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by Published on August 29th, 2012 22:16- Categories:
- Windows Phone
Word on the street is that Windows Phone 8 will get its official launch on October 29th. When asked for confirmation, Microsoft issued a pretty standard "no comment," which leads us to believe there might actually be something to this rumor. With Windows 8 slated to land on October 26th, we wouldn't be surprised to see its portable counterpart hit the market just a few days later, as ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley is suggesting. October is already expected to be a rather hectic month for Microsoft, with launch ofcountless Windows 8 tablets scheduled. Putting WP8 out alongside its first batch of handsets (helloATIV S!) would only make sense, really. We can think of a reason or two that Microsoft might want to utterly dominate a few news cycles.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/08/29/w...ter-its-deskt/
...by Published on August 29th, 2012 22:13- Categories:
- PC News
Why SimCity lead producer Kip Katsarelis isn't afraid to back PC gaming
EA Maxis
Maxis
maxis.com
Kip Katsarelis, EA Maxis' lead producer on the upcoming SimCity has declared the PC gaming space alive and well, and revealed the challenges of working on such a big brand for a new audience.
"Our engine is definitely portable, it could be operated on many platforms, but that's where our market is," he told GamesIndustry International of PC gaming.
"We're still seeing the PC market is not dead, it's very much alive. Blizzard's shown quite a bit of success with their recent Diablo launch, The Sims is highly successful, so there's a market there, we've got an audience there that wants games on that platform, and we are still a PC house and will continue to be so."
He said that didn't rule out different versions of the upcoming game appearing on other platforms, and cited SimCity Social and SimCity Deluxe on iOS as examples that it could work for different devices.
Kip Katsarelis
"I can see us on many platforms, there's definitely an appetite for Sim City, it's one of those games that everybody can relate to, they all live somewhere!"
And it isn't just the devices that have changed since the last true SimCity was released on PC in 2003, said Katsarelis.
"Not only has gaming changed, there is that whole generation who may be aware of SimCity, and maybe they've played the iPhone version of it, but they haven't really experience that true experience on the PC. So we came out with SimCity Social, there's CityVille too, there's a whole new generation of city planners that would probably love to play our game."
Katsarelis was cagey about life beyond SimCity for Maxis, but explained that the Glassbox Engine, the foundation to all the advances made in the new game, was an investment for the future.
"It's a simulation engine capable of doing many things," he promised.
"Internally when we bring people in we give them Glassbox and let them go make their own games. People have made simulation wineries, one guy made a honey bee farm, so there's a lot you can do with it."
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...s-pc-isnt-dead
...by Published on August 29th, 2012 22:08- Categories:
- DCEmu
With few expecting a giant gaming leap at launch, what may matter most is not what you buy but how you buy it, says Johnny Minkley
Sony Computer EntertainmentSony Computer Entertainment is a Japanese videogame company specialising in a variety of areas in the...
playstation.com
With not a great deal of note happening in the arid console space this summer, gossiping about next-gen consoles has proved an irresistibly fertile way of passing the time at industry gatherings.
It'll be a "quantum leap", Alan Wake developer Remedy chirruped excitedly to this site last week. Which was in stark contrast to the underwhelmed shrug I got from a middleware company I chatted to off the record at Gamescom, familiar with both Orbis and Durango.
Seven years on from the launch of Xbox 360, the first thing to say is it had bloody better be a "quantum leap" from the creaking innards of today's systems. The issue, naturally, isn't that the tech clearly will be an order of magnitude more powerful - it's how platform holders and software publishers can articulate this and "sell" the next-gen vision to spoilt-for-choice consumers via marketing and content.
That there are mixed feelings, depending on who you speak to, about the potential of the next console cycle is hardly in doubt. With official announcements from Microsoft and Sony expected well within the next 12 months, apathy from within certain quarters of the industry itself is worrying if not altogether surprising. But what about consumers?
The HD era began with Xbox 360 as a pure gaming machine; now it's an entertainment hub that also happens to play games. Microsoft always said this generation would be about software and services, and EA now explicitly sees its games less as "products" and more as "services", with Peter Moore recently observing: "Games are turning into 365 days a year live operation experiences".
"Games are turning into 365 days a year live operation experiences".
EA's Peter Moore
As consumers become ever more tied into, and therefore get more out of, their favourite games, then, the argument for upgrading to another expensive box becomes exponentially harder to make.
With little expectation of triple-A software prices falling, all the pressure is on the hardware cost and where that will fit into a diverse market. Ever since Microsoft launched its $99 subsidised Xbox 360 trial in the US earlier this year, there's been much chin-stroking over whether this model will be adopted for next-gen systems.
The irrepressible Michael Pachter is betting that Microsoft is already tying up deals with US cable companies to offer a subsidised next-gen Xbox at a fraction of the standalone price, in exchange for signing up to something like a two-year cable/Xbox Live contract.
It's an enormously appealing proposition. And, irrespective of the details of how this might work across different territories, I'm increasingly of the view that Microsoft and Sony (Nintendo, as ever, ploughs its own furrow) can ill afford not to make it work.
The obvious example of subsidised hardware in the games space to look to is iPhone. Who buys one of those for £500 (the standalone price of the cheapest 4S)? Meanwhile, we're all comfortable these days subscribing to all sorts of related services for our entertainment, from Sky and Virgin to Napster and Spotify.
"The obvious example of subsidised hardware in the games space to look to is iPhone."
The key advantage Microsoft has over Sony here are the many, many millions of customers and credit cards it already has signed up and used to subscribing regularly to a service: Xbox Live. (Sony has the credit cards - let's not go there - but PlayStation Plus is hardly in the same league as Live).
Furthermore, while Sony has broader concerns to deal with across the whole enterprise, Microsoft has the financial clout to spend whatever it takes to help make the next Xbox a success at launch. It will presumably be encouraged here by what it achieved with Kinect. Despite widespread dismay over the price - and, hands up, I thought they were nuts to come in over £100 - the reported $500m the company splurged on messaging was enough to confer 'must buy' status upon it.
As a result, Kinect remains the fastest-selling consumer electronics product in history, beating anything even Apple has achieved. But, needless to say, its success wasn't as straightforward as chucking enough money at a problem: it also had the good fortune to appear revolutionary and represent a step change, perfectly captured by its unimprovable slogan: "You are the controller".
That the reality fell so clumsily short of the vision is beside the point: at the time it captured everyone's imagination. But what step change is the next gen likely to offer at first?
The leap to HD, though it required a not inconsiderable investment in a compatible display, was a clear point of difference last time around. Take away HD and how much better to the untrained eye did a PS3 launch title look compared with, say, PS2's God of War II?
...by Published on August 29th, 2012 22:01- Categories:
- Cloud News
Cloud gaming has taken a significant step into the present thanks to a new initiative from Japanese publisher Square Enix.
Its new portal, Core Online, allows gamers to play some its titles for free in proper HD through their web browser. It has launched with playable versions of Hitman: Blood Money, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light and Mini Ninjas.
It’s compatible with Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer. The tech behind it is provided by Danish studio Hapti.co.
Standard features such as game saves and achievements are offered and are saved in the cloud. Furthermore, players can launch a game from any level they choose.
The service is being monetised via video advertising, which can be skipped is users purchase individual levels or entire games.
Tomb Raider: Underworld and Gyromancer will arrive on the service shortly.
"Square Enix is at the forefront of experimentation of new business and services models in the game industry," Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada stated. "Through our Core Online technology service, users can access our content easily through the browser."
Offering its back-catalogue titles in this manner is interesting, but the real test of the model will be if Square Enix chooses to offer its new console and PC releases via Core Online at the same time as they launch on consoles and PC.
It would be a brave move to offer games that on the one hand are available for £30-£40 on other platform for free via browser. It would also test the true value that consumers put on convenience, as well as their confidence in emerging cloud technologies.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/squar...online/0101986 ...by Published on August 29th, 2012 21:52- Categories:
- PS3 News
Sony has revealed its extensive content slate being added the PSN this week… and Counter Strike: Global Offensive is highly conspicuous by its absence.
The game was supposed to arrive on both Xbox 360 and PS3 last week. It turned up on Xbox Live, as planned, but failed to materialise on PSN in Europe. It did appear on the North American arm of PSN.
Although no set deadline was announced, the presumption was that the game would appear on this week’s update. Alas not.
"I know a lot of you were hoping for news on Counter Strike: Global Offensive but I'm afraid I've no new information to share today," a statement on the EU PlayStation Blog read. "Rest assured we'll update you as soon as possible."
The Walking Dead: Episode 3 is another title that has been released on PSN in American but is still awaiting approval from Sony Europe.
As you might expect, fans have reacted angrily in the site’s comments. Perhaps the most frustrating this is the lack of explanation, with Valve remaining doggedly tight-lipped about the cause of the delay.
“No CS:GO and Walking Dead Ep.3?” one commentator wrote. “Hate to say, VERY DISAPPOINTING SCEE!”
Another added: “No Counterstrike: Global Offensive and no information on Counterstrike: Global Offensive.
“I’ve been playing CS in various forms for twelve years. I’m late thirties, and so are most of the people I play with. A lot own a PS3, PC and 360. All of them have now gone with the PC or 360 versions because of this delay. You are losing customers to other platforms, losing money, and losing potential player base which would support this game in years to come.
“Please have a little consideration for your loyal customers and at least tell everyone officially why there is a delay and a legitimate ETA on a release date. It doesn’t take much for loyal customers to go elsewhere, and it’s happening already.”
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/count...tion-3/0101987 ...by Published on August 29th, 2012 21:49- Categories:
- Nintendo 3DS News
Earlier today GAME listed The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D for the Nintendo 3DS. Given the critical and commercial success of Ocarina of Time 3D, it makes sense that the house of Mario would follow up by giving its sequel the same treatment.
We're all for it, but we think Nintendo should branch out its 3D-makeover initiative beyond Zelda games. In the feature below, CVG has picked out five Nintendo 64 games worthy of sprucing up for the Nintendo 3DS.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...thrive-on-3ds/ ...by Published on August 29th, 2012 21:42- Categories:
- Nintendo 3DS News
If you're after a 3DS XL in a more feminine colour than those currently available, hold fire for a bit.
Japan's getting a pink 3DS XL on September 29 - launching alongside fashion store management game Style Savvy: Trendsetters, Nintendo revealed today (thanks Siliconera) - so with a bit of luck, a pink version will arrive in the West soon, too.Nintendo's made no announcements, but Style Savvy will be out in US in October so cross your fingers for a coinciding release around that time.
The first image of the new pink 3DS XL is pictured above.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...-in-september/ ...by Published on August 29th, 2012 21:37- Categories:
- Nintendo 3DS News
Nintendo promised downloadable courses for New Super Mario Bros. 2's Coin Rush mode in the run up to launch, but has said nothing of it since. But they are still coming.
Following the Japanese Nintendo Direct presentation last night making no mention of the Mario DLC, Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata has sought to alleviate concerns with a statement promising its imminent release.'It has only been 10 days since the game's release in Europe and US,' says Iwata viaTwitter (thanks Andriasang), who says the developer need 'more time'.
He does go on to confirm, however, that the announcement will be made worldwide simultaneously, to keep everyone happy.
Coin Rush mode lets one or two players blast through three randomly selected stages with the aim of collecting as many coins as they can.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...assures-iwata/ ...by Published on August 29th, 2012 21:32- Categories:
- DCEmu
The creative producer of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance has admitted that the collaboration between Kojima Productions and Platinum Games, two studios who are used to being granted almost complete autonomy in development of their games, is at times rather problematic, telling us: "We clash all the time."
In an interview, Kojima Productions' Yuji Korekado insists that while the two studios' fierce independence means the occasional clash of heads, it's actually going to result in a better game. When the two teams disagree, they discuss it, and come to a resolution that is, often, better than one team or the other would have come up with itself.
"Platinum Games is a studio that's very similar to Kojima Productions in that they have a very specific belief towards their game creating," Korekado, lead programmer on Metal Gear Solid 4, tells us. "They have things that they don't want to change, that they really believe in. At Kojima Productions we have the same strong feelings toward creating a better game.
"But because we are similar, when there are things that we want changed, we clash all the time. We always clash. We have to discuss."
Pressed for specifics, Korekado tells of Etsu Tamari, the KojiPro staffer who is writing the game's story, and frequently found himself at loggerheads with the game director, Platinum's Kenji Saito. The solution, Korekado explains, was to lock the pair away until they sorted it out.
"We put them in a room for three continuous days, and they discussed from morning til night what the writer wanted to create for a story and what the game director wanted to create as a game," he tells us. "And after those three days, it seemed like they had been good friends for a very long time. So we sorted that."
The first clash between the two studios came when discussing the game's setting. KojiPro originally planned for the game to take place between the events of Metal Gear Solids 2 and 4, but Platinum felt it would be too tightly restricted by having to adhere to that timeline. Korekado explains: "So we told the game director, 'We don’t have to place the game between 2 and 4; to have more freedom we were thinking it might be better just to put the story in a different time'."
The two studios are bound to clash; they're used to working alone, granted near-total autonomy by publishers who are mindful, and respectful, of their considerable abilities. What's important is that they turn those disagreements into something positive, and Korekado is adamant that they are doing precisely that.
"In the end, the motivation of both studios is to make a better product," he says. "When we collide, we can usually see what is good and what is bad in each other's ideas. And it helps us make something better.
"So as the creative producer, I think we have a lot of problems, but all these problems have given us the right direction to follow."
http://www.edge-online.com/news/meta...clash-all-time ...by Published on August 29th, 2012 21:27- Categories:
- PC News
Direct port allows tools maker to get top performance out of UE3 on Windows
Unreal Engine 3 is to support Microsoft’s upcoming operating system Windows 8.
Epic and Nvidia demonstrated the engine running on Windows 8 and Windows RT during Asus’ press conference at the IFA 2012 electronics trade show in Berlin.
A live, real-time demonstration of Epic’s Epic Citadel app, already released for iOS and Flash, was shown on an Asus Vivo Tab RT – formerly known as Tablet 600.
“The Unreal Engine 3-powered Epic Citadel demonstration for Windows RT tablets implements our full DirectX 9 pipeline, with shaders and materials, all running beautifully on Tegra 3,” said Epic Games VP Mark Rein.
“By porting the full engine as opposed to a modified mobile version, Nvidia and Epic have made it easy for UE3 developers around the world to bring their best content to Windows RT, Windows 8, and Nvidia’s Tegra 3 processor. Windows RT code is available to licensees from Epic now and we’re excited to see the great games they develop with it.”
http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...ting-Windows-8
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Catherine: Full Body’s English translation for the Vita