gaming
Next on Kinect’s Hit List: Hardcore Gamers
Guinness World Records has just announced that Microsoft’s Kinect is the fastest-selling electronics device ever. In its first 60 days on the market, more than 8 million of the Xbox 360 accessory units were sold, and to date that number has eclipsed 10 million. With this many Kinects installed around the world, it’s now pretty clear it’s a viable platform for developers to look into.
Bits: Microsoft Sells 10 Million Kinects, Breaking Record
Microsoft shattered sales expectations of the Kinect game controller, selling 10 million units since its launch last year and breaking The Guinness Book of World Records for fastest selling consumer electronics device in history.
Mobility Reigns Supreme at GDC
Every year, hordes of video game professionals and wannabe industry insiders flock to San Francisco for the Game Developers Conference. It’s usually more focused on the professional, business side of the industry, but even though it’s not filled with the glitz and glamor of some of the industry’s other big trade shows, it’s a good early indicator of what will be big for the rest of the year.
Epic Makes Unreal Engine More Realistic for Small Devs
Epic Games has created award-winning series like “Gears of War” and “Unreal Tournament,” as well as a popular proprietary development platform. That platform, Unreal Engine, doesn’t only appear in Epic titles, though. The company has allowed other developers to license it — for a fee. Now, it’s opening up that platform to independent developers with no upfront cost.
PS3 Could Become a Harder Nut to Crack
Sony doesn’t like it when gamers mess with its products. The company’s stance against PS3 hacking — users altering the machine’s programming to make it perform functions other than playing games — continues to grow stronger, as Sony pulls out the legal guns and shows no signs of backing down. When it comes to consumer electronics, unauthorized hacking and pirating seem like unavoidable hassles.
Xperia Play Phone May Not Have the Juice for Serious Gaming
After months of speculation, rumors, leaked photos, and even a pricey teaser ad that aired during the Super Bowl, Sony Ericsson finally revealed details about the Xperia Play, a device popularly referred to as the “PlayStation phone.” Sony Ericsson unveiled several new phones this week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but it’s arguably the Xperia Play that is getting the most attention.
Bits: Dot Earth: Games as Learning
A post on Dot Earth highlights readers’ ideas about the role of gaming in learning.
Bits: One on One: Jane McGonigal, Game Designer
One on one with Jane McGonigal, author of “Reality Is Broken.”
Is Sony’s Xperia Play All Thumbs?
The gaming world was still waiting to hear more details about Sony’s Next Generation Portable, the successor to its current PlayStation Portable handheld gaming system, when all of the sudden the company up and confirmed another rumored gaming device. The Xperia Play looks to be the official name of what many had already dubbed the “PlayStation phone.”
Bits: One on One: Jane McGonigal, Game Designer
One on one with Jane McGonigal, author of “Reality Is Broken.”
‘LA Noire’: Latest Rockstar Epic Gets the Sam Spade Treatment
When it comes to controversial, violent video games, Rockstar is king. “Grand Theft Auto” put the company on the map, and it hasn’t looked back since. It has become one of the most talked-about publishers in the industry and continues to push the envelope. But its latest game, while still containing a lot of sex and violence, puts players in a very different perspective.
Big Questions Surround Sony’s Little Gaming Machine
This week, Sony will officially unveil the PlayStation Portable 2, the sequel to its original PSP mobile gaming device. Several rumors surround the upcoming gaming console, one of which is that it will incorporate a smartphone. However, at least one news source has reported that Sony will actually unveil two devices: an updated PlayStation Portable handheld gaming console next week and a game-playing smartphone in February.
