World of Warcraft developer Blizzard has revealed plans to add an optional subscription model to its MMO, with players paying $2.99 a month to remotely browse, buy and sell in-game items.

The World Of Warcraft Remote service will be available via any web browser, and as an update to Blizzard's existing World of Warcraft Armory app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad

Remotely browsing the in-game auction house will be free, but bids and sales for items will require paid access to World of Warcraft Remote. Subscriptions are not yet available, but are currently being beta trialled on a free basis for active US WoW subscribers.

Blizzard has not revealed a final date for the launch of the new paid service.

While this new payment model is likely to prove controversial, Blizzard has previously established that its customers have a significant appetite for paid add-ons.

Within three hours of the launch of April's Celestial Steed promotion, over 140,000 players were queuing to pay $25 for an in-game flying horse, generating over $3.5m of revenue on the item's first day of release.

World of Warcraft's current subscriber numbers are unknown - at one point the MMO temporarily lost an estimated six million Chinese customers due to a protracted move to a new server host - but at its peak it boasted 11.5m paying players.

Parent company Activision Blizzard confirmed this month that WoW's ongoing success helped drive its better-than-expected financial results for the first quarter of 2010.

With Apple confirming over 30 million iPhone OS devices sold between June 2007 and March 2010, there is likely to be a significant crossover audience. Potentially more lucrative, however, is simple browser access to the World of Warcraft Remote service, allowing players to manage their in-game inventories from any web-enabled PC.

While take-up of the new paid service remains to be seen, it is possible the bold pricing scheme may be further justified by the inclusion of future remote access features, such as social networking for in-game Guilds.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...obile-warcraft ...

European age ratings organisation PEGI has released its app for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch in the UK.

The application allows users to browse a database of over 14,000 games to research content, age ratings and suitability of all videogames that have been rated by the Pan-European Game Information association.

"We hope that this free app can give the PEGI system a boost in awareness among consumers, especially parents," said Simon Little, managing director of PEGI.

"It offers quick and direct access to everything you need to know about PEGI and videogame ratings, so there’s no excuse not to download it."

The UK's Entertainment and Leisure Software Publisher Association said it supports the release, and has encouraged parents to download the app in a bid to increase education on age-ratings.

"We fully support the PEGI classification system for the videogames industry and are delighted that this app has launched in the UK," offered Michael Rawlinson, director general of ELSPA.

The move comes after the ESRB in the US released a similar app for the North American region last year.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...for-uk-parents ...

New research from Nielsen Games has shown that, contrary to popular belief, the release of a big game isn't necessarily enough to motivate consumers to buy a new games console.

In fact, wanting to play one particular game was cited as the least motivating factor in buying a console by gamers questioned for the survey, coming out as far less important than Blu-ray capabilities, price reductions and online capabilities.

For its research, Nielson quizzed 700 active gamers aged 7-54 who did not currently own a PlayStation 3 but were "definitely" or "probably" interested in buying one in the following six months.

The company interviewed the gamers over a three week period prior to, during and after the release of God of War III on the console, using the game as a lens to determine how important it would be in motivating purchases of the PS3.

However, the results showed that it was of little relevance, with just 12 per cent stating that one specific game would be a motivating factor in their decision.

Instead, the most motivating factors were Blu-Ray capabilities, the recent price reduction of the PS3 and the library of games currently available, which were cited by 65, 63 and 62 per cent of those questioned respectively.

62 per cent said that their decision was motivated by wanting to upgrade from the PlayStation 2, 56 per cent said they wanted the console in order to connect with friends that also had a PS3, and 50 per cent said they were interested in the PS3's other online capabilities.

49 per cent were interested in the PS3's other multimedia capabilities. 42 per cent wanted the console for online multiplayer, and 36 per cent said they were motivated by offers bundling an HDTV with the PS3.

Despite the fact that buying a specific game ranked lowest on the list of reasons for acquiring a PS3, God of War III was the most popular game named among those that did list it.

From a total of 20 PS3 titles, which also included Heavy Rain, Modern Warfare 2, LittleBigPlanet and Gran Turismo 5, 33 per cent named God of War III, followed by Final Fantasy XIII with 13 per cent.

"Not to be overlooked is that nearly half (49 per cent) cited interest in the console for its multimedia capabilities," noted Nielsen on its blog.

"This is especially interesting because the tagline for Sony's recent marketing campaign, 'It only does everything,' touts the entertainment versatility of the PS3 even as it features specific high-profile games, including GOW III, in select ads.

"Considering the data, it appears as though this marketing strategy complements consumer sentiment. While many potential PS3 buyers will see GOW III as an important asset, more often the game will be considered one of many reasons to acquire the console rather than the sole motivator."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-sell-consoles ...

Nintendo, who are publishing Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies in North America, revealed today that the game is scheduled for a July 11th release. They also confirmed that the game will feature downloadable quests, just like its Japanese build. Here’s the official website.

Dragon Quest IX has a somewhat interesting history. We went from Square Enix saying they were “considering” an overseas release to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata pledging marketing support for the game, to Nintendo of America eventually announcing that they would be publishing the game themselves. In bringing the game over, Nintendo hope to preserve its connectivity functions, which allow you to passively communicate with other players that own the game while your DS is closed, and acquire parts of a large treasure map in the process. For the overseas release, this feature has been renamed “Tag mode.”

Whether or not Tag mode or even Dragon Quest IX itself will take off remains to be seen. Historically, the series hasn’t been as popular as Final Fantasy or Kingdom Hearts overseas and IX’s connectivity features are tailor-made to suit Japanese society. Still, if there’s anyone that can raise mainstream awareness of a product, it’s Nintendo.

http://www.siliconera.com/2010/05/19...-on-july-11th/ ...

Sega is about to give fans another reason to own a Virtual On arcade stick. A home version of Cyber Troopers Virtual On Force is being made for Xbox 360.

Famitsu has the scoop and mentions two on two co-op battles over Xbox Live. Offline, four players can rumble in a split screen mode. Cyber Troopers Virtual On Force also has single player missions and over a dozen robots to play with. Yeah, Temjin is on the lis.

While Sega hasn’t abruptly ended their countdown, we’re betting this is the “next-360action” game they have been counting down to.

http://www.siliconera.com/2010/05/18...box-360-bound/ ...

We're all used to seeing rubbish game-to-movie adaptations. Super Mario Bros was atrocious, Max Payne forgettable, Resident Evil mindless - and don't even get us started on anything Uwe Boll's ever touched. (No, really - he might put us in a boxing ring and beat the snot out of us).

So it goes without saying that when I plonked myself down in the Leicester Square Odeon this month to watch Disney's Prince of Persia: Sands Of Time, I wasn't expecting much.

In fact, the knives (or ancient daggers, in this case) were very much out - not least for Jake Gylenhaal's smug Hollywood face.


The movie kicked off with the expected eye-staggering blockbuster glitz - and it was very clear that no expense had been spared by Jerry Bruckheimer to make every inch of his desert tale scream 'epic'.

But then something very odd happened: Sands of Time smashed a summer blockbuster tradition... and didn't get rubbish halfway through. In fact, it only became more brilliant.

More here --> http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...

Ubisoft's CEO Yves Guillemot has said that he estimates around 50 per cent of console videogames will be available in 3D by 2012.

Speaking to investors last night following the release of the company's full year financial results, he said that discussions with 3DTV manufacturers had been positive and he expects 3D to grow rapidly over the next couple of years.

"The 3D games are going to come more and more with the TV screens that are available. We did Avatar last year and the experience was enhanced by the 3D experience. On 360, PS3 but also maybe on portable machines," he said. "So we can count on substantial growth on the 3D aspect just because it's more immersive.

"I think next year we should maybe see 15-20 per cent of games that will be 3D on next-generation consoles. And then the following year it will be 50 per cent."

The publisher was one of the first to release a 3D game last year, with the tie-in to James Cameron's Avatar beating sales expectations after an initial slow start.

3D gaming is to feature prominently at E3 next month, with a number of franchise upgrades expected from Sony, which has already shown titles such as MotorStorm, Wipeout and Gran Turismo running in 3D.

Nintendo has said that it will show its 3D handheld, the 3DS, at this year's event. It does not require special glasses to view the 3D effects.

Although quieter by comparison, Microsoft has also made 3D noises, with at least one of the blockbuster franchises associated with the Xbox 360 platform expected to be shown in 3D next month.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-in-3d-by-2012 ...

This two handed glove input setup, by [Sean Chen] and [Evan Levine], is one step closer to achieving that [Tony Stark] like workstation; IE, interacting with software in 3D with simple hand gestures. Dubbed the Mister Gloves, the system incorporates accelerometer, push button, and flex sensor data over RF where an MCU converts it to a standard USB device, meaning no drivers are needed and a windows PC can recognize it as a standard keyboard and mouse. Catch a video of Mister Gloves playing portal after the jump.

While amazing, we’re left wondering if gesture setups are really viable options considering one’s arm(s) surly would get tired?

http://hackaday.com/2010/05/19/miste...gesture-input/ ...

Mobile devices company Apple has been described as ‘arrogant’ by a Sony executive.
SCE Australia managing director Michael Ephraim said Apple’s alleged hubris is the subject of numerous news reports, but the game boss denied that Sony itself ever deserved to be labelled as egotistical.
“I don't think we are arrogant anymore,” he said.
“I think we can name a company that is a fruit that is in he news a lot about their arrogance,” he added, in a translucent reference to Apple.
The iPhone company has in recent months struggled to generate positive PR out from its own successes and popular products.


To the furore of many Flash developers, Apple still refuses to allow the development platform to operate on the iPhone, citing compatibility issues and battery-drain worries.
Many commentators have described the decision as an act of flagrant egotism, citing Apple’s past business conflicts with Flash provider Adobe.
In an interview with the Brisbane Times, Ephraim said Apple has “taken the mantle from us” in regards to being seen as the most arrogant game company.
Apple has also faced accusations of arrogance after a string of interesting business decisions. The group recently announced it was going to establish its own iPhone Game Centre – a service that could theoretically make third-party offerings, such as OpenFeint, redundant.
The iPad firm is also competing directing with Amazon’s successful eReader business by establishing its own iBooks store.
Sony itself has learnt first-hand how dangerous it is for a company’s public relations to be described as arrogant.
The platform holder once said the PSP was “the Walkman for the 21st century”, before claiming that the next generation doesn’t start “until we say it does”. Slow, and borderline-disastrous, initial sales of the PS3 came with accusations that Sony had not modernised its PlayStation empire with humble, consumer-facing intentions.
Ephraim initially seemed to admit Sony had appeared as arrogant, though he proceeded to backtrack from his initial comment.
He said he didn’t think Sony had ever led its business in a cavalier fashion.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...lammed-by-Sony ...