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Mark Rein, vice-president of Unreal and Gears of War studio Epic Games, claims the industry should not "discount" Kinect and Move. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz at last week's GameHorizon conference, he stressed that it was early days for Microsoft and Sony's motion controllers.

"Wait until you see what people are going to do with these things," he said. "We're involved tangentially in both technologies actually. The Kinect adventures game is Unreal Engine 3 and that sorcery game that Sony has, that's also Unreal Engine 3. So we have Sony and Microsoft, first-party, both doing cool things with our technology and I wouldn't discount anything."

However, he claimed that Kinect may be just the first move in a wider motion control gambit by Microsoft.

"There's no doubt in my mind that Kinect is very much an experiment to see where they should go with this stuff. I mean, this device [a prototype Android tablet] has a camera. If you had the rest of the Kinect sensors on here, this'd be great. You could prop this down on a little stand, and play Dance Central right here. What would be wrong with propping this on the table and standing here in an environment with friends and doing a dance?"

Having also spent much of the interview endorsing mobile devices such as the iPhone and iPad, he claimed the future of gaming was not heading down separate paths.

"I don't think you should draw the conclusion that these things mean you can't have Kinect or Move. It's nothing to do with that. You could have controllers for these. You could eventually have all kinds of experiences on portable environments. It's just a computer. This is just another kind of computer. Just like your Xbox is a computer, your PC is a computer...

"Who knows, maybe the future of Kinect is on your laptop? In fact I think that Microsoft already publicly said that they were going to do something with motion tech cameras on laptops. One of the things that they can do is recognise your face. There are other portions of Move and Kinect that I think have been a little bit overlooked right now, that will eventually come into play."

Having referred to Move's raygun-like Shooting Attachment as "absolutely brilliant", Rein was then coy as to his preferred favourite motion controller.

"Don't believe everybody's nonsense about what one thing can do versus the other," he said. "You can have that with Kinect, you can have a gun. If you had a gun with a distinct look to it, even a shape, or a light on the end or something, Kinect would recognise that device just as well as Move can. Maybe even better."

The outspoken VP also stressed that, though much of the industry was in a state of some alarm due to declining hardware and software sales, he was hugely optimistic about gaming's future.

New payment models and increasing mobile hardware power would soon lead to "$20 million iPhone games," he claimed. "I'm just generally excited about the industry as a whole, so many opportunities."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-an-experiment ...

While Microsoft may be counting on Kinect appealing to the mass market crowd with its motion controls, family games and exercise apps, analyst firm DFC Intelligence says it feels the device "is somewhat limited" and will "struggle" to broaden 360's horizons beyond its hardcore following.

"The Xbox 360 clearly needs to diversify beyond the core first-person shooter audience. At E3 it was clear that Kinect is not designed for the hard-core game consumer. Microsoft is putting almost all its eggs into the Kinect as a way to appeal to the 'casual' consumer and expand its user base," says a DFC report.

"Unfortunately, based on what we have seen, DFC continues to feel that Microsoft is going to struggle to expand beyond its core audience," it adds. "The Kinect technology is cool, but in practical terms we feel it is somewhat limited. There are questions about how the technology captures non-lateral movement, and there is the lack of complex control options."

It notes that a lack of complex controls isn't a deal breaker for the line of simple games MS has shown for it, but there are other issues. "Almost every time Microsoft has tried to emulate successful entertainment products they have failed," says the report.

"Of course, the biggest exceptions have been some of their work in PC gaming prior to the Xbox and then the Xbox platform itself. However, in both these cases the appeal was to a fairly high-end niche of dedicated gamers."

It later goes on to add: "With MSN and casual games Microsoft was able to attract a fairly large and diverse audience, but these products were free. We don't know the price of the Kinect, but it is definitely not free. An Xbox 360 with a Kinect is likely to cost as much as an annual membership at the local YMCA." Or a fair amount more, we'd say.

Widespread speculation and various retailer postings put Kinect at between £100 and £130.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...

Xbox product director Aaron Greenberg has promised that there are many more Xbox 360 exclusive games coming next year - and that the pipeline of new 360 software is "full"

360 fans still have Crackdown 2, Fable 3, Halo: Reach and Gears of War 3 to look forward to in 2010 - but Greenberg told CVG sister site OXM that MS already has one eye on 2011.

"I think you've seen what we're doing with [exclusives like Crackdown 2, Alan Wake, Mass Effect et al] adding what's different to what's already there," he said, "and we'll continue to invest and grow our core game line-up."

"We know that that is the heart of our business, that is what allows us to fund and grow and innovate in new ways, and so that'll be important in 2011 just as it was for us in 2010."

We can look forward to more exclusive hardcore games in future, then, asked OXM? "Absolutely."

"My team signs deals with partners every week... obviously it takes years, and games take years to develop. But the pipeline is full and so we feel very confident in our ability to continue to do that, and I think what we've seen is that people know - they've seen our success globally, they've seen the success of Live."

"The response to Kinect at the show and the new consoles is just building more confidence in our partners to want to work with us in the future and so we feel like we're well set up for success."

So he's pretty confident for next year's E3 already? "Absolutely. Yes."

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...

EA has only revealed 20% of FIFA 11's new features, reckons PSM3 magazine.

Reporting on its latest hands-on with this year's instalment, the mag reveals that EA's hinted an all new tackling system could be implemented.

"Overall [FIFA 11 is] a bit slower and more considered, and very physical," it says. "EA have only revealed 20% of the new features, and [producer David] Rutter hints a new jostle/tackle system is yet to be announced."

On its hands-on time, PSM3 says: "Time on the ball felt scarce, so technique players really make a difference with one-touch passes in busy midfields

"The new Personality Plus system makes players feel more individual - true since we had more joy twisting at speed with Arshavin than Van Persie, although both were top players."

Sounds good. Among the "20%" of new features we know about are improved graphics, customisable audio, "massively" improved player AI and 'footballer personality'.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...

It was once the global leader in the mobile phone market, but the rise of competitors such as Samsung, Apple and Google has seen Nokia’s grip on the sector reach a new low.
Research firm IDC claims that Korean tech giant Samsung has now become the leader in the ‘featurephone’ sector (basic devices that offer calls, texting and web access). In Q1 2010 Samsung sold 12.2m such devices in Western Europe, with Nokia selling just 9.1m – a year-on-year drop of 18 per cent.
Surprisingly, Nokia remains the smartphone leader in the territory with 4.9m units sold in the territory in the same period. This compares to 3m iPhones – though remember that while Nokia has a whole range of different smartphone options, Apple has just the iPhone.


In the same timeframe, RIM shifted 2.4m units and HTC 900k. Samsung’s smartphone performance leaves a little to be desired, however, with just 300k devices shifted.
However, Nokia’s future prospects in the smartphone sector look less pleasing. The latest YouGov Smartphone Mobile Internet Experience study shows a 12 per cent drop in consumers considering a Nokia the next time they upgrade their handsets.
Of current smartphone owners, 41 per cent expect their next handset to be an iPhone and only ten per cent expect it to be a Nokia. The lack of available apps and concerns about the Symbian OS were the main reasons cited.
“Where Nokia once led the market, it has drastically fallen by the wayside,” YouGov's technology and telecoms team research manager Russell Feldman stated. “Its OVI store continues to be significantly outperformed by both Apple's Apps store and Android Marketplace.
“The results of our data consistently show that the market leader is fast becoming an also ran in the smartphone market. New products, software and apps are needed soon if Nokia is to keep up with its rivals.”
There’s no sign, though, that these numbers are making Nokia reconsider its strict allegiance to the Symbian platform, however.
“I am committed, perhaps even obsessed, with getting Nokia back to being number one in high-end devices,” Nokia’s head of mobile solutions Anssi Vanjoki stated on the official Nokia blog.
“Despite rumours to the contrary, there are no plans to introduce an Android device from Nokia. Symbian is our platform of choice for Nokia smartphones. Symbian has taken a lot of criticism lately – some of it fair, some not. But what is consistently overlooked is that Symbian still accounts for more than two-fifths of the global smartphone market.”

http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/303...ce-accelerates ...

Sony just announced a "classic white" PS3 Slim (as opposed to the "ceramic white" original) for Japan, model CECH-2500, coming July 29th with 160GB HDD. For 34,980 yen (about $400 translated to US currency) you can now start off with 320GB of storage in your "charcoal black" model. You can still get the 160GB "charcoal black" model, which retails for 29,980 yen ($342).

Source: PlayStation Japan ...

Sony has revealed the launch line-up for the PlayStation Move motion controller in Japan, with six titles available from day one rather than the 16 of the American launch.

The Japanese launch is due to take place on October 21, a month after the U.S. debut on September 19. Despite this delay fewer games will be available for the system initially, with website Andriasang confirming only the following:

EyePet (SCEJ, ¥3,980/$45)
Sports Champion (SCEJ, ¥3,980/$45)
Beat Sketch (aka Sing and Draw, SCEJ, ¥2,980/$34)
Fure! Fure! Bowling (aka High Velocity Bowling, SCEJ, ¥1,900/$22)
Machi Suberi (aka Kung Fu Rider, SCEJ, ¥3,980/$45)
Big 3 Gun Shooting (aka Time Crises: Razing Storm, Namco Bandai, ¥6,279/$71)
The already available Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition will also have a patch available from day one for Move support.

The U.S. line-up has yet to be finally confirmed, but is known to include at least 16 titles. The only game currently exclusive to the Japanese line-up is Beat Sketch, previously known as Sing and Draw.

Titles planned for release after the Japanese launch include:

Mugen Kairo Hikari to Kage no Hako (aka echochrome ii, SCEJ, November, ¥3,980/$45)
Nikudan (aka The Fight: Lights Out, SCEJ, November, ¥3,980/$45)
Move de Party (aka Move de Party, SCEJ, November, ¥3,980/$45)
TV SuperStars (SCEJ, December, ¥3,980)
Furi Furi! Sarugetchu (aka Ape Escape, SCEJ, 2010, price TBA)
Sorcery (SCEJ, 2011, price TBA)
Tower (SCEJ, 2011, price TBA)
The Shoot (SCEJ, 2011, price TBA)
Heroes on the Move (SCEJ, 2011, price TBA)
Move-compatible versions of Killzone 3, Hustler Kings and Heavy Rain are also confirmed for release but have no specific date.

Basic pricing for the Move system was revealed at Sony's pre-E3 media briefing in June. This included a Starter Pack including a controller and the PlayStation Eye camera, with the Japanese version of the bundle including game Beat Sketch for ¥5,980 ($68).

The Japanese launch will also offer two extra game hardware bundles. The first is for Capcom's Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition and will include a Move controller, PlayStation Eye camera and a copy of the game for ¥7,980 ($91).

A second bundle with Namco Bandai's Big 3 Gun Shooting (so-called because it contains coin-op conversions of Time Crisis 4, Razing Storm and Deadstorm Pirates) will cost ¥11,980 ($136) and includes a controller and the Move Shooting Attachment.

A "PlayStation Move Omniverse" demo disc will also be give to free with purchases of any hardware bundle or controller, although its contents have not yet been revealed.

Although the European launch for PlayStation Move has been confirmed for September 15, a few days before the U.S., few other details have yet been made official. However, UK retailers have begun advertising the basic controller for around £40 and the Starter Pack for between £50 and £60, though they continue to shift their pricing.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ne-up-revealed ...

New versions of the PlayStation 3 are due to reach the Japanese market on July 29.

The CECH-2500 series ships with hard drive capacities of either 160 or 320 Gigabytes, which will retail for ¥29,980 and ¥34,980 respectively, according to Andriasang.com.

The 160 GB model will be available in both the standard Charcoal Black and the new, Wii-like Classic White.

A range of white peripherals are to accompany the launch, including DualShock 3 controllers and vertical stands.

The existing 120GB model, which was formerly retailed at the same price as the new 160GB unit, will switch to open pricing as of tomorrow - often a sign that an SKU is to be gradually phased out.

Sony has confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that the new models are currently for the Japanese market only, with nothing to announce for European and American markets for now.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-japan-article ...

Major publisher figureheads such as EA’s John Riccitiello, Sony’s Jack Tretton, Take Two’s Strauss Zelnick and Dinsey Interactive’ Graham Hopper have expressed their concern that the potential introduction of new laws controlling the sale of video games could have a major impact on the sector’s viability in North America.
In April the US Supreme Court confirmed that it is to make a decision concerning a possible nationwide rollout for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed legislation that would illegalise the sale of violent games to minors, placing them under the same level of control as pornography, tobacco or alcohol.
Unlike in the UK where mature games are covered by the same retail law as violent movies, in the US there is no legislation controlling the sale of video games. It has always been claimed until now that any controls would be unconstitutional and contravene the First Amendment, which guarantees the right to free speech.
Instead, the industry relies on a voluntary code of conduct to control the sale of violent or explicit games to kids. The practice, however, does remain legal.
“It’s very, very surprising that the Supreme Court is hearing the case,” Take Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told CNBC. “I’m worried about it, and I think everybody in our business should be really worried about it.”

If new laws are passed then individual states would be free to determine what sort of content retailers are or are not able to sell. The potential result could be disastrous for publishers and could even end up with them having to produce several different versions of any given title to ensure that it gets onto all US retailer’s shelves.
It could also lead to major retailers such as Wal-Mart refusing to stock some titles altogether – a move that could have a disastrous effect on sell-through levels.
“One of America’s great exports is entertainment,” EA CEO John Riccitiello outlined. “The implication of Schwarzenegger vs ESA is we could end up with state level bureaucracies that define what’s marketable in 50 different jurisdictions across the US. I can’t imagine the government trying to tell Steven Spielberg ‘we need 50 different cuts of your movie for each state’. It will screw us up in a real way.”
Disney Interactive Studios’ executive VP and general manager Graham Hopper added: “It’s not about having a dramatic impact on our bottom line. It’s going to make our retailing abilities a nightmare.”
On a unit basis M-rated games constituted 17.4 per cent of all US game sales in 2009. Financially they likely occupied a higher percentage. More worryingly, publishers such as Take Two are heavily reliant on M-rated games, and some of the industry’s biggest sellers – such as Activision’s record-breaking Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – are the backbone of its current success.
“We believe as an industry that the primary reason the Supreme Court is hearing it is despite the fact that this law has been struck down, the issue has come up 12 times previously,” SCEA’s president and CEO Jack Tretton stated. “I think the Supreme Court is looking at it to potentially see if there’s something to it or to put an end to it once and for all.”
The ESA has previously indicated that it will fight the proposed introduction of any new legislation.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/39887/US-C...-new-game-laws ...