Tech News and Reviews
Gaming
PlayStation Move motion controller launched at GDC, starter kit to be under $100 with game
Mar 11th
No surprise here: Sony just officially announced the PlayStation Move motion controller at GDC 2010, calling it the “next generation of motion gaming” because it’s so precise — latency is about the same as the DualShock 3. As expected, it uses the PlayStation Eye camera to track the controller, and Sony says it becomes an “extension of your body.” The plan is not only to engage casual gamers, but to use the precision of the controller to create “new experiences for core gamers” — many of the demo videos we saw involved using a controller video in each hand, and there were quote a few demos of action / RPG games. We also saw a demo of Move Party, which uses the camera to do augmented reality gaming and video chat. The demos are pretty impressive — Sony’s not kidding when it says the Move is incredibly precise. There’s also going to be a secondary “subcontroller” with an an analog stick for shooters — you can play all the way through SOCOM4 with just the Move and the sub-controller. (Yes, it’s just like the Wii Nunchuk, only wireless.)
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PlayStation Move first hands-on!
Mar 11th
At last, we’ve felt Sony’s long awaited motion controller, now at last officially known as “PlayStation Move,” in our unworthy, sweaty hands. We have a bunch of videos on the way, but for now you can revel in our first close-ups of the controllers in the gallery below. Here are some of our initial thoughts:
- The controllers are light. Much more akin to the DualShock3 than the Wiimote in heft, and we’re guessing that’s due to Sony’s continued love of rechargeable batteries.
- The main controller does have some subtle vibration (not DualShock or Wiimote level, but present), but we’re not sure yet about the subcontroller.
- We hate to say this about “pre-alpha” software, but we’re feeling lag. An on-rails shooter we tried out, dubbed The Shoot, was discernibly inferior to shooting experiences we’ve had on the Wii, both in precision and refresh rate of the aiming cursor.
- The gladiator game is about as fun as it looks, we’ll have video after the break momentarily. Unfortunately, while it’s less of a defined experience than something like the sword game on Wii Sports Resort, you’re still working through a library of sensed, pre-defined actions instead of a true 1:1 fighting game with simulated physics. Not that it isn’t possible with PlayStation Move, just that it’s not this.
- The lightness of the controllers means we might be feeling less of that Wiimote fatigue, always a good thing! There’s an aspect of the controller that feels a little cheap, but at the same time we wouldn’t call it fragile.
- As far as we can tell, the control scheme for Socom 4 is quite similar to dual-controller shooter setups on the Wii, with the camera moving based on your aiming cursor hitting the edge. It’s hard to see this as the preferred hardcore setup, but we’re told it’s configurable, so we’ll try and see what else is on offer.
- The system seemed to have a bit of trouble understanding the configuration of our body in a swordfighting stance: even though we selected “left handed,” it was putting our sword arm forward instead of our shield. Right-handers didn’t seem to have similar problems, and we’re sure this will be ironed out in time, but it certainly shows that the controllers aren’t magical in their space-detection prowess.
- As would be expected, you’re supposed to stand relatively center on the TV, and at a certain optimal distance. The system is forgiving, but there’s a sweet spot that users will undoubtedly have to learn.
Nintendo’s oversized DSi XL heading to the US on March 28th for $190
Feb 25th
Nintendo just announced that its new DSi XL (known and sold as the DSi LL in Japan) will be hitting North America on March 28th, and will retail for $190. In exchange for a couple mm of extra thickness and a significantly larger footprint the XL pairs two 4.2-inch LCDs for a jumbo-sized look at your well worn, oft-rehashed DS catalog. The unit will retail in Burgundy and Bronze flavors at launch, preloaded with two DSiWare Brain Age games, Photo Clock, Flipnote Studio and the DSi Browser. Unconvinced? Check out the teardown of the LL edition right here while you wait your turn to consume this American style. Feeling left out in Europe? Don’t, because you guys are getting the XL on March 5th. PR is after the break.
Update: Nintendo put out a feel-good promo video, we threw that below the break as well.
Nintendo DSi XL hands-on
Feb 25th
Sure, it’s been available in Japan for quite some time, but this is the first chance we’ve gotten to really sit down and play with Nintendo’s “more communal” (as we overheard one PR rep describe it, given it’s propensity for more eyes comfortably viewing the screens) portable gaming experience, the DSi XL. So let’s get the comparisons out of the way: obvious volumetric differences aside, the maximum brightness versus the DSi seems to be slightly higher, and the stylus is inexplicably a handful of millimeters longer — not a big deal, but you’ll definitely figure it out when trying to stuff it into an older model. We’re not really a fan of the top lid being glossy again — we rather like the matte DSi lid, and this one seems even more fingerprint-coveting than its DS Lite predecessor. So with all that said, is the extra screen size worth it? Admittedly we do appreciate the extra room, and it comes without a cost to the picture clarity. The inherent tradeoff, however, is a complete inability to stuff this in our pockets — we had better luck with the Mini 5, to be blunt. You’ll be able to decide for yourself soon enough, but in the meantime, there’s pictures below and video after the break!
PlayStation 3 still a loss leader, ‘six cents for every dollar’ of hardware sold
Feb 4th
Though Sony’s overall bottom line is back in black, what held it back from an even bigger celebration cake was its core electronics brand, and no stranger to that sector is the PlayStation group. Both Joystiq and The Wall Street Journal took a more careful look at the numbers, and there’s a few points worth noting. PS2 sales took a year-over-year dip, down from 2.5 million to 2.1 million. PSP took a larger hit, down to 4.2 million from 5.1 million. The PS3, however, is a mix of good and bad news. The good news: 6.5 million in unit sales, up from the 4.5 million prior. That said, it turns out Sony has yet to pull its home console away from “loss leader” status — WSJ reports the company is still losing “about six cents for every dollar of PS3 hardware sales,” i.e. if Sony were to sell the consoles to retailers for $300, it’d technically be taking a hit of $18 each time. That’s nowhere near the estimates when the PS3 first launch, and additionally Sony’s CFO Nobuyuki Oneda is promising a 15 percent reduction cost by March 2011, which should go a long way. Lets’ not forget the company still makes money on Blu-rays and software sales, but in the meantime, hang tight little buddy, you’re this close to being profitable all by your lonesome.
Mad Catz makes the Wii a fighter with moddable FightStick
Jan 27th
The Wii may not be the console of choice for most fighting game fans, but it is starting to earn a bit more respect with the release of Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom and, just as importantly Mad Catz’s new Arcade FightStick to go along with it. The best news, however, is that like Mad Catz’s fightsticks for other consoles, this one is moddable for those that prefer some arcade authentic parts, and it even packs a few features not found its Xbox 360 and PS3 counterparts. Most notably, that includes a toggle switch that will let the arcade stick control either the d-pad of the classic controller or the left or right analog stick, meaning you’ll also be able to use it with an array of Virtual Console titles. Look for this one to set you back $80.
Sega Ultimate Genesis Collection bringing official Genesis emulation to iPhone, pain to your wallet
Jan 21st
After packaging and re-marketing to us our childhood over Nintendo’s Wii Virtual Console and in a multitude of other forms, Sega is putting another platform to good use in its eternal quest to make us poor: the iPhone. Due for the App Store next month, the upcoming Sega Ultimate Genesis Collection will bring together some of Sega’s existing, disparate releases for the iPhone under one roof and add a bunch more, allowing users to buy Sega Genesis games directly from the app. The first one’s free, of course (Space Harrier II), but after that you’ll be paying a decent amount for your emulation fix: Sonic is $6, Golden Axe is $5, and Ecco the Dolphin and Shining Force go for $3. The variety will undoubtedly grow over time, but we would hope that at some point Sega will offer some sort of discounted megabundle, since you can currently get 49 notable Sega titles for around $20 in the form of Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection for the Xbox 360 and PS3. Basically: we’re not sure if this is all supposed to make us worse or better about jailbreaking.
Pink and blue Wii Remotes ready for Valentine’s Day pre-order
Jan 20th
Nintendo may be a lot of things, but stupid it ain’t. Cashing in on yet another gift-giving holiday, the console sales leader is bringing Americans a pair of freshly paint-licked Wii Remotes that should appeal to the his-and-hers demographic that seems to grow in number at this time of year. As you can see above, grabbing one will set you back $54.99, which is about the same price as the regular MotionPlus bundle. So, even if you weren’t thinking about wooing your loved one with yet another Wii peripheral, at least the US now gets a 200 percent improvement in MotionPlus color choices. How is that not progress?
Rock Band Network beta opening to Xbox 360 users, garage bands see ‘their chance’
Jan 20th
Ever had the urge to crank out some nasty riffs in the kitchen, record them, and then watch as millions of Xbox 360 owners rush to download your jam(s)? Don’t lie. In a move that marks the next logical step of the Rock Band journey, Harmonix has confirmed that an open beta registration of the Rock Band Network will open up later today for Xbox 360 users, enabling amateur (or professional… or novice!) musicians to record, convert and upload tracks to a network where gamers can judge how awesome / not awesome any given song is. Reportedly, those seen as “good enough” will be made available for sale (you can price each tune from $1 to $3), though we’re hearing that the actual conversion process isn’t a lesson in simplicity. In fact, some outfits are offering their services to take recordings from .wav files to ones that the game can understand, but with rates of $500 per minute (of music), we’re guessing that only serious artists will apply. And if you’ve ever heard “that local band” willing to play shows for free, you’ll agree with us when we say that this barrier to entry is probably a good thing.
Nintendo DS2 to be announced this year, released not too long after?
Jan 18th
Nintendo has already been talking up what a Nintendo DS successor might look like, so it wouldn’t come as too much of a shock if we saw the device in the near term. That’s what EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich believes, anyway. He has a research note out saying that Nintendo will be releasing a new handheld in the next 15 months, and make the announcement within the next eight months. The reasons are numerous, including the need to bone up on online distribution, rampant piracy, and just the regular march of technology that Nintendo is never unaware of — just ask the routinely trounced handheld competition. Unfortunately, there’s nothing “solid” in this report as far as we can tell, so we’ll have to wait for some “unnamed sources” or our cousin’s friend’s dad’s barber to weigh in and tell us how it really is.
