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by Published on March 24th, 2012 22:59- Categories:
- PC News
Many moons ago, Google made it quite clear we wouldn't be seeing its browser-based OS on any tablets or phones, but it never said Chrome OS wouldn't run on devices powered by similar silicon. In fact, the issues tracker at the Chromium OS project shows that work's being done to get Chrome OS compatible with ARM architecture, and in particular a Samsung Exynos 5250 chip. That Sammy silicon appears to be inside a new bit of hardware, codenamed "Daisy," but deeper digging failed to provide further details about the mystery device. While it certainly seems like Google's working on a new ARM-powered gadget, it's important to note that the Chromium project functions largely via user contributions, so the work might not be directed by Mountain View. You don't have to take our word for it, though. Head on down to the source link to see the evidence first hand, and feel free to form your own opinion.
http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/24/c...coming-to-arm/ ...by Published on March 24th, 2012 22:54- Categories:
- PC News
Blizzard already planning out fifth and sixth expansion packs following Mists of Pandaria
World of Warcraft might be slowing down, but it's still considered the 800lb gorilla in the MMO space by many. To keep its players interested, Blizzard has already gone on record to confirm that yet another expansion pack will follow the fourth major launch for the title, Mists of Pandaria. The currently planned pack has only just entered beta testing, and has no firm release date, and a sixth pack is being discussed.
Blizzard COO Paul Sams sat down with CVG, detailing much of Blizzard's plans for World of Warcraft in a slowing environment. "I got the pitch from [Blizzard senior vice president of creative development Chris Metzen] of what they plan for 6.0 and I'm pretty geeked up about it. They already know what they're going to be doing for multiple expansions ahead."
"I think the future of World of Warcraft continues to be bright and I think Mists of Pandaria is going to breathe huge life into what I believe is the best MMO out there," he offered, acknowledging the sales dip. "I think the number of people we have playing and the level of enthusiasm they have for the game suggests that to be the case."
While not at its peak of over 12 million players just two years ago, World of Warcraft is still hovering at a respectable 10.2 million monthly subscribers. Blizzard recently admitted that EA's Star Wars did have an impact on their subscriber numbers, but the studio still has no plans to use the freemium model.
Blizzard is also hard at work on their next title that many believe will replace World of Warcraft. Those plans might or might not have been disrupted over recent layoffs that removed 600 employees from the company earlier this year.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...plans-detailed
...by Published on March 24th, 2012 22:51- Categories:
- DCEmu
HMV will close its Guernsey warehouse and now run its website from the UK.
It follows the end of Low Value Consignment Relief (LVCR), which has allowed online retailers to sell goods tax-free into the UK. As of April 1st, there will be no tax advantage to having a warehouse in the Channel Islands.
HMV has opposed LVCR for years as it feels it gives an unfair advantage to online shops such as Play.com, The Hut Group and Amazon. However, it opened its own warehouse out there in 2005 in a bid to stay competitive with its online rivals.
CEO Simon Fox even told MCV last month that the tax loophole was 'idiotic'.
The closure of HMV's Guernsey warehouse could result in 46 redundancies, although the Group may redeploy some staff to other areas of the business.
There are also 11 temporary staff working at the facility. These contracts will be terminated.
The Guernsey warehouse will officially cease operations on July 27th, 2012. HMV.co.uk orders will now be fulfilled from its existing distribution base in Birmingham.
HMV remains concerned that some of its rivals may relocate its warehouses to other tax havens.
The Government announced its intention to end LVCR in November last year. The Channel Islands challenged this decision, but it lost its court appeal earlier this month.
HMV's Statement in full:
Whilst we understand and share recently-expressed concerns that some retailers may simply seek to relocate their online and digital fulfilment centres to other non-EU locations by way of circumventing the Government's decision to end Low Value Consignment Relief (LVCR) - and to this end we reiterate our call for a genuine level playing field, we also have to accept and respond to the fact this ruling will now definitely come into effect.
Clearly this will have a number of implications - not least in our case given the lease on our fulfilment centre in Guernsey expires in a few months time - so we were having to review our options in any event. It also means that for our online offer to remain viable and attractive to shoppers in what will continue to be a highly competitive market – particularly at a time when we are looking to develop a much stronger multi-channel offer, we need to seek greater business synergies and to further reduce our online operating costs. We have concluded that the only way we are able to realistically achieve this is by consolidating our Internet fulfilment into a single site at our existing UK distribution centre in Merlin Park, Birmingham. Our centre in Guelles Road, St Peter Port, will therefore cease to operate from a proposed date of 27th July 2012.
This is not a decision we have taken lightly, particularly as we have enjoyed a productive relationship with Guernsey, and our actions are also in no way a reflection on the dedication and valued efforts of our fulfilment team on the Island, to whom we extend our sincere and profound thanks.
The proposed closure unfortunately means that 46 colleagues at the centre are now considered at risk of redundancy. A period of consultation has now begun and as part of this process alternative options such as redeployment to other positions within the Business, potentially including the Merlin Park fulfilment site, will also be discussed.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/hmv-e...s-to-uk/093338 ...by Published on March 24th, 2012 22:47- Categories:
- DCEmu
There is one clear front runner to buy GAME as part of a post-pack administration, sources close to the administrators have told MCV.
GAME is not officially in administration yet. The High Street chain will name Mike Jervis and Stuart Maddison of PWC as their administrators.
According to the Financial Times, the actual administration has been delayed until after the quarterly rent bill is due (Sunday, March 25th). That means PWC won't have to pick up the retailer's rent.
The 'front runner' for the group is interested in both GAME's High Street stores and its online elements.
Our sources wouldn't be drawn on who the front runner is. However, the national press – including The Times and The Telegraph – all say GameStop is the likely bidder for the UK assets. Hilco is reportedly interested in the company's international stores.
Retail Week says there are 'five or six' bidders interested in GAME in total.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/one-c...or-game/093337 ...by Published on March 24th, 2012 22:45- Categories:
- PC News
The Building Windows 8 blog comes up with a detailed post explaining the improved support of Windows 8 regarding different screen sizes, resolutions and pixel densities. Early on, the Windows team explored an inch-based scaling system, but found out that bitmaps would look blurry when scaled to unpredictable sizes. They ended up choosing three predefined scale percentages: 100%/140%/180%. The article goes on pondering the best solutions to make each app look good on different screens. Also shown: the distribution of resolutions being used today with Windows 7, 1366x768 having a huge lead at 42%."
http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/1...l-most-popular ...by Published on March 23rd, 2012 22:57- Categories:
- PC News
UK games industry trade body UKIE wants to cover 100 per cent of the digital market with its charts.
The first ever PC download chart was issued earlier this month, with EA’s Star Wars: The Old Republic crowned No.1 for January.
The data is compiled directly from publishers and currently covers 40 per cent of the sector.
“The response has been incredibly positive,” said UKIE commercial manager Sam Collins.
“Our beta has shown that it is possible to produce games charts using actual data and I am pleased to report that future charts will contain more information and cover a greater percentage of the market. Our goal is to cover 100 per cent of the digital market.
“When we launched the first boxed charts with Chart-Track it did not represent 40 per cent of the boxed market so we are not unduly worried about the current level of coverage. We have a roadmap for the project and everything is on schedule.”
Collins says that the goal is to produce more regular charts than just a monthly. And the firm is already working on a DLC report, which it will publish before moving on to PSN and Xbox Live Arcade.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ukie-...-charts/093292 ...by Published on March 23rd, 2012 22:53- Categories:
- PC News
Digital downloads now represent more than half of all PC games sold in the UK and the US.
Sony DADC, which powers the download services of over 25 retailers and publishers like Metaboli and EA, says this figure will only rise.
The firm’s Matthew Hatton, who looks after sales for digital distribution and games content services, said: “In North America and the UK, we’ve seen a tipping point.
“The majority of sales in those regions are now digital. 51 per cent of all PC game sales were digital eight months ago in the US. Now it’s going to be up to a split of nearly 60/40 in the US alone.”
Sony DADC’s director of engineering Murray Rigluth added: “Certainly for the services that Sony DADC provides for digital retailers and publishers, we see [that growth] very much in the PC space at the moment.”
Rigluth also said retailers should get involved: “We’re on a path that’s never going to reverse. In six to 12 months there will be huge scramble and rush for digital services. This will fragment the market but in five to six years the numbers will reduce and you’ll get more key players.”
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/pc-do...-the-uk/093294 ...by Published on March 23rd, 2012 22:50- Categories:
- Nintendo 3DS News
Following the phenomenal success of Nintendo DS was always going to be a tall order.
The handheld has sold 13m units in the UK alone since its 2004 debut, making it the largest-selling games machine to hit the market.
One year ago this coming Sunday (March 25th), Nintendo’s answer to the insurmountable pressure of succeeding this powerhouse arrived on shelves: the Nintendo 3DS.
Undeniably, 3DS got off to a shakier start than expected. But 12 months on, Nintendo is keen to remind people that its newest handheld has come a long way.
“Industry expectations around the launch of the 3DS were high,” says Nintendo marketing manager James Honeywell. “3DS was the fastest-selling Nintendo handheld device ever and the sales are comparable to DS sales within a similar timeframe.”
Matthew Castle, associate editor at Future Publishing magazine Nintendo Gamer, suggests the hype for 3DS escalated out of control: “After dominating E3 2010, we expected something bigger from 3DS. What looked like one of the strongest launch line-ups of all time became one of the most disappointing.
“Even the most die-hard Nintendo fan can’t survive on N64 ports for six months. Thankfully, Nintendo got its act together in time for Christmas: finally charging the right price and releasing the games that caused such a stir the year before.”
The software line-up was one disappointment shared by Nintendo fans and the press, but the 3DS’ shortcomings were arguably blown out of proportion.
MEDIA WOES
Within days of its launch, The Sun and other outlets plastered their pages with talk of headaches induced by the 3D effect. Some games publications were also critical, comparing slow Japanese 3DS sales to the market-leading PSP.
“I think some went out of their way to find fault – although that didn’t stop them from taking a big chunk of Nintendo’s advertising budget,” observes Jason Brooks, HMV’s senior games buyer.
Castle adds: “Labelling 3DS a ‘headache machine’ was textbook scaremongering. The real problems Nintendo needs to learn from were the ludicrous pricing and the confusion between DS and 3DS. 3DS followed four iterations of DS – it was all too easy to mistake it for a fifth. No wonder we hear rumblings about regional Nintendo offices wanting to change Wii U’s name.”
Brand confusion was one lesson the platform holder learned and acted upon. By the end of 2011, PR campaigns had been drawn up around the message of ‘This is not DS. This is Nintendo 3DS’.
Nintendo continues to increase its efforts marketing the broader functions of 3DS: downloadable eShop titles, new SpotPass content and videos from Aardman Animation to name a few.
However, critics are quick to remind Nintendo not make the same mistake and lose focus on software.
“Does anyone need low resolution videos of Eurosport? Nope,” says Castle. “Nintendo wants what it had with DS: a mammoth games library.”
THE PRICE IS RIGHT
A major shot in the arm for the 3DS was Nintendo’s decision to cut the trade price by a third last August. This saw retailers bringing the handheld down from the £230 mark to the much more appealing sub-£150 region. And that turned more than a few heads.
“The price cut was intended to help expand the gaming population and maintain the momentum achieved at launch,” says Honeywell.
Within months, 3DS received another boost in the form of its Christmas line-up, headlined by smash hits Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7.
From its slow launch, the 3DS stormed into 2012 with millions of unit sales under its belt.
More big games arrived this year. Resident Evil: Revelations and Metal Gear Solid 3D are already with us, while Nintendo’s next flagship title – Kid Icarus: Uprising – is out today (Friday, March 23rd). Still to come are Luigi’s Mansion 2, Mario Tennis Open, Animal Crossing and a new Layton – not to mention guaranteed system sellers.
Castle adds: “Dr Kawashima turned DS fortunes around and New Super Mario Bros is a proven money-spinner. Both are heading to 3DS in the next financial year.”
Brooks adds: “It would be great to see Nintendo build on the base it has created by getting its value price message more strongly out there and supporting it with some more top titles.”
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/analy...year-on/093295 ...by Published on March 23rd, 2012 22:48- Categories:
- DCEmu
UK games retail generated £14.1m last week – a dip of 21.2 per cent from the £17.9m made during the week prior.
Unit sales also dropped 11.2 per cent to 570,969 for the week ending March 17th.
EA continued its chart dominance last week with four games in the Top Five. New release FIFA Street debuted at the top of the charts, giving EA its third new release in a row that went straight to No.1. It’s the best opening week for a FIFA Street game.
But despite the early success of Street, and the fact it wasn’t available from GAME, there wasn’t enough interest to grow the market.
Sony’s new PS3 release Twisted Metal debuted at No.12 in the All Formats Top 40. Rage and Zumba Fitness also performed well last week, with respective sales increases of 47 per cent and 15 per cent.
Of course, these numbers don’t include sales of downloadable games. Apple’s iPad 3 went on sale last week, as did Sony’s highly acclaimed PS3 download title Journey. Today’s biggest new boxed releases include Kid Icarus: Uprising and Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/uk-ga...o-14-1m/093300 ...by Published on March 23rd, 2012 22:41- Categories:
- Xbox 360 News
Gaming charity Child's Play asked the organiser of the Retake Mass Effect campaign to stop accepting donations because some of those that pledged thought they were helping fund development of a new ending to Mass Effect 3.
This morning we reported that the campaign organiser had closed the donation drive - which raised almost $80,000 - because Child's Play had expressed reservations about being seen as a supporter of calls for BioWare to revise Mass Effect 3's ending. According to Penny Arcade, the gaming website which runs Child's Play, its concerns ran much deeper than that.
In a post on Penny Arcade, Jerry "Tycho" Holkins explains that Child's Play project manager Jamie Dillion "has been buried under mail about this situation. Apparently some of the people giving to the cause seemed to think that they were paying for a new ending to Mass Effect.
"She's been asked what the goal is, and how much they need to raise in order to get the ending produced. We've also been contacted by PayPal due to a high number of people asking for their donations back.
"This is in addition to readers who simply couldn't understand how this was connected to Child's Play's mission. We were dealing with a lot of very confused people, more every day, and that told us we had a problem."
It's compelled the charity to draft a new policy - "Child's Play cannot be a tool to draw attention to a cause; Child's Play must be the cause" - to avoid similar things happening in future.
Happily for the slow of wit who thought they were giving a poor indie studio a leg up to help it make a better game, BioWare founder Dr Ray Muzyka has confirmed the the Mass Effect team is "hard at work on a number of game content initiatives" that he believes will address fan dissatisfaction. Development will be funded through the studio's own, and publisher EA's, considerable financial means.
http://www.edge-online.com/news/mass...ing-new-ending ...- Search DCEmu
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Catherine: Full Body’s English translation for the Vita