Gaming

As the fall releases of the Nintendo Wii and Sony Playstation 3 (PS3) grow closer, the former has revealed the specifications for its newest console. At first glance, the numbers are not overly impressive, and many gaming insiders are concerned that ... Nintendo has not pushed itself hard enough to match the competition. The result may be a system so underpowered that it loses the few third-party developers left associated with Nintendo, the single greatest problem in marketing the Gamecube. (Source: theinquirer.net ) The Nintendo Wii's engine, or operating speed, clicks along at a reported 729 ... (view more)

Last November, Microsoft faced intense criticism upon the release of its Xbox 360 console. Many die-hard Xbox "fanboys" -- gamers dedicated to Bill Gates' wares -- were unable to purchase the system due to massive production shortages. Those with ... their eye on the industry recognized a ridiculousness in Microsoft's pitiful attempt to attract Japanese gamers (who typically flock to Nintendo and Sony events) when the North American market was starving for more Xbox 360s. The end result? Millions in lost business on this side of the Pacific and thousands of 360s gathering dust in Japanese game ... (view more)

As Nintendo faces both scrutiny for its admittedly fragile DS Lite and applause for shipping its 20 millionth unit, Sony is doing its damndest to keep up. Provided with a golden PR opportunity as Nintendo scrambles to cover itself over an ... approximate 400,000 faulty portable units, Sony is announcing a slew of new features for the Playstation Portable (PSP), in hopes that it can increase shipments. When it launched the PSP in North America on March 24, 2005, many insiders -- including yours truly -- saw the system's power and Sony's third-party support as a dynamic that simply could not fail. ... (view more)

Despite the fact that, for the most part, Nintendo wares are designed with children in mind, Nintendo is today admitting that many of its new DS Lite handhelds are susceptible to cracking. That's right, the company that has produced consoles -- like ... the N64 and SNES -- that appear able to withstand a living room atomic bomb is telling consumers that its newest product is, well, fragile. The problem lies with some faulty cases, leading Nintendo to assure its DS Lite purchasers that the problem is simply cosmetic, and will not directly affect its gaming performance. Furthermore, according to ... (view more)

As if gaming didn't already receive enough bad press, now it appears geese have joined senators and right-wing conservatives in a torch-waving mob: ready to storm industry giants like Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. In a recent (and somewhat strange) ... study, an American professor reached the conclusion that video games were responsible for the decline in the attendance of U.S. national parks. According to University of Illinois researcher and assistant professor Oliver Pergams, sedentary use of home entertainment is on the rise, and such a phenomenal increase is, well, somehow interesting when ... (view more)

With Microsoft increasing online capabilities and downloads via Xbox Live in anticipation of the release of the Sony Playstation 3 (PS3) and Nintendo Wii, the gaming landscape is busier than ever. And it's exciting too: console launches have become ... events occurring about once every four years, making them rare affairs. As the industry continues to grow, excitement over such releases has become comparable to the popularity of the Olympics and perhaps even the anticipation of a U.S. presidential election. But, is gaming growing too fast? Can the North American culture and economy keep up with ... (view more)

In 2004, four men broke into the house of a 22-year-old Erin Belanger and proceeded to beat her, five of her friends, and the family dog to death with baseball bats. The cause: a "stolen" Microsoft Xbox video game system. The verdict: conviction. ... Two years later, three of the four men -- Troy Victorino, Michael Salas, and Jerone Hunter -- have finally been convicted. The fourth -- Robert Cannon -- awaits a separate trial after withdrawing his guilty plea. (Source: gamespot.com - 1 and 2 ) Victorino, Salas, and Jerone will face either life in prison or death by lethal injection. (Source: ... (view more)

For those missing the days of big hair and neon spandex, Microsoft has announced a number of retro-releases for its Xbox Live service. Available each week until mid-August, a number of hits from the 80s and early 90s are coming to Microsoft's Xbox ... 360 online community. Some of the most notable titles include Pac-Man, Galaga, and for a heightened fee, the arcade juggernaut Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting. Since the release of the Xbox 360 in November, Microsoft has added a "Live Arcade" section to its online service. Many older titles are already avaiable there, including Gauntlet and Smash ... (view more)

Recent findings by gaming insiders predict that the Sony Playstation 3's (PS3) hardware and software will end up costing consumers considerably more than originally thought. The rise in cost is primarily due to the PS3's use of next-gen Blu-Ray DVDs ... its lavish hardware configuration. The inevitable result will be titles that cost the average gamer more money, making the already expensive PS3 ($499 USD for 20GB hard drive, $599 USD for 60GB hard drive) a system only appealing to those with fire money -- the kind that burns holes in your pocket. Japanese gaming magazine Ge-Maga recently ... (view more)

Electronic Arts (EA) is the dominant game publisher in today's console market. There has, however, been one genre that EA has yet to manhandle -- the immensely popular line of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games, or "MMORPGs." With that ... said, yesterday's announcement that EA has purchased Mythic games -- the developer behind the Dark Age of Camelot series and the upcoming Warhammer Online -- is proof that EA is interested in bringing MMORPGs to console gamers on a grand scale. (Source: gameSpot.com ) Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games: A bit of History MMORPGs ... (view more)