Sony dropped Kotaku a line to let us know that something big was going down on Tuesday, March 31st. Could it be the long-rumored price cut is finally upon us?

Or could it be something completely different? Rumors have been doing little twirly things all over the internet over the past few weeks regarding a potential PlayStation 3 price cut, and while our first thought was "Why would they announce it several days after GDC?", apparently they are indeed announcing something several days after GDC. Go figure.

We're leaning towards a price cut, but we've got a sneaking suspicion that it's the PlayStation 2 dropping to $99, and not a cut for the PlayStation 3.

All we know so far is that they're announcing something. There's only one thing to do now. Let the wild speculation begin! What do you think/hope/dream Sony is announcing?

http://kotaku.com/5187660/what-is-so...ing-on-tuesday ...

Sony dropped Kotaku a line to let us know that something big was going down on Tuesday, March 31st. Could it be the long-rumored price cut is finally upon us?

Or could it be something completely different? Rumors have been doing little twirly things all over the internet over the past few weeks regarding a potential PlayStation 3 price cut, and while our first thought was "Why would they announce it several days after GDC?", apparently they are indeed announcing something several days after GDC. Go figure.

We're leaning towards a price cut, but we've got a sneaking suspicion that it's the PlayStation 2 dropping to $99, and not a cut for the PlayStation 3.

All we know so far is that they're announcing something. There's only one thing to do now. Let the wild speculation begin! What do you think/hope/dream Sony is announcing?

http://kotaku.com/5187660/what-is-so...ing-on-tuesday ...

Key reps and evangelists from newer digital distribution sources Facebook, MySpace, PlayStation Network, N-Gage and iPhone debated the merits of their platforms and new formats in San Francisco today - culminating in a public drubbing of Sony and Nokia by Ngmoco's Neil Young.

The former EA exec and founder of iPhone's 'spiritual first party' game publisher told the two that their digital distribution platforms made it clear that he feels Apple has stolen a march on the entire industry with its touch-screen mobile and iPod touch. The comments were made during a panel discussion at the GamesBeat conference in San Francisco earlier this week. He said: "iPhone is a wonderful game to make games for, from the tool chain through to the fundamental hardware of the device compared to the DS or PSP. The fact it is always on allows it to extend beyond the potential of those other devices. It represents the first of a new class of mobile devices and new types of usage patterns for these new devices given the ease at which you are able to access software.

"Everyone that ones one has installed at least one app - that's pretty interesting. It means a big expansion in the games business."

But what do the other platforms think of iPhone and the noise it makes?

Myspace's Jason Oberfest described it as "very complementary to what we are doing" while Facebook's Gareth Davis said: "We love iPhone, Facebook is one of the most downloaded apps on the device. And Facebook Connect for iPhone means you can connect iPhone to the social network, and are able to use that complement to create new kinds of experiences."

However SCEA's PlayStation Network chief Susan Panico was less confident, suggesting that the majority of games on iPhone weren't ideally targeted to gamers, and that developers aren't happy with it: "But for developers you have to ask what kind of games you want to make. On PS3 or other consoles people are there to game - it's not a retention tool to keep people playing. I know people want to make money, but others do want to make compelling, technically advanced games that appeal to a core gaming audience."

Davis defended the idea of games being used as a 'retention tool' pointing out that on Facebook "games is still a fabulous way to connect users and drive the ecosystem forward" and pointing out that "our top three games have 30m users every month".

He also confirmed that Facebook virtual currency us "a very well requested feature and something we have been looking at for a while" to help further boost the platform - but "we want to get it right" before launching it.

Myspace's Oberfest echoed the comments, saying "we don't intend to be game developers - what we see see is providing a platform".

Nokia's Greg Sauter wanted to point out the link between mobile devices and social platforms. "Mobile and social are made for each other, and present lots of opportunities for premium applications."

But Young said he feels "Apple has the head start on all this" and added that "Apple is showing the leadership but I look forward to others doing the same" when Sauter implied that Nokia was taking its new rival's game plan very seriously.

However Sauter didn't want to talk about a fight between N-Gage and iPhone: "It's not us versus Apple in the game space - we're shipping a million phones today. The key thing is how we all work together to monetise those devices."

Yet Young replied: "But it's not working right? We're focused on Apple because that is the only viable device out there."

He added that he would like to see other format-holder companies like Sony and Nokia "put the same time and energy" into the platform the way Apple has.


"Talk all you want about the clutter on the App Store, but I've made games for the DS and PSP and iPhone is the better platform in terms of things you an do for core gamers and things you can do for casual gamers," he said.

He added that that point was simply "not debatable".

SCEA's PlayStation Network chief Panico tried to debate it, though, pointing out that "there are a lot of issues when you get into it about piracy, security and bugginess of games," on iPhone.

"On PSN we offer developers access at entry levels to get their products in there." She pointed out how Pixel Junk Eden's developers made their ROI in the first 24 hours of their availability, and said that "60 per cent of the revenues generated on PSN is through third parties and smaller developers who see a ROI very quickly. And other developers like thatgamecompany have success with really innovative and new genre content."

She said that PSN-distributed PS3 games required "low investment" for developers when compared to other platforms.

She told Young: "I don't think most people have had the success you have had"

And Facebook's Davis said that iPhone does suffer on exactly the same terms as other digital distribution platforms: "The internet has changed everything in terms of distribution and that's a great thing. The issue is discoverability - how do you find the good games? The key for social ...

I got to play two of Gameloft’s DSi offerings, “American Pop Star: Road to Celebrity” and “Real Soccer 2009.” The thing I wanted to know most was how these two DSi versions of existing games make use of the DSi functionality. I was told that “American Pop Star” lets players take their own photos with the DSi camera that will appear throughout the game, like on magazine covers (pictured). Meanwhile “Real Soccer 2009″ takes the DSi photos and can display them on the soccer ball, the giant stadium screen, a team flag or as a player’s face. It seems that a lot of DSi titles will let players take photos that appear in the game, but it’d be nice to see more innovative ways of integrating the DSi camera function.

http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2009/...ames-gdc-2009/ ...

Mythic's creative director, Paul Barnett, believes that new digital platforms, including the iPhone, Xbox Live Arcade, WiiWare and Flash-based products, have enabled the games industry to break free from the restrictions brought about by an obsession with hardware.

Speaking in a session at GDC, Barnett praised the breadth of possibilities, hailing it as the start of a new "golden age" that promoted game design above all else.

"What happened was robbing people of keyboards," he said, according to Gamasutra. "What happened was the loss of homebrew games. Games suddenly required huge teams, a long time to percolate.

"For the longest time, we've been gripped by this love of hardware. It didn't really matter what the games were; hardware was king. We lost our love affair with making things wondrous.

"A miracle has happened, it really has. And it's a wondrous, wondrous miracle. When no one was looking... We got free of these chains.

"We have the iPhone. We have mobile phones. We have WiiWare. We have Flash games. We have Java. We have XBLA. For the first time ever, two people in a bedroom can change their lives doing nothing more than just using design.

"Audiosurf, World of Goo, Braid - all these things have become possible and it's because when no one was looking and against all the odds, we found another golden age."

He also praised new digital distribution platforms, noting that it made simpler games more acceptable.

"There's no uncanny valley in chess. Tetris does not need to be 3D. Games can once again shake up the world."

Barnett has had a lead role in the development of EA's Warhammer Online MMO, which was launched last year.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...new-golden-age ...

Mythic's creative director, Paul Barnett, believes that new digital platforms, including the iPhone, Xbox Live Arcade, WiiWare and Flash-based products, have enabled the games industry to break free from the restrictions brought about by an obsession with hardware.

Speaking in a session at GDC, Barnett praised the breadth of possibilities, hailing it as the start of a new "golden age" that promoted game design above all else.

"What happened was robbing people of keyboards," he said, according to Gamasutra. "What happened was the loss of homebrew games. Games suddenly required huge teams, a long time to percolate.

"For the longest time, we've been gripped by this love of hardware. It didn't really matter what the games were; hardware was king. We lost our love affair with making things wondrous.

"A miracle has happened, it really has. And it's a wondrous, wondrous miracle. When no one was looking... We got free of these chains.

"We have the iPhone. We have mobile phones. We have WiiWare. We have Flash games. We have Java. We have XBLA. For the first time ever, two people in a bedroom can change their lives doing nothing more than just using design.

"Audiosurf, World of Goo, Braid - all these things have become possible and it's because when no one was looking and against all the odds, we found another golden age."

He also praised new digital distribution platforms, noting that it made simpler games more acceptable.

"There's no uncanny valley in chess. Tetris does not need to be 3D. Games can once again shake up the world."

Barnett has had a lead role in the development of EA's Warhammer Online MMO, which was launched last year.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...new-golden-age ...

Ben Heck's latest device isn't gonna help you take your next-gen gaming on the go, nor will it let you play with one hand. Instead, the Xbox 360 Controller Monitor is designed to test gamepad latency using a data cable hooked up directly to each button and fed into a 8 x 8 inch display board. Each action lights up the corresponding indicator, and it includes three levels of sensitivity for each cardinal direction of the joysticks and shoulder triggers. At $600 (controller and AA batteries included), it's not exactly something for the hobbyists out there, but already this thing's got some major gaming street cred: it's currently being used for playtesting on Mass Effect 2, the new Wolfenstein, and the just announced Modern Warfare 2.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/26/b...-your-latency/ ...

Ben Heck's latest device isn't gonna help you take your next-gen gaming on the go, nor will it let you play with one hand. Instead, the Xbox 360 Controller Monitor is designed to test gamepad latency using a data cable hooked up directly to each button and fed into a 8 x 8 inch display board. Each action lights up the corresponding indicator, and it includes three levels of sensitivity for each cardinal direction of the joysticks and shoulder triggers. At $600 (controller and AA batteries included), it's not exactly something for the hobbyists out there, but already this thing's got some major gaming street cred: it's currently being used for playtesting on Mass Effect 2, the new Wolfenstein, and the just announced Modern Warfare 2.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/26/b...-your-latency/ ...

At long last folks with a contract phobia or just a general penchant for lawlessness can pay exorbitant amounts of money to get an iPhone 3G contract-free. As promised, 8GB models for $599 and 16GB ones for $699 are now available from AT&T and Apple stores, with AT&T requiring buyers to be existing AT&T customers, limited at one per, while Apple stores will sell the handsets to anyone wandering in off the street -- rebellious demeanor preferred.

http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/27/i...contract-free/ ...