Marine Breaks Record for Biggest Lego Collection, Gains Huge Geek Cred

1/27/2012

There's something about finishing off a Lego set that feels quite rewarding--the bigger and trickier the better. You then usually add it to your collection on the window ledge or shelf and admire your collection. However, there's one guy who's collection is so big, not only does it take up most of his house, but also earned him a world record.

Marine Corps' Captain Kyle Ugone from Arizona has 1251 different Lego sets scattered across his home in Yuma. Each set is organized by its theme, ranging from Star Wars sets to the likes of space, castles, and trains--his biggest box set contained over 5000 individual pieces in order to complete. The collection is so cool, it could probably make some Lego theme parks blush.

Kyle received his first set when he was five (a windmill, which he still has now), and is still hooked to the little plastic bricks. He brought in the Guiness Book of Records to check out his collection after being informed that in order to be the first to claim the title, he would need at least 500 official sets. Out of his collection, 1091 make him the current record holder. The remaining few were reporductions or didn't have the original instructions, so they don't count.

There are over 5000 Lego box sets out there, some of which are pretty rare or location-specific, so it will be interesting to see if anyone contends for Kyle's spot at the top. In the meantime, Kyle is slowly regaining control of his house by dismantling some of the sets, and turning his attention to a new project: restoring a classic muscle car.

I reckon one of the many GeekTech readers could potentially have enough sets to steal Kyle's crown. If it's you, drop us an email at our tip line below!

By Elizabeth Fish, PCWorld

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Nintendo: Wii U Will Launch in Time for 2012 Holiday Season, Use Touch-card Tech

Nintendo said Friday its next-generation Wii U game console will launch in time for the holiday season in the U.S., Europe and Japan.

The successor to the popular Wii console will integrate a popular touch-card technology into its controllers. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said the device will use NFC, or near field communication, standards that are widely employed in tap-and-go train passes and other payment systems worldwide.

"It will become possible to create cards and figurines that can electronically read and write data via noncontact NFC," Iwata said in a speech, a copy of which was posted on Nintendo's web site.

"Adoption of this functionality will enable various other possibilities such as using it as a means of making micropayments," he added.

The Nintendo chief said final details about the Wii U will be announced at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, a major annual game exhibition to be held this year in June in Los Angeles.

The Wii U has a large controller that is similar to a dedicated handheld console, with a touchscreen, motion detection and camera. Its small screen can be used to supplement games played on TVs or replace the larger display entirely.

Iwata spoke a day after his company released poor results for the nine-month period through December. It cut its annual sales targets for the 3DS handheld console launched last year, as well as the original Wii, and said it now forecasts a much deeper loss for the fiscal year than earlier predicted.

He said Nintendo has made strong progress with the 3DS, the successor to the smash-hit DS. When the 3DS stumbled after its launch last year, the company responded with large global price cuts less than six months after launch, which eventually spurred sales but weighed heavily on its bottom line. It also announced a fleet of new game titles.

"In the first half of the next fiscal term, we are now anticipating to get out of the situation that we sell the hardware below cost," Iwata said Friday, emphasizing that the company's efforts have paid off and sales have rebounded strongly.

He added that Nintendo is working to expand StreetPass and SpotPass, the peer-to-peer platforms of the device, which let users communicate and compete via their 3DS consoles. The company is also working to expand its fledgling online shop for the device.

Like many Japanese companies, Nintendo's fiscal year runs from April through March.

By Jay Alabaster, IDG News

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First MW3 Premium Call of Duty Elite DLC Now Available To Download On Xbox Live

1/24/2012

Gamers who have signed up to the new Call of Duty Elite premium service, today have their first taste of the new 9-month MW3 Content Season with downloadable content provided to premium players. A pair of new Modern Warfare 3 maps are now available to premium members, unfortunately those of you that didn’t sign-up for the premium content will just have to wait a little longer.

The two new Modern Warfare 3 maps now available on Xbox Live are “Liberation” and “Piazza.”. To retrieve your new DLC simply head over to the multiplayer menu and select “Download Elite Content” from within the in-game store.

To be able to play either map players must first download both maps or you will receive errors, states the Call of Duty Elite website. Watch the video below to see exactly how you can get the maps and receive early updates.

Source:  Call of Duty Elite : Joystiq | geeky-gadgets

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Dating Game On 3DS To Get More Real

1/23/2012

The Nintendo 3DS offers augmented-reality capabilities, which is why a game called “Love Plus” is on the list of many people looking to give the 3DS’ new hardware for a spin.

Love Plus was a hit on the regular DS version as it took the experience of dating (game-wise that is) to a whole new level. The upcoming version, using the 3DS’ augmented reality capability, will only make Love Plus an even more fun game.

Imagine you have a date scheduled at 8pm, you have to turn on your device at exactly that time to get on with your date. There’s no fast-forward scenes here, you sort of get a “date experience” in the sense that you will be with the girl you set up the date with at the exact time you set. If you miss it, then it’s like not showing up for your date, so prepare to suffer the consequences.

Of course there may be ways to get around this, like manipulating the time on your 3DS,  but where’s the fun in that right?

Via: MSNBC

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Top 5 Gaming Accessories from CES 2012

1/14/2012

Gamers have plenty of hot new accessories to choose from.The best of the best new mice and keyboards, headsets and console controllers were on display at CES  2012.

Here's a rundown to help you know what to buy when you shop.

Razer Naga Hex 

 ($80, Available in February) - Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games like Defense of the Ancients and League of Legends are big these days, which means we're going to start seeing peripherals designed for the hardcore fans -- and the Razer Naga Hex is the first one we've seen so far. 

Its design harkens back to the original Razer Naga, an MMORPG mouse that featured a full 12-button keypad where the thumb rests. Instead of a full keypad, the Hex has six larger thumb buttons in a hexagonal shape, which is an ideal layout for MOBA players and is much easier to use than the original Naga. The Hex's easy-to-use button layout and slick design makes you want to give it a try. 

Mad Catz Street Fighter X Tekken FightStick VS 

 

($200, Shipping in July) - Mad Catz announced its first high-end console arcade stick at CES 2008, so it's only fitting that it come back three years later with a new premium stick for the fighting gamer who already has everything. 

The Street Fighter X Tekken FightStick VS is built with a rock-solid metal chassis and arcade-perfect Sanwa Denshi buttons and stick, comes in two designs, and an extra $20 connection kit lets you screw two units together in a side-by-side configuration that mimics the current Vewlix arcade standard dimensions. It also features a modular front panel that owners can unscrew and slide custom images in to personalize their stick further. It could make a nice living room centerpiece. 

SteelSeries Flux Headsets 

 

(Price to be announced, shipping, Q2 2012) - Gaming headsets are all well and good, but even the most dedicated gamers probably won't want to lug their dedicated PC headset around when they travel.

Enter the SteelSeries Flux, a small, readily foldable headset with a detachable mic that works with PCs as well as iOS and Android--perfect for gaming, listening to music, or watching movies on the go. 

Perhaps the coolest feature is the second audio port, which lets you daisy-chain another headset so two people can listen to the same tunes or watch a movie together on a laptop or tablet. You can also swap out the faceplates and mesh pads out for differently-colored models to make it look the way you want it to. 

Hyperkin Supaboy Game Console 

 

($100, available now) - If you're one of the lucky few who was smart enough to keep your old Super Nintendo carts, the Supaboy is for you. 

It's basically a portable SNES designed to accept full-sized Super Nintendo carts, except it also has two SNES controller ports and a TV-out port, so you can go from on-the-go Mario Kart to your home HDTV without even stopping to pause. It's not small -- the whole unit is probably close to an old Sega Game Gear in size and weight -- but for old-school gamers who refuse to play their childhood favorites on an emulator, the
Supaboy is undoubtedly the way to go. 

Roccat Isku Gaming Keyboard and Kone[+] Mouse 

 

($90 and $80, Shipping in February) - German gaming peripheral manufacturer Roccat is relatively new to gamers in the U.S., but their Isku gaming keyboard just might get them in the door this year. 

In addition to the standard range of high-end keyboard features like remappable media keys and robust macro recording, the Isku also lets you activate shared features with the Kone[+] mouse, like the EasyAim feature that temporarily switches you to a lower DPI so you can easily control your zoomed-in shots. My favorite feature, however, is the three buttons below the space bar that let your thumb do more than mash on the space bar to jump. 

By Patrick Miller, PCWorld  

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Xbox 360 in 2012: What About the Games?

1/11/2012

The Xbox is big for Microsoft this year, but it might not be so big for the devoted fans.

Microsoft is reaping the rewards of the Xbox 360 and Kinect's success over the past year, and they're showing it off in a big way at CES 2012. However, very little of the Xbox buzz coming from Microsoft has to do with games. 2012 might very well be the Year of the Xbox 360, but not for many of the gamers that brought it so far.

Xbox 360: Your New Streaming Media Set-Top Box

Streaming media isn't anything new for the Xbox, of course--it was one of the first ways to stream Netflix Instant onto a TV without using a PC. However, Microsoft is doubling down on streaming media this year, aiming for 100 apps by the end of 2012. That's not 100 dinky Android apps, either--each app requires that Microsoft partner with the content provider to make sure that Xbox users are getting the best experience possible.

It hasn't gotten off to a great start. The highly-hyped Microsoft/Ultimate Fighting Championship partnership, for example, started with a whimper when Microsoft promised free UFC streams via the new UFC Xbox Live app for the December 30th Overeem vs. Lesnar fight card, and failed to deliver minutes after the fights had already started. But Microsoft is learning from this experience, and I have no doubt that whatever streaming services they do add over the next year will be every bit as solid as its Netflix streaming currently is.

But what gives the Xbox 360 the edge over, say, the Roku, or a solid Google TV device? Well, for starters, you're more likely to already own the Xbox 360 than another set-top box or Internet-connected Blu-ray player, and the comparatively massive installed base of Xbox 360s undoubtedly makes Microsoft a prime partner for the various streaming media providers out there.

More importantly however, the combination of Bing and Kinect give the Xbox 360 the exact Smart TV experience Samsung and LG are shooting for in their new 2012 TVs. By now, everyone knows that the classic TV remote simply doesn't cut it in an Internet TV world. Why pay $2000 for a high-end Samsung Smart TV when you can get a good media selection and voice/gesture controls with a game console and additional peripheral you probably already have? Considering Microsoft designed the Kinect technology that everyone at CES is trying to imitate, it's hard to bet against them in this one.

So what does this mean for gamers? Well, Microsoft reported a 140% year-over-year increase in streaming media consumption on the Xbox 360 between 2010 and 2011, so there's no doubt that the existing owners are enjoying it. But it certainly doesn't seem like Microsoft is making any efforts to drive the development of Kinect-only titles that speak to their core gaming user base.

Kinect for Windows: Not for Consumers

When Steve Ballmer announced that Microsoft would be selling Kinect for Windows for $250, it caused quite a stir--why charge an extra $100 for what is essentially the same product?

As it turns out, there's a pretty good reason for that--the Kinect for Windows isn't really meant for consumers in the first place. After all, there's not really a whole lot you could use it with in Windows, anyway.

Instead, it's for the companies out there who want to use the Kinect to develop their own applications--for business, medicine, education, and so on--without having to wade through the community-made, open source SDK which doesn't fully support all of the Kinect's functions. The $250 price tag essentially covers the cost of the unit itself, plus more detailed tech support meant for enterprise purposes, and the official Microsoft SDK. Which is great for making the world more like Minority Report, but not so great for making a Kinect game that doesn't involve Sesame Street or dancing.

Don't Expect a New Xbox Any Time Soon

There's no doubt that the existing generation of game consoles are starting to lag behind the PC. Blockbuster titles like Skyrim or Battlefield 3 simply don't look as good or play as well on an Xbox as they can on even a lower-end gaming PC--and when you consider the high-end niche gamer who wants to mod their games, crank up the settings, or even live-stream their sessions via Twitch.TV or other video streaming sites, there's simply no contest.

However, that doesn't stop Skyrim or any other triple-A title from selling like crazy--which means that Microsoft has no incentive to come out with a next-generation console any time soon. And while PC gaming seems to be making a comeback, there's no question that many gamers out there are happy with what their Xbox does.

That's not hard to understand. Research and development on a new console is expensive, and when you're able to extend the viable lifespan of your console by turning it into a media-streaming set-top box with a cool user interface without charging your users extra for the privilege, it seems like a win-win scenario.

The dedicated gamers out there, on the other hand, may notice that their Xbox just gathers dust while they stick to their PC for the latest and greatest--except for when they want to watch Hulu on their HDTV.

By Patrick Miller, PCWorld

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PlayStation 4 at E3 Story is Bogus, Says Sony

 

That out-of-nowhere, weirdly unsourced claim from British biz site MCV last week bluntly stating we'd see Microsoft's next Xbox and Sony's PS4 at E3 this summer? Baloney, says Sony (about the PS4, anyway).

"I don't think we're contemplating talking about anything to do with future console iterations at this point," Sony Computer Entertainment president Andrew House told CVG, noting that Sony is "just entering into this great period for PS3."

Late last week, MCV wrote a story titled "Next Xbox AND PS4 set for biggest ever E3." The rest of the story? Just a few paragraphs claiming the same, without so much as a single "our sources tell us" or "supply chain members reveal." (Hey, the Internet...claim anything!)

Instead, says Sony, keep yours eyes on the PS3: "[One] thing I always point to is that, somewhat in contrast to our major competitors, we have, particularly with PS2, managed the length of the lifecycle and ensured its profitability for our publishing partners for a much longer lifecycle than has been true of the competition," says House. It's true, so long as we stick to set-top consoles (though Sony's only released two to date, so the "always" part's statistically flat).

Sony claims its device longevity has to do with the company's history as an electronics manufacturer and its close partnerships with publishing partners to ensure profitability, though that doesn't really explain the revenue hemorrhaging the company endured for years while it was selilng the PS3 at a serious loss (the company didn't climb out of the red until early 2010, over three years after the system debuted).

So when will we see a PS4? House wouldn't say, but he admitted the future probably has a lot to do with high-definition breakthroughs, and that physical media would probably still play a major role because it offers "the easiest consumer experience." Expect cloud and streaming content to be part of the package, but more for mobile (the Vita and Sony's PlayStation mobile phone platform, in other words) as well as casual content.

Anything's possible when it comes to game companies, but I'd say the chances we'll see the PS4 — behind closed doors or no — at E3 2012 is zero. The same goes for Microsoft's next Xbox. Neither the Xbox 360 nor PS3 are threatened in a generational sense by the Wii U, and both companies have too many triple-A titles in queue to risk stalling sales by teasing next-gen stuff.

By Matt Peckham, PCWorld 

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Skyrim Finally Gets Monopoly Treatment

1/08/2012

Because adapting video games into Monopoly hasn’t lost any steam, last year’s biggest fantasy outing has received much love from deviantArt user ~oddeh. The end result is a 20×20 Monopoly game that is ready for printing. An overwhelming reception has compelled dear ~oddeh to produce accompanying cards and coins. 

According to the desciption, this Skyrimed Monopoly board is printer ready though not a part of official Skyrim merch nor is it Monopoly licensed. Still, it’s a fine piece of work. Bravo! (*gives round of applause.)

~oddeh admits to being inspired by other recent reinventions of the age old family game about cutthroat business. Both Fallout and Mass Effect Monopoly games were featured here at Geeky Gadgets before. And BioShock. All three have been floating around deviantArt for a while now, garnering much acclaim from the game faithful.

So…anyone ever going to put in the work for a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare spin on Monopoly?

Source DeviantArt

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Official Zelda Timeline Revealed: A Link to the Past and the Future and the Other Future

12/27/2011

Popular traditions among Zelda fans: slay moblins, smash pots, collect rupees and ponder the nature of existence. How do the numerous games of the series all fit together? Until recently the prevailing opinion was that they don’t, although it sure has been fun to wonder over the years.

But a 25^th-anniversary commemorative art book called Hyrule Historia was published in Japan only a few days ago, and already its biggest secrets have hookshot all across the Internet: Nintendo has published an official Zelda series chronology. Eiji Aonuma, the producer for every major Zelda game since The Wind Waker, is credited as the book’s supervising editor, so this information is considered canonical. If you don't own a copy of the book, a diagram of the full timeline is available on GlitterBerri, where the timeline was first translated.

Here's the quick version: the genesis of the entire Zelda story—and its rabid fandom, or so it often seems—lies with Ocarina of Time. At the end of that game, Princess Zelda sends Link back in time so that he doesn’t miss out on his childhood, creating two different timelines: one in which the Sacred Realm has successfully been protected and one in which Zelda lives on as an adult but no hero exists. This much we’ve seen before, but Aonuma outlines a third timeline in which Link failed to defeat Ganon in Ocarina of Time.

=This Zelda timeline is the real deal. It's also really convoluted.

Look, I’m a nerd; I get it. It’s fun to study and work out complex mythologies. But to be honest, all of this just strikes me as Nintendo trying too hard to fit a series of square games into a big round hole. I’m not a fan of alternate timelines unless they feed back together into a central narrative, significantly enhance each other through their differences, or serve as temporary diversions to make the game more interesting. Splitting a story into multiple paths with no intention of allowing them to interact with one another just dilutes the narrative. What’s worse is that this is obviously a massive retcon job; surely no one believes that any of this was intended back when Ocarina was being developed, especially since one of these divergent timelines depends upon Link being defeated in that game.

It used to be pretty easy to just accept the various Zelda stories as independent retellings of the same basic myth (with the odd dream sequence on the side), and I believe more divergent images like Wind Waker’s submerged Hyrule castle have made those interpretations more interesting. It seems as though Nintendo is relying upon Ocarina of Time to provide a timeline split so that stories and settings which clearly do not fit together can all be treated as canon; it’s a contrived and unnecessary attempt to bolster the narrative of an already-beloved franchise. When the games are forced to glom onto one another, their individual values are diminished because they are less able to stand on their own.

Is this timeline official? Yes. Is it comprehensible? Sure. But, if you ask me, we’re better off just forgetting this nonsense. Now, you’ll have to excuse me; I’m off to play Skyward Sword.

By Skye Nathaniel Schiefer, PCWorld

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Sony Releases PlayStation Vita Bug Fix Before U.S. Launch

Sony has released a software update for the PlayStation Vita to fix bugs with the device ahead of its U.S. launch in February. The PlayStation Vita 1.51 firmware comes just over a week after the device was introduced in Japan and fixes an issue that affects progress in NEXT Dynasty Warriors, one of the 26 games available at launch.

The software update is actually the second to come from Sony, if you count the 1.50 firmware, which was available when users first powered up their Vita after purchasing the device. You can grab latest firmware (for those who couldn’t wait until February and imported a Vita) through a PC, PlayStation 3 network function, or the Vita itself, via the Settings/System Update menu.

It’s unclear whether the 1.51 firmware fixes scattered problems some early adopters reported with the Vita. These include various crashes and gameplay lag, as well as sudden device freezes several users documented on YouTube. Sony, however, denied that such glitches exist, hence why the 1.51 update only mentions the NEXT Dynasty Warriors game progress fix.

Sony’s PlayStation Vita has had a solid, yet unspectacular start. In the opening weekend, around325,000 units were sold in Japan; in comparison, Nintendo’s 3DS handheld sold 371,000 units in its first 48 hours. Some 26 titles were available on day one for the Vita, and Sony announced U.S. and European customers would have 33 games available for purchase when the Vita goes on sale Feb. 22 for $250. A $300 3G-enabled version will also be exclusive with AT&T.

Meanwhile, The Verge reports that Sony updated the Japanese PlayStation Store with a couple of new game demos: the first for Uncharted: Golden Abyss, one of the launch titles, and a second for a yet-unreleased game, Gravity Rush, which is set to arrive soon after the U.S. launch of the Vita.

By Daniel Ionescu, PCWorld

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Sony Sued For Preventing Playstation Network Users From Suing Sony

12/23/2011

Along with the mixed news coming out from Japan regarding the PlayStation Vita launch, it appears Sony has another lawsuit to deal with.

You may remember that Sony updated the PS3 Terms of Service in September to forbid users from filing class action lawsuits against Sony if they wanted to access the PlayStation Network service. Of course, you can always send a physical letter to Sony cancelling that part of the contract. Given the hassle of doing such for a free online service, opting out was probably not worth most PlayStation Network users’ time. Now a Northern California man may have filed a lawsuit against the very clause that forbids PlayStation Network users from filing lawsuits.

GameSpot reports that an anonymous man has filed a class action lawsuit against Sony in a Northern California court. The class action lawsuit aplies to anyone who bought a PS3 before the change in September, and the suit alleges that the updated Terms of Service are evidence that Sony is engaging in unfair business practices of forcing customers to forfeit rights or lose access to the online service they joined to when they bought their Sony PlayStation 3 console. The suit also claims that the optional opt-out policy via physical mail is unreasonable, and that Sony deliberately buried the Terms of Service change within the 21 pages of the contract that are only available for review on the PlayStation 3 (previous changes to the Terms of Service were available for review before release on the website).

You may remember the recent class action suit against Sony alleging that disabling the option to "Install Other OS" was evidence of deceptive business practices; that lawsuit was thrown out by district court judge who declared it bad business, but not illegal. This time the charges seem more serious, and we'll keep you updated as more information comes to light.

By Rudie Overton, PCWorld 

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Batman: Arkham City Adds New Skins, Fresh DLC

The public adulation for Rocksteady Studios’ Batman: Arkham City has not gone unnoticed, and they’re showing their gratitude by releasing a free in-game skin for the Caped Crusader. The skin is based on the Grant Morrison comic called Batman Inc., and can be obtained from the Xbox Live Marketplace, PlayStation Network and Games For Windows Marketplace. The Batman Inc. skin doesn’t look too different from Batman’s primary pajamas (as opposed to the Batman Beyond skin, which is very distinct), but let’s be honest: The point for a real Batman fan isn’t to nitpick. It’s to collect as much Batman awesomeness as their hard drive can hold.

In case you missed it, Batman: Arkham City is the sequel to 2009’s insanely popular Batman: Arkham Asylum. Critics and fans alike seem to think Rocksteady’s done a damn good job of continuing the tradition of greatness by taking the Batman vs. Crazy-go-nuts Villains battle (as well as Rocksteady's unique combat system) to the city streets. Though it’s only available on consoles and Windows, you can grab a somewhat trimmed-down version for iOS, entitled Batman: Arkham City Lockdown that also has custom skins.

Speaking of which, if you’re willing to cough up a few bucks you can get some awesome new stuff for Arkham City from two Downloadable Content packs that you can grab from the above-mentioned channels. The first one is titled “The Arkham Bundle” and includes a collection of several other packs: the Nightwing Bundle Pack, Robin Bundle Pack and the Arkham City Skins Pack. The other is the “Challenge Map Pack”, which gives you the Joker’s Carnival Challenge Map, the Iceberg Lounge Challenge Map, and the new invisible predator challenge map “The Batcave”. Grab the former for 1,200 Microsoft Points, or £11.99 on PSN and Games for Windows Marketplace, and the latter for 240 Microsoft Points, or £2.39 on PSN and Games for Windows Marketplace.

As if that weren’t enough, you can now use your favorite skin at any time you like in the game (as opposed to finishing the game first) by using an old-timey-style cheat code to get into your skin collection. Press the following combination on the Main Menu screen (after you have selected your save slot): Left, Left, Down, Down, Left, Left, Right, Up, Up, Down.

You’ll hear an audio confirmation and unlock the option to pick your favorite skin. Then you can sally forth and beat the crap out of the criminally insane in your favorite style.

By Corey Tamas, PCWorld

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The (Not So) Great Holiday 2011 Xbox LIVE 'Oops'

Can't get online with your Xbox 360 after running the latest Xbox 360 dashboard update? You're not alone, though the number of people affected by this unfortunate Xbox LIVE access goof is said to be small.

The issue involves Xbox LIVE user profiles, and prevents users from downloading those profiles from Microsoft's servers, thus locking them out of the service and barring them from accessing purchased content.

Joystiq registered complaints from users impacted by the issue this week and collected at least two error codes, notably "801540B7." Microsoft responded to the blog by email, admitting:

"We have recently identified an Xbox Live profile data error that results in Error Code '801540B7' for a small number of Xbox Live members. The error instructs users to attempt to re-download their Xbox Live profile and directs them to customer service support for further assistance. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused to our loyal Xbox Live members and are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible."

The issue apparently manifested after Microsoft overhauled the Xbox 360's dashboard and Xbox LIVE services on December 7 (the update was originally due on December 6, but delayed a day). The update included Microsoft's "Metro" tile-based interface and a new Bing-search-powered voice command interface (requires Kinect) designed to drive you from a search term like "Iron Man 2" directly to the end content services (e.g. Netflix, Zune, Vudu) without intermediary navigating.

Again, Microsoft claims the number of people impacted by the issue is small, and it's obviously in the company's interest to get it rectified as soon as possible, though with the holiday weekend looming and employees nationwide on the way out (or already off), I wouldn't bank on the fix coming pre-Christmas.

By Matt Peckham, PCWorld

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Final Fantasy XIII-2 Breaks Half a Million Sales in Japan

Tired of Final Fantasy yet? It seems Japanese gamers aren't, as Final Fantasy XIII-2 was released in Japan on December 15th and sold more than half a million copies in less than a week.

According to the sales number released by Japanese market research company Media Create for the week ending on December 18th, 525,271 copies of the PS3 version of Final Fantasy XIII-2 were sold; for gamers who haven't been following Final Fantasy, this number actually comes as quite as surprise given the negative public perception of the game. It should be noted that the Xbox 360 version was released on the same day, but does not appear in the top 30 games sold that week.

What negative public perception, you ask? For months the game was dogged by fans posting concerns on Internet message boards that the game would undersell. While plenty of fans turned out for the launch event at a Bic Camera store in Yurakucho, many shops reported no lines at all for the game. However, this could be due in part to the Sony PlayStation Vita launch the next day.

What was more shocking is that by Friday of last week, Amazon.co.jp slashed the price of Final Fantasy XII-2 on PS3 and Xbox 360 from the MSRP of 7980 yen ($102 USD) to 5420 yen ($69 USD). By Saturday most retail chains had also lowered their price. While this behavior isn't uncommon in North America, it is almost always signals that a game is failing in Japan. Often there is no return policy for Japanese vendors, so if a game doesn’t sell the store is stuck with the game until they lower the price enough to get rid of the excess stock.

Final Fantasy XIII received heavy criticism in both Japan and North America for its linearity, lack of towns, and paucity of interesting sidequests. While the battle system was praised, it wasn’t fully unlocked until a dozen hours into the game, which was too long for most players. The game was also supposed to be released along side Final Fantasy Versus XIII (unreleased and still in development since 2006) and Final Fantasy Agito XIII (rebranded as Final Fantasy Type-0 and released to high sales on the PSP in Japan with a North American release in the works.)

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is a strong response to those criticisms. It's a much more open game with a heavy emphasis on time travel element tons of sidequests, and it's already received a perfect score from both Famitsu and Dengeki magazines (though both magazines gave its predecessor similarly high marks). Famitsu gave it a 39/40, and Dengeki claimed giving the game a numerical score would do it a disservice, such was its greatness. It should be noted that publisher Square-Enix paid for tons of ads in both magazines leading up to the game's release.

In contrast, the user reviews at Japanese website PlayStation MK2 currently average out to about a C grade; common complaints include high encounter rates and the game only having two party members. Of course, the fact that the “third” party member is a monster somewhat negates this. Based on early player reports, the mini-games and late-game story also appear to be uninteresting, but perhaps the most surprising news we're hearing is that the story takes between 13 to 20 hours to complete. In contrast, that was when most players said FFXIII finally started to get good.

If you're still interested in the English version, Final Fantasy XIII-2 is expected to release in North America on January 31st, 2012.

By Rudie Overton, PCWorld

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What 3D Means for the Future of Gaming

12/15/2011

Hollywood is having a love affair with 3D right now… but 3D isn’t just for movies: Video games are rapidly adopting the technology, too.

In fact, consumers seem more excited about 3D gaming than they do about 3D movies. Last year, for example, the tech blog Gizmodo enthused that “3D gaming is what will get you to buy a new TV.” It sounds breathless but it makes sense, really: I can’t remember the last time I watched TV without multitasking with a phone, laptop, or tablet in my lap – and where 3D glasses only get in the way. On the other hand, when I’m gaming, I find that 3D immerses me so fully that it makes multitasking impossible, and I quickly forget about the eyewear as I’m sucked into the 3D experience.

Of course, with gaming it’s not just about TVs any more: 3D may also get gamers to buy new computers, laptops, monitors, and more, as the 3D gaming craze expands further and further into PCs.

On your computer, 3D gaming works a lot like any current form of 3D content: You don a special pair of glasses that sync up to the display (be it laptop or TV). When 3D content kicks in — sometimes a special button on the laptop must be pressed; sometimes it’s automatic — you’re instantly immersed into the 3D universe.

Think you’ll have to wait for content? You might be surprised to know that the games are ready and waiting: All the coolest Windows games — including Portal 2, Starcraft II, and Civilization V — are already 3D-ready right out of the box. All you need is hardware (like Dell’s XPS 17 3D laptop) that can support it and a pair of 3D glasses.

The future’s looking awfully bright for 3D gaming, so bright that it’s becoming difficult to find a new video game that doesn’t support the technology. Now I’m off to get some fragging done!


Source www.pcworld.com

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