Ever wondered exactly how much the little bits and pieces within the Kinect cost, compared to the $150 you paid at the store for it? Well according to UBM TechInsights, which happened to take the Kinect apart piece by piece and analyze every single part that goes into making the Kinect what it is. As it turns out, the Kinect packs $56 worth of hardware with the most expensive bit being a $17 PrimeSense motion detection system that includes the cameras, processor, and microphones all in one figure.
While this would seem that the Kinect is giving Microsoft quite a large profit every time one is sold, it actually is far from it. There are no official figures to go off of but we can easily estimate that, while still making some sort of profit, the actual figure is much lower. The shipping cost of each unit, the labor cost of each one (even in a factory of machines it requires maintenance), the no doubt long and expensive development phase to name a few. But perhaps one of the most expensive price tag will rest in the marketing category. Especially considering everywhere you look there is Kinect marketing. Plus the fact that every new piece of technology released is essentially starting in a hole as far as profit is concerned thanks to the pre-market costs.
With the New Release date pushed foward, Info found here
This date is ALSO United states. I saw it with my own eyes at the Gamestop I work at. No surprise really after my conspiracy article found here
There is a complete track and car list that have been released. As many know there are over 1000 cars. That is a lot of rubber and aluminum. From the list that I have, there are 71 tracks and 1032 cars in the game. Here is a complete list of the tracks;
Fuji Speedway F
Fuji Speedway GT
Suzuka Circuit
Suzuka Circuit East Course
Superspeedway – Daytona
(Daytona International Speedway)
Road Course – Daytona
(Daytona International Speedway)
Tsukuba Circuit
Circuit de la Sarthe 2009
Circuit de la Sarthe 2009 (No Chicane)
Circuit de la Sarthe 2005
Circuit de la Sarthe 2005 (No Chicane)
Nürburgring Nordschleife
Nürburgring 24h
Nürburgring GP/F
Nürburgring GP/D
Nürburgring typeV
Superspeedway – Indy
(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
Road Course – Indy
(Indianapolis Motor Speedway)
Autodromo Nazionale Monza
Autodromo Nazionale Monza No Chicane
The Top Gear Test Track
Laguna Seca Raceway
High Speed Ring
High Speed Ring / Reverse
Cape Ring
Cape Ring Inside
Cape Ring Periphery
Cape Ring North
Cape Ring South
Autumn Ring
Autumn Ring / Reverse
Autumn Ring Mini
Autumn Ring Mini / Reverse
Deep Forest Raceway
Deep Forest Raceway / Reverse
Grand Valley Speedway
Grand Valley Speedway / Reverse
Grand Valley East Section
Grand Valley East Section / Reverse
Trial Mountain Circuit
Trial Mountain Circuit / Reverse
London
London / Reverse
Rome
Rome / Reverse
Circuito de Madrid
Circuito de Madrid / Reverse
Circuito de Madrid Mini
Circuito de Madrid Mini / Reverse
Tokyo R246
Tokyo R246 / Reverse
Special Stage Route 5 / Night
Special Stage Route 5 / Reverse / Night
Clubman Stage Route 5 / Night
Clubman Stage Route 5 / Reverse / Night
Special Stage Route 7 / Night
Côte d’Azur
Eiger Nordwand Short Track
Eiger Nordwand Short Track / Reverse
Eiger Nordwand K Trail
Eiger Nordwand K Trail / Reverse
Eiger Nordwand G Trail
Eiger Nordwand G Trail / Reverse
Eiger Nordwand W Trail
Eiger Nordwand W Trail / Reverse
Chamonix Main
Chamonix East
Chamonix West
Chamonix Mini
Toscana
Toscana / Reverse
Those dont really matter as much as the cars right? It is a heck of a long list. You could be scrolling for days. I will only list the car names im excited for and other people I know are excited for.
Camaro SS
Camaro Z28
DeLorean S2 ’04
Viper Srt ’10
Enzo Ferrari ’02
Interceptor Mk 3 ’74
Eclipse GT ’06
GTO Twin Turbo ’95
Did I spot the car from “Back to the Future” and “Mad Max” in there? Oh yes you did. Polyphony Digital knows how to salute to the classics. Dust off the ol’ prologue folks. Its going to be a long two weeks.
With the extreme popularity of Rovio’s Angry Birds it is only logical that they try to step beyond just the mobile iPhone and Android. That looks exactly like what will be happening. At the first ever Social Gaming Summit, Rovio’s CEO Peter Vesterbacka confirmed that the “PSN, Wii, and Xbox” versions of the very popular game are already in the works and on the way.
He also stated at the same conference that when these new versions are released that it will mark a new dawn for the Angry Birds franchise. What this most likely means is that we won’t be seeing any direct sequel to the game until these ports are finished. Though one can expect that there will be even more Angry Birds to be coming in the future, more of a direct sequel than a holiday spinoff such as the Halloween version we saw in October.
One of Activision’s key franchises just saw a new title release this week, Call of Duty: Black Ops. Surely to make a metric buttload of cash and sales, this is no surprise. However, one may remember not so long ago, when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 launched, it didn’t sell as much on PC. Not surprising to be honest, while FPS are certainly better suited to PC’s, not everybody has the know how or pockets deep enough to fund such an endeavor in order to play PC games.
But that wasn’t good enough for Activision. They wanted to hear from the fans themselves as to why the PC release didn’t sell so much. Was it DRM? Was it subpar porting? Was it shoddy controls? Lack of people to play multiplayer with? They simply had to know. So if you are looking for a place to post a serious question with intent on getting serious and informative thoughts on the subject, what one place do you want to post on that you KNOW you will get only the highest quality repsonses and insight? That’s right, 4chan!
So Activision asked, and so 4chan hath spoken. Dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are scientifically proven to be awesome. Even if they don’t fit at all into the subject matter, the addition of dinosaurs in a game will reveal marked improvement in not only sales but overall quality. Take one of the most successful and widely known gaming franchises in freaking HISTORY, Mario. All those Yoshi’s proved so successful that they even spawned their own spin off franchise. Now take Call of Duty, hardly any dinosaurs! You do the math Activision, you freakin need to add them dinosaurs, pronto!
As great a game as Call of Duty: Black Ops is, I have yet to hear about any dinosaurs. Activision needs to seriously step up it’s game and start listening to what the fans, the very people who have made the franchise so successful, want. Unless they begin taking advice from the fans, Activision only serves to lose its hardcore fanbase, as 4chan has proven to be.
Sony has final confirmed that Gran Turismo 5 will, absolutely most definitively, be released in the UK on Wednesday November 24th. Yes that’s right on the 24th November that’s only 2 weeks away!
Polyphony Digital president Kazunori Yamauchi said sometime last week that the game has gone into production, which to be honest points in the direction that the game was going to be released soon.
So for all the Gran Turismo fans out there the 24th can’t come soon enough and I am sure this news is Christmas come early for some of and the game should more likely be worth the wait and won’t fail to disappoint.
Game Name:Goldeneye 007 Platform(s): Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii (Reviewed) Publisher(s):Activision Developer(s):Eurocom Genre(s): Action, Shooter Release Date: November 2nd, 2010 (US) Price: $49.99 (Game Only) 69.99 (Bundled Version with Golden Classic Controller)
On August 25th, 1997, the first person shooter changed forever with the release of Goldeneye for the Nintendo 64. Sure the story was great, but most gamers remember that title for the gameplay as paved the way for multi-player shooters we all bank hours into today. With an interesting cast, crazy modes, and a perfectly balanced control scheme many consider the original Goldeneye to be one of the best games of all time. Over 13 years later, Eurocom have developed a brand new Goldeneye, this time for the Nintendo Wii. With a mix of fan service and updated graphics and gameplay, Goldeneye 007 has been one of this years most anticipated titles. How does it stand up? Here is my review.
Story
The main story in the game is based off the Goldeneye movie, just like the classic Goldeneye. Now there are some differences to point out with this though. Of course the graphics are now heavily updated (which I will touch on in a bit) as well as the sound, but the main difference in the story is the 2010 vibe that is given off.
First thing I should mention is that this Bond is of course not Pierce Brosnan, but instead the current Bond actor, Daniel Craig. Now I didn’t care for this all that much. Daniel Craig does an awesome job as Bond, don’t get me wrong, but in a game where nostalgia and fan service seem to be first priority, this was a small let down for me. I should explain this better though to paint a picture of how this even effects the story.
When you are in the story mode, accomplishing missions, fighting the Russians, ect., the whole game’s atmosphere can easily suck you in to that same feeling from the classic, but when a cutscene appears showing Daniel Craig instead of Pierce Brosnan, I was sucked back from my nostalgic 1997 feeling instantly. This was mainly just a personal preference, but either way nostalgia should not be used when going into the story mode is what I ultimately had to learn though, and once I got over that detail, the game took off for me.
The other updates to the story are mainly bringing present-day culture into the game, such as technology and other gadgets the classic version could never dream of having. I did like this a lot and along with the many cutscenes in the game, everything is easy to follow and the top notch writing bring out the characters in the present day setting well. The new voice work also adds a lot of depth to each personality portrayed.
Gameplay
The heart and soul of Goldeneye is meant to be the gameplay. Controls are very important in any Bond title, and with a name like Goldeneye, they need to live up to the standards that tag carries. I was very pleased with how Eurocom did the whole scheme as new players and old fans can each have a more personalized feel in this re-imagining. Players can choose from the Wii-Mote and Nunchuck, Classic Controller, Wii Zapper or the Gamecube controls to use their character or Bond Himself. I played with all of these, and while they all work fine, the classic controller stands miles above the other options.
With the dual sticks, controlling Bond or your multiplayer character of choice has never been easier. Each gun controls about the same as the next, but zooming in, cycling through weapons, and even the the added ability to now charge at enemies all is pulled off with ease and feels like many shooters of today such as Call of Duty and even the Halo series in some ways. The Wii-Mote does have a bit of an advantage with head-shots I noticed, but the classic controller just made the game more fun for me overall.
In story mode, missions are made where you can go back and get anything you might have missed during your first run, which should add a lot more value to the title for speed runners or perfectionists. Enemy AI is about standard fare for a current shooter, but it all seemed to work well. Enemies are smart enough to sense your presence which adds to the much needed stealth portion of the game. You can try to just charge through each level, but you won’t get very far as strategy is really needed to not cause alarm in many areas or you can easily surround yourself with enemies. I know this all too well now, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
The standard shooting/stealth style gameplay is used throughout most of the story mode, but Goldeneye does switch it up from time to time. Bond is equipped with a smart-phone, allowing the ability to hack into computers and shut off security systems or perform several objectives in missions. The best part of story mode though is some of the events that happen on the fly, throwing the player right into a huge action sequence. From hopping on a motorcycle and shooting soldiers out of an airplane to running from rockets being blasted at you while escaping a burning building, every one of these events is action packed and feel as if they were ripped straight out of a movie. Not only are these one of the funnest features in the story, but they also happen smoothly and with no hiccups and actually require timing and skill rather quick-time button presses like many current action games use. The story does have it’s slow moments from time to time, like walking for instance without weapons for cutscene-like story progression. These took a bit out of the fast pace of some of the story mode but I felt the action sequences balanced it out well enough.
Difficulty is a big factor of how you play the game as well. With four difficulties, the one I should boast most about is the Classic 007 Mode. This mode does not let your health recharge (a problem I didn’t really notice too much, but I have several others did not like) and makes you keep an eye out for armor to restore health while in missions. This may sound a bit harder, but it actually encourages much more stealth and thought to be put into the game, and this difficulty in all honesty is one of the factors in the game that fans of the classic will enjoy most as it feels the closest to how the original was done. Replay value with these difficulties goes up incredibly and can turn the single player mode on it’s head providing a completely different experience.
Multiplayer
In the classic Goldeneye, split-screen multiplayer was the backbone of the game’s success in my opinion and this game does recapture the feeling of that, mostly anyway. Many of the classic multiplayer options have returned, such as Golden Gun, Conflict Mode (which is standard elimination-based multiplayer), and many other modes along with quite a few new maps that have been added in as well as some returning remakes of beloved favorites. Local multiplayer also brings many ways to play as well to fully modify your experience much like the original, such as paintball mode, you only live twice, and 14 other variants that can be added at will.
There are over 40 characters to choose from, each with a different weapon loadout. Many returning faces are in the mix as well, such as Oddjob, Natalya, and several classic characters. The only thing I missed really for local multiplayer was the ability to switch the weapons to Mines only and some of the classic weapons are no longer present, but the huge loadout options letting you personalize your character of choice made up most of that completely.
Online Multiplayer is a blast to play and one of the Wii’s best offerings in that area period. Using the classic “hosting” method, this works about the same as local multiplayer except without the modifiers. Players can also earn experience and level up their characters, unlocking more ways to play online such as the Classic 007 mode as well as a couple other locked modes. The leveling system works great and I spent quite a few hours in different match types with hardly any lag experienced. The only downside is if the host quits, the game comes to an end. This is a problem that can be very frustrating. Other than that though, I spent a lot of my time with the game online and it was a rewarding and fun experience 9 times out of 10 for me, so this feature is where the game shines the brightest.
Graphics/Audio
The graphics look great for Wii standards, but the models to me are the most impressive part visually. For instance Daniel Craig’s model looks exactly like the actor and in all cutscenes the characters dialogue matched well with the spoken voice work. Each location is polished to near perfection, but I did feel some of the textures were a little plain in certain areas of the game. Certain maps are more detailed than others, but it is really hard to pay attention to the walls being perfectly detailed anyway as the action and music seems to take the forefront of the experience.
Speaking of music, I found the soundtrack to be excellent. Goldeneye is constantly playing melodies throughout the story mode, and this is pulled off without a hitch and gives each area a level of atmosphere throughout the whole game. If you are a fan of the classic, you will hear many familiar themes play and as the action picks up, so does the intensity of the music, making it easy to get pulled into the gameplay and onto the edge of your seat. The opening cutscene with the credits rolling truly set the mood for the whole game and instead of getting poorer in quality, the game stayed on that platform the whole way through. Sound effects all sound as they should, but voice acting is another element that added a lot of depth to the story and helped make it feel fresh and modern. Judi Dench and Daniel Craig as well as all of the other voice talent included did a spectacular job at giving each character a personality. I was honestly surprised at the level presentation value that went into the title, but it was all welcome as it added that much more depth to each element of gameplay.
Overall
If you are buying Goldeneye 007 to get the same experience as the Nintendo 64 version offered, this game is not for you. While it does recapture a lot of feel for the original in different ways, all of the work to modernize the classic more or less made it a whole new experience, which is not a bad thing. Multiplayer is still just as fun as it was 13 years ago, but with the added online mode, it was hard for me to put down the controller. Goldeneye does accomplish one thing that the previous version did as well, and that was to show off the full potential of the platform it was made for. With the different control schemes and sharp and smooth visuals, this game should set a blueprint for future first person shooters on the console and how they should play. Add in the high grade single player mode a spectacular in-game soundtrack, and this in my opinion is the first person shooter to own on the Wii.
It’s a week before the hotly anticipated Bit.Trip Fate releases on the European Wii Shop Channel, but until then, here’s this week’s Nintendo downloads:
Cruise Party (WiiWare: Enjoy Gaming, 800 Wii Points)
Enjoy Your Massage!(WiiWare: Microforum, 500 Wii Points)
And so concludes this week’s goings-on WiiWare and DSiWare-wise. Is anybody picking any of these up? Or are all your eyes so fixated on Bit.Trip Fate coming next week that nothing else could convince you to part with your precious Wii Points?
If you do decide to pick one or more of these up, do let us know what you think of it/them.
Com2uS has great news for all its fans worldwide !!
As a part of their amazing line-up of iPhone/iPod Touch games coming in 2011, BETA testing will begin very soon for ‘Inotia3 : Children of Carnia’.
‘Inotia3 : Children of Carnia’ is the third sequel of Inotia series. ‘Inotia’ Series has been one of the most popular RPG games on the Apple iPhone.
For the all of those who missed out on applying for Com2us’ previous beta testings or previews, here’s your chance once again to get in on a sneak preview of what Com2uS has to offer.
To be eligible to enter, follow the steps in the image below.
A little over two years ago, de Blob showed up on the Nintendo Wii, bringing a bit of color and innovative gameplay to gamers across the world. Blue Tongue Entertainment and THQ have now released a new trailer a bit of info on what to expect for the sequel, de Blob 2.
First up is for the Playstation 3 version, the title will fully support the Playstation Move as well as supporting 3D televisions for both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. The game will also be making it’s debut on the Nintendo DS and returning to it’s original platform of the Nintendo Wii.
Here is a bit of information from the new launched website which can be found at this link about the story:
Blob’s origins are mysterious, but he rolled up at the right place and the right time to be the hero that the Color Underground was looking for. Music surrounds him and color energy flows through him; with his touch Blob can literally make the world a better place.
Blob represents individuality and determination. Blob is good hearted but lazy. He is often late, but he always comes through.
de Blob 2 puts you in a colorless world thanks to the evil Comrade Black, and it is up to you to gain the color back in the city by sapping it off Paintbots and Paint Pools, restoring the color as you move through the very visually stimulating game. Everything is looking great in this game from the more polished look of the gameplay to the newly enhanced graphics for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. de Blob 2 rolls out to consoles on February 22nd in the U.S. and February. You can check out the new screenshots and trailer below.
It’s an answer to a lot of small problems, that Microsoft hopes will keep their controller in the market, for years to come. While they go about phasing out old model XBOXs for the new (new) ‘slim’ model, the new controller was also revealed this week, in a design decision that was apparently rooted in ‘covert operations’, the military and all round functionality for core players.
With what is apparently a transforming DPAD (it can be flipped over or rotated to the back), Microsoft hopes this puts to rest the issues between the “plus” design and the current shallow platter. Since day one, many gamers have complained that the design of the concave platter is not specific enough over the up,down,left,right of a literal cross or ‘plus’ design. It may seem like a mute point for some, but now Microsofts’ Industrial Designer John Ikeda says they are offering both options at once:
“Those two d-pads, all things under the hood being equal, they’re still not equal because what you’re touching, what you’re holding, what you’re pressing – that’s different,” Ikeda says. “Depending on the content you play, you’re going to want one or the other. There’s no ‘This d-pad is right for all things.’ Depending on how you use the d-pad, there might be a different d-pad for you.”
“We had several other ideas of how we could accomplish this, but we had some pretty tough metrics that we were measuring ourselves against,” Ikeda says. “One, it had to be simple. You can do removable parts and junk like that, but we really wanted this to be something that the user could do really simply that would never ever interfere with gameplay. We also wanted it to be very robust. It had to last a long time.”
Ikeda goes on to defend that thumb sticks, even though reportadly people will cut off the little grip nubs or wear them down completely. By keeping them as well as deepening the pressure point, Microsoft hopes it sticks to your thumb for maximum effect. As for the lack of colour and muted, grey over-tones, Microsoft may be finally phasing out the colour coded cuteness as well:
“The attitude we had with this was the ABXY buttons are [labeled] and color-coded. That’s for usability. That’s something that we do on all our products,” he continues. “But this new gamepad isn’t for people learning how to play games. This is for the person who’s already customized their controller. They already know that thing forward and backward, left and right. So we want to keep that looking professional and part of that is taking the colors off of the ABXY buttons. They’re still clearly marked, but if you really need to look down to know which color A is then you’re probably not a core gamer.”
“We’ve got a lot of mixed receptions on our current thumbstick. Some people really like those little nubs that we have, those little bumps on them. Those aren’t really for direction. Those are really just for grip,” Ikeda says. “For some people those bumps are really annoying…We’ve heard other people say that they cut them off. We’ve found that other people rub them off on purpose. And we have other people say that when you lose them and you don’t have any grip it kind of sucks, too.”
“So what we tried to do with the new thumb stick is give you that little lip, that little edge, and that little concave, so it still sucks your thumb down a little better,” he says. “You get a little more ‘sticktion.’ That’s kind of a word we use for not stickiness, but friction.”
Microsoft has a habit of continually updating their product in an ever expanding market, which is good, but can also leave the customer confused as to which product is actually the best:
“What I’m really interested to see is once this gets out there and a lot of people have them then, yeah, if it’s something that users are really finding helps improve their gamepad experience, yeah, I would hope to see it in other devices,” Ikeda says. “And along the same tracks we’re always looking at stuff on the gamepad. As long as we make games that need gamepads we will always be looking at improving the gamepad. The day the game studios say, ‘Look, we’re not going to make those kinds of games anymore.’ Then okay, that’s the day I’ll stop looking at this.”
