gaming
Sony Embarks on a New Crusade With 3-D Gaming
The auditorium darkens, the audience members put on their 3-D glasses, and a screen fills up with point-of-view images of sci-fi warfare — futuristic soldiers leaping from one military platform to another in special weaponized jetpacks, raining death and destruction. A scene from a potential sequel to James Cameron’s “Avatar?” No, just an attempt to take that film’s success and translate it into another medium.
Nintendo Looks Forward (3DS) and Backward (Warmed-Over Wii Games)
Nintendo unveiled its highly anticipated 3DS portable game console Tuesday at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. The 3DS offers 3-D viewing without the need for special glasses. Nintendo also announced remakes of several of its popular older games for the Wii platform. The Nintendo 3DS has two stacked vertically screens. The top one is a 3.5-inch 3-D display; the bottom one is a touch panel.
Kinect Reaches Beyond Gaming – but Where’s the Blu-ray?
Microsoft once again demonstrated its motion-controlled video game interface at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo. It also announced a new version of its Xbox 360 gaming console. Project Natal, said Microsoft will now be known by its new official name: “Kinect.” The Kinect is an array of sensors that will plug into any Xbox 360.
Who Will Own E3?
Archrivals Microsoft and Apple are likely to make the big news at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, to be held June 15 through 17 in Los Angeles. 3-D gaming is also expected to make a strong showing. Microsoft’s Project Natal, which lets Xbox 360 players control a game through body movements instead of hand-held controllers, will likely make an appearance.
Sony’s PS3 Can Play 3-D – All You Need Is a $3-5K TV to Go With It
It’s a 3-D world, at least according to Hollywood. All the new kids’ movies are doing it: the last in the “Shrek” series, “Alice in Wonderland” — you name it, you need glasses to watch it. And in the world of video gaming, 3-D is something of a Holy Grail. Gamers have been waiting for the rich, immersive experience promised by the third dimension for a very long time.
Zynga Opens a New Frontier for Social Gamers
Social game developer Zynga has introduced its latest creation — “FrontierVille” — on Facebook. “FrontierVille” is similar to Zynga’s immensely popular “FarmVille” in that players and their networks maintain a place — in this case, a frontier outpost. The game starts with a covered wagon and plot of land where the player starts digging to build a farm.
A New Entry Into the World of Location-Based Games
SCVNGR (pronounced scavenger) launched a new set of features and mobile applications on Thursday allowing consumers to create location-based games on a mobile phone.
Steam Heats Up Gaming for Mac Users
Valve Software on Tuesday launched the Mac OS X version of its Steam online gaming platform. Steam, a portal through which users buy, download and play both old and new PC games, was until now limited to the Windows operating system. Valve will soon extend Steam to the Linux platform. Valve launched a collection of game titles Wednesday on Steam for Mac OS X.
Apple’s Game Center Tilts the Playing Field
Gaming enthusiasts who gobble up every tidbit of news they can about consoles, gadgets and titles didn’t have a lot to digest Thursday when Apple revealed that the new iPhone OS 4 would include Game Center, a social gaming network. The news was just one feature mentioned in the overall update for the smartphone operating system; Steve Jobs’ company certainly didn’t unlock any new levels in the “details” category.
Next-Gen Nintendo DS: 3 Dimensions, No Glasses
Nintendo on Monday announced that it will release a new model of its DS handheld console that can play 3-D games but won’t require the user to wear special glasses. This device is due by early next year at the latest. The move may give Nintendo’s DS an edge as the video game and entertainment markets inch toward 3-D.
Can a Clown-Nosed Wand Move the Needle for PS3?
Sony put PlayStation 3 fans in a tizzy by whipping out its latest controller, which it calls the “Move.” It looks a whole lot like a black version of Nintendo’s WiiMote controller, only it’s got this big, clown-nose ball on the end of it. That ball actually serves a purpose. The Move’s motion is partially registered by a camera PS3 users will set on top of the television.
PlayStation’s Got the Moves, but Who’s Got Game?
Sony demonstrated its Move motion controller for the PlayStation 3 console at the 2010 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, following up on its first demo at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles last June. Together with the Move, Sony will release the Move sub-controller, a one-handed controller that’s similar to the Nintendo Wii “nunchuck” and is an optional accessory for some games.
