Nintendo Wii control coming soon to PC

We’ve seen movement oriented devices in the past for PCs, notably from Gyration with its range of ‘air mice’, but these were aimed more at graphic designers and weren’t particularly successful in the mass market.

The Eee Stick seems more targeted at gaming, though it is thought that the device would also be tailored to use as a 3D mouse. The dual controllers look more like the Wii Nunchucks than the actual remote. Featuring an analogue stick on one and directional control-pad on the other, it doesn’t seem as though they’ll be nearly as effective.

There’s a video you can watch below, which certainly doesn’t do anything to promote the thing, and doesn’t seem nearly as innovative as the Cam Trax system we looked at recently. - Paul Lester



Source: Gizmodo

Sony PlayStation 3 Firmware update 2.4… Is this the big one?

New firmware update that is rumored to hit the PS3 and to feature achievements?

read more | digg story

Super Mario RPG released in Japan on Nintendo Wii virtual console

Fans of Super Mario RPG in Japan and user in the US who have waited a long time to get their hand so this amazing game may not have long to wait. Super Mario RPG (Role Playing Game) has been released on Nintendo Wii Virtual console.

For 900 Wii points you can play this SNES classic - Super Mario RPG.

The 100 extra Wii points are well worth it.

For those that have been lucky to play this game you'll know how great this addition will be to the Nintendo VC catalogue.

Source: Frog Chat

Star Wars - Clone Wars title for Nintendo Wii, DS In The Fall

Anyone picking up a copy of Lego Indiana Jones when it ships will find this ad on the back of the game's instruction booklet. Yes, a Lucasarts game based on an upcoming Star Wars property. SHOCKING.

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Konami Asked ‘MGS4′ Reviewers Not To Mention Certain Things

I’ve been told by two gaming media sources who asked to remain anonymous that Konami representatives had been asking print reviewers to keep some technical details out of their reviews, namely the length of the game’s cut-scenes and the size of the game’s installation on the PlayStation 3. Such details wouldn’t have been plot spoilers. . .

read more | digg story

Alone In The Dark Screenshots - PlayStation 3 version delayed

There's no firm date yet but what we can say is that it's coming out this year. In terms of why it's coming out later, we have the full game running on PS3 and all the features, no problem.

The thing is it's not performing as well on PS3 as we hope it is in terms of frame rate and all that. We didn't want it to come out and have less of an experience for the PS3 gamer. We wanted to tweak that up and make sure they get the best experience on PS3 as much as possible.

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Source: VE3D

Secret Grand Theft Auto IV FAQs

This FAQ is a collection of all the hidden details, secrets, glitches, tricks, and any related matter from GTA IV.

I've been playing GTA for a while now, and have also run a site dedicated to the GTA series for a few years. I enjoy just playing around in GTA, looking for glitches and secrets, more than I play missions.

Many of you may remember me from the GTA San Andreas Secrets FAQ - I'm the same author, and hope that this one is just as successful.
Secret Grand Theft Auto IV FAQs here

Source: IGN

Wii Balance Board Works With Ubisoft’s - Shaun White Snowboarding

Nintendo’s “Wii Fit” gives gamers a chance to turn the Wii Balance Board sideways and treat it like a snowboard, but it’s publisher Ubisoft that is backing the first game that makes such a feature its focus.

I was given a demo of the Wii version of “Shaun White Snowboarding” at a Ubisoft event in San Francisco, one of the first games.

I’ve seen controlled by the Balance Board.

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'Single-Player Games Are History' - Sony ex-exec

Former Sony Computer Entertainment America Executive and current Infogrames president Phil Harrison made the bold claim last week that the games industry will soon move away from single-player titles, like Alone in the Dark, and into strictly mutliplayer experiences.

Speaking to Eurogamer, Harrison said consumers today want "network connectivity and embedded communities" in their games, not the solitary experiences that one might find in popular games that feature solitary experiences. BioShock is one example.

"Alone in the Dark is a beautifully crafted single-player adventure game. I don't think the industry is going to make many more of those," said Harrison, who left Sony last February. "I just don't think consumers want to be playing games that don't have some kind of network connectivity to them, or some kind of community embedded in them, or some kind of extension available through downloadable content."

Donning his farseer cap, Harrison added that the video game industry is changing, and the role developers and publishers will change to reflect those changes.

"I don't think I'm alone in having those views, either," he said.

Source: PC Gamer

Dundee University opens £2.5m computer games centre

'White Space' development supports games tech and computer arts research and teaching

The University of Abertay's White Space project - an area of its campus worth some £2.5m - has officially opened today to support its computer games and computer arts interests.

The facility is also home to part of the BBC Innovation group, the planning group for Creative Scotland - and also the planning team for Dare to be Digital, plus Abertay's White Space Solutions company which is dedicated to supporting local industry with digital business ideas.

The new facility has been praised by UK independent game developer association.

Abertay's Dare to be Digital competition has also been guaranteed more support from the Scottish Executive, with the provision of £56,800 to sponsor the competition during the summer.

Source: Developmag

Wario Land Wii Detailed

After Nintendo’s surprise announcement of Wario Land Shake for the Wii, new details have just poped up on the web.

read more | digg story

Paid to play computer games

Dean Sutton, 25, makes a living from playing games on the Xbox console, competing in the UK national final of the Championship Gaming Series. The gamer, known in the gaming world as Picaso, is travelling to Los Angeles to compete with his team, Birmingham Salvo, to try to secure a place in the World Championships, which has a first prize of $500,000.

He said: "I'm getting paid a salary for the next year plus any prize money. The prospect of splitting $500,000 between my teammates is pretty good. It seems a bit weird just for playing video games, but I'm glad it could be our team."

Dean, started playing four years ago plays Forza 2, a motorsport game, while other team members specialise in football game Fifa, the Dead or Alive fighting game or the team-based shooter Counter-Strike.

Dean said: "I've never been out of Europe before so that's exciting.

Michael O'Dell, manager of the Birmingham Salvo, who selected Dean for the team, said: "He is one of the best players in the world, there is no doubt about that.

"I think he can help take the team to the world final, it's just about how he can handle the pressure of being watched by millions of people."

If successful in securing a place at the World Championships, Dean and the rest of the team could be watched by an estimated 300 million viewers as the competition is broadcast on Sky in the UK, Direct TV in America, Star in Asia, and Eurosport.

They will fight it out against seven other teams from America, South America and the rest of Europe for the prize money.

Source: Echo-News

Namco Bandai In Soul Calibur Breast Cover-Up

For your submission, the picture, showing Soul Calibur's Ivy as she's depicted on the game's official website. On the left, how she appears on the Japanese site. On the right? How she appears on the American site.

read more | digg story

Arcade-Style boxing game - Facebreaker from EA Sports

Electronic Arts' Fight Night games are many things - some of the most visually - impressive titles in existence, the only boxing games that have been taken seriously in recent years, and some of EA Sports' best reviewed games.

But if there's one thing they're not, it's "funny." Since EA Chicago and EA Canada (who took over the franchise starting with Fight Night Round 3 on PS3) have established Fight Night as serious boxing brand, the company saw a gap in the market with room for a more lighthearted boxing game. Enter FaceBreaker for PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii, in development at EA Canada.

Looking somewhat like a cross between Ready 2 Rumble Boxing and Team Fortress 2, FaceBreaker is a cartooney boxing game that will literally let players break each others' faces (one of the features touted by EA is "real-time facial deformation"). According to EA's Peter Moore in a press release, "Arcade boxing takes me back to my roots in this industry, and this game signals our shift to adding more approachable fun to our product lineup."

Rather than use real boxers, the developers created fictional characters such as Romeo, "a Latin lover known for his pelvic thrusts," and Molotov, "an oversized Russian demolitions expert with a penchant for fighting dirty." Players will also be able to use the Game Face technology seen in games like Tiger Woods to transfer personal photos and make themselves into characters in the game.

For detailed information and more screenshots of FaceBreaker, look for an exclusive preview in the March 2008 issue of EGM, heading to subscribers soon and stores in about two weeks.

Text Source: 1up

Create a racing game with this free games source code

Are you a budding computer games programmer? Or is it something you would like to try?

Click on the video trailer below to listen to Benjamin Nitschke of exDream Entertainment explaining about his highly-anticipated project, originally created for Microsoft.



The car racing game program is awesome and the source code than be downloaded free to use as the basis for your own XNA Game Studio game projects, and to share your work with others.

The free computer game source code comes ready to compile and run, and it’s easy to customize with a little bit of C# programming.

Watch the video & hear how one student built a fully functional racing game in just one month!

Source: Buzzing Games

Wii Bowling - Pensioners plan video game tournament

There's a big difference bowling 10 pins as opposed to duck pins, Frank Lombardi said.

Charlie Hull stood by and showed Lombardi a bowling technique that was new to him.

"Press A to get your angle," Hull said.

Then, Hull explained, hold down the B button, which is the little trigger on the bottom. Wind back and let go of the B button as you swing your arm forward.

And that's how 73-year-old Lombardi learned to play Nintendo Wii Bowling - bowling video-game-style - Wednesday at Homewood at Plum Creek in Hanover.

The recreation department at Homewood at Plum Creek will be hosting a Wii Bowling league for residents of the retirement community next month.

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Source: Evening Sun

10th annual International Classic Video & Pinball Tournament.

It is a yearly tradition for enthusiasts of classic video games, and it was exposed to the world on the big screen. Now, nearly a year after Funspot's International Classic Video and Pinball Tournament was featured in a movie on a gaming rivalry, gamers have flocked to arcade for this year's competition in even greater numbers.

The 10th annual International Classic Video and Pinball Tournament began on Thursday afternoon and is scheduled to run through early Sunday evening.

More here...

Source: Citizen.com

How to brick a Nintendo Wii console

Anything can be made from LEGO including the next gen consoles.

Check out the other pictures here

“There is no truer, geekier homage than reconstructing an object of desire in Lego form, so we weren’t surprised to find Brickshelf member, “suu” recreating a Wii with Legos.

We especially like how the Lego Wii opens up to reveal scenes from Wii sports, although we don’t remember the option of using a gun in Wii Tennis.

That could be fun.”

Wii will rock you, says video game maker

Ubisoft Entertainment SA, Europe's second-largest video-game maker, said Nintendo Co. will increase its lead over Sony Corp. and Microsoft Corp. in the console market this year.

In the U.S., revenue from software for Nintendo platforms such as the Wii will make up 40 per cent of sales of console software this year, from 36 per cent a year earlier, according to Ubisoft CEO Alain Martinez. The share for both Sony and Microsoft will fall, according to the presentation to analysts in Paris yesterday.

The U.S. is the world's largest single market for video games, ahead of Japan and the U.K. Software for Sony consoles will make up 32 per cent of the total in the U.S., down from 35 per cent last year, while Microsoft will account for 28 per cent, down from 29 per cent in 2007, Ubisoft said.

Ubisoft said it expects 34 million consoles to be sold in 2008.

SEGA and Sports Interactive - In-Game advertising in Football Manager titles

Leading independent in-game advertising company, announces an exclusive partnership deal with SEGA Europe Ltd and Sports Interactive for forthcoming titles in the Football Manager series, including the highly anticipated Massively Multiplayer Online version, Football Manager Live.

Football Manager Live, due for release this summer, combines the hugely successful Football Manager series gameplay, with the dynamic play experience of a Massively Multiplayer Online Game, allowing managers to pit their tactical skills directly against hundreds of other human players for the first time.
Players can create their own team name, colours, badges and home ground, before deciding which players to sign from Sports Interactive’s world famous database of over 270,000 real life players.

This new development of the franchise offers aspiring football managers the opportunity to play the game their way, changing tactics within live matches from a virtual dugout, exchanging banter with other virtual managers through the in-game chat facilities, and balancing the books for their team, all directly against the tactical brains of other real managers from around the world.

Through IGA’s global sales team, brands will have access to a wide range of advertising prospects in keeping with the opportunities experienced in a real football environment, including league and tournament sponsorship, pitch-side billboards, web-based MPU’s plus a number of premium static integrations.

Uniquely, IGA will also be using its proprietary Radial technology to dynamically link ad spaces between the Football Manager Live game client and the corresponding locations on the football manager live web portal, giving advertisers extended and cohesive exposure as well as the ability to offer video and rich media content within the web-based MPU spaces.

Beyond simply a web portal, www.footballmanagerlive.co.uk links directly into the game servers, allowing managers as well as the public at large the ability to browse the profiles, teams and competition results of other managers as well as chatting via the forums, akin to Facebook for Football.

“The Football Manager series boasts 3 of the top 5 fastest selling PC games in history and we are extremely enthusiastic about partnering with Sports Interactive and SEGA on these world-leading titles leading into the Euro 2008 series this summer,” said Justin Townsend, CEO of IGA Worldwide. “The unique opportunities available to our clients in these titles offer unrivalled exposure, engagement and accountability whilst adding realism and context to a game environment that prides itself on these same qualities.”

“By having all in-game advertising in-situ in our forthcoming titles, it will add to the game playing experience for our customers” said Miles Jacobson, Studio Director at Sports Interactive. “With IGA we’ve found a partner who understands our needs in that regard, and will be helping to enhance this experience in both Football Manager and Football Manager Live”