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GDC China 2010 Opens Attendee Registration For December Event

Organizers have opened registration for this December’s Shanghai-based 2010 Game Developers Conference China, following earlier confirmation of Blizzard, Flagship and Cryptic alumnus bill Roper as one of the keynote speakers.

Now in its 3rd year, Game Developers Conference China offers “valuable and timely insight into the world of game development in China for an audience of both local and international developers”, according to its organizers.

As well as a robust, to be announced line-up of both Chinese and Western developers and businesspeople as speakers, the event offers simultaneous translation during all of GDC China’s lectures, meaning both English and Chinese-speaking attendees can easily listen in on all talks.

The event will also feature the second annual Independent Games Festival China, showcasing the best gameplay experiences from the region’s independent game development community.

The Festival will include the finalist games playable on the GDC China show floor, lectures relevant to indies, and a special IGF China award ceremony, honoring notable indie games from Asia and Australasia.

Overall, the December 5th-7th event provides a forum for local and international developers to explore business opportunities, expand their reach to a unique market, and discover the on-going trends emerging in this region.

Tracks will focus on the areas of Global Game Development/Outsourcing and Online Game Development & Business. in addition, three separate summits will focus on Independent Games, Mobile Games and Social Games, with a robust Expo Floor also in place.

GDC China is the only game development event supported by the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China (MoC) and is organized by UBM TechWeb Game Network — as is this website. Its organizers say it’s “bringing the key learnings, networking and inspiration that has been the hallmark of the GDC experience to China’s important game development community. “

GDC China offers 25% savings on registrations before November 5th, with online registration ending on November 30th. For more information about the event, please visit the official GDC China website.

Analysis: The Coming Battle – Game Console Makers Vs. Cable Companies

[In his latest piece for big sister site Gamasutra, editor-at-large and game journalism veteran Chris Morris examines the coming war between console makers and cable TV companies, as each seeks to invade the other's territory and compete for dominance in our living rooms. ]

The relationship between console makers and cable companies can be a dicey one. Both compete for consumer eyeballs in the living room – and dip their toes in the other’s waters from time to time – but have avoided any sort of direct battle so far. were they to square off, the brawl would likely be an epic one.

It might be time to start looking for ringside seats.

While Sony and Comcast aren’t exactly drawing lines in the sand these days, the game industry has been setting the stage for a move that could redefine the battle for the living room.

Microsoft’s the latest to rattle its saber. At the Consumer Electronics show in January, the company said the Xbox 360 would soon begin supporting AT&T’s U-Verse service, essentially turning the console into a set-top box for select owners.

Then it went silent – and hasn’t officially spoken about it since. Earlier this month, though, reports emerged that testing was underway and an official release could come within the next few months.

U-Verse, of course, makes up a mere fraction of the cable universe – but even that is a big playground for the video game industry. The service is currently available in 24 million homes. (That number is expected to hit 30 million by the end of next year.)

And this is still an official partnership between the two companies (and U-Verse subscribers are required to have an AT&T set top box in their homes). But it’s also a good way for Microsoft to judge how much interest there is among Xbox owners in using the 360 as a primary way to watch live television.

The upcoming launch of ESPN3 for Xbox Live Gold members is another. Select games will be broadcast via both the service and ESPN broadcast, letting Microsoft compare the number of users watching via the Xbox 360 to the Nielsen ratings for the cable channel

Sony, meanwhile, hasn’t made quite the same reach for live programming, but it’s not standing on the sidelines. two years ago, the company released the PlayTV add-on for the PlayStation 3, allowing the console to act as an HDTV receiver as well as a DVR. The device was never released in the United States, but the company is reportedly working on a follow-up.

Gaming, of course, is evolving as an industry – in some ways, much faster than anyone expected it would. The rise of Apple’s iDevices and social network titles is luring away casual gamers at an alarming rate. and though they’re in their infancy, streaming game services offer a glimpse into what the future might hold.

Console makers have known for years that the key to success is more than having just quality games – even exclusive ones – in their arsenal. The growing inclusion of non-gaming functionality, such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, Last.fm, etc. are meant to give gamers additional functionality, yes – but, more specifically, they’re targeted at the spouse or family member who rarely or never will pick up a controller.

If Sony and Microsoft can train non-gamers to think of their console when those people want entertainment options, they can dramatically expand their footprint in people’s social lives. in the meantime, they’re also able to try and woo those viewers with games made for them. (Hello, Kinectimals!)

Cable companies, of course, aren’t ignoring the threat. Most currently offer some form of interactive gaming to subscribers – but the only industry interests threatened by those are sites like Pogo. and, even then, it’s a minor threat.

But as the libraries of streaming services grow – and competitors to OnLive ramp up – cable companies could be exploring them as possible acquisition targets. Meanwhile, similar services like Otoy are already talking with cable providers about licensing deals.

The top 10 providers have a subscriber base of roughly 90 million people. if less than one in five of those subscriber households opted to play games through a set-top box and forego the purchase price of a console, it would be devastating for console makers.

This is not a fight that’s going to happen suddenly. and it’s not a fight that’s going to have an immediate winner. But all signs point to a fight that’s coming – and one that will be an ugly one by the time it’s over.

Games starring controversial figures

Did they help or hinder their games in the marketplace?Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 – looks like EA’s keeping Tiger on their leash.Mercenaries 2: World in Flames – Hugo Chavez isn’t technically in the game, but close enough.Fight Night round 4 – Mike Tyson may be troubled, but he’s gaming gold.Postal 2 – Gary Coleman or Osama Bin Laden. Take your pick.Space Channel 5 Special Edition – one of Michael Jackson’s final video game roles.Sneak King – The King is a known stalker and unhealthy food-peddler.

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Posted by - September 16, 2010 at 7:00 am

Categories: Technology Tags: attendees, award ceremony, game developers conference, international developers

Preview: Sony PlayStation Move Controller

The basics

Sony announced an official name for its motion controller (the PlayStation Move) and released further details about it at the 2010 Game Developers Conference. the controller will be released during the 2010 holiday season and will be sold in a variety of configurations that include a game (currently thought to be Sports Champions), the PlayStation Eye and the move controller. full bundles will likely cost under US$100 and will work their way down from there. Sony stated that more than 20 games will support the PlayStation move controller by 31 March 2011.

The optional Subcontroller was also announced during GDC 2010, but no price point was given. the secondary device is similar to Nintendo’s Nunchuk.

Sony showed off a few games during the event, including Sports Champions, move Party, EyePet, Motion Fighters, SOCOM 4, Little Big Planet, TV SuperStars and the Shoot. Peter Dille, SVP of marketing for SCEA, said that “virtually every major developer” is making PlayStation move games right now.

The PlayStation move controller communicates via Bluetooth 2.0, like the DualShock 3 and also features a Lithium-ion battery that’s rechargeable via a mini-USB port. Built-in rumble provides force feedback for the move motion controller. Sony’s PlayStation move controller can detect motion in the X,Y and Z planes, and can also detect rotation about those planes independently.

Inner workings

The PlayStation move functions by using a combination of accelerometers, gyrometers and magnetometers. Sony determined that the sensors alone are not enough to accurately track movement. As a result, the lit bulb on top of the controller works in conjunction with the PlayStation Eye to help it do so.

The colours of the bulbs are activated by a combination of LEDs and are fully customisable by game developers. the colours can also change shade to help the PS Eye better track movement in case a particular room environment has similar colour schemes.

Data processing for the PlayStation move controller is handled by the PlayStation 3′s Cell processor. a single SPU handles data from the controller’s sensors and images from the PS Eye. up to four controllers can be tracked at one time. Furthermore, Sony indicated that the Cell is rather adept at image processing and does so with little memory overhead and minimal impact to overall performance.

The PS Eye’s camera system generates images at 60 frames per second with a resolution of 640×480. When combined with the PlayStation move controller and the Cell processor, the set-up can accurately measure millimetre differences in movement and is accurate enough to detect one-degree shifts in angle.

Calibration of the controllers will likely take place when a gaming session begins and according to Sony’s researchers, it shouldn’t take more than half a second to accomplish. should conditions change sufficiently (for instance, if someone turns on the lights or the sun sets) in order for the set-up to accurately determine movement, gameplay will automatically stop and the player will be prompted to recalibrate the controller.

Buttons

Aside from providing motion control, the PlayStation move controller has a large analog trigger (T button) on the bottom, an extra-large action button on top, and the usual square, triangle, circle, cross and PS Home buttons.

The Subcontroller has a full D pad, an analog stick, a trigger, and X, O and PS Home buttons. Sony didn’t have too much to say about the device, nor was a price point mentioned. Games like SOCOM 4 make use of the Subcontroller for walking around and other functions. Sony also confirmed that the device would be entirely optional and that the DualShock 3 controller could be used as a substitute.

Mystery interface

The bottom of the PlayStation move controller features two ports. the larger of the two is simply a mini-USB plug that can be used for charging. the smaller port, titled “EXT”, remains a mystery. We’re speculating that it will be used for controller accessories.

The Subcontroller has one port on the bottom, a mini-USB port for charging.