 |
 Anima Wars wins in intl mobile game tilt
DATE POSTED : 2007-02-19, 11:18:00
By Alexander Villafania
INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines--Filipino mobile game development firm Anino Mobile bagged a major award in the recently held International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA) in Barcelona, Spain on February 15, becoming one of the six top winners in the prestigious competition.
The companys game Anima Wars won IMGA's Best Use of Connectivity Award, as well as a corresponding $5,000 in cash. The event was featured in the IMGA website.
Anima Wars is a turn-based battle strategy game based on the classic board game Risk. The main goal is for players to use their armies to take over the stronghold of their enemies.
What gave the victory to Anima Wars in the category is its unique "ghosting system," which is a wireless connection capability that allows four other players to cooperate and fight another four players in a battle.
In an e-mailed response, Anino Entertainment co-founder Niel Dagondon said their achievement hopes to spark opportunities not just for their company but also for the entire fledgling game development industry in the Philippines.
"Our company's foundation is based on the belief that the Filipino talent is world-class, and this award is a testament to that belief. We truly are world-class and the rest of the world is taking notice," he said.
Apart from the Best Use of Connectivity, the other categories are Best Use of Flash, Excellence in 3D, Best Interactive Experience, Most Innovative Game, a Student Category and the top prize called Grand Prix.
Best Use in Flash was won by Iks Mobile for its game Crazy Matches; Excellence in 3D was won by Firemint for Mega Monster;" Super Happy Fun-Fun won the Best Interactive Experience for its game 3D Tilt-A-World; while the Most Innovative and Grand Prix categories were won by TNO for its game Triangler.
Anima Wars was entered in four of the five main categories. Only a winner in the five categories could win the Grand Prix Award. Likewise, the Student Award is for amateur mobile game developers.
Anino Mobile is the mobile applications division of Anino Entertainment, a full-scale game development company co-founded by Dagondon.
Posted by : Joey Alarilla | Links
Singapore to host game convention in September
DATE POSTED : 2007-02-01, 20:09:00
By Associated Press
SINGAPORE--Video game developers, manufacturers, publishers and players from around the world will gather in Singapore in September for a convention expected to be the largest in the region, organizers announced Thursday.
Games Convention Asia, starting September 6, will address the development needs of Asia's rapidly growing digital interactive gaming industry, which is expected to triple in value to US$7.5 billion by 2008, according to a statement by organizers.
Western companies must adapt to differences in the Asian market to take advantage of the potential business here, said Chris Thompson, Asia vice president of Electronic Arts, one of the advisers to the convention.
"This market has just grown very differently" than in the West, Thompson told The Associated Press. "Here the key things are (being) online, (being) mobile, the social networking aspect of the game. So any game you're going to have to have online components and to be able to fulfill those needs of the consumer."
Several other heavyweight game developers -- including Microsoft Corp., maker of the Xbox, Atari Inc. and Nokia Corp. -- have also endorsed the event.
Games Convention Asia is a sister event of the Leipzig Games Convention held in Germany. The Asian event will also consist of an international cybergames tournament.
Posted by : Joey
eBay bans online auctions of virtual game booty
DATE POSTED : 2007-01-31, 15:26:00
By Agence France-Presse
SAN FRANCISCO, California--eBay said on Tuesday that it had banned auctions of virtual gold, armor and other booty amassed in World of Warcraft and other online computer games.
The San Jose, California-based Internet auction house decided to bar sales of what was essentially computer code representing riches, swords and other items in games due to "legal complexities" regarding ownership.
"We decided it was best to just not allow sales of them," eBay spokesman Hani Durzy said of virtual game goods.
"We are not saying they are legal and we are not saying they are illegal."
eBay continues to allow auctions of items from virtual societies such as Second Life, where people represented by animated figures called "avatars" buy and sell homes and other "property" made of computer codes.
"Right now, Second Life is not considered a game so we are not applying the restriction to it," Durzy said.
In massive multiplayer online role-playing games such as Warcraft gamers represented by avatars wage battles and undertake quests, gathering gold, weaponry, armor and other virtual goods along the way.
Enterprising young gamers have earned their living playing Warcraft and selling their booty online to those willing to pay to advance quickly through the different levels of the games.
Durzy compared the ban on eBay auctions of virtual game goods to the firm's decisions to bar sales of alcohol or tobacco, which are lawful products controlled by complex governmental regulations.
eBay removes auctions of virtual game items found on its website, Durzy said. The policy was put in place within the past few weeks.
"Remember, our policies are ever evolving," Durzy said. "We will change them if the communities, state of the culture, or laws dictate such."
eBay would not disclose the volume of sales of virtual game items it had recorded on its website, which reported $53.5B worth of online auction trades in 2006.
Posted by : Joey
PS3 arriving in Europe March 23
DATE POSTED : 2007-01-25, 19:57:00
By Agence France-Presse
TOKYO--Sony said Thursday it will launch its delayed next-generation PlayStation 3 console in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Australasia on March 23, with only its costlier version available.
The electronics giant released the PlayStation last year only in the key North American and Asian markets where it was delayed about six months due to a glitch with the high-definition DVD player.
Sony also pushed back the rollout in Europe until March due to production problems.
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe said in a statement it expected one million PlayStation 3 consoles to be available for the launch on March 23.
The system will sell for 599 ($780), £425, $999.95 Australian and $1,199.95 New Zealand.
Only the advanced 60-gigabyte model will go on sale, "with the 20-gigabyte model to follow later in the year dependent on demand," the statement said.
The 20-gigabyte model costs ₯49,980 in Japan and an equivalent $430 in the United States.
Even the 20-gigabyte model is costlier than next-generation machines by rivals Nintendo and Microsoft.
Japanese rival Nintendo's next-generation Wii costs ₯25,000 in Japan. Nintendo on Thursday reported strong profits and said it was well on course to its Wii sales target.
Sony slumped into the red in the second quarter on the back of a costly recall of defective batteries.
Posted by : Joey
Wii boosts Nintendo profits
DATE POSTED : 2007-01-25, 19:53:00
By Agence France-Presse
TOKYO--Nintendo said Thursday that its net profit rose more than 43 percent in the three quarters to December as videogame fans worldwide snatched up its DS and next-generation Wii machines.
The Japanese videogame maker said it was already well over halfway to its goal of selling six million Wii consoles by the end of the financial year.
Sales also continued to grow of titles ranging from brain-training games marketed to the elderly to a new version of its classic Super Mario.
Nintendo Co Ltd said it registered net profit of ₯131.9 billion ($1.1 billion) in the nine months, up 43.1 percent from ₯92.2 billion in the comparable period in 2005.
Sales shot up 72.8 percent to ₯712.6 billion, while operating income jumped 102.5 percent to ₯167.6 billion, it said in a statement.
Despite nine-month net profit nearing ₯132 billion, the company kept its net profit forecast for the full financial year to March at ₯120 billion, with sales at ₯900 billion and operating income at ₯185 billion.
The earnings report was in contrast to its rival Sony, the maker of the PlayStation series, which sunk into the red in the three months to September as it wrestled with huge costs from recalling defective batteries.
Nintendo, which has dominated the market for handheld machines with its Game Boy series, last year made a fresh attempt to crack into Sony's lead in household consoles with its Wii.
The Wii -- which features an innovative remote control whose sensors let it be moved as a sword, tennis racket or steering wheel -- debuted in November in the United States.
"Wii hardware got off to a favorable start and Wii software titles such as The Legends of Zelda: Twilight Princess enjoyed brisk sales as well," the Kyoto-based company said in a statement.
Nintendo said it has sold 1.25 million Wii units in the Americas, 1.14 million in Japan and 800,000 elsewhere from its launch to December 31 -- a total of 3.19 million.
The company had previously forecast it would sell six million Wii machines by the end of the March.
The company also said it benefited from continued strong sales of hardware and software for its DS, a handheld console with a double screen that was released in 2004.
It said sales were led by its DS version of Super Mario Brothers, Nintendo's most celebrated game relating the adventures of a pudgy Italian plumber.
Posted by : Joey
'Get a First Life' website lampoons Second Life
DATE POSTED : 2007-01-23, 13:15:00
By Agence France-Presse
SAN FRANCISCO--A Vancouver blogger says he woke from a nap to discover that the popular Second Life virtual world has a sense of humor when it comes to his "Get a First Life" parody website.
"To their enormous credit, they sent me what I can only describe as a 'proceed and permitted' instead of 'cease and desist' letter," Darren Barefoot said in an e-mail.
The Vancouver-based Barefoot described his satirical www.getafirstlife.com as a "project du jour" inspired by Second Life's status as a media darling.
The parody webpage used Second Life's layout and trademarked symbols.
A banner atop the mocking website informs visitors "Your world - Sorry about that" and advised them to "Go outside" where "membership is free."
Mirroring a demographics box on the Second Life website, the parody lists the First Life population as slightly more than 6.5 billion residents, 364,936 of whom were born that day.
A First Life help box offers to answer questions such as "Are five senses enough?" and "What's this body thing, and what do I do with the dangly bits?"
And, as opposed to virtual sex with animated "avatar" proxies in Second Life, the parody website reminds users of an option to "fornicate using your actual genitalia."
Instead of a threatening letter from Linden lawyers, Barefoot got a message from Linden saying the folks at the company were enlightened and "know parody when they see it."
Barefoot said his mockery was inspired by Second Life's status as a current media favorite and his belief that a lot of work was needed to make it easier to maneuver avatars in the virtual realm.
"I am not a Second Life hater," Barefoot's blog contended Monday.
"That said, I've been bemused by the amount of hype and attention the game, virtual world thingee has received... and, let's be honest, the game isn't good enough yet. It's too hard to play."
As of Monday, Second Life had nearly three million "residents" and an economy that did more than a million dollars' worth of business daily, according to Linden.
Posted by : Joey
Fantasy lives flourish in virtual world of Second Life
DATE POSTED : 2007-01-23, 13:12:00
By Agence France-Presse
SAN FRANCISCO--Moments after being born anew in Second Life, Knut Graff rose into the sky, flew through a mountain and headed over an ocean to explore a virtual world that boasts nearly three million inhabitants.
Minutes later the neophyte crash-landed in the sea. Fortunately, animated proxies known as "avatars" can breathe underwater.
Next time, he would use a "transporter" to vanish from one part of the online realm and reappear in another.
Second Life's population has quadrupled since May last year and continues to boom as businesses follow the masses into an online world complete with homes, colleges, museums, shopping, dance clubs and "avatar sex."
Avatars can be animals, people, machines or any combination thereof.
The fantasy planet's host and creator is Linden Labs, a San Francisco company founded by Philip Rosedale in 1999.
"It's 'The Matrix' without the bad guys," Linden vice president David Fleck told Agence France-Presse (AFP), referring to the popular film series depicting human society as a computer-generated illusion.
"The vision was to make it so people could be who they wanted to be and do what they wanted to do without being judged. You could call it a Utopian society."
Citizenship is free and the software available at the Second Life website. Linden's formula for success is to sell "land" and then leave residents free to prosper and frolic.
Simple tools enable residents to use computer code to create anything from movies and clothing to buildings and space crafts.
Residents own whatever they make and are free to sell their creations. They can opt to buy virtual goods with real-word cash.
Second Life currency is the Linden Dollar and "in-world" exchanges convert US dollars to Lindens and vice versa.
Major corporations have set up shop in Second Life. Singer Suzanne Vega performed the first in-world concert there and residents celebrated the end of 2006 with a global snowball fight and online parties.
More than a million dollars were spent in Second Life during the 24 hours before this story was written on Monday, according to Linden.
"Shopping is a very popular activity in Second Life," Fleck said. "It's just like any city in the world."
Avatars can shop at a virtual American Apparel store and have matching outfits delivered to human alter egos.
Thousands of people supplement or replace incomes with cash earned in Second Life, where a virtual real estate agent recently claimed to have become a millionaire there.
Television news stations have reported from Second Life and British news service Reuters opened a virtual bureau there.
"We really believe in the future of this," said Austin Morris of US-based QT Labs, which specializes in establishing firms in the virtual world.
"It is the way the Internet is going to be."
Posted by : Joey
IP e-Games confirms RP launch of Granado Espada
DATE POSTED : 2007-01-18, 15:03:00
By Joey Alarilla
INQUIRER.net
IP E-GAMES, the Philippine publisher of popular online games such as RAN Online and O2Jam, has confirmed it is bringing in to the Philippines the highly anticipated Granado Espada, the new game from the "Father of Ragnarok" Hakkyu Kim.
"Were bringing it in. It won the Game of the Year Award in Korea and were very excited about it," Steve Tsao, president of IP e-Games, told hackenslash in a telephone interview.
"See you in the game," Tsao quipped.
He said that IP e-Games is scheduled to hold a press conference on Jan. 30 to formally announce that it is distributing Granado Espada in the Philippines.
Granado Espada offers a revolutionary system that allows a player to control three characters at once. Singapore-based Infocomm Asia Holdings Pte Ltd is the regional distributor of Granado Espada, and has chosen local publishers in different countries in its bid to consolidate the Southeast Asian online gaming market. With this in mind, IAH held the "One Market, One Asia" regional press conference last September in Singapore, which was attended by Philippine online game publishers, including IP e-Games and Level Up! Inc.
Ironically, the latest game from the "Father of Ragnarok" will in a way be used as a weapon against the company that brought in Ragnarok and popularized it in the Philippines, Level Up! Level Up! is bringing in Chinas Perfect World and has also announced that it is gearing up for the release of Ragnarok 2.
IP e-Games has not yet divulged full details of its plans for Granado Espada, and whether the game will also be free-to-play in the Philippines. Currently, all the games of IP e-Games at e-games.com.ph are free-to-play.
Even prior to the official announcement, posts regarding the upcoming release of Granado Espada have already made their way to the Philippine blogosphere, including this PhilGaming.com post by Laibcoms, which stated that a Granado Espada advertisement from IP e-Games is in the January-February issue of GAME! magazine, which is published by Hinge Inquirer Publications, a sister company of INQUIRER.net.
Pro blogger Kiven, who handles the online media initiatives of HIP, has also stated in this blog entry that IP e-Games is bringing in Granado Espada to the Philippines.
Posted by : Joey
Burning Crusade arrives, new WoW continent unveiled
DATE POSTED : 2007-01-18, 08:20:00
By Agence France-Presse
SAN FRANCISCO--Globally popular online role-playing game World of Warcraft (WoW) unveiled a new virtual continent on Wednesday to fans in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Thailand.
Blizzard Entertainment released the The Burning Crusade expansion a day earlier in Europe and North America, where a combined total of 3.5 million people subscribe to play the game on the Internet.
WoW is a multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by the Southern California company and set in a fantasy world featuring monsters, humans, zombies and magical lands.
The number of registered users paying the monthly fee to play the game with others online has grown to eight million since the franchise was launched in 2004, according to Blizzard.
Burning Crusade added an Outland continent along with new quests, flying mounts, monsters, dungeons, and challenge levels. The expanded game will feature new Blood Elf and Draenei races.
"The Burning Crusade is the single largest expansion we've ever created," said Blizzard co-founder Mike Morhaime.
"We're excited to share all of the new content with players, and we're certain that they'll enjoy the quality and breadth of new experiences that The Burning Crusade offers."
The suggested price for The Burning Crusade software was $39.99.
Blizzard did not reveal when the expansion would be available in China, where it reportedly has more than 3.5 million WoW subscribers.
Posted by : Joey
Woman dies from 'water overdose' in Nintendo Wii contest
DATE POSTED : 2007-01-17, 09:12:00
By Agence France-Presse
SAN FRANCISCO--A California woman died after taking part in a radio station-sponsored water-drinking contest to win a Nintendo Wii video game system, news reports said Monday.
Mother-of-three Jennifer Strange, 28, died on Friday after consuming more than a half gallon (two liters) of water in the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest organised by KDND 107.9 radio in Sacramento, northern California.
Sacramento coroner's office officials told local media initial tests showed that Strange's death was "consistent with water intoxication." Messages left with the coroner's office by AFP were not returned Monday.
Under the contest's rules, participants were given eight fluid ounce (225 mililiter) bottles of water to drink at 15-minute intervals. The competitor drinking the most water without urinating was to be declared the winner.
Reports said Strange had complained to work colleagues of a sore head hours after participating in the contest and went home early. She was later found dead at her home.
Water intoxication can occur when the normal balance of electrolytes in the body is altered by a rapid intake of water. This can cause brain swelling, seizures, coma or death
John Geary, vice president for Entercom Sacramento, the radio station's owner, said personnel had been stunned by the death.
"We are awaiting information that will help explain how this tragic event occurred," he said.
Posted by : Joey
Japan PS3 shipments reach 1 million, hitting target 2 weeks late
DATE POSTED : 2007-01-16, 17:37:00
By Yuri Kageyama
Associated Press
TOKYO--Shipments in Japan of the new PlayStation 3 video game machines reached 1 million Tuesday, Sony said, hitting the company's target about two weeks behind schedule.
Sony had planned to ship 2 million PlayStation 3 machines around the world by the end of last year. Last week, Tokyo-based Sony Corp. said it met its shipping target of 1 million PS3 consoles in the United States in 2006.
It projected shipping another million domestically during the same period. But speculation had been growing that PS3 sales may be faltering in Japan.
Sony Computer Entertainment brushed off such worries, noting in Tuesday's press release that a global shipment of 2 million reached within about two months after a machine's launch is the fastest pace for any game console ever put out by the company.
Masayuki Otani, deputy chief of research at Maruwa Securities, said PS3 sales were struggling in Japan with excess stock languishing at retailers. And the number of units shipped from Sony doesn't equal the total units sold at retailers, he said.
"The launch has a lot of problems, but things could pick up with time," Otani said.
Sony Computer Entertainment spokeswoman Nanako Kato acknowledged shipments had slipped behind schedule. But she said the company was on schedule to meet plans for global shipment of 6 million PS3 machines by March 31.
It was more important to have enough machines by yearend in the US because of the critical importance of Christmas shopping there, Kato said. Japan sales continue to be strong during the New Year because children receive holiday allowances.
PS3 sales were expected to be strong in coming months because of the expected release of new game software in the works, according to Sony's game unit.
The PS3, which has been delayed twice, went on sale in Japan and the US late last year. It is set to go on sale in Europe in March.
The relative lack of games to play on PS3 so far has added to concerns about the machine's prospects at a time when the Wii console from Japanese rival Nintendo Co., which makes Pokemon and Super Mario games, has been a surprise hit.
The Wii, which comes with a wandlike remote controller, competed against PS3 during the critical Christmas shopping season.
Nintendo is also targeting shipment of 6 million for its Wii machines by the end of the fiscal year through March. A major appeal of Wii is its cheaper price at about $250, while the PS3 costs $500 and $600.
The success of the PlayStation 3 is critical for Sony as it tackles a turnaround after suffering a big slump in its core electronics sector in recent years.
The PS3 supports Blu-ray disk next-generation video, whose arrival is expected to encourage sales of new gadgets.
Posted by : Joey
South Korean-made game addresses standoff with North Korea for 1st time
DATE POSTED : 2007-01-16, 17:32:00
By Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea--North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is missing after a coup in a new computer game -- the first produced in game-crazy South Korea to tackle such a sensitive political topic.
YNK Korea said its game Sting is in production and will go on sale sometime in the first half of this year. Players are on a secret mission to locate the missing Kim and prevent nuclear proliferation.
North Korea has refused to abandon its nuclear weapons development at international arms talks that have been held since 2003. The reclusive communist nation tested its first atomic bomb in October.
Other foreign-produced games have dealt with the North Korean standoff but they have been restricted for import to South Korea, which has pursued a policy of reconciliation with its neighbor since a 2000 summit between the countries' leaders.
"These kind of topics have been dealt with several times in movies already and we see no big difference with making it into a game form," said company spokeswoman Lee Jeong-im.
YNK also plans to market the game abroad.
Posted by : Joey
Pinoy startup develops online fantasy basketball game
DATE POSTED : 2007-01-11, 18:22:00
By Erwin Oliva
INQUIRER.net
QUITTING their day jobs, these Filipino computer science graduates in their 20s have decided to bet their future on their passion: online fantasy basketball.
In an online interview, Kendrick Chong, chief executive officer of Creating Next Concepts Inc., said the development of the game, dubbed Philippine Basketball Fantasy, is the fulfillment of his dream of running an online fantasy basketball in the country.
Chong has been playing similar games in popular websites like Yahoo! But most of the competitions that offer prizes are only open to American and Canadian players. Bringing the game in the Philippines will now allow fellow Filipinos to compete for prizes, he added.
Chong started his company last year after asking help from two college friends studying in De La Salle University. As a software developer, he worked for an information technology company for three years. He
then got his closest friends to try out the alpha and closed beta versions of the game. This month, he is finally opening the game to other Filipino players.
Asked how he intends to make money from this venture, Cheng said they hope advertising will be one source of revenue.
He said angel investors -- a term synonymous to family and friends -- were among the early investors in the startup. The game's website now features some banner advertising. So far, they have spent 300,000
pesos for the set up and development of the game and the announced competition.
"We asked for small donations from family friends because we need to pay for our server and Internet," he said.
The Philippine Basketball Fantasy online game allows anyone to become general manager of several teams. While it is a Philippine-based game,
it will use the National Basketball Association roster of players.
Chong explained that the game plays like a stock market. The more people bet on one player, the higher the value it gains within the game. The value of each player will depend on many factors, such as
points in a game and blocks, among others.
"I wasn't sure if the game would click. But we went for it since we really do like fantasy basketball," he said. "We decided to go with the NBA because it is more popular."
Later, they plan to include local teams, he said.
Posted by : Joey
DS boosts Nintendo fiscal year profit forecast
DATE POSTED : 2007-01-10, 13:47:00
By Associated Press
TOKYO--Japan's Nintendo Co. on Wednesday raised its fiscal year group net profit outlook by 20 billion yen ($167 million; 128 million) to 120 billion yen ($1 billion; 0.78 billion), owing to upbeat sales worldwide of its portable game player Nintendo DS.
Nintendo boosted its net profit outlook for the fiscal year ending in March from an earlier 100 billion yen.
The Kyoto-based video game manufacturer said it now expected sales of 900 billion yen (7.54 billion; 5.79 billion) for the year, up from a previously forecast 740 billion yen.
Posted by : Joey
PS3 likely missed global sales target, beaten by Wii
DATE POSTED : 2007-01-10, 12:23:00
By Hans Greimel
Associated Press
TOKYO--Sony's long-awaited PlayStation 3 may have missed its global shipment target and been beaten in its home market by rival Nintendo's surprise hit Wii video game system, new figures show.
The results herald more bad news for Sony Corp., which is struggling to maintain its dominance in video gaming amid a three-way battle with Nintendo and the Xbox 360 of US-based Microsoft.
Sony sold 466,716 PlayStation3 units in Japan from its Nov. 11 domestic launch date to the end of December, according to a market survey released Tuesday by Japanese computer game publisher Enterbrain Inc. The figures fall short of the 1 million consoles Sony predicted it would ship domestically by year's end.
Earlier this week, Sony said it met its shipping target of 1 million PS3s in the United States in 2006. But the combined US and Japan total puts the company well below its global shipping goal of 2 million.
Tokyo-based Sony is banking on the PS3 to anchor a turnaround from tumbling profits and a costly worldwide recall of 9.3 million laptop computer batteries. Lackluster PlayStation sales would be further cause for concern for a highly hyped product launch already off to a rocky start with two delays.
Eating into Sony's sales at home was the unexpected success of Nintendo's Wii gaming system, according to Enterbrain. Nintendo sold 989,118 Wiis domestically from its Dec. 2 launch date to month's end, nearly double Sony's total.
Sony has not yet released Japan shipment figures for the PS3. But the company is tallying results and will release them "soon," said Nanako Kato, a spokeswoman for Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Kato couldn't comment on the Enterbrain figures, but said there may end up being a discrepancy between the domestic sales, which were estimated by Enterbrain, and the actual shipment number.
"We don't know the details of the survey, so we can't comment," Kato said.
Both Sony and Nintendo are projecting selling 6 million consoles by the end of March. Sony expects to start shipping the PS3 to Europe sometime that month as well.
Straggling far behind Sony and Nintendo in the Enterbrain survey was Microsoft's Xbox 360, which had sold 290,467 since its Japan debut in December 2005.
Selling machines in large numbers is crucial in the gaming business because it encourages software companies to make more games to play on the machines, which in turn boosts console sales.
Sony controlled the previous generation of video game consoles with 70 percent of the global market, including 35 million PlayStation2 consoles in the United States. The original Xbox was second with nearly 15 million sold, followed by 11 million Nintendo GameCubes.
Posted by : Joey
Microsoft quadruples Xbox 360 warranty in hot video game market
DATE POSTED : 2006-12-29, 14:23:00
By Agence France-Presse
SAN FRANCISCO--Microsoft announced on Friday that it was extending the warranty on Xbox 360 from 90 days to a year in the United States and Canada to entice buyers in the hot video game console market.
The longer warranty period went into effect immediately and was on par with that commonly offered by the Redmond, Washington-based technology giant in other parts of the world.
The extension will apply to new buyers and people who already own Xbox 360 consoles, which debuted in late 2005, according to Microsoft.
Video game consoles have topped holiday season gift lists, with shoppers quickly clearing store shelves of newly launched Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii systems.
While supplies of Sony and Nintendo systems were outstripped by demand, Xbox systems were plentiful in US stores.
Posted by : Joey
New RP gaming group formed
DATE POSTED : 2006-12-25, 17:15:00
By Erwin Oliva
INQUIRER.net
A NEW Philippine-based gaming organization was established to focus on promoting and developing the local industry, an official told hackenslash in an interview.
The Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP) was formed with Ranulf Goss of Matahari Studios (Philippines) as president and Neil Dagondon of Anino Entertainment as vice president.
GDAP will still support the activities of the Manila chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), Goss stressed, noting that the group will be the "legal, academic and government"
representation of the industry while IGDA Manila would focus on the professional society and the community.
"IGDA Manila will still remain, and Gabby Dizon will be the new Chapter chairperson and I will be retained as an advisor to the Chapter. The IGDA Manila Chapter chairperson would handle the international relations committee of GDAP," he said.
Goss was the head of the IGDA Manila Chapter prior to forming GDAP.
GDAP also intends to promote information exchange and communication among local companies involved in digital game development through different activities, Goss said.
It will also act as a lobby group to negotiate for "industry-wide benefits and specific benefits for member organizations," he added.
They will soon hold a series of game development seminars in the country.
Initial members of the group include Anino Entertainment, Anino Mobile, FlipSide, Glyph Studios, Matahari Studios (Philippines), Pixelstream, Skyrocket Interactive and Secret Six.
"We are expecting more game development groups to join us in the near future," Goss said.
Posted by : Joey
Nintendo to recall 3.2 million Wii hand straps
DATE POSTED : 2006-12-16, 09:41:00
By Agence France-Presse
TOKYO--Nintendo said Friday that it will recall 3.2 million hand straps for its new Wii games console after reports of users inadvertently throwing the motion-sensing controller into their TV screens.
"We are announcing the recall of 3.2 million straps for the Wii computer remote controllers," Nintendo spokesman Yasuhiro Minagawa said.
"The decision comes after reports that some users in the United States threw their controllers when playing with Wii Sports software," he said.
By waving or swinging the controller, it can serve as a sword, tennis racket or car steering wheel in the games showing on screen.
But websites dubbed "Wii have a problem" and "Wii damage" have chronicled injuries and wreckage reportedly inflicted by Nintendo game controllers sent awry in the heat of play by wild swipes, loose grips or snapped wrist straps.
Wii controllers have been hurled or thrust into television and computer screens, according to online accounts. Among the reported casualties have been windows, glasses, dishes, stereos, walls and ceiling fans.
Minagawa said that the first version of the controller strap "turned out to be insufficient in its strength for some customers," so it would be replaced with a thicker one.
The Wii outsold the rival PlayStation 3 by more than double in the US in November, according to industry tracking group NPD, which estimates that Nintendo sold 476,140 of its Wii consoles against Sony's 196,580 PS3s.
Nintendo said that although it has not sold as many as 3.2 million Wii consoles some owners may have more than one controller to allow more than one player to compete at the same time.
Wii set itself apart from Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3 consoles by designing a system that got players moving and encouraged family or friends to join in the activity.
Within weeks of Wii's debut in November, The American Chiropractic Association made the unusual move of publicly advising console enthusiasts to "stretch first, then play."
Posted by : Joey
Thieves break into IGDA Manila chief's car in Makati
DATE POSTED : 2006-12-06, 12:56:00
By Erwin Oliva
INQ7.net
THIEVES have broken into a local gaming executive's Blue Toyota Vios parked in Esteban street in Makati City on Tuesday night.
They took Flipside Games chief executive officer and co-founder Gabby Dizon's red backpack containing his mobile PC and plane ticket, he told hackenslash.
Dizon is also the chairman of the Manila chapter of the International Game Developers Association.
He has reported the incident to the Makati police.
Shattered glass was found scattered just beside the right-hand side of the rear window.
The incident happened between 8 p.m. and 12 midnight. The car was parked near Murphy's bar along Esteban Street.
Police found no witnesses, Dizon said.
But police on the scene said there was a similar break-in reported three weeks ago.
He was in Makati to meet with one of his former colleagues celebrating her birthday.
In a text message, Dizon said that police officer Joseph Robles was in charge of the investigation of the crime.
Posted by : INQ7
Sony president says management strengthened for PS3 success
DATE POSTED : 2006-12-01, 17:36:00
By Yuri Kageyama
Associated Press
TOKYO--Sony president Ryoji Chubachi said in an interview with Japan's top business daily Friday that recent management changes in the video game division were needed to ensure the success of the new PlayStation 3 console.
The launch of the new game machine is critical for Sony's recovery efforts, and Chubachi said the company wanted someone to share that responsibility with Ken Kutaragi, the "father of the PlayStation."
Kutaragi was relieved of day-to-day responsibilities as president of Sony's game unit Thursday but stayed on as chief executive and chairman of the division in appointments effective Friday. Kazuo Hirai, the head of Sony Corp.'s US video game operations, was tapped to replace Kutaragi as Sony Computer Entertainment president.
"Work of each executive in the gaming business has increased," Chubachi said in an interview with the Nihon Keizai Shimbun. "It's growing as a business in the US and Europe, and a lot of work is involved to keep up with all the changes."
The PS3 went on sale in November in Japan and the US to eager fans waiting in long lines overnight. But Sony has already stumbled in mass producing the consoles. Its sale in Europe was postponed until March next year, following an earlier delay from a global launch in spring.
When the second delay was announced in September, Kutaragi blamed the electronics division because the problems involved mass-producing parts for the Blu-ray next-generation video, not the Cell computer chip that powers PS3.
In Japanese companies, the president runs the daily business operations, and being promoted to chairman sometimes disguises retirement or demotion. In some cases, a chairman can be extremely influential, especially if the executive is charismatic and publicly popular as is Kutaragi.
"Mr. Kutaragi's strength is his knowledge of technology," Chubachi was quoted as saying in the Nikkei. "His position is, of course, chief executive, but this means he will especially be looking closely at the area of technological development."
Kutaragi was once rumored to be on the star track to lead Sony. But he was sidelined in a management shuffle last year that put Howard Stringer in charge of Sony -- the first foreigner to head Sony. Kutaragi was taken off the board of Sony to head just Sony Computer Entertainment.
There has been some concern the electronics and gaming units aren't working as well together as they could be. But some major Japanese companies have long fostered competition among their divisions to boost performance.
Posted by : Joey
|
|
 |
|
|
