Powermat used CES 2010 to showcase its wireless charging product called – funnily enough – the Powermat.
The device uses wireless power transfer technology to charge any device that is laid on top of the mat, including phones, games devices, games controllers and music players among others.
The system combines an ultra-thin mat, which contains the magnetic induction array that transfers power, and a receiver that attaches to each device. Customer receivers are available for the iPhone, iPod, Nintendo DS and Blackberry devices, while other devices can be charged with the standard Powercube receiver.

http://www.mobile-ent.biz/news/35581...eless-charging ...

Electronic Arts is gunning to reduce the Call Of Duty series' success this year - and is pinning its hopes on Battlefield: Bad Company 2 to land the first blow.

That's according to the fighting talk of the firm's European boss, Jens Uwe Intat.

He claimed this week that the launch of the game was EA's 'first strong attack' on the Activision franchise - and that its developer DICE could "take on Modern Warfare".

"In March we will launch Battlefield: Bad Company 2, which is our first strong attack on Call Of Duty," he told MCV Magazine today.

"The shooter space is one we don't want to give up. It's an important genre and we were the number one. So we are certainly working on how we can get that crown back and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is an important product in that context.

He added: "If any of our studios can take on Modern Warfare, then it's DICE."

We reported yesterday that DICE had made it easier to kill in B:BC2 than in the original game - perhaps in an attempt to make the game accessible to MW2 fans.

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

God Of War 3 publisher Sony believes God Of War 3 will be a 'must have' game for adult gamers when it arrives in March - as it is "set apart" from any other next-gen title on the market.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with CVG, Sony's product manager for the game Claire Backhouse said that title offered "unmistakable realism" - and was four times larger than its predecessor.

She said: "God of War 3 combines these new technologies with the much loved gameplay elements from the previous games - Puzzle solving, brutal combat and epic set-piece battles.


"It also benefits from a deep and involving storyline, steeped in Greek Mythology. This is what makes God of War 3 unique and sets it apart from other next gen titles."

She added: "I think if you are over 18 and want an amazing single player experience this year then God of War 3 is a must have."

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

It might not have even been officially announced yet, but that hasn't stopped OPM bringing word that Tecmo's latest fighter won't be exclusive to Xbox 360.

Recent DoA fighting - and volleyball - games have remained exclusive to Xbox 360 for the past few years, mainly under the watchful eye of Tomonobu Itagaki. But seeing as though Itagaki is no longer at the publisher and developer, that throws the franchise wide open to new directions.


One new direction is PlayStation 3, rumours OPM in its latest issue. "Tecmo's next big-bosomed fighter, Dead Or Alive 5, is in production for PS3," boldly claims the UK mag.

With all the noise surrounding recent Street Fighter and Tekken releases, it's not surprising to see Tecmo wanting a piece of the blackeye pie. The last DOA game was part of the Xbox 360 launch, it's due a comeback.

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

Microsoft is to extend its Xbox Live Video Marketplace to ten new countries this year, the company has announced.

In addition to the eight that can currently access the service, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Australia and New Zealand will all be added in autumn this year.

The service's expansion follows the news this week that Microsoft is to launch an XBL Game Room where users will be able to socialise with their avatars and play retro arcade games.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...-new-countries ...

The Wii has topped the Japanese hardware chart for a subsequent week despite a rapid drop-off in unit numbers sold.

Units sales of Nintendo's console were 163,855 according to the latest chart figures, a number down from 215,129 the previous week.

A surge in popularity for the PlayStation Portable - 132,911 from 105,801 in the week prior - took the handheld from fourth place to second, and the PlayStation 3 took third position.

The DSi came fourth with 92,461 unit sales, however with other models - the LL and DS Lite - included the console shifted 180,492 units in total.

In the software chart, New Super Mario Bros Wii came out on top for another week with sales of over 250,000 despite a 47 per cent drop from the previous week.

Friend Collection climbed one place to number two, and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks took third place, down from two.

Final Fantasy XIII remained in fourth position with a 41 per cent sales decrease leading to just over 111,000 unit sales.

The full Media Create software chart for the week ending January 3 is as follows:

01 New Super Mario Bros Wii (Wii)
02 Tomodachi Collection: Friend Collection (DS)
03 The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS)
04 Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)
05 Wii Fit Plus (Wii)
06 Pokemon Heart Gold/Soul Silver (DS)
07 Inazuma Eleven 2: Threat of the Invaders (DS)
08 Wii Sports Resort (Wii)
09 Phantasy Star Portable 2 (PSP)
10 Professor Layton and the Devil's Flute (DS)
The full hardware chart is as follows:

01 Nintendo Wii - 163,855
02 PlayStation Portable - 132,911
03 PlayStation 3 - 114,368
04 Nintendo DSi - 92,461
05 Nintendo DSi LL - 70,643
06 Nintendo DS Lite - 17,388
07 Xbox 360 - 6878
08 PlayStation 2 - 4023
09 PSPgo - 3903

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...hardware-chart ...

Greenpeace has once again highlighted Nintendo as the most environmentally unfriendly of all its annually surveyed electronics companies.

This year's Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics study scored the company just 1.4 out of 10 for its chemical, e-waste and energy policies, the lowest of the 18 companies included.

The Japanese manufacturer scored zero on e-waste and on its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions due to a second year of increases, despite its pledge to cut them.

It did pick up some plus points for its chemical policies - for having PVC-free internal wiring in its consoles, banning phthalates and monitoring the use of other harmful chemicals.

The company has said it will eventually eliminate its use of PVC, however hasn't set a timeline for its phase-out.

Points were also gained for the low power Nintendo DSi AC adaptor and for disclosing CO2 emissions from its own operations, but they weren't enough to lift the company from last place, where it has remained for several years.

Microsoft fared little better in the guide, with a score of 2.4 points, which put it just one place above Nintendo at the bottom.

Of the three console makers, it was Sony that revealed itself as the most green, gaining one place to 7th in the chart with a score of 5.1.

Points were awarded for Sony's 17 per cent reduction in greenhouse gases from 2000-2008, with renewable energy now accounting for eight per cent of that purchased globally by the company, and it was also praised for its use of recycled plastics in its products.

Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Toshiba led the chart, while Apple was applauded for its rapid response to completely eliminating chemicals from its computer systems.

"It's time for a little less conversation and a lot more action on removing toxic chemicals," said Greenpeace campaigner Casey Harrell. "Apple, Sony Ericsson and Nokia are winning this game and HP is catching up, but the lack of action from other companies is ensuring that customers and the environment are still losing out."

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...any-greenpeace ...

Microsoft and Bungie's Halo: Reach could be the biggest selling game of 2010, according to a new survey conducted by GamesIndustry.biz.

The prequel to Microsoft's number one Xbox 360 franchise was singled out by industry professionals taking part in the annual GamesIndustry.biz Network Survey, with those participating backing the first-person shooter over some of the biggest franchises in the business.

Following Halo: Reach as the title expected to be the second biggest seller is Square Enix's long-awaited Final Fantasy XIII, a game that has already sold over 1.7 million units in Japan since release in mid-December.

Other titles in the top sellers list for 2010 include the return of Blizzard's StarCraft series, the next title in Activision's all-conquering Call of Duty franchise (developed this year by Treyarch) and European favourite FIFA from Electronic Arts.

Looking at the results for the titles tipped by Network members as a 'dark horse' for this year, the top ten is almost entirely made up of new intellectual property - an encouraging sign for the industry.

Top of the list is the long in development Xbox 360 exclusive Alan Wake from Remedy Entertainment, followed by PlayStation exclusive Heavy Rain from Quantic Dream.

Also in the top five are THQ's Darksiders - due for releases this week and already picking up strong reviews from the specialist press – Disney and Black Rock's follow-up to Pure, the racer Split Second, and Bethesda and Splash Damage's multiplayer shooter Brink.

Looking at specific gaming genres, the GI Network expects that the music genre – which peaked with franchises such as Guitar Hero, Rock Band and Singstar – is the most likely to decline in 2010, with over 33 per cent of those polled anticipating a slow down in releases and success this year.

In contrast, games that are likely to see the most growth are those in the casual and social space, as companies such as Electronic Arts and Take-Two move some of the biggest franchises to networks such as Facebook.

Interestingly, the action and adventure category is also expected to enjoy a resurgence in popularity, following success in 2009 with critical and commercial hits from Sony's Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Eidos' Batman: Arkham Asylum.

The GamesIndustry.biz Network consists of over 9900 members working in all areas of the games business, from publishing and development to retail and education.

Games expected to be the biggest sellers in 2010

1. Halo: Reach
2. Final Fantasy XIII
3. StarCraft II
4. Call of Duty 7
5. FIFA 11
6. BioShock 2
7. Mass Effect 2
8. God of War III
9. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
10. Gran Turismo 5
Top ten games tipped as a 'dark horse' for 2010

1. Alan Wake
2. Heavy Rain
3. Darksiders
4. Split Second
5. Brink
6. APB
7. Mass Effect 2
8. Dante's Inferno
9. Just Cause 2
=10. Metro 2033
=10. Max Payne 3
=10. Red Dead Redemption
Genre expected to become less popular in 2010

Music – 33.7%
First-person shooter – 13.5%
Real-time strategy – 12.6%
Casual / social – 10.3%
Action / adventure – 7.3%
Racing - 7%
MMO – 6.2%
Sports – 6.2%
Role-playing – 3.2%
Genre expected to become more popular in 2010

Casual / social – 32.3%
Action / adventure – 23.5%
MMO – 17.3%
Role-playing game – 9.7%
First-person shooter – 9.1%
Racing – 2.9%
Real-time strategy – 2.3%
Sports – 1.5%
Music – 1.5%

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...seller-in-2010 ...

News via http://www.psp-ita.com/?module=news&...4&view_reply=1

Another update Jpcsp, the emulator PSP for PC developed in the Java programming language that comes to revision 1303. For proper use of Jpcsp, which allows you to run some homebrew like those included in the archive, you need to install Java on your PC.
Following the full changelog and the link to download.

Changelog:

Quote:

Rev1303: Some improvements in sceMpegXXX (when "Enable MPEG Fake" is activated)
Rev1302: Added missing from last commit changes to ThreadMan
Rev1301: First implementation of message boxes (MBX)

Download and Give Feedback Via Comments ...