Playstation 4 & Xbox 720 Release Date Rumored for 2012

Posted by James in Gaming, Technology

Playstation 4 & Xbox 720 release date rumored for 2012.

If the rumors are true (and there is no way to verify, Sony and Microsoft are keeping tight lipped about any dates) then having both the Playstation 4 and the Xbox 720 release date at the same time could be very interesting.

Even if we have to take these rumors with a pince of salt, the mere fact that the Playstation 4 and the Xbox 720 are being talked about suggests that things are really happening behind the scenes. This in turn suggests that the hardware development may already be done.

Playstation 4

One rumor that makes sense is that the Playstation 4 will have an upgrade to its move controller.

The move controller is a great device but Sony were basically playing catch up with the Wii controllers.

Microsoft on the other hand took it a whole stage further and produced the ground breaking kinect system.

It is rumored that the Playstation 4 will have similar whole body movement control available at launch.

I would also suggest that Sony were annoyed that Microsoft got the jump on them and launched early in the marketplace with the Xbox 360.

This allowed it to gain market traction by stealing Sony customers. The Playstation 3 didn’t come along until later.

I would make an educated guess that they won’t let this happen again and will be keen to steal a march on their competitors.

Xbox 720

With the Xbox 720, expect major graphical and sound upgrades as well as a move into Playstation multi-media territory, for example with built in direct video recording.

Some of the biggest changes are coming in the next few years to the TV sector with Apple, Google and Sony all trying to get a piece of the pie. Don’t expect Microsoft to be any different with the Xbox 720.

Also expect some changes to Kinect, more than likely this will be integrated directly into the console.

One console already confirmed for the E3 trade show in 2012 is the new Nintendo Wii U which we featured last year.

What do you think about all the rumors? Do you believe the hype or not? What features do you think they will have? Let us know in the comments below.

SWTOR Release Date is Near (Star Wars The Old Republic to Most of Us)

Posted by James in Gaming, Technology

SWTOR release date is near & gamers everywhere are getting excited. If you don’t know what ‘Star Wars The Old Republic’ is then read on.

Star Wars The Old Republic or SWTOR as we shall now refer to it (because we are lazy typers) is an online gaming title that is set to replace World of Warcraft (WoW) as the premium online multi-player game.

These types of games are called massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPG) and are hugely popular with games fans because of their seemingly endless landscapes, possibilities and interaction with other players.

The SWTOR release date is the 20th December although millions of pre-orders were taken allowing access a week early.

Reputed to have had a development cost of around $130 million it is a serious attempt to capture some of the lucrative MMORPG market by its publisher Electronic Arts.

The storyline uses the familiar Star Wars world but is set 3,500 years before the events of the Star Wars films.

You get to decide whether you play the dark side or the light side of the force through your initial character choice and then though your moral decisions during the game.

SWTOR system requirements

SWTOR Leveling Guide (SWTOR Savior)- The Unfair Advantage?

Already other products are springing up around the SWTOR release date.

SWTOR leveling guides such as SWTOR savior allow players to quickly learn the tricks of the trade and level up their character much faster than normal.

SWTOR savior promises to take you to level 50 in 4 days and includes maps and waypoints for the game as well as a members forum.

SWTOR leveling guides can give players a serious edge over opponents as each level jump means a more powerful character and weapons.

Click here to see the SWTOR leveling guide if you want to level up fast.

Angry Birds Hits 500 Million Downloads

Posted by James in Gaming, Technology

Angry Birds has hit an amazing 500 million downloads just 2 years after it’s launch.

The number is an astonishing result for Rovio, the games company that produces the addictive mobile games Angry Birds, Angry Birds Rio and Angry Birds Seasons.

The Angry Birds franchise now also has it’s own merchandising range and retail outlet. Over 10 million items have already shipped to fans who can’t get enough of the squawking birds.

With massive interest in the the game from China and other areas outside Europe and the US, it seems that the billionth download is probably not very far away (see here if you are interested in how to make an app.)

Estimates are that Rovio are now worth about $1 billion after a recent round of funding and a flotation is looking likely.

Further exploration of the Angry Birds brand will likely be a feature length animation or animated series.

Its along way from the humble beginnings of the previously small Finnish iPhone app developer. Angry Birds was a great game when it launched but has achieved it’s growth with the help of some great marketing and branding.

After all, there are many great mobile games on the market but none have come close to the sales of Angry Birds.

To put it in perspective, Angry Birds now gets the equivalent of 300 million minutes of gametime a day. Now that’s a serious game of…well…skittles?

Angry Birds in Numbers

Top 5 Games Launch for Christmas: Call of Duty: MW3, Elder Scrolls V, Battlefield 3, Assassins Creed & Uncharted 3

Posted by James in Gaming, Technology

Call of Duty: MW3, Elder Scrolls V, Battlefield 3, Assassins Creed & Uncharted 3 are the biggest games of the year and are all being released this month in time for Christmas.

Games players and the video games industry itself has been salivating over this month as the big guns of the gaming world are launched, with budgets that would put many Hollywood movies to shame.

In many respects it has been a tough time for the games industry over the last few years as competition has grown, budgets have soared and consumer belts have tightened.

But like a Tom Cruise or Arnold Schwarzenegger movie in their heyday, there are some titles that you can just rely on to deliver when you need it.

Titles like Call of Duty: MW3, Elder Scrolls V, Battlefield 3, Assassins Creed & Uncharted 3 are guaranteed to drive hordes of hungry gamesters to get their credit card out. And with good reason, these are some of the best games ever made.

It’s the graphics that hit you first, astonishing film like quality of cut scenes and story telling. With the technology of the latest consoles now allowing new ways of interacting through motion detecting and 3D, the feeling of being involved has never been so strong.

Call of Duty: MW3

The Call of Duty Modern Warfare series has been a phenomenal success, and rightly so. It’s combination of stunning graphics, gripping gameplay and online multiplayer have made it the de-facto standard in first person shooters. The latest version, Call of Duty: MW3, won’t disappoint and features a new online version called Call of Duty: Elite with free & subscription options. Watch the trailer below.

Elder Scrolls V Skyrim

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the latest in the successful role playing series where you can explore an entire virtual world. Expect everything to be bigger, better and bolder. Catch the trailer below.

Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3 is up there with Call of Duty as the best in warfare gaming. Released a few days before November it’s such a big game that it still makes out list.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations

Assassin’s Creed Revelations continues the same formula as before, but why change something that works really well?

Watch the official trailer below. Please note that it contains violence and blood, so if your easily offended look elsewhere.

Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception relies on the uncharted series humour, addictive gameplay and all action sytle to continue the story of loveable rogue Nathan Drake.

OnLive Cloud Gaming Goes Live in the UK

Posted by James in Gaming, Technology

OnLive cloud gaming goes live in the UK today after a year of operating in the US.

OnLive is the equivalent of a games console hosted in the cloud and is set to revolutionise how video games are played, bought and consumed.

OnLive allows a variety of devices to connect to it’s system including internet enabled TV’s and soon, more portable devices such as the iPad and the Android tablets.

You don’t need a games console in your living room anymore and because all of the OnLive processing power is hosted in the cloud, it doesn’t matter if you are accessing on a low spec machine.

The only fly in the OnLive ointment is of course the speed of your internet connection and the capacity of OnLive to deliver their service to millions of people at the same time.

OnLive insist that they have learned from their year of providing the service in the US and have everything in place to ensure that the UK service runs smoothly.

OnLive use some sophisticated compression techniques to make sure that any game played is as the developer intended.

However, I would recommend that you have a broadband connection capable of at least 2Mb/sec and it’s probably best to over 4Mb/sec.

Time will tell whether OnLive takes off but it represents another example of how cloud computing is set to change our lives.

There is no doubt that OnLive has multiple benefits, no expensive hardware to purchase & then upgrade (and/or fix, £100 + labour to fix my PS3!) being the most obvious. The OnLive technology will be automatically upgraded without you having to get involved at all.

I also think the OnLive renting model is much cheaper than the previous model of games buying that serious gamers were used to (console games can be upwards of £50, anyone remember the £1.99 8 bit computer days?!).

OnLive costs at the time of writing

• Free to register an account and play demos
• Monthly PlayPack subscription £6.99 a month
• Individual games from £1.99 and upwards
• Special launch promotion: first game purchase £1 (Deus Ex: Human Revolution anyone?!)
• Micro-console & controller (not needed if hardware is internet connected) is available for £69.99

Call Of Duty: Black Ops Blows Away the Competition

Posted by James in Entertainment, Gaming

Call Of Duty: Black Ops has blows away the competition in the charge for games sales.

According to the video games publisher Activision, Call of Duty: Black Ops, the latest version in the war game series Call Of Duty has been the biggest launch in the history of entertainment.

Big and bold claims for sure considering the powerhouse that is the movie and TV worlds but it is hard to argue with the figures.

The latest instalment is called Call of Duty: Black Ops and Activision say that it has earned a whopping $360 million in its opening day…yes, that is day, in North America and the UK alone.

5.6 million copies were sold beating the previous holder of the record, coincidently the previous game in the series Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which sold 4.7 million copies and earned an almost as staggering $310 million.

Activision’s CEO Bobby Kotick said in a statement that he expects the 5 day sales to top the previous releases $550 million (and yes, that’s over $1/2 billion in 5 days).

Considering Christmas is only just starting to gear up it looks like Activision is going to bust the down turn in a spectacular way.