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Nintendo confirms Wii successor to be shown at E3 in June

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: E3, Hardware, Nintendo, Rumors,

Nintendo Project Cafe

Time to start your wrist exercises: IGN has gotten its hands on new details about Nintendo's upcoming Wii 2 console, codenamed "Project Café," and the system's specs look pretty beefy on paper. But we should preface this all by saying that Wii 2 is just a nickname for Nintendo's Wii successor. According to IGN, Nintendo is floating around alternate names for the platform, including "Stream." This morning Nintendo confirmed that they'd be showing the console at E3 this June:

Nintendo Co., Ltd. has decided to launch in 2012 a system to succeed Wii, which the company has sold 86.01 million units on a consolidated shipment basis between its launch in 2006 and the end of March 2011.
 
We will show a playable model of the new system and announce more specifications at the E3 Expo, which will be held June 7-9, 2011, in Los Angeles.
 
Sales of this new system have not been included in the financial forecasts announced today for the fiscal term ending March 2012.

That name is itself interesting, as the Wii successor will finally have the power to be able to output high-definition video–1080p content–but it's still not expected to have a physical way to read HD content like Blu-ray discs.

The 1080p compatibility will be partially thanks to the custom-built tri-core IBM PowerPC chipset that'll serve as the Wii 2's brains. It's going to be the same kind of setup that you'll find on Microsoft's Xbox 360 console. Only, Nintendo will allegedly up the clock speeds to beat out the three 64-bit, 3.2-Ghz cores of Microsoft's competing device, among other enhancements.

Click to continue reading Nintendo confirms Wii successor to be shown at E3 in June


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Nintendo 3DS costs just $100 to make teardown reveals

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Handhelds, Video Games,

Nintendo 3DS teardown

Nintendo 3DS teardowns from two research firms show that the Japanese gaming giant spent roughly $100 on raw materials and basic manufacturing for its 3D hand held gaming system; consumers must spend $250.

UBM TechInsights took apart the 3DS and estimated $101 worth of materials and manufacturing labor inside. The single biggest change was in the type of memory Nintendo used, it said.

According to Allan Yogasingam, technical marketing manager at UBM TechInsights, Nintendo embedded a proprietary Fujitsu memory chip called FC (Fast Cycle) RAM with 120MB worth of storage. That's an upgrade from previous DS devices in many ways, but as the recent earthquake shows, it bears its own supply chain risks.

FC RAM boasts DDR 3-like speeds, but consumes less power. It is also cheaper, easier to manufacture, and has a smaller footprint resembling lower-powered DDR. But despite performance improvements, the recent earthquake shows that opting for one supplier could be a "potentially dangerous move," Yogasingam said. An unexpected incident at the plant could delay production, for starters. Most consumer electronic makers will source a single component from a pool of suppliers.

Click to continue reading Nintendo 3DS costs just $100 to make teardown reveals


Tech Deal of the Day: Bulletstorm for 33% off

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Hot Deals, PC / Laptop, Video Games,

bulletstorm sale

Just a quick  heads up for the gamers out there - Amazon has Bulletstorm for 33% off today only - a great game at $20 off, and you'll get guaranteed access into the Gears of War 3 multiplayer beta to boot. Not a bad deal at all.

Don’t forget, if you’re looking for other deals, be sure to check out our Newegg Promo Code thread.


Comic Book Jobs: Blizzard Entertainment

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Video Games,

World of WarcraftBlizzard Entertainment, the World of Warcraft people, are looking for a Franchise Development Producer, “a highly organized individual with outstanding communications skills, proven experience in production, and a track record of shipping AAA products to help lead the efforts on its next-gen MMO.”
 
One word: Yeah!

You get to be “the key evangelist for producing products which expand the next-gen MMO brand outside of the gaming industry” and “the key liaison between the development team and other functional teams within Blizzard Entertainment to create brand-extending merchandise for the next-gen MMO franchise.”

Click to continue reading Comic Book Jobs: Blizzard Entertainment


Comic Book Jobs: IGN Entertainment

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Video Games,

Game on!

The big gaming site, IGN, is looking for an Editorial Designer, "a kick-ass designer with great front-end development chops (HTML/CSS, JavaScript a plus) who is interested in helping us take the presentation of editorial content on IGN to the next level."

You'll be working with IGN's editorial design team on "the re-envisioning of IGN's user experience and coverage of events such as E3, Comic-Con, CES, and Toyko Game Show."

In addition, you'll be "designing individually art directed articles, as well as designing infographics, and other interactive content." And you're expected to kick everything up "to the next level."

Click to continue reading Comic Book Jobs: IGN Entertainment


Trucks & Skulls: Best iPhone Action Game

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Video Games,

Trucks & Skulls 2My pals over at Appy Entertainment make games for the iPad and the iPhone and whatever lower case iProduct is coming up.
 
And they do a heckuva job at it too: their most recent game Trucks & Skulls won the Best Action Game in the iPhone category at the Best App Ever Awards at Macworld in San Francisco.
 
The iPad version of the game placed in the same category, and Trucks & Skulls also scored “podium positions” for Best Arcade Game.
 
Previously, Trucks & Skulls had been selected by Apple as both their iPhone Game of the Week and their iPad App of the Week in November, and was then IGN’s iPhone Game of the Month. 

Click to continue reading Trucks & Skulls: Best iPhone Action Game


Tech Deals of the Day: Walmart clearance, Best Buy game sale

walmart clearance

Here's today’s  list, where we bring the the top discounts on gadgets and consumer electronics for the day. The highlight for today is a huge clearance sale at Walmart (they've got thousands of items marked down) alongside a Best Buy video game sale:

Don’t forget, if you’re looking for other deals, be sure to check out our Newegg Promo Code thread.


Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY Android PlayStation phone Super Bowl commercial

Xperia PLAY

The Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY becamse very real last night, as it was highlighted in a very cool Super Bowl XLV commercial that featured the Google Android robot getting a back-alley body modification to add thumbs to his arms so that he could get his game on. This Xperia PLAY is the world's first PlayStation certified smartphone, and we're looking forward to February 13th, when all the details will be revealed. Check out the commercial after the jump.

Click to continue reading Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY Android PlayStation phone Super Bowl commercial


Halo: Cryptum excerpt

Posted by John Kilhefner Categories: Video Games,

halo cryptum

Buy Halo: Cryptum on Amazon now.

THE FORERUNNER STORY-the history of my people-has been told many times, with greater and greater idealization, until I scarcely recognize it.

Some of the ideals are factually true. The Forerunners were sophisticated above all other empires and powerful almost beyond measure. Our ecumene spanned three million fertile worlds. We had achieved the greatest heights of technology and physical knowledge, at least since the time of the Precursors, who, some say, shaped us in their image, and rewarded that image with their breath.

The tugging threads of this part of the tale-the first of three-are journey, daring, betrayal, and fate.

My fate, the fate of a foolish Forerunner, was joined one night with the fates of two humans and the long world-line of a great military leader . . . that night on which I put in motion the circumstances that triggered the final wave of the hideous Flood.

So be this tale told, so be the telling true. 

Click to continue reading Halo: Cryptum excerpt

Read More | Kotaku

Gears of War #15: Traviss & Wilson

Gears Of War 15One of my DC pals, Jim Chadwick, is a Wildstorm editor making the switch to DC's Digital Comics division in 2011. One of his print books, Gears Of War #15, goes on sale this week. Written by NY Times' best-selling author Karen Traviss (she also writes the GoW novels) and illustrated by Colin Wilson, Chadwick posted on Facebook "I'm very proud of this one and you should buy it!"

Author Karen Traviss wrote about the stand-alone issue on her blog, and lays out the schedule of her upcoming work on the series. I like her enthusiasm: "It's not the first comic I've written (I'd turned in two DLS scripts before we had to change the schedule, and those really were my first) but it's my debut on the shelves, so that matters to me. Some of my writer friends find it odd that I set such store by comics given my career, but I just do." She also has mad props for artist Wilson.

For more info on Traviss, here's a solid interview with her from Edge.

As a stand-alone issue in the Gears Of War pantheon, I'm checking this one out.

[Artwork: Cover to Gears of War #15]


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