War of the Consoles - Price Vs Graphic Quality

Peter Nowak, Financial PostPublished: Saturday, March 10, 2007

If there’s one thing the current generation of video game consoles can tell us, it’s that the next generation of games that kids will be playing will be very different. The coming wave -- perhaps five years or more away -- isn’t going to be about nicer graphics; it’s going to be about price and innovation.

Larry Probst, chief executive of the world’s largest video game publisher Electronic Arts, this week predicted Sony’s command of the market is going to slide over the current generation of hardware. Sony won the last round with its PlayStation 2, which accounted for about 60% of the console market, followed by Microsoft with its Xbox and Nintendo with its GameCube.
Sony’s momentum should carry it through the current round with its PlayStation 3, released in November, but it should be a much more level playing field this time around, Mr. Probst says.

That’s because the PS3 is just too expensive compared to its rivals. At $699, the console goes for a considerable premium over Microsoft’s Xbox 360 at $499 and Nintendo’s Wii at $279. Sony has packed a lot of expensive hardware into the console to provide the best graphics on the market, not to mention a Blu-Ray high-definition DVD player, but the success of Microsoft and the Wii indicate gamers want more than games that simply look awesome.

Prior to 2001, Microsoft wasn’t even a player in video game consoles. But with the launch of the Xbox that year, it was obvious the software company wanted to take gaming in a new direction. The Xbox had a hard drive for storage and a built-in broadband connection, both of which enabled the Xbox Live online service. Suddenly, gamers could play against each other online or download updates and expansions to games straight to the console.

The Xbox Live service, which was continued when the 360 launched in November, 2005, has been a tremendous success for Microsoft. The company this week announced it had surpassed six million subscribers, four months ahead of its original forecast.

If anything, the Xbox and the 360 have proven gamers have a real zest for online gameplay. Sony, meanwhile, was caught napping and has been playing catch-up ever since.
Nintendo, which was in Sony’s commanding position in the 1980s and much of the 1990s, went back to the drawing board and came up with a profoundly innovative product. The Wii shuns dazzling graphics in favour of a one-handed motion-sensitive controller that players can wave like a wand or swing like a tennis racket. The console has flown off the shelves and has opened up a world of possibilities in game design. It doesn’t hurt that the Wii is the most attractively priced of the three consoles.

A year ago, Nintendo was being written off as yesterday’s news in the video game console wars, but the company is now firmly back in the thick of things. With Microsoft carving out its online niche with hard-core gamers and Nintendo appealling to casual players, Sony is going to have to go back to the drawing board and figure out where its market is. It’s not beyond the company to do so -- after all, Sony did revolutionize the business with its original PlayStation, which, back in 1994, could play CDs and had vibrating controllers.

But needless to say, the days of steady improvements to graphics for an everhigher price tag are over. The games of tomorrow are going to be something else indeed.

New Career in the University: Expert in Videogames - Nueva Carrera Universitaria: Experto en Videojuegos

Parece mentira, pero al fin crearon la carrera de experto en videojuegos, ¡Ya era Hora! Aqui les va la noticia...

La Universidad de Oviedo inicia el próximo 5 de marzo la primera promoción del título oficial de experto universitario en tecnologías de programación de videojuegos, que se desarrollará en el campus de Barredo, en Mieres, con una duración de 200 horas. Con este curso el centro asturiano se convierte en uno de los primeros a escala nacional en ofrecer este tipo de estudios. El objetivo es formar profesionales competitivos para la industria del ocio electrónico y de otras áreas tecnológicas relacionadas, como la de los simuladores de realidad virtual; fomentar el espíritu emprendedor del estudiante y poner a su alcance conocimientos acerca del funcionamiento interno de la industria a todos los niveles; y poner en contacto al alumnado con las empresas y profesionales de más prestigio del país para favorecer sus posibilidades de contratación. El promotor del curso es el Laboratorio de Software de Entretenimiento y su director, Iván Fernández Lobo.

Now in English:
The University of Oviedo initiates next the 5 of March the first promotion of the official title of university expert in technologies of programming of videojuegos, that will be developed in the campus of Barredo, in Mieres, with a duration of 200 hours. With this course the Asturian center becomes one of the first a climbs national in offering this type of studies. The objective is to form professional competitive for the industry of the electronic leisure and other related technological areas, like the one of the simulators of virtual reality; to foment the enterprising spirit of the student and to put to its reach knowledge about the internal operation of the industry at all the levels; and to put in contact to the pupils with the companies and professionals of more prestige of the country to favor its possibilities of hiring. The promoter of the course is the Laboratory of Software of Entertainment and its director, Iván Fernandez Lobo.

Videogames Online: Massively Addictive?

Mike Smith from Yahoo News

The eight million players of massively multiplayer online game World of Warcraft don't really change the game's world. Even if you spend all night slaying an epic dragon, it'll still be alive again in time for the next team of intrepid adventurers. But in some cases, the compelling, addictive gameplay characteristic of many massively multiplayer games can have devastating impacts on the real worlds of their players.

After World of Warcraft's first expansion pack The Burning Crusade released last month, adding a new continent to the world and a sizable stack of new adventures for players to tackle, we were inundated with tales of Warcraft woe -- stories of broken marriages, ignored friends, lost jobs, and wrecked lives. If you want to play the game at the top level, a serious commitment of time is required, and that's leading some players to neglect real-world responsibilities.

Clinical psychologist Dr. Orzack sees similarities between game addiction and more traditional behavior disorders
Massively multiplayer addiction is a real phenomenon, and it's one that's being taken increasingly seriously by medical professionals. Facilities are being set up to combat it all over the world: Washington, Bejing, and most famously at the Smith & Jones addiction consultancy in the Netherlands. Smith & Jones compares the symptoms of MMO withdrawal to those characteristic of chemical dependence, and offers a detox program followed up with a series of real-life activities intended to replace the excitement of playing MMOs with equally engaging experiences that don't require 60-hour-a-week commitments.

Closer to home, more traditional avenues of support are available to those who feel their MMO habits are getting the better of them. Maressa Hecht Orzack, Ph.D., clinical psychologist and Director of the Computer Addiction Study Center at McLean Hospital in Belmont, MA, hears from six or seven people a day seeking treatment for gaming addictions. "Look at the fact that World of Warcraft now has eight million people playing it. Even if there are just five or 10 percent who can't stop, that's a large percentage, and I hear from a lot of them."

Dr. Orzack sees similarities between MMO addiction and more traditional behavior disorders such as compulsive gambling. "The same reward center in the brain is tapped -- the dopamine system. Gambling has all the components that go with these games," she explains, citing Solitaire as a simpler example of a game that can also lead to compulsive behavior.

Currently there's no psychiatric diagnosis that covers addiction to World of Warcraft, Everquest, or Solitaire, but that may change as new standards are drafted. Dr. Orzack is hopeful her profession may embrace the concept in the next revision of the authoritative DSM diagnostic text, due for publication in about four years. "There's a push to include compulsive disorders in the new manual," she says, "covering addictive behaviors and compulsive things like game playing and internet usage."

What symptoms might indicate a healthy gaming hobby is turning into a problem? "There are a lot of things. People might ignore their friends, they may not get to work on time, and their family relationships are often affected." She recommends players concerned about their habits look up one of the numerous online communities set up to tackle gaming addictions, consult any employee assistance programs their job might offer, or seek advice from their primary care provider.

Video game makers often talk about creating immersive games where players can lose themselves in virtual worlds.

A company called eMagin believes the answer lies not so much in the games, but in how they are viewed.

It has come up with a 3D visor that uses two micro displays to create a stereo vision of a game.

The headset has a tracking system using gyroscopes that lets players look around a game by moving the head from side to side.

"It is a much more immersive experience than looking at a big screen," said eMagin's Bruce Ridley.

"Most PC games will work with it," he said, adding it would also work on the new Microsoft Xbox 360.

The company is talking to all the major console makers about the headset.

"Nintendo has even purchased some," said Mr Ridley.

The company has been selling the headset via its website since July.