Sony Computer Entertainment America has issued a statement in response to Activision's suggestion that it might drop support for Sony consoles in the future.

Last week CEO of Activision Bobby Kotick said that his company would have to reassess support for the PlayStation 3 and the PSP if Sony does not drop the price of the home console.

"PlayStation has tremendous momentum coming out of E3, and we are seeing positive growth with more than 350 titles slated to hit across all our platforms, including many anticipated games from our publishing partners," said spokesperson Patrick Seybold.

"We enjoy healthy business relationships with and greatly value our publishing partners and are working closely with them to deliver the best entertainment experience."

It's expected that Sony will cut the price of the PlayStation 3 later this year, to bring it into line with cheaper hardware from Nintendo and Microsoft.

US retail chain GameStop most recently said it expects a PS3 price cut this year of around USD 100.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ks-ps3-threats ...

Sony Computer Entertainment America has issued a statement in response to Activision's suggestion that it might drop support for Sony consoles in the future.

Last week CEO of Activision Bobby Kotick said that his company would have to reassess support for the PlayStation 3 and the PSP if Sony does not drop the price of the home console.

"PlayStation has tremendous momentum coming out of E3, and we are seeing positive growth with more than 350 titles slated to hit across all our platforms, including many anticipated games from our publishing partners," said spokesperson Patrick Seybold.

"We enjoy healthy business relationships with and greatly value our publishing partners and are working closely with them to deliver the best entertainment experience."

It's expected that Sony will cut the price of the PlayStation 3 later this year, to bring it into line with cheaper hardware from Nintendo and Microsoft.

US retail chain GameStop most recently said it expects a PS3 price cut this year of around USD 100.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ks-ps3-threats ...

Sony has reportedly detailed its PlayStation3 motion control technology to external developers, ahead of the release in spring 2010.

According to a report by Kotaku, the new control method for PlayStation 3 games will launch with a "range of first-party and third-party content" and will work "with any games across all genres from casual to core."

As well as supporting force feedback or rumble technology, the PlayStation Eye camera will be able to track up to four controllers and use the built-in microphone for voice input and recognition.

The company is also looking at a solution to support both the new wand controller and the existing DualShock 3 simultaneously.

Sony's motion control technology was first shown at E3 this month, with the company demonstrating a selection of early prototype software at the show.

Sony's European boss Andrew House recently told GamesIndustry.biz that the time was right to introduce motion control to the PlayStation 3, and the spring launch gave it a "good lead time to assemble the right sorts of content to take advantage of it."

"We have have a lot of confidence from a Sony standpoint on the right time to introduce new technology and new interfaces, and the goal of the company has always been to do it at the right time, when we can make a difference and be best of breed," he said.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-to-developers ...

Ubisoft's executive director Alain Corre has said that Wii titles which simply copy products already on the market have no chance of selling.

Speaking in a exclusive interview published today, Corre said that there is still room for innovation in the crowded Wii market, and he's confident the company's upcoming fitness title Your Shape can distinguish itself from products such as Wii Fit and EA Sports Active.

"The Wii market still has huge potential you just need to find the right angle and be different enough and innovative enough to please people," offered Corre. "There are hundreds of games and if yours is a 'me too' title it will drown before even existing."

"If you can surprise the consumers, if you can innovate and bring something new and fresh then you have huge opportunities. We're trying to do that and we have a lot of hope with our fitness game Your Shape."

Your Shape will be bundled with its own camera to track player movement and according to Corre, will appeal to those intimidated by traditional control methods.

"For the first time we'll be able to offer a camera with the package and players won't need a controller in their hand. The possibility is to open up interactive entertainment to a new population who have previously been afraid of any controllers."

For similar reasons Corre is excited by the new motion control peripherals revealed at E3 by Sony and Nintendo, believing that with new genres and technology new consumers will be attracted to gaming.

"It's a revolution because we've always been used to controllers and now you either don't have one at all you have something that isn't intimidating. It's something we have to integrate, and invent games that we have never experienced before.

"And hopefully it will grow the industry and make more consumers come to games because we are getting closer to them and there are less and less barriers to playing. Ultimately that will expand the videogame industry in the next ten years." he added.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...isting-ubisoft ...

Well known’ developer working on another Duke Nukem game, set for release ‘mid-2010’

Publisher Take-Two has signed an agreement with a ‘well known’ studio to develop an unannounced Duke Nukem game, according to a GamePolitics report, despite the fate of the current Forever project suspended in legal flux.

Court documents filed last week by former Duke Nukem Forever developer 3D Realms – in response to Take-Two’s stern lawsuit documents – provide a number of counter-claims against the suing publisher.

The developer claims that Take-Two agreed to forward over $2.5 million to help fund the development, but only after the publisher met with 3D Realms to review the status of the game.

This allegation is likely intended to counter Take-Two’s insinuation that 3D Realms was failing to successfully develop the project. As Take-Two also claims it had provided that $2.5 million advance, 3D Realms is therefore suggesting the publisher must have been satisfied with progress of the game; a sentiment nowhere to be seen in Take-Two’s statement.

However, 3D Realms’ statement goes on to say that repayment of that advance would come from one, or two, sources:


“Repayment of the $2,500,000 was to come from royalties generated by sales of the DNF game and/or a new Duke Nukem-based game being developed in parallel by a separate well-known game developer under contract with Take-Two.”

This game is not thought to be the Duke Nukem Trilogy, which is not being published by Take-Two. It means that there could be another Duke Nukem game in development.

3D Realms goes on to allege that it was not given a deadline for Duke Nukem Forever back in October 2007. “However, the development agreement for the new Duke Nukem-based game (not to be confused with the DNF game) being developed by the separate game developer scheduled the new Duke Nukem-based game to be completed by mid-2010.”

The developer goes on to claim that the $2.5 million advance was only due to be reimbursed to Take-Two if, and only if, “the DNF game was not commercially released before October 22, 2012.”

3D Realms adds that, under such circumstances, the amount owed back from the advance would be deducted by “royalties from sales of the new Duke Nukem-based game.”

No verdict on the matter has been reached. In regards to the alleged new Duke Nukem game, Develop has contacted the parties involved for comment.

http://www.developmag.com/news/32231...in-development ...

Region-free Xbox 360 copies of Atari's PS3-only game won't dent sales, according to retail
Following confirmation that the US 360 edition of Ghostbusters will be region free, retail does not expect a rush to cash in on imports owing to the game's UK PlayStation exclusivty.
The game debuted at number four in the ELSPA GfK-ChartTrack All Formats Top 40 this week.
Though there is still a trade in import games on the High Street, retailers who choose to sell non-EU products can still face legal consequences.
“Any retailer selling imported games breaches copyright if the product is not licensed for sale in the UK,” explained ERA’s Kim Bayley. “The likelihood of ‘being caught’ would depend on the copyright owner knowing that the retailer was selling it.
“If this is the case it is for the copyright owner to take action against the importer. We would encourage all retailers to compete on a level playing field. However, we would also encourage publishers to make product available should there be retail demand.”

Importing was a problem for the industry in the past, when European release dates would be months or even years behind those in the US and Japan. However, with global releases commonly now separated by just a matter of days, the import business is now more an online affair.
“Many retailers have long severed their relationships with potential Stateside suppliers or have no idea where to look, other than on consumer online stores,” Game Guide editor Chris Ratcliff told MCV.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/34808/Impo...w-Ghostbusters ...

t's not news that the media you buy for both Kindle and Zune are protected by DRM. Readers are sending in stories of some of the ramifications of that fact. First, Absentminded-Artist notes an account at Gear Diary recounting what an Amazon rep told one user about download limits on Kindle books.
"One facet of the Kindle's DRM has reared an ugly head: download limitations. Upgraded your iPhone recently? Bought a new Kindle? You may not be able to reload your entire library. There's an unadvertised flag: 'You mean when you go to buy the book it doesn't say "this book can be downloaded this number of times" even though that limitation is there?' To which [the rep] replied, 'No, I'm very sorry it doesn't.'"
Next, reader Rjak writes
"DRM is a bad idea, poorly implemented. One of the many many valid reasons to drop Zune and it's marketplace is the DRM validation error you see below. The vast majority of the music I had purchased last year is completely gone. There's no refund, the music doesn't exist on the service anymore, the files are just garbage now. Here's the error (screen capture): 'This item is no longer available at Zune Marketplace. Because of this, you can no longer play it or sync it with your Zune. There might be another iteration of it available in Zune Marketplace.

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/06/...ing-Into-Focus ...

Sprint requires your Social Security number in order to run a credit check before they will allow you to open an account, according to a store manager in Silver Spring, MD. Since Sprint is the exclusive carrier for the Palm Pre, if you are not willing to provide an SSN, you can't buy this product. I believe a full credit check for this level of consumer purchase is a clear example of overkill. I have supplied an SSN when buying a house and renting an apartment, but never for any other consumer purchase. I have purchased my cars with cash so far, so I don't have first-hand experience, but a car loan also seems to be an appropriate place to require an SSN for a credit check. At the very least, Sprint should have an alternative for people who don't want to give out their SSN. I also found the entire experience a powerful argument against exclusive license agreements

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/06/...o-Buy-Palm-Pre ...