According to year-end figures provided by Nielsen, it appears that the Sony PlayStation 2 remains the most played video game console, by far. In fact, in terms of "overall usage minutes", the PS2 accounted for just under 32 percent of the total. Following in the list was the Microsoft Xbox 360 at 17.2 percent and the Nintendo Wii at 13.4 percent. The PlayStation 3 improved to 7.3 percent but somewhat surprisingly, lost to the original Xbox, which managed 9.7 percent of the total.
The PS2's lead diminished significantly from 2007's 42 percent of the total, but understandably so considering Sony has moved all their efforts to the next-gen PS3.
Year-on-year, the PS3 jumped from 2.5 percent to 7.3 percent of the total, the Wii jumped from 5.5 percent to 13.4 percent of the total, and the 360 jumped from 12 percent to 17 percent, all at the expense of the aging set of the PS2, Xbox and Gamecube.
According to Ars Technia, Best Buy Express (vending machines) are popping up in airports all over the US, and there is a very welcome surprise inside them!
For gamers who travel, handheld systems like the Nintendo DS and the PlayStation Portable are lifesavers. A boring, lengthy flight is the perfect excuse for a focused gaming session. But what if you forgot to bring your handheld of choice? Well, that's what vending machines are for.
Spotted at Atlanta International Airport, these Best Buy Express vending machines offer a wide variety of electronics for travelers, including digital cameras and headphones. The most interesting thing to us over here at OT? The inclusion of a DS system, as well as a number of games. This particular machine featured the likes of Guitar Hero: On Tour, Mario Kart DS, Brain Age 2, and LEGO Batman.
In addition to being very convenient, it also sounds like the games are priced at traditional retail prices, with a copy of MKDS running gamers $34.99. Given the inflated prices often found at airports, this is a welcome surprise. With the waits that often accompany flights, a new DS game seems like the perfect impulse purchase to pass the time. It also goes to show Nintendo's continued widespread appeal, as DS and Wii games and systems continue to sprout up for sale in the most unlikely of places.
The Singapore-M.I.T. Gambit Game Lab (“gambit” for gamers, aesthetics, mechanics, business, innovation and technology) brings together computer geeks of Cambridge and computer geeks of the Asian city-state. The point: to develop video games for the global market from the outset, not translate them from one continent to another.
Eitan Glinert, there as a master’s candidate in computer science, got to thinking about one market lost in translation. “People with disabilities were being left out of progress in the gaming market,” says Mr. Glinert, 26. For his master’s thesis, Mr. Glinert wanted to make a game that would work equally for the visually impaired and for the seeing, so they could play together.
A team of seven other students at the lab and a professor from the National University of Singapore pitched in. The result, Audi Odyssey, can be played with a keyboard or Nintendo Wii remote (to download, go to gambit.mit.edu/loadgame/audiodyssey.php).
The game stars a D.J. named Vinyl Scorcher whose objective is to get the people in his nightclub on the dance floor, by playing great music. “Choosing music as our central game theme works perfectly since both sighted and nonsighted users are equally familiar with music,” Mr. Glinert says. But it wasn’t enough to make the game playable by both groups; both groups had to have the same experience.
“You listen for clapping beats while the song is playing,” he says. “Your task is to match these clapping beats.”
If you hear a clap to your right, swing the remote to the right in time with the music, or hit the right arrow key. With a “beat” matched, the player adds more tracks, and more clubbers dance. “The more complex the song gets, the more crowded the floor gets,” he says. One obstacle: overexcited clubbers might bump into his table. And onward to advanced levels of play.
Since the game came out last summer, Mr. Glinert has founded Fire Hose Games, in Cambridge, to develop video games with a positive social impact.
He wrote his thesis on his AudiOdyssey research. He got an A.
Burnout Paradise The Ultimate Box will be arriving on PC in Feb 2009.
Like both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions, this product combines the original Burnout Paradise with all the incredible support content we’ve developed so far! That means our Cagney Pack update, the Bikes Pack and the forthcoming Party Pack are all included.
Here’s what you didn’t know - anyone will be able to trial the game for FREE.
When the full game’s released in Feb ’09, we want all our PC players to be sure it runs perfectly on their system, before they commit to buying it. We also love the game and feel confident that if you try it, you’ll want to sign up for more!
But there’s a lot of game to show you!
In Burnout Paradise, you’re free to explore a massive city, loaded with fun things to do and places to go. Pull up at any of the 120 junctions to start one of 5 event types – Burning Route, Marked Man, Stunt Run, Race and Road Rage. See if you can find the beach, quarry, dirt track and airfield playgrounds spread through our five boroughs. The city also morphs seamlessly into an online world anytime you want to hook up with your friends and cruise around beating challenges.
So rather than restricting what you can do, we're letting you play through the start of the full game for a limited period.
That’s right, you can go anywhere in Paradise City and check out everything on offer in the opening stages of the game.
It usually takes two or three years before new consoles hit their stride with a bevy of top AAA rated games. In that time, developers are learning the systems, testing out new ways of doing things and experimenting with gameplay ideas.
And with the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii reaching that point, 2009 should be an even better time for games than last year. But with all the looking forward, it's the old school-style titles that pique my interest. And no other game has me as excited as one of the blue bloods of gaming — the "Street Fighter" series. On Feb. 17, the franchise's first sequel in a decade will be released. "Street Fighter IV" brings the popular fighting game back to its roots with a modern twist of polygonal graphics.
Famous fighters such as Ryu, Ken and Chun Li now have a look that rivals Pixar characters. On top of that, MadCatz is also releasing a set of official arcade sticks. The whole experience will take players back to the arcade. Now, how old school is that?
Also anticipated:
"Killzone 2": The shooter that generated an apocalyptic amount of hype based on its trailer will also be released in February. Now players can see if it lives up to those first impressions. Scheduled for release Feb. 27.
"MadWorld": Platinum Games offers something rare on the Wii — a mature title. With an art style that reminds me of Frank Miller's stuff, I'm optimistic with this beat-'em-up. Spring 2009.
"God of War III": This looks to be the finale to one of the best series of the decade. I'm looking forward to seeing what Kratos' true fate is.
A multiplayer demo for Lord Of The Rings - Conquest is now available to download via Xbox Live and PlayStation Network.
The 1.25GB demo from Pandemic Studios is available worldwide. Good and evil campaigns can be played, with gamezplay comparable to that of the studio's previous release Star Wars - Battlefront.
The full game retails on January 13 for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows PC, with an original version in the works for the Nintendo DS.
Tomb Raider Underworld the best Lara Croft game in years, the soundtrack is stunning, dramatic and perfect for adding to you collection. If you've already paid $60 for the game an extra $10 to $20 for Underground's music, would be bad so Eidos have made the tracks available as a free download on the game's official website.
News of the free soundtrack comes hot on the heels of Eidos also releasing two new wetsuit costumes for the game via Xbox Live free of charge.
According to year-end figures provided by Nielsen, it appears that the Sony PlayStation 2 remains the most played video game console, by far. In fact, in terms of "overall usage minutes", the PS2 accounted for just under 32 percent of the total. ![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_tLHNaTGekZQZ-0qSDyPS0EzmZ5Z6SbxYc1rFuXe8bBmb28JGivFA1GlIMcVGDAmjn25Z97TixQMHoRKt_Ezi6IKQ9jXAlKBl9iu_fGurNidjX5_yLrY01arJNA4VJj5iOhE1IP01xeac8fFWBIGrBy=s0-d)
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