Details of the launch plans of Microsoft's new Windows Phone 7 have been revealed by the Wall Street Journal.
The launch is said to be "centered" in New York with events in other cities simultaneously according to people "familiar with the launch plans" cited by the WSJ.
The launch event will take place on the 11th of October and US carrier AT&T will begin selling them a month later.
Echoing an exclusivity deal with the iPhone, AT&T has also secured an exclusive period in the vitally important US market although it's expected not to last as long as the enduring iPhone exclusivity.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/41161/Windows-Phone-7-dated ...

The graphical capabilities of 3DS will make the system hard for home console developers to ignore, according to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata.


Whereas traditionally PSP games have tended to feel much more like their console cousins, particularly in visual appearance, Iwata foresees more high-end titles making their way to Nintendo's handheld platform.

"The biggest reason why he developed the portable [with high specs] is because," Iwata told investors this week, "we didn't want developers to think that they couldn't develop their titles for Nintendo game machines due to the specs."

As reported by Kotaku, the likes of Capcom's Yoshinori Ono have said that 3DS enables them to do "perfect" ports of console games such as Super Street Fighter IV.

3DS specs were detailed by Nintendo earlier this week after the company slapped a February 2011 release date on the new portable.

A video showcasing the 3DS software line-up also got an airing, with highlights including traditional home console-based series like Street Fighter, Resident Evil and Metal Gear Solid.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...

Nintendo president Saturo Iwata has stated that the 3DS will automatically download firmware updates – a method that the exec hopes will help combat Nintendo’s handheld piracy problems.
Andriasang reports that the functionality will be included as part of the SpotPass feature set, which allows 3DS machines to autonomously connect to wi-fi hotspots and download content without requiring user intervention.
The platform holder has confirmed that over 1,000 retailers will house wi-fi capable 3DS hotspots, and the same may occur in the UK.

This will even occur if the device is in sleep mode. Nintendo has taken the decision, it says, because users are not very proactive at manually updating their hardware.
In addition, the larger usable ROM size of DS software will allow for the automatic updating of firmware when users insert new games into the device.

http://www.casualgaming.biz/news/304...easures-emerge ...

Texas based Spacetime Studios is preparing to license out a 3D MMO engine that it says can unite players on otherwise incompatible devices.
Following an investment injection from Insight Venture Partners, the developer is planning to extend its technology platform and “pioneer new functionality for the mobile multiplayer gaming market”.
Spacetime’s 3D MMO game engine, which will soon be available for developers, is said can allow for players on PC, Android and iOS to interact in the same world.
“The Spacetime Engine offers seamless global multiplayer gameplay to anyone with an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch over 3G, Edge, and wireless networks, [and] we plan to add Android and PC users to the mix.” said the studio’s co-founder Anthony Sommers.
“In the near future, it will be possible to be on the bus in California with your iPhone, playing with someone in a park in France on their Android device, and both be playing in the same server set with someone in South Korea on their PC.”

http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...-and-iOS-users ...

No messing about, let's get straight to it: Sonic creator Yuji Naka told CVG this morning, "I'm hoping to work on Dreamcast 2".

Speaking in London during his promo tour for Ivy the Kiwi?, the Prope boss made the surprising confession that he'd like to work with one of the three platform holders as an "advisor" in the future.


"I do miss those old days when I was heavily involved in hardware making at Sega," Naka told CVG. "I was involved in most of the consoles and controllers that Sega came up with.

"If I have the opportunity in the future I want to be involved again with hardware making," he said. "It would be ideal if I could become some sort of advisor working with the platform makers in future.

"I think if I can work really well with the platform makers then it's good for everyone, because I can then come up with totally new games.

"If Ivy the Kiwi? does well in Europe then maybe I can make Dreamcast 2 (laughs)," he joked, but with a deadly serious undertone:

"Of course Dreamcast was my baby back at Sega and I want to carry on making good games for the European market and one day I'm hoping it gives me the opportunity to work on Dreamcast 2."

Megaton. Come on then platform holders, sign him up.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...VG-General-RSS ...

The transition of the games industry from traditional packaged goods to digital online products and services could destroy some of the current market leading companies, setting an entirely new landscape for the games business in the coming years.

That's according to Phil Harrison, former Sony Worldwide Studios president and now co-founder of London Venture Partners, a company looking to source funding for innovative online and mobile gaming start-ups.

"This is a fantastic time to start a company. This is a market going through exponential growth, it's predicted to double in size over the next five years," Harrison told the sold-out Games Invest 2010 event in London today - part of the Eurogamer Expo.

"It's also a market going through some challenges, going through reinvention as it changes from packaged goods to an online digital market. And that transition is going to be painful, it's going to destroy value in some companies and create value in others.

"That value creation will come out of the ashes of some of the current incumbent market leaders in the business. I believe that the new leaders of the new economy may actually not yet have been started. The older leaders of the old economy may not make the transition," he warned.

He also noted that as bigger companies struggle to move to digital, the talent in those businesses will be released to work elsewhere, making the new games economy stronger.

"That's a very interesting opportunity if you're looking for talent. These old economy companies are going to shed a lot of talent as they fail to make the transition smoothly from one business model to the other. And this talent release is going to be a great benefit to all of us all around the world," offered Harrison.

The market for boxed product peaked in 2008, said Harrison, and could be declining quicker than previously thought. And as retailers shift to digital services, this will have a snowballing effect on those that commission product.

"This is the consensus from a lot of industry analysts from around the world about the growth of the games industry - if you go back to the market it was a steady growth driven by packaged goods, but in 2008 peak oil had been achieved in packaged goods and this market is now declining. Retailers are looking to replace that lost revenue with new business models and new ways for engaging with their consumers. But all of the growth is going to come form the network-centric business.

"What this will do is accelerate the transition. Once people who make product development decisions start making their own bets about the future of where the industry is going to go, they'll ask, 'why should I invest in a packaged product when I can make a cheaper, more profitable investment in an online product?' That will have a snowballing effect."

New start-ups have many challenges ahead of them, said Harrison, but they can also take advantage of market disruption and he urged new companies to focus on their unique selling points to stand out on the new digital stage.

"There are some really interesting problems to solve in the games industry for a start-up. There's some fascinating formats and platforms, strategic decisions to make, there's some really interesting challenges about how to reach new markets and how to obtain and retain audiences.

"There's also some fascinating issues around competitive positioning and future technology. Do you invest in your technology for today or do you make bets for the future, and how far into the future should you go?

He added: "Every business has something about them that is unique and defendable and has incredible value, and focusing on that is what we believe will unlock the value or your business and make you attractive to an investor."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...market-leaders ...

SEGA Sammy has adjusted its earnings estimates for April 2010 to March 2011, claiming a rise to $450 million (¥37,500 million) from its prior forecast of $264 million (¥22,000 million).

This was due to improved performance in the second half of the year, but this was not down to any recovery from its retail games.

"While the consumer business saw mainly sales of new titles in overseas markets hover at weak volumes," said the publisher, "the amusement machine sales business and amusement center operations business are expected to maintain robust operating results."

The company expects to sell 660,000 pachinko and pachislot machines during 2010, up from its previous projection of 620,000. In addition, it has reduced production costs and increased the number of reused parts.

As a result, while net sales for all SEGA Sammy products are now projected to rise a mere 2.5 per cent from 2009, net profit is pitched as being 70.5 per cent higher than last year's $243 million (¥20,269).

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...010-by-USD186m ...

Those who have been holding back and wishing a PSGroove/PSFreedom was ported to that they can still keep OtherOS can stop wishing. KaKaRoto has ported PSFreedom over to 3.01 firmware on the PS3.


*UPDATE*

Source: KaKaRoTo's Blog ...

Those who have been holding back and wishing a PSGroove/PSFreedom was ported to that they can still keep OtherOS can stop wishing. KaKaRoto has ported PSFreedom over to 3.01 firmware on the PS3.


*UPDATE*

Source: KaKaRoTo's Blog ...