Armored Core V tops Japanese chart

February 1st, 2012, 17:35 Posted By: wraggster

From Software's Armored Core V is the new Japanese all-formats number one after selling almost 188,000 copies in its first week on shelves.
Resident Evil Revelations is another new entry, Capcom's 3DS game selling 146,000 and making its debut in second spot. Just behind is Namco Bandai's DS remake Tales Of Innocence R, which with 54,800 units sold becomes the first Vita game to trouble the upper echelons of the chart in some time.
Tales' debut also appears to have boosted Vita sales, which totalled 18,942 units in the week ending January 29, a modest increase on last week's 15,219 and the first time since launch that sales of Sony's new handheld have increased week on week.
01. Armored Core V (From Software, PS3/360)
02. Resident Evil Revelations (Capcom, 3DS)
03. Tales Of Innocence R (Namco Bandai, Vita)
04. Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo, 3DS)
05. Monster Hunter Tri G (Nintendo, 3DS)
06. Super Mario 3D Land (Nintendo, 3DS)
07. Idolmaster Anime & G4U Pack Vol 4 (Namco Bandai, PS3)
08. Rhythm Thief (Nintendo, 3DS)
09. Inazuma Eleven Go (Level-5, 3DS)
10. Gundam Mokuba No Kiseki (Namco Bandai, PSP)

http://www.edge-online.com/news/armo...japanese-chart

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Razer Tiamat 7.1 delayed again

January 31st, 2012, 19:43 Posted By: wraggster

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Rovio: Piracy can generate business

January 31st, 2012, 17:22 Posted By: wraggster

Rovio CEO Mikael Hed told attendees of the Midem Conference in Cannes that the "problem" of piracy is all a matter of perspective, The Guardian reports.
Hed explained that Rovio's apps and consumer products suffer from piracy, particularly in Asian markets. However, he believes it is "futile" to pursue the perpetrators through the courts unless their merchandise is damaging the brand.
"Piracy may not be a bad thing," he said. "It can get us more business at the end of the day."
This, Hed claimed, is the lesson that the global entertainment industry can learn from "the rather terrible ways" the music business attempted to combat piracy.
"We took something from the music industry, which was to stop treating the customers as users, and start treating them as fans. We do that today: we talk about how many fans we have."
"If we lose that fanbase, our business is done, but if we can grow that fanbase, our business will grow."
The discussion surrounding piracy in the games industry intensified around the now-shelved SOPA and PIPA legislation, yet while the scale of the problem is clear the best way to address the situation is still open to debate.
Rovio is not alone in identifying an opportunistic silver-lining in piracy. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz at the Unite 2011 conference, Unity Technologies' John Goodale described how piracy of the company's engine helped seed its business in China - now one of its key territories.
Elsewhere in his presentation, Rovio's Hed also explained that the phenomenal popularity of Angry Birds has allowed the company to start regarding it as a "channel," with many users spending as much time in the app as they do watching popular TV shows.
"We have some discussions with [music] labels about what we could do together to give access," he said. "It is possible to promote music content through our apps as well... We are positively looking for new partnerships, and we have a rather big team working on partnerships, so it's just a case of getting in touch with us and we'll take it from there."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...erate-business

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Activision reveals first Online Pass

January 31st, 2012, 17:21 Posted By: wraggster

Upcoming action title Prototype 2 will be the first Activision title to include an Online Pass type system.
The publisher has taken a different approach to the traditional Online Pass method by only offering free codes in a limited number of copies.
It all takes the guise of Radnet – a content portal that gives fans 55 free pieces of additional content spread across the seven weeks following the game’s release in April. Content will include events, challenges, avatar items, themes, videos and extra campaign abilities.
But once the Radnet Edition supplies run out, even those who buy a brand new copy will face an additional outlay to access the same content.
"Radical Entertainment has always focused on bringing long lasting fun to its fans, and Prototype 2's Radnet content is our way of rewarding the game's most loyal supporters — the early adopters, the one's who will replay it over and over again," Radical Entertainment studio head Ken Rosman stated.
"We think this is great because we're giving our fans hours of additional gameplay outside Prototype 2's main narrative, and cool rewards — all delivered weekly following the game's launch."

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/activ...ne-pass/090504

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Does gaming need 3D?

January 31st, 2012, 17:11 Posted By: wraggster

3D technology in the home has yet to achieve mass penetration in any sector. Sales of compatible TVs may be increasing, but they have yet to claim a majority of households.
Similarly, the number of 3D films in cinemas is on the rise, but has yet to become the standard. And for all the investment the industry has made, 3D gaming has yet to establish itself as the rule rather than the exception.
Nintendo made perhaps the greatest advance in 2011 with the launch of the 3DS, while Sony will up the ante this year with the release of a 3D games monitor. Microsoft remains steadfastly neutral about the whole affair, but has made the Xbox 360 3D ready and added stereoscopic modes to Gears of War 3 and Halo Anniversary.
Even third-party publishers offer a 3D mode in titles such as Batman: Arkham City, Sonic Generations and Battlefield 3 – but other compatible releases are few and far between.
Previously, MCV has discussed what it will take for the masses to embrace 3D, but perhaps the more pressing question is whether or not demand for the technology even exists.
YES
Simon Benson – Senior Development Manager, 3D Team
If you are a soldier, professional sportsperson or surgeon, it is likely that you need 3D vision to do your job. To simulate their real-world activities, 3D visuals are typically essential and so professional simulators have utilised stereoscopic 3D for many years.
3D can greatly increase visual immersion – possibly more so than the transition from SD to HD gaming.
The significant benefits that 3D adds to gaming also makes it a key driver for 3DTV uptake. Currently 3DTVs are widely available and apparently selling faster than HDTVs were at the same point in their lifecycle – which is even more significant given economic issues.
Let’s not forget though, that 3D gaming is still in its infancy. As a result there are plenty of opportunities to innovate and deliver groundbreaking experiences that naturally attract lots of interest and publicity.

Alex Wiltshire – Online Editor, Edge
This isn’t about the industry needing it. Arguments about the technology driving TV and hardware sales in a saturated marketplace are for suited execs. No, this is about the games themselves needing 3D.
Since 3DS’ release I’ve begun to feel a deep affection for stereoscopic 3D. It started with experiencing Ghost Recon: Shadow War’s playfield as if it’s a little model with toy soldiers. It continued by enjoying the sense of space in Star Fox 64 3D. It grew by better appreciating Link’s relationship with his world in Zelda: Ocarina Of Time 3D. And by Super Mario 3D Land and Pullblox, the effect had become an indelible part of the game.
So much so, in fact, that I genuinely missed it in Skyward Sword.
Few companies get 3D like Nintendo does. And I’m still not prepared to both invest in the new TV and wear the glasses – it’s up to manufacturers to make all that worthwhile. But the titles specifically crafted for 3DS prove that gaming is peculiarly appropriate for the sense of form, relation and volume that the effect at its best can yield.

Lee Kirton – Marketing Director, Namco Bandai Partners
3D has been around for a very long time and in some cases I really do like it. I enjoy the 3D experience in some gaming genres but not in others. I think it depends on the experience itself and what you want from it.
I treat 3D as an event. I do enjoy playing the 3DS and the feeling that it delivers and I’ve also enjoyed many current gen games in 3D. I’ve yet to get immersed in the home entertainment 3D and Sky 3D but I really do put that down to individual tastes.
Overall, it’s good to have it available in gaming and it’s down to personal choice in the end as to what each gamer or movie fan wants. For me, it depends on what the product is.
NO
David Houghton – Content Editor, GamesRadar
Every so often, a new technology turns up and instantaneously opens up a raft of new possibilities in the creation and consumption of games. Online connectivity has transformed how we share gaming. Even the much-maligned motion control has, at times, provided genuinely immersive experiences in naturalistic game-world interaction.
But so far I have found 3D to be nothing more than an opportunistic chancer, trying to blag its way into that exclusive club of game-changers using a dog-eared, photocopied fake ID and hastily assembled bum-fluff.
For me, 3D adds nothing but slight and short-lived garnish at the high-cost of clarity and immersion. The effect itself brings with it the potential for no meaningful new design additions bar the same cheap jump-scare gimmicks it has peddled since the ‘50s.
As for those claims of a tangible connection to the game world? Pah. I’ve never found 3D technology to be anything other than a heaving great wrecking ball for the fourth wall. Even when done well, the effect is never natural enough to be fully immersive, creating a wibbly depth-perception uncanny valley.
All that, and I need to recalibrate my much-prized, none-more-anally honed TV picture settings to counteract the lens tint? Seriously people, why are we doing this?

Joe Robinson – Deputy Editor, Strategy Informer
The main issue I have with 3D technology in general is that I personally think it’s come too early.
Now that the HD-format war is long over and high definition content is catered for in nearly every corner of technology, it’s painfully obvious that companies were just looking for a new band-wagon to jump on. And so they have used 3D as their new vessel for over-priced and unnecessary products.
I know several households that don’t even have HDTVs yet, and I don’t know anyone who has made the leap to 3D gaming – even among hardcore PC enthusiasts. Right now 3D is little more than a gimmick, and an expensive one at that. Don’t get me wrong – I played a bit of Crysis 2 in 3D, and it did look pretty good, but in terms of gameplay and functionality, it did nothing for the game.
Considering 3D gaming requires the use of extra (and expensive) 3D glasses (not to mention yet another TV), to justify the extra expense, something like 3D really needs to add more than a nice visual touch to the gameplay experience.
Nintendo, bless their hearts, have tried to get around that particular issue with glasses-less 3D, but again it’s little more than a gimmick. Then there’s the fact that a percentage of the population can’t even interact with 3D content, and the headaches it can cause amongst others.
With any luck, the bubble will burst and everyone will realise it’s too soon, and perhaps everything will calm down. There’s a time and a place for something like 3D – it’s just not now.

Simon Kilby – Founder, Playr2
There’s a reason Nintendo had to cut the cost of the 3DS after only a few months – and that’s because your casual gamer just doesn’t care about 3D gaming.
Another example is with Batman: Arkham Asylum’s Game of the Year edition. I must have played the game using the included 3D glasses for a grand total of a couple of minutes, before getting wound up and throwing them in rage for completely ruining the experience.
I don’t know what it is about 3D, but the apparent need to force it upon consumers across film, TV and gaming has to stop. If something doesn’t add to the experience, it shouldn’t be employed in the first place. The gaming industry is better than resorting to fads.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/featu...need-3d/090508

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Mad Catz Cyborg M.M.O.7 gaming mouse now on sale, F.R.E.Q 5 headset hits pre-order

January 31st, 2012, 02:23 Posted By: wraggster

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FIFA still top, but Resi in at 6

January 31st, 2012, 01:31 Posted By: wraggster

In case you haven't been keeping score that's the sixth week in a row at number one for FIFA 12 in the UK software chart, and its eighth appearance there overall. The rest of the top five saw the usual suspects shift slightly, with Modern Warfare 3 sneaking up to second place and Skyrim dropping to third.

The only real sign of life was Nintendo 3DS title Resident Evil: Revelations, which smashed its way in at number 6. It's the seventh largest launch yet for the handheld device.

Much further down the chart Sims expansion pack new entry The Sims 3: Master Suite Stuff made it in at 23.

Last Week This Week Title
1 1 FIFA 12
4 2 Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
2 3 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
3 4 Just Dance 3
5 5 Battlefield 3
New entry 6 Resident Evil: Revelations
6 7 Zumba Fitness
7 8 Saints Row: The Third
12 9 Assassin's Creed: Revelations
8 10 Zumba Fitness 2
10 11 Rage
9 12 Rayman Origins
11 13 Mario Kart 7
16 14 Football Manager 2012
Re-entry 15 Sonic Generations
13 16 Super Mario 3D Land
Re-entry 17 Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012
Re-entry 18 Kinect Sports: Season Two
20 19 Cars 2
18 20 WWE' 12

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...t-resi-in-at-6

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UPDATED: Morrisons slashes console prices

January 31st, 2012, 00:52 Posted By: wraggster

UK supermarket chain Morrisons has cut the price on a number of console SKUs, according to reports.
The 160GB version of the PlayStation 3 is now available for £150 with the 250GB cut to £200 – the latter price has been verified by MCV from a North London store rep.
The Xbox 360 250GB has also been dropped to £150 while the 4GB SKU including Kinect is now £185.
Wii has been cut as well, with a bundle including Mario Kart priced at £85. Kinect is also available as a solo SKU for £85.
MCV has not yet been able to officially confirm all of the deals, though some consumers have seemingly confirmed the promotional prices. We have contacted Morrisons for confirmation.
UPDATE: Here is the official list of promotions direct from Morrisons:
4GB XBOX KINECT BUNDLE – Was £240 – Now £185
250GB XBOX CONSOLE – Was £175 – Now £150
KINECT SENSOR – Was £100 – Now £85
320GB PS3 + Karate Kid BD – Was £235 – Now £200
160GB PS3 – Was £175 – Now £150
White WII + Mario Kart – Was £99 – Now £85
WII Family Edition – Was £99 – Now £85
Blue WII + Mario & Sonic Olympics – Was £99 – Now £85

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/morri...-prices/090457

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Daily Mail "fabricated" zombie gamer story

January 31st, 2012, 00:49 Posted By: wraggster

It has emerged that UK newspaper The Daily Mail “completely fabricated” quotes used in a story linking gaming to a new generation of “zombie children”.
Today’s story leads with the headline “Stoned with tiredness: Generation of children are becoming zombies because of late-night gaming sessions, claims charity”.
It then goes on to quote charity worker Robert Hart-Fletcher of Kids and Media as saying: “Gaming is a phenomenon that’s been around quite a while. Now we are starting to see the effects in behaviour of young people.
“In the past people had genuine relationships with empathy and compassion which has been replaced by this virtual relationship where they are not necessarily having to show empathy or compassion. That’s starting perhaps to change the way they interact on a day to day basis.”
However, Hart-Fletcher has confirmed to Beefjack that he never said the quotes attributed to him in the story, and even provided an MP3 of the interview as proof.
“Our stance is that gaming, being in constant contact with friends and playing with other gamers around the world, is good for most kids most of the time,” Hart-Fletcher stated.
“While people can over-use games or smartphones, they can over-use anything – and that’s no reflection of the value of the activity.”
UPDATE: It appears that the BBC not only used the exact same quotes, but was surprisingly the originator of the story.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/daily...r-story/090465

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3DS Circle Pad Pro Review

January 29th, 2012, 23:14 Posted By: wraggster

Ever since savvy manufacturers realised that gamers were prepared to pay top dollar for pieces of near-useless plastic that claim to improve their gaming experience, there's been a flood of largely pointless peripherals for home consoles. Right now, countless Wii Remote tennis racket attachments sit gathering dust in cupboards the world over, waiting forlornly for that dreaded day when they are unceremoniously recycled as landfill.Traditionally speaking, these regrettable money-wasting exercises are largely confined to domestic hardware. Attempts to augment the functionality of portable consoles have proven largely unsuccessful in the past (remember the D-pad cross attachment that came with the Neo Geo Pocket Color port of Pac-Man? Didn't think so). The problem is that handheld platforms are all about convenience and mobility - nobody wants to strap extraneous chunks of plastic to their console if they can really help it, as additional bulk defeats the object of the device; these machines are supposed to be pocket-sized and effortlessly transportable.Which is no doubt why the revelation that the Nintendo 3DS would be getting a secondary analogue slider pad via a bulky and downright ugly accessory caused hoots of derisionfrom some sectors of the industry and rampant face-palming from others. Many hoped that it would prove to be an elaborate hoax, but the 3DS Circle Pad Pro is very much a reality - and we've put this controversial product through its paces to prove it.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/di...pad-pro-review

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Mad Catz MLG Pro Circuit controller

January 29th, 2012, 23:00 Posted By: wraggster

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Meet the £100 GameGadget handheld that has own retro download store

January 27th, 2012, 02:10 Posted By: wraggster

Would you buy a GameGadget, a £100 handheld that resembles the bottom-half of a DS/3DS and downloads retro games from an online, platform-specific shop?It's been developed in the UK (but built overseas), and will be available to buy onGameGadget.net from 30th March. (Deals with physical shops and other online outlets are on-going.)The only problem is, we don't know which old tarts (affectionate slang for vintage games) will be available for the GameGadget, nor which publishers will support it.Mark Garrett, general manager of GameGadget distributor Blaze Europe, told Eurogamer his lips were sewn together by NDA contracts. "We're in communication with all the major publishers," was all Garrett could say.

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OPINION: The end of pre-owned would be a disaster for games

January 27th, 2012, 01:42 Posted By: wraggster

Reports this morning – which it must be said remain totally unsubstantiated – claim that the Next Xbox could incorporate a new technology that blocks the use of pre-owned games on the console.
The gravity of this news, if true, would have industry-wide ramifications. The fallout for retail would be obvious, cutting off a major revenue stream.
But aside from my obvious retail-leaning tendencies, I for one believe that such a development would have disastrous consequences for the games market. Or at least for the Next Xbox.
We all know the arguments against pre-owned. The sale of a pre-owned game sees all profit land with the retailer, cutting publishers and developers out of the loop. For the content creators it is unfair, it is argued. And of course that point has credence.
But what I sometimes struggle to understand is how content makers remain blind to the effect that an end to pre-owned would have on their business.
Let’s look at 2011. Starting with the release of Deus Ex: Human Revolution on August 26^th, a run of successive triple-A releases ran all the way through to November 18^th. It went something like this:
Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Driver: San Francisco, Dead Island, Gears Of War 3, F1 2011, FIFA 12, Batman: Arkham City, Need for Speed: The Run, Battlefield 3, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Modern Warfare 3, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations and Saints Row 3.
For a punter paying an average of £40 per title that represents an outlay of £560 over the course of a little under three months. That’s £187 per pay cheque. And that’s omitting a shed load of other releases that hit in the period.
Now, when mine and Mrs Ben’s wages are combined we represent something like the UK national average earning family. And I can tell you that there’s absolutely no way I could afford that outlay on games were I not able to offset the cost against trading-in my older titles. No way.
So I’m faced with the very real possibility that I could be priced out of my main habit and interest in the next generation.
So what can platform holders do to offset what I would see as the inevitable collapse of the software market whilst still maintaining a freeze on pre-owned? Well, lower game prices would seem the only option. That string of releases would be far more affordable at £25. Or even £30. But the chances of that happening? Zero.
And what of retail, which is struggling to survive in this current pre-owned rich environment? Lower public outlay can only ever mean one thing – higher prices to try and preserve margins. It becomes a self-perpetuating cycle that spells very bad news for the industry.
Of course, it could mean even worse news for Microsoft. Should Sony decide to not follow suit with anti pre-owned tech then that affords PS4 one hell of a USP over its rival. Although it would be one shared by Wii U, of course (we can safely say that Nintendo would not have the foresight to include such tech in its machine).
As I sit here I’m simply hoping that the reports aren’t true. I was interested to hear Microsoft’s response, which although “not commenting on rumour and speculation” was anything but a simply “we don’t comment on rumour and speculation”.
"As an innovator we're always thinking about what is next and how we can push the boundaries of technology like we did with Kinect,” a spokesperson told Kotaku.
“We believe the key to extending the lifespan of a console is not just about the console hardware, but about the games and entertainment experiences being delivered to consumers. Beyond that we don't comment on rumours or speculation."
These are dangerous times. The games industry is approaching a new generation of machines and the decision made by platform holders now will dictate how the sector fares in today’s connected, smartphone obsessed and cloud-hungry society. I just hope those decisions prove to be the right ones.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/opini...r-games/090322

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The UK 2011 Video Game Charts

January 27th, 2012, 01:25 Posted By: wraggster

Modern Warfare 3 emerged triumphant, but it was EA that was last year’s real victor. MCV analyses the full 2011 GfK?Chart-Track charts to unearth the winners and losers in a challenging year for the boxed games market.

It was another year in which Call of Duty and FIFA take the top two places in the GfK Chart-Track Top 100. The two games between them accounted for 10 per cent of the 55m games sold last year.

ACTIVISION’s Modern Warfare 3 sold over 3.1m units, a mighty impressive figure but slightly less than the 3.26m games Black Ops sold the year before.

FIFA 12 meanwhile shifted 2.44m games, 50,000 more copies than its predecessor. ELECTRONIC?ARTS was the only publisher to have two games that sold over 1m units with its FPS Battlefield 3 (No.3) selling 1.3m copies since its October launch. As a result, EA was comfortably the biggest publisher of 2011, and in total had 20 games in the Top 100.

It is worth noting the phenomenal success for small publisher 505 GAMES. The company’s Zumba Fitness (No.4) shifted almost 1.2m games for the year and topped the Wii charts. The title benefited from a lack of new software during the summer and scored 13 weekly No.1s in the process.

In a clear sign of how important Q4 is to the UK games market, eight of the 2011 Top Ten were released during the final three months of the year. And 51 per cent of the UK trade’s annual revenue was generated during this period.

The only two games not to have been released during Q4 and still break the Top Ten is the aforementioned Zumba and ROCKSTAR’s L.A. Noire, which is also the highest charting new IP. The game was released in May.

Otherwise, there isn’t a great deal of new IP in this year’s chart - the notable exceptions being THQ’s Homefront at No.25, DEEP?SILVER’s Dead Island at No.31 and two Bethesda titles (Rage at No.33 and Brink at No.39).

BETHESDA enjoyed a strong year during 2011, breaking into the Top Ten publishers at No.10. Aside from the two new IPs mentioned above, the firm’s biggest hit was Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The acclaimed action RPG sold 1.14m games last year, proving to the industry that you can come out during the same week as Call of Duty and prosper.

LEGO developer TRAVELLER’S?TALES had five games in the Top 100. LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean was the top seller at No.14.

Meanwhile, the dance craze continues in the charts. Just Dance 3 from UBISOFT was the biggest selling dance title, and sold over 900,000 units last year.


UK games market in 2011

The tough economy combined with the late stage in the console cycle took its toll on the boxed games market. The combined software, hardware and accessories markets generated £2.52bn, a 13 per cent drop over 2010.

The software market dipped seven per cent year-on-year to £1.42bn (although it was down 12 per cent in units). EA sold the most games, with Xbox 360 the the No.1 console in terms of software market share.

The accessories market was down 17 per cent year-on-year to £453m (or 13 per cent down to 22.4m units). Motion controllers accounted for 11 per cent of the accessories market in 2011 (units) and a huge 27 per cent by revenue.

A clear sign of the industry’s position in the console cycle is the hardware figures, down 19.3 per cent to £646m, and that’s despite the arrival of Nintendo 3DS.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/the-u...-charts/090333

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Mario Kart returns to Japan chart summit

January 27th, 2012, 01:22 Posted By: wraggster

Mario Kart 7 is once again the Japanese all-formats number one, reclaiming top spot from Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Masou Kishin II.
In a slow week for sales - Mario Kart 7's sales actually fell by a third - the highest new entry is Sega's 3DS title Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure, which isdue in the west next month. D3 Publisher achieves that rarest of feats - a top ten slot for an Xbox 360 game - with Onechanbara Z Kagura at number five.
Other new entries include Namco Bandai's Heroes Phantasia at number 6, and another 3DS game, Konami's Beyond The Labyrinth, at number eight.
On the hardware front, 3DS was once again the week's best-selling system of the week with 80,960 units sold. Sales of PlayStation Vita fell to 15,219, a drop of 17 per cent.
01. Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo, 3DS)
02. Rhythm Thief (Sega, 3DS)
03. Monster Hunter Tri G (Capcom, 3DS)
04. Super Mario 3D Land (Nintendo, 3DS)
05. Onechanbara Z Kagura (D3 Publisher, Xbox 360)
06. Heroes Phantasia (Namco Bandai, PSP)
07. Inazuma Eleven Go (Level-5, 3DS)
08. Beyond The Labyrinth (Konami, 3DS)
09. Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Masou Kishin II (Namco Bandai, PSP)
10. Musou Orochi 2 (Tecmo Koei, PS3)

http://www.edge-online.com/news/mari...n-chart-summit

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Raspberry Pi 'should achieve double iPhone 4S performance'

January 26th, 2012, 03:31 Posted By: wraggster

Games studios called on to supply educational content for micro computer

A personal computer built to be no bigger than a credit card is said will “double iPhone 4S performance across a range of content".
Eben Upton, the executive director of the Raspberry Pi project, claimed the $25 micro computer boasts an industry-leading GPU.

"I was on the team that designed the graphics core, so I'm a little biased here, but I genuinely believe we have the best mobile GPU team in the world at Broadcom in Cambridge," Upton said in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz.
The vision behind the Raspberry Pi project is to reignite interest in personal computer programing at a young age.
With its relatively low price, HDMI output and mobile form factor, Upton believes his team has built a device that can inspire young people to start coding for themselves.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...4S-performance

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Gem offers mobile gaming environment

January 26th, 2012, 03:25 Posted By: wraggster

Gem has announced a new collaboration with Roth AV to distribute its GAEMS G155 mobile gaming environment.
It's essentially a product that enables gamers to take consoles on the move and use them whilst still in the case. It's completely self-contained: straps and a foam base make sure a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 stay put, while an integrated 15.5-inch LED HD display means gamers don't need to worry about hooking it up to a television. The G155 is ventilated and has a rugged design that should avoid damage from minor impacts.
It takes Roth AV into the consumer electronics sector, and also expands Gem's gaming accessories portfolio.
Phil Munro, head of business development for Gem Distribution, commented: “Roth and GAEMS are pioneers in the mobile gaming market, bringing new and exciting, high quality accessories to retail at a competitive price. Gem is thrilled to have been given the opportunity to represent the GAEMS G155 as it continues to expand and meet the needs of today’s consumer and gaming enthusiast."
"‘We’re pleased to be working with Gem for the first time in a new and challenging category. With our core experience in high quality consumer audio and electronics and Gem’s clear leading position in retail distribution in the gaming sector, I believe that there is an unusual but significant synergy between our two companies’,"said James Roth, founder of Roth AV.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...ronment/027847

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1.3bn connected household devices by 2016?

January 26th, 2012, 03:20 Posted By: wraggster

Up from 256.8 million in 2011.
Internet connectivity via TV and other electronics has been growing in recent years, and now analyst NPD In-Stat says the transition from standard household consumer electronics (CE) to become 'connected devices' will continue to grow in the next five years.
Key devices leading the movement include digital TVs, game consoles, satellite set top boxes and Blu-ray players. Connected devices are expected to hit 1.34 billion in 2016, compared to 256.8 million last year, according to the report.
Potentially these devices provide even wider reach for existing apps and the potential for new creative ideas that utilise the unique capabilities of the different form factors.
Norm Bogen, VP of Research, said: "CE is no longer about ‘dumb’ devices that exist at the edge of the network to provide specific functions, but rather about ‘intelligent’ devices at the edge of the network that can connect consumers to new stores of content and engage them in new digital experiences.
"This simple fact is having a profound impact on the development of the digital media and entertainment industry, which clings to the old practices of using networks to control the user viewing experience."

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/read/...by-2016/016819

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Rebellion: gamers are ready for WWII revival

January 25th, 2012, 02:39 Posted By: wraggster

Though widely considered tired and played-out, the World War II sub-genre is ripe for a comeback, so says Alien vs Predator developer Rebellion.While discussing its forthcoming Sniper Elite V2 project with GamerZines, senior producer Steve Hart argued that the more contemporary settings favoured by the likes of Battlefield 3, Black Ops and Modern Warfare 3 are themselves becoming increasingly stale."I think the market is ready for World War II," he said."You've seen the extra press the likes of Red Orchestra 2 have gotten because all of a sudden WWII is a breath of fresh air whereas modern conflicts perhaps aren't."Hart went on to offer his opinion on why FPS developers had recently chosen to abandon the time period in favour of modern conflicts."I wouldn't say developers moved on, instead they gave it the respect it needed and said 'Right, we've done that to death, let's go look at something else.'"It just so happens that our timing for a World War II game is better than others out there, and gamers are ready for that now. Even better for us is that we're coming out before perhaps another Call of Duty set during World War II, as I'm sure we'll be seeing another one of those at some point."The sequel to the solid 2005 shooter is due out later this year.Rebellion isn't the only studio hoping gamers can stomach a return to WWII. Black creator Stuart Black is currently developing Enemy Front at City Interactive, also planned for a 2012 release.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...r-wwii-revival

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Raspberry Pi runs XBMC; reliably decodes 1080p

January 25th, 2012, 02:30 Posted By: wraggster


This is the Raspberry Pi board, an ARM based GNU-Linux computer. We’ve heard a little bit about it, but it recently garnered our attention when the machine was shown running XBMC at 1080p. That’s a lot of decoding to be done with the small package, and it’s taken care of at the hardware level.
Regular readers will know we’re fans of the XBMC project and have been looking for a small form factor that can be stuck on the back of a television. We had hoped it would be the BeagleBaord but that never really came to fruition. But this really looks like it has potential, and with a price tag of $35 (that’s for the larger 256MB RAM option) it’s a no-brainer.
Now there’s still a lot of rumors out there. We came across one thread that speculated the device will not decode video formats other than h.264 very well since it uses hardware decoding for that codec only. We’ll reserve judgement until there’s more reliable info. But you can dig through this forum thread where the XMBC dev who’s been working with the hardware is participating in the discussion.

http://hackaday.com/2012/01/24/raspb...0p/#more-66109

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