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by Published on December 16th, 2011 01:20- Categories:
- PC News
Zenimax has announced that 10 million copies of Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim have been shipped out to retailers since release, which represents $650 million in potential sales so far. Keep in mind that those copies are shipped, not actuallysold, but sales for the title are doing well so far, and as all of those gift cards appear in stockings and under the tree this coming holiday, odds are that quite a few more of these copies will be exchanged for money going forward.
Zenimax also reports that the critically acclaimed title has outsold all other PC games by a factor of three to one in the month since its release, and currently holds the title for the fastest-selling game in Steam's history. Star Wars: The Old Republic is set to officially arrive next week, so it's hard to see Skyrimholding up that ratio for much longer, on the PC platform front anyway.
Still, infinity times ten million equals a hell of a lot of dragons. Congrats to Bethesda and Zenimax on all of the success -- we'd say that as great as the game is, it's well deserved.
http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/15/sk...her-pc-titles/ ...by Published on December 16th, 2011 01:18- Categories:
- DCEmu
Amazon tends not to be all that specific when it comes to Kindle sales figures, so it's always nice to see a number from the retail giant, even if it's as broad as the one it released today. According to the company, Kindle products have moved at a rate of "more than one million per week" for the past three weeks. That number includes the currently available members of the e-reading family, including the fourth generation Kindle, the Kindle Touch (both the WiFi and 3G versions) and the Fire. According to Amazon, the latter is "the most successful product we've ever launched," having topped the company's sales charts for 11 weeks. Press info after the jump.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/15/k...week-ahead-of/ ...by Published on December 16th, 2011 01:16- Categories:
- WebOS
"We've got TouchPads!" That's the slogan, but even TigerDirect admits that it's expecting its latest batch of TouchPad slates to evaporate in a matter of minutes. Strangely enough, we've seen the zombie-like webOS tablet on sale in a variety of locations during the past few months, and if you're quick, you'll be able to buy yet another from yet another vendor at 2:30PM ET today. The company's not saying how many are in stock, but we're told to expect the entire batch to be claimed "by 2:32PM ET." The deal? $249.99 nets you a 32GB TouchPad, a 10.1-inch Belkin tablet case and Creative Labs' D80 Bluetooth speakers, while a $299.99 bundle replaces the speaker with a Photosmart printer. Oh, and don't even bother trying to order over the phone -- this one's online only, and it's one bundle per customer. We're telling you now so you've got time to memorize your credit card number. Feel free to talk about nerves, shaking limbs and tales of luck in comments below.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/15/h...-for-a-moment/ ...by Published on December 16th, 2011 01:14- Categories:
- Xbox 360 News
Ken Mankoff is a PhD student at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he studies ice and ocean interactions. He also counts himself among a growing legion of environmental scientists who have begun using Microsoft's Kinect to create detailed, 3D maps of caves, glaciers and even asteroids. As Wiredreports, the Kinect has garnered something of a cult following within the scientific community, especially among those who, until now, have relied upon comparatively more expensive and complicated technologies to gather detailed 3D data. The approach du jour for most researchers is something known as Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) -- a laser-based technology capable of creating precise maps over relatively large areas. The Kinect, by contrast, can only see up to 16 feet in front of itself, but at just $120, it's significantly cheaper than the average LIDAR system, which can run for anywhere between $10,000 and $200,000. It's also surprisingly accurate, capable of capturing up to 9 million data points per second....
Mankoff, for one, has already used the device to map a small cavern underneath a glacier in Norway, while Marco Tedesco, a hydrologist at the City College of New York, is looking to attach a Kinect to aremote-controlled helicopter, in the hopes of measuring so-called meltwater lakes found on glaciers during the summer. Then there's Naor Movshovitz, also a PhD student at UC Santa Cruz, who's more interested in using the Kinect and its image processing software to figure out how asteroids behave when broken up by a projectile. There are limitations, of course, since the device still has trouble performing amidst severe environmental conditions, though its supporters seem confident they'll find a solution. Read more at the source link below.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/15/m...ther-scary-th/by Published on December 16th, 2011 01:13- Categories:
- Android News
Now that Ice Cream Sandwich is rolling out officially in the US on Verizon, it appears at least a few developers have seen the need to roll out Android 4.0-friendly versions of their software. Just as promised a (final?) version of Flash Player of Android has hit the market specifically to make sure ICS devices can get the "full" web. Meanwhile, in a less melancholy update, Netflix also updated its Watch Instantly app to work on Android 4.0, something we're sure on-the-go movie watchers will appreciate. If you've been lucky enough to get your hands on a Galaxy Nexus LTE, let us know if you're seeing any other apps that either have received or need to get an update to keep things working smoothly.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/15/a...for-ice-cream/ ...by Published on December 16th, 2011 01:11- Categories:
- Nintendo Wii News
Last Thursday was the perfect storm in a teacup for games websites.
For a few moments, mere minutes really, Shigeru Miyamoto – creative genius behind almost everything that Nintendo is known for in the modern world – was calling time on an enviable career.
Wired declared he was ‘stepping down’ and quoted him as “retiring from [his] current position” to help “younger developers. Or I might be interested in making something that I can make myself, by myself.”
It’s a fairly transparent comment. But as Nintendo’s share price wobbled, investors panicking that the 59-year-old millionaire father of Mario was boning up on the rules of bridge rather than the rules of Mario Party, the format-holder said all was not as it seemed.
Quickly, a riposte came. Wordy, and repetitive, it wanted to be clear: Miyamoto ain’t going nowhere. Wired “misunderstood”.
“Video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto’s role at Nintendo is not changing. He will continue to be a driving force in Nintendo’s development efforts. In discussing his priorities at Nintendo in a media interview, Mr. Miyamoto explained how he is encouraging the younger developers at the company to take more initiative and responsibility for developing software. He attempted to convey his priorities moving forward, inclusive of overseeing all video game development and ensuring the quality of all products. Mr. Miyamoto also discussed his desire to pursue fresh ideas and experiences of the kind that sparked his initial interest in video games.”
In isolation, it was a confused lost-in-translation moment, a bit of a PR mess, but the usual immature he-said-she-said-oh-no-wait-they-didn’t that online games news is structured around.
But let’s forget what Miyamoto ‘didn’t’ say. Let’s focus on what everyone is choosing not to say.
And it’s this: perhaps it really is time for the most revered game developer of all to call it a day.
THE ULTIMATE LEGACY
I say this, of course, with all due respect.
Miyamoto is a true games hero. He led the creation of Mario, Zelda and countless other staple franchises that are cross-generational, and cross-audience.
He shaped the design of most Nintendo games hardware.
He is a key exec inside that business.
But the brouhaha tied into the mere suggestion he could retire raises questions about new talent in games that companies like Nintendo should address – not just for the health of the industry, but their own health, and their own reputation.
Much of the worry about Miyamoto retiring is to do with status. If he goes, it suggests weakness for Nintendo. It implies the next Mario, Mario Kart or Zelda, or even the next Nintendo console, will simply not be as good without him around.
To a sensible mind, of course, this is total bollocks. Nintendo is not one man. Miyamoto is not the only exec there. It is a company staffed by almost 5,000. It can surely survive the decreased involvement of one individual.
But sense rarely comes into it on topics like this. So Nintendo and Miyamoto must maintain that he’s going nowhere. If they could reasonably imply he was immortal and that his golden touch will inform games into perpetuity, they would. (In seriousness, as an aside, it must be horribly difficult for him at this juncture – although faced with having to oversee Mario Kart 8 or the 17th Zelda, it's clear that under no circumstances can he suggest he ever will eventually retire.)
Nintendo insists, then, that Miyamoto is a “driving force in Nintendo’s development efforts”. He is also “encouraging younger developers to take more initiative”, he “oversees all video game development” and “ensures the quality of all products” – and at the same time has a “desire to pursue fresh ideas”.
That’s an impossible, contradictory role. Unless Nintendo’s next console eliminates the need to sleep or have a life.
It’s time for Nintendo Japan’s most senior worrywarts and its itchyfeet shareholders to accept that Miyamoto is mortal like the rest of us, and be ready to talk about the next generation of games designers.
Nintendo’s corporate line might not agree, but I do – Miyamoto said it himself: “unless I say that I’m retiring, I cannot nurture the young developers”.
THE NEXT GENERATION
The entire situation only rams home that the games industry is at a very crucial crossroads.
The businesses trying to build the games industry further desperately need more talent to come in. Our schools aren’t good enough. ‘Games’ degrees don’t cut it half the time. Barriers exist for many with the passion, but no direction. Most teams consist of men – women still make up just a paltry 10 per cent of the global workforce for the entire industry. Something has to change. And there’s a chance for big companies like Nintendo to contribute serious change.
Dream scenario: Nintendo starts actively hiring would-be dev talent around the world, or at least promoting a more accessible download store and publishing scheme to encourage ...by Published on December 16th, 2011 01:09- Categories:
- DCEmu
Argos may have thrown in the towel, but other mass-market retailers insist their own used games ventures are fighting fit.
MCVuk.com broke the story that Argos had completely withdrawn from the pre-owned video games market last week.
And critics told MCV last month that mass-market retailers – including the supermarkets – have failed to make an impact in used games. But Asda and Tesco have dismissed the concerns, telling MCV that their customers demand pre-owned.
“I would not read anything into Argos pulling out of pre-owned having any bearing on how the model is performing in the generalist sector,” said Asda’s head of games Andrew Thompson.
“Although pre-owned is a very small part of Asda’s games business, our customers like the fact that during such tough economic times they can trade in to save money and buy more new games.”
Games buyer Mark Burgess affirmed that Tesco was still committed to its used games offering, adding: “Argos pulling out of pre-owned will have no effect on our current plans.” Thompson added that Argos’ trade-in business model wasn’t suited to the second-hand market.
“I thought that the Argos model was very different to the normal trade-in operations in the UK,” he said. “Products that could be traded in were limited in range and the traded-in stock was ultimately sold online.”
Selected Argos stores first began trading in pre-owned titles back in March 2010. The company later rolled this out to all outlets in July 2010, offering store credit when consumers traded in selected titles.
Asda, Tesco and Argos were among the first mass-market retailers to launch pre-owned offerings.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/there...e-owned/088716 ...by Published on December 16th, 2011 01:07- Categories:
- Nintendo 3DS News
Nintendo's 3DS has outperformed the company's previous platforms in Australia.
The handheld has sold more than 200,000 units in its first 37 weeks, setting a new sales record for the region.
It has not only surpassed the early sales of other handhelds, but even home consoles, according to CVG.
As with other markets, 3DS got off to a slow start Down Under but the global price cut and release of titles such as Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 has reversed the device's fortunes.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/3ds-s...n-under/088718 ...by Published on December 16th, 2011 01:06- Categories:
- Apple iPad,
- Apple iPhone
We’ve already seen the success of FarmVille and CityVille – now Zynga has launched ForestVille on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.
The free-to-play building simulation game follows other iOS App Store titles from the casual games giant including Mafia Wars Shakedown, CityVille Holidaytown and Dream Zoo.
Players of ForestVille can create their own forest, connect with friends and decorate their in-game land. They can pay to speed up their progress and access additional in-game content.
FarmVille launched on Facebook in 2009 before hitting the App Store last year. It has 31.7m monthly active users on Facebook. CityVille – which has almost 49m monthly active users – was released one year ago.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/zynga...-on-ios/088717
...
by Published on December 16th, 2011 01:05- Categories:
- Xbox 360 News
Several Xbox Live hits including Street Fighter games will arrive in stores for the first time next year.
The Capcom Digital Collection retail SKU for Xbox 360 consists of eight games: 1942: Joint Strike, Bionic Commando Rearmed 2, Final Fight Double Impact, Flock, Rocketmen: Axis of Evil and It Came From Uranus expansion, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix and Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3.
Every game in the pack has all the features, online functionality and achievements found in their downloadable versions.
The Capcom Digital Collection will arrive in spring 2012 and comes with an MSRP of $39.99 in the US.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/capco...-bundle/088719 ...
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