Gaming

Fans of the Sony PlayStation 3 had a rough time of it when the console launched in November 2006. Pounded in sales by Nintendo and overshadowed by the game library of the Xbox 360, few Sony fanboys could legitimately 'sell' the system for gamers. ... Now, that may be changing as the console regains a critical feature once thought lost forever. When it first shipped well over a year ago, the PS3 lacked a small but important little trick that many gamers enjoyed: rumble. Part of the reason, as claimed by Sony, was that the PS3's new controller function, SIXAXIS, would be impaired by the vibrations ... (view more)

In an effort to keep up with the special features available on the Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii, Microsoft has inked a deal with major Hollywood producer Peter Safran to post original shows for distribution exclusively on the company's own ... gaming console, the Xbox 360. This is not the first time that Microsoft has tried to present its audience with original digital entertainment using non-traditional systems. Two years ago, Microsoft was the brains behind the poorly received "MSN Originals" online television hotspot. (Source: nytimes.com ) But nothing could ever compare to the " ... (view more)

Massive, video game advertising supplier and subsidiary of Microsoft, announced last week that it has solidified its advertising agreement with video game publisher Electronic Arts. The deal lasts until 2010 and assures prominent advertising in some ... of the most popular video games on the market including the "NHL, "Nascar" and "Need For Speed" franchises. While in-game advertising is still a fairly new and somewhat untested medium it promises to be extremely popular with marketers because it targets the oft-pursued demographic of 18-34 year old men. (Source: next-gen.biz ) In a statement ... (view more)

Microsoft has announced Xbox 360 users will now be able to legally download games created by other players. While some independent developers already have such games available on their own sites, the new scheme would make titles available through ... the console's built-in online service, Xbox Live. Players will be able to rate and discuss the games. The firm expects around 500 such titles to be available in the service's first year, which starts testing this spring before an official launch nearer Christmas. People wanting to develop a game will have to use dedicated Microsoft software which has ... (view more)

Hardware manufacturers and software publishers have banded together to try to boost the depressed PC gaming market. They've formed the PC Gaming Alliance (PCGA), the first organisation ever dedicated to that cause. The non-profit group's aims ... include "driving coordinated marketing and promotion of PC gaming...and creating forums for member companies to cooperate on solutions to challenges facing the PC gaming industry, such as hardware requirements and anti piracy." Members include graphics card rivals ATI and NVidia, hardware firms like Intel and Acer, games producers Epic and Activision, ... (view more)

The man behind some of the most sensational movie releases in the last twenty years is about to try his hand at crafting a blockbuster video game. Steven Spielberg, director of E.T., Munich, and Minority Report, will be teaming up with game ... publisher Electronic Arts on Nintendo Wii title "Boom Blox". Unfortunately for those of you who prefer the high-impact scenarios in many of Spielberg's action flicks, the famed director will be trying his hand at a puzzle game. According to reports, Boom Blox allows the player to make a number of different block structures, working their way through them ... (view more)

Not sure why the Nintendo Wii is Super Smashing its competition from Microsoft and Sony these days? In a recent interview with online game magazine Gamespot, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata attributed all that success -- in the good 'ol US of A, at ... least -- to an American penchant for the house party. Last year, Nintendo sold a staggering six million units of its popular Wii console. Released in November of 2006, the tiny white machine has surpassed just about everyone's expectations; with simple, 'fun' games based on motion-sensitive technology, the console has appealed to 'casual' gamers ... (view more)

A few days ago I reported on Rockstar's upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV, the controversial update to a controversial franchise from an equally controversial video game developer. The game's release date has finally been set -- it's April 29, if you're ... wondering -- and the company acknowledges it will probably bring them plenty of finger-waving from both the conservative and mainstream media. There's no foolin' Rockstar. The company behind both Manhunt and the GTA series have, it's fair to say, gotten pretty used to parents, teachers, and politicians barking down their door about the impact ... (view more)

Jack Thompson and the PTA get ready. Rockstar has finally confirmed the release date of its much-anticipated Grand Theft Auto IV, the next-gen evolution of a video game series known for innovation, open-ended play mechanics, and almost unmatched ... public controversy. (Source: dose.ca ) The Grand Theft Auto series debuted in 1998. Its first two iterations were top-down schemes that hardly challenged the capabilities of either the PC or original Sony PlayStation. Critics dismissed Grand Theft Auto I and II as cheap, violent attempts at roping in teens. Things turned around for Rockstar when it ... (view more)

A few years ago, we used to joke that world video game sales exceeded the Canadian defense budget. Although the latter has raised slightly since that time (from under $10 billion to over $12 billion and counting), the sale of video games has ... absolutely skyrocketed. According to statistics from research firm NPD Group, video games had a record year in 2007, with sales reaching an astonishing $17.9 billion. By comparison, those numbers are up 43 per cent from 2006, a year marked by Microsoft's early start on the next generation of video game consoles. Sony and Nintendo launched their ... (view more)