Gary's Blog

Just a place to find out what's on my mind, or what's occupying my time whilst I avoid actual "work."

 

VGN for June 10th, 2005

Videogame news:

Hollywood banks on games.  Please, Hollywood, save us from all this money.
Thu Jun 9, 7:36 AM ET
 
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hollywood actors unions have reached a contract deal with video game publishers, accepting higher pay instead of the profit-sharing they had demanded, the unions said Wednesday, removing the threat of a strike.

 
The three-and-a-half-year agreements with game companies came as the     Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) were preparing to announce the results of a strike vote.

Unions had sought to win profit-sharing, known as residual payments, from game publishers.

Under the new agreements, union performers will get a 36 percent increase in minimum pay over the term, increases in benefit contributions and greater protection. The agreements are subject to final approval by the unions.

HDD for PS3 to be an add on.

Ken Kutaragi reveals the console's hard drive will use alternate OS, hints that it will ship separately and will come in more than one model.
Since E3, Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi has been calling the PlayStation 3 an "entertainment supercomputer" rather than a gaming console. Now, he's revealed a new plan to make sure that it's acknowledged as one.

In an interview with Impress PC Watch, Kutaragi disclosed that he plans to install the Linux operating system on the PS3's hard disc drive (HDD) so it will be recognized as a computer, rather than a mere console.

But while Linux would require a hard drive to run on, Kutaragi told Impress PC Watch, "We're not going to equip [the PS3 with] a HDD by default, because no matter how much [capacity] we put in it, it won't be enough." It was unclear whether he was referring to the previously known fact that the PS3 would not have an internal hard drive or whether he was indicating that the device would not come with the external 2.5-inch detachable HDD outlined in the specs revealed at E3.

Holy Million Dollars!

$1 million up for grabs for Xbox Live users playing Majesco's sci-fi shooter.
As reported in April, Majesco will be holding a contest for its Xbox version of Advent Rising. The grand prize? $1 million. Gamers interested in grabbing some of the contest's several prizes who haven't picked up a specially marked copy of Advent Rising had better do so soon, because the contest begins tomorrow at 5:00pm PDT.

Majesco will be hiding several 'A's in the game--one per week for six weeks--in fact. Keen-eyed gamers who spot the 'A' will be rewarded with various prizes, including cash, Xbox Live subscription cards, and SoBe-tagged items. The first eligible gamer to discover the hidden 'A' will receive the cash prizes.

Iwata to Fans:  Please to be paying now?

Talking strategy, the Nintendo president confirms his company will charge for next-gen console access to its back catalog; announces the company will build 1,000 DS hot spots in Japan.
In a business strategy conference held today by Nintendo, president Satoru Iwata outlined a number of company plans for the current business year and beyond.

Iwata repeated the theme that Nintendo's next-generation console, "will provide different kinds of uses that will be of interests to each members of the family." But he didn't elaborate, only making a general remark that by "expanding the definition of games, games should become a subject of interest to everyone." For example, Iwata said the Revolution's capability to download and play back classic Nintendo titles will be of interest to parents, letting them enjoy the console as much as their kids.

Iwata also talked a bit more about the Revolution's capability to download and play games from Nintendo's previous consoles, called the Virtual Console system. First off, he shot down speculation that all first-party Nintendo games will be downloadable for free. "There's rumors floating on the Internet that the Virtual Console will be available for play for free, but we have no plans to distribute [the games] without charge."

Capcom understands my rage...

Capcom retaliates to GTA3's age restriction in a Japanese region, citing that the movement can cause issues in freedom of expression in future games.
TOKYO--Last week, the local government of Kanagawa prefecture, a region located immediately south of Tokyo, announced that it will ban the sales of Grand Theft Auto III to minors as of June 7. Saitama, another region neighboring Tokyo, also announced that it is considering the age restriction on the gratuitously violent game as well.

The possibility that the ban may spread into neighboring regions has caught the eye of the game's Japanese publisher, Capcom. (Rockstar, which publishes the game in other regions, has seen similar threats.) With other games noted for violence and gore, such as the Resident Evil series or the upcoming Xbox 360 game Dead Rising, Capcom fears that such restrictions could affect future releases. In a public statement saying that the age ban was inappropriately implemented, the company has announced that it is considering taking legal action.

"Japan's Videogame industry is a world-class business, which foundations are supported by the freedom of expression and intellectual property protection laws. Like our country itself has been practicing, it is essential that we continue to make efforts to sustain these two factors that are essential for growth of the game industry," said Capcom in a public statement.

 

What I've been playing:

Morrowind GoTY for Xbox--Thanks Cybertron!!

Anime news:

Miyazaki's "Howl's Moving Castle" at Loews Cineplex in Universal Citywalk starting Thursday night!

MetroCon!!  It's almost here already! 

posted by: Gary1059 at 07:15 | link | comments |