Posts filed under 'Console Gaming'
The price of the forthcoming Playstation 3 in Europe has been set at a price point that it going to scare off a lot of customers - at least according to Vice President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe George Fornay.
The PS3 is on its way to costing between 499 and 599 Euros which places it firmly in the realms of ‘luxury item’.
It seems Mr Fornay shouldn’t have been quite so keen to spill the beans as he instantly attempted to justify the cost by saying that the price was good value for a Blu-Ray player. Of course, this fails to spot the fact that the majority of people buying a PS3 will be doing so because it’s a games console, not because it can play a paltry selection of discs on an HDTV that they don’t have yet.
Sony moved to deny the comments had any basis in fact which is a bit of a slap in the chops for one of their Vice Presidents, but then they have a track record of denying comments by their executives. Even President Howard Stringer has been ‘thrice’ denied in the past.
April 6th, 2006
If it was April 1 we would be consigning this story to the “round up of wind ups”. Rockstar Games, famous for producing the controversial Grand Theft Auto series are to move onto a more gentle pursuit for their next title - Table Tennis.
Table Tennis is expected to ship to North American retailers on May 22nd, 2006 for a MSRP of $39.99 and will hit European retail shelves on May 26th, 2006 for a price of EUR 39.99 and GBP 29.99 in the UK.
“Our goal was to create a game that is perfectly addictive in its focused simplicity, a game that showcases the true possibilities of a next gen experience, not just in looks but in feel and pace,” stated Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games. “We wanted to use the power of the new hardware and the resolution of new televisions to give the game an immediacy, an intensity and a sense of physicality and reality, resulting in a purer, more visceral experience that simply was not possible previously.”
Houser continued, “It is a distillation of game design philosophy, focusing on removing the traditional areas of compromise inherent in managing size and scope and concentrating the hardware’s entire power on one activity, with the aim of doing that better than it’s ever been done before.”
TechSmec.com remembers teenage games of Ping Ping being pretty violent affairs so maybe there will be a twist in the tale. However, it’s hard to see how even Rockstar can shake up the table tennis world, so a pure sim is probably on the cards.
March 6th, 2006
The first step in the long and winding road to a cracked Xbox 360 has been achieved by a Dutch hacking group. “Team PI Coder” has posted details of the file system used on the console’s game discs along with a program to extract files from them.
As it stands this isn’t a revolutionary move. The Xbox 360 uses a disc format extremely similar to that of the original Xbox which was widely hacked, so the step is a small one. Crucially, the code from copied games cannot then be run on the console.
Even so, there’s a first step in every journey and with innumerable hackers around the world working on the Xbox 360, it surely won’t be long before a soft mod (i.e. with no chipping involved) is available.
Microsoft have made much of the increased security of the Xbox 360. The original Xbox was built around a PC-style architecture, making it the most widely hacked console ever.
December 23rd, 2005
It’s a story to gladden the hearts of those of you who queued for days to get you hands on the Xbox 360, or worse still, are still waiting despite pre-ordering. Microsoft Chief Executive, Steve Ballmer, has admitted that he is not allowed a free console otherwise he would have to declare it as income. As a result, the Ballmer family are still Xbox-less (or so he claims) with Christmas just around the corner.
“The Ballmer children do not have their Xbox 360 yet. I’m in the same boat as many of you,” Ballmer said. “Thanks to the wonders of Sarbanes-Oxley [ financial disclosure regulations ], management does not get a free Xbox 360.” What, not even a prototype for ‘testing’. Pull the other one Steve!
Still, the thought of Mr Ballmer standing in the rain, or arguing with a sales clerk in Walmart, is one that we treasure, so in the spirit of the season of goodwill we wish him every success in his quest for the most ineptly launched console since the last ineptly launched console.
December 8th, 2005
The Xbox 360 has hit the streets in the good old US of A and the opinions are starting to appear on the web. Quite apart from the amazing gaming visuals, a lot of reviewers are getting pretty excited about the Media Center Extender feature of the 360 and are writing in gushing terms about Microsoft having bridged the gap between the console, the PC and the home entertainment setup. TechSmec.com has been ploughing through the internet chatter to bring you the highlights.
Matt Slagle at the Associated Press leads the bandwagon. He likes just about everything the Xbox 360 has to offer and is positively frothing at the mouth about the ‘digital hub’ idea. “Microsoft has done more than beat rivals to market with a powerful, flexible video game machine. With Xbox 360, the company that helped turn personal computers into household devices has created a machine that may someday replace them.” Strong words indeed. TechSmec.com would love to see you write a letter on your 360, or bank online, or…[ STOP!! Ed ].
PC Magazine has run a full review of the Xbox 360’s Media Center Extender prowess and decided that it came up just a little short of being a ‘must have’ feature. Still, they offer the idea that it might be the carrot that convinces your wife / girlfriend that you should spend a few hundred dollars on a new games console. “We’d say you could safely allocate $100 of the cost to media-play features, maybe $200 if you’re big on HD,” they suggest. “The drawbacks, while many, are mostly minor compared against the ability to show media in high definition.”
On his CNET blog, Dan Ackerman has been pleased to discover that all this Media Center Extender fun isn’t just for owners of an XPMCE machine. He writes about how he used Windows Media Connect (think of it as Media Center Extender’s little cousin) to view photos and stream music from a normal XP Pro PC. “If you don’t have an MCE system, it’s a good start and a painless way to get your MP3 collection pumping through the living room surround-sound system,” he writes.
Joystiq have looked at yet another side to the Xbox 360’s interconnectivity - it’s ability to talk via USB to just about any device with portable storage and media playback. They picked on the fabulous PSP for their demo and say “it works great”.
However, lest we forget, the Xbox 360 is a games console and IGN brings us back to Earth with a bump on that front. “For all its pre-release promise, at launch the Xbox 360 will have to stand up on its games,” the writer prophesises. “It’s going to sell out, straight through the holidays most likely, but in truth, I cannot honestly say I’m impressed by the launch titles.”
The Xbox 360 has a few months to get it right before the PS3 launches and spoils the party. For the future of media convergence we hope it does.
With thanks to MediaCenterPCWorld.com
November 23rd, 2005
Game: Burnout Revenge
Platform: PS2
Publisher: EA
Price: £29.99 (Amazon.co.uk)
Reviewer: Jay Neill (TechSmec.com staff)
Burnout Revenge is a title that grows on you. In fact it grows on you fast once you can get it into your head that this is a racing game where avoiding collisions isn’t always the best way to do things. If you’ve never played games in the Burnout series before, and you’re expecting Ridge Racer or Gran Turismo, think again. In Burnout, metal mayhem is the order of the day, where knocking your rivals, and innocent bystanders, off the track is not just permitted, it’s positively encouraged. Crashes, explosions, crumpled wrecks - leaving car carnage in your wake will quickly see you advance through the ranks, unlocking new vehicles and tracks as you go.
Even by the standards of arcade racers, this is not a game steeped in realism. Ploughing into the back of a moving van at 200 kph does little more than scratch your paintwork. What such a collision does achieve is to knock the van spinning into the air and over your head, hopefully into the path of a rival. The feeling of satisfaction as the game pauses momentarily so you can watch a slow-mo replay of your opponent being crushed by 20 tonnes of flying metal, or spearing at full speed into a brick wall, is hard to explain and it quickly becomes unsatisfactory just to complete a course by driving fast. Of course, if it was as simple as driving fast, then Burnout Revenge wouldn’t have a USP. Often the only way to complete a level is to meet a set number of ‘Takedowns’ and you’ll find yourself sacrificing speed to make sure you can shunt a rival off the track and into a barrier….or an oncoming artic.
The feeling of speed in Burnout Revenge is awesome and quite unlike any other game to date. Track design is excellent and packed with variety. Freeways, alleyways, docksides and dirt roads mesh together in a maelstrom of colour that flashes past on either side of you. Often you don’t take in your surroundings until you’re out the other side and desperately trying to prepare for the next few seconds. Alternative routes are everywhere. Sometimes it’s a shortcut, sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes it just gives you half a second of breathing space away from the other competitors before the track forces you back together and the violence starts again. Occasionally the shortcut becomes your weapon as you arrive back on the main track in the air, crushing the road-bound mortal beneath you.
Career progression is all about revenge. Quite who you’re trying to get revenge on isn’t clear, but every race won, every takedown created, every ‘awesome’ maneuver adds to your revenge rank and moves you through the game.
Game types vary from straight race, to ‘traffic attack’ where you race alone through rush hour traffic trying to knock as many vehicles out the way as possible. The most morally-questionable game type, in a title full of morally questionable challenges, is ‘crash mode’. Here the object is to drive your vehicle into a busy intersection and cause the most humongous pile-up possible. Success is measured in repair bills and the game ends as the camera pans over the scene of burning devastation, the cost of each wreck flashing up on the screen as you pass. This game is rated ‘U’ in the UK which strikes us as a little lenient. Sure, there are no dead bodies, but a minigame whose sole aim is to cause as big an accident as possible has to be questioned when played by a 7 year old. In fact it has to be questioned when played by a lot of 20 year olds we know, so perhaps the censors decided they didn’t have a rating system sensitive enough and washed their hands of the issue.
All in all, there’s enough in Burnout Revenge to get your heart pounding every time a race begins and to make sure that you have to make a real effort to put the controller down and walk away. Every PS2 owner who loves racing games should add this one to their collection, but if speed’s not up your alley then the over-the-top crash antics make this one to seek out at the rental store or borrow from a mate.
Graphics
Excellent feeling of speed and nicely rendered vehicles add up to a classy looking racer - 8/10
Sound
A great rock soundtrack and innards-churning sound effects from one the best sounding games around - 8/10
Gameplay
Easy to get into, difficult to master gameplay that has just enough variety to keep you coming back time after time until you’ve completed every round - 8/10
Verdict
If you love racing games you have to try Burnout Revenge. If you hate racing games you have to try Burnout Revenge. Without doubt one of the best driving (or crashing) experiences on the PS2. 8/10
November 18th, 2005
If you have a pile of Xbox games that you are planning on running on your shiny new Xbox 360 later this month, then you had better make sure you’ve gone for the version with a hard drive. The backward compatibility feature is dependent on having somewhere to store the emulation software disc image, so no hard drive - no emulation.
Microsoft has gone for a software-based system in stark contrast to Sony’s hardware solution for backward compatibility between the PlayStation and the PlayStation2. This give Microsoft the flexibility to update the code to allow for idiosynchrasies in individual games as more and more titles get ‘Xbox 360 certified’. At the moment 212 titles have that certification (you can see the full list here).
November 15th, 2005
And you thought it would be the flashy motion-sensing controller that Nintendo unvelied a few weeks ago! Yes, Nintendo, having stripped out anything of interest from their forthcoming Revolution console, are having to convince the public that’s it’s worth buying on price-point alone.
In an interview with CNN, Nintendo America official, Reggie Fils-Aime said “Value has been a key card for us this generation and we’ll continue to play it. Do I expect us to be at a lower price point than our competition? Yes I do. Have we determined a price yet? No we haven’t.”
Quite frankly, it would be a bit of a shock if the Revolution wasn’t cheaper than the Xbox 360 or the PS3. It lacks HD support. “No problem,” claims Fils-Aime. “What we’ll offer in terms of gameplay and approachability will more than make up for the lack of HD.” All very well we say, but it would be nice to have both and Sony and Microsoft will have a damn good try.
November 12th, 2005
Electronic Arts has won the rights to produce a range of Simpsons games on next generation consoles.
“This is a great opportunity for our talented development team to collaborate with the brilliant minds of The Simpsons to bring original Simpsons material to videogame fans,” said Nick Earl, Vice President and General Manager, EA Redwood Shores Studio.
“This is something EA’s been interested in for years and now game development and technology is at a place where The Simpsons characters and world will really come alive in these games.”
“The Simpsons is our crown jewel and with every additional episode is creating a legacy of creativity and success unmatched in this industry,” commented Twentieth Century Fox President Gary Newman. “Its huge appeal among teens and young adults coupled with its seemingly limitless universe of memorable characters makes it a natural fit for videogaming, and we believe Electronic Arts is exactly the right creative partner to bring Springfield to life in this medium.”
‘Simpsons’ Executive Producer James L. Brooks, speaking on behalf of Gracie Films, stated, “I think this is a great opportunity for us, primarily because it brings with it the possibility of free EA games.”
Now that’s a sentiment we’re familiar with, but alas, have little experience of.
November 4th, 2005
IBM has announced the custom designed microprocessor built for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 is in production at the company’s New York plant and at Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing in Singapore.
The specialized chip, featuring customized and enhanced IBM intellectual property, was designed and developed by IBM and Microsoft to meet the unique requirements of the next generation Xbox 360 console.
The chip was delivered to Microsoft in less than 24 months from original contract signing in the fall of 2003 in time to meet Microsoft’s massive worldwide product launch for the 2005 holiday season.
“The Xbox 360 chip set was designed from the ground up specifically for high-definition gaming and entertainment,” said Todd Holmdahl, corporate vice president, hardware for Xbox. “Working with IBM gave us the flexibility to design a processor to give game developers the kind of targeted power they need to make great games.”
“Microsoft’s aggressive timetable required that IBM take the Xbox 360 chip design from concept to full execution in just 24 months,” said Ilan Spillinger, IBM Distinguished Engineer and director of the IBM Design Center for Xbox 360. “IBM’s success in delivering the chip to meet Microsoft’s worldwide launch illustrates our commitment to innovative processor design that builds on IBM’s wealth of intellectual property.”
“The Xbox 360 project called upon the full range of IBM’s On Demand technology capabilities, including our Engineering & Technology Services unit for custom design work and our world wide manufacturing resources to meet the aggressive time-to-market demands for this advanced microprocessor,” said Jim Comfort, vice president and Strategic Client Executive, IBM Systems and Technology Group.
“Leveraging a common platform strategy, Microsoft benefits from a unique collaboration between IBM and Chartered for meeting its design and manufacturing needs, no matter how challenging they might be. With IBM and Chartered sharing a common focus on customer success, customers can have a single design sourced at multiple fabs, and benefit from tighter coordination and shared learning to speed prototyping, ramp and improve yield and meet time-to-market demands,” said Kay Chai “KC” Ang, senior vice president of fab operations at Chartered.
IBM engineers have been working with Microsoft to develop the chip since 2003 at IBM locations including Rochester, Minnesota; Austin, Texas; and Raleigh, North Carolina. Microsoft plans to formally launch Xbox 360 simultaneously in the United States, Japan and Europe later this year.
The chip features a customized version of IBM’s industry leading 64-bit PowerPC core. The chip includes three of these cores, each with two simultaneous threads and clock speeds greater than 3 GHz. It features 165 million transistors and is fabricated using IBM’s 90 nanometer Silicon on Insulator (SOI) technology to reduce heat and improve performance. The chip’s innovative 21.6 GB/s Front Side Bus (FSB) Architecture was customized to meet the demanding throughput and latency requirements of the Xbox 360 gaming platform software.
Other Xbox 360 chip features include:
* 3 identical multi-threaded PowerPC-based CPU cores operating at 3.2 GHz enhanced with specialized function VMX acceleration for gaming applications and a high speed 128-bit vector unit
* 1 MByte Shared L2 Cache with custom logic for high-speed data streaming for graphics and system applications
* 5.4 Gb/s per-pin Front Side Bus (with an aggregated bandwidth of 21.6 GBs)
* Highly configurable and programmable utilizing eFUSE technology
October 26th, 2005
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