EEG News

Microsoft Drops Bonus Remote Offer

Microsoft wants your Jackson, Hamilton

GameSpot is confirming that M’soft will no longer be shipping the free mini remote control with Xbox 360 premium packs.

From GameSpot:

The limited run of bonus Media Remote Controls is apparently over. A GameStop employee has confirmed to GameSpot that the bonus remotes have not been shipping with the Xbox 360 Premium Packs that have been trickling into their store. This means that Xbox 360 preorders that still remain unfulfilled--and may very well have been placed months ago--won't be getting the controller. GameSpot has received unconfirmed reports that the discontinuation has infuriated gamers who preordered the console long ago expecting the remote to be included.

Those who still want a remote control for their 360 must now shell out the $30 for the Universal Media Remote from Microsoft. What GameSpot means by "unconfirmed reports" that gamers are infuriated is a mystery.

GameStop E-Mail Leak: No Halo in 2006, Duh

Kotaku has a scan of an internal GameStop e-mail which should surpise the five people on the internet who thought Halo 3 would ship this year. The extra time should give Bungie an opportunity to write an actual ending to their game this time.

Study Finds 35% of US Parents Play Video Games

Game trade org Entertainment Software Association released a study citing that 35 percent of parents say they play computer or video games. Among them, 80 percent report they play vidgames with their children, and 66 percent feel that playing games has brought their families together.

“This first-ever study of ‘gamer parents’ dramatizes the increasing and positive role that video games play in American family entertainment," said Douglas Lowenstein, president of the ESA, the trade group representing U.S. computer and video game publishers. “The data provide further evidence dispelling the myth that game playing is dominated by teens and single twenty-somethings.  It tells us that parents see games both as an enjoyable activity on their own, and one that allows them to engage with their children as well."

The demographics of “gamer parents” are spread just about evenly between Democrats (36%) and Republicans (35%).  Sixty percent of parents surveyed believe responsibility in monitoring children’s gaming habits lie with the parent – not the government retailers, or publishers. That number spikes up to 85 percent for gamer parents.

There are a lot more interesting numbers.

"This research suggests that proposals to regulate video games may backfire with American voters who, unlike some elected officials, appear to fully understand that they should control the entertainment that comes into their homes," Lowenstein said

LA Sues Over Hot Coffee

A handsome, charming and modest reporter for Variety has the scoop on the city of Los Angeles filing a class action suit against Take-Two and Rockstar games for GTA’s “hot coffee” debacle.

City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo Thursday filed a civil lawsuit against Take Two Games and its subsid Rockstar, publisher of "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," for failing to disclose allegedly pornographic content in the game, a violation of state fair business practices laws.

Delgadillo has a flair for dramatics, telling reporters during a press conference Thursday "Greed and deception are part of the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas story. In that respect, its publishers are no different than the characters in their story."

It’s up to the LA to prove that Rockstar knew about the content, and sold the game knowing that children could unlock it – exposing them to the hot pixilated porn that turns them into sexual deviants and communists.

DS Lite Announced

DS Lite concept design from Nintendo

Nintendo raised the curtain today on the anticipated DS redesign.  The announcement comes 10 days later than many expected, but the rumors have proven true.  The new design, called the “Nintendo DS Lite” is a slimmed down version of the DS with adjustable screen brightness and a slightly redesigned face.

Specs:

Weight: 218 grams (from the original’s 275 grams), Width: 133 mm (from 148.7mm), Height: 73.9 mm (from 84.7 mm), Thickness when shut: 21.5 mm (from 28.9 mm)

The system will hit Japan March 2 at 16,800 yen (about $145).  No word on an North American or European release date.

E3 Bans Booth Babes

Most of the female attendance at this year’s E3 will disappear with a new decision by the expo to ban “booth babes” from the floor.

The new rule:

Material, including live models, conduct that is sexually explicit and/or sexually provocative, including but not limited to nudity, partial nudity and bathing suit bottoms, are prohibited on the Show floor, all common areas, and at any access points to the Show. ESA, in its sole discretion, will determine whether material is acceptable.

It is unclear whether the decision has the noble intent of giving the game convention a classier air than the average boat show or Hooters restaurant – or if putting scantily clad women in rooms filled to capacity with hot, sweaty nerds was bad chemistry all along.

Certainly, game magazine editors are mourning the loss of several pages of booth babe filler they have depended on in years past.

The Xbox is dead – long live the Xbox!

A rumor started by US game website Kotaku.com that Microsoft will discontinue support and manufacturing the original Xbox was shot down today. A couple sites confirm that Microsoft will not forget its first born child even though a newer and shinier model is available – which makes sense, because around 200 Xbox titles are expected to ship this year.

Silent Hill Poster Contest

Video games may not be art, but video game movie poster art is still…art – right?  It’s all so very confusing, so forget the semantics and head on over to the Silent Hill movie page to vote on your favorite fan-made poster. Our friend Ben Fritz at Variety sez the winner’s poster will be used in ad campaign and maybe even make the DVD cover.

Hideo Kojima: I'm With Ebert

Hideo Kojima

Metal Gear mastermind Hideo Kojima gives his 2.28856 yen about video games-as-art debate in the latest issue of OPM (US edition). His surprising conclusion: they aren't. Next Generation has the scoop.  Here's a taste of Kojima:

"For example, look at a concept car. You don't have to be able to drive a car, but if it's called a car and it has artistic elements in the visuals, then it's art. But an actual car, like a videogame, is interactive, so it's something used by people, so it's like a car where you have to drive it. There are 100 people driving a car; they have 100 ways of driving it and using it. It could be families driving the car. It could be a couple driving a car. The owner of the car could be driving along the coastline or they could go up into the mountains, so this car has to be able to be driven by all 100 of these people, so in that sense, it's totally not art."

PC Gamer Nix Gold Farming Ads, Toots Own Horn

PC Gamer magazine announced they will stop running ads from organizations who sell MMORPG currency for real money.  A hearty bout of patting their own back ensued.

Revolution: Coming Out Too...Thanksgiving Says Iwata

Have you seen me as well?

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata tells Japanese newspaper Sankei Shinbun the Revolution will be released in North America before Thanksgiving.

Gamespot translates:

"We can't disclose the Revolution's release period yet,” Iwata said, “but we have no plans to miss out on the year-end sales battle. As for North America, we need to release it by Thanksgiving, or otherwise we won't receive support from the retail industry. So the Revolution will be released prior to that period."

Still no word on the price tag, however. Only that it will be "reasonable."

PS3: Coming Out Eventually…Maybe November Says Person

Have you seen me?

Analysts say the darndest things.  Today’s PS3 release date speculation comes from Evan Wilson, consumer electronics analyst for Pacific Crest Securities.

Wilson writes in an article for Interactive Investor, “'the most likely scenario' is that PS3 will be released in Japan this summer with about 1 million units and in the US in November with 1 million units, followed by a European launch in March 2007."

That’s good news for Microsoft, who will have more time to saturate the market with Xbox 360s.

DS Sooner Than Expected?

Game blog Joystiq thinks rumors about a Nintendo DS redesign are not only true, but imminent!

First the Reggie let it slip that the little dual screen handheld that could was being considered for a fabulous makeover, then Japanese gaming mainstay Famitsu reiterated the idea. Now we have a rumor from well-regarded video game importers Lik-Sang that we may be treated to the new DS model as early as January 16th! They write, "... here at Lik Sang too we have received word a couple of days ago from a Japanese contact stating Nintendo will have a formal announcement of the re-design on Jan 16th." We'll have to wait... five more days...

Moore Could Live With Blu-ray

Microsoft game division head Peter Moore told Japanese game website ITMedia that it may release a Blu-Ray DVD peripheral for the Xbox 360 if it becomes the standard in the HD-DVD/Blu-Ray format war. Currently, Microsoft is banking against Blu-Ray and plans to release an external drive for watching movies in HD-DVD format.

Microsoft: Shortage Hurting Sales

Microsoft has admitted that their Santa Claus-ian plan to deliver Xbox 360s to the entire world at launch was perhaps a bit grand.  The Financial Times reports that M’soft points to shortages for lowering sales expectations on their new console at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.

Microsoft has blamed a lack of capacity and components for shortages of its Xbox 360. It is now expected to miss its target of shipping 2.75m-3m of the game consoles in the 90 days following its launch on November 22.

Analysts estimate shipments at 1.3m worldwide by the end of 2005, with shortages predicted for January. The situation has leftgamers frustrated and meant limited sales of 360 titles for video games publishers and retailers.

Microsoft has been sheepish about sales numbers for the 360. An interesting on low sales in Japan comes from Peter Moore in a Game Informer interview.

GI: As far as your launch in Japan you sold less than half of the 360 consoles that you did the original Xbox at launch. Are you guys satisfied with that?

Peter Moore

Moore: The numbers that anybody has given so far are speculation because we haven’t given any numbers, and I think Famitsu has maybe gone around and counted and then extrapolated. Because it’s a pretty unsophisticated market over there for recording. Yeah, I’m satisfied. It’s a solid if not spectacular start. But the way we’ve looked at Japan this time around is over a three-to-five year period developing deep role playing games. Clearly Sakaguchi with Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon being very important. Miziguchi with Ninety-Nine Nights coming up in the spring.

And as I’m fond of saying, it’s a marathon, not a sprint over there. While you would like to just walk it out of the gates, realistically, for an American company going in taking on Sony and Nintendo in their backyard coming off a disappointing first generation, and going in there and having to prove ourselves all over again. And the one thing, historically, you can bet on is you produce particularly a role playing game that is fresh, innovative, and from somebody the quality of Sakaguchi - that moves hardware. We’re still a ways away from delivering the first one, which will be Blue Dragon. Then it’s going to be great because probably less than six months later…

So the Japanese are bad at counting?  That’s a new one.

Microsoft Announces 360 HD-DVD Add-on

Head of Microsoft Interactive Entertainment Peter Moore announced today that the Xbox 360 will support HD-DVD technology with an external drive peripheral to be released in the future. The announcement was a part of Bill Gates annual CES keynote.

It appears that IGN’s report in December from a Microsoft spokesperson that “There are currently no plans to release an Xbox 360 equipped with a next generation DVD player” while technically correct, was a red herring.

The drive is expected to be compatible with HD-DVD movies only. Future Xbox 360 games will continue to utilize the regular DVD player inside the console. The peripheral, along with expanded hard-drives will be a part of Microsoft’s strategy to make the 360 an upgradeable system.

Not having to upgrade is one of the reasons I buy a console. Honestly, I am not a fan Microsoft trying to make mincemeat out of my wallet.  Not to mention history shows that console upgrade peripherals have a history of flopping.

Whatever happened to the days when a console came with everything you need plus a game thrown in for good measure?

New Year Blues

Happy New Year everyone! I’m back in front of the computer now, which is a pleasant change of scenery from being in front of a toilet bowl.  The poison is out of my system now, so it’s time for video game news.

The vidgame industry is feeling a holiday hangover as well.  Sales were down 20 percent and games that make people empty store shelves were few and far between. Variety’s Ben Fritz examines what went wrong.

De l'article:

No one expected 2005 to be a banner year. In what's called the end of a "console cycle," gamers saved their money in anticipation of upcoming titles on the just-released Xbox 360 and upcoming Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Revolution.

But when Activision and Electronic Arts, two industry heavyweights that should have already had the end of a console cycle built into expectations, warned investors they were missing guidance for the fourth quarter, it became clear things are grim.

Read about the industry’s 2005 woes, and ideas for the new year (or lack thereof).