March 10th, 2010 at 05:30pm
Under xbox live
OnLive, a service aiming to knock off the traditional video game console model by delivering streaming games at high frame rates regardless of the power of a user’s computer, will launch June 17 with partners like EA, Ubisoft, and 2K Games.
(Credit:OnLive)
Update 10:35 a.m. PST: This story has new details regarding where the OnLive service will be available and why it was delayed.
SAN FRANCISCO–OnLive, a streaming video game service that, if properly implemented, could threaten traditional console makers like Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, announced Wednesday that it will launch on June 17.
In a speech at the Game Developers Conference here, OnLive CEO Steve Perlman said that the service will go live in the 48 contiguous United States during the E3 video game conference in Los Angeles, and, at an initial price of $14.95 a month, will offer consumers the ability to rent or purchase AAA games from the likes of Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, 2K Games, THQ, and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
For OnLive to officially announce its launch date at GDC is appropriate, given that the service was first unveiled at the conference a year ago. at the time, gamers wanting to play full-scale console games were excited by the service’s potential for obviating consoles like the Xbox, PlayStation 3, and Wii. According to OnLive, the service will work on most PCs or Macs via a browser plug-in, or on high-definition TVs via what the company is calling a MicroConsole adapter.
At GDC last year, OnLive said it expected its service to open to the public the coming winter. on stage Wednesday, Perlman admitted that the company is late, but said that since it’s still winter right now, they will only be about three months late, and that the delays were partly based on wanting to make the service better than had been planned last year.
Upon its unveiling, OnLive promised that gamers would be able to get high frame rate, no-lag performance out of most console games, regardless of how powerful their computer is, and as long as they have minimum Internet connection speeds of 1.5 Mbps for standard-definition play, and 5 Mbps for HD.
“The really hard problem,” said Perlman on Wednesday, “is how to get this to work reliably over consumer connections. [There are] packet drops, packets reordered, and other people using the connection.” so, he said, OnLive builds error correction and error concealment into the data compression. “We don’t have time to ask for a new packet, if the packet is lost or corrupted…We have to deal with what’s coming in right then.”
Last year, the company explained that it was able to deliver high-performance streaming of games due to a series of patented and patent-pending compression technologies. Rather than having consumers download the games, OnLive will host them all and stream them from a series of the highest-end servers.
OnLive argues that, among other things, this infrastructure model future-proofs customers because they will never have to upgrade their equipment. Rather, all the technology advances will happen on the back end.
However, many critics have questioned whether such a system can work under real-life conditions. Some have said that if users are too far away from OnLive’s servers that there would be no possible way that the performance would be as good as advertised.
But on Wednesday, Perlman said that the service is intended to work as long as the customer is no more than 1,000 miles from a data center. and with data centers in the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, and Dallas, it hopes to obviate that problem. Still, getting an optimal connection isn’t automatic on the Internet, he said. so the company has developed technology that finds the optimal route when someone connects.
Additionally, OnLive will likely have to have a significant budget for infrastructure upgrades every six months if it hopes to keep its servers up to the task of streaming the increasingly more powerful games coming out of the major game companies.
Of course, the question of whether users’ proximity to the OnLive servers affects their quality of play is the most important question OnLive has to answer. if performance degrades as users get farther away from the company’s servers, its potential user base will be much smaller than what is needed to seriously challenge the console makers, or any of the other companies, such as InstantAction, that seek to deliver console-quality games over the Internet.
OnLive CEO Steve Perlman speaks about the service at GDC in San Francisco.
(Credit:Daniel Terdiman/CNET)
If it does work, however, users may flock to the service in droves, particularly because they would be able to play their favorite games anywhere they can access a computer with the OnLive plug-in and a high-speed connection.
And, Perlman said, the service allows users to run their games on many kinds of devices. To demonstrate, he showed that it was possible to play games over OnLive on an iPhone.
First slate of games
With its Wednesday announcement, OnLive was a bit cagey as to which games will be available to players at launch. it said that it will officially announce the list of launch titles before E3, but also said that “anticipated” games include Borderlands, Dragon Age Origins, Mass Effect 2, Assassin’s Creed II, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, and Metro 2033.
The company also said that for their $14.95 a month fee, users will get a constantly expanding library of games. in addition, the first 25,000 “qualified” people to sign up for the service will have the fee waived for the first three months. it said interested gamers should go to its Web site for details on who qualifies for that offer.
The company said last year that it will likely offer free trials of some portion of games in a bid to let users make informed decisions about what they want to purchase. OnLive knows that some players will likely use that offering as an opportunity to test games and then buy them for their consoles, but as long as people come to OnLive, the company will probably be happy.
And given that social play is one of the most important elements of any gaming service, be it Xbox Live, Facebook, or an iPhone, OnLive promises that users will have access to a wide range of social features including spectating, a social feature in which users can digitally watch others play games in real time. As well, following the Xbox Live model, OnLive will offer what are known as “brag clips,” which are 15-second replays of game action that players can share with friends to demonstrate their skills. That’s possible, the company said, because the OnLive service is continually recording the last 15 seconds of action.
Now the question is whether OnLive can deliver on its promise. if it can, the Microsofts, Sonys, and Nintendos of the world will have something very serious to worry about. if not, it will be just another technology that offered to change the game but didn’t execute.
Potential console killer OnLive to go live June 17
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March 10th, 2010 at 04:45pm
Under nintendo ds
Nintendo of America’s president and COO Reggie Fils-Aime says his company’s hardware developers are “not there yet” on developing or even seriously considering a successor to its Wii console.
“We pride ourselves on the big innovative jump, typically in the area of the consumer experience,” the executive explained in an interview with Forbes discussing Nintendo’s future and current technology trends.
“The way we approach that innovation, because we have hardware developers working side by side with software developers, is that when the software developer comes forward with an idea that can’t be executed on the current platform, that’s when we start thinking seriously about the next system. We’re not there yet, from a Wii perspective.”
Fils-Aime made a point last January to deny rumors of Nintendo announcing a Wii hardware update at this week’s Game Developers Conference. he stated that the company is confident the console has “a very long life in front of it.”
The NOA president reiterated his company’s stance that the future of the Wii will not only be found in high definition graphics but in “groundbreaking new experiences” that Nintendo can introduce to gamers through technology advancements.
When asked about the rapidly growing virtual goods business and whether his company plans to cash in on selling clothing/accessories for Mii Avatars — a concept both Microsoft and Sony have jumped on with their systems’s respective avatars — Fils-Aime said Nintendo doesn’t believe that the idea creates value for consumers.
“We don’t believe selling clothes or hats is something that the consumers will find valuable,” he argued. “And candidly, if you really challenge the competitors who are playing in this space, I think they would be hard-pressed to show any true value from a consumer standpoint. what we think is important is providing real experiences.”
“So the content drives that. We think that providing information through the Wii and through the DS and DSi is going to be a critical opportunity for us. We’re doing that now through the Nintendo Channel, we’re doing that through a self-produced video segment called Nintendo Week. so we think those initiatives provide a lot more consumer value rather than trying to sell ‘wearables’ and action items for your avatar.”
Fils-Aime: Nintendo ‘Not There Yet’ On Wii Successor
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March 10th, 2010 at 03:15pm
Under xbox live
- This is a refurbished Xbox 360 Pro console
- 20 GB Hard Drive
- 2 Wireless Controllers
- Sleek set-top design with horizontal or vertical placement option in a white finish
- Customize your Xbox 360 Dashboard, Guide, and Gamer Profile with content from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace
Product Description
The Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system places you at the center of the experience. Xbox 360 ignites a new era of digital entertainment that is always connected, always personalized, and always in high definition.Xbox 360 gives you access to the games you want to play, the people you want to play with, and the experiences you crave—when and where you want them.Amazon.com Product Description
Xbox 360 sets a new pace for digital entertainment. more than just a cutting-edge game system, Xbox 360 also integrates high-definition video, DVD movie playback, digital music, photos, and online connectivity into one sleek, small tower, and in the process puts true Next-Gen power right at your fingertips.
Note: this is a refurbished Xbox 360 Pro console. Xbox 360, shown with wireless controller, is a sleek, customizable gaming and entertainment system Under the Hood
Xbox … More >>
Xbox 360 Pro 20 GB – Refurbished
Xbox 360 Pro 20 GB – Refurbished | Electronic Art and system
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March 10th, 2010 at 03:00pm
Under video games
“Ryan Kesler, you’ve just won an Olympic hockey silver medal. What are you going to do next?”
The answer to that question came out of nowhere and hit Kesler when he least expected it. Understandably feeling blue after losing in overtime to Canada in the gold-medal game on Feb. 28, the Vancouver Canucks‘ center received a phone call the next day to inform him that Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., maker of the critically-acclaimed 2K hockey video game series, had chosen Kesler to be the cover subject of the forthcoming NHL 2K11 release which will debut next fall.
“I found out the day after I won the silver, or lost the gold, whichever way you look at it,” Kesler told NHL.com, a touch of bitterness still in his voice. “I was really upset, down in the dumps after losing that game.
“I got the call the next day and I was really excited, and I’m still extremely exited.”
Kesler joins an all-star list of NHL players who have received the cover honor from 2K, including Alex Ovechkin, Rick Nash, Jason Spezza and Joe Thornton. A life-long gamer himself, the announcement humbled Kesler. “It’s unbelievable, the people that have come before me … Nash, Ovechkin. To come after Ovechkin (2K10), I’m excited to be in his company.
“Video games are something I’ve been doing my whole life. Growing up they were a big part of my life and they still are.”
Kesler first became a real-life video game subject with 2K at the NHL Awards show last season when he and Ovechkin participated in a motion-capture event on a synthetic outdoor rink at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Kesler and Ovechkin wore skin-tight black suits covered with motion sensors, displayed their hockey skills and had their movements captured digitally for inclusion in 2K10, all in the name of true-to-life video gaming technology.
“I was in touch with them way before that,” Kesler said. “My agent introduced us, and we started a dialogue and a relationship. We talked about their game and how they can improve it, what I like about it, and it just kind of grew from there.
“I was going to Vegas any way for the Awards show (as a Selke Trophy finalist), and I just happened to get into the motion capture. it was an awesome experience, and I was lucky to be able to do that.”
“We identified Ryan as a gamer, and that clicked with us,” said Mike Rhinehart, senior marketing manager at 2K Sports. “He understands the sport at a level only a professional player could, but he’s also a gamer. So we asked him, ‘What do you think of this mode? What about the controls on this?’ He got back to us with the exact feedback we were looking for, gave us a critical eye. since then we looked at him as a special case you don’t find in professional players often.”
“We like his style of play, and we’ve watched him progress through the years. He’s a pivotal piece of the Canucks franchise. That’s something we watched, his leadership and how he puts his heart into the game. He’s a special, special player.”
Contact Rocky Bonannno at rbonanno@nhl.com
Kesler goes from silver to video game cover
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March 10th, 2010 at 02:45pm
Under nintendo dsi
Augmented reality (AR) is all the rage these days.
Point your iPhone camera at just about any major city street and AR can overlay the image you see with information in real time. Nearest restaurant, subway station or ATM machine? It’s all there.
But what if you could use AR to spin a convincing yarn?
That’s the premise of Ghostwire, an AR-based game currently under development in Stockholm for the Nintendo DSi by a different Game.
Like Invizimals, which appeared last year on the Soiny PSP, Ghostwire uses the built-in camera function of the console – in this case a DSi – to locate some fairly scary looking phantoms in your immediate environment. The idea is to capture the ghosts, then find out what their problem is and solve it for them, bringing peace to their unquiet spirits.
Tom Soderlund of a different Game took to the stage at GDC in San Francisco today to explain himself.
“Until four years ago, you needed to wear special goggle and carry a backpack full of electronic kit to get the same effect that we are hoping to conjure out of the DSi game,” mr Soderlund told his audience.
The game uses some very clever coding to break down and interpret the image the camera sees to ensure that the ghosts appear as realistically as possible in front of you.
“We wanted to make something believable,” mr Soderlund said. “But because we can’t do human beings convincingly on a DSi, we used ghosts. They’re great because they can look like anything we want, and in a sense the vaguer they appear the more believable they are.”
Although the rather – ahem – dated nature of the DSi’s inner working have caused problems, the biggest challenge facing the team is how to make the game worth playing for more than two minutes. In order to provide a minimum of six hours gameplay, Ghostwire will come packed with minigames and quests, with ghosts becoming more difficult to capture and talk to as the game progresses.
And the launch date for this madness? Halloween of course. When else?
Nintendo DSi to get AR spooks
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March 10th, 2010 at 01:15pm
Under nintendo dsi
During the past few years the Play Station Portable has satisfied players of all ages but most will let you know that buying all that NINTENDO DSI music, games, and movies can be expensive. However, there are measures you can take to save hard cash and that is only with Nintendo DSI Download Center.
To make it easier on the bank account you could download the Play Station Portable entertainment from the web. Numerous websites exist that permit you to acquire NINTENDO DSI games at no cost. However, the better part of these sites is really developed to infect your computers software with spyware. These are recognized as giveaway sites and have really slow download speeds as well as being very undependable.
In order to acquire Play Station Portable entertainment such as movies or games with safety, go to a website where you feel confidant. Managing their internet files of free Play Station Portable movies, games, and music with care, there are plenty of web sites that allow you to download your entertainment software in the knowledge that these sites keep out troublemakers.
These NINTENDO DSI sites commonly ask a minimal fee. Then again, if you locate the precise computer site you’ll find the cost is usually less than $50.00. for less than that amount, you’ll find an internet download site where you can acquire your Play Station Portable files which includes games and movies at lightning speeds. So one of them is Nintendo DSI Download Center.
These Play Station Portable websites will also give you the rights to tons of unique NINTENDO DSI libraries such as themes, and games, movies, wallpapers, and so much more.
As almost immediately after you have paid your membership account, most of these NINTENDO DSI download sites will permit you to acquire unlimited music and movies as well as games without paying high acquisition charges.
There is no question about it, Play Station Portables are completely blowing-up right now, and finding a good website for the acquisition of games and music may prove to be a move that’ll save you money. Visit Nintendo DSI Download Center.
Download Free NINTENDO DSI Games – Nintendo DSI Download Center is …
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March 10th, 2010 at 01:00pm
Under video games
I stepped up to the red haired, slightly obese cashier and she immediately gave me a look of disgrace as if I did something wrong. I replied with a “hi” to make the tension less awkward. She immediately asked me for my ID. I’ve never been carded for a video game before so I politely handed it to her while asking my brother for my gift cards I gave him while I was busy shuffling through my car just 20 minutes earlier.
She then left the the register booth with my ID and video game and went to her manager. the Best buy cashier then came back and shouted that I’m purchasing a video game for a minor in front of everyone in line behind me and her fellow cashiers. She even had the nerve to ask, “Is that even your brother with you?!” Hell yes he is! I was embarrassed! It’s like she was condemning me for purchasing alcohol for a minor. [ed. Assassin's Creed is rated "M" for Mature, meaning it's considered not suitable for kids under 17. It's a game where you play an assassin during the third Crusades and you take out various historical figures.]
I quickly responded back that I am 21 year old and that the video game and peripheral are for me. She shook her head with a menacing grim and said that she saw me take gift cards from my brother and that what I am doing is illegal. Enough of this obese 17 year olds shenanigans! I demanded a manager. unfortunately the manager was probably about 18 years old as well.
In front of the store again he told me that I am illegally purchasing a video game for a minor. I responded back that they are my gift cards! I want to make a purchase. That’s when he picked up Xbox Live GOLD. I then asked if I couldn’t buy that either. he then took a few minutes to scrutinize the box looking for an online peripherals rating. he never found it and said to me, he’s not sure, I might not be able to do that either (Xbox Live was also rated E for everyone mind you). I continued to repeat that these are my gift cards, I’m 21 and I want to make my purchase. the cashier and manager continued to condemn me in front of all that I’m illegally purchasing the game for a minor.
I brought up two ultimatums. “So I have to go drive miles outside Orland Park, IL to another Best buy to purchase the video game then?” the manager shrugged and said, “I guess so.”
I also brought up the option then that if I left the store with my brother, came back in by myself and made the purchase, would that be legal then? the manager replied, “Technically, yes, that will be OK.”
I then told them to hold on to the Xbox Live Gold since it was the last one left. I left the store with my brother, told him to go to the car. I then walked back into the store. the manager earlier told me that I can’t use the old video game I originally had in hand because it was deemed under “penalty.” I then had to walk all the way to the back of the cavernous store, pick up the video game then walk back to the line I was originally in. I stood in line for another 10 minutes waiting. I finally got back up to the obese red head cashier where she smirked and looked at me and said, “Yeah, we can’t sell you that video game.” what?! “Those gift cards are illegal.”
How the hell does she know someone didn’t just give me the gift cards on the street or if I had more of my “OWN” gift cards from the car. they just told me that I was able to purchase the video game once I walked my brother out.
I told them that they made a fool out of me before everyone in the store. She continued to be as politely as I can put it a “bitch” to me. I purchased Xbox Live Gold and said to the hell with the game. after making the transaction I told her I didn’t need a plastic bag since all I’m carrying out is a small little hand held cardboard box. Who needs a plastic bag for that? She then told me that under company policy if I wanted to exit the store I needed a plastic bag. Absurd! for me to exit the store I need to kill the planet now? I never see people with bags over DVD players that are twice the size as the flimsy Xbox Live cardboard box.
Anyway I left the store, we ate dinner and on the way home we stopped at the Best buy in Mokena, IL. I purchased the same exact video game, Assassin’s Creed with my brother right beside me. I was never carded, I was never interrogated, I was never questioned. I had a wonderful experience there but I had to go through a three hour ordeal of going to the Best buy in Orland Park, eating dinner than spending another 20 minutes at a Best buy miles away all for a video game.
Three things Best buy, first drop the mandatory plastic bag policy. Second, you need to revamp your treatment of customers and not threaten them of their illegal actions in front of all. Three, can I get reimbursed for some gas money for driving miles and miles out of my way since I was banned from buying a video game at your store in Orland Park, IL?
“You cannot buy that game, there's a minor next to you”
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March 10th, 2010 at 12:00pm
Under playstation
in the ongoing battle for content, Sony said Tuesday that it had locked in the five top studios to supply HD content to the PlayStation Network . at launch, the content will be available in the U.S. only, with plans to launch soon in the U.K., France, Germany, and Spain , Sony said. Sony claimed that “all” of the top studios now offer HD content via the PSN. The five studios announced Tuesday are: 20th Century Fox , Walt Disney Pictures , Paramount Pictures , Sony Pictures Entertainment , Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros . “Securing high definition content from these studios is another significant milestone further validating PlayStation Network as a complete entertainment network in the home.
Sony Signs Major HD Deals for PlayStation Network (PC Magazine via Yahoo! News)
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March 10th, 2010 at 10:30am
Under nintendo ds
It appears that Warner Bros. Interactive and 5th Level are interested in building on the word of mouth publicity, which Scribblenauts received when it came out in 2009 by creating a new game in the series set to arrive in late 2010 with a host of improvements. The GoNintendo magazine is also offering some details on the upcoming game. It seems that Scribblenauts 2 should get a bigger dictionary, featuring about 10,000 new words, which players can translate into game objects, 120 new levels that can be solved through good use of the abovementioned words and a much improved control system.
When it comes to the words, the game will offer an extra focus on adjectives, allowing players to write them down in order to modify the state of the game object they are targeting.
5th Level is also interested in allowing players to create their own levels and share them with others via the connection capabilities of the Nintendo DS. A new hint system is also being created, allowing all players to progress through the levels when they get stuck.
The first Scribblenauts was a breakthrough in the way players interacted with the game. besides controlling the main character, gamers can write down words on the screen and see them come to life. This means that there’s no single way to go through one level and that innovation and experimentation are at the core of the experience. The game has sold more than 1 million copies worldwide until now.
One of the big problems of Scribblenauts was its being confined to the space of a Nintendo DS cartridge. This limited the number of images developers could link with words, resulting in one image being reused for a variety of words closely related in significance. It will be interesting to see how the adjective focus announced for Scribblenauts 2 will solve this issue.
Scribblenauts 2 Coming to the Nintendo DS This Fall
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March 10th, 2010 at 10:15am
Under xbox live
Right, by now, everyone must have guessed that I’m dead excited about Windows Phone 7 Series. Like, really excited. Like, more excited than a human should ever get about technology, but then, my name is Technical Markus, so what do you expect? Given the sudden appearance of Xbox games in our Famous Phones section, you may have also guessed that I switched allegiances from Sony, to join the cult of Xbox about, ooh, a year ago.
Honestly, Transformers: War For Cybertron (out in June) may well make me reach nerdvana, and if it doesn’t, Mass Effect 3 certainly will.
So, given those two facts, you could probably guess what central feature of Windows Phone 7 Series is getting me the most breathlessly excited. It’s Xbox Live integration, because no other phone OS in existence does that.
I’ve mentioned before that the significance of Xbox Live integration is massively greater than a lot of people have said. sure, I see people who say “I only want my phone to be a phone, I care not for Xbox stuff”. and that’s fine, but it begs the question of why, if they don’t care about anything beyond basic phones, they’re even commenting on a smartphone OS, but that’s by the by. I, for one, am dead excited about Xbox coming to mobile phones, and I’ll tell you why. Y’see, it’s not things like Live avatar customisation that get me excited. One of my ideas was making Xbox games where certain bits (for example, the mineral resource mining in Mass Effect 2) could be done on the phone as well as on the Xbox itself, in your downtime, so that if you’ve got a Windows Phone, you can focus your console experience on the actual alien laser face melty death bits.
In essence, what I wished for was multi-platform gaming, where you could play the game (either the whole game, or just bits of it) on multiple devices, say the phone, your desktop PC and your Xbox.
Now imagine my excitement, because, as we see in the following video, THIS IS PRECISELY WHAT MICROSOFT HAVE IN MIND!
Woo, and indeed, hoo. okay, fair enough, the game itself is only a 2D Indiana Jones platformer, but even so, the most apt words I can think of are ‘massive potential’. The idea of starting a game on your Xbox, saving the game, then picking up your phone on the bus in to work, and having the same game pick up the action at the exact point you left off at, is just mind-blowing for someone like me, who first got into gaming with the Commodore 64.
So, I say again, that I think Xbox Live integration is much more crucial and important than some people have given credit for. yes, fine, 7 Series has got a lovely new interface, and it’s all sleek, and everything, but Xbox Live is its killer app. no other phone platform can replicate that, with the possible exception being Sony, if they ever get their act together and release a PSP Phone. even then, though, I’d argue the whole Xbox Live infrastructure ecosystem thingy is biggerer and strongerer than the PlayStation Network.
Oh, and of course, let’s not forget, Xbox Live integration is the key thing that’s made me hold off on committing to get an HTC HD2. That’s how much Windows Phone 7 Series has got me hooked…
More news as it happens! and be sure to subscribe now to get all the latest action from the world of mobile phones!
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Windows Phones – first hints of how Xbox Live integration works …
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