According to videogame analyst Michael Pachter, the 3DS is so “revolutionary,” that he expects the games to cost more than the present Nintendo DS games. Not only that, he thinks the portable system could cost $250 at launch, which would be $100 more than what its predecessor cost when it debuted in 2004.

Even with the expected higher price, Pachter fully believes it will go on and sell millions

“We view the 3DS as a revolutionary device, and expect its launch to spur hardware and software sales,” Pachter said. “Due to the unique 3DS experience previewed by Nintendo at E3 this year, we believe Nintendo will be able to sell millions of units even at a price of upwards of $250. From a software perspective, we believe Nintendo will be able to increase DS software prices, from a blended average of around $25 today to over $29 next year.”

When the DS launched in 2004, many also considered that a “revolutionary” device. It was really the first portable system with two screens, and with one of them dubbing as a touch screen. However, touch devices were already around for ages — so all Nintendo did was add a proven feature, which in this case was touch, and use it for their next gaming system.

What makes the 3DS unique, is truly revolutionary — and it’s not limited to just the videogame community, either. Adding a 3D effect to any device, not just a videogame system, without the need of glasses is an exciting idea that has been imagined for ages, and the 3DS is really the first consumer product to do so. And the notion of adding real 3D might get even the casual gamer excited about the product, as well.

Imagine a customer walks into a Best Buy and looks at one of the demo units. When they do, they will experience something that they’ve never had before — 3D but without the annoying glasses. That event alone will replicate what the Wii did, which was make it seem like they were inside a virtual world, and that they can even understand is cool. It’s not about updating graphics to the casual gamer, it’s about doing something so different, even they can understand why it’s revolutionary. And adding things like a camera that can take 3D photos, is only going to help sell the 3DS to people who wouldn’t normally purchase a portable gaming system.

So yes, I agree with Pachter about the costs being higher to own a 3DS, but at the same time, I don’t think that it will hurt Nintendo whatsoever, either.

Source: CVG

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The signs are really starting to point that EA has made the smart decision and have decided the reboot of NBA Jam will not be a Wii exclusive. Earlier in the month, the USK — the ratings board for games in Germany — listed that NBA Jam would be coming to both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Now the United States’ own ratings organization, the ESRB, has also cataloged NBA Jam for the other two systems.

If this ends up being true (and it probably is), EA made the right move here. NBA Jam has the potential on being a great seller for the company. The name already has a proven track-record, it really comes down to EA’s marketing it appropriately, something the company has been lacking with other titles lately. But making a game as well-known as NBA Jam available on all the consoles, is the step in the right direction.

Remember, there are more PlayStation 3s and Xbox 360s combined, than the Wii. And the customers who own either a PS3 or Xbox have proven they buy more games.

via: Kotaku

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(click to enlarge)

First I want to write that this came out in November, so if you see it and scream at me because it’s ‘old,’ I don’t care. I’ve talked to several people who use Gmail, many of them in the videogame industry, and they have yet to see this. So I decided to share it with all of you.

If you log into your Gmail account and select the themes tab, and find the ‘High Score’ theme. If you select it, your email will now look like a 8-bit game from the past. What’s even cooler is when it’s the daytime, the top part will show a sun; however, once night fills the actual sky, a moon along with stars will cover your Gmail. But that’s not all.

If you check out the left hand corner where the chat icon is, you’ll notice that it looks like an arcade cabinet. If you choose to chat with someone, a cabinet will appear on the right side, along with a quick animation of a retro-like game on the screen. As you can tell, I’m telling Peter from /film how I feel about him. Also, if you check out the little color icons that let you know if people are online, busy, or offline, now have a Space Invaders look to them.

Overall, I love the look and have officially switched my theme… for good.

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Yesterday’s announcement of Street Fighter x Tekken, which is a Street Fighter game but also starring Tekken characters, was easily one of the biggest surprises of all of Comic Con. At the end of the unveiling, it was disappointing to learn that we would have to wait sometime before we get our hands on the game. Of course, a actual date wasn’t discussed, but saying it’s not going to be released for a while is also a matter of opinion.

The producer of the title, Yoshinori Ono, spilled the beans on when we should expect the title to be spinning in our systems, and we sadly agree with the whole ‘waiting awhile,’ crap.

Ono, who spoke with Famitsu, said the fighting game won’t see the light-of-day for at the very least, two years. Meaning, we won’t be playing Street Fighter X Tekken until the year 2012. And if the rumors that are currently circulating the Internet are found to be true, that’s the same year the world ends. So we’re pretty much screwed on ever playing this game.

According to Mr. Ono, the development of the title started about two months ago, which also hurts its chances of being playable during E3 2011. In one hand, it’s great that a company would announce something so early on, but on the other, it really sucks we have to wait this long.

Street Fighter x Tekken will be available for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, so long the world stays intact.

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With the Xbox Elite system debuting in a black color and with the newly released Slim model also showing off the darker look, Microsoft already wants to bring back a lighter tone console and have it packed in with Halo: Reach.

On September 14th, the same day as the last Halo title is released, customers who want the game, but don’t own a system can get their hands on a limited-edition silver Xbox 360 Slim. The unit will not only include Halo: Reach, but also a 250GB hard drive, a black headset, two wireless controllers, and will be Halo themed. The whole shebang will cost $400.

This won’t be the first time Microsoft releases a limited-edition system bundle with a Halo game. In 2004, Microsoft released the original Xbox but the casing had a green tone, and came packed with the first Halo. In 2007, Halo 3 was released and the company released a Xbox 360 bundle, pack with the third installment.

Of course, the retail reservation whore, Gamestop, is already underway taking pre-orders. If you head to the website, you can purchase the system right now and guarantee yourself a system on launch day.

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Major Nelson has announced the Xbox Live Family Pack, which allows up to four Gamertags to become Gold members at once — saving the customers an estimated $99.

The Family Pack allows one person to be the primary controller of the whole account, so he/she can distribute points earned and even monitor online activity. So if you’re worried about your 12-year-old daughter running away with a 35-year-old male, you’re somewhat protected.

The pack will also allow simplified billing, which charges everything to the primary’s billing information, and that same person has control if something can be purchased or not.

Once again, Microsoft is making a huge push for the Xbox 360 to become a family friendly system — something most people associate the Wii as. What is probably not a coincidence is the Xbox Live Family Pack being available in November, the same month as Kinect.

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Nintendo predicts that one day in the future it will create a 3D console. But with the majority of people not owning a 3D television, it’s not worth developing just yet. The news came from Satoru Iwata, who spoke during an investor’s meeting.

“Unfortunately, considering the current penetration rate of 3D television sets in ordinary households, we don’t think that there’s much reality in creating a new hardware system that would support 3D visuals as a home console,” Iwata said. “Of course, at some point in the future, when the installed base for 3D televisions is such that it’s no longer a rarity for people to have one, then certainly, when that point in time comes, whichever console Nintendo would release at that point would most likely take advantage of 3D technology.”

Obviously Nintendo has been a company trying to push the 3D envelope in gaming. In a failed attempt to bring 3D into every home, Nintendo released the Virtual Boy in 1995. About a year later and only 770,000 systems sold, along with 22 total games released — Nintendo discontinued their ambitious project.

Fast-forward to the present, with Nintendo announcing the 3DS — the company’s first portable system — and it’s obvious the company still believes in emerging the player in a 3D environment.

What’s ironic is Nintendo’s continuous push to make 3D the norm. Here’s a company who refuses to acknowledge the importance of online gaming and even dismiss the idea of people wanting a videogame console to play in HD. Yet, they want to build a 3D system — a technology that many people say is nothing more than a gimmick.

Of course, Nintendo has been right after all these years. They’ve already gone on and sold 60 million of the non-HD system that also has a crappy online service, with the Wii.

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The official Microsoft Store has the Xbox 360 motion device Kinect priced at $150, and that should pretty much guarantee what the accessory will cost. Last week when Kinect was shown at E3, one piece of information was absent — the price tag. A few hours later, Gamestop had a whole page dedicated to the peripheral, and they also listed it at $150. Of course, this was far from a confirmation, but considering the retailer already had artwork for the games and the direct-feed of the E3 trailer, it was safe to assume they had inside info. Gamestop could have accidentally leaked the price, but I’m guessing Microsoft withheld the facts because of the backlash it probably would have received from the gaming press. In a way, it was their damage control.

Throughout the E3 conference, it seemed as though the company didn’t have a whole lot of confidence to show off the device, but they had no choice because of the importance of the convention. However, if they mentioned the price — the negative comments would have been a lot worse, then it already was. So they just ’skipped’ that part altogether. Sadly, the same Microsoft store did not list the price of each Kinect title. But if Gamestop is any indication because they were right before, expect to pay $60 for each title, which seems about $40 too much.

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A teaser trailer for Epic Mickey has hit the interwebs, and it shows nothing much but splats of paint hitting a white background. It doesn’t have much gameplay, but you can certainly see that by clicking here, thanks to the title being playable on the E3 show floor.

I hate to say it, I’m not impressed with the title. I know legendary game designer Warren Spector (Deus Ex) is helming the project and the story sounds terrific, but sadly, the gameplay looks uninspiring. Hopefully I’m dead wrong because the idea has a ton of potential.

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Nintendo is warning that “very young” children should not play the Nintendo 3DS, the company’s portable 3D system. “We will recommend that very young children not look at 3-D images,” Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime told Kotaku. “That’s because, [in] young children, the muscles for the eyes are not fully formed… This is the same messaging that the industry is putting out with 3D movies, so it is a standard protocol. We have the same type of messaging for the Virtual Boy, as an example.” Yeah, the same Virtual Boy that completely bombed thanks to the dismal sales.

So what would be considered “very young,” according to the world of Reggie? Well he believes a kid 7 years-old or younger shouldn’t be looking at the 3DS. Doesn’t that sound like a huge chunk of the age demographic that already purchases the DS?

While I play my DS from time-to-time and I do see older people carrying it, but for the most part, I mostly see these same “young children” playing the portable system. Does this mean Nintendo could have a potential problem in matching sales of the original DS? If they don’t expect kids 7 years-old or younger to own the system, do they predict an increase of older people to buy a compact system? If so, I have a hard time believing this would be as popular as the regular DS. Although, this might explain why ‘classic’ games were shown during E3, rather than kid friendly titles.

Also, will there be a warning label on the box letting parents know they shouldn’t let their kids play because of health reasons? If that is the case, I don’t see this story going away.

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Vincent Bocognani designed this terrific shirt above. It’s cleverly titled Historical Reconstitution and shows Mario with Princess Peach, riding Yoshi, but with an obvious realistic take. Is it disturbing? Sure, but at the same time — awesome.

The shirt sells for $18 or you can buy the Hoody for $40, over at threadless.

Cool Stuff is a feature of /gamer. Know of any geekarific creations or cool products which should be featured on Cool Stuff? E-Mail us at slashgamer@gmail.com

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Activision CEO Bobby Kotick knows all-to-well about the kind of profit one can make with a subscription based gaming service. Blizzard, the team behind the ultra-popular World of Warcraft franchise, is a subsidiary of Activision and has gone on to make millions from their MMORPG, all because they charge $10-a-month per-character. Kotick believes the same formula could apply to the Call of Duty franchise and if he could, he would charge players tomorrow, which he revealed to the Wall Street Journal.

“I would have Call of Duty be an online subscription service tomorrow,” Kotick told the newspaper. “When you think about what the audience’s interests are and how you could really satisfy bigger audiences with more inspired, creative opportunities, I would love to see us have an online Call of Duty world. I think our players would just have so much of a more compelling experience.”

Now get this, he somehow believes gamers want to pay for a subscription for Call of Duty. His reasoning: many people already pay for Xbox Live and play Call of Duty, which obviously means they would shell out even more, just to play some kind of MMO Call of Duty.

“I think our audiences are clamoring for it. If you look at what they’re playing on Xbox Live today, we’ve had 1.7 billion hours of multiplayer play on Live. I think we could do a lot more to really satisfy the interests of the customers.”

I’m not saying a subscription based Call of Duty wouldn’t succeed; I just don’t think people would pay for Call of Duty, if it played exactly the same way, as it does now. If Kotick believes gamers would pay ten bucks a month to play a Call of Duty, but the only difference would be with hundreds or even thousands of online players at once, much like World of Warcraft, he’s gonna have a rude awaking.

The reason why people are so addicted to ‘WoW,’ isn’t just because of the amount of people who play. It’s because the player creates a avatar, who then has to build his/hers reputation in a virtual world. In a way, the person who is playing, is living a second life — in a fantasy world.

Even if Activision captures the ‘magic’ of building a character in a Call of Duty universe, I’m not sold if the type of audience who play Call of Duty for countless hours, would even be up for something like that.

We’ll know one day because I think it inevitable that a MMO Call of Duty is going to happen.

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The Good News: there is NO possible way for the new Xbox 360 Slim to receive the dreaded “Red-Rings of Death.” The Bad News: that’s because there are no red-lights in the front of the system. However, the system can apparently overheat, but instead of the system just crapping the bed, a message will appear on the TV — which lets the player know the system is going to automatically shut down and end your gaming session.

“The Xbox 360 is shutting down to protect the console from insufficient ventilation (and lawsuits*),” reads the message. “You can turn the console back on after the power light stops flashing.”

I guess the note is a better PR move on Microsoft’s part, although, wouldn’t it be better to just eliminate a potential widespread problem? While it’s good to see the Big M work on preventable measures to keep the systems in working order, it just sounds like this message could become common, especially if gamers are already seeing it. You just don’t see the Wii nor the PS3 have these kinds of global hiccups.

via: gaming today

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The Crackdown 2 demo is officially available for download on Xbox Live. The tease allows gamers to explore parts of the updated version of Pacific City, which was revealed to gamers with the first Crackdown. Ruffian Games, the team behind the sequel, has also done something with the demo which is considered a first, and I’m sure many games will follow.

If you decide to check out the free demo and unlock an achievement and later, you purchase the full retail version, you’ll notice right away that your achievements will be unlocked — once you boot-up the disc. It’s definitely a cool idea, and I wonder why other games haven’t done this.

The actual game will ship into stores on July 6, 2010.

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will release a a cheaper version of their newly announced Xbox 360 Slim, thanks to a memo, which the gaming website Kotaku uncovered. According to the blog, the console will be $199, which would make it a $100 less than the current model and we should see it this fall — just in time for the holidays.

Last week, the company first revealed the system, which was expected. The system is more compact and includes a built-in WiFi N, 250GB internal hard-drive, consumes less power, five USB slots and many more features. Even with all the extra goodies, the system sold for the same price as the Elite system.

With the confirmation of a ‘cheaper’ Slim version on the way, one would have to wonder what that won’t include. Some sites are speculating that it will probably exclude a hard-drive and the built in WiFi. My guess, the WiFi will still be included — but the hard-drive will be much smaller; although I do expect one to be built in.

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