Gaming

At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) last week, Microsoft and Sony touted their upcoming motion-control gameplay devices, the Kinect and Move. Coming almost four years after Nintendo started the motion-sensitive movement with its Wii, one ... analyst says hype for the Sony and Microsoft devices is "relatively low." The report comes from analysts at EEDAR, who, in the wake of major E3 performances by both Microsoft and Sony, say that while hardcore gamers are interested in Move and Kinect, many casual gamers are not. Worse yet, EEDAR analysts think that even though hardcore gamers are ... (view more)

Microsoft has recently released a new, slimmed down version of the Xbox 360. The new gaming console resembles the re-launched Sony Playstation 3 (PS3), coupled with motion control technology following in the footsteps of the Nintendo Wii. The new ... edition of the Xbox 360 remains at the same $299 price, but doubles the hard drive capacity to 250 GB. The device is physically smaller than the original Xbox 360 and also adds built-in wireless (Wifi) network access. Other changes are more mechanical: it's suggested that the main processor and the graphics hardware have been integrated on the same ... (view more)

The next version of Sony's PSP (PlayStation Portable) may not appear until next year. But rumors also suggest it will have much more impressive specifications than originally assumed. One report says that the PSP 2 will be a quad-core system, ... compared with the single core of the original PSP. In effect, that will be like having four separate processors able to carry out four tasks simultaneously. A quad-core system is what you'd expect to see in high-end consumer computers and would be extremely powerful for a handheld machine. It would follow in the footsteps of the PlayStation 3 (PS3), ... (view more)

A major video games producer says it will begin phasing out printed manuals in a bid to cut down on waste. Ubisoft, makers of the acclaimed Assassin's Creed and Splinter Cell series, say the move will save both paper and the energy used in ... production. Beginning with the next Shaun White Skateboarding game sometime before the end of 2010, Ubisoft will include the manual, along with safety and legal information, within the game itself. The company says this will offer an easier and more intuitive way of accessing the information. (Source: gamespot.com ) That will certainly be easier to achieve ... (view more)

Microsoft appears ready to support third-party USB storage for its Xbox 360 console, says a recent report from Joystiq. The source of the information, a Microsoft engineering document, reveals that support for the Xbox 360 platform would be extended ... later this spring. Xbo 360 Saved Game Data In Your Pocket The purpose of offering third-party USB storage on the Xbox 360 platform is simple: quickly saving and loading game data. Yes, gamers around the world will soon be offered the chance to carry around the saved data of their favorite Xbox 360 games in their pocket. Take it from someone who ... (view more)

It's been a year since Microsoft first announced Project Natal , its add-on for the Xbox 360. The system, which is based on motion-sensitive gameplay and meant to directly compete with the Nintendo Wii and Sony's upcoming Move, is expected to get ... its official unveiling on June 13. The date in question just happens to fall in the middle of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3. In the past the show has been the launch pad for upcoming products in the video game industry. At one time it was an enormous Sin City-based event, but in recent years it's been downsized and will this year be held ... (view more)

It's no secret: protecting PC games from piracy is a very difficult task. However, Ubisoft, one of the world's biggest game companies, recently introduced a digital rights management (DRM) system that attempted to curtail this issue: problem is, it ... hasn't worked out particularly well for gamers or Ubisoft. Video game publisher Ubisoft, based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is an all-star gaming company. Known for its Tom Clancy-based titles Splinter Cell and Endwar, as well as the popular Prince of Persia franchise, most casual gamers have encountered their products at least once. Unfortunately ... (view more)

Earlier this week, hundreds of thousands of Sony PlayStation 3 consoles couldn't connect to the PlayStation online gaming network, PSN. Even worse, many machines couldn't even play disc-based games, online or off. The problem appears to have been ... tied to an apparently unforeseen error whereby the system clock reverted to 12/31/99. As of this March 2nd, however, the problem appears to have been resolved. Sony says the issue was related to some machines recognizing 2010 as a leap year, all but completely crashing systems when the clock shifted to February 29, 2010. Once the date moved on to ... (view more)

Right now you can get a Wii, Nintendo's latest and much-loved console for under $200. By contrast, Microsoft's powerful Xbox 360 and Sony's beefy PlayStation 3 sell for about $300. Who, then, would believe that a gaming system first released in 1985 ... recently sold on eBay for over $13,000? The original Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES, first hit store shelves in 1985. It was, without a doubt, the first fully-supported home game console with graphics featuring more than just a few pixelated balls and paddles. The original Mario Brothers (along with Mario Bros. 2 and 3) made their first ... (view more)

In case you were thinking that buying Microsoft's Natal for the Xbox 360 was a bad decision because most gaming consoles only last 4-5 years -- think again. Microsoft has forecasted another few years of life for the game console, which made its ... debut back in November 2005. Microsoft Natal Showcased at CES One of the most popular devices at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week was Microsoft's Natal, a device that plugs into its Xbox 360 video game console. Natal mimics the motion-sensitive gameplay of the Nintendo Wii, which has since its 2006 launch dominated the console market by ... (view more)