One of the most important consoles in Nintendo's garlanded history is mere weeks away from launch, and tomorrow the final pieces of the puzzle will come together.
Across Japan, Europe and the US, Nintendo will host three separate press conferences to reveal the Wii U release dates and price and we'll be providing up to date coverage.
With the new system almost certain to compete at Christmas, the Wii U price is considered the most crucial element in Nintendo's launch plan.
CVG spoke to five leading consultants and analysts in the games industry to examine which price point Nintendo can afford to take, and the pressures that will determine the company's decisions

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"Closer to $249"

by N'Gai Croal, Consultant, Hit detection
My feeling is that Nintendo is in an interesting position with regards to pricing, and it's a position which is also challenging.
Theoretically, with a year-long head-start against the new hardware from their competitors [Microsoft and Sony], Nintendo could theoretically price the Wii U somewhere that's a little high for them, somewhere between $299 and $349. But that may not happen due to other reasons.
The fact is, Nintendo is probably going to be supply constrained at launch, even though they don't appear to be going into this launch with the same amount of hype as the original Wii.
I think that there was more scepticism about the Wii U coming out of E3 than there about the original Wii. I recall one CNN report that presumed that the Wii U was a tablet add-on, which shows there is a real messaging challenge for Nintendo.
The device does work really well, but the question remains: Has Nintendo sufficiently informed consumers so they can take a chance on going above their more traditional $249 price point?
There's also Sony and Microsoft to bear in mind, who still have room to make hardware price cuts on the PS3 and Xbox 360. I think there is also a question of whether the Wii U can differentiate itself from the current gen machines in terms of hardware power, and that will also have an affect on the RRP.
My guess is, coming off the back of the experience Nintendo had with the 3DS - when it decided it needed to slash the price fairly quickly - I think we'll see the Wii U priced somewhere closer to $249 just so the perception out of the gate is as positive as possible.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...-will-it-cost/ ...

Apple used its iPhone 5 conference today to talk about its achievements in gaming with iOS devices.
According to Apple, iOS's Xbox Live-like Game Center hub now has over 150 million players. That's quite a few, by the way. By comparison, in February this year Microsoft said it had an audience of more than 40 million Xbox Live subscribers.Apple's Greg Joswick went on to call the iPod Touch "the world's most popular video game player" (thanks Engadget), before revealing the latest SKU, which apparently has "seven times faster" graphics than the old iPod Touch.
According to Joswick, there are over 175,000 "games and entertainment apps" on the App Store - admittedly many of which are little more than filler, but as our recent 'Best iPhone games' features have shown, there are plenty of gems to discover too.
For those interested, the new iPod Touch will don the same enhanced 4-inch retina screen as the newly-announced iPhone 5, and will come in two sizes, 32GB for $299 or 64GB for $399.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...llion-players/ ...

The more things change, the more they stay the same -- for our old pal the iPod Classic, at least. Sure Apple went and revamped the rest of its music playing brethren, but the HDD stalwart is, as its name implies, staying true to its roots. Death rumors aside, the high-capacity player is sitting pretty over in Apple's online store. Those who need a shot of 160GB nostalgia can still pick one up for $250.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/hom...y/ipod_classic
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Digital Foundry's assessment of the new Amazon slates' gaming prowess
Last year, while researching an iPad feature, an insider in the mobile industry told me that when the dust settles, the only major hardware manufacturers in the mobile market will be those with access to significant content libraries - Apple, Google and Amazon. Almost one year on, the source's prediction is beginning to look eerily accurate - in the tablet arena at least. iPad continues to rule the market, but Google - and now Amazon - have finally stepped up their efforts in challenging Apple's all-conquering slate. Suddenly, everything else is beginning to look rather over-priced and increasingly irrelevant in comparison.
Last week's announcement of the new Kindle Fire tablets shows a renewed focus from Amazon on their tablet range with products aimed squarely at competing with both the Nexus 7 and the iPad. The 7-inch Kindle Fire HD is an intriguing release similar to the Google slate in many ways, with just a small reshuffling in terms of spec: the high-power quad-core Tegra 3 is replaced by a dual-core TI OMAP processor, but the Kindle Fire HD offers twice the storage for the same price.

There are other goodies too: specifically the inclusion of a Micro HDMI port that allows downloaded and streaming movies to run directly on an HDTV. Amazon also takes aim at the iPad by including proper stereo speakers in the unit, based on a collaboration with Dolby, no less - an interesting contrast to the mono-speaker technology found in Apple's tablet.
While display resolution is identical to the Nexus 7 at 1280x800 and using the same IPS technology for improved viewing angles, commentators have noted improved colour reproduction on the Amazon device, along with an improved anti-glare feature which goes some way in addressing the reflective issues on the Google tablet. Amazon is clearly taking media consumption seriously - this is a Kindle after all - and the firm clearly wants to give its hardware the best shot at working in as many different environments as possible.
However, the big concern with the tablet concerns the choice of its main processor: TI's OMAP 4460 SoC (system on chip) graces the 7-inch offering - the same chip found in the Galaxy Nexus Smartphone and in no way competitive with the likes of Tegra 3 or the A5 chip found in the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, let alone this year's A5X revision. The Nexus 7 tablet acquits itself as a decent games machine, but it's hard to imagine that the Fire HD can offer anything like the same experience: it'll almost certainly be fine for 2D titles, but based on our experience with equivalent hardware, it will definitely struggle with more advanced 3D games. The PowerVR SGX540 integrated into the Kindle Fire HD is very long in the tooth now - roughly equivalent to the now-outmoded Tegra 2 from NVIDIA.

The new 7-inch Kindle Fire HD offers up an overall external package similar to Google's Nexus 7 with a number of useful enhancements, such as HDMI output and Dolby-approved stereo sound. However, it uses a core chipset that's significantly less powerful than the NVIDIA Tegra 3 inside the Google slate.

The situation is improved significantly with the new 8.9-inch Fire HD, which sees Amazon upgrade the spec to a more capable OMAP 4470. It's still a dual-core part in terms of CPU power, but the GPU gets a decent upgrade - enough for firm boss Jeff Bezos to make the bold claim that the integrated PowerVR SGX544 actually has the better of Tegra 3. Certainly in terms of memory bandwidth and floating point operations, it's a white-wash, with the IMG chipset comprehensively out-performing the NVIDIA part. But the SGX544 is an older part, and TI is using a single graphics core rather than the multi-core arrangements found in the iPad.
Once again it's unlikely that high-end 3D apps will match the Tegra 3 tablets in terms of performance, especially bearing in mind the additional resolution the chipset services: NVIDIA's tech has typically been paired with 1280x800 screens, but with the Kindle Fire HD 8.9-inch, Amazon has gone for a full-on 1920x1200 resolution.

Bearing in mind that this is mostly the preserve of 24-inch desktop displays, that's a hell of a lot of pixels crammed into a very small space - not quite of the "Retina"-level, but impressive nonetheless. Unfortunately, when it comes to gaming, more pixels requires more GPU power to maintain performance and it's difficult to imagine that the new Kindle holds a candle to the iPad 2 and "new iPad", where Apple has invested hugely in graphics power, and reaped the benefits.
Yet despite the substantial power differential, the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD (curiously, not coming to the UK yet, according to the Amazon UK website) looks like being the most credible challenger to the iPad - in terms of the larger form-factor at least - that we've seen. It retains all of the advantages of the 7-inch model - Dolby audio, HDMI output - and boasts a $299 pricepoint up against the $399 of the iPad 2 and the $499 of the new iPad. The 4G LTE version of Amazon's effort actually ...

Apple takes the wraps off its worst kept secret
At a special press event today, Apple has just announced the iPhone 5, as expected. Apple says it's made entirely of glass and aluminum. It's 7.6mm thin and is being touted as "the world's thinnest smartphone." It looks almost exactly like the leaked images, with a 4-inch Retina display. Apple promises to update all its software to work with the new widescreen display.
The screen also reportedly offers 44 percent more color saturation; it's fully sRGB. And, Apple says that with the touch sensor built into the display, "it's now the most accurate display in the industry."
From a connectivity standpoint, the new iPhone 5 does indeed offer LTE, as expected, and Apple has also included HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA, for "ultrafast wireless technology."
Getting into the innards, importantly, iPhone 5 will come packed with a powerful new A6 processor, which provides a CPU and GPU that are each twice as fast.
From a gaming standpoint, this can only mean good things. EA Studios demoed Real Racing 3, and one of the new features on iPhone 5 with Game Center is time-shifted multiplayer, enabling you to race friends on the same track later (essentially asynchronous gameplay).
Apple then dived into two other important areas: battery life and camera functionality. The battery can last up to 8 hours with LTE usage, or it can provide 8 hours of 3G talk time. When using just Wi-Fi, it can offer 10 hours, while music can last for 40 hours and standby can sit around for 225 hours. As for the camera, Apple has included an 8-megapixel sensor with a five-element lens, hybrid IR filter, and a sapphire crystal lens cover, among other new features. Importantly, for avid photographers, image capture is said to be 40 percent faster with iPhone 5. There's also a cool new panorama mode for those extra wide scenes.
Naturally, the iPhone 5 is offering more in the way of video recording too. It has full 1080p recording, improved video stabilization, face detection, and users can take photos while in the middle of recording video.
Also, Facetime now has an HD 720p camera, and the mode can indeed be used over a cellular network (if you feel like gobbling up your data plan, that is). Sound has gotten a nice improvement as well, since Apple has included a front, back, and bottom microphone. Speakers have seen their magnet transducers bumped up to five from three, and the earpiece now includes noise canceling on your own audio out.

Following the camera presentation, Apple confirmed that the phone's connector is changing, as was rumored. It's called Lightning, and it's an all-digital, 8 signal design. Yes, there will be adapters for all the peripherals using the old connector, and Apple said it's working with accessory makers to now integrate Lightning into all their upcoming products.
Of course, one of the more exciting developments with the new iPhone is the introduction of iOS 6. In a move sure to please developers, Apple said iOS 6 will support phones back to the iPhone 3GS. Apple demoed its new Maps app, which replaces the previous Google Maps, and the company also talked about iCloud tabs, VIPs in Mail, and shared PhotoStreams. As for Siri, which certainly had some kinks on the iPhone 4S, Apple is now integrating the voice recognition service with apps like OpenTable, Facebook and more.
So how much will it cost? $199 for the 16GB version, $299 for a 32GB iPhone 5, and $399 for a 64GB edition, all with a service contract. Apple is also now making the iPhone 4 free with contracts, while the iPhone 4S is being lowered to just $99. Pre-orders will start on Friday and the launch is officially planned for September 21. Apple is boasting that it'll be the "fastest rollout ever" with 100 countries and 240 carriers by end of the year.
Apple also announced a new version of the iPod Touch, which shares many of the same new features as the iPhone 5, including the taller display and Lightning connector. The new iPod Touch will also feature an A5 processor, a 720p front-facing camera, and will be available in five different colors.
We'll have reaction and more to the iPhone 5 and iOS 6 announcements soon.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ber-21-for-199


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It's been quiet on the Wii U front since E3, but tomorrow, finally, Nintendo will reveal all.
The platform holder has confirmed - via a tweet sent by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata – that tomorrow's Nintendo Direct announcement will include the price, release date and 'other information'.
The firm is currently readying internet broadcasts for Japan, North America and Europe. The release date and pricing are the big details that the trade is eager to hear, but we will hopefully get a better idea of what the console's launch software line-up might be, as well.
Meanwhile, we might also see some more third-party titles from leading publishers who are working on Wii U titles, but have yet to announce them.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/wii-u...morrow/0102755 ...

Apple has unveiled the long-rumoured iPhone 5, proclaiming the latest version of its all-conquering smartphone, which this time is constructed entirely from aluminium and glass, as "the best product we've ever made."
Those new materials mean iPhone is the lightest, thinnest phone Apple has ever made, 18 per cent thinner and 20 per cent lighter than its predecessor, iPhone 4S. Sporting a four-inch screen with a resolution of 1136x640 and 326 pixels per inch, it's a 16:9 display. Phil Schiller, Apple's senior VP of worldwide marketing, said the company had opted for this new design "because of your hand. It should fit there."
It also means the screen holds a fifth row of icons, with its calendar able to display a full working week without scrolling. While many apps have been updated for the new aspect ratio, Apple has allowed for those that don't, automatically centering them and adding borders on either side.

Under the hood, the new A6 processor sports a CPU and GPU twice as fast as the current A5. To show off iPhone 5's new graphical capabilities, Schiller introduced Rob Murray, vice president of EA Studios and founder of Firemint, the Australian developer of Real Racing snapped up by EA last year.
Showing off a new version of Real Racing, Murray hailed iPhone 5's "full console quality" graphics and unveiled a new Game Center feature which, it seems, sends ghost data for opponents to race against as if in real time. Schiller, returning to the stage, said the new device can "marry mobile with console graphics. It's never been done before." He insists, too, that despite all this iPhone 5's battery life is better than that of iPhone 4S.
Not much for gamers, then, but more will doubtless be revealed in the coming days, with those developers lucky enough to have been asked to update their apps in advance likely to show off their wares. iPhone 5 ships on September 21; preorders begin on September 14.

http://www.edge-online.com/news/ipho...phics-promised ...

In retrospect, it was only a matter of time before someone turned a bunch of Raspberry Pis into a supercomputer.
The Raspi supercomputer is the result of a project headed up by University of Southampton professor [Simon Cox]. Included in the team are a gaggle of grad students and [Simon]‘s 6-year-old son who graciously provided the material, design, and logistics for the custom LEGO case.
The Iridris-Pi supercomputer, as the team calls their creation, consists of 64 Raspberry Pis, all configured for parallel processing using a lightweight version ofMPI. [Simon] was kind enough to put up an excellent guide for turning two (or more) Raspberry Pis into a supercomputer.
The machine has a full 1 TB of disk space provided by a 16 GB SD card in each node. Although the press release doesn’t go over the computational capabilities of the Iridris-Pi, the entire system can be powered from a single 13 A supply.
If you’re wondering what it would take to get a Raspberry Pi supercomputer into theTOP500 list of supercomputers, a bit of back-of-the-envelope computation given theRaspi’s performance and the fact the 500th fastest computer can crank out about 60 TeraFLOPS/s, we’ll estimate about 1.4 Million Raspis would be needed. At least it’s a start.

http://hackaday.com/2012/09/12/64-ra...supercomputer/ ...

Intel chief product officer David Perimutter has taken to the stage at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco to unveil the firm's fourth generation Intel Core processor family, which is based on 'Haswell' microarchitecture.
He said that the new company's new low-power processors, starting with the fourth gen line-up available next year, will be able to inspire 'more innovative Ultrabook, convertible and tablet designs'.
Perimutter explained that Intel had reduced the platform idle power of its 4th generation Intel Core processor family based on the next-generation 'Haswell' microarchitecture by more than 20 times over the 2nd generation, while delivering outstanding performance and responsiveness.
The firm is also looking to add even lower-power processors based on the same microarchitecture to its roadmap starting in 2013.
This is all part of Intel's focus to drive power consumption down whilst chasing longer battery life and lighter, more mobile designs, without losing out on performance.
"The 4th generation Intel Core processor family and our new line of low-power processors will usher in an era of unprecedented innovation in mobile computing," Perlmutter said. "Our focus to deliver even lower power with the great performance that our processors are known for is as fundamentally significant as when we shifted our development focus beyond sheer processor speed in 2001. As a result, you'll see our customers delivering sleek and cool convertible designs, as well as radical breakthrough experiences across a growing spectrum of mobile devices."
When the company's 22nm 4th generation Intel Core processor family comes to the Ultrabook and other PCs in 2013, it will bring Intel HD graphics support, new instructions for faster encryption and performance, new hardware-based security features and low-power processor sub-states to enable longer battery life.
The new low-power chips will broaden the company's mobile roadmap, initially operating at about 10 watts to enable thinner, lighter Ultrabook, convertible and tablet designs with better performance and battery life.
Perlmutter brought Windows 8 into the mix as well at IDF 2012, noting that Intel Atom- and Intel Core-based tablets and convertibles will deliver a range of new features from enhanced media capabilities, security built for enterprise vertical market solutions, and support for the breadth of applications written for Intel processors, thus retaining the software investment of IT and consumers.
He commented: "We believe Windows 8 on Intel architecture will deliver the best experience, performance and compatibility across computing platforms."

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/read/...df-2012/029153 ...