAR 08 puts gamers behind the wheel with a soundtrack that puts the pedal to the floor,” said Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing at EA. “Today’s NASCAR has 75 million of the most brand-loyal fans in all of sports, and any music mix must be a real reflection of true NASCAR culture. It’s more than country. It’s bigger than rock. This soundtrack is 100% cars ‘n’ guitars adrenaline that will blow gamers’ doors off.”
News N Notes
-- This Wednesday, EA’s “Wing Commander Arena and Konami’s Super Contra debut on Xbox LIVE Arcade.
-- Kuma Games and Spike TV are developing a title based on Spike TV's new action-drama limited series The Kill Point. Beginning Sunday, July 22 with the premiere of the series, Kuma will release action-packed gameisodes that allow television viewers to jump into "The Kill Point's" bank robbery gone wrong plotline - playing as a police officer or bank robber in a high intensity hostage crisis. Kuma's gameisodes are now available for free download at www.SpikeTV.com
-- Sony has redesigned www.station.com, which will host more than twenty free games, a new look and improved functionality. The newly revamped site will host free trials of the majority of SOE’s MMOs; casual games such as PopCap’s Bejeweled 2, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune; and mobile games such as Q*Bert, Snoop Dogg Cruisin’, and the recently released God of War: Betrayal. I
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Is your Xbox 360 failing?
According to several published reports, gamers are having a hard time with some XBox 360 units.
Tech Digest reports that a survey of retailers shows as many as 30 percent of all 360s sold are being returned for repair. Microsoft claims the 360 is well within the industry fail rate of three to five percent.
Last year, Game Daily Biz quoted an insider from Electronic Arts saying the failure rate was 10 times higher than Microsoft was quoting. The source claimed that of the 300 consoles EA had received, 30 to 50 percent of them had failed.
In February 2005, Microsoft recalled power cords on 14.1 million Xbox consoles worldwide, following reports of injuries due to defective electrical components that could cause fire hazards.
Today, gamers are still saying the heat generated by the unit -- especially when certain games trigger all three CPUs for use at the same time -- is melting chip connectors, and when they send the unit back to Microsoft for repair, when it's out of warranty, the repair charges are into the three digits.
There's a website dedicated to discussing failed 360s and it's full of consumers upset at paying as much as $140 to repair a unit that costs $399.
Are any of you suffering from defective 360s or seen the three red blinking lights around your green power light? Wanted to hear some stories out there.
Tech Digest reports that a survey of retailers shows as many as 30 percent of all 360s sold are being returned for repair. Microsoft claims the 360 is well within the industry fail rate of three to five percent.
Last year, Game Daily Biz quoted an insider from Electronic Arts saying the failure rate was 10 times higher than Microsoft was quoting. The source claimed that of the 300 consoles EA had received, 30 to 50 percent of them had failed.
In February 2005, Microsoft recalled power cords on 14.1 million Xbox consoles worldwide, following reports of injuries due to defective electrical components that could cause fire hazards.
Today, gamers are still saying the heat generated by the unit -- especially when certain games trigger all three CPUs for use at the same time -- is melting chip connectors, and when they send the unit back to Microsoft for repair, when it's out of warranty, the repair charges are into the three digits.
There's a website dedicated to discussing failed 360s and it's full of consumers upset at paying as much as $140 to repair a unit that costs $399.
Are any of you suffering from defective 360s or seen the three red blinking lights around your green power light? Wanted to hear some stories out there.
Friday, June 22, 2007
What's A'Diva Ti? Well, they sound great
Me? I'm not much of an audio nut anymore. Used to be. I had to have the latest and greatest speakers and receivers, and I'm sure my salesman, Lonnie Clark of Audio/Video on Independence (now Tweeter and not on Indy anymore) probably loved me for it. I'm sure I helped send his daughter to school.
Now I'm a video nut. I love to go to Best Buy and Tweeter and Circuit City to look at all the flat-panel LCD and plasma TVs (another discussion for another day), so when I got a set of Anthony Gallo speakers, I didn't have high expectations. I mean, I didn't know who Anthony Gallo was.
So of course, I google him and turns out the line of speakers he makes is quite well thought of. The A'Diva Ti 5-speaker system I was given to test has received rave reviews from a lot of fancy audiophile magazines.
Me? I think they're going to way too expensive to tell you all about. At just under $2,000, they're not exactly the $500 system you can get at Best Buy, but you can easily spend more than that on one set of speakers at Best Buy's fantastic Magnolia store in Concord, and at least to my ears, you still won't have a speaker set as grand as this. These are speakers you can grow old with.
Out of the box, you get five space-age looking speakers and a killer subwoofer. The silver round speakers, which kind of look like a giant eyeball, can be placed in-wall, in-ceiling or using more traditional methods, including placing them on stands which are included.
The 10-inch subwoofer has a 250-watt amp and will literally shake your walls. You can run the speakers through the amp or through an outboard receiver, the way I tried them. After letting them warm up for 50 hours, per Gallo's suggestion, I noticed the speakers sounding better than they did out of the box, and I was blown away out of the box.
They shined on video surround mode, making "Batman Begins" sound better than in my area multiplex. They handled DVD Audio and Super Audio CD, delivering quality I didn't think my receiver and DVD player were capable of outputting (I can only imagine these speakers paired with a dynamic receiver and DVD).
I let a friend, Winfred Cross, try the speakers. He writes about audio equipment for several online and print publications and I consider him about as much an expert in the field as you'll find in Charlotte.
He says, "These can handle anything you give them. Bass can be set with no boost or 3db or 6db increases. My neighbors appreciated the flat setting best.
You can find more expensive systems that sound better or you can put together your own, maybe for the same price. But why bother? Anthony Gallo Acoustics has done all the work to provide a system of outstanding clarity and quality. This is a no brainer."
These are available online at roundsound.com -- with a 30-day free in-home trial -- or at two Gastonia dealers, The Audio Shop and Alarm Sound.
Now I'm a video nut. I love to go to Best Buy and Tweeter and Circuit City to look at all the flat-panel LCD and plasma TVs (another discussion for another day), so when I got a set of Anthony Gallo speakers, I didn't have high expectations. I mean, I didn't know who Anthony Gallo was.
So of course, I google him and turns out the line of speakers he makes is quite well thought of. The A'Diva Ti 5-speaker system I was given to test has received rave reviews from a lot of fancy audiophile magazines.
Me? I think they're going to way too expensive to tell you all about. At just under $2,000, they're not exactly the $500 system you can get at Best Buy, but you can easily spend more than that on one set of speakers at Best Buy's fantastic Magnolia store in Concord, and at least to my ears, you still won't have a speaker set as grand as this. These are speakers you can grow old with.
Out of the box, you get five space-age looking speakers and a killer subwoofer. The silver round speakers, which kind of look like a giant eyeball, can be placed in-wall, in-ceiling or using more traditional methods, including placing them on stands which are included.
The 10-inch subwoofer has a 250-watt amp and will literally shake your walls. You can run the speakers through the amp or through an outboard receiver, the way I tried them. After letting them warm up for 50 hours, per Gallo's suggestion, I noticed the speakers sounding better than they did out of the box, and I was blown away out of the box.
They shined on video surround mode, making "Batman Begins" sound better than in my area multiplex. They handled DVD Audio and Super Audio CD, delivering quality I didn't think my receiver and DVD player were capable of outputting (I can only imagine these speakers paired with a dynamic receiver and DVD).
I let a friend, Winfred Cross, try the speakers. He writes about audio equipment for several online and print publications and I consider him about as much an expert in the field as you'll find in Charlotte.
He says, "These can handle anything you give them. Bass can be set with no boost or 3db or 6db increases. My neighbors appreciated the flat setting best.
You can find more expensive systems that sound better or you can put together your own, maybe for the same price. But why bother? Anthony Gallo Acoustics has done all the work to provide a system of outstanding clarity and quality. This is a no brainer."
These are available online at roundsound.com -- with a 30-day free in-home trial -- or at two Gastonia dealers, The Audio Shop and Alarm Sound.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Blockbuster to support Blu-Ray; have format wars ended?
If you're thinking of buying an next generation DVD player that supports high definition resolution, Blockbuster may've made your decision easier.
The video rental giant announced it will only rent Blu-Ray discs in its 1,450 stores when it expands its high-def offerings next month.
What does this mean?
There are two formats in the high definition DVD market, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. It's very similar to the old VHS vs Beta war we had in the '80s.
In the videogame world, Sony's PlayStation 3, which has struggled in sales because of price, includes a Blu-Ray player inside the box. Recently, many big box stores are offering heavy discounts on Sony TV/PS3 combos, essentially playing up the PS3s ability to be a killer high definition DVD player, which it is.
Microsoft had supported the HD-DVD format with a $199 add-on to its Xbox 360 machines. It'll be interesting to see if the Bill Gates Company adds a new Blu-Ray drive.
Blockbuster has been renting both Blu-ray and HD DVD titles in 250 stores since late last year but officials said customers were renting Blu-Ray over HD-DVD titles about seven out of 10 times.
Part of that was choice. All major studios except one are releasing films in Blu-Ray format. Several of them, including Walt Disney, are only releasing Blu-Ray.
Universal Studios exclusively supports HD-DVD.
"The consumers are sending us a message. I can't ignore what I'm seeing," Matthew Smith, senior vice president of merchandising at Blockbuster, told The Associated Press. "When you walk into a store and see all this product available in Blu-ray and there is less available on HD DVD, I think the consumer gets that."
Smith said Blockbuster will continue to rent HD-DVD titles in the original 250 locations and online.
Most industry analysts are predicting this decision will help Blu-Ray win the format war. With Sony's new Blu-Ray player debuting at $499 and an impending drop in price for PS3 looming -- thanks to lower costs to make Blu-Ray players -- HD-DVD is in some trouble.
The North American HD DVD Promotional Group told the Associated Press that Blockbuster's decision was shortsighted and skewed by the success of films released by Blu-ray studios in the first three months of the year.
"I think trying to make a format decision using such a short time period is really not measuring what the consumer is saying," said Ken Graffeo, co-president of the group.
The video rental giant announced it will only rent Blu-Ray discs in its 1,450 stores when it expands its high-def offerings next month.
What does this mean?
There are two formats in the high definition DVD market, Blu-Ray and HD-DVD. It's very similar to the old VHS vs Beta war we had in the '80s.
In the videogame world, Sony's PlayStation 3, which has struggled in sales because of price, includes a Blu-Ray player inside the box. Recently, many big box stores are offering heavy discounts on Sony TV/PS3 combos, essentially playing up the PS3s ability to be a killer high definition DVD player, which it is.
Microsoft had supported the HD-DVD format with a $199 add-on to its Xbox 360 machines. It'll be interesting to see if the Bill Gates Company adds a new Blu-Ray drive.
Blockbuster has been renting both Blu-ray and HD DVD titles in 250 stores since late last year but officials said customers were renting Blu-Ray over HD-DVD titles about seven out of 10 times.
Part of that was choice. All major studios except one are releasing films in Blu-Ray format. Several of them, including Walt Disney, are only releasing Blu-Ray.
Universal Studios exclusively supports HD-DVD.
"The consumers are sending us a message. I can't ignore what I'm seeing," Matthew Smith, senior vice president of merchandising at Blockbuster, told The Associated Press. "When you walk into a store and see all this product available in Blu-ray and there is less available on HD DVD, I think the consumer gets that."
Smith said Blockbuster will continue to rent HD-DVD titles in the original 250 locations and online.
Most industry analysts are predicting this decision will help Blu-Ray win the format war. With Sony's new Blu-Ray player debuting at $499 and an impending drop in price for PS3 looming -- thanks to lower costs to make Blu-Ray players -- HD-DVD is in some trouble.
The North American HD DVD Promotional Group told the Associated Press that Blockbuster's decision was shortsighted and skewed by the success of films released by Blu-ray studios in the first three months of the year.
"I think trying to make a format decision using such a short time period is really not measuring what the consumer is saying," said Ken Graffeo, co-president of the group.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Gametap.com launches; game sales up again
If you want to play a huge library of games without a console or software, try GameTap. It's Turner Broadcasting's new online videogame network. It's essentially a mirror of the company's pay-cable channel that has been a wild success.
In 2006, subscribers played more than 20 million games from the GameTap "vault" - more than 54,000 a day.
Now the sister website has been launched, featuring Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary. Through a "game changing" deal with publisher Eidos, GameTap made the title available to its paying subscribers and for purchase at GameTap.com's new digital retail store on the same date it hit U.S. retail shelves.
"This is the first new deal with a major game publisher that will enable GameTap to feature the hottest games of today and tomorrow for subscription play in the same windows as traditional retail outlets," said Stuart Snyder, GameTap's senior vice president and general manager.
GameTap's library has nearly tripled in size since the network launched in October 2005, and GameTap has added over 500 games as well as more than 600 new content pieces to GameTap TV. Last quarter, subscriptions were up nearly three-fold, and the network has expanded into Canada.
The website version bowed on May 31 and offers more than 30 free games, with new ones being added each month. Launch titles included Metal Slug from SNK Playmore, Taito's Bust-A-Move and Space Invaders, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend from Eidos, as well as Midway titles Joust, Robotron: 2084, and Rampage.
Visitors to the website will get original programming from GameTap TV, which features top music acts and celebrities weighing in on their favorite games, as well as original content like the GameTap Retrospectives series and the all-new Re\Visioned series, animated episodes that have well-known comic book artists and writers reinvent popular game icons.
VIDEOGAME SALES UP AGAIN
After a sluggish April, the NPD Group, which tracks game trends, thinks May is going to be a great month for gaming. It's forecasting game sales to be up 15 to 20 percent in April thanks to titles like Spider-Man 3 and Mario Party 8. It thinks hardware sales will be up too, though the struggling PS3 unit will continue to flounder, it feels, until there is a price cut and the PS3 gets a "better differentiated software lineup, which are more likely 2008 events, in our opinion.
Are you ready for some football?
It's not too far away for game lovers. On July 17, EA Sports releases NCAA 08. Madden come three weeks later on Aug. 14. This year, 2K Sports is back in the game, with All-Pro Football 2K8, also releasing Aug. 14.
You'll remember that before Electronic Arts signed an exclusive agreement with the NFL a few years back, 2K was building serious momentum with its football title, but has not released one since it lost its NFL license.
The new game will use the likenesses of more than 200 retired NFL stars. Since they can't use real stadiums or team names, users will create teams and stadiums and uniforms, down the socks. There's no dynasty mode because there's no team history, but it'll be fun to see if 2K can recapture some of the audience it was building.
News N Notes
-- PQ2: Practical Intelligence Quotient 2 from D3Publisher of America, Inc. is available now. Players calculate their intelligence by using the PQ scoring system based on the number of moves and the speed with which they complete more than 250 puzzles.
-- Electronic Arts is planning SimCity Societies for Christmas. It allows players to construct not only the cities they desire, but create their cultures, societal behaviors and environments as well.
-- K2, Ltd., the creative minds behind Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven, have released Tenchu Z exclusively for the Xbox 360. The title is the first mission-based ninja stealth action game for the Xbox 360, and allows players to hone their stealth skills while slaying enemies to become the ultimate ninja. Patience and strategy, with use of the stealth kill system, is rewarded over a run-and-gun style of hand-to-hand combat.
-- NAMCO BANDAI Games announced today that NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja 2 has shipped. Ninja training and heated combat returns with the highly-anticipated sequel of the popular NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja. In the new game, fans will experience more than 60 challenging missions to complete and the ability to play as one of over 30 popular ninja from the series, including Kakashi, Sasuke, Kisame, Itachi, and Tsunade.
-- Carolina Hurricanes center Eric Staal will be the cover athlete and spokesman for NHL 08, Electronic Arts hockey sim. Staal, 23, has played four seasons and scored a combined 75 goals over the past 2 seasons, notched 100 points in 2006, and was voted into his first All-Star game in 2007.
-- Electronic Arts today announced a commitment to bring its portfolio of hit games to Mac OS X. The first EA Mac titles slated to ship this summer include Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Need for Speed Carbon, Battlefield 2142 and Command &Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars. Later this year, EA will ship Madden NFL 08 and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 08 in sync with their worldwide launches
In 2006, subscribers played more than 20 million games from the GameTap "vault" - more than 54,000 a day.
Now the sister website has been launched, featuring Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Anniversary. Through a "game changing" deal with publisher Eidos, GameTap made the title available to its paying subscribers and for purchase at GameTap.com's new digital retail store on the same date it hit U.S. retail shelves.
"This is the first new deal with a major game publisher that will enable GameTap to feature the hottest games of today and tomorrow for subscription play in the same windows as traditional retail outlets," said Stuart Snyder, GameTap's senior vice president and general manager.
GameTap's library has nearly tripled in size since the network launched in October 2005, and GameTap has added over 500 games as well as more than 600 new content pieces to GameTap TV. Last quarter, subscriptions were up nearly three-fold, and the network has expanded into Canada.
The website version bowed on May 31 and offers more than 30 free games, with new ones being added each month. Launch titles included Metal Slug from SNK Playmore, Taito's Bust-A-Move and Space Invaders, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend from Eidos, as well as Midway titles Joust, Robotron: 2084, and Rampage.
Visitors to the website will get original programming from GameTap TV, which features top music acts and celebrities weighing in on their favorite games, as well as original content like the GameTap Retrospectives series and the all-new Re\Visioned series, animated episodes that have well-known comic book artists and writers reinvent popular game icons.
VIDEOGAME SALES UP AGAIN
After a sluggish April, the NPD Group, which tracks game trends, thinks May is going to be a great month for gaming. It's forecasting game sales to be up 15 to 20 percent in April thanks to titles like Spider-Man 3 and Mario Party 8. It thinks hardware sales will be up too, though the struggling PS3 unit will continue to flounder, it feels, until there is a price cut and the PS3 gets a "better differentiated software lineup, which are more likely 2008 events, in our opinion.
Are you ready for some football?
It's not too far away for game lovers. On July 17, EA Sports releases NCAA 08. Madden come three weeks later on Aug. 14. This year, 2K Sports is back in the game, with All-Pro Football 2K8, also releasing Aug. 14.
You'll remember that before Electronic Arts signed an exclusive agreement with the NFL a few years back, 2K was building serious momentum with its football title, but has not released one since it lost its NFL license.
The new game will use the likenesses of more than 200 retired NFL stars. Since they can't use real stadiums or team names, users will create teams and stadiums and uniforms, down the socks. There's no dynasty mode because there's no team history, but it'll be fun to see if 2K can recapture some of the audience it was building.
News N Notes
-- PQ2: Practical Intelligence Quotient 2 from D3Publisher of America, Inc. is available now. Players calculate their intelligence by using the PQ scoring system based on the number of moves and the speed with which they complete more than 250 puzzles.
-- Electronic Arts is planning SimCity Societies for Christmas. It allows players to construct not only the cities they desire, but create their cultures, societal behaviors and environments as well.
-- K2, Ltd., the creative minds behind Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven, have released Tenchu Z exclusively for the Xbox 360. The title is the first mission-based ninja stealth action game for the Xbox 360, and allows players to hone their stealth skills while slaying enemies to become the ultimate ninja. Patience and strategy, with use of the stealth kill system, is rewarded over a run-and-gun style of hand-to-hand combat.
-- NAMCO BANDAI Games announced today that NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja 2 has shipped. Ninja training and heated combat returns with the highly-anticipated sequel of the popular NARUTO: Ultimate Ninja. In the new game, fans will experience more than 60 challenging missions to complete and the ability to play as one of over 30 popular ninja from the series, including Kakashi, Sasuke, Kisame, Itachi, and Tsunade.
-- Carolina Hurricanes center Eric Staal will be the cover athlete and spokesman for NHL 08, Electronic Arts hockey sim. Staal, 23, has played four seasons and scored a combined 75 goals over the past 2 seasons, notched 100 points in 2006, and was voted into his first All-Star game in 2007.
-- Electronic Arts today announced a commitment to bring its portfolio of hit games to Mac OS X. The first EA Mac titles slated to ship this summer include Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Need for Speed Carbon, Battlefield 2142 and Command &Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars. Later this year, EA will ship Madden NFL 08 and Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 08 in sync with their worldwide launches
Friday, June 08, 2007
Poor PlayStation3 sales cost jobs at Sony
A few years back when Sony's PlayStation 2 was ruling the videogame universe, the company was seen as doing little wrong. It's long term dominance wasn't questioned.
Amazing how fast things can change.
Sony's high-priced PlayStation 3 has struggled to catch the PS2 audience and now the company is eliminating jobs because of it.
Sony announced Thursday that it's cutting positions to remain competitive, but didn't release numbers. Published reports said Sony was cutting three percent of its 1,600-person videogame workforce in its Foster City, CA, branch.
The job cuts in the U.S. follow similar cuts in Europe in April.
The PS3 went on sale in November, at the same time as Nintendo's Wii. The Wii, at $250, was more than 50 percent cheaper than the current version of PS3, which sells for $599.
Sony, which doesn't expect to post game business profits until 2009, has shipped 5.5 million PS3 machines in the fiscal year through March 31, fewer than the 6 million the company targeted.
Nintendo shipped 5.84 million Wiis worldwide in the same time frame.
In April, Nintendo sold 360,000 Wiis. Microsoft sold 174,000 Xbox 360s and Sony had just 82,000 PS3s sold in the United states.
In Japan, Wii outsold the PS3 by 5-to-1 in the month of May, when Sony announced a $563 million loss in the fourth quarter of its fiscal year, blaming PS3 development costs and lower-than-expected sales.
I have said this many times. The PS3 is the best game unit, but it's priced too high. With Sony recently dropping its Blu-Ray player to $499, down $100 from initial speculation, expect the PS3 to drop as well.
Sony is taking a hit for each PS3 sold. Published reports have that loss at anywhere from $200 to $350 per unit. But when Sony announced the cheaper Blu-Ray DVD player, it said costs to manufacture had dropped. That should mean costs for PS3 development should drop, too, given the PS3 has a built-in Blu-Ray player.
It's not too late, but PS3 needs some quality games that give gamers something they don't get from Wii or 360 and Sony's online experience needs to ramp up to match Microsoft's.
This needs to happen fast. Videogamers are notorious early adopters and once you've spent $1,000 on a system and games, it's hard to try to do it for another system.
The race is on.
Amazing how fast things can change.
Sony's high-priced PlayStation 3 has struggled to catch the PS2 audience and now the company is eliminating jobs because of it.
Sony announced Thursday that it's cutting positions to remain competitive, but didn't release numbers. Published reports said Sony was cutting three percent of its 1,600-person videogame workforce in its Foster City, CA, branch.
The job cuts in the U.S. follow similar cuts in Europe in April.
The PS3 went on sale in November, at the same time as Nintendo's Wii. The Wii, at $250, was more than 50 percent cheaper than the current version of PS3, which sells for $599.
Sony, which doesn't expect to post game business profits until 2009, has shipped 5.5 million PS3 machines in the fiscal year through March 31, fewer than the 6 million the company targeted.
Nintendo shipped 5.84 million Wiis worldwide in the same time frame.
In April, Nintendo sold 360,000 Wiis. Microsoft sold 174,000 Xbox 360s and Sony had just 82,000 PS3s sold in the United states.
In Japan, Wii outsold the PS3 by 5-to-1 in the month of May, when Sony announced a $563 million loss in the fourth quarter of its fiscal year, blaming PS3 development costs and lower-than-expected sales.
I have said this many times. The PS3 is the best game unit, but it's priced too high. With Sony recently dropping its Blu-Ray player to $499, down $100 from initial speculation, expect the PS3 to drop as well.
Sony is taking a hit for each PS3 sold. Published reports have that loss at anywhere from $200 to $350 per unit. But when Sony announced the cheaper Blu-Ray DVD player, it said costs to manufacture had dropped. That should mean costs for PS3 development should drop, too, given the PS3 has a built-in Blu-Ray player.
It's not too late, but PS3 needs some quality games that give gamers something they don't get from Wii or 360 and Sony's online experience needs to ramp up to match Microsoft's.
This needs to happen fast. Videogamers are notorious early adopters and once you've spent $1,000 on a system and games, it's hard to try to do it for another system.
The race is on.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Sony drops Blu-Ray price; Is PS3 next?
I can't say I didn't see this coming.
Sony has dropped the price for its new BDP-S300 Blu-Ray disc player from $599 to $499. That's half of what the first Sony Blu-Ray cost just six months ago.
And I think it means we'll see a cut in PS3 units, which come with a Blu-Ray player built-in, before summer is done.
This is all about competition of course.
Sony is in a Beta vs. VHS war with HD-DVD, another form of next-generation high definition DVD playback, pioneered by Toshiba. HD-DVD players are now selling for less than $300, though the sub-300 model is not capable of producing the highest quality HDTV picture (1080P), like Blu-Ray is.
Sony officially says the Blu-Ray price cut is due to falling production costs and growing demand.
Neither format is selling well right now but Sony can ill afford for Blu Ray to lose as it would stagnate sales of the PS3, which has yet to take off. So far Hollywood studios lean more towards Blu-Ray but I think both formats could thrive.
There are some new combo players that play HD-DVD and Blu-Ray but they're going for $800 or more.
This could be an important battle for consumers to watch with HDTV set prices falling by the month.
Sony has dropped the price for its new BDP-S300 Blu-Ray disc player from $599 to $499. That's half of what the first Sony Blu-Ray cost just six months ago.
And I think it means we'll see a cut in PS3 units, which come with a Blu-Ray player built-in, before summer is done.
This is all about competition of course.
Sony is in a Beta vs. VHS war with HD-DVD, another form of next-generation high definition DVD playback, pioneered by Toshiba. HD-DVD players are now selling for less than $300, though the sub-300 model is not capable of producing the highest quality HDTV picture (1080P), like Blu-Ray is.
Sony officially says the Blu-Ray price cut is due to falling production costs and growing demand.
Neither format is selling well right now but Sony can ill afford for Blu Ray to lose as it would stagnate sales of the PS3, which has yet to take off. So far Hollywood studios lean more towards Blu-Ray but I think both formats could thrive.
There are some new combo players that play HD-DVD and Blu-Ray but they're going for $800 or more.
This could be an important battle for consumers to watch with HDTV set prices falling by the month.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Is PlayStation 3 dead?
Is the PlayStation 3 in trouble?
Well, maybe.
According to industry research group NPD Funworld, console sales were up 56 percent in April, to $239.4 million.
The Nintendo Wii sold 360,000 units. The PS2 sold 194,000 and the Xbox 360 had 174,000 sales.
The PS3? Just 82,000. Worse, there were no PS3 titles on NPD's top 10 software chart.
And here's the bigger problem. Of all the major console and handheld game units in the U.S homes, PS3 is last.
There's PS2 at 38.2 million homes, GameBoy Advance at 35.7 million, GameCube at 11.7 million, Nintendo DS at 10.9 million, PSP at 7.4 million, 360 at 5.4 million, Wii at 2.5 million...and PS3 at 1.3 million.
A low installed base means there's less audience to buy software. I'm sure game makers like Electronic Arts just love that.
These are not good signs for what is, unquestionably, the best videogame console out there.
The problem, of course, is the $599 PS3 costs too much, but I don't think it's dead yet.
There are rumors of a price drop, by as much as $200, though I think a $100 drop is more likely. That'll help.
Last week, Sony introduced an update to the PS3 that will allow it to upscale PS2 games and DVD movies to 1080P resolution for HDTV. What that means is, if you have an HDTV, the PS3 will make your videogames and old DVDs look much better.
For HDTV owners, the PS3 is a bargain. You get games, you get an excellent Blu-Ray DVD player and now you get upconversion for older games and movies. With Blu-Ray players running up to $1,000, I would choose PS3 in a heartbeat. It makes for an excellent HD-DVD solution and can deliver some awe-inspiring graphics for gaming.
Even if you don't have an HDTV, if you're thinking of buying one, the PS3 is, to me, a must-have appliance.
Again, I think the biggest problem with PS3 is price. Once that comes down, Sony will be fine.
Well, maybe.
According to industry research group NPD Funworld, console sales were up 56 percent in April, to $239.4 million.
The Nintendo Wii sold 360,000 units. The PS2 sold 194,000 and the Xbox 360 had 174,000 sales.
The PS3? Just 82,000. Worse, there were no PS3 titles on NPD's top 10 software chart.
And here's the bigger problem. Of all the major console and handheld game units in the U.S homes, PS3 is last.
There's PS2 at 38.2 million homes, GameBoy Advance at 35.7 million, GameCube at 11.7 million, Nintendo DS at 10.9 million, PSP at 7.4 million, 360 at 5.4 million, Wii at 2.5 million...and PS3 at 1.3 million.
A low installed base means there's less audience to buy software. I'm sure game makers like Electronic Arts just love that.
These are not good signs for what is, unquestionably, the best videogame console out there.
The problem, of course, is the $599 PS3 costs too much, but I don't think it's dead yet.
There are rumors of a price drop, by as much as $200, though I think a $100 drop is more likely. That'll help.
Last week, Sony introduced an update to the PS3 that will allow it to upscale PS2 games and DVD movies to 1080P resolution for HDTV. What that means is, if you have an HDTV, the PS3 will make your videogames and old DVDs look much better.
For HDTV owners, the PS3 is a bargain. You get games, you get an excellent Blu-Ray DVD player and now you get upconversion for older games and movies. With Blu-Ray players running up to $1,000, I would choose PS3 in a heartbeat. It makes for an excellent HD-DVD solution and can deliver some awe-inspiring graphics for gaming.
Even if you don't have an HDTV, if you're thinking of buying one, the PS3 is, to me, a must-have appliance.
Again, I think the biggest problem with PS3 is price. Once that comes down, Sony will be fine.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
New Spider Man laptop proves gaming can be good
New Jersey-based KIDdesigns' new Spider-Man laptops are fun for young children, who are often ignored in the all-too violent world of videogaming.
The black laptop costs about $40 and is a really good tool for kids, say, 4 to 6 (the manufacturer recommends 5-8) to learn how to use the computer, to learn how to type and battle Spidey villians at the same time.
The games are easy. You identify letters on the keypad and Spider-Man tells you how good a job you're doing. You find words. You play Hang Man. The laptop teaches math, spelling and vocabulary with eight learning zones and more than 40 games.
I think it's a terrific value and training aid. It'll hold your kids attention just as much as that handheld color thingy and will teach them a little something at the same time.
NEWS N NOTES
-- The National Institute on Media and the Family released the following statement regarding Microsoft’s efforts to inform parents of a hidden partial nudity section in the soon-to-be-released Halo 2 video game for Microsoft Vista:
“The National Institute on Media and the Family commends Microsoft for their leadership and transparency in alerting the public and the Entertainment Software Rating Board of the hidden game content. Thankfully, Microsoft took the leadership role in ordering the ESRB to issue stickers with the correct rating information on the packaging. Microsoft has taken great strides in ensuring that parents have the tools available to make healthier media decisions. From parental controls to game ratings, Microsoft has become a reliable friend for families."
-- SEGA today announced that CRUSH, a new puzzle game created exclusively for the PSP. CRUSH is set within a complex and hypnotic 3D world. Players will use the game’s unique crushing mechanic to “crush” the environment and transform it into a more simplified 2D platformer. Once flattened, players will utilize the 2D space to move to new areas in order to solve otherwise impossible challenges, and unlock secret items that were previously unobtainable in the 3D environment. Players will then “uncrush” the 2D environment and return to the 3D world.
-- Midway Games today announced that Mortal Kombat®: Armageddon™ for Nintendo's Wii™ home video game system has shipped to retail outlets nationwide and is available at a U.S. MSRP of $49.95. Mortal Kombat: Armageddon features a new control scheme, a completely revamped Endurance Mode, and a new kharacter - Female Khameleon.
-- GameTap, the broadband entertainment network from Turner Broadcasting, announced today the latest addition to the GameTap Originals line-up, American McGee’s Grimm.
Fans can expect the same twisted treatment of children’s classics, in addition to a fantastical art style, and groundbreaking gameplay elements. American McGee’s Grimm is a narrative-driven, action-adventure game which immerses the player in a world built around some of the best known tales from the Brothers Grimm, including Rapunzel, Rumplestiltskin, Little Red Riding Hood, and Snow White.
-- The 3D racing party game, “Mad Tracks,” will be available for download on Xbox LIVE Arcade for Xbox 360 beginning Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. GMT (2:00 a.m. Pacific Time).
Players can race through 15 challenges consisting of nine mini-games and six different races behind the wheel of one of 12 sleek compact cars. “Mad Tracks,” from Load Inc., features 12 power-ups to keep engines revved up and players in the fast lane ahead of the competition.
-- The PlayStation store is offering a free download of Gran Turimo. Players get access to one track and ten cars with HD graphics.
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