Friday 22 February 2008
Thursday 21 February 2008
Wednesday 20 February 2008
Ninja Gaiden 2 Dated
At the 2008 GDC keynote, Microsoft has announced that Team Ninja's Ninja Gaiden 2 will be released on June 3, 2008 in the United States. The game will be released worlwide the same month.
In Ninja Gaiden 2, gamers must guide Ryu Hayabusa on a mission to avenge his clan and prevent the destruction of the human race. Armed with an assortment of ninja weaponry, players must help Ryu skillfully maneuver through a world fraught with peril and danger.
In Ninja Gaiden 2, gamers must guide Ryu Hayabusa on a mission to avenge his clan and prevent the destruction of the human race. Armed with an assortment of ninja weaponry, players must help Ryu skillfully maneuver through a world fraught with peril and danger.
It’s A 3 Console Generation, Get Over It
by Torrence Davis
For those of you who somehow think that there will be a single victor this console generation, think again. Like the days of the SNES and Sega Genesis, we have not only 2, but 3 video game consoles that will fight this generation to a stalemate.
Usually in the war of consoles, there are winners and losers. Nintendo destroyed Sega back in the 8-bit era, but in the 16-bit era, both Sega and Nintendo were equally successful with their consoles. When Sony stepped in the game, Nintendo and Sega couldn’t get a foothold. As awesome as the Sega Saturn was, it was destroyed by Sony’s business sense. They had better hardware, it was easier to develop games on and Sony was buying ip’s left and right. Nintendo had a short success with the N64, but we had already moved on to CD’s. Cartridges were too expensive and not as versatile as optical discs.
I’d have to say the biggest console blow in history was the day that Sega went cold turkey on the Dreamcast. It was almost as if they gave up on the system before it could even finish the fight it started. Did Sega see something coming that we didn’t? The Dreamcast still stands, in my opinion, as one of the greatest consoles ever made.
And what became of the Gamecube? Damn it was a hot little box. It didn’t make sense for developers to make 3 iterations of their games, especially since Gamecube versions sold poorly in comparison to the Xbox and PS2. Many argue that the Xbox was a more powerful machine than the PS2, but Microsoft didn’t have the Japanese 3rd party support to push it to success in Japan. Plus Japanese gamers are fickle when it comes to name brand. Microsoft did well, but lost to Sony’s world domination of 100+ million consoles.
Sony had destroyed the competition for 2 generations in a row. Everyone is banking on them doing the same thing once again for the 3rd time around. This time however, Microsoft and Nintendo are playing with loaded dice. First Nintendo tapped an untappable market; the baby boomer gamers. They managed to get everyone that games and everyone that doesn’t game to buy the Wii. We are talking about a demographic that spans 18 - 70yr old individuals. Non-gamers rushing out to buy a game system is still mind boggling to me. Both my aunt and my mothers friend bought Wii’s and they are in their 50’s.
Next comes Microsoft. They beat Sony to the punch by an entire year. They scored a bunch of great ip’s and finally got some Japanese developers on board. While Xbox 360’s are selling in low numbers in Japan, they are still selling. Microsoft, being the smart company they are, has limited distribution in Japan. So they really aren’t spending as much money in Japan and are getting a small return. They managed to steal some great ip’s from Sony and for the first time get a GTA launch game. The piss poor hardware quality of the Xbox 360 hurt them. I’d go as far as saying that one big mistake cost them a few million console sales. They’ve recovered and managed to stay ahead of Sony.
Sony had a slow start as well. They had a lackluster system launch, high priced hardware and one too many SKUs. They’ve dropped the price several times since launch and are on the turn around with the PS3. This year looks to be the best for the PS3 like 2007 was the best for the 360. Sony is now battling on two fronts: One against Microsoft and another against Nintendo.
The Wii will continue to sell and so will the 360. The Xbox 360 is now a household name in America and it shows. The majority of Xbox 360 sales are made in North America and Europe. Sony makes more sales in Japan and Europe. Nintendo is selling equally worldwide. While Sony has made an incredible 180 degree turn around in 2008 and are finally outselling the Xbox 360 in Europe, they have a long way to go before they can catch the Microsoft. Even if the PS3 outsells the 360 by 100k a month, they are only gaining 1.2 million sales ahead of Microsoft per year. At this rate it would take Sony 6 years just to catch up to Microsoft.
The bottom line, gamers have chosen their sides, all 3 of them. As long as all 3 systems continue selling, there will never be a clear winner of this generation. This is a good thing. No one wants to relive the pain of our beloved Dreamcast going belly up again. Enjoy what you have and stop hoping for world domination. Competition is good for gaming.
For those of you who somehow think that there will be a single victor this console generation, think again. Like the days of the SNES and Sega Genesis, we have not only 2, but 3 video game consoles that will fight this generation to a stalemate.
Usually in the war of consoles, there are winners and losers. Nintendo destroyed Sega back in the 8-bit era, but in the 16-bit era, both Sega and Nintendo were equally successful with their consoles. When Sony stepped in the game, Nintendo and Sega couldn’t get a foothold. As awesome as the Sega Saturn was, it was destroyed by Sony’s business sense. They had better hardware, it was easier to develop games on and Sony was buying ip’s left and right. Nintendo had a short success with the N64, but we had already moved on to CD’s. Cartridges were too expensive and not as versatile as optical discs.
I’d have to say the biggest console blow in history was the day that Sega went cold turkey on the Dreamcast. It was almost as if they gave up on the system before it could even finish the fight it started. Did Sega see something coming that we didn’t? The Dreamcast still stands, in my opinion, as one of the greatest consoles ever made.
And what became of the Gamecube? Damn it was a hot little box. It didn’t make sense for developers to make 3 iterations of their games, especially since Gamecube versions sold poorly in comparison to the Xbox and PS2. Many argue that the Xbox was a more powerful machine than the PS2, but Microsoft didn’t have the Japanese 3rd party support to push it to success in Japan. Plus Japanese gamers are fickle when it comes to name brand. Microsoft did well, but lost to Sony’s world domination of 100+ million consoles.
Sony had destroyed the competition for 2 generations in a row. Everyone is banking on them doing the same thing once again for the 3rd time around. This time however, Microsoft and Nintendo are playing with loaded dice. First Nintendo tapped an untappable market; the baby boomer gamers. They managed to get everyone that games and everyone that doesn’t game to buy the Wii. We are talking about a demographic that spans 18 - 70yr old individuals. Non-gamers rushing out to buy a game system is still mind boggling to me. Both my aunt and my mothers friend bought Wii’s and they are in their 50’s.
Next comes Microsoft. They beat Sony to the punch by an entire year. They scored a bunch of great ip’s and finally got some Japanese developers on board. While Xbox 360’s are selling in low numbers in Japan, they are still selling. Microsoft, being the smart company they are, has limited distribution in Japan. So they really aren’t spending as much money in Japan and are getting a small return. They managed to steal some great ip’s from Sony and for the first time get a GTA launch game. The piss poor hardware quality of the Xbox 360 hurt them. I’d go as far as saying that one big mistake cost them a few million console sales. They’ve recovered and managed to stay ahead of Sony.
Sony had a slow start as well. They had a lackluster system launch, high priced hardware and one too many SKUs. They’ve dropped the price several times since launch and are on the turn around with the PS3. This year looks to be the best for the PS3 like 2007 was the best for the 360. Sony is now battling on two fronts: One against Microsoft and another against Nintendo.
The Wii will continue to sell and so will the 360. The Xbox 360 is now a household name in America and it shows. The majority of Xbox 360 sales are made in North America and Europe. Sony makes more sales in Japan and Europe. Nintendo is selling equally worldwide. While Sony has made an incredible 180 degree turn around in 2008 and are finally outselling the Xbox 360 in Europe, they have a long way to go before they can catch the Microsoft. Even if the PS3 outsells the 360 by 100k a month, they are only gaining 1.2 million sales ahead of Microsoft per year. At this rate it would take Sony 6 years just to catch up to Microsoft.
The bottom line, gamers have chosen their sides, all 3 of them. As long as all 3 systems continue selling, there will never be a clear winner of this generation. This is a good thing. No one wants to relive the pain of our beloved Dreamcast going belly up again. Enjoy what you have and stop hoping for world domination. Competition is good for gaming.
Devil May Cry 4 sells over 2 million units
Capcom have revealed that they have shipped over two million units worldwide of Devil May Cry 4 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
Devil May Cry 4 immerses gamers in a gothic supernatural world, where a new protagonist clashes with series mainstay Dante. As new leading man Nero players will be able to unleash incredibly powerful and stylish attacks and non-stop combos using a combination of the Devil Bringer right arm and the Exceed system, both of which are new gameplay mechanics for the series. Taking full advantage of the advanced graphical and processing power of the next-gen systems it draws gamers into the Devil May Cry world like never before with highly detailed and expansive environments, even more enemies to defeat and some of the most breath-taking bosses ever conceived.
Devil May Cry 4 is currently topping the ELSPA Charts for both the Xbox 360 and PS3, while the series has amassed total worldwide sales to date of over 9 million units and become a pillar franchise for Capcom.
Devil May Cry 4 immerses gamers in a gothic supernatural world, where a new protagonist clashes with series mainstay Dante. As new leading man Nero players will be able to unleash incredibly powerful and stylish attacks and non-stop combos using a combination of the Devil Bringer right arm and the Exceed system, both of which are new gameplay mechanics for the series. Taking full advantage of the advanced graphical and processing power of the next-gen systems it draws gamers into the Devil May Cry world like never before with highly detailed and expansive environments, even more enemies to defeat and some of the most breath-taking bosses ever conceived.
Devil May Cry 4 is currently topping the ELSPA Charts for both the Xbox 360 and PS3, while the series has amassed total worldwide sales to date of over 9 million units and become a pillar franchise for Capcom.
Gears of War 2 Announced At GDC
By Brandon Hofer (XBL: ShadowNextGen) - 20 Feb 08
The Microsoft keynote at GDC just ended minutes ago with some big announcements. Along with these big announcements Itagaki was on hand to demo more of Ninja Gaiden 2 as well as Peter Molyneaux showing up to show off more of Fable 2. During the keynote there were some big announcements that came out about upcoming titles.
First of all Itagaki announced that Ninja Gaiden II has a confirmed release date of June 3, 2008. In Ninja Gaiden II you will be abe to upload clips of your videos to XBox Live and people can then dowload them from leaderboards. I would assume that this would work similarly to how the Halo 3 saved films feature work.
Next Peter Molyneaux is on stage and is going through a live demo of Fable 2. Apparently in the game you won't get money from doing quests but rather working jobs or playing games of chance. There will also apparently be an XBLA game outside of Fable 2 specifically that will allow you to build up your money for use in Fable 2 before you even have the game! The next big feature announced for Fable 2 was co-op! You can hop in at any point to join another persons game. Also apparently anything you get in your friends world you can bring back to your own.
After those big announcements a video is then shown for Gears of War 2! There was no gameplay however supposedly a Gears of War 2 teaser video will be available later on today on XBox Live Marketplace. Cliffy B then comes out and announces that this game is a 360 exclusive and will come out in November 2008.
The Microsoft keynote at GDC just ended minutes ago with some big announcements. Along with these big announcements Itagaki was on hand to demo more of Ninja Gaiden 2 as well as Peter Molyneaux showing up to show off more of Fable 2. During the keynote there were some big announcements that came out about upcoming titles.
First of all Itagaki announced that Ninja Gaiden II has a confirmed release date of June 3, 2008. In Ninja Gaiden II you will be abe to upload clips of your videos to XBox Live and people can then dowload them from leaderboards. I would assume that this would work similarly to how the Halo 3 saved films feature work.
Next Peter Molyneaux is on stage and is going through a live demo of Fable 2. Apparently in the game you won't get money from doing quests but rather working jobs or playing games of chance. There will also apparently be an XBLA game outside of Fable 2 specifically that will allow you to build up your money for use in Fable 2 before you even have the game! The next big feature announced for Fable 2 was co-op! You can hop in at any point to join another persons game. Also apparently anything you get in your friends world you can bring back to your own.
After those big announcements a video is then shown for Gears of War 2! There was no gameplay however supposedly a Gears of War 2 teaser video will be available later on today on XBox Live Marketplace. Cliffy B then comes out and announces that this game is a 360 exclusive and will come out in November 2008.
Tuesday 19 February 2008
BREAKING NEWS: Universal will release on Blu-ray
By Henning Molbaek
FIRST ONLINE Feb 19, 2008
Following the announcement of Toshiba discontinuing HD DVD Universal made a statement to Home Media Magazine.
"While Universal values the close partnership we have shared with Toshiba, it is time to turn our focus to releasing new and catalog titles on Blu-ray," said Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
"The path for widespread adoption of the next-generation platform has finally become clear. Universal will continue its aggressive efforts to broaden awareness for hi-def´s unparalleled offerings in interactivity and connectivity, at an increasingly affordable price. The emergence of a single, high-definition format is cause for consumers, as well as the entire entertainment industry, to celebrate."
More when it arrives.
FIRST ONLINE Feb 19, 2008
Following the announcement of Toshiba discontinuing HD DVD Universal made a statement to Home Media Magazine.
"While Universal values the close partnership we have shared with Toshiba, it is time to turn our focus to releasing new and catalog titles on Blu-ray," said Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
"The path for widespread adoption of the next-generation platform has finally become clear. Universal will continue its aggressive efforts to broaden awareness for hi-def´s unparalleled offerings in interactivity and connectivity, at an increasingly affordable price. The emergence of a single, high-definition format is cause for consumers, as well as the entire entertainment industry, to celebrate."
More when it arrives.
Left 4 Dead Xbox 360 Revealed as Exclusive
Left 4 Dead Xbox 360 Revealed! - 2/17/08
The March 2008 issue of the Official Xbox Magazine features Left 4 Dead on its cover, revealing the Xbox 360 version for the first time. OXM visited Valve where they played the Hospital and Cornfield scenarios on the PC and they also had the chance to see Cornfield running on Xbox 360 development hardware. This is the first time that the press has been able to see the Xbox 360 version, which still has some ways to go to match the PC: "Valve didn't let us play the 360 edition of Left 4 Dead because it was too early and unbalanced - apparently, the zombies were so overpowered that humans stood no chance." And about the graphics, "'The 360 look is almost to where the PC is, and we'll get it up to the PC look before we ship,' promises Faliszek."
The five page article contains about 8 new screenshots along with some others we've seen before, with some nice lighting going on. The multiplayer capabilities of the Xbox 360 were discussed with Doug Lombardi:
Left 4 Dead will feature four-player co-op and eight-player, 4-on-4 Versus matches via Xbox Live or System Link. What about a split screen mode? "That's the most relevant question that we can't answer for you today," replies Valve's Doug Lombardi with a laugh. "It's a good thing to want. Being able to play two people split-screen ... four player would be even better, but I don't think four- would happen. But for us, the idea of having two people play split-screen, playing co-op on the couch and letting the NPC's fill out the rest ... it's a pretty big feature for us to chase. But right now, we're not ready to say if it's in or it's out."
The other big news from this article is that a separate game company named Certain Affinity is handling the Xbox 360 version. Certain Affinity is a small game developer founded in November 2006 based in Austin, Texas with about 16 employees. Their first product was Halo 2's Blastacular Map Pack for Bungie and Microsoft. Certain Affinity is led by Max Hoberman, a 10-year Bungie veteran who was multiplayer lead for both Halo 2 and Halo 3. OXM explained how the work is divided between the three (now two, since Turtle Rock Studios has been absorbed by Valve):
Left 4 Dead is the work of three companies - Valve Software, Turtle Rock Studios, and Certain Affinity. As the creators of The Orange Box and the Source engine, Valve is handling the games core software functionality. Certain Affinity (the Texas company created by ex-Bungie veteran Max Hoberman) was brought on to handle 360-specific elements like matchmaking, Live support, console customization, and 360 gameplay tweaks. Turtle Rock - developer of Counter-Strike for the original Xbox and the Pc's more recent Counter-Strike: Source - owns Left 4 Dead's design. Monsters, level work, weapons, and especially the game's A.I. all fall to the Turtle Rock crew.
Max Hoberman was in charge of the entire online system for Halo 2 and 3, including matchmaking and the party system. Having that experience behind the Xbox 360 version of Left 4 Dead is very exciting - as I understand it, Halo 2 and 3 did pretty well in the online arena! Some other things of note in the OXM article: The escape vehicle on Cornfield is a "heavily armed flatbed" truck. They played with NPC teammates that "behaved impressively like human players", which is the first time we've seen Survivor AI mentioned.
OXM states the following: "EXCLUSIVE: The PC and 360 versions of Left 4 Dead will ship simultaneously, but there will be no PS3 edition." No quote is given, so until we hear it straight from the mouth of Lombardi or Booth, we're not certain. Thanks to OXM for its great coverage of Left 4 Dead, and we wish luck to Certain Affinity on its task of taming the 360 version of Left 4 Dead!
The March 2008 issue of the Official Xbox Magazine features Left 4 Dead on its cover, revealing the Xbox 360 version for the first time. OXM visited Valve where they played the Hospital and Cornfield scenarios on the PC and they also had the chance to see Cornfield running on Xbox 360 development hardware. This is the first time that the press has been able to see the Xbox 360 version, which still has some ways to go to match the PC: "Valve didn't let us play the 360 edition of Left 4 Dead because it was too early and unbalanced - apparently, the zombies were so overpowered that humans stood no chance." And about the graphics, "'The 360 look is almost to where the PC is, and we'll get it up to the PC look before we ship,' promises Faliszek."
The five page article contains about 8 new screenshots along with some others we've seen before, with some nice lighting going on. The multiplayer capabilities of the Xbox 360 were discussed with Doug Lombardi:
Left 4 Dead will feature four-player co-op and eight-player, 4-on-4 Versus matches via Xbox Live or System Link. What about a split screen mode? "That's the most relevant question that we can't answer for you today," replies Valve's Doug Lombardi with a laugh. "It's a good thing to want. Being able to play two people split-screen ... four player would be even better, but I don't think four- would happen. But for us, the idea of having two people play split-screen, playing co-op on the couch and letting the NPC's fill out the rest ... it's a pretty big feature for us to chase. But right now, we're not ready to say if it's in or it's out."
The other big news from this article is that a separate game company named Certain Affinity is handling the Xbox 360 version. Certain Affinity is a small game developer founded in November 2006 based in Austin, Texas with about 16 employees. Their first product was Halo 2's Blastacular Map Pack for Bungie and Microsoft. Certain Affinity is led by Max Hoberman, a 10-year Bungie veteran who was multiplayer lead for both Halo 2 and Halo 3. OXM explained how the work is divided between the three (now two, since Turtle Rock Studios has been absorbed by Valve):
Left 4 Dead is the work of three companies - Valve Software, Turtle Rock Studios, and Certain Affinity. As the creators of The Orange Box and the Source engine, Valve is handling the games core software functionality. Certain Affinity (the Texas company created by ex-Bungie veteran Max Hoberman) was brought on to handle 360-specific elements like matchmaking, Live support, console customization, and 360 gameplay tweaks. Turtle Rock - developer of Counter-Strike for the original Xbox and the Pc's more recent Counter-Strike: Source - owns Left 4 Dead's design. Monsters, level work, weapons, and especially the game's A.I. all fall to the Turtle Rock crew.
Max Hoberman was in charge of the entire online system for Halo 2 and 3, including matchmaking and the party system. Having that experience behind the Xbox 360 version of Left 4 Dead is very exciting - as I understand it, Halo 2 and 3 did pretty well in the online arena! Some other things of note in the OXM article: The escape vehicle on Cornfield is a "heavily armed flatbed" truck. They played with NPC teammates that "behaved impressively like human players", which is the first time we've seen Survivor AI mentioned.
OXM states the following: "EXCLUSIVE: The PC and 360 versions of Left 4 Dead will ship simultaneously, but there will be no PS3 edition." No quote is given, so until we hear it straight from the mouth of Lombardi or Booth, we're not certain. Thanks to OXM for its great coverage of Left 4 Dead, and we wish luck to Certain Affinity on its task of taming the 360 version of Left 4 Dead!
Is Blu-ray a Microsoft victory?
So Sony have won the format war for HD TV content distribution. The Blu-ray disk has beaten HD DVD to become the new standard. The first Sony media victory since the Microfloppy of 1982.
But it has cost Sony dear. Difficulties mass producing Blu-ray drives in 2005/6 delayed the PS3 getting to market. And when it did the high cost of the drives compared with DVDs contributed to Sony having to charge a premium price for the console, which stunted sales. These factors may possibly result in Sony coming third in this generation of the console wars. For certain they haven’t dominated like they did in the last generation with PS2. A very high cost to pay.
Meanwhile Microsoft did not build an HD drive into the Xbox 360. This enabled them to get their console to market more quickly and for a lower price. So they have maintained a significant lead over Sony in this generation of console. By having the HD drive as an external add on Microsoft hedged it’s bets. It didn’t bother them or effect them commercially whichever format won. They would just make external drives using whichever format won. And so they will.
Of course none of this has any impact on Nintendo. They, quite literally, are playing a different game
Toshiba Announces Discontinuation of HD DVD Businesses
By Neil Vaughan - 19 Feb 08
Toshiba have officially announced that they will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders.
"We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called 'next-generation format war' and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop," said Atsutoshi Nishida, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation.
"While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality."
Toshiba will begin to reduce shipments of HD DVD players and recorders to retail channels, aiming for cessation of these businesses by the end of March 2008. Toshiba also plans to end volume production of HD DVD disk drives for such applications as PCs and games in the same timeframe, yet will continue to make efforts to meet customer requirements.
Toshiba have officially announced that they will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders.
"We carefully assessed the long-term impact of continuing the so-called 'next-generation format war' and concluded that a swift decision will best help the market develop," said Atsutoshi Nishida, President and CEO of Toshiba Corporation.
"While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality."
Toshiba will begin to reduce shipments of HD DVD players and recorders to retail channels, aiming for cessation of these businesses by the end of March 2008. Toshiba also plans to end volume production of HD DVD disk drives for such applications as PCs and games in the same timeframe, yet will continue to make efforts to meet customer requirements.
Monday 18 February 2008
Microsoft Building a New Live Experience?
According to a new job posting on Games on Deck, Microsoft is looking for new employees to help build "a totally new Live experience". Here's the job description:
Want to be involved in the next release of Xbox? Join the server-backed games team, part of the Xbox LIVE team that's responsible for creating a completely new way for mainstream audiences to enjoy the Xbox and LIVE.
We're building the games, the console interface and logic, and the server support for a totally new LIVE experience. Both the games and the dashboard experience will be deeply paired with dynamic server support to create a compelling, fresh scenario each time. We're a small, entrepreneurial team working together to get things done very quickly in an agile environment. If you want to work in a space where you'll get all the responsibility you can swallow, and run as fast as you can, this team is for you.
We are looking for a passionate Games Producer to help implement our first generation games that will run in this new environment. Specific job responsibilities include Managing internal and external development of the games, contract negotiation and management, technical design reviews and scheduling. You will also interact with our content team and help them bring their designs to life. As we're a small team, we want independent people that are driven for results and able to wear multiple hats to get things done quickly.
Is a drastic change in store for Xbox Live? I'd be surprised personally, but what's your take?
by Matt Gibbs
Want to be involved in the next release of Xbox? Join the server-backed games team, part of the Xbox LIVE team that's responsible for creating a completely new way for mainstream audiences to enjoy the Xbox and LIVE.
We're building the games, the console interface and logic, and the server support for a totally new LIVE experience. Both the games and the dashboard experience will be deeply paired with dynamic server support to create a compelling, fresh scenario each time. We're a small, entrepreneurial team working together to get things done very quickly in an agile environment. If you want to work in a space where you'll get all the responsibility you can swallow, and run as fast as you can, this team is for you.
We are looking for a passionate Games Producer to help implement our first generation games that will run in this new environment. Specific job responsibilities include Managing internal and external development of the games, contract negotiation and management, technical design reviews and scheduling. You will also interact with our content team and help them bring their designs to life. As we're a small team, we want independent people that are driven for results and able to wear multiple hats to get things done quickly.
Is a drastic change in store for Xbox Live? I'd be surprised personally, but what's your take?
by Matt Gibbs
A Blu Ray Enabled Xbox 360 in May?
With HD-DVD officially dead in the water, rumors have started circulating that Microsoft is about to dump the format too, and bring out a Blu Ray enabled Xbox 360 as earlier as May 2008! Smart House apparently has the inside word and it would seem that internal testing has been underway for quite some time!
Insiders at Microsoft in the USA have told SmartHouse that Microsoft has already configured a standalone Blu-ray player that can be connected into an Xbox 360 and that subject to internal marketing and sales approvals the model could be on sale within 3 months.
The Company has also been working on a built in Blu-ray player however insiders are claiming that Microsoft see the HD format battle moving online with consumers offered 1080p movie and content files as a download as opposed to having to buy a HD DVD or Blu-ray disc.
Both Intel and Microsoft have been supporters of the HD DVD format that is set to be killed off this week.
Furthermore, Smart House report that Sony has already commented on Microsoft coming out with such a Xbox 360, saying, "We would welcome Microsoft to the Blu-ray stable. In fact it is quite logical for them as the PS3 has been very succesful in driving consumers to Blu-ray. In fact we believe that it has done more to win the format war than traditional Blu-ray player".
Insiders at Microsoft in the USA have told SmartHouse that Microsoft has already configured a standalone Blu-ray player that can be connected into an Xbox 360 and that subject to internal marketing and sales approvals the model could be on sale within 3 months.
The Company has also been working on a built in Blu-ray player however insiders are claiming that Microsoft see the HD format battle moving online with consumers offered 1080p movie and content files as a download as opposed to having to buy a HD DVD or Blu-ray disc.
Both Intel and Microsoft have been supporters of the HD DVD format that is set to be killed off this week.
Furthermore, Smart House report that Sony has already commented on Microsoft coming out with such a Xbox 360, saying, "We would welcome Microsoft to the Blu-ray stable. In fact it is quite logical for them as the PS3 has been very succesful in driving consumers to Blu-ray. In fact we believe that it has done more to win the format war than traditional Blu-ray player".
Call of Duty 4 Downloadable Content Confirmed
Activision and Infinity Ward confirm that new downloadable multiplayer maps are on the way this spring. In development for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, the upcoming downloadable content will thrust gamers into new combat zones across a variety of intense multiplayer locales.
Stay tuned for more details, map descriptions and screenshots of the hot new content
Stay tuned for more details, map descriptions and screenshots of the hot new content
Toshiba: HD-DVD Business Is Not Dead - Yet
Toshiba has refused to confirm speculation that it is set to pull the plug on its HD-DVD platform, but has announced that it is “currently assessing its business strategies”.
Media reports this weekend suggested Toshiba was planning to cease HD-DVD production, and hailed Sony and its Blu-ray technology as the victors in the high-definition format war.
However, in a brief statement Toshiba has moved to quell the speculation - for now.
“The media reported that Toshiba will discontinue its HD-DVD business. Toshiba has not made any announcement concerning this. Although Toshiba is currently assessing its business strategies, no decision has been made at this moment.”
According to Reuters, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that the format war was over as Toshiba, which has been struck by the defection of most of the major film studios to Sony-backed Blu-ray, prepared to cease HD-DVD production. The report said that Toshiba would continue to sell existing HD-DVD products at stores but not invest further resources in product development.
Should Toshiba withdraw from the format war the firm is expected to suffer losses amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.
Rumors have begun to circulate that Microsoft, which backed the Toshiba format with the release of an Xbox 360 HD-DVD player, has already configured a standalone Blu-ray drive for Xbox 360, while a new 360 with an in-built Blu-ray player is also said to be in the works.
Microsoft has previously said that the success of the HD-DVD format is not critical to the long-term fortunes of the Xbox 360, noting that it would consider releasing a Blu-ray player for the system should the technology be victorious over Toshiba’s format.
Media reports this weekend suggested Toshiba was planning to cease HD-DVD production, and hailed Sony and its Blu-ray technology as the victors in the high-definition format war.
However, in a brief statement Toshiba has moved to quell the speculation - for now.
“The media reported that Toshiba will discontinue its HD-DVD business. Toshiba has not made any announcement concerning this. Although Toshiba is currently assessing its business strategies, no decision has been made at this moment.”
According to Reuters, Japanese broadcaster NHK reported that the format war was over as Toshiba, which has been struck by the defection of most of the major film studios to Sony-backed Blu-ray, prepared to cease HD-DVD production. The report said that Toshiba would continue to sell existing HD-DVD products at stores but not invest further resources in product development.
Should Toshiba withdraw from the format war the firm is expected to suffer losses amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars.
Rumors have begun to circulate that Microsoft, which backed the Toshiba format with the release of an Xbox 360 HD-DVD player, has already configured a standalone Blu-ray drive for Xbox 360, while a new 360 with an in-built Blu-ray player is also said to be in the works.
Microsoft has previously said that the success of the HD-DVD format is not critical to the long-term fortunes of the Xbox 360, noting that it would consider releasing a Blu-ray player for the system should the technology be victorious over Toshiba’s format.
Review: Madcatz Xbox 360 HDMI Conversion Kit
Microsoft first balked at the idea of including HDMI in it’s original Xbox 360. While Sony gave it’s gamers everything they needed for high definition gaming, you were stuck with either VGA or Component for your 360. I’ll admit, back then I didn’t care about HDMI either, that is until I ran out of component ports on my TV. Madcatz has come to the rescue with their Xbox 360 HDMI Conversion Kit.
The kit is surprisingly well put together. It comes with the converter and heavily shielded HDMI and optical cables. The kit retails for $89 which is seriously steep, but at least it comes with the cables.
The converter plugs into your Xbox 360 AV slot. On the converter are ports for HDMI and optical cables. Upon powering up your 360, your TV will recognize the HDMI right away. I tested the kit out on a 32″ Sony Bravia KDL-32SL130, which is surprisingly, 1080p capable.
The first test I did was 1080p gaming. I switched to 1080p mode without a hitch. I had to adjust the TV’s brightness because it was too bright. It was already set for extended blacks so I left that setting alone. Supposedly, the signal coming from the Xbox AV connecter is analog. So the conversion kit does an analog to digital conversion before the signal hits your TV. Some might say that there is degradation in the image quality because of the conversion, but I didn’t see any. It ran Assassin’s Creed in full 1080p without a hitch and it looked beautiful. I also tested out Super Puzzle Fighter HD and the Devil May Cry 4 demo. They both looked as gorgeous as HD gaming gets.
The next test was the DVD upconversion to 1080p. Now Madcatz claims in their press release that it does upconvert your DVD movies to 1080p. I tested 2 DVDs and the results were a 480p conversion, which is the same conversion you get with component cables. In fact, the Sony Bravia supports 1080p from the component cables. I can only assume that the analog to digital conversion isn’t converting the 480p signal at all. This is a downer for those that watch movies on their 360.
I like the fact that the 1080p games still maintain that beautifully sharp image through the HDMI. While it doesn’t upconvert your DVDs like it’s supposed to, it’s still a great solution for bringing HDMI to your old Xbox 360. Some however, would rather sell their 360 and buy one equipped with an HDMI port that actually does do the upconversion. Plus the $89 price point hurts the pocket. That’s worth 2 games right there. If you can afford the conversion kit, then you can afford to buy another 360. If you’re a budget gamer, I can’t see paying such a high price for this when you can use the money on games. Also, it may be too little and too late for Madcatz to capitalize on this. I think if this was released shortly after the 360, they would have made some good sales.
HD DVD IS DEAD!!!
The final nail in HD DVD’s coffin has been pounded in as the only independent pressing plant that supported both formats has gone Blu ray only. Press release follows:
The only indie multi-format high definition disc pressing plant, Blue Ray Technologies, will drop its HD-DVD lines without waiting for the widely-reported and anticipated announcement of Toshiba's retreat from HD-DVD.
"This is a victory for the consumers, who can now move in to the stunning high def disc world and build collections with confidence," said industry expert Erick Hansen, a DVD pioneer and chairman of Blue Ray Technologies. "Toshiba can take heart in that there is no shame: it was a battle well-fought and that they have several adaptable technologies and backup plans."
In fact, no orders had come in to the full-service disc manufacturer for HD-DVDs, even partial orders along with Blu-ray clients looking to service both markets, since November. The indie film companies that BRT serves had seen the death of the HD-DVD format long before last week's announcement that Walmart, Blockbuster and Netflix were dropping the format - and even before Warner Bros. announced in January at the CES show they were going Blu-ray only.
"This week we will dismantle our HD-DVD lines and will be adding new equipment to bolster our Blue-ray manufacturing," said Hansen explaining, "Despite our name and preference, we always offered HD-DVDs as a service to our customers. Now we will reconfigure part of that equipment to make DVDs and CDs," said Hansen. "The indie film companies moved quicker than the studios and gradually stopped mixed orders in favor of Blu-ray late last year."
Hansen explained "They preferred the larger capacity and full 1080p quality of the Blu-ray discs going forward. We saw this but since I have been saying HD-DVD was DOA for four years, we still had to wait for the industry to catch up to the inevitable. HD-DVD is dead, all that is left is the burial."
He said "We are waiting this week for the other shoes to drop from Universal and Paramount/DreamWorks, the last studios to support HD-DVD over Blu-ray -- and word from Microsoft, who used the now-obsolete format as an add-on to their Xbox game console."
The only indie multi-format high definition disc pressing plant, Blue Ray Technologies, will drop its HD-DVD lines without waiting for the widely-reported and anticipated announcement of Toshiba's retreat from HD-DVD.
"This is a victory for the consumers, who can now move in to the stunning high def disc world and build collections with confidence," said industry expert Erick Hansen, a DVD pioneer and chairman of Blue Ray Technologies. "Toshiba can take heart in that there is no shame: it was a battle well-fought and that they have several adaptable technologies and backup plans."
In fact, no orders had come in to the full-service disc manufacturer for HD-DVDs, even partial orders along with Blu-ray clients looking to service both markets, since November. The indie film companies that BRT serves had seen the death of the HD-DVD format long before last week's announcement that Walmart, Blockbuster and Netflix were dropping the format - and even before Warner Bros. announced in January at the CES show they were going Blu-ray only.
"This week we will dismantle our HD-DVD lines and will be adding new equipment to bolster our Blue-ray manufacturing," said Hansen explaining, "Despite our name and preference, we always offered HD-DVDs as a service to our customers. Now we will reconfigure part of that equipment to make DVDs and CDs," said Hansen. "The indie film companies moved quicker than the studios and gradually stopped mixed orders in favor of Blu-ray late last year."
Hansen explained "They preferred the larger capacity and full 1080p quality of the Blu-ray discs going forward. We saw this but since I have been saying HD-DVD was DOA for four years, we still had to wait for the industry to catch up to the inevitable. HD-DVD is dead, all that is left is the burial."
He said "We are waiting this week for the other shoes to drop from Universal and Paramount/DreamWorks, the last studios to support HD-DVD over Blu-ray -- and word from Microsoft, who used the now-obsolete format as an add-on to their Xbox game console."
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