Sony working on VR head tracking - Video

It looks like the Wii motion tracking technology first popularized by Johnny Lee now has some competition in the form of the Sony PlayStation 3's own head tracking system. The biggest difference between the PS3's technology and the Wii's is that all the PS3 needs is the stock PlayStation Eye camera for it to work.

The video below shows a demo taken during the Game Developers Conference 2008 of how Sony's head tracking system was able to make a more streamlined version of Johnny Lee's concept. Doing away with any extra peripherals like infrared gloves, the PlayStation Eye does a commendable job of tracking a person's movements with the head tracking VR desktop application featured.

This opens the question whether or not Sony will be integrating this system with any games in the near future. This could even possibly turn into a whole new gaming genre altogether. While Sony is still deciding what to make of this new technology, we'll all have to be content with watching the head tracking demo in action below.

Article from: QJ

GTA 4 gets "18" rating in Germany

News for our European readers out there on GTA 4... Rockstar North's upcoming next-gen epic, Grand Theft Auto 4 for the Sony PlayStation 3 has been given a rating of 18 by the Uberhaltungssoftware Selbskontrolle website. I am sure this not much of a surprise for most of you considering all of the previous ratings on GTA games.

While we can say it was inevitable, it's also quite reassuring that Grand Theft Auto IV didn't get a higher age rating than that. After all, the Adults Only rating (if one remembers the Manhunt 2 fiasco) is pretty much what game developers consider as a death sentence to their IPs, as it blocks the game from being sold in local outlets. We can only hope that it would be the same case in Manhunt 2other parts of the world. Updates as we get them!

Via QJ

GTA may go on under EA even without Rockstar North

A good number of gamers and investors probably have their fingers crossed while Electronic Arts' offer to acquire Take-Two Interactive is still on the table, but Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter doesn't seem worried. He believes the Grand Theft Auto franchise can live on even without the developer Rockstar North's help in case it branches off after the acquisition.

In EA's hands, Pachter sees a possibility for GTA to be released every two years and publisher will make US 150 million for every release due to acquired technology and intellectual property to create GTA4. Of course, sales still boil down to the game's quality, so Pachter's number for GTA is at US$600 million every other year if the current creative team behind its success, Rockstar North, continues to develop the games.

On the other hand, Wedbush Morgan noted a decline in EA's stocks today which people claim as suggestive that "investors are concerned about whether the Rockstar North team will remain after a change in control."

The analyst group doesn't see any repercussions if Take-Two is to reject EA's offer, and expects the giant publisher to just take back its US 2 billion with no other big companies showing signs of making a similar deal. If EA succeeds in acquiring GTA's current publisher, Pachter foresees a bidding war with developer Rockstar North up for grabs as its contract with Take-Two expires in February 2009.

Article from: QJ

PlayStation Store to get makeover?

If this rumor turns out to be true, then this may be a part of Sony's future plans for their online service: word is out that Sony's PlayStation Store will get its much-needed interface overhaul in April. The information supposedly leaked out from a retailer conference, which also hinted that the purported PlayStation Store revamp will make it look slightly like the sleek SingStore.

According to this tidbit, PlayStation Store's graphical makeover will be implemented the same time Gran Turismo 5 Prologue launches this coming April 15. The graphics change will also affect the navigation menu as well, which is supposed to be replaced by icons placed at the bottom of the page.

Treat this as a rumor for now, of course, until we get confirmation from Sony themselves (or until we see the interface change take effect). Stay tuned for more updates!

Article from: QJ

Japan sales: Nintendo DS falls to second place

After two weeks on third place in Japan's hardware sales charts, the Nintendo DS is picking up some of its lost momentum. While it hasn't claimed its spot back on first place, it's slid to second place, beating the PSP in sales.

The DS may be getting up in the charts again, but hardware sales across all consoles are declining. Perhaps we'll see sales pick up again once the summer holidays arrive. Here are the hardware sales in Japan from February 11 to 17:

Wii: 78,583
DS Lite: 62,362
PSP: 59,654
PS3: 17,637
PS2: 11,266
Xbox 360: 2,198

Article via: QJ

Home Beta update to come next week

We're seeing more indications that the much-anticipated PlayStation Home service is inching closer to completion. Recent reports suggest that there will be a big update next week to take the test run to version 0.8.3 which will herald a lot of improvements.

Possibly the biggest change will be the upgrade of the user interface. It's expected that features will be made more accessible, and the virtual world should look a little lovelier.

Also, Home Items will be added for all beta users to test. In this case, it comes in the form of a bubble machine. What exactly you can do with it remains to be seen.

The Marketplace will also be opened to test the clothes and furniture which can be purchased there. This should also give us a hint of how Home's economy will play out.

We'll be keeping both eyes open for this one. Hopefully, it's as good as it sounds. More updates will be posted as they come.

Article from: QJ

PSN about quality, not quantity

Sony has a unique approach to downloadable games. They take chances -- they allow some unique stuff to get released. Speaking to MTV Multiplayer, SCEA's John Hight explains why the PSN hasn't been inundated with games: "Early on as a company we decided it's not going to be about giant numbers and 'Hey, come to PlayStation Network and you'll have 5000 games, maybe three of which you actually want." It's true -- almost every game on the PSN is worth somebody's time.

Each game experience should be something special, he says. Doing this allows Sony to keep an eye out for the next creative genius: the next Will Wright or David Jaffe. Expect more games this year, and more with multiplayer, maybe with online components. As for pricing, Sony's messing around with it until they feel they get it right. So if you feel pricing is unfair or surprisingly cheap, it might shift one way or the other throughout the year.

Article from: PS3 Fanboy

Universal switches from HD DVD to Blu-ray

After Toshiba has given word that it will be discontinuing HD DVD production by this March, a lot of other organizations have followed suit. Universal Studios Home Entertainment's president Craig Kornblau has released a statement indicating that it will be launching new and catalog titles on the Blu-Ray format.

According to Kornblau, the path for adoption of the next format has become clear to the industry. As such, Universal aims to continue its efforts in "broadening awareness of hi-def's apparelled offerings." Here's the statement in full:

While Universal values the close partnership we have shared with Toshiba, it is time to turn our focus to releasing new and catalog titles on Blu-ray. The path for widespread adoption of the next-generation platform has finally become clear.

Universal will continue its aggressive efforts to broaden awareness for hi-def s unparalleled offerings in interactivity and connectivity, at an increasingly affordable price. The emergence of a single, high-definition format is cause for consumers, as well as the entire entertainment industry, to celebrate.

While the format wars are over, we can expect quite a bit of fallout and restructuring among the various companies which took part in it. Given what's been happening so far, it'd be interesting to see how companies would move from this point onwards. With Blu-ray now being supported by so many backers, those who have been left behind have to do a lot of catching up.

Article from: QJ

PS3 to close gap on Xbox360 and Wii

Putting more faith in the console which they proclaimed to be a "great bargain", research firm iSuppli released another statement in favor of Sony's PlayStation 3. They say that the next-gen console will enjoy the biggest growth in installed base by the end of this year.

Here's iSuppli's predicted sales numbers for this year: Sony's PlayStation 3 will score about 10 million units, with the Wii still gaining the upper hand with 12.2 million units. Microsoft's Xbox 360 will net a sales of 7.5 million.

While the PlayStation 3 still won't overtake the current casual crowd favorite, the Nintendo Wii, it still indicates a big jump in terms of hardware growth. With games such as Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy 13 and Final Fantasy Versus 13, Sony may look forward to a brighter future for its console this year.

Article from: QJ

Interview on Fallout 3 reveals great insights

In a recent interview with Peter Hines, Bethesda Softwork's VP of marketing, he provided some intriguing news about Fallout 3. He compared Fallout 3 to another Bethesda RPG, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and revealed that Fallout 3's world would be a smaller size at around 50-80% than Oblivion's. This could very likely be a benefit in the sense that interesting locales in a sparsely populated post-apocalyptic wasteland would logically be more far-in-between than that of the bustling Imperial Cyrodiil in Oblivion.

Another point made was in the voice acting department; when questioned about criticism on Oblivion's lack of voice acting, Hines said that Fallout 3 would have "two or three times more" than Oblivion. Hines also declared that Ron Perlman, will reprise his narrator role as he did in the first two Fallouts. Liam Neeson has also been added to the roster doing the voice of the main character's father -- a character central to the plot of Fallout 3. There are quite a few more interesting bits in the interview, so you might want to have a read of it for yourself.

Via PS3 Fanboy

More video of PlayTV in action

In glorious low-res shakycam! Those lucky BBC Tech guys have got their hands on PlayTV and have produced a wee video showing off exactly what it can do. The video takes you through the interface of the software on the PS3, showing you how quick and streamlined the whole system is. They then go on to show off the remote play features. It all looks rather excellent to us and we can't wait to get our hands on the magic box itself.

ThreeSpeech has also been able to put rest to some niggles that some of you may have. They have confirmation from Sony that, should you set a program to record and have your PS3 on standby mode, it will turn itself on, record, then shut down. So those of you who are worried about wasting energy can rest easy in the knowledge that your PS3 will be on only as long as it needs to be.

Article from: PS3 Fanboy

Installing mods for Unreal Tournament 3 for PS3

Many of you Unreal Tournament 3 fans may be wondering how to go about installing mods on your PS3 version of the game. We all know that the process is rather straight-forward on PC but we have read many questions about how to go about this on the PlayStation 3. This video sums it up very well and shows you exactly how to easily install the mods. Keep in mind that just because there are not a lot of mods yet available for the PS3 version of the game does not mean that they are not mean that they are not being developed, in fact the mod scene is growing quite rapidly.

Activision potential earnings of 1.38 Billion in 2009

Citigroup analyst Brent Thrill has predicted a bright future if the Activision/Vivendi merger pushes through.

Thrill has estimated that the merged company has the potential of earning as much as US 1.39 billion in 2009, a full 15 ahead of guidance figures.

The analyst noted that the merger is still waiting approval but he is sure that the deal will be closed by the first half of 2008.

Thrill also noted that this merger would help strengthen Activision's 2009 bid. He added that the company already has everything in place, citing the company's strong industry back drop, line-up of games, and future prospects of European penetration.

While this is just a forecast, all the data presented seems to indicate success for the merged company. We'll just have to wait and see if Thrill's predictions hold true.

Article from: QJ

Devil May Cry 4 on top, Mario and Sonic still strong (UK)

Devil May Cry 4 - only on its first week out on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and the PC - dominated the UK charts for the week ending on February 9. Looks like the 20-minute install time didn't deter gamers from appreciating the game.

Turok (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC), also on its first week out, also made the charts at third place. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, which entered the charts at first place last December, is still going strong at second place.

Last week's chart topper, Burnout Paradise, has slowed down a bit on fourth place while newcomer The Club enters the charts at ninth place. Here are the rest of the top 20 entries for the week of February 9:


Devil May Cry 4
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
Burnout Paradise
Wii Play
PDC World Championship Darts 08
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Dr Kawashima's Brain Training
The Club
FIFA 08
Conflict: Denied OPS
More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima
The Simpsons Game
Carnical: Funfair Games
Assassin's Creed
Professor Kageyama's Maths Training
WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2008
Need for Speed: ProStreet
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
New Super Mario Bros.

Article from: QJ

Resistance 2 multiplayer co-op to have separate story

We've been mostly trying to avoid spilling any beans about the story of Resistance 2 because, well, we want to be surprised too. However, a new Q&A session over at GameTap revealed some interesting stuff we thought you guys might like to know. If you knew already, consider it a reminder for when you gloat and brag about this game to your friends. Don't worry -- no spoilers.

You should be aware there is a co-op mode, where eight folks can join up and tackle the game together with three different classes (medic, soldier, and special ops). Insomniac hinted that they have something in the works to make the gameplay fresh every time you play co-op, depending on how your team splits their classes. They won't reveal what, though.

There's a lot more story and character development this time around. No more narration by the crazy British woman -- it's all about Nathan Hale. Co-op mode, however, has a completely different story. It's unique and pretty shrouded in secrecy as of now. There's a ton more information about multi-player experiences and how Insomniac feels about a number of things, but as far as useful information goes, it's up to you to decide.

Article from: PS3 Fanboy

GTA 4 official website revamped!

Well, we are finally starting to see some promising signs from Rockstar that GTA 4 truly is nearing completion. The GTA 4 official website has been updated to include a bunch of new information to keep all of us as excited as possible. There is plenty of new content to keep everyone happy for a bit.

It is a fully-Flash site that has all of the old content along with new screens that will give you a deeper look into the heart of Liberty City, including characters and locations.

Some portions of the site are still at a 'Coming Soon' status but the videos and pictures are all working just fine. Be sure to check in on the site often for any updates thats may be added soon.

M-Rated games account for 6% of titles in 2007

Considering the violent reputation tacked onto the video game industry, only a small percentage of the actual game titles fall under the M-rating prescribed by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. The image above shows a chart of the different percentages of games released during the past year.

A breakdown of the ESRB rating category for 2007 was posted in the latest newsletter submitted by Patricia Vance, President of the ESRB. The chart showing the ratings featured some very interesting numbers from the past year.

Only 6 of the overall ratings assigned fall under the Mature rating. This number was actually cut down from 12 in 2005. The E (Everyone 6 and above) rating accounted for 60 of the ratings, with the E10 (Everyone 10 and older) rating reaching 15 and the T (Teen 13 and above) rating hitting 20 of all the game titles during the past year.

Hopefully, this may give the more hardcore critics something to think about the next time they decide to crucify the industry for its seemingly senseless content based on sex and violence.

Article from: QJ

Viacom to buy Take-Two Interactive?

For everyone's benefit, we won't be beating around the bush with this particular rumor. Apparently, there's a speculation circulating that Viacom will be acquiring Take-Two Interactive.

As of last year, a group of shareholders that include OppenheimerFunds, SAC Capital management, and Tudor Investment fired the company's management and retained ZelnickMedia to manage it.

Also, the company has been experiencing several delays regarding high-caliber titles Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360, PS3) and Manhunt 2 (Wii, PSP, PS2).

Viacom, on the other hand, has been actively buying gaming assets over the past couple of years and struck a deal with Microsoft that involved a gaming component.

It's just not natural for a media conglomerate such as Viacom to buy whatever gaming publisher it sees fit because the acquired gaming firm could lose revenue from licensed games that are based on properties from rival media companies.

Most of these licensing deals have rules that allow the property owner to take the license somewhere else if the published gets sold to a competitor. As for Take-Two Interactive, they don't have that kind of situation since most of their games are developed internally.

It's one of the reasons why their operating expenses have always been higher than the industry's average. Putting everything together, it seems that both Take-Two Interactive and Viacom won't be having any problems whenever this does push through in the future.

Just a fair warning to those who like to let their minds wonder off when thinking about rumors, nothing is still set in stone. Don't forget that these industry rumors should be taken with a good dose of skepticism.

Article from: QJ

GTA was going to hit the 'big screen'

It has been reported that Take-Two Interactive 'was' planning to create a movie based on Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series. Apparently the lead role in the film was slated to be rapper, Eminem.

Apparently the GTA movie idea sprung after the financial scandals that Take-Two encountered back in 2007. Six board members were let go and the CEO at that time, Ryan Bryant, was arrested.

New CEO, Strauss Zelnick, has ties to the music and movie industries seeing that he was previously the CEO of BMG music and once the president of 20th Century Fox. It was at that time that the movie idea was opened by Rockstar, who had always been against the idea previously.

By the middle of last year Take-Two had already established a deal with a studio to develop the film, reportedly. The writers of the film supposedly in the process of writing the story line when the whole thing was suddenly canceled. Apparently, Take-Two gave no explanations for the cancelation.

Currently, Take-Two and Rockstar are finishing up GTA 4 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 which is surely keeping them very busy. Someday, perhaps after GTA 4 is released sometime, they may decide to give the movie idea a go again.

At the moment, both Take-Two and Rockstar are finalizing the upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto 4 for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. Who knows - following the game's success, they just might think about reviving the movie idea.

PSN just as capable as Xbox Live?

Electronic Arts are bring the game Army of Two to our consoles sometime soon. The assistant producer for the title, Matt Turner, has come out and said some pretty positive things regarding the PlayStation Network. While admitting the accessibility of all functions with Xbox Live give it the slight edge, Turner says the PSN has all the capabilities to support everything its competitor does.

Expect some workarounds to the PSN in Army of Two like what EA accomplished in Burnout Paradise. "We have friends lists accessible during the game, you can send invites and your friends can join you - it's as easy as doing it on Xbox Live," he says with what we assume was a clever grin. When we do get in-game XMB access and Home, the weights might shift to a more level playing field between Live and PSN, but we'll see.

Article from: PS3 Fanboy

Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 Release date announced

It looks like gamers who are eagerly expecting the latest Tom Clancy title to hit shelves finally will get their wish. Today, Ubisoft announced the official release date of the multi-platform Ton Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2, which is now slated for a March 21 release.

The game is the ninth title in the Rainbow Six series and will deliver the same squad-based FPS action goodness that the Tom Clancy line of games is best known for. Vegas 2 puts you in the role of Bishop, the newest member of the highly elite Rainbow squad.

Vegas 2 is a direct sequel to the first title and runs somewhat alongside the events of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas (PC, Xbox 360, PS3). The game will feature several new weapons and multiplayer maps to wade through as players get to explore the seedier side of the city where the game is based on.

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2's March 21 release date coincides with the tenth anniversary of the Rainbow Six franchise. The game will be released for the PC, Microsoft's Xbox 360, and Sony's PlayStation 3.

Article from: QJ

Unreal Tournament 3 mod scene growing fast

The Unreal Tournament series from Epic Games has always been about multiplayer mayhem made more explosive by player creativity reflected in mods. Unreal Tournament 3 for the Sony PlayStation 3 sees no need to fix what ain't broken, and it's doing the franchise proud by carrying on with the legacy.

The first Unreal Tournament 3 mods popped up around December, and since then, have been in no short supply. The modding tools provided by Epic Games seems to be working great with the PlayStation Network and the PS3 hardware as seen in delightful new maps.

All in all, there are now 56 maps made by players which are downloadable and playable. One of our favorites has to be the one that turns the FPS into a Gears of War-style third-person affair. If you're still in the dark on the whole Unreal Tournament 3 modding scene, you can read the tutorial post we wrote to get your feet wet.

Here's hoping that the momentum of Unreal Tournament 3's modding community gets even stronger. User-generated content is always a boon to gaming, so keep on supporting the cause!

Article from: QJ

Call of Duty 4 Multiplayer Mapping Contest

Infinity Ward is hosting a very cool contest for all of you modders out there. They are hosting a community mapping contest for Call of Duty 4. They want all of you with the knowledge and creativity to create a multiplayer map to do so and submit it for for a chance to win.

Infinity Ward said, "On March 31st, we're going to be choosing our favorite community made maps and award the map makers of our favorites picks with special prizing and opportunities which we can't announce just yet but will be in the very near future (probably within a week). However the clock is ticking to get your map designed, as I said, we'll be choosing our favorite community made custom multiplayer maps on March 31st."

The 'opportunities' mentioned in the quote could be a programming job at the company or possibly some cash or maybe just the glory of being the greatest designer out there.

If you think you have what it takes, download the mod tools and read the directions at the 'source' linked below.

Source

Condemned 2 - gameplay video

Condemned 2 has really become a more and more anticipated title. This video is a 'pre-beta' preview of the actual gameplay. It looks promising and I personally think it is going to turn out great! Check it out!

'Slim PS3' redesign coming this year?

The PS3 has come along way since its release in November 2006 thanks to firmware updates, price cuts, and accessories. With all of the advancements where could Sony take the PS3 next?

Rumors have been spreading about the possibility of a 'slim PS3' coming out. In the new unit you would still have everything you have now with the addition of a larger hard drive, Dual Shock 3 controller, and a sexy new appearance. The source of this information is 'anonymous' and as always, we must be weary. Apparently this is a possibility in the Fall of this year. We will have to wait to hear an official statement from Sony.

Virtual Reality on PS3 - Video

Following in the footsteps of Johnny Lee, another brilliant developer has taken the Virtual Reality desktop a bit further, bringing it to the PS3. Johnny Lee used the Wii remote to track his head movement whereas this developer uses the PS3 eye. It is truly an amazing technology that we can only hope is utilized in games in the future. Check out the video!