via Computer and Video Games


Enslaved developer, Ninja Theory would've made Heavenly Sword 2, but Sony owns the IP and technology.

That's according to studio boss Tameem Antoniades, who told CVG that motivation to go multi-format - and the fact it made no money from Heavenly Sword - meant parting ways with the series.
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via Eurogamer


Work has been suspended on the Heavy Rain Chronicles downloadable add-ons.

That's according to Game Informer, which reports that Sony has urged developer Quantic Dream to focus on implementing Move support instead.

Sony announced Move support for Heavy Rain at E3 last week. A video demonstrating how the game easily migrates to motion-sensing control is below.

An updated version of Heavy Rain will be sold at retail later this year. A Move patch will be offered to existing owners for free.

The only released Heavy Rain Chronicle has been the Taxidermist, which we delved into back in March. ...

Microsoft has said that new motion controller Kinect, coupled with the release of the slimmer, quieter Xbox 360, will help extend the format's lifecycle for another five years.

However, speaking to GamesIndustry.biz last month, European executive Chris Lewis would not be drawn on details about pricing for Kinect hardware or software, nor would he offer any solid details on sales expectations for the new Xbox 360 and the motion controller.

"I think 2010 will be a very big year for us, it is in many ways for us mid-lifecycle," said Lewis. "What you've seen is with this new sleek design and Kinect for Xbox 360 we've got at least another five years of this generation where we continue to offer great experiences for people."

"We continue to attach more games than competitive platforms and we have the healthiest ecosystem with 25 million people connected through Xbox Live. So we are uniquely placed to continue to do really, really well in this business and enjoy ongoing momentum."

Although not offering numbers, Lewis said that sales expectations for the next financial year were aggressive, with pressure from the US on the revitalised system to perform well in Europe, a key territory for the business.

"I can't be explicit about the numbers but I can say our market share has grown. Our business ambition for this financial year, which begins on July 1, is certainly bigger than last year and we constantly set ourselves ambitious targets.

"Don Mattrick is not shy about aggressive targets for Europe because he now knows we've got the right assets, now more than ever, to really appeal to our audience."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...for-five-years ...

Microsoft is paying around $150 in total manufacturing costs for each Kinect unit, Develop understands.
A highly-positioned, trusted source had given Develop the “$150 manufacturing cost” figure on the condition of anonymity, adding that the expenses of Kinect is a topic of concern for his company.
The news comes in the wake of rumours suggesting an internal struggle at Microsoft on the retail price of Kinect, a kit once touted to sell at £50, but now thought will cost over twice the price.
Microsoft says the company “does not comment on rumour or speculation”.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/39692/Kine...50-manufacture ...

In a special in-depth feature published today, a huge number of the leading middleware companies – from Havok and Autodesk to Unity and Blitz – have been talking over the key trends, opportunities and challenges currently defining the tools and tech sector.
A topic of particular interest is the analysis of Kinect (still called Natal at the time of writing), and its potential effect on those companies increasingly having to cater for ever more platforms and formats.
“Natal opens the door for new category of middleware that will utilise new peripheral hardware capabilities,” suggested Fork Particle’s CEO Noor Khawaja. “I think we will see middleware that does stuff with adjustable intelligence added. A ‘Natal-like’ system which takes interactivity to a new level may trigger the trend for artificial intelligence and decision making technology applied to gesture recognition, facial expressions and emotions, and conversational speech. I think these are only a few applications and there is room for many more."
Furthermore, with the extended console life cycle Microsoft has suggested Kinect will introduce, there are even more reasons to be optimistic, according to some.
“I think everyone will benefit from an extended hardware cycle. For example, we have a lot of product and technology ideas that will run perfectly fine on current hardware. In addition, Natal and Move itself are opening up very compelling opportunities for technology providers," stated Torsten Reil, the CEO and co-founder of human body movement experts Natural Motion.

However, with Kinect and Move joined by the likes of 3DS, stereoscopic 3D, Gaikai and Onlive, some argue there is a danger that smaller middleware firms will be lost in the explosion of platforms, interface approaches and distribution models.
“The danger is that small middleware companies could reach a tipping point, where they are forced to spend more time ensuring compatibility with an explosion of platforms than making their core product better,” warns Frank Kane, founder of sky rendering experts Sungdog.

http://www.develop-online.net/news/3...for-middleware ...

icrosoft has claimed that there's nothing PS3 can do in terms of 3D that the Xbox 360 can't emulate.

Speaking exclusively to CVG, Xbox global marketing boss Albert Penello said that Xbox 360 was "technically" ready for the 3D revolution.

However, the exec added that Xbox was "happy to follow" on the tech until player adoption rates made it worthwhile.

When asked if he was concerned that Sony had "got there first" with 3D tech, he replied:

"I'm not. We have 3D games - obviously the Avatar game came out last year - and the console fully supports 3D. But for us right now, we're more on the 3D input take, you know, revolutionising things with Kinect.

"We're going to take more of an attitude of seeing what the adoption looks like. Right now, there's nothing technically that we can't do on the 3D side - we already have games out there today.

"For us, it's more going to be let's see what the consumers say. Let's see what happens on the TV side and the sell-through side. It's something I think we're going to follow on, and that we're fine to follow on.

CVG then asked if Xbox 360 could do everything that PS3 can in terms of 3D.

"Yeah, that's true," said Pernello. "I think that when we decide we want to jump into 3D it'll be because the consumer's voted. But from a technical side, there's nothing about it we can't do. In fact, we're already doing it today."

Microsoft's big hardware announcement at E3 - the new 250GB 360 SKU - has gone down well with the media and gaming fans alike.

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

Microsoft's decision to create a 'skinny' version of Xbox 360 has raised some eyebrows amongst industry watchers - as the E3 announcement comes just under a year after Sony revealed their own lean PS3.

But the Redmond-based platform holder has insisted that Sony's sleek 'Slim' console - announced in August 2009 - didn't influence the creation of the new 250GB Xbox.

Microsoft took the wraps off its new hardware SKU at the end of its E3 conference last week - to plenty of applause and whoops from the crowd.


When CVG asked Microsoft's worldwide product marketing manager for Xbox, Ryan Moore, if Sony's latest console had inspired the new 360, he replied:

"I think the decision to do this was made before their announcements last year. It's part of the natural generation of a console to refine the components and make it sleeker and quieter and all that.

"I wouldn't say it was directly related [to PS3 Slim]."

The current slim Xbox 360 model comes with internal Wi-Fi, a 250GB hard drive and retails for $299 (£199) - but it's reported that Microsoft will release a cheaper SKU later in the year.

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

Customers may be left baffled by both the range of accessories needed for the full PlayStation Move experience and the variation of compatibility between titles, according to Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter.
Sony’s PlayStation Move comprises three separate components – the Move Controller, the Navigation Sub-Controller and the PlayStation Eye. Some games will require just the Eye, some the Eye and the Move and some all three.
Add in multiplayer titles to that and the combinations become more confusing – and the cost more intimidating.
“We think that the pricing has the potential to confuse consumers,” Pachter warned. “In order to be safe, consumers wishing to participate in the Move experience will have to purchase the Eye, two Move controllers and the Navigation controller, plus a game.
“If purchased as part of a bundle, the all-in cost to play with Move will approach $180, which we think is beyond the reach of the typical household. We think that Sony’s Move is truly impressive, but remain concerned that initial sales could disappoint.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/39689/Move...fuse-customers ...

The Toshiba AC100 looks like a standard netbook, albeit a particularly swish and sleek netbook, but it's more (and less) than that.
However the AC100 offers modest hardware specs such as a 1GHz ARM CPU and 8GB flash storage but by leveraging Google’s lightweight Linux-based operating system with NVIDIA’s cutting-edge Tegra 250 hardware, Toshiba claims the AC100 will run for up to eight hours and stand-by mode for seven days.
Equipped with a 10.1-inch TruBrite screen with LED backlight, the AC100 features a standard and mini USB ports, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and an HDMI port for video output. There’s also an SD/MMC card reader and a 1.3MP webcam. Toshiba also talks up some interesting software features such as location-based home screens which switch automatically featuring the user’s customised widgets and applications. 3G connectivity is also set to be an option when the unit goes on sale in August.
With a raft of iPad competing Android-powered tablets on the horizon, the full-keyboard approach evokes memories of earlier light notebooks such as the original Psion Netbook circa 1999. The concept was interesting idea first time around but was firmly ahead of its time, offering limited functionality and a cost near full-sized laptops. However in the intervening years the communications and web browsing capabilities of lightweight operating systems has become virtually indistinguishable from a desktop computer.

Armed with a large screen and a full-sized keyboard but with the mobile-style sub-second boot times, long battery life and fuss-free mobile-style software installation via the Android Marketplace, this new category could well be attractive to consumers. That said the ‘full fat’ netbook market is a competitive category and Toshiba hasn’t yet announced pricing for the AC100.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/33771...owered-Netbook ...