Saturday, April 09, 2005
Fresno Police Department Gets Wireless System
The city of Fresno, California has reached an agreement with IBM Global Services to build a wireless system to provide real-time video and data communications to police officers. IBM’s WebSphere Everyplace Connection Manager will allow officers to use handheld devices, connected to a WiFi node in police cars, to get out on foot and provide better protection to the community at large.
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Sunday, March 20, 2005
The triple threat on May 17th
May 17, at E3, is going to be the day for the inevitable showdown among the three gaming platforms : Nintendo Revolution, Xbox2/Xenon, and Playstation 3. Rumors are circulating that Sony will try to jump the gun with an “official” unveiling the the third playstation some time before E3. With a new CEO and troubled times in the music hardware group, Sony is probably going to bet big on the Playstation 3 launch. In response, more rumors fly that Microsoft will somehow release Halo 3 on whatever day Sony chooses to put the Playstation 3 up for sale. Will these actions really matter? Will the prices for the consoles fall so quickly that the avid gamer will just buy both platforms, even if only for 1, or 2 games. So the platform makers take a loss on each platform, while the game market is split more evenly, such that big hits will be released EA-style, on both platforms (they usually release on multiple platforms, don’t they?). What difference will the platform make - is the video game industry about to become all about the games?
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Saturday, March 19, 2005
Maps for games
Here is a groovy site, VGMaps.com, offering up pixelated maps of the worlds you live within when playing oodles of video games. There are maps for games from Price of Persia to Grand Theft Auto III. Very cool site. Some people must have alot of free time. Via BoingBoing, via Waxy.
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Friday, February 18, 2005
What is up with this Xbox360 rumor?
If it is truly the case that the upcoming Xbox console is to be called XBox360, then I will have to ask - Why? Have corporate goofs taken over the XBox development, so much so that 360degree performance measures have spilled into the naming of products. Would any 20-30something gamer be excited to sit down for a few hours in from of the “Xbox360”? C’mon.
Next they will call it Xbox361, since 361 degrees, being one more than 360, mean the company is really working on all angles. Let is be know that my own search through US trademarks for “Xenon” or “Xbox 360” have come up with nothing having to do with computer games or Microsoft.
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Xbox 2 (or Xbox360?) to have wireless controllers
The word is spreading, through the Inquirer, Engadget, Slashdot and GamesIndustry.biz, that the upcoming XBox console will ship with wireless game controllers. Not a major shift, but a feature gamers will probably appreciate. Further mentions suggest the console will forgoe BluRay, for the standard DVD compatibility.
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Microsoft recalls 14million Xbox power cords
14 million. Now thats a big number. Due to apparent fire hazards, Microsoft has recalled 14 million power cords of their Xbox machine. According to the company, only 1 in 10,000 machines were exhibiting the symptoms of the firey cord. However, the firm decided to recall the whole lot to avoid any consumer concerns or outrage.
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Monday, January 31, 2005
Activision announces Xbox2 games for release
Looks like EA may have started a waterfall of announcements regarding games for the upcoming platforms. According to Joystiq, rumors are Activision announced Quake 4, Tony Hawk’s Underground 3, Ultimate Spiderman and Call of Duty 2. These are rumors, so stay tuned.
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Will there be a playable versin of the PS3 at E3 in May?
According to Computer and Video Games, Sony has announced there will be a playable PS3 at the E3 convention in May. This news, combined with the hints from platform makers Nintendo (Revolution) and Microsoft (Xbox2) suggest the three big firms are looking to mix it up all at once at E3. Sony said a more concrete statement will come out in late March. We shall see.
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Sunday, January 30, 2005
Will the PS3 have more under the hood than the Revoluion or Xbox2
The BBC has put together a story looking at the hype and aspirations of the upcoming video game platforms. According to sources in the story, Microsoft has sent out Xbox2 development kits while kits for the PS3 and Revolution are still nowhere to be seen. Additionally, they scored a destined-to-be troublesome quote from an executive at EA Europe who drops the bomb that the “rumours are that Playstation 3 will have a little more under the hood” than the Xbox 2.” Not a good quote to hand to a major, global news source.
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Xbox earns a temporary profit
If only everyone could run a business like this. Apparently, the home entertainment division of Microsoft earned a $80 million profit last quarter which, according to those in charge, is just a coincidence. CFO Connors warned that in the upcoming six months, and beyond, this Game-heavy division of Microsoft should return to losing money until sometime late in 2006. How cool is that. Start a business unit that can lose hundreds of millions of dollars (if not a billion) 3-5 years in a row.
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