Mobile Game Revenue To Top $11 Billion By 2015

Mobile game revenue is expected to nearly double by 2015, Juniper Research predicted today.

According to the market researcher, mobile game revenue topped $6 billion last year.

By 2015, Juniper predicts, that figure will be over $11 billion. However, the research firm noted that as time goes on, a shift will occur with revenue migrating from the "traditional pay-per-download model" to in-game purchases.

Juniper expects that by 2013, more revenue will be generated from in-game purchases than from actual downloads of mobile games. The research firm said "discoverability remains a problem for developers and publishers on some app stores," so offering a free title and then getting people to pay for more levels or virtual goods is becoming the more desired way to attract gamers and revenue.

It could be a smart move. Earlier this month, research firm In-Stat reported that virtual goods revenue is expected to reach $7.3 billion this year. In 2007, consumers spent just $2.1 billion on virtual goods. By 2014, the firm predicts, customers could spend more than $14 billion on in-game virtual goods. Although those figures include data from social-networking titles, in addition to mobile games, it effectively highlights the growth in this area.

Juniper also reported that although games are available on several different mobile platforms, "Apple's iPhone/App Store combination has set the benchmark, with a higher share of revenue for developers."


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Retailers Get Ready For Black Ops Midnight Release

The Nov. 9 release of Call of Duty: Black Ops has got retailers preparing for a midnight release tonight of what should be the biggest multi-platform game release of the year. Best Buy, Gamestop, Walmart, Toys R Us are among the nationwide stores taking part in the midnight release.

GameStop will be hosting midnight releases at 4,408 of its stores where you can enter the “going camo” face painting and Call of Duty trivia contests, and also get 250 PowerUp Rewards bonus points when purchasing within 48 hours of the launch. The game will be viewable at 9:30 PM. Find a Best Buy location here.

Best Buy will also be open in more locations than last year’s Call of Duty release (over 400 this year) and will be offering sales support and deals for customers interested in 3D gameplay. You can find a participating Best Buy using this link.

At Walmart 24 hour locations we hear that you can apparently get there at 9:30 pm to play the game (if lines permit) and you’ll can also get a special Black Ops Bandana as part of the release. Find a participating Walmart store here.

Call of Duty: Black Ops from Activision will sell in three different editions for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 that include the Standard Edition for $59.99, the Hardened Edition for $79.99, and the Prestige Edition for $149.99.

‘Black Ops’ will also be available for Windows PC, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS, however, only in the Standard Edition.

Xbox 360 Update Taps ESPN, Zune Music

Xbox 360 owners who power up their consoles today will be greeted with the fall update to the console's Xbox Live service.

The update includes access to ESPN content. According to Microsoft, the ESPN offering will give people access to more than 3,500 live and on-demand sporting events a year. The ESPN integration also includes scoreboards, voice chat, and the ability to "predict the winner" of games.

Through Zune Music, people will be able to stream "millions of songs" from the Zune Marketplace, as long as they have a Zune Pass music subscription.

Microsoft also said it has streamlined Netflix search, improved quality in voice chat, and made a fix that makes it easier to access wireless networks. The ESPN content, Zune Music, and Netflix search require an Xbox Live Gold account.

This week is shaping up to be a big one for Microsoft. The fall update comes three days before the release of the highly anticipated Kinect motion-gaming peripheral. Kinect lets people control on-screen action with body movements alone. It will sell for $150.


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Major Fefresh Coming To Xbox.com

Xbox.com will get a major overhaul tomorrow that will deliver several new features, Microsoft announced today.

The updated site will offer a browser-based avatar-editing tool that lets users create virtual characters and preview their design before purchasing it. In addition, Microsoft plans to combine "messages, friend, and game requests" into a single pane to make it easier for folks to see what's happening in their gaming network.

The new Xbox.com will feature Web-based games that users can play with their Xbox Live friends, Microsoft said. The site will also include reports featuring information on what a person's family members are doing on Xbox Live. The site's marketplace will feature "more powerful search and more intuitive ways to browse and filter," according to the company.

Starting at 2 a.m. PDT tomorrow morning, Microsoft said, Xbox.com will be down "for a short period of time" to complete the implementation of the new features.


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COD: Black Ops Preorders Higher Than MW2

Call of Duty: Black Ops, the latest title in the venerable Call of Duty franchise, has hit higher preorder levels than its predecessor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Gamestop announced yesterday.

"GameStop is tracking to all-time, record reservations on Call of Duty: Black Ops," GameStop senior vice president of merchandising, Bob McKenzie said in a statement. "We are ahead of where we were with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 last year, which previously set the industry standard."

If Call of Duty: Black Ops stays on its course and potentially outsells Modern Warfare 2, it would be an impressive feat.

Modern Warfare 2 was called the "biggest entertainment launch in history" after it launched last November. In just its first five days of availability, it generated approximately $550 million in revenue, Activision said at the time.

Earlier this year, Guinness World Records announced that Modern Warfare 2 generated $401.6 million in its first day of availability, making it the biggest launch in the history of the gaming business. It supplanted Grand Theft Auto IV, which generated $310 million on its launch day.

Call of Duty: Black Ops, which is being developed by Treyarch, not Modern Warfare 2 developer Infinity Ward, is scheduled to launch on November 9 for all three consoles, the PC, and the Nintendo DS.


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Analyst: 3DS U.S. Launch In April, To Cost $250

Nintendo says it will release its 3DS portable gaming device to U.S. and Europe in March, but Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter isn't convinced.

Speaking in an interview with gaming blog Joystiq, Pachter said that based on "how Nintendo does things," he doesn't believe it's "remotely possible they're launching [the 3DS in the] first half of March."

"I'm getting it gets delayed until April in Europe and U.S.," Pachter said.
Pachter also isn't convinced that the 3DS, which allows gamers to play in 3D without requiring 3D glasses, will be sold in the U.S. and Europe for the $300 price tag Nintendo plans for the Japanese market. In fact, he believes Nintendo will charge $50 less for the device in Western markets.

"I know people who haven't played a handheld in forever--I'm talking guys who play Halo and Call of Duty 24/7 and nothing else--and they all want one," Pachter told Joystiq. "I think Nintendo will charge $250 and people will pay it."

Pachter said Nintendo will likely sell 3DS titles for $34.99.

So far, Nintendo has been relatively tight-lipped on key details about the U.S. and Europe 3DS launch. The company announced yesterday that the device will be available at the end of February in Japan for $300, and it plans to launch it in the U.S. and European markets in March. It didn't provide an exact release date or a launch price.


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Black Ops Zombies: Confirmed!

Well, the long, long wait is finally over for many Zombie-mode fans around the globe. Today, in CVG’s sneak peak at Black Ops’ Strategy Guide, they discovered a rather interesting tagline.

“a complete walkthrough to the gritty Cold War-era Campaign mode, tips and tricks to rank up in Multiplayer, how to excel in Co-Op, or fight back the relentless Nazi Zombie horde” – BradyGames Black Ops Strategy Guide

So, from this statement, we are able to glean two important bits of information. First, the traditional Nazi Zombie mode is returning, where players fight off an endless horde of undead while trying to frantically repair windows and openings into their safehouse. Secondly, we are able to see that Nazi Zombies is not the exclusive co-op mode. The tagline clearly reads co-op OR Nazi Zombies. Exact details on that, of course, are not confirmed just yet but hopefully we will see more info on that in the GameTrailers TV spotlight on Black Ops.

Also mentioned in the strategy guide are “tactics for every type of Co-Op, Team-Based, and Head-to-Head play mode,” seeming to indicate that there is more than one game type in Co-Op mode.

Mark Lamia speaks to Edge Magazine

You didn’t think the Zombie news stopped there, did you? Mark Lamia, Studio Head at Treyarch, spoke to Edge magazine and had this to say, concerning Zombies:
“We continued to evolve [Nazi Zombies] after World At War – there was a dialogue going on with some of our hardcore community, and we were able to interact with the community and evolve – we did that with our zombie lore.” – Mark Lamia, Studio Head, Treyarch

So, as you can see, it definitely seems like it isn’t a plain old rehash of Nazi Zombie mode. That much is fairly obvious, the real question is what changes and reinventions have Treyarch created for this time around?

We’d love to hear from you, and get your opinions on this big development. Discussion is just heating up over at the forums, and we’d love to see you stop by and join in. Jump straight to that discussion here, or leave us a note in the comments!

New Halo Games Coming Every Year From Now On?

Halo fans looking to get new titles might not have to wait too long in the coming years.

Microsoft Game Studios Vice President Phil Spencer said in a recent interview with IGN that the company plans to increase the frequency with which new Halo games hit store shelves.

"There's no explicit strategy that says we're to ship a Halo game every year," Spencer told the publication. "I will say I think one Halo game every three years, which was kind of our old cadence, is probably not frequent enough."

Spencer indicated that by waiting so long to release a major update to the franchise, the company could hurt overall engagement. He told IGN that Microsoft is trying to achieve "a more persistent Halo engagement for customers and not go dark for two years."

Spencer was quick to point out that Microsoft won't necessarily release a new Halo game each year, but he said that the company wants to provide gamers with "an ongoing relationship" with the franchise.

Several Halo games have come out in the past couple years. Real-time strategy title Halo Wars hit store shelves in February 2009. It was followed by the release of Halo 3: ODST in September 2009. Just last week, Halo: Reach hit store shelves. So it seems that Microsoft has already started its annual strategy and plans to extend it going forward.

But it's getting consumers to sign on to Microsoft's strategy that the company could have trouble with. As Spencer pointed out, he "used to look at annual releases of non-sports games as people trying to milk me." He's undoubtedly not alone. And selling a new Halo game each year to those who have the same feelings could be Microsoft's greatest challenge as it continues to release new Halo titles


Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20017304-17.html?tag=mncol;title#ixzz10ILvlvIo

Angry Birds Nets New Attack Eagle, Revenue Stream

LONDON--The creator of the popular Angry Birds game for mobile devices is adding a new character--and new profit-making potential along with it.

Rovio Mobile currently offers a limited free version of the game and a constant series of new levels to those who pay for Angry Birds. The new character, an all-powerful bird called the Mighty Eagle, can be bought within the application when players want to blast their way through a level they can't pass with the conventional arsenal, said Rovio CEO Mikael Hed, speaking here at the Nokia World conference.

That means even those who've paid for the application will get an opportunity to pay more. The approach is similar in games such as Zynga's FarmVille, in which people can spend money to advance more quickly than with the free version.

"The key point from a business perspective is that the Mighty Eagle is declaring the end of games as a commodity and the beginning of games as a service," Hed said. To use it, a mobile phone's software and application store needs the ability to let people make purchases from within the game.

"In-app [purchasing] capabilities provide a remarkable opportunity to provide extraordinary content to our most engaged customers," Hed said. Nokia just added that ability to its Ovi store for applications.

Rovio intends the Mighty Eagle is to be used by players frustrated with their inability to advance. The Angry Birds plot line (prepare to suspend a little disbelief here) involves birds with various destructive attributes trying to demolish structures built by greedy pigs. The player uses a slingshot to shoot the birds.

The Mighty Eagle, summoned with a can of fish, obliterates a tricky structure.



"The Mighty Eagle is truly a silver bullet to solve all your problems in one shot," Hed said. It "can be used to clear any one level instantly. If you wish to use it later in the game, you must clear [the earlier level destroyed with the eagle] using the standard selection of birds."

If you're really into the narrative structure, check out Rovio's Mighty Eagle video.
Angry Birds is available on Nokia N900 devices, which use the Linux-based Maemo 5 OS. The game is also found on Apple iOS products and WebOS devices and is in beta testing for Android devices. It will be available later this year for phones with the Symbian operating system, Hed said.

Apple Game Center Snubs iPhone 3G, First iPod Touch

Apple's Game Center, a new social-gaming platform for the iPhone and iPod Touch, will rely upon the masses to be successful.

But some of Apple's longest iOS users apparently won't be invited to join the fun.

Game Center is due to arrive with Apple's iOS 4.1, which may be released as early as Wednesday. Apple already has a Game Center page up, though, and it lists all of the iOS 4.1 devices compatible with Game Center. That list includes the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS, and the last three generations of the iPod Touch. However, the iPhone 3G and all first-generation iPhones and iPod Touch devices apparently will not work with Game Center.

So far, Apple has not offered an explanation for leaving the iPhone 3G out of Game Center. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Game Center will be available only on devices running iOS 4.1. The service allows gamers to play titles with others, track achievements, and discover games that friends are playing.

Microsoft Unveils New Xbox 360 Controller

Microsoft plans to release a new Xbox 360 controller in November that features a transforming D-pad, the company announced Tuesday.

The first difference users will find with the new wireless controller is its design. Instead of a white finish with multicolored buttons, the new controller sports a gray and black finish. All the buttons are now different tones of gray.

But it's the new D-pad that will likely attract some users.

According to "Major Nelson," Microsoft's director of programming for Xbox Live who first unveiled the new controller in a blog post and video, users "are not big fans of the D-pad" on the Xbox 360 controller. To address the issue, Microsoft will now let Xbox 360 owners twist the D-pad's disc to make it more appealing to gamers. At one position, the D-pad will be nearly flush with the disc behind it. After twisting it, the D-pad is raised much higher, making it more usable for gamers.

Aside from that, the Xbox 360 wireless controller performs and works exactly the same way; the update is designed solely to give users a better D-pad.

The new Xbox 360 wireless controller will be available on November 9. It will only be offered in a bundle with Microsoft's Play and Charge kit and will retail for $64.99.


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EA Stands By Medal Of Honor Taliban Feature

Electronic Arts isn't wavering in its support of game developer DICE's decision to let gamers play as Taliban members in the upcoming Medal of Honor.

"At EA we passionately believe games are an artform, and I don't know why films and books set in Afghanistan don't get flack, yet [games] do," EA Games President Frank Gibeau told game developer publication Develop Online this week. "Whether it's 'Red Badge of Courage' or 'The Hurt Locker,' the media of its time can be a platform for the people who wish to tell their stories. Games are becoming that platform."

Gibeau acknowledged that allowing gamers to play as a Taliban solider is a "creative risk," but he won't allow media outcry to "compromise our creative vision and what we want to do."

That outcry has been gaining steam as of late. Earlier this week, U.K. Defense Secretary Liam Fox took aim at the new Medal of Honor title in an interview with the U.K.'s Sunday Times. He said that retailers should "show their support for the armed forces" and not sell the title. He went on to say that "it's shocking that someone would think it acceptable to recreate the acts of the Taliban."

EA, which is publishing Medal of Honor, isn't breaking new ground with its desire to push the envelope of war gameplay. Last year, Konami found itself embroiled in a similar debate over Six Days in Fallujah. The company opted against publishing the game after critics took issue with the title being based on such a recent event--the infamous 2004 battle in Iraq. Critics have the same issue with Medal of Honor.

But to some extent, EA believes those critics should understand the franchise they're taking aim at. As Gibeau pointed out in his interview with Develop Online, the Medal of Honor franchise has always been set in war zones.

"That's always been a Medal of Honor concept--we put you in the boots of a solider, whether it's in the Pacific, Europe, Afghanistan; it's always been the story of the solider," he told Develop Online.

Medal of Honor is scheduled to launch on October 12 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Microsoft Details Windows Phone Game Plan

Microsoft announced late Monday the first wave of Xbox Live games that will be made available for Windows Phone 7 when the first smartphones running the new operating system hit the market later this year.

Although games are just one part of Microsoft's app strategy when it comes to Windows Phone, Redmond is counting on games--and Xbox Live tie-in in particular, to be a key selling point for Windows Phone. The Windows Phone 7 devices will be the first products outside of a PC or the Xbox itself to connect to Xbox Live. Gamers will be able to see their Gamerscore, earn achievements, and play games that tie into the Xbox Live online service.

"We believe that no matter where life takes you, the best in gaming and entertainment should follow," Microsoft Xbox Live corporate VP Marc Whitten said in a statement. "Windows Phone 7 takes a different approach to handheld gaming, utilizing Xbox Live, Microsoft Game Studios, leading game publishers, and innovative indie developers, to create powerful, shared experiences for everyone."

To gear up for the phone, Microsoft has started staffing up for a mobile game studio. Microsoft said that among the titles that it will be releasing are companion games that tie into Halo: Waypoint and Crackdown 2.

"Windows Phone 7 is the launch of a major gaming platform for Microsoft," said Matt Booty, general manager of mobile gaming for Microsoft Game Studios (MGS). "Just like we've done with Xbox 360, our charter is to push the envelope and deliver definitive games that maximize the platform. We will have an incredible lineup of MGS titles, and that's just the beginning."

We're planning to get a chance to see some of the games in action on Tuesday. In the mean time, Engadget appears to have gotten an earlier look.

Here is the list of Xbox Live titles coming to Windows Phone 7, with their publishers in parenthesis.

3D Brick Breaker Revolution (Digital Chocolate)
Age of Zombies (Halfbrick)
Armor Valley (Protege Games)
Asphalt 5 (Gameloft)
Assassins Creed (Gameloft)
Bejeweled Live (PopCap)
Bloons TD (Digital Goldfish)
Brain Challenge (Gameloft)
Bubble Town 2 (i-Play)
Butterfly (PressStart Studio)
CarneyVale Showtime (MGS)
Castlevania (Konami Digital Entertainment)
Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst (MGS)
De Blob Revolution (THQ)
Deal or No Deal 2010" (i-Play)
Earthworm Jim (Gameloft)
Fast & Furious 7 (i-Play)
Fight Game Rivals (Rough Cookie)
Finger Physics (Mobliss Inc.)
Flight Control (Namco Bandai)
Flowerz (Carbonated Games)
Frogger (Konami Digital Entertainment)
Fruit Ninja (Halfbrick)
Game Chest-Board (MGS)
Game Chest-Card (MGS)
Game Chest-Logic (MGS)
Game Chest-Solitaire (MGS)
GeoDefense (Critical Thought)
Ghostscape (Psionic)
Glow Artisan (Powerhead Games)
Glyder 2 (Glu Mobile)
Guitar Hero 5 (Glu Mobile)
Halo Waypoint (MGS)
Hexic Rush (Carbonated Games)
I Dig It (InMotion)
iBlast Moki (Godzilab)
ilomilo (MGS)
Implode XL (IUGO)
Iquarium (Infinite Dreams)
Jet Car Stunts (True Axis)
Let's Golf 2 (Gameloft)
Little Wheel (One click dog)
Loondon (Flip N Tale)
Max and the Magic Marker (PressPlay)
Mini Squadron (Supermono Limited)
More Brain Exercise (Namco Bandai)
O.M.G. (Arkedo)
Puzzle Quest 2 (Namco Bandai)
Real Soccer 2 (Gameloft)
The Revenants (Chaotic Moon)
Rise of Glory (Revo Solutions)
Rocket Riot (Codeglue)
Splinter Cell Conviction (Gameloft)
Star Wars: Battle for Hoth (THQ)
Star Wars: Cantina (THQ)
The Harvest (MGS)
The Oregon Trail (Gameloft)
Tower Bloxx NY (Digital Chocolate)
Twin Blades (Press Start Studio)
UNO (Gameloft)
Women's Murder Club: Death in Scarlet (i-Play)
Zombie Attack! (IUGO
Zombies!!!! (Babaroga)

Shippin' Out August 8-14: Madden NFL 11

The 2010 NFL season debuts early next month in New Orleans, but EA Sports tackles the living room this week with the latest edition of its flagship Madden series. The football title is easily the most prominent of the week, but it shares the stage with the next entry in Microsoft's Summer of Arcade promotion and a Scott Pilgrim vs. The World tie-in.


Snow in August? It's in the game.
Spearheading the retail week is Madden NFL 11 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and Nintendo Wii. The title arrives Tuesday, August 10, and packs in a number of changes from its 2010 counterpart. EA has told gamers to expect better animations, new team-specific chants, and Gus Johnson play-by-play in the 2011 version.

Also arriving this week is Uber Entertainment's Xbox Live-exclusive Monday Night Combat. The third-person, class-based shooter blends fast-paced combat with the presentation style of a television program. The title is the fourth in Microsoft's five-game Summer of Arcade promotion, which culminates next week with Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light.

The epic of epic epicness, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World starring Michael Cera, hits theaters August 13, and a video game tie-in is coming too. The game of the same name is due out August 10 on PSN and is a four-player offline brawler that takes the premise of the original comics and combines it with side-scrolling action and 8-bit-inspired pixel art by renowned pixel artist Paul Robertson.

For further details on the week's games, visit GameSpot's New Releases page. The full list of downloadable games on the PlayStation Store, Xbox Live Marketplace, and the Wii Shop Channel will be revealed later this week. Release dates are based on retailer listings and are subject to change.

GameStop: Game Discs Are Here To Stay

Downloadable content might be all the rage in the gaming business right now, but GameStop expects game discs will still win out, at least for the foreseeable future.

Shawn Freeman, GameStop's digital-business manager, told IGN that his company believes "a ton of advancement" is on its way for the gaming business, thanks to motion gaming and 3D technology. And as those advancements arrive, physical media will still play a big role.

"We still see a lot of growth on that side and will require, I still think, physical delivery for quite a while as that technology continues to outstrip advances in bandwidth and storage," Freeman said.

But that doesn't mean that downloadable and streaming content aren't coming. Services like Valve's Steam continue to gain ground in the space. In fact, Steam currently has more than 1,100 titles available to play. And with the advent of streaming services like OnLive or Gaikai, it's quickly becoming clear that the market is shifting away from the DVD or the Blu-ray disc and toward streaming and downloadable games. Exactly when the official changeover will occur is anyone's guess. But it seems more likely than ever.

Further reading: Understanding next-gen streaming game services

Netflix CEO Talks PS3 Streaming, Hulu Plus

Netflix is working on a streaming service for Sony's PlayStation 3, similar to that of the Xbox 360, that won't require a disc, CEO Reed Hastings said in a statement (PDF) to investors Wednesday.

According to Hastings, Netflix will "be launching a major new version of our Sony PS3 user interface which doesn't require a disc, and is dynamically updated continuously with the latest Netflix UI improvements." Hastings didn't provide many details on the service, which will launch at some point before the company's next earnings call in October, but it sounds like it will work similarly to Netflix on the Xbox 360. Rather than insert a disc, users need only to go to the Netflix service, sift through content, and play a movie or television show.

Hastings made no mention of the Nintendo Wii, which also requires a disc for users to be able to stream content. His remarks accompanied Netflix's quarterly earnings results Wednesday.

But Hastings didn't just stop at the PlayStation 3. The Netflix CEO said that by the end of the year, the company should have Netflix's instant-streaming service running "on over 100 million devices in consumers' homes."

Hastings then turned his attention to Hulu Plus. The service allows users to watch as many television shows as they want on various devices, including the iPad and iPhone, for $9.99 per month. Hastings acknowledged that Hulu Plus competes with Netflix's instant-streaming offering, but for now he's not worried. He said that "once Hulu Plus has a few hundred thousand subscribers," the company will determine what consumers like about the service. Based on that understanding, Netflix will incorporate the Hulu Plus features that consumers like into its own offering, Hastings said.

The company also said that it's now focusing much of its efforts on adding television shows to its streaming service. Over the past few months, Hastings said, Netflix has added "thousands of TV episodes from new deals with Fox, MTV Networks, and Warner Television." He said that the service now has every season from "24," "Lie to Me," and several others shows. Every season of "The Family Guy" will also be available to stream on Netflix "in a few weeks," Hastings said.

Kinect Playable at Macy's Months Before Launch

If you just can't wait to see how Microsoft Kinect works, be sure to run down to select Macy's stores nationwide over the next few months to try it out.

According to the retail company, it will be giving customers the chance to "test drive" its motion-gaming platform at 13 retail outlets around the U.S. on Thursdays through Sundays from now through September 30. The hours of operation are noon to 8 p.m. local time Thursday through Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. local time on Sunday.

Unfortunately, the Kinect won't be available in every Macy's location. According to the company, it will mostly be available in major cities, including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Miami. Smaller cities, like McLean, Va., and Bellevue, Wash., are also included in the list.

According to a Microsoft representatives, customers will be able to play Kinect Adventures, Kinectimals, Kinect Joy Ride, and Kinect Sports in-store.

Microsoft Kinect could be a major revenue generator for Microsoft. Sandeep Aggarwal, an analyst at Carris, recently predicted that Kinect could generate $1 billion in revenue for Microsoft during its first year of availability. It would seem that Kinect's placement in Macy's stores could help the company generate the sales to reach that figure.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops Pre-Orders Reportedly Outpacing Modern Warfare 2

Treyarch's traditionally been perceived as the "B" development team for the Call of Duty franchise, but impressive showings for Call of Duty: Black Ops have suggested their latest could be a coming out party of sorts for the studio, a culmination of their work on the series. Besides industry buzz, it seems to be translating to potential sales, as GameSpot reports a Pacific Crest Securities analyst is currently estimating that Black Ops pre-orders are outpacing those for Modern Warfare 2.

Pacific Crest Securities analyst Evan Wilson made the claim in a report released to various outlets. Wilson increased his sales estimate for Black Ops' holiday sales from 10 million to 12 million.

In the past, the Treyarch-developed Call of Duty games have performed extremely well but failed to achieve a similar blockbuster status to the Infinity Ward-produced installments. Growing evidence suggests that could change with Black Ops, scheduled for a release on November 9.

Jordan NBA 2K11 Cover Revealed

2K Sports has revealed the cover of NBA 2K11 featuring long-time Chicago Bull Michael Jordan. Is this the greatest sports cover of all time? 2K seems to think so:

We knew as soon as we signed Jordan that we needed to do something special for the cover," said Jason Argent, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports. "This could possibly be the most highly anticipated cover art in the history of sports games and we think the image we came up with delivers on every front.

2K already told us what to expect from MJ in the new game. NBA 2K11 will be out on October 5, 2010.

Like? Dislike?

New Xbox 360 protects itself from overheating

The RRoD might be gone, thanks to overheating monitoring.
(Credit: Microsoft, Jeff Bakalar/CNET)

Microsoft's new, slim Xbox 360 not only ditches the Red Ring of Death, the console monitors itself to determine if it's starting to overheat.
According to an Engadget post, which posted pictures of a "red dot of death" on its site, the new Xbox 360 constantly evaluates itself for overheating issues. If the console doesn't get as much ventilation as it needs to operate properly, a red light is displayed in the middle of the power ring, and the console shuts down by itself. Upon doing so, a message is displayed on the users' television, alerting them to the overheating issue.

"The Xbox 360 is shutting down to protect the console from insufficient ventilation," an alleged screenshot of an overheating Xbox 360 error message says. "You can turn the console back on after the power light stops flashing."

Microsoft confirmed the existence of the monitoring function in an e-mail. The Microsoft representative said "the new console has safety mechanisms in place to shut down, if needed, including an advanced warning that the console will shut down."
Although the warning isn't something that Xbox 360 owners want to see, it's nice to know that Microsoft is doing more to protect its console. Previous versions of the Xbox 360 were rife with troubles that caused the infamous Red Ring of Death. Upon getting it, Xbox 360 owners were forced to send their consoles back to Microsoft for fixing.

I've experienced the so-called RRoD once. CNET writer Jeff Bakalar reported last week that he has sent back a whopping five Xbox 360 units due to the RRoD.
There's no telling whether the new Xbox 360 model will be more robust than the previous model, but protecting against "insufficient ventilation" is certainly a good first step.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Resurgence Pack Now Available on Xbox Live

Well, we told you about it last month and the day has arrived. The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Resurgence Pack is now available on the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network. Today's launch of the second map pack from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 adds five additional multiplayer levels, including three new locations along with two updated classic locations from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

The new map pack is published by Activision, and available for download on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360 video game system for 1,200 Microsoft Points. To celebrate its release, Infinity Ward will host a Double XP weekend for Xbox LIVE gamers beginning June 4.

For more information, visit. www.ModernWarfare2.com

Say good-bye to Linux on the PS3

Those who own an older PS3 version and currently run Linux on the console will want to listen up: a new firmware update coming down later this week will kill that installation.

According to Sony, it plans to release PlayStation 3 firmware version 3.21 on Thursday to achieve one goal: eliminate the "Other OS" option currently available in all pre-Slim models of the video game console. The feature allowed PS3 owners to install an operating system--in almost every case, Linux--onto the PlayStation 3.

Sony said that its decision to remove the Other OS option is based on security concerns. The company contends that after installing the update, users will have "a more secure system." Those who currently use the Other OS option and have an operating system running on the PS3 will loss all data (and, obviously, the OS installation) after installing the update.

Although Sony wants PS3 owners to download the software, it said that users won't be forced to do so. That said, if users don't install the firmware, they will lose access to the PlayStation Network and playback of games and Blu-ray movies that require the new software. The console will also stop playing copy-protected content from media servers.

Sony's decision to remove the Other OS option from the PS3 isn't all that surprising. When it started shipping last year, the PlayStation 3 Slim didn't have the Other OS option included in its software. It seems that Sony is simply catching up on old PS3 models.

Many of the folks who ran Linux on the PlayStation were quite happy with the PS3's performance, so it's rather unfortunate to see the PS3's Other OS option go.

Users running Linux on the PS3 will want to backup their data before installing the firmware update Thursday.

 

Source:http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-10471356-17.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0

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