Frogster COO Dirk Weyel has told GamesIndustry.biz that he believes that the western MMO market will be dominated by the free-to-play model, although subscription-based titles will always have their place.

Weyel, who's company is launching the subscription-based MMO, TERA in Europe this year, also revealed that he sees TERA as the premium product in Frogster's portfolio, a fact which justifies the monthly price-tag, but doesn't see think free-to-play games should be of any lower quality - something which he doesn't think many journalists appreciate.

"It was difficult at the beginning because the opinion of many games journalists was that free-to-play means lower quality," Weyel told GamesIndustry.biz as part of today's interview.

"We tried to show them that it's just another business model. So we started to market the game with a premium branding approach. So we think that in order to be successful in the long run we need to build brands and have a clear positioning and a clear brand philosophy to build up the game.

"We generally believe that free-to-play system will be the model for most of the MMOs in the future, but we also believe that the subscription model does still work. There will be subscription models in the future, and also hybrid models. We believe that TERA is the most premium title of all the games we have at the moment. In terms of production budget and quality in-game it's certainly the premium product for this year.

"That's why we're convinced that the subscription model can work for a title like TERA. I think free-to-play will be a model which will dominate the West, but I think there will also be a few subscription titles which can be successful."

Over the course of the last 18 months, a number of large scale MMOs have switched payment models from subscription to free-to-play, with varying degrees of success. For some, such as Lord of the Rings Online, it's been a masterstroke, with revenues trebling after the change.

There's a very big acid-test on the horizon for the survival of the subscription model, in the shape of EA and Lucasarts' Star Wars: The Old Republic - but does Weyel believe that game can take a bite out of World of Warcraft's audience, and would that be a good thing for the industry as a whole?

"I would say that the good thing about it would be that it's a non-fantasy title. If it can prove that a non-fantasy title can regain a big consumer base and user base. I think if you ask industry people about their opinions about the chances of success though, they'll be very diverse.

"I would say it would be a good sign. I think it would show that there are a lot of users out there willing to pay a certain amount of money each month for a good game.

"Basically, it's going to be interesting. There's Eve Online, but apart from that, the subscription-based model is dominated by fantasy role-playing games."

It's not something which Bigpoint CEO, and Frogster rival, Heiko Hubertz thinks is likely to happen - he told press last October that he can't see the MMO becoming profitable at all, despite his chairman Simon Guild's belief that the future will include subscription-based games.

"If you look at a game like Star Wars from EA and BioWare, they estimated a development budget of more than $100 million. This is an online game for many million of subscribers, so a big publisher does not understand that a subscription model is not the future," said Hubertz.

"With micro-transactions and longer lifetime maybe I see a chance for this game but I don't think that EA or BioWare will be profitable with this game. Ever."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-dominate-west ...

Electronic Arts upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic can reach profitability with 500,000 subscribers, according the CEO John Riccitiello.

Speaking in a conference call to investors, he said that half a million subscribers would be "substantially profitable, but it's not the sort of thing we would write home about."

"Anything north of one million subscribers is a very profitable business," continued Riccitiello. "Essentially it turns on a dime from being quite sharply negative in terms of its EPS impact to positive the day the product ships."

Earlier in the call Riccitiello had said EA is "incurring significant development costs" for the Star Wars MMO, which is expected to be released in 2011, although after the close of the financial year.

But he was also critical of reports in the press speculating on the costs of the game, in development at BioWare, which CFO Eric Brown has previously described as the "largest ever development project, period, in the history of the company."

"There's been a fair amount of talk on various blogs, describing spends that are vastly higher than anything we've ever put in place. Some of them, they bring a chuckle but they also bring a frustration for those that are being responsible in the management of EA's R&D dollars when they read sort of falsehoods out of the press."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...h-500-000-subs ...

The increasingly negative, argumentative attitudes of many gamers and critics is stifling creativity and discouraging developers from taking risks with their games, so says Call of Duty: Black Ops developer Treyarch.

Speaking in an interview with NowGamer, community manager Josh Olin cited the troubling trend as the biggest problem the industry faces today.

"Personally, as a community manager who lives in the media or social media world every day, I think the social culture of video games is moving in a more negative direction as technology and social media continues to grow," Olin explained.

"Rather than growing with it, the trend seems to be devolving. More and more gamers seem to forget what this industry is all about.

"It's a creative industry – the most creative form of entertainment in existence," he continued. "Too many developers who try new things are getting burned by 'pundits' and angry entitled fans who look to be contrarian, sometimes simply for the sake of being contrarian.

"The only thing this attitude aims to achieve is stunt that creativity and innovation even further, which is something that no rational gamer looking to be entertained would want to do."

Fair point? Harmonious, generous-of-spirit readers of Eurogamer, you decide.

Of course, Treyarch knows what it's talking about when it comes to disgruntled gamers. There has been plenty of mud slung in its direction recently over the current state of Black Ops on PlayStation 3.

Maybe the First Strike DLC pack, out today, will help smooth things over.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...fle-creativity ...

Electronic Arts believes one day the game industry will get its Avatar – a game that proves once and for all just how successful stereoscopic 3D can be – but for now there are more important things.

For EA, they are Internet Protocol television (IPTV), and connectivity between devices.

"My personal view is the larger idea, at least for the present, would be the connected game," COO John Schappert said during an investor conference last night.

"I'm more in the camp that IPTV is a bigger idea for gaming, at least in the near term, than 3D is. It just provides a better social experience and you know that consumers playing with one another is a very positive and powerful motivator."

Streaming services are growing in the games business, with the likes of OnLive and Gaikai making early moves in the market.

David Perry's cloud-based gaming service Gaikai.com launched quietly in November last year with EA's sci-fi role-player Mass Effect 2. "BioWare simply rocks," Perry said at the time. "They've been very supportive as has Electronic Arts. The good news for them is we are getting a surprising amount of people clicking 'BUY' without even making them a special offer."

Another emergent technology that sits above 3D on the videogame priority list, for Schappert, is device connectivity.

"While there's no doubt that our industry will have its Avatar, where 3D is a defining aspect of the game ... I'm mostly interested, with all the mobile devices that are coming out, in how they're being connected to one another and how the same IP is shared over the top," he continued.

"I think that's actually a bigger driver for EA and the industry in the near term."

Two companies that are sure to disagree with Schappert are Sony, which has invested millions in 3D gaming with the PlayStation 3 and its 3D-enabled TVs, and Nintendo, which is preparing the glasses-free 3DS for launch next month.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...t-their-avatar ...

Bannco xScorch Scorch 360 PC
Manufacturer: Bannco
Site: Buy from Play-Asia / Buy from Divineo US / Buy from Divineo China / Buy from Divineo France / Buy from Amazon / Buy from Bannco Authorized Dealers
Price: $79.99


Overview : The Scorch controller is the most advanced universal cross-platform gaming tool for PC and Xbox 360. Scorch is compatible with all PC and 360 games. Use the mouse for targeting prey while moving with the left hand grip for full motion control. Between the Mouse and Grip, Scorch contains all the normal Xbox 360 controller buttons making it ideal for that first person PC shooter game style you’re used to. Get the PC experience on the console or play PC games on a TV without a keyboard.

Programmable, digital sniper buttons and upgradeable firmware provide unprecedented levels of accuracy and customization. Scorch is also a full featured wireless PC gaming WASD controller.

The ultra-high resolution laser mouse and pistol grip is the best game controller in the world.

Note: You will need a wired Xbox 360 controller to first initiate Scorch on the 360. After initiated, you use the Mouse and Grip as a full featured wireless game controller.
Note: Wireless communicator is suggested.

Features:

• Officially licensed product.
• High End 2.4G wireless laser mouse controller combo set
• Cross-platform with full Xbox360 and PC game support.
• Adjustable sensitivity.
• Designed for high precision and speed.

Quality/Usability : XCM is known for their XFPS line which allows you to use a keyboard and mouse combination for speed and accuracy as you would find when playing PC first person shooters. Although majority of gamers would consider the Xbox 360 as the ideal controller when playing first person shooter, some may not. Especially PC gamers. The Scorch (sometimes also called xScorch) has a bit of both mouse, keyboard and controller all mashed into one, combining a wireless mouse with a wireless nunchuck like controller called a WASD grip. Included in the packaging along with the wireless controllers is a USB dongle, short USB to mini USB cable, quick start card (on a piece of paper) and extra pads for the bottom of the mouse. No instruction manual or software disc is included. The quick start card is very vague and did not give a lot of information. But for a more detailed manual, visit here. If you want more information on setting up and other information, visit Bannco's website.

The quality of the controllers are actually pretty good. The casings have a solid feel to them. The buttons feel good, they click and are laid out in a place where its comfortable and easy to reach. Both the grip and mouse require 1x AA battery each. So that means the mouse uses 1 AA battery and the grip uses 1 AA battery. On the mouse, the expected right (RB) and left (RT) mouse buttons, 4-way depressable scroll wheel, a power/start button, the familiar A, B, X and Y buttons on the left side where you thumb would rest and a "F" button above where your thumb rests. The "F" button acts as a function where you would hold down the "F" button and scroll the wheel mouse up or down to increase or decrease sensitivity, respectively and to activate rapid fire. The WASD grip is also decked out with buttons. It has the 4 directional buttons in the middle of the grip, analog joystick, power/guide button, back button and upper (LB) and lower (LT) trigger buttons. Unfortunately, you will not be able to power on the Xbox 360 with the Scorch 360. If the mouse and grip has been inactive for 8 mins, it will automatically shut off so it does not drain your battery. If the LEDs on the grip or mouse flash fast, this indicates low battery and that it would need to be replaced.

To setup the Scorch 360 on your Xbox 360, plug your wired Xbox 360 controller into the short USB to mini USB cable. Plug the mini USB cable into the Scorch USB Dongle and than plug the dongle into one of the front USB ports on the Xbox 360. Press the power button on the top of the Mouse and press the Guide button on the Grip to power up.


Pressing the Mouse wheel down acts as your Right Analog Stick Down. If you press and hold the F button and roll the wheel forward, you increase the sensitivity. To decrease sensitivity, press and hold the F button and roll the wheel backward. Note that there are 20 sensitivity adjustments when on the Xbox 360. To turn on or off the mouse wheel features - press and hold mouse F and press mouse wheel down. You can also use the 4-way directional wheel mouse for quick view to the left, right, up and down. To enable or disable rapid fire, press and hold the F button then press RT (Left Click). You can adjust the shot repetition in the xScorch Setup Utility.

In order to remap the buttons you would need a Windows XP/Vista operated PC. Sorry Mac users. The xScorch Setup Utility allows you to remap both Xbox 360 and PC use. The configuration is fairly simple. There are pictures of the buttons and a map of a the controller. To change a button, simply drag the button to the location you want to place it. If you remap the buttons, they are saved onto the mouse and/or grip so you will not have to remap them everytime. But if you're playing a different game and want to remap them to a different setup, you'll need to use the software.
...

News via AEP

With JoyToKey it is possible to map keypresses and mouse movements to a gamepad.

http://translate.google.de/translate...t.jp%2F~jtk%2F ...

XCM XFPS Storm Light Gun (PC)
Review by: TrialSword
Provided by: DCEmu Reviews
Manufacturer: XCM
Site: Buy from Play-Asia / Buy from Divineo China / Buy from Divineo France / Buy from ConsoleSource / Buy from GoldenShop / Buy from Amazon
Price: $99.00


Overview : XFPS Storm Light Gun brings first person shooters to a whole new experience. With the XFPS Storm, you can snipe your foes with precision aiming using this unique light gun. No more keyboard, no more mouse and having to rest your wrist with point and click. Simply point and shoot.

The Storm will support CRT, LCD, Plasma, DLP as well as Projector. It supports every gun shooting game on PC. Storm can be upgraded via software and is compatible with Windows XP, Window vista and Windows 7 operating system. Now you can enjoy gun shooting games with your LCD, Plasma or any other display you have.

Quality/Usability : The XFPS Storm Light Gun peripheral for the PC has one simple goal: to turn your first person shooters into a more interactive, contextual experience. With it, the player can aim, move, fire, and perform other in-game functions using an assortment of shortcut buttons and a very familiar motion tracking mechanic. Is this something to pull the trigger on, or should you check the safety first?

The Storm Light Gun sports a relatively safe design that champions utility over style. The grip is sizable and designed to hold with one hand. Attached to the side is a smaller grip that can be detached and appear very much like a nunchuk for the Wii. Shortcut buttons can be found here and on the gun itself, on both sides. This is aside from the two analog sticks, which can also be pressed in, and the trigger. The material feels sturdy but is a very benign, shiny blue plastic. Liken it to the look and feel of a shiny blue lego. Sleek is hardly the word that comes to mind, but despite the lack of flair I could not say that it is cheaply constructed.

The technology at work here is almost exactly that of the Wii. The Storm Light Gun comes packed with an IR sensor that could easily be mistaken for the same one packed with the Wii. It is intended to rest on top of your monitor, so make sure there's a home for it or that your monitor can accommodate. Both the sensor bar and the gun itself connect via USB, so two free ports are necessary to use the Storm Light Gun.

The good news is that this peripheral is completely plug and play. Once you've plugged it in, the IR tracking serves as a proxy for mouse navigation. The trigger is the left mouse click and the shortcut buttons can be remapped in-game as a regular gamepad would. The gun conveniently transfers the controls to most PC FPS games in an accurate, intuitive way: The analog stick on the nunchuk lets you move your character, the trigger fires, and you can aim your weapons by simply aiming the gun itself. If you have played any FPS on the Wii at all, one can easily gain a sense for what they will be turning their game experience on the PC into.

There are a few snags, of course. The IR sensors can be spotty at times, resulting in the player character reeling their aim into the far corners of the map, but when responding appropriately can provide a surprising degree of control and accuracy. In addition, the sensor bar requires that the player be about 3 feet from the monitor at minimum, which is further than many PC gamers are used to.

I tested the Storm Light Gun with a number of games:

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Battlefield: Bad Company 2
• Left 4 Dead 2
• Half-Life 2

For games with relatively simple control schemes, the gun provided a fun, new experience. Half-Life 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 accomodated especially well, requiring few button shortcuts and few opportunities in which you won't be running and gunning. For all the novelty, however, it never really crossed my mind that this could be a legitimate replacement control scheme for the games I was playing. This rings especially true for the more complex games, which require more context-sensitive button presses. Having both hands full with the nunchuk and the gun's grip also makes it somewhat cumbersome to even reach the buttons at times. Chances are, a player will be dead long before they have found the time to navigate to some of these buttons.

Because the gun is essentially a plug and play gamepad with IR tracking, it does not always perform the same for every game encountered. For instance, Modern Warfare 2 requires little in the way of shortcut keys and a simple mechanic for firing/aiming that accommodate the gun very well. Games like Battlefield: Bad Company 2, however, have many contextual button presses that would be hard to map or reliably execute with the gun, such as piloting any vehicles or arming/disarming bombs.

The obvious statement to make here is that anyone attempting to use this gun for multiplayer in lieu of a traditional keyboard and mouse will always be at a disadvantage for virtually every game they'd want to play. I cannot recommend it for any level of competitive ...

Razer Imperator Gaming Mouse Mice
Manufacturer: Razer
Site: Buy from Amazon / Buy from Razer (US) / Buy from Razer (Europe)
Price: $79.99 (US) / €69.99 (EU)


Overview : The Razer Imperator is not just a mere mouse, it is an extension of your hands. Its right-handed ergonomic form factor with a contoured thumb grip delivers comfort and a better fit for gaming, whether you use a palm or fingertip grip. Be empowered to take on foes and fatigue alike - for longer gaming sessions without strain.

When every aspect of your game matters, customize your game play with the unique adjustable side buttons, giving you optimum reach for easier access to mission critical keys and macros.

Ergonomic right-handed form factor with contoured thumb grip
The Razer Imperator’s right-handed ergonomic form factor maximizes comfort during intense and extended gameplay so you can outlast and outfrag the competition. The contoured thumb grip cradles your hand delivering increased control to low sensitivity gamers who often lift and swipe their mouse.

Adjustable side buttons for optimum reach
2 adjustable side buttons delivers optimum reach regardless of palm size or grip style; and for gamers who often lift their mouse or make rapid movements during gaming, the customizable buttons makes mission critical keys and macros accessible at all times.

5600dpi Razer Precision™ 3.5G laser sensor
The 5600dpi Razer Precision 3.5G laser sensor arms you with gaming grade precision and reliable tracking that will keep up with your every movement. Be it a small twitch of your wrist or a long range swipe to take out your foe, the Razer imperator delivers your every instruction with pinpoint accuracy.

Technical Specifications:

• Ergonomic right-handed design
• Adjustable side buttons
• 5600dpi Razer Precision™ 3.5G Laser sensor
• Razer Synapse™ On-board Memory
• Up to 200 inches per second / 50g acceleration
• Seven independently programmable Hyperesponse™ buttons
• 1000Hz Ultrapolling™ / 1ms response rate
• On-The-Fly Sensitivity™ adjustment
• Zero-acoustic Ultraslick™ Teflon® feet

Approx. size in mm: 123(L) x 71(W) x 42(H)

Hardware requirement:

• PC/Mac with USB port
• Windows® 7 / Windows Vista® / Windows® Xp or Mac OS X (v10.4 and above)
• Internet connection (for driver installation)
• At least 35MB of hard disk space

Quality/Usability : Although this mouse is mainly for PC/Mac and PC gaming use, this review mainly revolves around console gaming with the use of XFPS 4.0 Force for PS3 and Speed for Xbox 360. This can also be used with XFPS Rateup for PS3 and XFPS Sniper Plus for Xbox 360.

The Razer Imperator's box has a cover flap and when opened, it shows the mouse behind a clear plastic box/cover. Included with the package are separate instructions for both Mac and PC, pamphlets, as well as a coaster, stickers and a seal of authenticity.

The scroll wheel is fairly big and not small. The left and right buttons have a big clickable surface where your fingers and rest easily. Underneath are two more buttons that are used to adjust sensitivity on-the-fly. On the side are two thumb buttons and can be programmed. These are adjustable for those of you who have very long or very short thumbs. These are the only buttons that are adjustable. On the bottom of the mouse is a switch. As you move this up or down, the thumb buttons also move. Also on the bottom is a button labeled "PROFILE". This button is used for on-the-fly profile switching so you don't need to minimize or ALT+TAB out of your game to open the application. This button is only useful for PC/MAC use. There are some features that will not work on console games.

A cool factor about the mouse is that the logo on the front/top of the mouse pulsates and lights up. It does serve a purpose or anything except for the fact that it lets you know the mouse is powered. The scroll wheel also lights up blue as well. The USB plug has a gold plated USB connector, as well as the 7 foot long braided cord which allows for greater durability. No matter what your setup is, the 7 foot of cord is long enough.

Since the Razer Imperator is connected to the computer, its best that you download the software since you can use it as your new mouse for your computer. I'm not going to go through the whole process of installation and settings as its like any software install and some of the features that is used for PC game does not work for console. If you're interested in knowing more about this mouse for PC gaming, please do a search on this mouse as others have reviewed this witht he focus of using it for PC gaming. However, I will discuss some functions that will work for console game and settings. You can adjust the DPI up to 5600! That insanely high. You can also adjust the acceleration and polling rate (125Hz, 500Hz or 1000Hz), toggle whether you want the light on the logo to be ON or OFF and the same goes for the scroll wheel. The software allows you to check to see if there is any new updates if you feel your mouse is not performing well or if there is a bug. ...

XCM USB Vbox2 Advanced
Manufacturer: XCM
Site: Buy from Play-Asia / Buy from ConsoleSource / Buy from GoldenShop / Buy from Amazon.com
Price: $85.00

3x RCA RGB Component Video Splitter
Site: Buy from Amazon.com

3 RCA RGB Component Video Cable
Site: Buy from Amazon.com (3.3ft Monster Cable) / Buy from Amazon.com (6ft Generic)


Overview : Enable video game play on your laptop, netbook and desktop.

Fully Compatible with Xbox 360™, Wii™, PS3™/PS2™, PSP 2000/3000 series™, Xbox™ GameCube™ or any device with component output. You can record gameplay, movie or take a screenshot of the gameplay to the hard drive so you can edit, use it as a wallpaper or record your gameplay for analysis. Compatible with Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP.

Feature :

• Crystal Clear Picture Screen.
• Supports USB 2.0. Plug and play. Does not require any configuration
• Supports Streaming Video. Can be stored in multiple formats including: (MPEG-1/MPEG-2/MPEG-4/AVI/VCD/DVD/SVCD)
• Supports multiple picture file formats such as JPEG and GIF.
• Supports multiple input formats such as (NTSC/PAL/SECAM)
• Auto playback allows you to store in game action to your PC/laptop)
• Display settings can be adjusted such as Brightness/Contrast/Image Sharpness/Fullness/Color
• Supports Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP operating systems

Quality/Usability : Whether you're a game reviewer or a gamer who just wants to record their gameplay to show off to friends, post on the web or even capture the greatest moments, you would need to point your camera at your TV or connect your consoles to a capture video card on your computer. XCM has released the Vbox2 Advanced. This is an updated version of XCM V-box for the Wii. The Vbox2 Advanced works not only for the Wii but for Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP 2000/3000, Original Xbox and GameCube.

The Vbox2 Advanced comes in a well built, white shell and a fairly small adapter. The USB cord is approximately 3 feet long. In order for this to work and to set it up, your computer needs to be near the consoles or you can use a laptop/netbook. This will not work on MAC's as the software works only on Windows Vista, XP and Windows 7. The driver and software can be downloaded at here. Some other system requirements are support for Direct X9.0 or higher version of AGP video card, Pentium 4 1.8GHz or higher, Centrino 1.4 GHz or higher, 256MB RAM, USB 2.0, Harddrive space (200MB for software, 1GB or more for recording space depending on length of record and file format.

Installation is very easy. Its like any other computer program. Simply download the driver from the link above and save it to you desktop. Once downloaded, extract the file. Double click on the file named "Vbox2 Advanced DRIVER.exe". Follow the prompts and at the end, it will require to restart your computer. Once your computer has rebooted from the restart, now its time to install the software. Double click on the file named "Vbox2 Advanced.msi" which is in the same folder as the driver. Follow the prompts and at the end, it will require you to restart your computer again. Once the computer has rebooted and the installation has been installed, there will now be a new icon on your desktop.

The first time you plug in the Vbox2 Advanced to the USB port on your computer, it will pop up with a message showing "Found New Hardware - USB 28165 device" and than "Found New Hardware - Your new hardware is installed and ready to use". Typical for any USB device being used for the first time. Now that the device has been found and ready to use, you can double click on the new Vbox2 Advanced icon. Double clicking on the icon will load up the software and will display the Vbox2 Advanced splash screen and sound clip. MOST IMPORTANTLY: Before disconnecting your console from your TV, be sure to set the consoles resolution to 480i/576i or 480p/576p. This is the only way the Vbox2 will recognize the signal from the console. If you dont and you just plug the cables to the Vbox2 Advanced, you'll get nothing but static or black screen.

Once you have set the correct resolution on the console, you can unplug the component cable from your TV and plug it into the Vbox2 Advanced. To display your console on the software, you will need to click on the camcorder icon (Switch to Media Viewer Mode) under viewer. A new set of toolbar icons will show underneath. Under "Select" click on "Device Options". This will show a window with "Video Format...", "Video Setting...", "Video Source", "Audio Format..." and "Audio Capture Pin...". Select "Video Source", it will show another window with "PAL", "NTSC", "480i/576i" and "480p/576p". From here, you will select the resolution of your console.

There are so many things you can do such as record your gameplay, take snapshots of your gameplay, play in full screen. You can even save a profile with your settings.

Videos below is to show you how to set up the Vbox2 Advanced with many consoles:
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