Video game industry thread: this one filled up fast. Go to the new one.

Henroid

The iPhone can't even compete really against full-fledged gaming devices. It doesn't have shoulder buttons or a d-pad or analog. It's touch screen. That's one button.

But I guess that's why he praises it as the new gaming device. He's used to having one button to click.

MAC JOKE HEEYYOOOOOOOOOO

Bionic Monkey

cloudeagle wrote: »

Goddamn that guy sounds like a total tool. There's better ways to bring up the "the iPhone is affecting mobile gaming" issue without being a complete jackass about it.

But then he wouldn't be a mac fan.

cloudeagle

Bionic Monkey wrote: »

cloudeagle wrote: »

Goddamn that guy sounds like a total tool. There's better ways to bring up the "the iPhone is affecting mobile gaming" issue without being a complete jackass about it.

But then he wouldn't be a mac fan.

See, I'm a big fan of my iPhone and have been impressed by the gaming on it, and I STILL think the dude's a tool.

mntorankusu

UncleSporky wrote: »

Well, it does sort of make sense. What they're saying is true. With 3D glasses you can move all over the place and it always looks right.

Actually, that's not true. If you tilt your head left or right, then the stereo images become "misaligned"-- your eyes can only converge them horizontally, so when they don't match up horizontally in your eyesight, the 3D effect is broken. Also, aside from that, looking at 3D images from the wrong angle tends to make them look flat, since the image is only correct when you're looking at it from roughly the same angle at which it's being shot.

So, sure, you probably have a little more leeway with glasses than with the parallax barrier thing, but in every case, you only get the best results with 3D when looking at it straight on.

Henroid

The only solution is for every device to no longer have a screen attached to it, and it instead broadcasts the image to a pair of glasses you wear. That way, it can never be out of alignment or anything.

People get tunnel vision with this sort of thing anyhow.

Opty

slash000 wrote: »

The Ipod/Iphone is certain eating into that extremely casual gaming market. But there's still a market for bigger, better games than the majority of the games on the iPhone/Touch.

And IMO both Nintendo and Sony have "responded" already -- Nintendo has DSiWare and Sony has PSP Minis. You know, the "quick-turnaround or low-development costs" that the article mentions.

Yes these are more restricted than the Apple system, but honestly, this not meant to be nearly that open. The App store is kind of a mess.

Well to be fair, the PSPMinis and DSiWare require their respective console's dev kits while to dev for iPhone/iPod Touch you just need a Mac and $100. So until Nintendo or Sony make up some sort of Indie service for their handhelds, the iPhone/Android/etc have a lower barrier of entry for development.

Athenor

So I take it everyone's seen Sony's new ad? The one they have in heavy rotation?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEIj-wsUinc

Yeah.. I know they are trying to make those glasses look cool, but that particular vid makes them look even worse than the ad does on TV (where it's been playing at least once every episode of Futurama on Comedy Central).

Say what you will about Nintendo, limitations, and all that. I, for one, don't want to go down the route of these glasses becoming standard. I'm willing to custom-make some Real3d glasses or something for when I go to the theater, it's not like it is hard.. but those big things... yeaaah.


I think the real advantage of doing the 3DS route is that you can re-position the screen if things aren't lined up just right, or you can turn it off if you are in situations where your position is going to change frequently (like on the bus).

But then again, I'm a Nintendo fanboy/apologist, so.

mntorankusu

Henroid wrote: »

The only solution is for every device to no longer have a screen attached to it, and it instead broadcasts the image to a pair of glasses you wear. That way, it can never be out of alignment or anything.

People get tunnel vision with this sort of thing anyhow.

My greatest wish is for Nintendo to put out the VIRTUAL BOY 2, with color, head-tracking, and good graphics. And also it should be usable this time.

I love HMDs

Couscous

Sony managed to make the glasses seem even less cool.

Santa Claustrophobia

mntorankusu wrote: »

UncleSporky wrote: »

Well, it does sort of make sense. What they're saying is true. With 3D glasses you can move all over the place and it always looks right.

Actually, that's not true. If you tilt your head left or right, then the stereo images become "misaligned"-- your eyes can only converge them horizontally, so when they don't match up horizontally in your eyesight, the 3D effect is broken. Also, aside from that, looking at 3D images from the wrong angle tends to make them look flat, since the image is only correct when you're looking at it from roughly the same angle at which it's being shot.

So, sure, you probably have a little more leeway with glasses than with the parallax barrier thing, but in every case, you only get the best results with 3D when looking at it straight on.

Pfft. Nobody watches TV lying on their side. It never happens.

Glal

Re: Sony commercial, couldn't they at least come up with a design for the glasses that looks at least mildly appealing? If you wouldn't be caught dead wearing them outside I don't see why they would be attractive to people inside.

Shadowfire

UncleSporky wrote: »

Henroid wrote: »

Why would you be looking at a handheld screen from an angle, Sporky? What possible conceivable reason is there, where you aren't able to hit pause if you're pre-occupied for a moment?

It depends on the angle you're talking about. We just don't know yet. Ballpark, I probably play the DS at up to a 4 degree variance in all directions and axes, all depending on if I'm sitting or lounging or lying down. Right now I'm playing Professor Layton tilted slightly downward so the ceiling light doesn't reflect into my eyes. Is that going to break it? No idea. I have to reserve judgment until I can play it.

Some people say it's great and easy to maintain the effect, some people say it might be hard to play in a vehicle, some say it breaks just with the natural shaking of your arms. Who knows?

I was reasonably certain that the folks at E3 were saying that you could tilt it up and down all you wanted, but side to side was a bit finicky.

Henroid wrote: »

I really have to wonder what the big deal is with people wanting mobile devices to become competitors with handheld gaming devices.

One device in my pocket rather than two? One small device in my pocket? I mean I love my DS, but it doesn't get much play time since I can't carry it with me to work to play on my break. On the other hand my iPhone (and now Incredible) are already there so a game or two on there is nice.

slash000 wrote: »

The Ipod/Iphone is certain eating into that extremely casual gaming market. But there's still a market for bigger, better games than the majority of the games on the iPhone/Touch.

And IMO both Nintendo and Sony have "responded" already -- Nintendo has DSiWare and Sony has PSP Minis. You know, the "quick-turnaround or low-development costs" that the article mentions.

Yes these are more restricted than the Apple system, but honestly, this not meant to be nearly that open. The App store is kind of a mess.

The app store is a mess, and it's too bad. Honestly, the whole store needs to be redesigned, and I almost wonder if Apple should get even more restrictive to prevent a lot of the shit on the store from clogging up the tubes. The first point is, I believe, the market that SquareEnix was attempting to address with Chaos Rings, as well as the upcoming ports of Secret of Mana and FFT: WotL. I'm curious how well Chaos Rings sold, as the other two are all but guaranteed hits.

cloudeagle

Chaos Rings showed up in the charts for white a while, so I think it did just fine.

Henroid

cloudeagle wrote: »

Chaos Rings showed up in the charts for white a while, so I think it did just fine.

Why's it gotta be white?

Couscous

Henroid wrote: »

cloudeagle wrote: »

Chaos Rings showed up in the charts for white a while, so I think it did just fine.

Why's it gotta be white?

White sells better. Pokemon White is going to beat Pokemon Black so badly in sales that it will say that its name is Toby.

I'm sorry.

http://prw.kyodonews.jp/open/release.do?r=201006189844
Sorry for the Engrish translation.

Digital Media, Inc. (Nasdaq: Musashino City, Tokyo, President and CEO Yamamoto Tatsuo, following DMP) is Nintendo's new handheld Nintendo 3DS 3D graphics IP core to the DMP "PICA200" that was adopted announced.

DMP PICA200 is a proprietary 3D graphics extension "MAESTRO technology" is installed. This is by implementing complex shaders in hardware capabilities, high-quality graphics representation of high-end products used in conventional technology in mobile products can be achieved and other handheld that require low power consumption It is.

President and CEO commented DMP Tatsuo Yamamoto:
"We have high goals that Orimashita achieve low power consumption remains high quality graphics representation, such as game consoles and stationary Autostereoscopic. DMP has developed the technology over the years contributed MAESTRO I am very glad to have been. "

# # #

Digital Media, Inc. (DMP) for
Founded in July 2002, DMP is a leading technology companies from Japan, mainly suitable for the embedded market has continued to develop 2D and 3D graphics technology. Covering a wide range of embedded hardware products, including software 3D graphics solutions, we aim to provide new user experience. Khronos OpenGL ES and other group members play a leading role in developing the specification of OpenGL ES is the only Japanese training program. You can get information about DMP http://www.dmprof.com/.

(C) 2010 Digital Media Inc.
DMP, DMP logo, PICA is a registered trademark of Digital Media Corporation.
Nintendo 3DS is a trademark of Nintendo.
Other company names are mentioned product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

The tech apparently goes back to 2006:
http://forum.beyond3d.com/showthread.php?t=32326

Henroid

"that was adopted announced" made me lose my shit for some reason. <_<

If the tech dates back a few years, that means it should already be getting cheaper to produce right?

Couscous

http://www.dmprof.com/release/leaflet_PICA200_en.pdf

"OpenGL ES 1.1 based-shader pipelines"

I have no clue what that means.

ArcSyn

Opty wrote: »

slash000 wrote: »

The Ipod/Iphone is certain eating into that extremely casual gaming market. But there's still a market for bigger, better games than the majority of the games on the iPhone/Touch.

And IMO both Nintendo and Sony have "responded" already -- Nintendo has DSiWare and Sony has PSP Minis. You know, the "quick-turnaround or low-development costs" that the article mentions.

Yes these are more restricted than the Apple system, but honestly, this not meant to be nearly that open. The App store is kind of a mess.

Well to be fair, the PSPMinis and DSiWare require their respective console's dev kits while to dev for iPhone/iPod Touch you just need a Mac and $100. So until Nintendo or Sony make up some sort of Indie service for their handhelds, the iPhone/Android/etc have a lower barrier of entry for development.

The "just need a Mac" still is at minimum $700 for a mac mini. Granted, it's still cheaper than the $2,000 costs that I'm seeing online for a DS dev kit, but when you add in the cost of a mac, it's not as big as a difference. It would be nice to see Nintendo and Sony open up an indie market like Microsoft did.

mspencer

A pipeline is like an assembly line. A series of processes works on something one after the other.

OpenGL is a graphics language (GL) standard.

Shaders are programs that operate on vertex, texture, or color data, and they're usually run by massively parallel engines. Google HLSL for some examples of shader programs.

(Wait, you were joking, weren't you?)

Couscous

A pipeline is like an assembly line. A series of processes works on something one after the other.

So it is like a truck?

I barely understand what OpenGL and shaders are. That specific number is meaningless to me.

"The Maestro functions include the following effects.

1. Lighting Maestro -- includes high-performance per-fragment lighting function and supports various shading models such as Phone, Isotropic/Anisotropic BRDF, and subsurface scattering.


2. Shadow Maestro -- supports Hard and Soft shadowing in real-time


3. Figure Maestro -- reduces the memory bandwidth by generating the fine polygons in the hardware such as NURBS and polygon subdivisions, so the input data size could be minimized.


4. Mapping Maestro -- supports bump mapping and procedural texture, and the procedural texture doesn't need any memory access to make texture image, because the image is generated based on mathematical equation.
"

Fats

mspencer wrote: »

A pipeline is like an assembly line. A series of processes works on something one after the other.

OpenGL is a graphics language (GL) standard.

Shaders are programs that operate on vertex, texture, or color data, and they're usually run by massively parallel engines. Google HLSL for some examples of shader programs.

(Wait, you were joking, weren't you?)

Does ES 1.1 even support programmable shaders? The wiki page makes it sound like it doesn't.

It's an interesting choice to choose a GPU that old.

Couscous

Fats wrote: »

mspencer wrote: »

A pipeline is like an assembly line. A series of processes works on something one after the other.

OpenGL is a graphics language (GL) standard.

Shaders are programs that operate on vertex, texture, or color data, and they're usually run by massively parallel engines. Google HLSL for some examples of shader programs.

(Wait, you were joking, weren't you?)

Does ES 1.1 even support programmable shaders? The wiki page makes it sound like it doesn't.

It's an interesting choice to choose a GPU that old.

It sounds like a fairly decent GPU.

Futuremark demo that always makes it look like a shitty PS1 cutscene like every other futuremark demo does:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3A-xxUyJvQQ

Xaquin

UncleSporky wrote: »

Cade wrote: »

Looks like Mr. types on a Mac in his air conditioned room did a preview last week.

Will Nintendo or Sony respond to Apple?

Mac gamers may roll their eyes when they here of fanboys geeking out for Nintendo or Sony announcements, but Mac gamers have a reason to pay attention this year as well. Apple has quietly started eating into Nintendo and Sony's mobile gaming market but so far the gaming giants haven't responded. Nintendo's various DS launches have had mixed success, so it'll be interesting to see if they double down on the DSi XL or go with something different. Sony's PSP Go is a sad Band-aid trying to heal a mortal wound.

Will Nintendo or Sony open up their platform to third parties the same way Apple has? Or is it too late? Gaming on the iPod and iPhone has become so popular because virtually anyone can use Apple's tools to design and build a game. Nintendo and Sony have used a more conventional development model for their mobile platforms, and while they have higher-end games, neither platform offers the quick-turnaround or low-development costs of Apple's iPhone OS.

Yeah, those fanboys will weep when they here about what Apple has planned. They haven't herd nothing yet.

hahaha

sometimes it only makes trillions a month other times, only gajillions

Spoit

Athenor wrote: »

You know what I'm interested to get opinions on? The analog nub of the 3DS. I've yet to find one I like due to lack of play and the like, but if anyone can pull it off right, Nintendo can.

Did anyone here get hands-on time with it? I know that as a leftie it's gonna be a bitch using that and the stylus at the same time, but I'll deal with that as it comes.

(Also, yay for the 3DS having 4 more buttons than the DS!)

Track down that thread that the_spaniard made, I know that he (at least) had some hands on time with it

lowlylowlycook

I guess that the 360 price cuts have been confirmed as temporary:

Kotaku wrote:

Ask the right questions, get the right answers. An internal marketing Q&A for Microsoft about confirm that Kinect will be bundled with consoles, and a $199 configuration of its new Xbox 360 will be available this fall.

Does this narrow down the price of Kinect to $100-$150?

Fats

Couscous wrote: »

It sounds like a fairly decent GPU.

Futuremark demo that always makes it look like a shitty PS1 cutscene like every other futuremark demo does:

I'm sure they chose it for a reason, but it certainly wasn't what I was expecting. Being 4 years old, I'm impressed that it's still competitive.

Edit: These numbers are mostly meaningless, but everyone likes numbers: the PICA200 has a fill rate of 800M pixels per second, the PowerVR SGX535 (the GPU in the iPhone 3GS, iPad and iPhone 4) falls behind with 500M pixels per second. The PICA200 only does 15.3M triangles per second, though, compared to the SGX535's 28M.

Spoit

Which is why these people suggesting that it'll cost $250, much less 300, are not considering the whole picture. Nintendo has always limited the scope of their components to keep battery life (and price) in check

Sheep

Looks like the 3DS is gonna be easy to develop for.

Opty

ArcSyn wrote: »

Opty wrote: »

slash000 wrote: »

The Ipod/Iphone is certain eating into that extremely casual gaming market. But there's still a market for bigger, better games than the majority of the games on the iPhone/Touch.

And IMO both Nintendo and Sony have "responded" already -- Nintendo has DSiWare and Sony has PSP Minis. You know, the "quick-turnaround or low-development costs" that the article mentions.

Yes these are more restricted than the Apple system, but honestly, this not meant to be nearly that open. The App store is kind of a mess.

Well to be fair, the PSPMinis and DSiWare require their respective console's dev kits while to dev for iPhone/iPod Touch you just need a Mac and $100. So until Nintendo or Sony make up some sort of Indie service for their handhelds, the iPhone/Android/etc have a lower barrier of entry for development.

The "just need a Mac" still is at minimum $700 for a mac mini. Granted, it's still cheaper than the $2,000 costs that I'm seeing online for a DS dev kit, but when you add in the cost of a mac, it's not as big as a difference. It would be nice to see Nintendo and Sony open up an indie market like Microsoft did.

Well you can't just call up Nintendo and order a dev kit. You gotta be a game developer they deem real enough (meaning an actual company, physical location, possibly other games under your belt) for them to even think about selling you one. I don't know if Sony's more or less anal than Nintendo but either way you're going to be out of pocket much more than the dev kit by the time you can actually acquire one.

Even so, I think that opening up an Indie service would do a lot to help fight piracy in that a lot of the drive for cracking the system in the first place is for homebrew applications.

Xenogears of Bore

Sheep wrote: »

Looks like the 3DS is gonna be easy to develop for.

Last hard to develop for Nintendo system was the N64.

Roxtar

Spoit wrote: »

Which is why these people suggesting that it'll cost $250, much less 300, are not considering the whole picture. Nintendo has always limited the scope of their components to keep battery life (and price) in check

So you think they will just price it closer to the DSi price just because? Maybe they will even drop the prices of their other hardware to compete right?! Seriously at this stage the device is practically sold and I would be willing to bet hard cash they will price to take full advantage, at least for the early adopters. Who are they going to be competing with... Sony??? Don't me wrong I would love to pick one up for 200 or less, but I wouldnt be betting on it much less expecting it.

Spoit

Roxtar wrote: »

Spoit wrote: »

Which is why these people suggesting that it'll cost $250, much less 300, are not considering the whole picture. Nintendo has always limited the scope of their components to keep battery life (and price) in check

So you think they will just price it closer to the DSi price just because? Maybe they will even drop the prices of their other hardware to compete right?! Seriously at this stage the device is practically sold and I would be willing to bet hard cash they will price to take full advantage, at least for the early adopters. Who are they going to be competing with... Sony??? Don't me wrong I would love to pick one up for 200 or less, but I wouldnt be betting on it much less expecting it.

$200 is already butting up right against the current price of the Wii, any more and it'd be more than a 360 or PS3, a move I don't think Nintendo is so arrogant to do quite yet. Despite how much noise they make, and how well they're doing with the Wii, Handhelds are Nintendo's core business. It's what's kept them afloat after the SNES.

darleysam

On the 3DS and viewing-angle, i'm assuming that means no 3D hotel dusk-esque sideways holding of the thing. Shame. Also, what with it having gyroscopes in, presumably for games to incorporate movement into their design, I can see how that might cause problems if you want to keep yourself at the right angle.

Couscous

darleysam wrote: »

On the 3DS and viewing-angle, i'm assuming that means no 3D hotel dusk-esque sideways holding of the thing. Shame. Also, what with it having gyroscopes in, presumably for games to incorporate movement into their design, I can see how that might cause problems if you want to keep yourself at the right angle.

Book mode or whatever it is called is impossible with 3D because the 3D requires double the resolution. There is only that resolution horizontally

http://jonpeddie.com/blogs/comments/nintendo-goes-with-dmp-for-s3d-graphics-engine/

Nintendo goes with DMP for S3D graphics engine

Today, DMP announced in Japan that Nintendo has adopted DMP PICA200 for the 3DS.

The new Nintendo 3DS is an amazing little device. The DS has already been a beloved machine attracting over 100 million users since 2004. Not many products (that I can think of, at least) can match that volume of enthusiasm or the customer base. And it’s self perpetuating because the installed base attracts developers which create new games which attracts new consumers – it is a perfect ecosystem.

Nintendo has experimented with S3D for years, starting with the Nintendo Virtual Boy monochrome system, and the company has tried out shutter glasses but lacked the computer horsepower and content to make it compelling. Nintendo has always been willing to try out new technologies, but the company seems aware of the dynamics that Kathleen Maher tries to spell out in her ongoing work on the Practicality Gap (http://www.jonpeddie.com/back-pages/...cticality_gap/). To sum it up in a phrase, Nintendo seems keenly aware that certain pieces of the puzzle must be in place before other pieces will fit.

The company has been investigating various semiconductor and IP suppliers since 2006 having looked at their partner ATI (Wii), ARM (DS), Imagination Technologies, Nvidia, and others. The decision to use DMP’s PICA200 design was made over a year ago and testing and development have been going on for some time; it’s not as easy as it may seem to license a core and integrate it into an SoC and get the costs (die size), power consumption (has to run forever on small batteries), and performance (clocks and memory management) balance. So as you learn more about this device if you wonder why it took them so long, keep all that in mind.

Founded in 2002, DMP, a graphics IP core supplier in Japan, has adopted a business strategy of focusing on the digital consumer market.

DMP first told me about the PICA architecture in early 2005 which was their first IP core based on Ultray architecture. The president and CEO of DMP, Tatsuo Yamamoto, told me then the Ultray allows real-time photo realistic rendering with physically correct lighting and shadowing such as soft shadow casting and position dependent environmental mapping.

Ultray is unique in that it uses hardware parametric engines for certain graphics features rather than shaders. With this approach, clouds, smoke, gas and other fuzzy objects can be shaded and rendered at an interactive rate.

At Siggraph 2005 (LA) DMP revealed in more detail some of their techniques for hair, skin, and gaseous shapes. Yamamoto said then that the Ultray could boast lower power consumption due to hardware pipelines, and smaller number of polygons to achieve high-quality graphics based on pixel-level shading (Phong, BRDF, etc.) vs. vertex-level and polygon subdivision.

So the bottom line is that amazing high-end graphics functions in a low-cost handheld device with stereovision is not only possible, it has arrived. The 3DS graphics has a lot of head room to be further exploited and we’re expecting to be really thrilled to see and play with what Nintendo and its partners have at launch.

You can read more about the PICA architecture here and subscribers can read more in various issues of JPR’s TechWatch. (Volume 5, Number 7, April 11, 2005, p10, Volume 5, Number 15, August 1, 2005, p12, Volume 6, Number 17, August 14, 2006, p19.)

Couscous

http://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/consoles/xbox-360-lifecycle-to-run-to-2015-697742#ixzz0rUV78HGm

No new Xbox until 2015
Kinect and new slim console extends 360's lifespan

New Xbox 360 slim and Kinect extends the console's lifecycle to 2015, claims Microsoft exec

If you're waiting on the next Xbox - the XBox 720, perhaps, you've got a bit of a wait. Microsoft says that the new Kinect controller and the forthcoming launch of a new, slimmer Xbox 360 consoles extends the lifespan of the product through to 2015.

While the company is still to confirm pricing and release details on Kinect, which we expect will arrive at GamesCon in Germany this coming August, Microsoft's European boss Chris Lewis has said that the new controller tech extends the format's lifecycle through to 2015.

Xbox 360 is mid-lifecycle

Lewis told GamesIndustry.biz: "I think 2010 will be a very big year for us, it is in many ways for us mid-lifecycle.

"What you've seen is with this new sleek design and Kinect for Xbox 360 we've got at least another five years of this generation where we continue to offer great experiences for people.

"We continue to attach more games than competitive platforms and we have the healthiest ecosystem with 25 million people connected through Xbox Live. So we are uniquely placed to continue to do really, really well in this business and enjoy ongoing momentum."

HAHAHAHAHAHA

The Xbuffalo roam free while the Xjackrabbits and xroadrunners skitter about

Couscous

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/39682/MS-struggling-with-Kinect-pricing

Outspoken analyst Michael Pachter thinks Microsoft must price new device “close to cost” for maximum impact

Analyst Michael Pachter believes that the reason behind the continued lack of a confirmed RRP for Microsoft’s Kinect motion camera is that the platform holder is still struggling with some aspects of its launch strategy for the device.

Speaking in a note to investors, Pachter noted that he was “less impressed” with both Kinect and Move than he was with Nintendo’s 3DS, adding: “We think unlike the 3DS (which is a truly revolutionary experience), pricing for Kinect and Move will have a profound impact on ultimate sell-through.

“Microsoft did not announce a price point for Kinect. We think that the company is struggling with a pricing strategy, as it is logical to argue that the lifetime value of a customer is quite high, due to the user-friendliness of the device.

“In our view, Microsoft could dramatically expand usage of its 40m Xbox 360 installed base if it could drive Kinect sales to this audience, as we believe that the non-gamers in the typical Xbox 360 household will find Kinect inviting and unintimidating.

“We think that if Microsoft prices Kinect close to cost (which we estimate to be around $70), it will see a very high attach rate, with the potential to drive $200 – 400 in lifetime value from each Kinect household. On the other hand, it is equally logical to charge a very high price for the device, especially if it is expected to be supply-constrained.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/39689/Move-pricing-could-confuse-customers

Michael Pachter thinks multi-SKU approach and mixed requirements of titles could lead to low initial sales

Customers may be left baffled by both the range of accessories needed for the full PlayStation Move experience and the variation of compatibility between titles, according to Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter.

Sony’s PlayStation Move comprises three separate components – the Move Controller, the Navigation Sub-Controller and the PlayStation Eye. Some games will require just the Eye, some the Eye and the Move and some all three.

Add in multiplayer titles to that and the combinations become more confusing – and the cost more intimidating.

“We think that the pricing has the potential to confuse consumers,” Pachter warned. “In order to be safe, consumers wishing to participate in the Move experience will have to purchase the Eye, two Move controllers and the Navigation controller, plus a game.

“If purchased as part of a bundle, the all-in cost to play with Move will approach $180, which we think is beyond the reach of the typical household. We think that Sony’s Move is truly impressive, but remain concerned that initial sales could disappoint.”

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/39678/Kinect-gets-bundled-game

RUMOUR WATCH: Best Buy lists a TBC game in the box for new motion control camera

According to the retail listing for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 Kinect on the US website of Best Buy, the peripheral will come bundled with a free game.

There’s no further details on what the mysterious title will be. The inclusion of Kinect Sports is a real possibility, though Microsoft could instead opt to bundle a demo disc in the box, much like Sony is doing in Europe.

Also included in the box, according to Best Buy, is a power cable, manual and “wi-fi extension cable”.

We’re still waiting for a European price and release date for the accessory.

?

plufim

Interesting to see Pachter changing his stance on Move. He probably realised his hypothetical PS3+Move for $250 package required to beat the Wii is probably well over 5 years away.

A reminder of Pachter's thoughts from about a fortnight ago:

Pachter wrote:

I think that nintendo is going to lose a big chunk of the wii market that exists today to the PS3 and move as soon as sony make a package of PS3 + move competitively priced to the wii. If sony ever gets the price of PS3 + move down to $249, I think the wii has a world of hurt, because sony can say 'look wii owners, if you want to upgrade to full HD, have a bluray player, get all sorts of cool content, and every game made by every publisher is going to be on this thing, you need to upgrade to a PS3 + move. I've always thought sony was going to do this, and I've always thought nintendo would counter by saying 'no, you don't need to change to PS3, we'll give you the same thing with Wii HD, and by the way, it's fully backward compatible with every game we've ever made'. That's pretty compelling, and all the publishers would just say, hey, since we're making games for PS3 and 360, we can just include the wii HD, since it's pretty much just a port. We're making games for natal and move anyway, why not make them for wii HD?

lowlylowlycook

I think that nintendo is going to lose a big chunk of the wii market that exists today to the PS3 and move as soon as sony make a package of PS3 + move competitively priced to the wii.

I agree with this statement.

plufim

I suspect when Pachter said it, he thought it would be something that would happen sooner rather than sometime after the wii2 has probably launched.

Henroid

Why does Pachter speak like he's an emperor or king? "We think" etc.