Nintendo sees Mario and Zelda giving Wii U a big boost, 3DS continuing to grow

Posted on 13/06/2013 by Jon Fingas

There's no question that Nintendo is hurting these days, mostly owing to the lackluster reception for the Wii U. The company's Scott Moffitt is upbeat, however: he tells CNET that the Wii U should enjoy a 3DS-like sales renaissance this holiday now that games in bigger franchises, like Mario and Zelda, are on the way. Of course, the 3DS also had the advantage of a dramatic price drop -- but never you mind that. As for the handheld's own performance this year? Moffitt claims that the 3DS is the only dedicated console whose sales are still growing, and he expects the system to have its best holiday yet. His positions on the 3DS and Wii U strike us as optimistic when Nintendo is up against two major console launches and the ever-present threat of smartphone gaming, but the gaming giant has defied the odds more than once in its history.

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Nintendo

Comments

Source: CNET

Nintendo to release its first free-to-play game by March 2014

Posted on 13/06/2013 by Sarah Silbert

Along with announcing a fresh Wii U lineup at E3 this week, Nintendo shared that it will launch its first free-to-play title during this fiscal year -- that is, by the end of March 2014. Industry analyst David Gibson tweeted the news live from the press event, adding that the move is intended to "boost digital sales," and confirming that the game won't fall under the Mario or Pokemon franchises. Nintendo isn't saying which platform its first free-to-play offering is destined for, but in any case this announcement is a good sign that the company is getting serious about downloadable content.

Filed under: Gaming, Nintendo

Comments

Via: Nintendo Life

Source: David Gibson (@gibbogame)

Hands-on with the Ouya destined for store shelves

Posted on 12/06/2013 by Terrence O'Brien

The Ouya journey, according to founder Julie Uhrman, will never have a firm conclusion. But, we'd say having retail units enter production and shipping to mega stores like Game Stop and Best Buy represents at least the culmination of this particular story arc. With only a few weeks to go before the retail launch, the company brought the final console, controller and packaging to E3 for a press tour. The console itself is unchanged from the version that shipped to Kickstarter backers, except that it wont have contributor names etched on the side. The final tweaks heading into production have focused on the controller and the software. Visually the gamepad is exactly the same, but a number of small changes have be made to the various components to address feedback from early adopters and reviewers. The holes around the four face buttons have been widened to prevent them from sticking and, no matter how hard we tried, we could not get the O, U, Y or A to get wedged under the face plate. The right thumb stick also had a tendency to get caught on early versions of the controller, thanks to a small amount of glue that leaked into the area. That issue has supposedly been resolved, and in our time with the production model we had no problems with the analog stick.

Gallery: OUYA retail version hands-on

Filed under: Gaming, HD

Comments

AMD’s Saeid Moshkelani on building custom silicon for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Wii U

Posted on 12/06/2013 by Michael Gorman

The next-generation of consoles has finally and fully arrived here at E3, and the companies building the Xbox One, PS4 and Wii U are doing their best to differentiate their consoles from the competition. However, there is a common thread that connects them under the hood: AMD silicon. Naturally, we wanted to know more about the process of building chips for these next gene consoles. So, we spoke with AMD VP Saeid Moshkelani -- who heads up the Semi-Custom Business Unit that built those SoCs -- to get the inside scoop.

Moshkelani wouldn't get into the details of the differences between the chips he built for the consoles. Instead, he talked about how AMD developed custom silicon for each and the necessity of secrecy in the process. In fact, Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft had no idea that they were each going to the AMD well to get silicon for their next-gen platforms until they were announced. So, head on down past the break to hear Moshkelani discuss what it's like working with the big three and AMD's role in making next-gen gaming a reality.

Filed under: Gaming, HD, AMD

Comments

Peter Molyneux talks next-gen consoles, communal gaming and Oculus Rift

Posted on 12/06/2013 by Michael Gorman

Fabled (and Fable) game designer Peter Molyneux has long been a visionary in the gaming world, and his most recent effort, the Kickstarted title known as Godus, has piqued our Curiosity. However, as a veteran of the console world, we jumped at the chance to get his take on next-gen along with an update on his own projects.

Surprisingly, Molyneux wasn't particularly enthused with the new generation of consoles. Part of the problem, as he sees it, is that consoles are still too focused on the living room, while our digital lives are much more mobile -- which is why, in part, Godus is being built for laptops and phones first. "I wanted them [the consoles] to shock and surprise me" with new ways to integrate with mobile devices, he says, but the current mobile features feel like a "bolt-on" rather than an integral part of gameplay. Aside from all the next-gen talk, we got an update on the man who removed Curiosity's final block (he's just beginning to enjoy the fruits of godhood), and got his thoughts on Oculus Rift (spoiler: he's a fan). While words describing an interview are good, an actual interview is better -- this one awaits you after the break.

Filed under: Gaming, HD

Comments

Microsoft Points from Xbox 360 transfer to Xbox One as real money, ‘equal or greater in Marketplace value’

Posted on 12/06/2013 by Ben Gilbert

With the Xbox One, Microsoft is killing off the virtual currency of Xbox Live -- Microsoft Points are soon-to-be no more. But what of remaining balances? Apparently Microsoft's taking care of transfers, and even turning those points back into real currency. "When the transition takes place, the balance of Microsoft Points in an account will be retired and the customer will be given an amount in local currency that is equal or greater in Marketplace value," a Microsoft rep told our friends at Joystiq.

"That value will be stored in your account and can be used similar to Microsoft Points to make purchases in the Xbox Live Marketplace." It sounds to us like you'll be making a permanent move with your account's currency from the Xbox 360 to the Xbox One -- 80 MS Points are equal to $1, currently. Regardless, it sure is nice that those virtual bucks aren't locked to a console that we'll soon be retiring to the attic.

Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Microsoft

Comments

Source: Joystiq

Sony PlayStation 4 gaming roundup (hands-on)

Posted on 12/06/2013 by Sean Buckley

Forget streaming applications, share buttons and chip architecture -- the success of the next-gen video game consoles will be dictated largely by software. Games sell the system, and we couldn't help dropping by Sony's E3 booth to see what the PlayStation 4 is promising its early adopters. Join us after the break for a quick look at what the console will offer during its launch window.

Filed under: Gaming, HD, Sony

Comments

Unu Android tablet / console hands-on (video)

Posted on 12/06/2013 by Brian Heater

Another Android gaming console at this year's E3? Kind of, sort of, yeah. But Unu's (née Snakebyte) looking to set itself apart from the OUYAs, Gamesticks and M.O.J.O.s of the world (to name but a few) by becoming the "Swiss Army knife" of the space. The device isn't so much a console as tablet that plugs into your TV, meaning that you can do pretty much whatever you can do on a standard Android slate (which, arguably, you can also do with Mad Catz's device, but we digress).

The tablet itself runs Android 4.2, display through a seven-inch, 1280 x 800 IPS screen. The rear sports a brushed aluminum surface and a 5-megapixel camera (with a 2.0 module on the front). Inside, you've got 8GB of storage and a 1.6GHz quad-core chip. Unu does Bluetooth 4.0 and has two micro-USB ports, a microSD slot and, most importantly, a mini-HDMI port, which lets you turn the thing into a living room console of sorts, by connecting it to your HDTV. If you're feeling fancy, you can go in for the docking station, which does video out and charging -- and also props the tablet up nicely, so you can watch the same thing on two displays at the same time.

Gallery: Unu gaming tablet hands-on

Filed under: Gaming, Tablets

Comments

EA’s CTO Rajat Taneja and COO Peter Moore on plans for next-gen and Origin

Posted on 12/06/2013 by Michael Gorman

It's E3 time, people, and the launch of a pair of brand new consoles has the gaming world abuzz with the possibilities they bring. The success of those platforms isn't just about the black boxes, however. Gaming publishers like Electronic Arts are building many of the games people will want to play on Xbox One and PS4. So, when we got the opportunity to speak with EA's CTO Rajat Taneja and COO Peter Moore about the company's plans for next-gen, we jumped at the chance.

Rajat regaled us with tales of all the back-end work going into preparing Origin for next-gen, and chatted about the challenge of scaling up to accommodate all of the new users that will come with the new consoles. Naturally, that led to a discussion about the company's single identity framework that allows gamers to access their EA account on any gaming platform. Meanwhile, Peter talked of the importance of Origin's single login service, EA's ability to produce games that take full advantage of the new capabilities of next-gen consoles and even how the lesson's learned from the problems with Sim City will be applied to future games. You don't have to take our word for it, though -- check out the pair of videos after the break to hear for yourself first-hand.

Filed under: Gaming, HD

Comments

Polk Audio Xbox N1 sound bar and 133t gaming headphones eyes-on

Posted on 12/06/2013 by Brian Heater

Polk's at E3 showing off two new devices it's showing off at E3 this week that aren't half bad looking. Granted, they're not as slick as some of the higher end products the audio company has shown off in the past, but as far as gaming-centric devices go, they're not too shabby. According to the company, Microsoft approached it specifically to create peripherals for the Xbox, leading Polk to give the world the 133t Gaming Headphones and N1 sound bar.

The 133ts eschew the standard external gaming mic for a little nub that juts out from one ear. To mute it, you just click it back up inside the cup. The headphones also feature a mixer that plugs directly into the controller to help eliminate cords and lets you adjust sound settings on the fly. The Surroundbar, meanwhile, was designed specifically with the Xbox in mind, featuring four modes: Racer, FPS, Music and Cinema, so you can switch between gaming and standard media consumption. The N1 is set for a fall release, with the 133t coming some time in Q4. More info in a press release after the break.

Gallery: Polk Audio Xbox N1 Surroundbar and 133t gaming headphones eyes-on