Video Games & Gaming

All Teens Play Video Games

September 22, 2008

Guitar Hero To Add Hendrix, Metallica -- Like It a Lot!

September 19, 2008

With the much-anticipated Rock Band 2 now on store shelves, rival franchise Guitar Hero is sneaking into the news on several fronts.

Most recently, Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash let it slip to Rolling Stone that Guitar Hero is working on a Jimi Hendrix special edition akin to what it did with Aerosmith.

Metallica is another band previously identified as heading for its own Guitar Hero title. Both are expected after the holiday release of Guitar Hero: World Tour.

(Expect to see an in-game playable Hendrix character in that one!)

Additionally, Guitar Hero publisher Activision reportedly is mulling a subscription service for adding downloadable songs to the game.

More at Reuters.

And thanks to www.jimi-hendrix.com for the graphic -- check it out!

Posted in Video Games & Gaming

Am I Alone in Not Liking Video Game Ads?

September 15, 2008

Just how effective is that Burger King ad in the game NFL Street?

Considering that more than a third (36%) of gamers actually bought, talked about or sought information about a product after seeing an ad in a videogame, per Nielsen Games, a case can be made that they are very effective.

(And who can forget that the King has his own game!)

Of 534 active videogamers surveyed, 11% said they purchased a brand that was advertised in a game. Some 19% said they talked about it after seeing an ad, and 10% said they recommended the product.

Coke was most recalled by the Nielsen panel, then Nike, Burger King, Axe, Pepsi and Pontiac.

Burger King isn't using games to sell Whoppers, but to pursue what it calls "extended brand interaction." The fast feeder has advertised in top sellers like NFL Street, provided players hidden codes to access the "Burger King Challenge" in Need for Speed and inserted the King into Fight Night. The creepy King served as a corner man that players can pick for their fighters.

Activision's Guitar Hero series was the most popular game among gamers who remembered specific advertisers, followed by Need for Speed, the Madden football series, Grand Theft Auto titles, the NCAA Football series and Tony Hawk games.

Guess I better go back to these and see what ads I missed!

More at BrandWeek.

Posted in Video Games & Gaming

Xbox Now Cheaper than Wii (But for How Long?)

September 5, 2008

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Only Another 5 Years for Blu-ray?

September 3, 2008

Talk about putting the kiss of death on a format that has just ever so barely just arrived, Samsung has said that it sees the Blu-ray format only lasting a further five years before it is replaced by another format or technology.

"I think it [Blu-ray] has five years left, I certainly wouldn't give it 10," said Andy Griffiths, director of consumer electronics at Samsung UK in a Pocket-lint interview.

Hoping to capitalize before it's too late, Griffiths believes that 2008 is the format's year.

Citing online rental sites like LoveFilm's adoption of Blu-ray titles, the move to offer cheaper players and a now clear path to adoption following the Blu-ray HD-DVD battle, Griffith says the format will be a winner, although not for long.

Posted in Video Games & Gaming

Ultrasound Makes Virtual Objects Real

September 2, 2008

The power of ultrasonic waves has been harnessed to produce "virtual" objects in mid-air.

The field of haptics -- integrating computing and the sense of touch -- has been around for some time, but has required gloves or mechanical devices to impart a sense of feeling.

Now, a team of Japanese researchers has developed a system that uses focused ultrasound to do the job, and its inventors may soon commercialize the approach.

With the expansion in multimedia on the web, our eyes and ears are flooded with sensory information, but the sense of touch has been largely left behind.
The popularity of vibrating gaming handsets has proven that it is a rich but untapped way to increase interaction.

Read more about the future of gaming -- and beyond -- at the BBC here.

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What's Wrong with Second-Hand Video Game Sales?

August 28, 2008

Publishing giant Electronic Arts has said that it's currently trying multiple new business models to help battle the critical problem of second-hand videogame sales.

(No problem for me!)

While retailers reap the benefits of selling the same product multiple times, publishers and developers don't see any income once a title hits the second-hand market.

But realizing it's powerless to stop retail from selling second-hand goods, EA is looking to combat the problem by capturing the consumer with online content and services.

"I'd actually make the point that for us second-hand sales is a very critical situation, because people are selling multiple times intellectual property," said Jens Uwe Intat, senior VP and general manager for European publishing at EA, speaking exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz.

Today, it seems like you can buy just about anything two or three times ... and what are auction sites like eBay supposed to do?

Course if all games where like Asteroid (above), would we have this problem?

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Oh No! Don't Spoil Our Fun! Wii Gets Slapped with Patent Infringement

August 20, 2008

Hillcrest Labs has apparently filed a complaint for patent infringement with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in Washington, D.C., and a separate patent infringement suit in the U.S. District Court in Maryland, against Nintendo, related to the Wii video game system.

At issue are Hillcrest's U.S. Patent Nos. 7,158,118, 7,262,760, and 7,414,611, which relate to a hand-held 3-D pointing device, and U.S.

Posted in Video Games & Gaming