Why scientists love games consoles
Leading scientists are turning to the extraordinary power of games consoles to do their sums and simulate everything from colliding black holes to the effects of drugs.
Reprogram a PlayStation and it will perform feats that would be unthinkable on an ordinary PC because the kinds of calculations required to produce the realistic graphics now seen in sophisticated video games are similar to those used by chemists and physicists as they simulate the interactions between particles ranging from the molecular to the astronomical.
Such simulations are usually carried out on a supercomputer, but time on these machines is expensive and in short supply. By comparison, games consoles are cheap and easily available, says New Scientist.
“There is no doubt that the entertainment industry is helping to drive the direction of high performance computational science - exploiting the power available to the masses will lead to many research breakthroughs in the future,” comments Prof Peter Coveney of University College London, who uses supercomputing in chemistry.
Prof Gaurav Khanna at the University of Massachusetts has used an array of 16 PS3s to calculate what will happen when two black holes merge.
According to Prof Khanna, the PS3 has unique features that make it suitable for scientific computations, namely, the Cell processor dubbed a “supercomputer-on-a-chip.” And it runs on Linux, “so it does not limit what you can do.”
“A single high-precision simulation can sometimes cost more than 5,000 hours on the TeraGrid supercomputers. For the same cost, you can build your own supercomputer using PS3s. It works just as well, has no long wait times and can be used over and over again, indefinitely,” Prof Khanna says.
And Todd Martinez has persuaded the supercomputing centre at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, to buy eight computers each driven by two of the specialised chips that are at the heart of Sony’s PlayStation 3 console.
Together with his student Benjamin Levine he is using them to simulate the interactions between the electrons in atoms, as part of work to see how proteins in the body dovetail with drug molecules.
He was inspired while browsing through his son’s games console’s technical specification “I noticed that the architecture looked a lot like high performance supercomputers I had seen before,” he says. “That’s when I thought about getting one for myself.”
The Wii, made by Nintendo, has a motion tracking remote control unit that is cheaper than a comparable device built from scratch. The device recently emerged as a tool to help surgeons to improve their technique.
Meanwhile, neurologist Thomas Davis at the Vanderbilt Medical Centre in Nashville, Tennessee, is using it to measure movement deficiencies in Parkinson’s patients to assess how well a patient can move when they take part in drug trials.
via telegraph
Reference: A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or electronic device that manipulates the video display signal of a display device (a television, monitor, etc.) to display a game. The term “video game console” is used to distinguish a machine designed for consumers to buy and use solely for playing video games from a personal computer, which has many other functions, or arcade machines, which are designed for businesses that buy and then charge others to play.
WALMART TO COVER UP “M” RATED GAMES
Bentonville, AR – Censorship, of course, is nothing new. Every creative form of entertainment has endured attempts to restrict its content or who can access it at some point of its existence. Over the past few years video games have taken the brunt of those restrictions. The virulence of the attacks against the industry has only grown along with its rise in popularity.
Early on the industry seemed to learn from its predecessors. With the voluntary introduction of a rating system in the 90’s, the video game industry took a proactive approach to self regulation. The hope was that this show of responsibility would help stave of the more radical proselytizers and give the industry room to breathe. Throughout the Nineties, that approach seemed to be working.
Gaming had its controversies early in its life. Titles such as “Custer’s Revenge” and “Beat ‘em and Eat ‘em” broke boundaries and outraged parents in the nascent days of the industry when they were released for the Atari 2600. Natural selection and technology changes from companies like Nintendo doomed titles of such a controversial nature to extinction. In the early part of the 1990’s though, saw a surge parental outrage, and even US Senate hearings, with the release of titles like “Night Trap” and “Mortal Kombat”.
The resulting controversies forced the industry to form the ESRB and begin to regulate their own product, hoping that they would avoid the censorship the plagued the Film and Music industry before them. For a while, that seemed to work.
The start of the new millennium saw the release of two products that would forever change that calm peace the industry had brokered.
The Sony Playstation 2 and “Grand Theft Auto III” broke new grounds for controversy and popularity. All of a sudden, the industry found itself on the defensive again, and as the decade has progressed, the vigour of the attacks seems to have only increased.
With recent controversies over titles like “Bully” and “Manhunt 2” video games have never been under such scrutiny. That focus has caused not only developers and publishers to become nervous about the content in their titles, but also retailers.
The largest retailer of all has taken new measures to try to protect its consumers from potentially controversial video games.
Much like adult magazines had in the past, Wal-Mart will soon be displaying M-rated titles with a black sleeve covering three quarters of the cover of each title. The hope is that this will prevent children from any kind of exposure to anything that might be offensive on the cover of a game.
“It is the responsibility of Wal-Mart to protect our children from potentially damaging content, such as the covers of some video games,” said a company spokesperson.
When asked why the sleeves would matter when the titles are stored behind glass, the company had no comment.
The new program is expected to be implemented later this year. There are also plans to cover T-rated titles with a more modest half sleeve.
via scrapetv
Reference: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) is an American public corporation that runs a chain of large, discount department stores. It is the world’s largest public corporation by revenue, according to the 2007 Fortune Global 500.[3] Founded by Sam Walton in 1962, it was incorporated on October 31, 1969, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1972. It is the largest private employer in the world and the fourth largest utility or commercial employer, trailing the Chinese army, the British National Health Service, and the Indian Railways. Wal-Mart is the largest grocery retailer in the United States, with an estimated 20% of the retail grocery and consumables business, as well as the largest toy seller in the U.S., with an estimated 22% share of the toy market.
Wal-Mart operates in Mexico as Walmex, in the UK as ASDA, and in Japan as Seiyu. It has wholly-owned operations in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the UK. Wal-Mart’s investments outside North America have had mixed results: its operations in South America and China are highly successful, but it sold its retail operations in South Korea and Germany in 2006 after sustained losses.
Wal-Mart has been criticized by some community groups, women’s rights groups, grassroots organizations, and labor unions, specifically for its extensive foreign product sourcing, low rates of employee health insurance enrollment, resistance to union representation, and alleged sexism.
‘Duke Nukem Forever’ release possible in 2008, coming to home consoles
Garland-based video games developer 3D Realms has said Duke Nukem Forever, the highly anticipated sequel to its revolutionary 1996 PC game Duke Nukem 3D, is projected to be completed in late 2008, with versions likely for Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony’s PlayStation 3 home video game consoles and personal computers.
“We haven’t formally announced any platforms for DNF,” wrote 3D Realms President Scott Miller in an e-mail exchange. “But, of course hitting the big three makes the most sense (PC, PS3, 360).”
Miller added a note of caution on the 12-years-coming sequel and its release window, claiming, “We can’t make an official announcement. Frankly, we may miss the mark by a month or two, but I feel very confident that we’re on target this time. Its definitely an internal push.”
Duke Nukem Forever is not the only 3D Realms title coming to home video game consoles in 2008. Miller also confirmed the existence of a downloadable Xbox Live Arcade version of Duke Nukem 3D, which will feature on-line multiplayer support, Xbox Live achievements, on-line score boards, and a co-op mode.
“We’re really excited about bringing classic Duke to the 360,” said Miller during an interview. “We’re talking to Microsoft about getting a release slot sometime this year.”
For more about Duke Nukem Forever, developer 3D Realms, and the North Texas video games industry at-large, pick up the Feb. 15, 2008 edition of the Dallas Business Journal for a special report.
An earlier version of this story said 3D Realms had “confirmed” the game’s release in late 2008. The current version also features an expanded quote from Miller regarding the possible release window.
by bizjournals
Duke Nukem Forever coming in 2008 alongside XBLA title
This just in: Duke Nukem Forever may see release in 2008. No, really. This unprecedented news comes by way of a recent email exchange between developer 3D Realms and the Dallas Business Journal.
While 3D Realms’ president Scott Miller notes that the company hasn’t “formally announced any platforms for DNF,” it does “make the most sense” that the title would be hitting “the big three,” referencing the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PCs. Miller does concede that the company “can’t make an official announcement” because it “may miss the mark by a month or two,” but confidence is high in the project due to an “internal push.”
Aside from the long-awaited release of the title 11 years in the making, 3D Realms also confirmed plans to bring Duke Nukem 3D to the Xbox Live Arcade with on-line multiplayer and co-op to boot. No date or priced has been confirmed yet.
It has been a long time coming, but there could very well be a day when the game that has been in development longer than the time it took to completely conceive, design, develop, and produce the atomic bomb will hit the streets. What a glorious era for gaming.
Ben’s Update: Well, the information may not be wrong, but it certainly wasn’t meant for public consumption. 3DRealms has just posted about this story on its official website, and George Broussard sounds just a little angry about the story. “In what appears to be an unfortunate turn of events, there seems to have been some confusion between what was ‘off the record’ and what was not. I suppose we’re used to dealing with gaming press and not mainstream press. Lesson learned,” he wrote.
The release date is still ‘when it’s done’, and will be until the appropriate moment. Platforms have not been finalized or announced. You can rest assured that we are moving toward a goal and that the recently released teaser trailer is the start of that process and seeing more of the game, sooner than later.
“We apologize to gamers and websites everywhere for this series of events. Sometimes, you can be too trusting of people and assume things that come back to bite you,” he finishes.
by arstechnica
EDITOR’S VIEW: The PlayStation 3 Rebirth
It has endured a horrible introduction to the world, but PlayStation 3 has survived. Now it’s set to prosper. Next-Gen’s editor-in-chief Colin Campbell explains…
The thing about brands? They’re all about reputation. And PlayStation’s reputation has taken a beating.
We need not go into detail here, but it’s sufficient to make the point that Sony’s dominance is over forever and its survival in the game industry at all has seemed, at times, less than certain.
Many brands would not have lived through the ignominious introduction of PlayStation 3.
But the PlayStation brand and the Sony brand have survived. They have clung on. They are still here. And now they are going to come back into play. The battle against Xbox 360 (let’s leave Wii aside for now) is not over. In fact, it’s only just beginning. And PlayStation will be the ultimate winner, although what that actually means is something I reckon is worth analyzing in its own right.
Here’s why PlayStation 3’s fortunes are turning.
PlayStation has, rightly, been losing because its software line-up is not as compelling as Xbox 360.
If you look at the best games of the last year, Xbox 360 had a better year of it than PlayStation 3. Next-Gen placed four platform-exclusives from both consoles in our end-of-year top 30, but the Xbox 360 games’ average position was 10th while the PS3’s was 19th. The former had two games in the top ten; the latter had none.
However, a look at the big games for 2008 offers some promise for PS3. Apart from Metal Gear, Tekken 6, GT5 and the Final Fantasies we have two good FPS games in Killzone 2 and Resistance 2 and, perhaps most crucially, two delightful mainstream offerings in SingStar and Little Big Planet. Xbox 360 has a good line-up too, but it’s no better and, you could argue, a bit less thrilling, than its blue-chip 2007 offerings.
Microsoft has been fighting its console battle according to the tried and trusted rules of an age when consoles were largely sold based on their merits, chief among which was their games library. And it’s done very well. But PlayStation’s software offering is in the ascendancy and, anyway (here comes a heresy) sometimes it really isn’t about the software. “What?” – you splutter with incandescent bellicosity. “Not about the software? You sir, are a buffoon and a scoundrel.” Wait. Hear me out.
BLU-RAY
This is the real nub of the hardware war. It always was. For Sony, it has proven a dreadful disadvantage these past two years. It will prove the company’s most fearsome weapon in 2009 and onwards, and it will begin to make a difference in 2008.
The decision to go with Blu-ray as PS3’s drive was simultaneously a bad decision and a good one. It was bad because it hiked the price of the hardware. It was bad because it caused technology challenges and delays. It was bad because no consumers – none – were asking for it. It was bad because it looked like the company was trying to use its leverage in the game business to further its bigger picture ends.
It was good because Blu-ray is going to emerge as the winning platform in the war against HD-DVD. It was good because millions of people will be upgrading to hi-def over the next five years. It was good because a significant percentage of them will make PS3 a central part of that upgrade process.
For Jack Tretton and his pals at Sony, 2008 has begun with the sun shining and the birds singing – Las Vegas style. At CES Warner quit HD-DVD; the HD-DVD booth was way quieter than the neighboring Blu-ray booth. The consumer electronics zeitgeist declared the war over and Blu-ray the victor.
It’s not the end of the war, but it is the beginning of the end, and Blu-ray is the one going forwards. The end of this foolish war will usher in a period of growth triggered by consumers relieved that they can make a purchase and not get screwed by this dim-witted squabble.
Consumers are replacing their TV sets with high-def flat-screens. They will also replace their DVD players with Blu-ray players. They will seek the machine that is noted for its quality; the one that is future-proof; the one with the trust-worthy brand name; the one that, wow, also plays games. They will invest in PlayStation.
So is it all over for Xbox 360? No, the sales numbers are still in that platform’s favor. But sales numbers change quickly. I’m going to predict that, at some point in 2008, Xbox 360 will enjoy its last ever month outselling PlayStation 3. It will be Blu-ray, not Metal Gear Solid, that makes this happen.
PRICE
Up until this point, Xbox 360 has represented the best value. No longer. PS3 is $50 more expensive than Xbox 360 but you get a bigger hard drive, you get a Blu-ray drive and you get to play online for free. It is becoming extremely difficult to argue the case that Xbox 360 is better value than PS3.
In fact, Microsoft is the one most under pressure to cut price. Its paid-for system on Xbox Live looks wholly unsustainable and its lack of a Blu-ray drive is not compensated by that $50 differential (we don’t count the Arcade Pack – does anyone?).
It may be that Microsoft will cut its price to sustain its lead, but two can play at that game (PlayStation 3’s manufacturing costs are dropping substantially) and, anyway, market-share is not as valuable as it once was, certainly not valuable enough to persuade Microsoft to take a big loss on its hardware so far into the console’s life.
BRAND
PlayStation 3, as a model, looks, to me like a pregnant platypus. But some people see beauty in its lines. (I think all the hardware boxes this generation are pug-ugly, but that’s a different point.)
For many people, it looks like a tres-moderne piece of under-the-telly technology. And, what‘s more, it carries the Sony logo and the PlayStation logo. For those of us entrenched in the biz, both these brands carry baggage. But for them out there – the Year 3 Console Adopters, the people who bought a DVD player after the Millennium – these are brands to trust. They speak of sophistication and quality.
I don’t even posit this as an argument against Microsoft or Nintendo, simply as a point about Sony and its relationship with consumers. Sony still means something to billions of people, and so does PlayStation.
HOME
Will PlayStation Home make a difference? When I saw it a year ago, I was convinced that this piece of software would play a major role in the console wars. I still believe it has a touch of genius, the common touch, to take virtual living out of the machismo ghettoes of Xbox Live or the vacant loonyness of Second Life. If it works, it’s an amazing thing.
So, for the first time, Sony is holding some decent cards, even if its chip-stack has been eroded these past few years. It should go on to rack up a hardware base that rivals and then overtakes Xbox 360.
All the above looks like some sort of prediction that PlayStation 3 is going to “win” the hardware wars. It really isn’t, because winning doesn’t mean what it used to mean.
This hardware cycle has confounded most of what we thought we knew about the console games market. We used to believe that there would always be an ultra-dominant console and a distant second-place. We used to believe that third place was no-where. It was once a central belief that games consoles ought not try and be something else; that convergent devices were anathema.
Those things don’t seem to hold any longer. All three console manufacturers are in a strong position to take a win from this generation; simultaneously.
There was a time when “winning” meant creating a big enough share that third parties would work exclusively with the publisher, thereby guaranteeing the growth of that share. Those days are gone. That fight is no longer relevant. Third-parties no longer see value in exclusives. Hell; there’s almost an argument for first-parties to tickle their rivals with certain game releases.
Now, each company must win or lose according to its own criteria.
Nintendo will sell more hardware units than anyone else, and it’ll make a heap of money. In pure numbers on the ground terms, Wii may well win.
But this isn’t a big win for the game industry as a whole, because Nintendo takes such a huge percentage of the software market. Even with today’s massive installed base, we don’t believe Nintendo’s third-party partners can sell much more than 500,000 units of any game in first three months on sale (in either North America or Europe), whereas Nintendo games can and do sell millions.
Microsoft has broken into the games console club and, crucially, created itself a solid reputation as an entertainment brand. It has a larger installed base than PS3 and will continue to enjoy that lead for many, many months to come. Xbox 360 is also going to be a player – albeit not the dominant one – in the emerging entertainment download hub revolution. Crazily, Microsoft might actually make some money from its console adventure. That’s got to be a win even if it sells fewer consoles than its rivals.
PlayStation 3 won’t repeat the successes of the previous two cycles. It won’t dominate the market with solid gold exclusives. It may well spend a significant proportion of this cycle as the console with the smallest installed base. But it will succeed in aiding Blu-ray’s march onwards. That, arguably, is the most crucial factor in its play. As a corporate goal, it diminishes any rivalry with Microsoft to almost zero.
PS3 will one day be seen as a great product – certainly getting a 40% share this generation is a much more challenging proposition than an 80% share in the 1990s (against weak-assed Sega and stubbornly cartridge-a-phile Nintendo, for Chrissakes).
PlayStation 3 is set for greatly improved fortunes in 2008. Blu-ray is the factor that is tipping the balance. For Sony, there remains the enormous challenge of making sure those Blu-ray / PS3 owners engage in PlayStation 3 as more than just a fancy hi-def movie player.
By Colin Campbell (next-gen)
Reference: The PlayStation 3 (officially marketed PLAYSTATION 3, commonly abbreviated PS3) is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Nintendo’s Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game systems.
A major feature that distinguishes the PlayStation 3 from its predecessors is its unified online gaming service, the PlayStation Network, which contrasts with Sony’s former policy of relying on games’ developers for online play. Other major features of the console include its robust multimedia capabilities, connectivity with the PlayStation Portable, and its use of a next-gen optical format, Blu-ray Disc, as its primary storage medium.
The PlayStation 3 was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November 17, 2006 in North America, and March 23, 2007 in Europe and Oceania, with two stock keeping units (SKUs): a basic version with a 20 GB hard disk drive (HDD), and a premium version with a 60 GB HDD and several additional features. (The 20 GB version was not released in Europe or Oceania.) Since then, the console has had several revisions made to its available SKUs and has faced stiff competition from the other seventh generation consoles. As of December 2007, the PS3 is in third place in sales for its generation.
Call Of Duty 4
(I apologize for that that have not specified a source for this info. The main artcle is http://www.2old2play.com/News/Call_of_Duty_4___The_Beta_First_Impressions )
For the past month and a half the gaming community has been chomping at the bit to get a look at anything that has to do with Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare.
This past week we got the chance to do just that when Infinity Ward opened up their Beta for COD4 to a select group of people in the press, as well as some lucky members of the CharlieOscarDelta.com community.
Here is what we saw and what we thought about the game that a lot of people are calling the Halo Killer.
The Call of Duty 4 Beta is only a touch of what you’ll see in the final version of the game when it’s released on Monday November 5th, but what you are able to see is going to make your mouth water for more of the tasty goodness. ( cashadvances )
Graphics
If you are looking for a crisp clear brightly colored game look the other way, because that is not what you are going to find in Call of Duty 4.
The graphics in the game are extremely gritty to give the gamer a feel of being in a real warzone. Everything looks drab and washed out, in a good way; it makes you feel like you are actually immersed into a modern day warzone.
All the buildings are broken and cracked so they look like they will fall over in the slightest breeze, with the help of an M16A4 bullet, or when the next chopper hovers over the top of them waiting to pick off the unsuspecting enemy.
The foliage is really where this game shines. It has to if you are going to be able to pull off being a sniper and wearing a ghillie suit.
Many times in game we would be running along trying to make it to a point of entry or cross a road without getting our heads taken off, only to be sniped down by someone camouflaged to the nines and hiding in the bushes.
All in all the graphics definitely compliment the game play and game style very well. Don’t be surprised though if you have to squint at your screen to spot an enemy on the other side of the map, they blend in that well.
Controls
The control scheme is very similar to that of Call of Duty 2 with a few subtle differences. So subtle in fact that if you have played a lot of COD 2 you shouldn’t have much of a problem picking up the controls for 4 in a short amount of time.
Most of the buttons are set up in the same place as they were in 2 with a few new additions. When sniping you can hold your breath with the left thumb stick as you could before, but when you aren’t scoped in this is the sprint button. Players can now sprint across open areas for short distances in order to help them better avoid getting gunned down when they click or hold down the left thumb stick.
The other addition is one that involves your kill streaks and you some of your perks, but we’ll get to those in a little bit. Let’s just say that one click of the button can cause a lot of damage to the other team and put a smile on your face as you watch the destruction.
All in all the controls have a smooth and familiar feel to them and you won’t be disappointed in how your movements flow from your fingers the screen.
Game types
There are four game types in the beta, and they all have their own areas of appeal. Here they are: Free for all, Team Death Match, Search and Destroy, Domination.
Free for All – Exactly what it sounds like. Players pick a load out and head out onto the battle field and try to prove they are the best of the best, (in that particular game).
Team Death Match – The tried and true staple for all shooters is back in COD 4 and it is just as much fun, if not more so, then it has ever been. Be prepared to feel like you are surrounded and constantly feel like you need to check your six as you battle it out in teams of up to six vs. six.
Search and Destroy – A new spin on the old version of Search and destroy from COD 2 in which one, player, from the attacking team, must pick up the bomb at the beginning of the match and then move towards the A or B objective, with the help of his or her team, where they must plant the bomb. After the bomb is planted the attacking team must then defend that area for 30 seconds.
If the defending team kills all of the attacking team’s members or defuses the bomb they win, if the bomb goes off then the attacking team wins. Each game is first to 4 wins and you only have one life so be careful when you stick your head around a corner.
Domination – This game type is a lot like Call of Duty 3’s war. There are three areas on the map, (A, B, C), which players must capture and hold for points. The more areas you hold the more points you will acquire and the quicker the round will be over.
Sounds easy right? Well it’s not. Each team ideally has six players each so you have to spread yourself out in order to attack or defend each territory making it easier for the attacking team to put all their effort into capture the area you are defending.
This game type is that will take the tactical side of what has been a more of a run and gun series to a new level of strategy and teamwork. So if you like to work and as a team and develop different strategies this will be the game type for you and your friends.
Create a Class
Taking a page from the Rainbow six series and other more tactical shooters Call of Duty 4 has added a new customizable option to its game play. The newest option allows players to create your own player class and customize your load out to compliment your own playing style.
Each player has five customizable slots to set up for different maps or game types. If you don’t want to spend the time setting up the custom classes, which we highly recommend you do, then you can choose from standard setup ala Call of Duty 2 with set weapons, grenades, and other goodies
The possibilities are endless for any type of play style.
Weapons and Special Grenades – Players will have the choice of a primary weapon, a secondary weapon, and a special grenade.
Primary Weapon – Players can choose from Assault Rifles, Sub Machine Guns, Light Machine Guns, Shotguns, or Sniper Rifles. There are five to seven choices in each area to choose from so you shouldn’t have any problem finding something you like.
After you pick your weapon you can also pick attachments that will help you get the enemy in your sites a little faster or help you aim a little straighter.
An example of this is the red dot site which puts a red dot, not a laser, on wherever you are aiming to help you get a better feel for where your bullets are going to end up.
Side Arm – Just like most other shooters you are allowed to take a pistol out with you onto the battlefield. There are four to choose from and they each have their pros and cons, but we’ll let you figure that out for yourself.
If you want to be sneaky you can hook up a silencer to the end of your pistol in order to get that stealth shot to the back of your head on your unsuspecting buddy.
Special Grenades – There are three types of special grenades. An upgrade from the older Call of Duty games where you only had smoke grenades. The three types are: Flash Grenade, Stun Grenade, and Smoke.
Each grenade serves a different purpose and can be helpful or deadly its own way. So choose carefully you don’t want to bring a smoke grenades to a room breaching party.
Perks - These are special abilities that let each player further customize your load to compliment your game play style. You are limited to three perks for each one of your customizable class slots.
Here is what you have to work with and get ready to put your thinking cap on because there are a lot of options:
Category 1 Perks:
Bomb Squad - Ability to seek out enemy explosives
C4 x 2 - Remote detonation explosive
Claymore x 2 - Trip activated explosive mine
RPG-7 x 2 - Rocket Launcher with 2 rockets
Special Grenades x 3 - 3 special grenades. No smoke
Category 2 Perks:
Juggernaut - Increased health
Sleight of Hand - Faster reloading
Sonic Boom - Higher explosive weapon damage
Stopping Power - Increased bullet damage
UAV Jammer - Undetectable on enemy radar
Category 3 Perks:
Deep Impact - Deeper bullet penetration
Extreme Conditioning - Sprint for longer distances
Last Stand - Pull out your pistol before dying
Martyrdom - Drop a live grenade when killed
Steady Aim - Increased hip-fire accuracy
Dead Silence - Movements make less noise
Modifiers
Ever wanted to call in an airstrike, find out exactly where the enemy is located or have a badass helicopter crew slice through the opposition? Well now is your chance and all you have to do is string together some kill, without dying, to be able to hook up your team with a little extra help to win the war.
This is where the D-Pad comes into play as all of your modifiers can be enabled by hitting right on the D-Pad after they have been activated. Also if you are in middle of launching a modifier and fall to your death don’t worry you can still use that option after you re-spawn, so all your efforts weren’t in vain.
3 Kill Modifier – UAV – The UAV enables you to see exactly where the opposing team is located so that you can advance on their position and take them down in which ever fashion you see fit.
5 Kill Modifier – AirStrike – Death from above is what this modifier is bringing to the battle field if you correctly determine where the enemy is or will be on your handy map that pops up to help you send in your planes anywhere on the map.
Friendly fire is turned off for the Beta so don’t worry about blowing up your own team, but you might want to practice letting your team know when you are about to launch one, because once friendly fire is enabled a lot of people could be really pissed off or happy depending on your aim.
7 Kill Modifier – Helicopter Support – This option lets you call in support from above that hangs around for a little while and can help you rack up some serious kills in a hurry.
The Helicopter hangs out above the map firing at the enemy whenever they come into view, and will do so until it is taken out. So when you see an enemy copter fly onto the screen you better run and hide or get someone with an RPG to take that thing out, or you’ll be in for a world of hurt.
Leader boards – Call of Duty 4 has added leader boards to its repertoire where you can track your final score for each match, how many wins and losses you’ve accrued kills and deaths, and also how well you can keep your sites on the target in the accuracy section.
Party System – I’m sure this will be fixed in the final version, but as of right now you can only have six people in your party if you want to get into a game. Add a seventh person and you lose all your options to start a match. Other than that the system is very promising and a little reminiscent of the Halo 2 & 3 party system.
Could it be that someone actually listened to the gamers and followed in the footsteps of Bungie to create a party and matchmaking system that actually works. Well we’ll just have to see when the final version hits shelves.
Pros
Great potential for a Match Making system that works, fast and furious game play, realistic battlefield action that is very immersive, the weapons seem to be on point there really isn’t anything that is super overpowered or underpowered except maybe the sniper, more options than you can shake a stick at and this is only the beta, the perks add a whole new level to the game, and the new melee is awesome (you whip out a knife).
Cons
In a couple of the games when the action was building to a crescendo with explosions going on all over the screen the game froze and everyone on my FL had to re-boot. With some much going on, on the battlefield will this be the rule more so than the exception, only time will tell.
The party system has the potential to be great, but as it stands right now is a little jacked up and need some tweaking. We’re not sure if the developers set it up this way for the Beta or if it is something that can be adjusted in time for the final release. Right now it’s a pain getting together with a group of more than six friends.
The Conclusion
This game has the potential to be one of the best games of the year. The game play is fast and furious, the visuals are beautiful, and the customization will add to the longevity of the games life.
Will it be the Halo killer I doubt it, but it will give the folks at Bungie a run for their money.
So if you have the chance to play the Beta do so, you won’t regret it in the least. If you can’t get your hands on the code you need to reserve your copy for rental or buying as soon as possible, because this is one that’s going to be hard to find come November 5.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, announced on April 25, 2007 for Windows, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, will be the ninth installment in the Call of Duty video game series and the first not to be set during World War II. It is currently due to be released worldwide on November 5, 2007.
Gameplay
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will introduce a variety of game play styles into the single player campaign completely new to the Call of Duty series. The game moves away from the standard three country-specific campaign style, and allows the plot to play through more like a film style plot with interlaced story lines from the perspective of the player as a member of the US 1st Force Recon and a member of the British 22nd SAS Regiment. There is also a variety of cameo-style missions where you play as various other soldiers such as an AC-130 Gunship gunner, or as one part of a two man sniper team behind enemy lines in a flashback style mission.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare will focus on the variation of modern warfare as an infantry soldier by allowing the player to control soldiers in a vast amount of different scenarios, straying away from the constant “at eleven” action of previous Call of Duty titles and allowing for both heavy intensity fire fights and slower paced drama styled intensity. The developer, Infinity Ward, has so far told about a handful of such levels including where the player will be the gunner of an AC-130 gunship and the pilot of a AH-1 SuperCobra helicopter providing air support.
The series’ move to modern warfare has also introduced a variety of new modern weapons and technology to be introduced to the Call of Duty franchise. Such showcased weapons and attachments include M203 grenade launchers, IR laser pointers for use in conjunction with night vision goggles, silenced MP5SD submachine guns, and the FGM-148 Javelin portable anti-tank guided missile among many others.
Plot
A Russian nationalist by the name of Zakhaev is set on returning his homeland to the Soviet times. Zakhaev knows the United States would never allow this to happen, thus he funds a coup in the Middle East, organized by his ally Al-Asad, to draw attention away from Russia. The two men and their seconds-in-command gain the nickname The Four Horsemen. However, the British and US governments have been monitoring Zakhaev’s activities and discover his real intentions. The story is told from a perspective of a British 22nd SAS Regiment operative in Russia and American 1st Force Recon in the Middle East.
The game also features a flashback mission set 15 years ago in the Chernobyl Zone of Alienation, which features a new incarnation of Captain Price from 22nd SAS Regiment, the only character to appear in both of the first two games of the series. He needs to assassinate Zakhaev, but his mission fails because his Captain gets wounded and he has to get out him of the Zone of Alienation.[3] Whether this new Price will be confirmed to be a relative of the WWII era Price remains to be seen. It is also believed that the assasination attempt had left Zakhaev with only one arm.
The game features following as playable characters:
Lieutenant Price, 22nd SAS Regiment (15 years ago)
Sergeant John “Soap” MacTavish, 22nd SAS Regiment (present)
Sergeant Paul Jackson, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment (later Staff Sergeant as part of 1st Force Recon Co., U.S.M.C.) (present)
Their names are seen in mission info which is seen in published gameplay footage of the game. Further characters are unknown.
Multiplayer
Hardcore Mode
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare has been announced to have a new mode called Hardcore Mode. In multiplayer, users can choose to play standard game types such as Team Deathmatch, Deathmatch and others, or choose to play them in Hardcore Mode. In Hardcore Mode, damage received and inflicted increases, the heads-up display (HUD) is removed – the mini-map, ammo counter, and other on-screen indicators – and friendly fire is enabled.
Classes
For multiplayer, it has been confirmed that Call of Duty 4 will include a class system which has five preset classes with default weapon load outs and perks assigned to them as well as allows users to create five custom classes where the user can customize their weapon load out and three perks to assign to their soldier. The five default classes include Assault, Spec Ops, Light Machine Gunner, Demolitions, and Sniper class. Create a class will be unlocked through the user’s first few games after gaining enough Experience Points (XP) and ranking up to his first few ranks. Only two of the classes are available to a first time player; the rest are unlocked as he gains more experience online and gains higher rank.
Perks
Another introduction in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare multiplayer includes Perks. Perks are special abilities which allow users to further customize their character to their personal play style. The amount of perks available in multiplayer has not been announced however it has been confirmed that the player will be limited to three multiplayer perks at a time which can be assigned via Create a Class.
Perks List:
Category 1 Perks:
Bomb Squad - Ability to seek out enemy explosives
C4 x 2 - Remote detonation explosive
Claymore x 2 - Trip activated explosive mine
RPG-7 x 2 - Rocket Launcher with 2 rockets
Special Grenades x 3 - 3 special grenades. No smoke
Category 2 Perks:
Juggernaut - Increased health
Sleight of Hand - Faster reloading
Sonic Boom - Higher explosive weapon damage
Stopping Power - Increased bullet damage
UAV Jammer - Undetectable on enemy radar
Category 3 Perks:
Deep Impact - Deeper bullet penetration
Extreme Conditioning - Sprint for longer distances
Last Stand - Pull out your pistol before dying
Martyrdom - Drop a live grenade when killed
Steady Aim - Increased hip-fire accuracy
Dead Silence - Movements make less noise
Double Tap - Greater rate of fire when using automatic weapons
Attachments:
Grenade Launcher
Vertical Grip
Laser Sight
Infrared Laser
Open Red Dot Sight
Cylinder Red Dot Sight
ACOG Scope
There may be other attachments. Only one attachment can be attached to your weapon at a time in multi-player.
Setting
The game’s main setting is the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Some locations seen in the trailers may be Cairo, Chernobyl, Prypiat, and Azerbaijan. The developers have indicated they may also utilize additional locations, according to Game Informer magazine.
Call of Duty 4 is not set in an existing conflict, according to Grant Collier, one of Infinity Ward’s co-leads:
We wanted an enemy that is going to give the player a stand up fight. When people hear modern warfare, is that driving in a Humvee until an IED blows your tire off, then people shoot at your Humvee and you shoot back at them and they run away? Strangely enough, that’s not Infinity Ward-style combat. So we are creating a robust enemy that is going to give the Western powers a run for their money. They use high technology just like we do.
Kevin Alderman didn’t bring sex to “Second Life.” He just made it better. The 46-year-old entrepreneur recognized four years ago that people would pay to equip their online selves — which start out with the smooth anatomy of a Barbie or Ken doll — with realistic genitalia and even more to add some sexy moves.
Business at Eros LLC has been brisk. One of his creations, the SexGen Platinum, has gotten so popular that he’s now had to hire lawyers to track down the flesh-and-blood person behind the online identity, or avatar, that he says illegally copied and sold it.
The $45 SexGen animates amorous avatars in erotic positions. It is software code, written in the scripting language of “Second Life” and placed in virtual furniture and other objects. Avatars click on the object and choose from a menu of animated sex acts.
Alderman filed a civil lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Tampa, Fla., last month alleging an avatar named “Volkov Catteneo” broke the program’s copy protection and sold unauthorized copies. Alderman, who runs his business from home in a Tampa suburb, allows users to transfer his products, but prohibits copying.
“We confronted him about it and his basic response was, ‘What are you going to do? Sue me?’” Alderman said. “I guess the mentality is that because you’re an avatar … that you are untouchable. The purpose of this suit is not only to protect our income and our product, but also to show, yes, you can be prosecuted and brought to justice.”
Catherine Smith, director of marketing for “Second Life” creator Linden Lab, said she knew of no other real-world legal fight between two avatars.
However, Linden Labs itself has been sued more than once by subscribers over seizures of virtual property. In 2005, Japanese media reported that a Chinese exchange student was arrested for stealing virtual items from other players in an online game, “Lineage II.”
“Second Life” isn’t a game. There are no dragons to slay or other traditional game objectives. San Francisco-based Linden Lab describes it as “an online digital world imagined, created & owned by its residents.”
Linden Lab provides a free basic avatar, a 3-D virtual representation of the user in male or female form. Everything else costs real money. A 16-acre virtual island costs $1,675 plus monthly maintenance fees of $295. Virtual money, called Lindens, can be exchanged with real dollars at an average rate of about 270 Lindens per $1.
Avatars can be equipped with flowing gowns and tiny tattoos, and users with programming and Photoshop skills can reshape themselves into a virtual Greta Garbo or just about any shape imaginable. With a little cash, users can also have people like Alderman transform the avatars for them.
At Alderman’s “Second Life” shop, shoppers can try out a dragon bed powered by one of his SexGen engines. Along with programmers and designers, he employs a sales staff who hang around the shop like real salespeople to pitch the perfect sex toys. He is investing in a $25,000 motion-capture suit, a low-end version of one used to create digital characters in movies, to create more realistic sex moves for “Second Life” avatars.
As customers demand more real life in their “Second Life,” though, these virtual creations can collide with reality.
“Virtually every aspect of real life is getting duplicated, and all the laws that can be applied to the real world are being applied in ‘Second Life,’” said Jorge Contreras Jr., an intellectual-property attorney in Washington, D.C.
Last year, “Second Life” was rocked by a scandal over users who had modified their avatars to look like children and simulated pedophilia. Last month, Linden Lab shut down gambling in “Second Life” after concerns arose that virtual games of chance might violate U.S. gambling laws when members cashed in Lindens for real money.
Now comes Alderman’s SexGen suit, which was filed July 3 and seeks unspecified damages. It accuses the unknown owner of the Catteneo avatar of violating copyright and trademark protections by copying, distributing and selling copies of Alderman’s software.
Alderman’s attorney, Francis X. Taney Jr. of Philadelphia, said the lawsuit has gotten a lot of attention because it involves sex, but is fundamentally about long-established law.
“It’s a piece of software and software is copyrightable,” Taney said. “It’s also expressed in graphics, which also are copyrightable. There is some sizzle. People like to say it’s really far out there, but at the end of the day I equate it to basic intellectual property principles.”
Unlike many popular online worlds, such as “World of Warcraft,” Linden Lab grants its users broad rights to create and sell content with few restrictions. Users can install copy protection and seek U.S. copyright and trademark protections, all of which Alderman did for the SexGen software.
“Whenever you create a situation where people are buying and selling things and potentially misappropriating them from their rightful owners, it is only a matter of time before the legal system gets called in,” said Fred von Lohmann, a senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San Francisco. “This seems like a relatively straightforward case. It sounds like there is a real copyright issue.”
Taney believes he knows who Catteneo is in real life, but is confirming it through subpoenas of records of eBay Inc.’s PayPal payment service as well as chat logs and trade history in “Second Life.” He said Linden Lab and PayPal turned over their records, and he is preparing another round of subpoenas.
“We’re proceeding carefully,” Taney said. “This guy has claimed the information he gave to Linden was bogus. We are looking for ways to cross check and corroborate the information.”
Catteneo, who did not respond to several interview requests sent through the “Second Life” messaging system, will likely have a hard time hiding.
“There is a whole lot less anonymity online than people think,” von Lohmann said. “There are over 20,000 people who have been sued for downloading music. They may have felt anonymous, but they’re weren’t.”
Alderman is unlikely to be the last to drag an avatar into court as the designers in “Second Life” try to protect their creations in the same way clothing designers such as Gucci try to eliminate realistic knockoffs
In recognition of the growing legal issues “Second Life” is likely to generate, the country of Portugal recently set up an arbitration center in the virtual world, though it has no power to enforce its decisions.
The legal issues may be similar offline and online, but von Lohmann said the trials could be a lot more interesting.
“In a virtual world, you have the ability to gather evidence you don’t have in the real world,” he said. “Everything that happens in ‘Second Life’ is reflected on computer servers. Depending on how long they keep the records, you could actually replay the event as it happens.”
Second Life’s Real-World Problems
Reality is catching up with Second Life, the much hyped 3-D website that lets users create alter egos called avatars who can walk, chat, fly, have sex and buy and sell virtual stuff for real money. The ballyhoo surrounding this online community has led multinational brands from Reebok to Toyota to establish beachheads on Second Life to interact with consumers and be a part of the next wave in social networking. In April market-research firm Gartner predicted that by the end of 2011, 80% of active Internet users will have some sort of presence in a virtual world, with Second Life currently one of the most populous. Business Week last fall put on the cover a real estate agent whose virtual land deals made her the first person to earn $1 million through the site, and TIME included Second Life creator Philip Rosedale in this year’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people. Even NBA commissioner David Stern now has a Second Life avatar, although he told TIME, “I don’t think it captures the essence of my personality or good looks.” He was kidding, but the site’s failure to live up to expectations is serious business.
PlayStation 2 the most-played console in June
Microsoft’s original Xbox took second place, according to Nielsen research
NEW YORK - More than 68 million people played video games on a console last month, spending much of it on Sony Corp.’s older PlayStation 2, according to Nielsen research.
Seven years after its launch, Sony’s PS2 was still the most-played console, accounting for 42 percent of video game use during the month. Microsoft’s original Xbox took second place with 17 percent, followed by the Xbox 360 with 8 percent.
The numbers suggest that older machines remain popular despite last November’s high-profile debut of Nintendo Co.’s Wii and Sony’s PlayStation 3, which had 4 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively. Nintendo’s GameCube ranked fourth with 5.8 percent.
Nielsen GamePlay Metrics has started tracking video game activity using data from Nielsen’s existing sample of TV viewers.
Nielsen Co.’s sample includes more than 12,000 U.S. households with about 33,000 individuals.
Nielsen also found that households that own the Nintendo Wii are more likely to earn more than $100,000 a year.
And summer break has meant kids play video games later: in April, the Wii’s peak usage hour was 5 p.m., during the summer, it’s at 8 p.m.
…And.. By the way:
Sony cuts PlayStation 3 price by $100
And announces new $599, 80 GB model coming in August
Sony Corp. slashed the price of its current PlayStation 3 by $100, or 16.7 percent, and introduced a high-capacity model in an effort to spur sales of the struggling video game console.
Starting Monday, the current 60 gigabyte model will cost $499, down from $599.
The Japanese electronics maker also said it is introducing a new version of the PlayStation 3 with a bigger hard drive for storing downloaded content such as video games and high-definition movies.
The new PS3 increases the system’s storage capacity to 80 gigabytes from 60 gigabytes and also includes a retail copy of the online racing title “MotorStorm,” a company spokesman said. It will be priced at $599.
The larger capacity machine won’t be available in the United States and Canada until August.
It plays into the company’s upcoming strategy of eventually offering downloaded high-definition movies, video games, movie trailers and demos, Sony spokesman David Karraker said.
Karraker said further details on high-def movies for download would be released at a later date.
The announcement comes two days before the E3 Media & Business Summit in Santa Monica, Calif., where dozens of industry heavyweights including Sony rivals Microsoft Corp. and Nintendo Co. are expected to show off their latest games and related products.
Sony has said it sold 3.6 million PS3s in the fiscal year ending March 31 and expects to sell another 11 million in the current fiscal year. Microsoft said in its most recent quarterly earnings report filed in April that it had shipped 11 million Xbox 360s.
Nintendo, meanwhile, claims it has sold nearly 6 million Wiis worldwide as of March 31, and more than 40 million Nintendo DS handhelds. The company has predicted it will sell another 14 million Wiis and 22 million additional DS systems by the end of the current fiscal year.
The Wii and PS3 were released within days of each other late last year. Microsoft had a head start in the current generation of consoles, having launched its Xbox 360 in 2005. Last week, the software company announced an extension of the warranty due to the high number of systems suffering from hardware failure, also called the “red ring of death.”
In April, Microsoft began selling a version of its Xbox 360 with a 120-gigabyte hard drive and a souped up high-definition video connection. Called Xbox 360 Elite, the black-colored system sells for $479.99.
Xbox gamers who already own the $399.99 20-gigabyte model can buy a snap-on 120-gigabyte hard drive for $179.99.
Karraker said Sony would use the E3 show to focus on two areas: ways to increase the number of consumers who own PS3s and other products such as the PlayStation Portable handheld system, and expanding the system’s library of available games.
He said Sony would be releasing 100 new video games during the current fiscal year, including 15 titles that are exclusive to the PS3 such as the hack-and-slash action title “Heavenly Sword.”
Sell it and they’ll come…in droves, apparently, which makes Nintendo president Satoru Iwata’s contention last week that the Wii could someday surpass the PS2’s global sales of 100 million slightly more plausible. According to a New York Times article today (via GamePro), majors like Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, and Activision are finally backpedaling on their initial “but it’s just not powerful enough!” dismissal of Nintendo’s little-console-that-could and embracing a counterintuitive comeback that continues to surprise even Nintendo stalwarts.
What’s really crazy? The Wii sold (and continues to sell) like gangbusters despite initially lukewarm media coverage and noncommittal developers and publishers. Nintendo’s where it’s at on its own steam, in other words, which is pretty remarkable when you consider the momentum both Sony and Microsoft had going in. Heck, the Wii doesn’t even have that many apps yet, and the one everyone tends to play the most comes with the base system for free. Just imagine how things might look sales-wise today if EA, Ubi, and Activision had the courage of Nintendo’s convictions to stand up and lead back in November, instead of sidling along in mega-millions sequel-vision behind Sony and Microsoft.
To be fair, don’t assume anyone’s “seen the light” just yet. The Gamecube did well out of the gate (not this well, of course) but it still tanked in the end. And there’s nothing stopping Sony or Microsoft from cheaply adopting the Wii’s kinetic approach with new peripherals and Wii-like games. There’s absolutely nothing wrong, paradigm or business-wise, with getting behind a competitor’s good ideas if the rest of the public’s giving it the big thumbs up. We’re the deciders, after all, right?
(Prediction: If the Wii’s still outselling the PS3 and Xbox 360 this time next year and after Sony and MS unleash their holiday game salvo, you’d better believe we’ll be seeing major price cuts and “casual” peripheral adoption — never mind the only kind-of interesting SIXAXIS controller, Sony’s Playstation Eye could hit a grand slam with the right developers…)
As for this latest realigning, money talks (innovation walks) and you have to assume someone simply woke up and smelled the honey pot. According to chairman and CEO of Foundation 9 Entertaiment Jon Goldman, “Publishers are saying: Instead of spending $15 million or $20 million on one PS3 game, come back to me with five or six Wii pitches.” That’s because (a) games take far less time to create on the Wii — 12 months versus two to three years for the competition, (b) it costs roughly $5 million per game in development scratch versus $10 to $20 million for a typical Xbox 360 or PS3 game, and (c) the Wii has been outselling every system except its own handheld DS Lite since November 2006, i.e. some eight or so solid months of market growth.
Think about it. Cheaper games, cheaper hardware, more games, more creative game ideas, and no need to go out and drop thousands of dollars on an overblown, probably underused HDTV or cable-up your living room with surround sound and potentially thousands of dollars of miscellaneous junk. Nothing wrong with that, but those of you who care about all the extras that unlock the “true” audio/visual value of the Xbox 360 and PS3 represent a niche (and quite possibly always will as video/audio-phile technology evolves).
There’s a reason the DS Lite, a considerably underpowered game system, has been rocking the socks off everyone by enormous margins since it debuted in June 2006. Everyone needs to take a page from Electronic Arts’ macho sports slogan, and remember: “It’s in the game.” And yep, it really is.
Adds THQ executive vice president Kelly Flock: “The Wii is a godsend. We are aggressively looking for more Wii titles.”
So are we Kelly, so are we.
In Battle of Consoles, Nintendo Gains Allies
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — In the competition among the makers of video game consoles, momentum is building for the Wii from Nintendo among its crucial allies: game developers and publishers.
Inspired by the early success of the Wii, the companies that create and distribute games are beginning to shift resources and personnel toward building more Wii games, in some cases at the expense of the competing systems: the PlayStation 3 from Sony and Xbox 360 from Microsoft.
The shift is closely watched because consumers tend to favor systems that have many compelling games. More resources diverted to the Wii would mean more games, and that would translate into more consumers buying Wii consoles later.
Jon Goldman, chairman and chief executive of Foundation 9 Entertainment, an independent game development company, said that he was hearing a growing call for Wii games from the publishers and distributors that finance the games that his firm creates. “Publishers are saying: Instead of spending $15 million or $20 million on one PS3 game, come back to me with five or six Wii pitches,” he said.
“We had one meeting two weeks ago with a publisher that was asking for Wii games,” said Mr. Goldman, who declined to identify the video game publisher that he met. “Three or four months ago, they didn’t want to hear Word 1 about the Wii.”
Nintendo said that titles would be coming from several major developers, like Activision and Ubisoft, that are making an enhanced commitment to the platform.
The interest in the Wii follows a period of uncertainty about the console by developers and publishers. They were initially cautious because the Wii was less technologically sophisticated, and they worried that consumers would not take to its unorthodox game play, which uses a motion-controlled wand that players move to direct action on the screen. For example, to serve balls in the tennis game, players circle their arms overhead as they would in real tennis.
History gave developers and publishers reason for caution, too. Nintendo’s last system, the GameCube, was initially a hot seller, but was ultimately outsold — and by a considerable margin — by the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Also, Nintendo has historically made many of the popular games for its own systems, in a way that has discouraged heavy participation by other developers and publishers.
The shift does not represent any shunning of the Xbox or Sony consoles, but rather an elevation of the Wii’s status — one that was clear in many conversations with developers and publishers at E3, the video game industry’s annual trade show in Santa Monica, Calif.
It is early in the current console product cycle, given that these machines are intended to be on the market for more than five years. Industry analysts say they do not expect to declare a victor anytime soon. Nevertheless, the trend is clear: Nintendo is getting growing support from game developers.
“We’re seeing a big shift at E3,” said John Davison, editorial director of 1UP Network, a network of video game Web sites and magazines, “and we’ll see more later this year.” He said he was seeing some game publishers putting less emphasis on the PlayStation 3. “But they’re not going to talk about that,” he added.
Since its first appearance in stores in November, the Wii has been outselling the Xbox 360 and PS3, which came out the same month, and it continues to be in short supply. The NPD Group, a market research firm, reported that as of May, Americans had purchased 2.8 million Wii systems, compared with 1.4 million PS3s. About 5.6 million Xbox 360 consoles have sold, but it hit the market a year earlier.
The Wii has clearly benefited from a price advantage; it costs $250, compared with $300 for the least-expensive Xbox 360 and $479 for the top-of-the-line machine. The PS3 sells for $500, after a price cut by Sony to clear inventory in advance of the Christmas selling season, when its new $600 device will be offered. Microsoft has been hampered of late by widespread product failures, and the company said it would spend $1.15 billion to repair individual machines.
While the growing size of the Wii’s customer base is attractive, developers are favoring Wii for other reasons. They are able to create games in less time than is needed for rival systems, because Wii’s graphics are less complex.
Colin Sebastian, a video game industry analyst with Lazard Capital Markets, said that in rough terms, it cost around $5 million to develop a game for the Wii compared with $10 million to $20 million to make a game for the Xbox 360 or PS3. Mr. Sebastian said that given the cost differences, a developer would need to sell 300,000 copies of a Wii game to break even, compared with 600,000 of a game for the PS3 or Xbox 360.
“Wii development costs certainly are cheaper than the other consoles,” said Scott A. Steinberg, a vice president for marketing at the game developer Sega of America. The company has a number of original Wii projects under development and uses 15 to 25 programmers to develop a Wii title, compared with 50 or more for a PS3 or Xbox 360 game.
Because of its simpler graphics, development times for Wii games are also shorter. A Wii game can be created in as little as 12 months, said Kelly Flock, executive vice president for worldwide publishing at THQ, a video game developer based in Agoura Hills, Calif. Games for the two competing consoles typically take two to three years.
He said that the budget for a Wii game ranges from $1.5 million to $4 million, compared with the $10 million to $12 million the company spends on a PS3 or Xbox 360 game.
“The Wii is a godsend,” Mr. Flock said. “We are aggressively looking for more Wii titles.”
By this holiday season, Nintendo will have added 100 games to its existing 60 titles. Sony has said that it will double the number of titles for the PS3 to 120 by the end of March, while Microsoft said it would have 300 titles for the Xbox 360 by the Christmas selling season. “I don’t think you’ll see any big shifts to one platform because you’re supporting so many,” said Kathy Vrabeck, president of the casual entertainment division of Electronic Arts. That said, she added that there had been a clear shift in mood at the company toward the Wii.
“There is a clear sense of excitement about the Wii at E.A.,” she said.
George Harrison, Nintendo’s senior vice president for marketing, said, “Electronic Arts is doing much more for us than they have in the past.”
Sony counters that, to some extent, Wii developers, publishers and game players will get what they pay for: games with less-complex graphics.
“There is some truth to the fact that you can make games for Wii for less than the PS3,” said Peter Dille, senior vice president for marketing at Sony. “But we still believe that our job is to develop big-budget games.”
