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Flashy Game Hardware, Not Consoles, Will Dominate E3 | Portable Gadget

Microsoft demonstrates its innovative motion controller, dubbed Project Natal, at E3 2009.Image courtesy MicrosoftThis year’s E3 Expo is about the future of videogames, as always. But it’s also about delaying the future for as long as possible: Instead of rolling out new gaming machines, the big players are adding flashy new tech to systems already on shelves in an attempt to extend existing consoles’ life cycles and attract new players.E3, aka the Electronic Entertainment Expo, opens Tuesday in Los Angeles.Microsoft’s E3 focus will be Project Natal, a camera-based device that lets Xbox 360 players control the onscreen action using body movements. (Microsoft introduced Natal at last year’s E3.) Sony will highlight PlayStation Move, its version of the Wii motion controller, and make a big move into 3-D stereoscopic gaming.It’s arguable that Natal and move will differentiate Microsoft’s and Sony’s aging consoles more than a faster CPU and better graphics would, anyway.”What would an Xbox 720 even look like? We’re beginning to hit the point of diminishing returns,” said Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter. he says Sony and Microsoft will treat the launches of the new controllers as if they were entirely new machines. The only company unveiling a new game platform at the show will likely be Nintendo, which will show off its 3-D-enabled portable machine, the Nintendo 3DS. although the company’s current DS hardware remains a smash success, the portable device is positively geriatric, dating back to 2004. Facing renewed competition from Apple’s game-friendly iPhone and iPod Touch, Nintendo needs to do something radically different.E3 is back at full size after a few downsized years, and ready to once again serve as a portal into videogaming’s near future. The industry’s grandest trade show, expected to draw over 40,000 attendees, will lure every major publisher to the Los Angeles Convention Center. There, they will show off high-profile titles they plan to release in the next 12 months, and even give some early looks at what the next few years will bring.It’s great timing, says Electronic Entertainment Design and Research analyst Jesse Divnich, because the struggling game industry needs a show of force.”The industry has performed poorly over the last 16 months, and E3 2010 is a time to show (that) bigger, better and more entertaining games are right around the corner,” Divnich said in an e-mail to Wired.com.It’s been nearly five years since the launch of the Xbox 360, which in the past would have put Microsoft on schedule to show off a new console with flashier graphics and more memory at this year’s E3. But the Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4 remain a long way off, in part because of the complexity of current consoles and in part because Microsoft and Sony are playing catch-up to Nintendo’s casual-gaming innovations. Gamers and game developers alike have faced higher costs with this generation of consoles. it costs tens of millions of dollars to produce big-budget high-definition games for Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. a low-end PlayStation 3 console still costs $300, keeping it out of reach for many consumers who came in at the tail end of the PlayStation 2’s life cycle. neither Sony nor Microsoft stand to gain by introducing more-expensive, more-complicated hardware too soon. Instead, they’ll layer features onto their current consoles through the judicious addition of peripherals.The PlayStation move controller.Image courtesy SonyMove, a two-piece controller that tracks users’ hand motions and where they are pointing at the screen, is quite similar to Nintendo’s Wii controller. But Wii’s graphics aren’t anywhere near the level of PlayStation 3’s. So Sony is attempting to create an all-in-one system that will cut Nintendo off at the knees, Pachter argues.”Sony is positioning move as an upgrade to the Wii,” he said. “Sony is hoping that they pre-empt Nintendo from upgrading the Wii, so that everybody who would buy [an HD version of Wii] buys a PS3 [instead].”Microsoft’s Project Natal is significantly different from both move and Wii, because it eschews the traditional game controller altogether, letting users control the action by moving their hands and bodies.”Natal will likely broaden the target market for the Xbox 360,” said Divnich. “The Xbox 360 is the console of choice among the core gamer, but with the addition of Natal, Microsoft will finally position itself as a true living-room entertainment hub.”Natal, says Pachter, is less about giving gamers a cool new way to play games and more about getting more people in the household to use the Xbox 360. “Microsoft’s goal is to capitalize on a very large install base of console and get others to use it. If you can bring in all those other people, it’s a win for Microsoft, because they can sell you more stuff.”Thanks to services like Hulu and Netflix, Microsoft’s game console is already loaded with opportunities to sell users something every time they turn on the box. The more users who log in to the Xbox 360, the more chance Microsoft can increase its revenue. that, says Pachter, is the goal of Natal. “You could sell a lot more stuff if you can get those other people to use the box, and the way to get them to use the box is make the control scheme more user-friendly,” he said.There’s just one potential catch: it might not happen. “I think there is a really serious disconnect at Microsoft between what they want to achieve with Natal and what their audience wants,” Pachter said.although Natal is geared toward the non-gamer, it’s the gamer who’s going to make the purchasing decision, according to Pachter. “Capturing the imagination of the guy who controls the console is hard,” he said. “They’re not putting Gears of War on Natal.”In short, the Trojan horse only works if the Trojans like horses.Assailed on all sides by its competition, Nintendo will continue to produce wholly new devices. On Wii, its Vitality Sensor attachment will take a user’s pulse and measure his or her heart rate. to what end? We won’t know until the company’s E3 press conference, but signs point to a game that’s about relaxation.3-D Pushes from Nintendo and SonyBut Vitality Sensor isn’t the big news; Nintendo 3DS is. The company’s next-generation portable hardware will be fully playable on the E3 show floor, featuring 3-D graphics that don’t require glasses.Electronic Entertainment Design and Research’s Divnich says 3DS could be a bigger deal than either move or Natal. “Of the developers and publishers that have seen all of the new technologies in advance, they seem to be more excited about what the 3DS has to offer,” he said. “Nintendo is known for its originality, and even when faced against an emerging competitor in Apple, Nintendo is sticking to its guns by creating a device that no competitor will replicate.”Though Nintendo will deny it up and down, Apple has changed the handheld gaming market dramatically with the ubiquitous, accessible iPhone and its thriving App Store. Jake Kazdal, a game artist formerly of Sega and Electronic Arts, said in an e-mail to Wired.com that he’s interested to hear how Nintendo will sell 3DS games through direct downloads.”While I hear the 3DS is actually really impressive, what I’m more interested in is their distribution model,” said Kazdal, now a founder of indie developer Haunted Temple Studios. “I for one know I buy a lot more DS games now that I can easily purchase cheap, small, snack-sized fun games from home and never worry about bringing the cartridge around with me,” he said.3-D will also be a hot watchword for Sony’s E3 presentation. The company has just rolled out the first batch of PlayStation 3 games that display in stereoscopic 3-D on new television sets. The company will surely spend a good deal of its energy trying to convince gamers that 3-D’s time has finally come.Kazdal says he’s excited. “I think people just don’t yet comprehend how much depth it’s going to add to playing 3-D games, being able to judge distances for jumping, driving and throwing things in 3-D. I’m saving up for the biggest 3-D TV Sony is going to make!”He’ll have to. Sony’s 3-D Bravia televisions start at a budget-busting $2,000 and skyrocket from there. Divnich doesn’t think 3-D is going to catch on as fast as Sony thinks it does.”3-D won’t be considered a serious revenue driver for the gaming industry until 2012,” he said. “Consumers are not going to shell out $2,000 just to play 3-D games. Instead, consumers will naturally adopt 3-D-enabled televisions over time, as they replace their current sets.”At E3, we’ll see a variety of new, flashy technology. it remains to be seen which of these will hit the sweet spot and get people to buy more videogames, and which are just ahead of their time.See Also:E3 Rumors: Ico Collection, $150 Natal Square Enix Brings The 3rd Birthday, new DS Kingdom Hearts to E3

Flashy Game Hardware, not Consoles, will Dominate E3

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Google buys BumpTop 3D desktop

Search titan Google has confirmed the acquisition of the company BumpTop.

BumpTop, the maker of a 3D desktop announced last Friday that they have been bought by Google for an undisclosed sum. the start-up created by Canadians is known for its 3D interface that replaces the Windows desktop or Mac OS. since October 2009, it was even compatible with Windows 7 multitouch, making an attractive product for the shelves.

The solution has no application to the “cloud”, which is based on most products of Google. the only use of this software for the company in Mountain View would be to incorporate them in one of its OS so as to offer them with the next tablet. Apple is also working on a similar concept since 2008, but has not yet implemented.

BumpTop has decided to leave the program for free download until Friday, May 7.

“Today we have a big announcement to make,” says the development team of BumpTop on their official website. He added: “We have been bought by Google! this means that BumpTop (for Windows and Mac) are no longer available for sale. Also, no update is planned products. It remains to know what Google plans to make this new acquisition, and the Web already speculating on a future integration with the Android OS or Chrome.”

Google buys BumpTop 3D desktop

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Our puddle of misery

I live in Idoitville, a community of two.

Were the people who give purpose to would-be authors of Complete Idiots Guides, and sheer joy to the vendors of books For Dummies.

Idoits are confused and often in a puddle of misery.

but no manual, to my knowledge, has been written to help me, “Idoit 2,” clean the laundry appliances with a cotton swab.

Nor have I found any advice for doing this while my husband, Idoit 1, is painting in the same room a space the size of a hall closet.

In case you didnt read the last blog, this tale continues where it left off a distressful scene in which a Q-tip and a paintbrush cant dance.

In spite of this failed attempt to tango, Idoit 2 returned to her laundry room as soon as Idoit 1s paint can left the premises. There, on bended knee, she scrubbed the floor, climbed the stepladder to arrange the housecleaning products on shelves and scoured the sink. Tidy Idoit 2 even made Oreo the cats litter pan sparkle. after all, company was coming.

While, the exceptionally clean washing machine and dryer hummed happily, Idoit 2 went into town to run errands. Shortly thereafter, her cell phone rang.

You need to pick up ant poison, Idoit 1 announced. I decided to go ahead and paint that back wall in the laundry room. And when I moved the washer and dryer there was a ton of dirt under them, even found ants in the wall.

Idoit 2 envisioned the scene, and then leaned on a Target employee for support. if the appliances were pulled away from the wall to paint, that meant all the adjustable shelves were down and the cleaning products were . . . ARRGHHH!

That evening in the adjoining TV room, Idoit 1 and Idoit 2 inhaled the fragrance of paint and insect repellent while teen idols belted out songs from the television. Even Oreo enjoyed a front-row seat in her litter pan wedged between furniture polish, Bon Ami and the ironing board.

Idoit 2 contemplated the disarray and then decided to quit wasting her time. I know the washer and dryer are moved, but Im going to finish washing one more load of clothes

Idoit 1 nodded from his recliner, lost in a sea of teens swaying on the screen.

It wasnt until the Idoits noticed the cat prancing daintily about the TV room that they heard the rinse water cascading to the floor and found themselves in a flood of stupidity.

Our puddle of misery

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Blockbuster brings back late fees for movie rentals

could this be the last scene for traditional movie rental stores?

After posting a disastrous fourth-quarter loss of $435 million, leading movie rental store chain Blockbuster has quietly reinstated late fees and said it could close more than 500 locations this year.

Meanwhile, the Hollywood Video in Wellington is bedecked with colorful signs announcing the store’s closing sale in uppercase letters, cardboard boxes lying on the floor next to picked-over shelves. its parent company, Movie Gallery inc., filed bankruptcy in February for the second time in less than three years.

For decades, Blockbuster and other traditional movie rental retailers held sway when it came to filling Americans’ slow Saturday nights or evenings at home.

But in an age of instant gratification, these stores have been under assault by the rise of new actors — such as Netflix, on-demand options, streaming video and movie rental kiosks.

These new companies are gaining market share as conventional movie rental shops close their doors and post huge losses.

“The rental business is moving toward an on-demand future,” said Wade Holden, an analyst with SNL Kagan. “It’s about convenience, about not having to get in the car to pick out a film, about not having to run the risk of the title not being there. It’s just a matter of time before the store has minimal impact on this market.”

Some industry analysts and experts have been counting Blockbuster and other brick-and-mortar retailers all but out for a couple years now, as alternate forms of getting movies stole market share.

“It’s sad, really, that stores like these are going out of business,” said Marguerite Torranga of West Palm Beach as she browsed the store closing sale at a Hollywood Video one evening. “It was always a tradition growing up to go to the video store and look through the movies. It was something we always did, and something I still do today.”

Don’t roll the credits quite yet, though; industry leader Blockbuster is refusing to go down without a fight.

“It’s like the predicted demise of the bank branch,” said Blockbuster spokeswoman Michelle Metzger. “Everyone thought they’d disappear with online banking. But people still like the personal experience with their banker.”

Blockbuster is scrambling to open other video delivery services to keep up with the competition.

“We’re trying to be flexible,” Metzger said, adding that the company is “leaning into these new channels” such as its Blockbuster Express DVD rental kiosks — which can be found in Publix Super Markets and elsewhere — and its own mail-order service and digital on-demand options.

“We’re building foundations of a digital experience for Blockbuster, but we also still have more than 3,500 stores nationwide,” Metzger said.

Metzger also said that Blockbuster is currently the only movie-rental company that has agreements that let it rent new releases as soon as they’re available for sale, while its competitors must wait a certain number of days.

Internet-based mail-service movie rental company Netflix parried back against Blockbuster’s offensive. It contends that the move toward more convenience in movie renting means that “the video store is becoming a thing of the past.”

“Blockbuster basically admitted online was the way when they started expanding into on-demand and Internet-based mail order service,” said Steve Swasey, Netflix’s vice president of corporate communications.

Indeed, alternate forms of movie rentals and at-home viewing are seeing a surge in interest as movie stores struggle.

Mail-delivery company Netflix grew 31 percent from 2008 to 2009, according to Swasey. It now has 12.3 million members, and plans to expand internationally this year.

Meanwhile, Redbox, the bright red DVD kiosks found near McDonald’s and other public places, is also growing. It launched in 2002 and now has more than 22,400 kiosks nationwide, each of which holds about 630 titles.

Redbox spokesman Chris Goodrich said that Redbox has gone from competing with other DVD kiosk rental providers to trying to tackle market share from mail-order companies and brick-and-mortar movie rental stores.

Comcast Corp.’s On Demand option — which allows people to watch movies whenever they want just by using their remote controls — has also benefitted from the move to more convenience.

The cable provider launched On Demand in 2003; in June 2009, it announced that it had surpassed 13 billion customer views.

Comcast spokeswoman Marta Casas-Celaya said 160 million hours of content are watched every month through On Demand.

Still, some consumers say they prefer brick-and-mortar stores.

Torranga, who was shopping at Hollywood Video, said she became a fan of comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000 because of a recommendation from a movie store clerk, and that she’ll continue to get her movie rentals from brick-and-mortar stores.

“We don’t get out that much, so it’s nice to go to the video store as a family and pick out a movie on Friday or Saturday night,” said Pam Trent of Wellington, who was browsing titles at Hollywood Video with her daughter, Carly. “My husband and I read the back to make sure the movie’s OK, and then we take it home and watch it together.”

Blockbuster brings back late fees for movie rentals

Posts Tagged ‘shelves’

Flashy Game Hardware, Not Consoles, Will Dominate E3 | Portable Gadget

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Google buys BumpTop 3D desktop

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Our puddle of misery

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Blockbuster brings back late fees for movie rentals

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