Kotaku are reporting that the Nintendo Wii U may actually be pretty powerful, more so than the Xbox 360 and PS3. And this is coming from developers who are working on new games for the console. This may therefore be much more reliable than the usual random sources. Check out the article to read more.
MB
Asked about Kinect support in Microsoft titles, Gamespot report that , Game Studios boss Phil Spencer remarked:
“There are some things that just seem to make navigating and playing games much easier…in the end, you’ll see all first-party games using some form of Kinect functionality.
“Whether it’s voice in Forza or head-tracking in Forza, which you wouldn’t say is somehow turning the Forza gameplay experience on it’s head,” he continued. “Rather, it’s just using the advantages of what Kinect brings to make the experience better. So I think there’s some specific examples where Kinect makes everything better.”
Lets us know your thoughts in the comments.
MB
This weeks E3 was a glorious event celebrating what is now a very established, powerful and in our opinion joy giving industry. But some have noted that Sony seemed to stand in the shadow of Microsoft and Nintendo.
For the Microsoft Xbox 360, it quickly became the year Kinect appears to be coming of age and in to it’s own with now support spilling in to mainstream gaming title such as Mass Effect 3 and a Star Wars branded game. And they were not the only ones. Indeed, the Fall due upgraded dashboard with voice recognition, Live TV and greater Kinect interactivity alone was a major message behind what Microsoft see as the future of gaming.
Nintendo came out with that controller! The Wii U and it’s controller signals intent by Nintendo alongside being embraced by mainstream game titles alike to bring Nintendo in to the Living Room Hub game with features like video calls, touch screen drawing and a console which does not have to dominate the TV!
Sony indeed did bring out the new PS Vita which marked their next move forward in to portable gaming. But that is a market that is becoming increasingly competitive with even Apple getting in on the act through the impressively growing array of gaming titles for iOS devices and indeed reports today that AppleTV and an iOS device such as an iPad may start to even compete directly with the Wii U concept. Android and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play are further diversifying the portable gaming market and creating some huge choices for the consumer. And the Nintendo 3DS!
Now a year in the games industry is not a great deal of time and next year it would not surprise any of us if Sony hit us all with a Playstation 4. But where will the PS4 fit with Kinect taking control of the no controller needed environment and Wii U bringing the interactive gaming experience with a motion control and multi view gaming to a new level (check out the golf shot from the Wii U promo video). Sony are capable of bringing something special that we can not think of but Xbox is catching up Sony for content on the Entertainment front outside of gaming (video playback, music hub, TV, social networking etc). They may feel (as hinted by the Playstation 3D gaming TV set they announced – which is pretty neat) that the future of gaming console wars is to be fought over the 3D market but I am not convinced this is going to universally catch on with movies and TV nevermind gaming. There is still resistance to having to wear a 3D pair of glasses to get the best experience. Sony still has the edge on Blu-Ray but is this a move to protect their investment in the format? Downloads and content streaming are increasingly where the market is moving.
And while Sony are looking at the PS4, Microsoft will surely already be looking ahead too. Where this will all take us, we will have to wait and see, but it is hard to see where the PS will catch up and indeed overtake the Xbox.
Next years E3 will certainly be very interesting!
MB
Microsoft had some meaty stuff in their E3 conference yesterday. And last but not least they made the mega announcement showing a Teaser for Halo 4, so here for your pleasure…..
MB
In case you missed all the detail yesterday from the Microsoft E3 announcement, check out the trailer above.
Bioware outed the project officially yesterday with confirmation that the game will pack voice controls and Kinect support. Awesome! They are touting it as the best in the series and a new edge to gaming so it should be something to look forward to in an ever improving franchise.
Will you be buying it and will all the Kinect activity announced yesterday tempt you to finally take the plunge with a brand new Kinect? 😉
MB
Microsoft has delivered one heck of a press conference at E3 today (check out our summary as it happened Post).
Just to add some clarity, XBL will be substantially tweaked this Fall with the addtion of Live TV, Bing Search, You Tube, enhanced Kinect features and a fresh new dashboard. And if that was not enough, then add to this voice activation for these additional features to replace your controller and the Xbox is truly becoming the console of the living room and with Kinect (for which there were a multitude of new games coming out), perhaps even the end of the significance of the handheld controller.
So think about asking your console to switch TV channels or your Avatar to run a different path, or Bling to search a phrase, place or term and to all of this voice recognition to be added to the gaming experience provided as well.
Xbox looks like it is taking a major step forward, as is Kinect and we wonder if Playstations move for handheld motion control way leave then rueing the enhancements Kinect, Voice Control and the new Xbox Live experience will pave.
Let us know your thoughts.
MB
So amongst the huge amounts of stuff going on at E3 and particularly the Xbox Press Conference today, we spotted the updated frnachise for Need for Speed. And this time we think it looks pretty damn cool!
In a cross-country race from San Francisco to New York you race and fight off an army of other drivers and racers and the ammo to boot. Additionally, the interface brings the best career tracking to date. Comparing times through connecting with your friends and competing to a new level.
Check out the fresh trailor below available from You Tube.
In a no holds barred cross-country race from San Francisco to New York, you’ll fight an army of racers and a hailstorm of bullets both inside and outside of the car.
MB
Uncovered these pretty cool snaps of a concept for the Playstation 4 which you may like if you have not already seen them.
The anniversaries of the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360 are coming up again and they are now getting pretty old in gaming standards despite the ultra successful face lifts of the PS3 Slim and the slicker newer version of the Xbox 360 with upped spec including built in Wi-Fi. But as Nintendo are now moving forwards with the Wii 2 (Project Cafe) to be unveiled next month, are we soon going to see a new Sony PS4 and Microsoft Xbox.
Well these concept pictures for a PS4 will wet your appetite as we wait to see.
Let me know what you think in the comments section below.
MB
Bad News
Microsoft has confirmed that the imminent firmware upgrade to Xbox 360 consoles may not work on a small number of older Xbox 360 consoles.
Good News
They know who you are and will reach out to you to replace your console….new slim Xbox 360 then!
MB
There are varying views about the Wii at the moment. Sales have declined against Xbox 360 and Playstation but and many people now looking at the Wii see an occasional game system or party game system.
I have a lot of time for the Wii, I never fail to enjoy playing games on the Wii but it is lacking in HD and good sound quality.
So Project Cafe was outed a few weeks ago and word is that the new Wii HD will break cover at Junes E3 event.
But with Kinect and Sony Play now firmly set in peoples living rooms and bedrooms, will the Wii HD bring what it needs to compete.
Time will tell and the video (albeit nobody seems sure if it is genuine) that has broken on You Tube this morning brings some interesting thoughts.
But all I would say at this stage is that if you love the Wii, you probably have pedigree behind you and enjoyed the N64 and the SNES behind that. Nintendo don’t do bad game systems and while the Xbox and Playstation are going to b difficult to beat as an all round entertainment experience (ones which are constantly being developed and expanded), the Wii HD will be great for Gaming. And it’s here that the system will need to keep to it’s roots and where likely it will be a massive hit.
MB
Monkey Bill - HAIRY TECH 