3-D gaming doesn't seem fit for today's audience, video gaming seems to turn out to be more than a couch and a controller and who will win the console wars this year Xbox 360 or PS3?
To 3-D or Not 3-D that is the Question?
From "Mario Kart" to "Mortal Kombat," last week's Electronic Entertainment Expo made one thing abundantly clear: 3-D gaming is just around the corner. But despite what the game console makers Nintendo and Sony might suggest, gamers may not be ready for another dimension to invade their lives.
Thanks to the well-timed arrival of 3-D-ready TV sets and video game systems, though, players may soon have no choice but to welcome the "in-your-face" medium. Heroes and adventures will be designed to pop from your television screen. There will be no escaping it.
Nintendo's handheld 3DS system, for example, will showcase 3-D graphics on a small screen without requiring users to wear clunky 3-D glasses.
The dual-screened handheld makes the strongest case for the concept yet, thanks to its convenient, affordable (at least, compared to current living room setups) and simple, no-glasses approach to three-dimensional play.
It's impressive that the Nintendo 3DS is able to offer genuine 3-D special effects on a 3.5-inch display, which isn't bigger than many smartphones.
Meanwhile, the handheld system, which does not have a scheduled release date or listed price, does have a compelling list of game titles, including "Animal Crossing," "Paper Mario," "Contra" and "Final Fantasy." Familiar Nintendo staples will also reappear on the new system. They include "Kid Icarus: Uprising" and "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3-D."
Enhanced versions of popular franchises like "DJ Hero 3-D" and "Nintendogs" are also in the works.The three-dimensional games are restricted to Nintendo's handheld device, however. Sony's PlayStation 3 is the first set-top box to receive a software update that allows 3-D games. And graphics on the system burst from the TV screen like pop-up-book cutouts.
The first PlayStation 3 games in 3-D were released on June 10. They include the crash test dummy simulator "PAIN," a futuristic racing game called "WipEout HD" and a modern-day "Asteroids" clone named "Super Stardust HD." A demo of arcade speedster "MotorStorm: Pacific Rift" is offered as well.
Future 3-D titles such as sci-fi shooter "Killzone 3," "Crysis 2" and driving simulator "Gran Turismo 5" are also planned.
One drawback: All of these PlayStation games require you to have 3-D TV and a set of those stereoscopic, 3-D glasses in order to enjoy the third dimension.
3-D graphics will be coming to two other major gaming systems -- the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft's Xbox 360 -- via two games: "Batman: Arkham Asylum" and "Attack of the Movies 3-D." Both of those systems require users to wear low-tech, red-and-blue 3-D glasses, which break from the industry standard. You won't see 3-D images like those in movie theaters today on the Wii or Xbox yet.
Finally, gamers can also turn to their personal computers for 3-D action.
Graphics maker NVIDIA already offers a solution for playing over 400 games such as "Battlefield: Bad Company 2" and "Resident Evil 5" in 3-D on your PC through its 3-D Vision platform. To do so, you have to own a 3-D video card, monitor and active-shutter glasses.
All of these hurdles -- combined with the price burden of getting all of this new equipment -- means 3-D games will have only a small audience for now.
Plus, no one is really clamoring for these upgrades. There isn't an outcry among gamers that two-dimensional games are broken, for example. Console makers still have some work to do before the masses will make the switch to three-dimensional gaming.
Videogame Upgrades in Motion
Electronic Arts Inc. and Ubisoft Entertainment SA sought to entice consumers to open up their wallets again by introducing titles that feature 3-D and motion technology.
Ubisoft's "Your Shape Fitness Evolved" game, for example, lets people play workout games with a virtual personal trainer using Microsoft Corp.'s Kinect unit, which captures movement, while EA's "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11" lets players swing Sony Corp.'s Move motion controller like a golf club. The games are slated to start appearing on store shelves
in the fall.
XBOX 360 VS PS3 PRICE WAR!
Microsoft recently showed their cards in the console market battle when they announced a smaller, and quieter version of the Xbox that was released at the E3 video gaming conference. Both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 have been in a price war since they were released, attempting to garner more market share. Both devices offer a similar gaming experience, with the differences in the consoles mostly affecting the type of gamers that they attract.
This fall, Microsoft will also be releasing a $199 budget-class model of their improved 360 design to accompany their feature-loaded $300 version of the console. The feature-loaded slim version of the PS3 will cost consumers $350, while the comparable version of the Xbox 360 will be available for $300, according to the prices that have been posted on the Best Buy website.
Both versions will allow users to get a 250 GB of hard drive space. The PS3 will permit players to upgrade to a 500 GB SATA hard drive for an additional amount that is somewhere between $70 and $90, while Microsoft will be offering no hard drive upgrades for their recently announced Xbox 360 updated console.
Both consoles will offer built in wireless internet. Previously, Microsoft required that users by an additional accessory to access Wi-Fi networks for online play. This was one of the biggest complaints of many Xbox 360 users.
While the two systems are comparable in the features that they offer, the PlayStation 3 does seem to nudge the Xbox 360 in a variety of areas including video transfer speed, upgradable options and free online multiplayer, but costs an additional $50.
Other News:
1.)The LA Times reports that the Gears of War movie has lost it’s director, been scaled back in terms of plot (with rewrites needed) and had it’s budget cut. Certainly not a good sign! Why can’t Hollywood understand that if they made a game movie well it’d blow up the box office? (LA Times)
2.)Sakaguchi has defended Mistwalker’s latest RPG The Last Story by stating that it isn’t a Final Fantasy Rehash. I’m not sure it’s a bad thing to be compared to Final Fantasy either way. (andriasang)
3.)Hori is releasing an 11.6 inch, 1366×768 resolution HD screen that connects onto the PS3 Slim. These sort of screens have been released for consoles at least since the PSOne. I don’t travel enough for this to make sense for me, but if I did, it would certainly be a cool option. (CNET)
4.)War for Cybertron will be released for Wii after all. The Wii version of the Transformers game will be called Transformers: Cybertron Adventures. No idea of what differences the Wii version will have. (Destructoid)
5.)Game trademark news ahoy! EA has trademarked Pirates Ahoy, SCEA has trademarked Until Dawn, Konami TMed something called Adrenaline Misfits. I don’t know what any of those titles are, but I do know this one: NCSoft trademarked City of Heroes 2. (superannuation)
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
I don't know how these companies expect their customers to pay for all these upgrades. But, I guess there are always people who would pay for the real thing.
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Nice site, very informative.