Is "poke" the new Konami Code? Maybe not literally, but one Electronic Arts executive has hinted that at least one of the gaming behemoth's titles is headed to Facebook, further blurring the line between social-networking applications and the game industry.
In a Bloomberg TV interview, EA Sports President Peter Moore obliquely said, "you'll see us on Facebook, going forward," with regard to its storied "Madden NFL" franchise.
Blogger Nick O'Neill of Social Times quotes someone anonymous saying this does, indeed, mean that there will be a Facebook version of "Madden NFL" (rather than, say, Facebook Connect notifications from the console) and that it will be a "simpler experience" of the original game.
No further information is available thus far, but it's easy to imagine that perhaps more of EA's titles could get a Facebook presence.
EA acquired Playfish, one of the predominant manufacturers of social games on the Facebook platform, for about $300 million late last year. In doing so, it became the first of the gaming industry's titans to really acknowledge the muscle of social games, and now it has a stellar Facebook game development team in its ranks.
But so far, social games have proven to be of a separate vein than their console and PC siblings--unless you count the obvious influence of the "Sim City" franchise on the likes of Zynga's Farmville. Free to play and reliant primarily on the sale of virtual goods, these games have roped in demographics completely different from the young males who propelled "Madden" to success.
Facebook has been the big hub for the rise of these games. But at the same time, social-game manufacturers are pushing to get their titles onto the Web at large--outside of Facebook's confines.
SAN FRANCISCO--The "gospel according to Goldberg." Turns out it can't be found in a local synagogue, Jewish deli, or Rube Goldberg device, though a couple of us puzzling through treasure hunt clues Saturday night were stubbornly stuck on those ideas.
If you're thinking more along the lines of churches and singing nuns, we want you on our team next year.
A card in the window of Noe Valley store Just for Fun, which sells tsotchkes including President Obama religious candles, indicates that sleuths have found the right answer to clue No. 6: "Home of St. Barack."
(Credit: Rafe Needleman/CNET)The Goldberg gospel was just one hint in the Tech Search Party, a semi-geeky scavenger hunt set in San Francisco's Noe Valley and organized to benefit the neighborhood's Alvarado Elementary School, which needs a technology boost. One-third of the classrooms there don't have working computers; many that do work are held together with duct tape, according to Tim Smith, the event's creator.
About 250 people descended on the normally quiet little Noe with flashlights (or flashlight apps) to solve as many clues as possible in two hours and score prizes like Geeknet gift certificates, Electronic Arts games, a date with Kara Swisher of AllThingsD (PR teams only), and, of course, bragging rights.
Smartphones were essential to the endeavor, as Web searches were needed to decipher clues like "cost $45,499 in year of Beverly Cleary's birth" (answer: the San Francisco Library in Noe, which was built in 1916), or 1:3.226 (answer: the grade of the steepest street in San Francisco: 22nd between Church Street and Vicksburg).
My team, the "Noe-it-Alls" (a runner-up for best team name, I might brag), joined 50 other teams with names like "Several Sassy Sleuths," "Is Our Children Learning?" and "Indominable Immersion Mamas" (Alvarado offers language immersion programs).
On hand were family and friends of Alvarado students; random geeks who learned of the event via Twitter or were recruited from lines for the Google and Apple commuter buses that swing through Noe Valley to take employees to work; candidates for San Francisco supervisor; and even Tyler Hinman, winner of the 2009 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. The "Scribble Monkeys" team included CNET's Rafe Needleman of Webware fame and former CNET.com Editor in Chief Steve Fox.
My team consisted of Tom and Rayna, parents of Alvarado students and owners of a Palm Treo and Motorola Q, respectively; Jonathan, who brought along his semi-functional Motorola Razr from 1913; and me, with my little ol' Samsung Alias 2. Needless to say, Rayna and Tom did the Web searching.
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When Microsoft announced last week that it would stop supporting original Xbox games on Xbox Live, some called it an end of an era.
Bungie, the developer behind the Halo series, agrees. And it wants to ensure that Halo 2 doesn't go down without a fight--or at least a proper farewell.
Writing on the Bungie blog, the company expressed regret that Microsoft has decided to discontinue support for Xbox games on its online-gaming platform.
Bungie pointed out that Halo 2, which was originally designed for the first Xbox, "has been at or near the top of the Xbox Live charts for original games since it launched over five years ago."
At the same time, Bungie is planning "one last hoorah," encouraging Halo 2 players to gather online and take on one other during a "final farewell" on April 14.
Although it plans to release more details about how gamers can play Halo 2 via Xbox Live for the last time, it seems that several folks are ready to roll. The post's comments are filled with hundreds of responses from gamers pledging their time to Bungie's event.
Look for more details on Halo 2's sendoff soon. I, for one, will be there.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
The PS3: Still losing money for Sony.
(Credit: Sony)Although PlayStation 3 sales have been on the rise and Sony has a rosy outlook for the console's future, it turns out that the company is still losing money on every PlayStation 3 unit it sells.
According to The Wall Street Journal, which examined Sony's fiscal third-quarter financial performance, the company loses 6 cents on "every dollar of PS3 hardware sales." Considering the PlayStation 3 current retails for $300, we can safely assume then, that the company loses about $18 per unit.
Admittedly, losing money on console sales is typical in the gaming industry. But Sony's losses have been slightly out of the ordinary. Not only has it been going on since launch, but when the console was released, iSuppli estimated that it cost Sony a whopping $805 to build the PS3.
For its part, Sony isn't focusing on the past. Sony Chief Financial Officer Nobuyuki Oneda told the Journal that it plans to cut PS3 production costs by "15 percent in the fiscal year ending March 2011." He said that alone would help the company generate "tens of billions of yen."
At least Sony is moving in the right direction. In December, iSuppli, a company that guesses at the cost of building game consoles and other products, said that Sony was losing about $37 per PS3 unit in production costs. If it's losing $18 now, the company seems to be on track to making the PS3 profitable in the near future.
Regardless, Sony's console has enjoyed a resurgence of sorts over the past few months as the device's more affordable price tag has prompted some to pick one up. But once each of those sales turns a profit for Sony, you can bet the company will finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
Microsoft said on Friday that it plans to discontinue support for playing original Xbox games on its online service.
In a blog posting, Microsoft's Marc Whitten said that after April 15, users of the Xbox Live service will no longer be able to play titles like Halo 2 that were created for the first Xbox console.
"This isn't a decision we made lightly, but after careful consideration, it is clear this will provide the greatest benefit to the Xbox Live community," Whitten said. "And as we look down the road, we'll continue to evolve the service with features and experiences that harness the full power of Xbox 360. To reach our aspiration, we need to make changes to the service that are incompatible with our original Xbox v1 games."
Whitten said Microsoft will be reaching out directly to those affected by the change.
In the note, Whitten referenced the company's work to support the upcoming Project Natal add-on that will bring gesture and voice recognition to the Xbox 360 when it makes its debut later this year.
"We'll share more details soon, but in the meantime I want to assure you that the best is yet to come for Xbox Live," he said. "I believe we'll look back on 2010 as a landmark year in gaming and home entertainment, and I couldn't be more excited about what we have in store."
Are you the sort of person for whom "American Idol" just doesn't do it any more?
Do you crave the days when "Ally McBeal" at least brought a smile to your lips with its unisex toilet? Is your DVR merely populated by countless repeats of "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" (which doesn't seem all that hard, frankly), put there by your louche, pot-smoking lover?
Well, then, please allow me to save your life.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, game company Oberon Media has somehow found something in common with both the Tetris Company and the Dish Network. The three of them have formed a digital barbershop ensemble to bring you the pleasure of playing Tetris on your TV.
Tetris is truly a game that enjoys much enthusiasm amongst certain humans.
(Credit: CC K Steudel/Flickr)For a mere $2.99 a month--yes, less than you'd pay for a decent ice cream--you can try to control little bricks that are dropping down your plasma at increasing speeds. You can spend whole evenings finally believing that Tetris is, indeed, larger than life; larger, even, than Jay Leno's head.
And let us not forget that scientists are firm in their belief that Tetris improves the functions of your brain, not merely your finger ligaments.
Because I can already feel a certain moisture gathering around your face, may I tell you that there will be two different Tetrises available: the 15-level Marathon and, for those who really feel they have much to prove to society, 40 Lines, a version in which you have to get rid of 40 lines before your louche lover realizes just how low her man's life has sunk.
Given that this monthly subscription costs a mere fraction of what it would cost to view just one pornographic movie, I feel sure that this can only be the beginning of a vast, new and much-needed frontier for television.
Last year, Sega announced that it was working on Project Needlemouse, its code name for a reinvention of the popular Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. After a long wait, Sega has finally unveiled that Project Needlemouse is in fact, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. (See embedded video.)
Unlike Sonic's more recent 3D (mis)adventures, Sega's next Sonic game is a direct follow-up to Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which launched on the Sega Genesis back in 1994.
According to Sega associate brand manager Ken Balough, who recently sat down with GameSpot to talk about the game, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 will pick up after Sonic & Knuckles. Like its predecessors, the game will be in 2D.
The Wii and PlayStation 3 versions of the game will support motion, thanks to the Wii Remote and Sixaxis controller, respectively. The Wii version will run in 480p, while the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions will run in full 1080p.
Sonic 4 will stay true to its roots, Balough assured. He said spin dash and power sneakers will be available in the game. The title's music will be "very familiar tempos and styles of music that resonates with 16-bit games but also has a modern appeal."
Now, before you run to Gamestop to preorder Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1, Sega has revealed that it will be available by download only on all three major consoles this summer. It has yet to announce a price or exact launch date.
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
(Credit:
EA)
For a 10-year-old, The Sims has had quite a lifetime.
Launched on February 4, 2000, The Sims has proven one of the industry's most enduring and popular game franchises. Offering players the ability to live a virtual life, the game has launched a slew of sequels, traveled to different countries, and rewarded Electronic Arts with $2.5 billion in sales.
The Sims, Sims 2, Sims 3, and its various other spin-offs are available on a variety of platforms, including PCs, Macs, game consoles, portable devices, and smartphones. The original game can now be found in 60 different countries and 22 languages.
The Sims has also proven popular among social-networking sites, says EA, with its own pages on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and YouTube, adding up to a following of around 1 million people.
"The success of The Sims is something gamers and the gaming business as a whole can be proud of, said Rod Humble, who heads the EA Play label, in a statement. "The future of The Sims is going to be a lot of fun; it is rare for an entertainment franchise to be gaining momentum a decade after release, so this is a particularly pleasant moment for everyone who has worked on the games."
The Sims has caught on, believes EA, not just because it's fun and quirky, but because it gives people the ability to create and control another life for themselves, complete with families, friends, and a whole new virtual world.
The franchise has also kept up with the times, as The Sims 3 offers a green-friendly environment in which players can grow their own food and use a Toyota Prius hybrid to travel around town.
To celebrate the Sims' anniversary, EA is offering a few free gifts and special promotions for all Sims fans at its Sims Web site.
A virtual Windows 7 running on the iPad.
(Credit: Citrix)Citrix Systems claims that it can help users run a virtual installation of Windows 7 on the Apple iPad, when the tablet device is released later this year.
Writing in a blog post on the company's site, Chris Fleck, the company's vice president of Community and Solutions Development, said those companies that use either of the company's desktop virtualization platforms, XenDesktop or XenApp, will be able to use Windows 7 from the iPad.
"It turns out [that] the 9.7-inch display on the iPad, with a 1024x768[-pixel] screen resolution, works great for a full [virtual desktop infrastructure] XenDesktop," Fleck wrote on the Citrix blog.
Fleck went on to say that any Windows application will "run unmodified and securely in the data center." It will even allow for users to use multiple applications at once--a major sticking point with Apple's iPad software.
It should be noted that Windows 7 can't be directly installed on the iPad. Citrix's software runs Windows from a server and simply displays it on the iPad. In other words, the service is a thin client, not a full-fledged Windows 7 installation.
"The iPad looks to be an ideal end-point device that can empower users to be productive wherever they are," Fleck wrote, "and IT will be able to safely deliver company-hosted virtual desktops and apps without worry."
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
The folks at NeilCurtis.com noticed something rather interesting about Steve Jobs' latest address last week before a packed crowd to announce the iPad: he and the other presenters used a lot of positive adjectives to describe the "incredible," "beautiful," and "amazing" product.
To illustrate that, the team at NeilCurtis.com edited together the descriptors presenters used during the press event. The video, which runs for about three minutes, "is the sum of the most important words" spoken at the event, a message reads before the clips start.
Although it might seem a little ridiculous when you first hear it (surely no one can use that many words of praise to describe a product, right?), the video's preparers claim that no scene in the video was repeated (it progresses in chronological order) and every word uttered in the clip was said at Apple's latest address, and was not taken from another event.
Check it out the fun video below.
(Via Mashable)
Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
