Jason Calancanis, the founder of such websites as Joystiq and Engadget, has gone on his twitter and spilled the beans about Apple’s heavily rumored tablet PC. According to the entrepreneur, Apple asked him if he would go on television and talk about the importance of the tablet once its announced tomorrow, When he agreed to do the work, Apple sent over three guys, for security reasons, and dropped off the “iSlate,” the rumored named of the device.
Mr. Calancanis has already called the tablet the “greatest device ever,” and shared why he feels this way. Not only is the “iSlate” running off of what he calls an iPhone “flavor” OS, which is extremely easy to navigate to anyone who owns the phone, it will also include a HDTV with a DVR, so you can record television shows. It will be able to run multiple applications; so if you want to listen to Pandora and surf the web or play a game, you can.
But of course, this is a videogame site, and I’m sure you wanna know what kind of impact the device will have on this industry. So after the jump, read what to expect when the “iSlate” ships into stores. (more…)
The only thing that Tiger Woods likes more than golf is probably… money. If you thought I was going to write women, then I fooled you! Even with his recent image of being a squeaky-clean athlete has been tarnished because of his third love, multiple women, and advertisers axing his face on their products, EA Sports is still sticking with him.
The giant publisher has announced Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and iPhone, will be released sometime in June of 2010; however, no specific date was revealed. The game will feature the same famous golf star that your girlfriend most likely slept with, among other golfers from around the world. Of course, we don’t know any of their names because it’s well…golf.
So there you go, Electronic Arts promised Woods would still be their cover athlete for the sports game, and they were true to their word. With the announcement, EA Sports was unable to provide any screens or trailers — so, you’re just gonna have to wait a tad longer.
Amazon.com has compiled a list which represents what sold best during the year of 2009 in their videogame category. The big winner would have to be Nintendo — nine of the top ten things sold last year, were a Nintendo product. We should note that it is not just a game title that Amazon considered, but they also took in account accessories as well, and we all know the Wii has a ton of those.
The top three were not even a game; the Wii system, a Wiimote controller and the Wii MotionPlus accessory are listed respectively. The first game to be on the list is Nintendo’s New Super Mario Bros. Wii at number four, followed by the Wii Nunchuck controller, and the expansion pack Wii Fit Plus with the Balance Board chimed, in at number six. The heavily marketed Wii Sports Resort stands at number seven, with the original Wii Fit right behind it. The first non-Nintendo product to be included on the list is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for the Xbox 360 at number nine, but than amazingly Mario Kart for the Wii is next to that.
The first time Sony even has something on the list, is at number 11, which is nothing more than the Dualshock 3 controller. The first game by Sony was Modern Warfare 2, but sadly is listed at number 13.
Obviously these numbers are only for the online retailer Amazon.com and does not actually speak for the industry as a whole in 2009. But this list does prove Nintendo has experienced another great year, while their competitors are still playing catchup and last year might have proven to be the final nail in the coffin.
Tonight is one of the biggest nights in the videogame industry because Spike TV is broadcasting the seventh annual Video Game Awards. While it pales in comparison to such conventions as the Electronic Entertainment Expo; it does give us a glimpse into what games we should expect in 2010 — thanks to the world premier trailers, announcements and surprises during the show. Not only that, it will honor the very best of what 2009 had to offer, by handing out select VMA awards to the outstanding titles of this past year.
After the jump, we will live blog the award ceremony. If all you want to see is the latest trailer, just refresh our homepage, and it will be below this live blog — as we are making this a sticky post until the show ends.(more…)
Ubisoft has just confirmed a new Prince of Persia game, subtitled “The Forgotten Sands,” is going to be available for next-generation consoles and handhelds. According to the small official press release, the next installment of the highly-praised series is expected to launch sometime in May of 2010. What is probably not a coincidence is the fact that Disney is set to release the film adaption of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time the same month and year.
Not only that, Ubisoft revealed this next PoP game is going to “feature many of the fan-favorite elements from the original series as well as new gameplay innovations.” Is it sounding like a sequel to the 2004 critically-acclaimed The Sands of Time to you? Well of course it does and the company confirmed it will be returning to the storyline of the Sands of Time. Although, I’m not convinced it’ll follow the game — but rather the film.
All and all, the publisher looks as though they’re trying to capitalize as much as they can when the film hits theaters, as they obviously should. Every time a new Prince of Persia hits stores the game does very well with the critics; however, they don’t seem to sell like they should — hopefully the film will help this next version become a blockbuster.
I should also note that the “Prince” has had a different look in every game he had starred in. It will be interesting to see if this time around he’ll look more like Jake Gyllenhaa from the Prince in the film, or be more like the videogame character of The Sands of Time.
During the E3 press conference, Nintendo revealed a new Metroid game called Metroid: The Other M. Many wonder with the announcement what will happen with the beloved Prime series because it was evident that this new introduction to the famous series has nothing to do with the past three Metroids released.
While speaking with ONM, Nintendo’s Kensuke Tanabe teased the magazine that the Prime series could be making a return, but not for the Wii. “We are always planning to make new games in the Metroid Prime series,” said Tanabe. “Depending on the timing and the situation, we cannot deny the possibility of realizing it on DS or DSi.”
Is it me, or did he just confirm a new Metroid Prime has been greenlit for the popular handheld?It’s not to big of a surprise to hear that, considering an ‘installment’ of the Prime games was already released for the DS. If you remember, Metroid Prime: Hunters was launched back in 2006 and was heavily inspired as an online multiplayer shooter. While getting decent reviews from various outlets, we haven’t seen a DS sequel since then — so this could finally be just that.
Will keep you updated, but for now — expect to see a new Metroid Prime game for the DS sometime in the future.
On the same day it was announced, Activision has released Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The portable first-person shooter, has the player kill zombie Nazis, and if you remember was a mode that was available for the console version of World at War, which was released last year.
Up top is a video of someone playing the actual game and as you can see, has mighty impressive graphics considering the device it’s running on is a phone. While it looks like the game has potential of being fun, there are some flaws — especially when it comes to the facts about the title.
First and foremost, the action title is rather expensive for an iPhone game. While most videogames run anywhere from $1 to $6 or $7 on the App Store, Call of Duty: World at War: Zombies is priced at $10. While it certainly won’t break the bank, it seems a little too much mainly because it includes only one small level for you to roam. Actually, judging by the video above — it looks like just a room. Although, the publisher did confirm more maps will be available in the future to download; however, no word if that will cost extra. But there are some positives, besides the graphics and I’ll tell you what they are.
The game can be played on WiFi with up to four-additional players, or you can play a two player mode over bluetooth (iPhone only). Unfortunately you can’t kill zombies on a bus with a friend over the net using 3G. the company decided to disable that feature. There is also a leaderboard to see where each gamer ranks, when compared to other players around the world — along with achievements.
Is it worth buying? Maybe. It really depends on how much you want a decent first-person shooter on your iPhone. Sadly, the lack of levels might discourage people to spend their $10 on a game that feels more like a demo.
With Midway Games going bankrupt earlier this year, the Chicago based-company has been looking for ways to sell the rest of their assets that Warner Bros. was unable to own after their takeover bid. The professional wrestling organization TNA, signed with Midway a few years for the company to develop a titles based of the semi-popular wrestling league, which when it came out had subpar reviews. TNA happens to be one of these ‘assets’ that Warner Bros. couldn’t own when they took-over Midway.
The publisher SouthPeak Games, has announced that they have acquired the TNA license for TNA and are underway developing two games for the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP, called TNA Impact: Cross the Line. No word if this was a title already being developed by Midway, or if SouthPeak has decided on their own on what ‘consoles’ the future game should be available for.
Today, Apple has announced that their App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch has exceeded over 100,000 applications. That number obviously makes both units the largest selection of applications for any platform, and there isn’t a sign of slowdown either. “The App Store has forever changed the mobile gaming industry and continues to improve,” said Travis Boatman, VP of EA Mobile. “With a global reach of over 50 million iPhone and iPod touch users, the App Store has allowed us to develop high quality EA games that have been a huge success with customers.”
It’s hard to argue that Apple won’t be a serious gaming machine in the next year or two. Sure, hardcore gamers argue that both devices will never achieve that goal, Mainly because they hate the control scheme on the unit, but the numbers are starting to prove otherwise. Even companies like Rockstar Games, who are releasing Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for Apple’s phone and Touch, sees the potential of the portable units. Having them release a flagship title like GTA on the iPhone and iPod, makes me believe they’ll be doing even more with the device. If it proves to be successful, expect to see even more companies jump onboard with Apple and developed well-known franchises, that even the hardcore gamer would download.
Today, Apple has announced that their App Store for the iPhone and iPod Touch has exceeded over 100,000 applications. That number obviously makes both units the largest selection of applications for any platform, and there isn’t a sign of slowdown either. “The App Store has forever changed the mobile gaming industry and continues to improve,” said Travis Boatman, VP of EA Mobile. “With a global reach of over 50 million iPhone and iPod touch users, the App Store has allowed us to develop high quality EA games that have been a huge success with customers.”
It’s hard to argue that Apple won’t be a serious gaming machine in the next year or two. Sure, hardcore gamers argue that both devices will never achieve that goal, Mainly because they hate the control scheme on the unit, but the numbers are starting to prove otherwise. Even companies like Rockstar Games, who are releasing Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for Apple’s phone and touch units, sees the potential of the portable units. Having them release a flagship title like GTA on the iPhone and iPod, makes me believe they’ll be doing even more with the devices. If it proves to be successful, expect to see even more companies jump onboard with Apple and developed well-known franchises, that even the hardcore gamer would download.
Have any of you ever taken a controller and threw it up against a wall, due to a fit of anger? I know I’ve been guilty of doing just that because of an intense online battle? Do I have anger issues? Probably, but hey — sometimes you can’t stop the rage. One thing I didn’t know, is I was one photo shot away from capturing something beautiful.
French gaming publication Amazement did something similar with their sixth issue and took a snapshot of the action. They grabbed a camera and caught a red DS blasting through a wall (picture above). It’s pretty freaking cool if you ask me, and makes me wish someone would try the exact same thing but use a video camera that can record at 1000 frames-per-second. How cool would it be too see a DS break into small pieces because of the impact?
Have any of you ever taken a controller and threw it up against a wall, due to a fit of anger? I know I’ve been guilty of doing just that because of an intense online battle? Do I have anger issues? Probably, but hey — sometimes you can’t stop the rage. One thing I didn’t know, is I was one photo shot away from capturing something beautiful.
French gaming publication Amazement did something similar with their sixth issue and took a snapshot of the action. They grabbed a camera and caught a red DS blasting through a wall (picture above). It’s pretty freaking cool if you ask me, and makes me wish someone would try the exact same thing but use a video camera that can record at 1000 frames-per-second. How cool would it be too see a DS break into small pieces because of the impact?
The day after Thanksgiving, otherwise known as Black Friday, is a few weeks away and most retailers cut the price of their products to lure people into the store. Every year, these sales are leaked onto the Internet and websites report the deals and share it with their readers. Today, Gamerdeals is reporting what Sears plans which videogames will be a ‘doorbuster’ on November 27, 2009.
We should note this has not be confirmed by Sears, nor have we actually seen the flyer — so take it what it’s worth. The games that are on sale for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are pretty decent, most are only about $20 less than the original price of $59.99. And the Wii titles are only about ten-bucks off. That said, I don’t think it would even be worth heading down to the retailer and wait in a line that could honestly take hours just to checkout. If the titles were only $20 each, than maybe — but I don’t need to save $20 on Halo: ODST and loose two hours of my life either.
After the jump check out the supposed list at Sears.
Xbox 360
•Brutal Legend – $39.99 (Save $20)
•Dragon Age: Origins – $39.99 (Save $20)
•Need for Speed: Shift – $39.99 (Save $20)
•Halo 3 ODST – $39.99 (Save $20)
•Left 4 Dead – $39.99 (Save $20)
•Forza 3 Motorsport – $39.99 (Save $20)
•Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar Kit – $49.99 (Save $20) Doorbuster
PS3
•Brutal Legend – $39.99 (Save $20)
•Dragon Age: Origins – $39.99 (Save $20)
•Need for Speed: Shift – $39.99 (Save $20)
•Guitar Hero World Tour Guitar Kit – $49.99 (Save $20) Doorbuster
The day after Thanksgiving, otherwise known as Black Friday, is a few weeks away and most retailers cut the price of their products to lure people into the store. Every year, these sales are leaked onto the Internet and websites report the deals and share it with their readers. Today, Gamerdeals is reporting what Sears plans which videogames will be a ‘doorbuster’ on November 27, 2009.
We should note this has not be confirmed by Sears, nor have we actually seen the flyer — so take it what it’s worth. The games that are on sale for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 are pretty decent, most are only about $20 less than the original price of $59.99. And the Wii titles are only about ten to twenty bucks off. That said, I don’t think it would even be worth heading down to the retailer and wait in a line that could honestly take hours just to checkout. If the titles were only $20 each, than maybe I would deal with the crowds– but I don’t need to save $20 on Halo: ODST and loose two hours of my life either.
After the jump check out the suppose list from Sears.
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has told the Financial Times that his company is “interested” in what Amazon has done with allowing customers who bought the Kindle, the digital E-book unit, have access to the internet without having them have to pay for a service. Amazon allows Kindle users to download books and access the Internet using Whispernet, which is done by communicating with the Sprint EVDO network. Meaning, if someone buys the Kindle, they can download a book for a price from anywhere, without paying for an ISP. “I’m interested because it’s a new business model in which the user doesn’t bear the communications cost,” he told the Times.
People who already own the PSP and/or the DSi and want to download a game instead of purchasing one in a actual store, needs to be connected to a WiFi service. What’s intriguing to Nintendo and other companies (I assume) about the Kindle, is the ability to download a title from anywhere. People who don’t have a WiFi setup, would be able to take advantage of a digital only world and not have to worry about any extra cost.
I also feel this wouldn’t be just limited to a handheld. A big argument some analysts make about videogames or other forms of media being distributed by digital means, is the fact some people don’t have broadband access, especially in rural parts of the country. By having some kind of free ISP or cellular network that the company provides, would solve this glaring problem. Of course for that to happen, the technology needs to become cheaper and more advance because unlike books, the size of the download for a game is considerably larger, although, more so with a home console.
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has told the Financial Times that he is “interested” in what Amazon has done with allowing customers who bought the Kindle, the digital E-book unit, have access to the internet without having them have to pay for a service. Amazon allows Kindle users to download books and access the Internet using Whispernet, which is done by communicating with the Sprint EVDO network. Meaning, if someone buys the Kindle, they can download a book for a price from anywhere, without paying for an ISP. “I’m interested because it’s a new business model in which the user doesn’t bear the communications cost,” he told the Times.
People who already own the PSP and/or the DSi and want to download a game instead of purchasing one in a actual store, needs to be connected to a WiFi service. What’s intriguing to Nintendo and other companies (I assume) about the Kindle, is the ability to download a title from anywhere. People who don’t have a WiFi setup, would be able to take advantage of a digital only world and not have to worry about any extra cost.
I also feel this wouldn’t be just limited to a handheld. A big argument some analysts make about videogames or other forms of media being distributed by digital means, is the fact some people don’t have broadband access, especially in rural parts of the country. By having some kind of free ISP or cellular network that the company provides, would solve this glaring problem. Of course for that to happen, the technology needs to become cheaper and more advance because unlike books, the size of the download for a game is considerably larger, although, more so with a home console.
Update: Nintendo has just announced the DSi XL (LL) is coming to Europe; however, no date has been set. Hopefully we’ll get more details, as well as a North American launch date.
Hey, it has almost been a year since Nintendo launched a new updated handheld– so it’s about the time Nintendo releases another DS. The Japanese company has officially announced a new version of the DSi, heavily rumored over the last few days, the updated handheld is essentially the same as the older version, but with one added bonus — a much bigger screen.
Officially called the DSi LL, the system has a 4.2″ screen, which is about 93% larger than the original units. It’ll also include two separate touch-screen pens. One will be considerably larger than the previous one, it almost reminds me of a jumbo sized pen when compared to the original ones. The second pen is closer to the first DSi pens, so Nintendo is giving the player the option of which they would prefer.
Obviously, playing on a larger screen is more attractive to gamers everywhere, but it’ll make it ‘less’ portable. So Nintendo is hoping customers will see the positive in not just playing on a large screen, but also see it as a MP3 player and an “on-the-go” Internet machine.
The DSi LL comes in three colors: “WineRed,” “DarkBrown” and “NaturalWhite.” The system is going to have a price-tag of 20,000 Yen ($222), and has yet to be announced for other markets, including the US.
I learned something. I guess Dante’s Inferno has an achievement called “Bad Nanny,” where gamers earn it by killing unbaptized babies in hell. Apparently there is a nannies group called The International Nanny Association (INA), who frown upon an award system for players who re-kill infants, while they hangout with the “Prince of Darkness” in a pixelated world, who knew?
“The name of the trophy or achievement, ‘Bad Nanny,’ is offensive to our association in that we strive to promote and educate the public regarding the selfless work nannies do to support families by providing quality in-home child care,” said INA’s Nettie Weber. “We have urged our membership to take action concerning this issue through the appropriate channels, as well.”
Obviously, this is a great way for INA to make a name for themselves because seriously, who has ever heard of this group? What better way to get an association’s name out there in the press, than by spewing crap and say a company is all for baby killing?
“INA is opposed to video games that promote and encourage players to ‘kill’ babies, even in fantasy play. It is our opinion that this type of play may promote violence towards children,” said Weber.
Of course she had to use the word “may” because she really has no evidence whatsoever that proves the INA’s opinion is in anyway correct. In fact, numerous studies have proven otherwise; so again, this is a poor attempt for a no-name advocacy group of nannies to b*tch about something. I wish them all the luck in the world.
Apple believes their iPhone is the future of the gaming handheld market. It just might be, I mean look at it, it’s powerful, a phone and even could be considered a mini-computer. But one thing the company needs to address before anyone can give them the crown for the king of portable gaming — piracy. According to an iPhone developer, Smells Like Donkey, almost 80 percent of all the downloads for Tap-Fu have been illegally downloaded. The sad thing is the game isn’t even expensive. Right now, if you head over to the Apple’s app-store, you’ll find the game only to be the cheap price of $1.99. But that hasn’t stopped people from getting the game for nothing.
This is sad and terrible news for the gaming industry. One of the great things the iPhone has done for the industry over the last year or so, is giving the designers the chance to create their own idea for a title. Believe it or not, making an independent game was both hard and financially a huge risk. But thanks to devices like the iPhone, anyone who has decent knowledge on programing and has the time, can actually make a title for the fraction of what it used to be.
If piracy becomes more of an issue and Apple doesn’t fix it, we’ll see less and less of these entrepreneur take the risk — which in turn means less original games.
