DCEmu Homebrew Emulation & Theme Park News
wraggster
by Published on October 6th, 2006 18:47
Microsoft continues its pre-Christmas retail drive as it teams up with specialist retailer Gamestation to kit out an entire floor dedicated to Xbox 360 and PC gaming.
Launching today at the flagship store in Birmingham, the Microsoft Underground X-perience offers wall-mounted HDTVs with 12 Xbox 360 units for multiplayer gaming instore, as well as connections to Xbox Live and an open and lively atmosphere to cultivate social gaming.
Although this is the first store of its kind in Europe, Gamestation MD Mike Logue confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that, "we would like to see this type of experience in several more cities," as the retailer comes out fighting after recent reinvestment from parent company Blockbuster, with the intention of opening another 80 stores in the next twelve months.
"We want to take games retail to the next level," said Logue.
"Consoles are an expensive product but we believe the 360 is value for money because of the technology and what it offers, the quality of the games. So come and try it. We're happy with consumers coming to spend an hour here and seeing what they can get out of the Xbox 360."
"In the major cities, I'd spend hours as a kid going to record shops and soaking up the atmosphere - it was cool to be seen there. That's what we're trying to do with Gamestation and gaming retail," he added.
As Microsoft continues its marketing push for the Xbox 360 in anticipation of a busy Christmas, the decision to back a company with 230 plus stores strengthens its commitment to the retail sector.
"At Microsoft we are always looking for new ways for our customers to interact with our products," said Jonathan Grimes, director of sales at Microsoft.
"Gamestation's flagship store in Birmingham is the ideal venue for Microsoft to showcase the amazing range of products we have to offer consumers."
"Together with Gamestation, Microsoft has created a truly unique interactive retail environment that allows us to communicate directly with gamers and provide them with an exciting space to enjoy the best we have to offer," he added. ...by Published on October 6th, 2006 18:46
The premier Soccer game sees a new release:
FIFA 07 delivers complete authenticity with licenses for all the world's top leagues, including MLS and Mexican 1st Division in North America, and 26 others from over 20 nations. This year, you have the power to shape your club's destiny in the EA Sports Interactive Leagues, a new online mode that enables you to pit your club against supporters of your real-world opponents. The online interactive leagues feature the F.A. Premier League, Bundesliga, French League and the Mexican 1st Division.
Buy here --> http://www.yesasia.com/?/info.php?pro...9&lsaid=219793 ...by Published on October 6th, 2006 18:43
Crytek's lead artist, Michael Khaimzon, has revealed that the developer could confidently port highly-anticipated PC title Crysis to PS3 and Xbox 360 - although there are no current plans to do so.
Speaking to our sister site GamesIndustry.biz, Khaimzon said, "I don’t think there would be any problem to convert anything we work on to the next-gen consoles if we decided to.
"We have enough power here, with programmers and artists, to be able to do such a thing. It's just a matter of making the decision."
Khaimzon's comments will only fan the flames of rumour which surround Crysis - a first-person shooter already wowing consumers and critics alike - that publisher Electronic Arts may bring the game to home consoles after release on PC early next year.
Discussing whether the team at Crytek would be interested in working on the next-generation of home consoles, Khaimzon added: "I'm pretty sure it would be interesting for us to do stuff on the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.
"We would just have to see how much of a sacrifice to the game we'd have to make. Or whether there would be a sacrifice at all, maybe we could find a way to make the game look exactly the same as it does on PC on the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3."
When asked directly whether there was a possibility that Crysis would appear on home consoles, Khaimzon replied: "There might be, the decision isn't mine to make. I don’t know of any official plans to do so, but I know there are rumours and talk, but I couldn't say anything concrete." ...by Published on October 6th, 2006 16:39
Microsoft's 'Major Nelson' and executive Peter Moore have been visible representatives of the 360 console for well over a year now. 'Grandfather of Gaming' Shigeru Miyamoto and asskicking Reggie Fils-Aime have have preached the Wii concept through good writeups and bad name jokes. Sony ... well, Sony has Ken Kutaragi, Phil Harrison, and Kaz Hirai. They say helpful things like 'we don't care', and 'disks won't matter', and (my personal favorite) 'the PS3 is a computer'. RPG Site has a compelling argument stating that Sony needs a Major Nelson to cut through this crazy executive talk, and reconnect the company with real gamers. From the article:
"While it's not something that appeals to every group of people that play games - the casual market and kids, for example, the existence of these people allows the part of the market that is most opinionated - the core gamers, those who have a very clear opinion on what they want and what is good and bad - to interact with somebody who can actually bring about change. Hell, on a lesser note, it even gives the fanboys someone to worship." ...by Published on October 6th, 2006 16:34
More price cut news this time from Eurogamer
Sony has no immediate plans to cut the price of PlayStation Portable in Europe or the United States, the company said today.
"We've got no plans to cut the price of PSP at this moment in time," a spokesperson for Sony UK told Eurogamer this afternoon, responding to similar comments made by the company's US arm overnight.
Pointing to the combination of movie, music, photo, internet and games support now offered by the latest updates to PSP system software, the spokesperson said the handheld "still represents great value for money".
Earlier Sony Computer Entertainment America's John Koller told Reuters, "We don't necessarily see the need to cut the price," pointing instead to a need to "introduce new consumers to what the PSP can do."
That's despite ongoing criticism of the platform's software line-up, which many observers feel compares unfavourably to strong offerings on the DS platform. ...by Published on October 6th, 2006 16:23
Lost Planet is Keiji Inafune's answer to Halo, the Capcom producer has said.
Speaking to Kotaku recently, Inafune revealed that he originally pitched the game to Capcom bosses as his take on Bungie's seminal first-person shooter.
"I really wanted to do something as cool as Halo," he said. "I'm a big Halo fan, but it's not well known in Japan. It's very interesting, but very American."
Capcom, it turns out, wasn't interested on account of Halo's poor sales in Japan, so Inafune took matters into his own hands and simply set about making it - and taking the initiative paid off. "When we described the idea, we couldn't get approval. But, when we showed them what we were working on, we got approval."
But while the game - in which players take on giant bug-like creatures and space pirates in an icy wilderness - is certainly a reaction to Halo, Inafune added that the team "wanted to do something that had more of a Japanese flavour".
"That's why we added robots," he said. "In America, mech-type robots are not so cool. Just look at the mechs in The Matrix." Indeed.
As you'll know, the game's just now approaching completion - with a global launch set for January - and as well as a combat-heavy single-player campaign, Capcom's including a multiplayer component that received strong write-ups at recent trade shows. A demo of the single-player has been available since May, and a multiplayer demo is due out soon. ...by Published on October 6th, 2006 16:17
SCE Worldwide Europe VP Jamie MacDonald reckons that Europe will quickly get over the delay between the US and Japanese launches of PlayStation 3 next month and its European debut next March.
When asked by our sister site GamesIndustry.biz what he'd say to European consumers who feel they're always last in line for new consoles, MacDonald said, "European consumers have shown that historically they don't mind [the delays], because they end up buying as many PlayStations, if not more, than the US and Japan."
"In Europe, it doesn't seem that the release of our platforms after the US and Japan - in the long run - affects how consumers feel."
"If we were sitting here in five years' time, I don't think we'd really think about or notice that PlayStation 3 was four or five months later in Europe. I think in the long run, PlayStation 3 will succeed because of the great product it is and the great software we make for it," he added, when asked how he felt the delay would affect Sony's chances in the next-gen battle.
MacDonald's frank assessment of the situation is likely to raise hackles with, well, you (you're already sharpening your keyboard, aren't you?), but generally speaking he certainly shared Sony UK boss Ray Maguire's perspective on the announcement, around a month ago, that the console's European release would be delayed until March.
At the time, Maguire admitted that Sony UK was "extremely disappointed" by the delay. "We can truly empathise with everyone who was looking forward to PS3's imminent release. We will however be working tirelessly to ensure that the March 2007 launch is the biggest and best in the company's history," he added. ...by Published on October 6th, 2006 16:15
It's time again for one of our favorite segments, CE-Oh no he didn't! For this week's episode, we're going to talk a little bit about the PS3. Now, we all know that the new PS3 isn't going bring the rumble to our favorite upcoming Sony gaming console. But what we didn't know was why -- yes, yes there were claims that it had to do with interference of motion sensing, or lawsuits from Immersion, but we hadn't gotten a clear reason straight from the horse's mouth, particularly when surveys suggest fans would be willing to pay for it. However, a recent interview by GameDaily Biz with SCEA prez Kaz Hirai says that it's yet another reason altogether:
"Is it technically feasible? Absolutely. But the balancing act that you need to do, is to be able to present the controller to the consumer at an affordable price."
Affordable? Please. Joystiq points out that a G-Pad Pro for the PS2, which has motion sensing and vibration, costs $30, a whole Lincoln higher than the Dual Shock. C'mon Kaz, can't you at least be straight with us? Now of course, this is from the same folks who said that just a few months ago said that the $500 PS3 was "too cheap," and is well worth the markup compared to the Wii, but backtracked when the company recently dropped the price in Japan. Maybe that means the prices of the controllers are going to come down too? ...by Published on October 6th, 2006 16:12
Via Engadget
If the bevy of PMP / gaming hybrid devices hasn't exactly met your expectations (or came to fruition at all), KNC is throwing down an impressive do-it-all handheld that puts similar alternatives to shame. The HR-2800 may resemble a jazzed-up Sega Nomad at first glance, but beneath the 3.6-inch LCD is some serious potential. Housing a 400MHz CPU and a homebrew GUI to boot, the handheld plays back AVI, MPEG4, DivX, and XviD, while supporting MP3 and FLAC (audiophiles rejoice) on the musical side. Boasting a built-in file manager, portable version of "Winamp," a full-fledged picture / text viewer, and 1.3 megapixel camera, this jack-of-all-trades can even export full-motion video to your television via its video output. In case you're looking to get your retro game on, the unit apparently sports an NES / GBA emulator, and just in case the (admittedly skimpy) 1GB of internal storage isn't roomy enough, you can add the space you need via its SD slot. While the amount of goodies crammed into the HR-2800 may garner praise, the real applause goes to the price -- at just CNY999 ($127), we've got to wonder if these KNC folks aren't just skimming the market.
Screenshots Via Comments
Could this be a future contender for a homebrew scene ? ...by Published on October 6th, 2006 16:02
Via Engadget
Alright Sony, this is just getting ridiculous. It's not like you guys haven't been a featured guest in this series before, but we had no idea it was such an honor. The third "CE-Oh no" moment for Sony this week came out of the mouth of SCE World Europe VP, Jamie MacDonald, who was asked: "What would you say to consumers who like Sony and want to buy your products, but perhaps feel that because they're in Europe they're always last in line?" Apparently Jamie feels little love for his whiny constituency, since his clueless response was thus: "European consumers have shown that historically they don't mind that, because they end up buying as many PlayStations, if not more, than the US and Japan. In Europe, it doesn't seem that the release of our platforms after the US and Japan - in the long run - affects how consumers feel." We're not even sure how to respond to that, so we'll continue with more "CE-Oh no" sound bite gold from our pal Jamie. In response to a query about Sony's UMD failure, he stated: "I think you'll find in general the market for movies on discs of any type is not particularly great at the moment." Again, we really have nothing to add, so we'll just hit up one more sound bite for good time's sake. When asked about the Wii60 concept, where prospective next-gen buyers compare the price of purchasing an Xbox 360 and a Nintendo Wii to the cost of the PS3 alone, Jamie further demonstrated his ignorance: "To be honest, I haven't heard that." Not a banner day for Sony PR by a long shot, but at least they're not trying to hide their seeming disdain for consumers and plain logic. ...- Search DCEmu
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