Earlier this week there were rumors flying about that the Xbox 360 successor would be announced at E3 2012 and Crytek was already developing for it. Today Crytek came forward and denied these rumors, saying that it has no knowledge of Microsoft's next console.Crytek's official statement is as follows, "Crytek does not have any next generation hardware from Microsoft, and has no idea when the Xbox-maker will announce its future console plans." Sounds pretty convincing to me. Will Microsoft's next console still make an appearance at next years e3?
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IBM is still being quite secretive about the multi-core CPU it is providing for Nintendo's Wii U, but details are slowly leaking about what it has under the hood. The "Watson" chip is said to be a custom Radeon GPU, and while it's not exactly cutting edge it is capable of surpassing the output of the Xbox 360 and PS3. The chip is similar to the R770 found in AMD's last-gen cards like the 4890, but he custom core also supports Direct X 10.1, whereas the Xbox 360 can only run Direct X 9. It also supports an Eyefinity-like multi-display tech for up to four SD video stream, something Nintendo was being wishy washy about at e3. So it is a powerful system, but not cutting edge. These are not final specs however, and are subject to change before launch next year.
Source: Engadget Software
01. L.A. Noire (360, PS3) 02. Brink (360, PS3, PC) 03. Lego Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Wii, 360, NDS, PS3, 3DS, PSP, PC) 04. Portal 2 (360, PS3, PC) 05. Mortal Kombat 2011 (PS3, 360) 06. Call of Duty: Black Ops (360, PS3, Wii, NDS, PC) 07. Zumba Fitness: Join the Party (Wii, 360, PS3) 08. NBA 2K11 (360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP, PC) 09. Just Dance 2 (Wii) 10. Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars (Wii, NDS, 360, PS3, 3DS, PSP, PC) Click "read more" for hardware results, as well as an analysis of the results. Duke Nukem Forever finally released in the UK, after about 15 years in development. In fact, I remember anxiously anticipating this game in the 6th grade. But the wait might have been worth it for UK gamers, who bought the game in droves. Luckily they didn't seem to see early reviews, which are mostly below average. Duke Nukem Forever even managed to beat out tough competitors like L.A. Noire and Zumba Fitness. Hail to the king baby!
Homefront developer Kaos Studios has been closed by THQ, despite being well received commercially if not critically. An interesting choice for THQ, considering most publishers are more concerned with sales than review scores. Development of a Homefront sequel has been transferred to THQ's Montreal studio. THQ states that the laid off employees will be able to interview at other internal studios, such as Montreal and Toronto. Rumors suggest that many of those laid off have already landed elsewhere, but as always I wish all of those effect the best of luck.
Blizzard is hiring for a "Senior Software Engineer, Console -- PlayStation 3 Specialist" within the Diablo 3 team, suggesting that the game might be headed for consoles.
From Blizzard's website: "This position is responsible for overseeing Playstation 3 (PS3) architecture design," the listing explains, "as well as other PS3-specific game code development to maximize platform performance." Could this be a sign of things to come, or a cruel tease? We might find out during next week's e3, but Blizzard isn't known to make big announcements there, so probably not. Watch out Steam (Not really), EA's Origin is coming to town. This will be the greatest destination for downloadable copies of EA games, past and present, including special editions of games that will be found nowhere else. It is also the exclusive downloadable destination of Star Wars: The Old Republic, a move that is likely to cause some interest in the service. According to the press release the service also includes the ability to "find and connect with friends, see what they are playing, and digitally download and play PC games." That might sound familiar to those that have used Steam for several years, but Origin is still in its infancy and promises growth. "Today we're launching Origin.com and the Origin beta application. Over time, Origin will grow with new functionality and unique new content that consumers can't get anywhere else," says EA CEO John Riccitiello.
Source: EA Nikkei, the same source that leaked the DSi, DSi XL and 3DS has now confirmed many of the rumors that have been floating around about Nintendo's next home console. The controller will supposedly contain a 6" screen for tablet like controls, a front facing camera, and a built in rechargeable battery. Most interesting of all? The confirmation that the controller itself can act like a portable game system. I am frothing at the mouth for Nintendo's e3 conference next week. You can catch it here Tuesday June 7 at 9 a.m. PDT
Source: Adriasang OmniVision has supplied cameras Apple's iPhone since the device launched, and it looks as though Nintendo might be utilizing their devices in their next console's controller. Rumors have been swirling that the controller has a front facing camera, and interestingly enough, console plans were singled out during Omnivision's quarterly results conference call. This means that the cameras will probably not be for the NGP, unless they are unfamiliar with their gaming terminology, something that is admittedly possible. During the call the company said it had obtained a "significant design win" to supply cameras for a game console that would be ready within the next several months. Ready as in entering production in October, as yet another rumor suggests?
Source: Electronista Today Level 22 Expo announced that Paybackgames.com, known for their excellent moderation of over 2,000 Call of Duty matches, was going to be touring with them. Paybackgames is an online gaming site that operates competitive matches that are recorded and supervised by a Paybackgames official all day everyday. This allows players to avoid the cheating and tickets systems seen almost everywhere else on the internet. Level 22 will begin its tour September 10, 2011 in Louisville, Kentucky. The tour is planned to continue to Philadelphia and Memphis later this year with many other cities to be announced in 2012 |