We found a veritable rainbow of PlayStation Vita prototypes hiding out in the rear of Sony's TGS setup, surrounded by accessories, mock retail packaging, and faux game cards. PlayStation representatives assured us the colorful consoles were just for looks, and only the basic black will be available when the system launches in December. Hit the gallery below for a multicolored peek, or just skip past the break for a view of Gravity Daze's mockup retail box.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/16/v...up-game-cards/ ...

We've had plenty of QT with the Vita on the floor at TGS, but battery life is hard to judge when you can't take the device away with you. Back at our earlier hands-on in June we were told that longevity should be on a par with first-gen PSPs, which were all rated at 4-6 hours and -- with the PSP-1000 -- achieved around 3.5-5.5 hours in real-world tests. Now though, Sony says the Vita has just enough juice for 3-5 hours' gaming. We need to play this thing to death before we can be sure, but this does sound like a potential 15-25% drop in minimum play time. Do we care at this point? Not particularly. We're too busy salivating over this.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/16/s...hree-hours-on/ ...

Looks like Boeing's decided to get in bed with Android a mile-high in the sky. The aerospace company has exclusively selected Google's mobile OS as the might behind its new class of 787 Dreamliners' in-flight entertainment. Currently in production jets, of which there are over 800 plus orders, will get outfitted with either a Panasonic or Thales model of the 7- to 17-inch screens. And in a strange twist of luxury privileges, first and business class passengers won't get to enjoy the touchscreen tech, as their monitors will be too large and too far out of reach. Instead, an alternate gesture-based control method is being explored by the company for elite travelers, although nothing's been solidified. Don't expect the planes to launch with the typical Android market experience, either -- apparently, "airline-specific apps" are on the way for the nascent fleets' launch. Now, if only they could replace those flight attendants with little green robots.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/16/b...powers-in-fli/ ...

...

Nintendo made their SNES for 13 years, shelving the console in 2003, though the last big games landed in 1996 shortly after it was replaced by the N64. Six years is long enough for any console - it was long enough for the PS1 (1994- 2000) and PS2 (2000-2006), the Mega Drive (1988-1994) and DS (2004-2010), and it's long enough for the 360.

When the clock strikes midnight on 16 November the 360 will head into its seventh year, with dozens of games still to come. This isn't the usual console life-cycle; by now the big games should have dried up, with only one or two first-party essentials tiding players over until Microsoft release their next console, which would typically be revealed in the middle of the predecessor's fifth year.

Instead we're looking forward to a year with Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, the rebooted Tomb Raider and Bioshock Infinite - and the beginnings of an eighth year where we'll see the likes of Halo 4.

The 360's longevity has set developers free to push the hardware further than anyone ever thought possible. This was the generation game development got stupidly expensive; teams grew, deadlines moved into the distant future, budgets inflated.

For a long time studios were happy with the power the console offered, and software solutions from Crytek and id have milked the last drops of power from those half decade-old processors.

Not until this year have prominent voices in the industry started demanding more. Crysis proved the 360 was outgunned by the PC back in 2007, but building a machine to run Crysis on its highest settings was beyond the bank accounts of most players. Crysis was a 'what if?' kind of game and it sold poorly, but four years on that Crysis-capable PC isn't such a pipe dream.

Cosmetics matter, and high-end PC mods for GTA and Crysis show what the next generation of games deserves to look like. Hobbyists are modding games to look near-photorealistic without the support of major publishers, while cutting-edge developers are once again looking to the PC to lead the way. The technology powering Epic's Unreal 3 'Samaritan' demo isn't some pipe dream; it's here now, in the modern PC.



Watch in HD No comments yet, be the first!
It's personality that counts, of course, and developers need more power for that, too. Battlefield 3 looks smoother and prettier on a heavyweight PC, but the lack of grunt provided by the PS3 and 360 cripples the basic mechanics of the game - online multiplayer is capped at 24 on consoles, 64 on PC, just as it was in Bad Company 2.

Speaking to Gamesindustry.biz Ubisoft Montreal's Yves Jacquier bemoaned the current generation's inability to do the things Ubisoft Montreal need - beautiful graphics, complex sound, large scale, and smart AI - all at the same time.

"We're extremely limited in what we can do," he explained. "It's a challenge for the engineers to provide everything with a small amount of memory and computation time. We think that the next generation of consoles won't have these limits any more. What's the value of making something more realistic and better animated if you have poor AI?"

The Xbox 360 is a 2005-spec PC in a slimline box at a consumer friendly price, and the next Xbox will likely follow the same model when it arrives in late 2013, but building the next generation will be a challenge for everyone.

For Microsoft, the challenge is selling such a monster machine at the right price; for developers, it's creating so many HD assets in such a volume, on time and on budget; for the tech experts, it's everything from finding the right storage media to worrying about whether broadband data caps will kill the dream of a fullydownloadable future.



Until it's settled, games on console and PC are hamstrung by the needs of a generation long past its sell-by date. Years seven and eight will be fruitful but filled with envy - that feeling you get when L.A. Noire stutters to around 20fps on 360 while the PC version blazes along at 60fps will become all too familiar, as developers reach for the stars with a boat anchor around their ankles.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...next-xbox-now/ ...

In the lead up to the Nintendo 3DS launch there was a buzz. The excitement for a new, more powerful, 3D-capable handheld was palpable.

Sure, there were the usual few detractors here and there, along with the 'too-cool-for-3D' folk hanging around the proverbial fence of uncertainty, but Nintendo would break down their defences with a barrage of undeniably awesome games.

Oh they would cave, yes sir! Three or four months tops, everyone and their mum's mum would be happily tapping away on another of Nintendo's handhelds. They'd all be helpless against the old Nintendo one-two punch.

That was the plan. Emphasis on the 'was'.

Fast forward six months and we're idly twiddling our thumbs instead of using them for gaming on the 3DS. While our 3DS' slowly develop a thick layer of dust we're being sustained by the promise of good software, and looking like bunch of mugs while we do it.

Shining a spotlight on Nintendo is a little unfair, this situation is pretty common for newly launched gaming platforms, but the effect a weak launch line-up can have on hardware has been made painfully obvious. It's safe to say Nintendo's momentum has well and truly hit a brick wall.

We know it, you know it and from the looks of it Sony knows it, which is why it's bringing out the big guns for the PlayStation Vita.

Earlier today Sony took to the stage at its pre-Tokyo Game Show press conference and promised to have a staggering 100 PlayStation Vita titles on sale in the handheld's 'launch window'. The list includes WipEout 2048, BlazBlue, F1 2012, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Disgea, FIFA 12 and Ridge Racer (read: Riiiiiiiiiiiiidge Racerrrrr) among others.

It went on to release a list of over 70 PlayStation Vita games that are currently in development, most of which are also intended to be released during the the launch period.

The announcement was followed by Konami's confirmation that a Metal Gear Solid HD Collection and Zone of the Enders HD Collection will be released on the Vita. Capcom chimed in with a fully-featured portable version of Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 and Square Enix sweetened the pot by throwing in a HD version of its much-loved PlayStation 2 RPG Final Fantasy X.



Watch in HD No comments yet, be the first!
Sure the bulk of the games mentioned here are high-definition collections of old games, but with names like Metal Gear and Final Fantasy it's hard see these releases as anything other than a win for Sony.

While the platform holder didn't provide specific dates for what it defines as the 'launch window' conventional wisdom suggests it's thinking of the first three or four months after the Vita's release. Many of these games are also being published on the PlayStation 3 fairly soon and given the proximity of the Vita release date it's likely they'll be ready to make their debut on the PSP's successor shortly after.

It's hard not to be excited for the PlayStation Vita, Sony has very cleverly tied the PlayStation 3's upcoming high-profile releases into the Vita launch. The idea of releasing the same games on multiple platforms does feel a bit underhanded but at the very least it creates an attractive environment for potential purchasers, and gives PlayStation faithfuls the option to choose where they want to play their games.

Has Sony put together the best ever launch line-up of games, and do you think it will be enough to guarantee success over the Nintendo 3DS? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...-line-up-ever/ ...

Japanese PS3 sales almost doubled during the week ended September 11 as new games helped give the platform a massive lift.

PS3 sales jumped from 33,831 units to 64.786, resulting in the console knocking 3DS from the top spot for the first time since Nintendo reduced the portable's price in mid-August.

A trio of PS3 titles stormed the software chart. Namco Bandai RPG Tales of Xillia entered at No.1 with over half a million sales, ahead of Resident Evil: Revival Selection and Resistance 3, which placed at No.2 and No.3 respectively.

Weekly hardware sales (previous week)
PS3: 64.786 (33,831)
3DS: 49.076 (54,744)
PSP: 25.404 (30,192)
Wii: 10.743 (11,606)
DSi: 4.890 (5.710)
PS2: 1.386 (1,394)
X360: 1.219 (1,228)

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...s-spot-to-ps3/ ...

We may have two emerging, powerful handhelds and the phenomenon of smart phone gaming under the spotlight right now, but legendary PC developer Valve is turning a blind eye.

When asked if gaming on the small screen tickles the Portal-maker's fancy, write Chet Faliszek told Kotaku: "We're about people sitting on their couches or at their desks."

The message is clear - Valve does PC and console games. That's it. But Faliszek went on to clarify anyway: "We haven't forayed into that space," he said of handheld gaming.

"It's just not a space our engine has been looked at or optimized for," he added.

So no hopes of Portal (and Steam) on Vita then. Soz.

It's okay though because Vita has been dominating headlines at this week's Tokyo Game Show anyway.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...tables-phones/ ...

Starting Monday 15th September, Microsoft will be kicking off a Kinect tour at shopping centres throughout Australia.
The tour will be showcasing upcoming Christmas Kinect releases including Kinect Disneyland Adventures and the Australian-developed Fruit Ninja.
Andy Coughlin, retail lead at Microsoft Australia, said: "There will be some amazing new games and experiences to come to Kinect in the next few months including voice control, Kinect Disneyland Adventures, Kinect Sports Season 2, Dance Central 2."
"Couple this with HD movies on demand⁺ and FOXTEL on Xbox 360value on the Xbox is the strongest we have seen."
The full schedule of Kinect appearances is as follows:
New South Wales:
19-25 September: MacArthur Shopping Centre, Campbelltown (centre court)
26 September - 2 October: Warringah Mall, Brookvale (opposite Woolworths)
Victoria:
24 September - 4 October: Royal Melbourne Show, Melbourne Showground (Grand Pavillion)
3-9 October: Chadstone Shopping Centre, Chadstone (outside Target & opposite EB Games) AND Knox City Shopping Centre, Watirna (opposite Saleras & EB Games)
Queensland:
19-25 September: Robina Shopping Centre, Robina (Under the chandelier) AND Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, Broadbeach (opposite Baskin & Robbins and Crema Espresso)
13-17 October: Redcliffe Place Brisbane Square, Brisbane
Western Australia:
10-16 October: Garden City Shopping Centre, Upper My Gravatt (centre court)
ACT:
3-9 October: Canberra Centre, Canberra City (centre court)
South Australia:
10-16 October: Elizabeth Shopping Centre, Elizabeth (outside Myer and Big W)

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/micro...-kinect/084778
...