Source: guardian.co.uk
LG has successfully blocked all European imports of Sony's PS3 in a move that is sure to hit them where it hurts. LG has made patent-infringement claims targeting the PS3's blu-ray technology, regarding how the console's media format works with multiple data streams and data reproduction. This legal action is in response to Sony filing a complaint with international courts over seven supposed patent infringements by LG that focused on a number of LG's mobile phones and blu-ray players. Don't expect the PS3 to disappear off of shelves immediately, most retailers currently have enough stock to last them a few weeks.The ban currently lasts for ten days, unless the injunction is extended by the courts. Sony reportedly ships 100,000 consoles to Europe a week, meaning this development will certainly hurt their sales for the couple weeks.
Source: guardian.co.uk
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If you happen to lose your 3DS AR cards don't worry, you are able to print out extra copies. As an added bonus the size of the card seems to directly correlate with the size of the 3D model projected upon it, meaning you can put a life sized Mario and Nintendog in your own living room. I will be interested to see how big people will go with this and am also curious about whether or not gamers will be able to make the 3DS project objects of their own design onto the cards.
Despite what Activision previously said about Guitar Hero and DJ Hero support ending after February, they have now revealed that more DLC is in fact scheduled. The new DLC was announced on both games' twitter accounts, citing the 'continued support' from fans as the reason behind the change of heart. My guess is that everyone heard about Guitar Hero being killed off and got nostalgic enough to start caring about it again. I wouldn't be surprised if Activision continues to release DLC for the remainder of this console generation, before relaunching next gen. In my opinion Guitar Hero and Rock Band really are titles that only need to show up once every five years if they handle digital distribution properly. There is no word on what the new DLC is or when it will be available, but it is good to know that Activision plans on continuing support for fans of both series.
File this under news that isn't too surprising- Nintendo has sold through their initial shipment of 400,000 3DS units in Japan despite releasing the new handheld just yesterday. You have to wonder why Nintendo didn't allocate more units for launch, but I clearly no expert at the logistics of launching a product worldwide within the span of a month. Not even a couple million would have sufficed so Nintendo does have eventually have to draw the line somewhere- but 400,000 does seem a bit low. In the meantime they can reap the benefits of having a product that is in high demand and the talk of the town. Artificial shortages worked wonders for the DS and Wii, why not try it again? I expect a similar consumer reaction when Nintendo's newest handheld is released in the United States on March 27th.
Modern Warfare 3 looks like it going to be announced during this year's GDC if a recently revealed teaser site is to be believed. Check it out yourself at www.findmakarov.com and observe the distinctly Modern Warfare font for yourself. I am curious to see how it matches up against DICE's beautiful Battlefield 3 trailer- Sledgehammer Games, Infinity Ward or whoever else from Activision's stable of Call of Duty developers is working on this certainly has their work cut out for them.
Update: Activision claims the website is a hoax. I wouldn't be surprised if Activision did in fact reveal Modern Warfare 3 at next week's GDC, the coming week will surely be filled with big announcements. I wonder what will happen when the site reaches the end of its countdown? Gamers will now be able to find some 2010's greatest PS3 games for $29.99 including ModNation Racers, God of War 3, Heavy Rain and UFC Undisputed 2010. Also included in the lineup is Uncharted 2: Among Thieves GOTY Edition, widely regarded as the best game of 2009. If you haven't had a chance to play these games yet now would be the perfect time. Curse you Nintendo, for being so successful that you don't have a player's choice line for your games anymore. In related news, the PSP has also received a price drop, it is now available for $140 in order to make way for the upcoming NGP.
I have some good news for all of those saddened by Bizarre Creations closure last week, several key staff members have formed a new studio called Lucid. The studio is going to be led by Pete Wallace, a former senior manager at Bizarre. Wallace had this to say about the direction of the newly formed studio, "We plan to build a studio which encourages open communication with its partners, customers and other developers."Lucid is reportedly already in talks with publishers about potential future projects. I hope they stay far, far away from Activision.
Source: Eurogamer Bethesda has finally upgraded to a new engine! This game looks a lot prettier than their last few efforts, the environments and towns look absolutely stunning. I find it hard to believe a game this epic can be announced and released within the same year, but as of right now it looks like the game will still be hitting its targeted November 11th release date.
In what might be one of the funniest press releases I have seen, Gaijin Games, creators of the hit Bit.Trip series on WiiWare and iOS, has announced their acquisition of Robotube games.
Press Release: "In what can only be called an “extremely hostile takeover”, Gaijin has followed in the footsteps of other legendary game studios like Activision and EA and has gone on a company acquisition rampage this year. Our first victim: Robotube Games may best be known for the Bit Museum series of “educational” videos, but they’re also known for some fun puzzle games on the web! In particular, Bloktonik and Zyrx. Together with Robotube, Gaijin is poised to fulfill this year’s theme of dominance. Watch the Robotube Twitter for more information over the coming month as we zero in on Robotube’s first new release! Continue rocking on. Over and out." Robotube's blog suggests that more info is to come at next week's GDC. Gaijin Games CEO Alex Neuse said this about their next project in an interview with ExtraGuy last October, “I think after the Bit.Trip series is complete you’re going to see something totally different from us. We definitely aren’t a retro studio, we don’t only make retro games, we don’t only make rhythm/music games. It just so happens that’s the first thing we did.” I can't wait to see what they are getting in to next! DICE isn't fooling around with Battlefield 3- this short gameplay trailer looks absolutely epic. As an added bonus if you pre-order the limited edition of Battlefield 3 you are able to download the "Back to Karkand" expansion pack at no extra cost. This entry brings back some old fan favorites like jets, going prone and 64 player multiplayer on the PC. The game is being developed with the PC as the lead platform, so there is almost no doubt that this game will be more technically impressive than whatever Sledgehammer Games and Infinity Ward are cooking up to combat Battlefield 3 in Fall of 2011. Call of Duty who?! |