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by Published on April 15th, 2013 21:06- Categories:
- Nintendo 3DS News
Nintendo has announced plans to broadcast a Nintendo Direct 3DS event this Wednesday.Presenting "the latest information on Nintendo 3DS", you can expect updates on games already confirmed for the system, and hopefully some new software announcements too,The event will be streamed on the Nintendo Direct website from 3pm BST / 7am PT / 10am ET on April 17.Highlights of the most recent Nintendo Direct 3DS included the announcement of a 3D update of Donkey Kong Country Returns, a new entry in Mario & Luigi RPG series, and a European release date for Fire Emblem: Awakening.Nintendo also used the event in February to announce that Mario Golf will be making its debut on 3DS this summer and to confirm hardware bundles for Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and Fire Emblem Awakening....
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...his-wednesday/by Published on April 15th, 2013 20:54- Categories:
- Wii U News
Analyst forecasts yet another bad month of sales in the US for Nintendo's console and says even a price cut wouldn't be enough to help
Nintendo of America
The NPD Group will report its US video game retail data this Thursday, and in a preview note Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter commented that he's expecting Nintendo to post yet another weak month of Wii U sales. For the Wii U's fifth month on the market, he's forecasting that Nintendo sold just 55,000 units, which would represent a 17 percent decline month-over-month. Moreover, Pachter's expecting this slide to continue for Wii U, even if Nintendo chooses to implement a price cut.
"The only key hardware device to underperform our expectations was the Wii U," Pachter said of last month's numbers, "and its fortunes appear unlikely to improve for several months, even if Nintendo decides to drop price, as there are an insufficient number of core titles that are generating interest in the console. We think that core gamers are far more likely to turn their attention to the PS4 (due in the holiday season) and the next Xbox, which we believe will be unveiled before E3 and have a launch alongside that of the PS4, and believe that the long-term appeal of the Wii U will be severely limited by the perception that the PS4 and next Xbox will be much more powerful with greater online integration and multimedia functionality."
And if the pricing on the PS4 and next Xbox is reasonable, it could really put Wii U in a bind, Pachter added: "Should the new consoles from Sony and Microsoft be price competitive, we think that Wii U sales may continue to stagnate." In fact, Pachter believes that next-gen consoles are likely to be subsidized and will therefore look even more affordable to consumers.
"We think that the next-generation consoles will perform a wide range of multimedia functions. We should learn more in the coming months, but we expect the next Xbox to have an IPTV tuner that will allow an MSO to deliver services over the Internet outside of the MSO's regulated geographic boundaries. If we are right, any of Microsoft's MSO partners will have an incentive to subsidize the purchase of the next Xbox in exchange for a long-term service commitment (similar to the cell phone model). If the subsidies are steep, it is likely that the next Xbox will appear more affordable to many consumers than currently anticipated, and it may capture market share faster than many expect. We don't expect Sony to sit idly by watching, and believe that the PS4 will follow Microsoft's lead in short order, suggesting to us that next-generation consoles could have lower starting prices than any in history," he said.
As for March retail game sales overall, Pachter expects the numbers to be up slightly (just one percent) thanks to big AAA releases like Gears of War: Judgment, Tomb Raider and BioShock Infinite.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ont-help-wii-u
...by Published on April 15th, 2013 20:49- Categories:
- Xbox 360 News
Yannis Mallat, the CEO of developer Ubisoft Montreal, has claimed that the market IS ready for an always-on next-generation of consoles.
“That's a question you should put to Microsoft and Sony,” he told The Guardian when asked if the world is ready for always-on consoles. “I would say that a lot of people are already always online through other devices – I would suspect that the audience is ready.”
So how on earth can Microsoft convince the obviously very sceptical public that the time is right for an always-s on Xbox?
“As soon as players don't have to worry, then they will only take into account the benefits that those services bring,” Mallat added, speaking of course generally and not specifically about any upcoming hardware.
“And I agree, these services need to provide clear benefits. It's important to be able to provide direct connections between us and our consumers, whether that's extra content or online services, a lot of successful games have that.
“We used to say that we're not competing against other games, we're competing for leisure time. We have to craft our experiences around the way people are now consuming entertainment. For example, with the online multiplayer aspects of a game, we can say – and this is true already of Watch Dogs – that the next generation will help us to blur the lines between on and offline play and between single and multiplayer. It will be a totally new way to play.
“I think we showed that last year with the Watchdog trailer and also the live demo we did in February at the Sony PlayStation 4 event. Essentially it will be possible for friends to jump in and out of each other's games without completely changing the experience or becoming an essential part of the storyline that players craft for themselves.”
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ubiso...nsoles/0114102 ...by Published on April 15th, 2013 16:01- Categories:
- PC News
ASUS' distinctive Transformer AiO has been a long time in coming, having firstreached our paws last June. For Americans, it's at last more than just a fantastical idea: Amazon, J&R, Rakuten and other US-friendly online retailers now list the oddest of odd PCs as on sale, and usually in stock. For a typical $1,299, more adventurous buyers get a Windows 8 base desktop with a 3.1GHz Core i5, 8GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, a DVD drive and a GeForce GT 730M. The real fun, of course, rests in its display. Remove that 18.4-inch LCD from its dock and it suddenly becomes a gigantic Tegra 3-based Android tablet running Jelly Bean. We're not sure if we'll ever completely wrap our heads around the concept, but those who understand ASUS' expanded definition of an all-in-one can shop at the source links.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BWHILC4/ ...by Published on April 15th, 2013 15:56- Categories:
- Xbox 360 News
Many UK and American players were left unable to log into Xbox Live over the weekend.
"We are still hard at work fixing the issue members are having signing in to Xbox Live,” a statement read. “Rest assured we have every available resource working on fixing the problem."
It also meant that players of games like Minecraft were unable to access some of their saved content.
Added Microsoft: "If you're an Xbox Silver member having problems using existing or newly-created saves in Minecraft, please know we're working hard to fix this issue! We'll update you as soon as we have more information.”
The issue has since been resolved and Xbox Live is now fully operational, but the news serves as a timely reminder for Microsoft of the perils of internet connected consoles.
This, of course, is more pertinent than ever as rumours of the new Xbox requiring a constant internet connection continue to swirl.
Retail has pleaded with the platform holder to distance itself from the rumours. Indeed, Microsoft exec Adam Orth has by the looks of things lost his job over his public defence of “always on”.
Don’t forget though that these rumours remain exactly that – rumours. Recent reports have questioned their validity. The truth is we won’t know until May what Microsoft has planned for its next machine.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/xbox-...perils/0114087 ...by Published on April 15th, 2013 15:51- Categories:
- DCEmu
Bioshock Infinite is the top selling boxed game in the UK for the third week running, narrowly beating Tomb Raider to the number one spot by just over 2,500 copies.With no new entries to speak of, the rest of the top ten is very similar to last week’s chart. Last week’s highest new entry Defiance has swapped placed with FIFA 13, and is mostly being bought by 360 owners, according to ChartTrack. The Xbox SKU accounted for 75% of total sales, with PS3 accounting for 20% and PC just 5%.The Ukie top ten for the week ending April 13th, compiled by GfK Chart-Track, is as follows. Week-on-week sales differences are in brackets.1. Bioshock Infinite (-44%)...
2. Tomb Raider (-43%)
3. FIFA 13 (-21%)
4. Defiance (-41%)
5. Luigi’s Mansion 2 (-35%)
6. Call Of Duty: Black Ops II (-35%)
7. Assassin’s Creed III (-30%)
8. Gears Of War: Judgment (-50%)
9. LEGO Batman 2 (-17%)
10. Far Cry 3 (-21%)
http://www.edge-online.com/news/uk-c...ns-number-one/by Published on April 14th, 2013 21:42- Categories:
- PC News
Valve has revealed Steam’s top selling products chart for the week ending on April 13th.
Strategy update Age of Empires II HD takes the top spot, beating out a rare tie for the runner-up spot with a heavily discounted Dishonored sharing space with Bioshock Infinite.
The Walking Dead rises again onto the list, finishing sixth thanks to a major sale promotion.
Newcomers include Company of Heroes 2 in fourth and Poker Night 2 in eighth, as both had made pre-ordering available during the period.
- Age of Empires II HD
- Bioshock Infinite and Dishonored
- Defiance
- Company of Heroes 2
- The Walking Dead
- Scribblenauts Unlimited
- Arma 3 Alpha
- Poker Night 2
- Skyrim
- Kerbal Space Program
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/steam...ril-13/0114075 ...by Published on April 14th, 2013 21:35- Categories:
- Android News
"Facebook on Friday released its Android launcher called Home. The company also updated its Facebook app, adding in new permissions to allow it to collect data about the apps you are running. Facebook has set up Home to interface with the main Facebook app on Android to do all the work. In fact, the main Facebook app features all the required permissions letting the Home app meekly state: 'THIS APPLICATION REQUIRES NO SPECIAL PERMISSIONS TO RUN.' As such, it’s the Facebook app that’s doing all the information collecting. It’s unclear, however, if it will do so even if Facebook Home is not installed. Facebook may simply be declaring all the permissions the Home launcher requires, meaning the app only starts collecting data if Home asks it to."
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/13/04/...t-apps-you-use ...by Published on April 13th, 2013 22:42- Categories:
- Apple iPhone
It's really happening. Starting today, you'll be able to pick up an iPhone 5 with that Magenta hue. T-Mobile's offering the device both in retail and online, starting at $100 plus 24 monthly installments of 20 bucks. You can pick from either of the two monochrome extremes and if you're looking to spend a little less, you can also choose an iPhone 4S or 4 instead. Remember; you won't get the same subsidized pricing from Apple directly, so scroll through the options at the Uncarrier source and ensure that you're ready for that Coachella stream this weekend.
https://explore.t-mobile.com/iphone-5 ...by Published on April 13th, 2013 22:31- Categories:
- Xbox 360 News
More of the same isn't enough - and always-on could be the prelude to an utter disaster
Microsoft
microsoft.com
Sony
Sony's had the first of its big reveals - we still haven't seen a box, much to the consternation of people who clearly spend a lot more time staring at the space under their TV than I do, or a price tag, much to the consternation of everyone else - so now all attention has turned to Microsoft. After the longest hardware generation in console history, it's coming up to time for the next gauntlet to hit the floor. Having made enormous strides and gains during the past seven or eight years (although it may be pipped at the very end by Sony's installed base), Microsoft's next Xbox enters the fray with a weight of expectation on its shoulders.
Yet the next Xbox also faces a problem its predecessor didn't have to deal with - namely the fact that Sony actually has its act together this time, or so it seems. Microsoft got a lot of things right with the Xbox 360 - great controller, great online service from the outset, good developer tools - but what gave it its real head-start, papering over major cracks like the shocking hardware failure rate of the early years, was not of the company's own doing. Rather, the Xbox 360 confidently strode past every stumbling block because its major rival, the PS3, was tripping over its own feet and pratfalling off the track entirely. Arriving a year later to market, the PS3 was dogged by a ludicrous price point, daft, developer-unfriendly hardware, an anaemic approach to online services and a sense of corporate arrogance and entitlement that was soon to come painfully back down to earth.
This time, Microsoft will not enjoy the advantage of its rival shooting itself in the foot every few paces. Sony's overall corporate position may not be the healthiest it's ever been, but the company's approach with PS4 thus far has been intelligent, purposeful and has even, in a sense, felt quietly apologetic regarding the excesses of PS3's early years. There's a long way to go yet and plenty of rough ground to cover, and it's still entirely possible that Sony will trip over some obstacles (price point, price point...) but early signs are promising.
"This time, Microsoft will not enjoy the advantage of its rival shooting itself in the foot every few paces"
This begs an important question for Microsoft to answer - how will it differentiate itself? We've already seen a handful of leaked and highly credible specifications for the Microsoft box, so we know that it's not going to be more powerful than Sony's system (in fact, existing specs are less powerful, but it's unwise to rule out an eleventh-hour specification bump along the lines of Sony's surprise inclusion of ultra high-speed memory modules). Sony has effectively caught up in online services, and services like PlayStation Plus and the video integration offered by Gaikai technology give it a number of new strings to its bow. As for backwards compatibility, both PS4 and Microsoft's next Xbox are going to be based on hardware platforms so different from their previous efforts as to render backwards compatibility deeply unlikely at best.
In short, despite its success in the present generation, Microsoft is going to have to do a whole lot better than simply "the next Xbox - more of the same but better" if it wants to repeat or better its market share performance. With Xbox Live, it showed a fantastic ability to leverage its experience and knowledge of the PC and online markets in order to effectively "skate to where the puck will be, not where it is" (as NHL legend Wayne Gretzky memorably described it) - launching an online service and pushing it hard just in time to catch the rising waves of online gaming and social networking as they reached critical mass. Microsoft needs to repeat that feat in some form; at the very least, it needs to offer a vision of console gaming that's different enough from Sony's to make it distinct, memorable and appealing.
There are reasons to be concerned about that. One of them is the company's seemingly unwavering focus on Kinect, which seems set to be built in to the next generation of Xbox consoles. That's fine in itself - a motion sensing component is a handy feature to have for developers - but it had better not be pushed as the console's Big Thing. Kinect, like PlayStation Move, is great tech - but it only ever existed commercially as a response to the success of the Wii. With Nintendo's home consoles foundering at present, focusing on motion tech feels very much, to borrow Gretzky again, like skating to where the puck used to be, not where it will be in future.
"With Nintendo's home consoles foundering at present, focusing on motion tech feels very much like skating to where the puck used to be"
Then there's the heavily rumoured always-online aspect of the console. I remain in the "I'll believe it when I see it" camp on this - I simply can't believe that Microsoft is prepared to look at the significant percentage of Xbox 360 owners who never connected their devices to a network and ...
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Catherine: Full Body’s English translation for the Vita