We have confirmed the Xbox 360 versions of Madden NFL 08 (August), All-Pro Football 2K8 (July), and NCAA Football 08 (July) will run at 60 frames per second, whereas the PS3 editions are locked at just 30fps. In the simplest of terms, this means that the 360 versions will run smoother and faster, and you'll have an easier time noticing subtle animations.

While we haven't had the opportunity to see the difference with EA's titles (the publisher hasn't sent us PS3 builds of either), All-Pro Football 2K8 definitely runs better on Xbox 360.

Now, you'd think Sony would be doing everything in its power to make sure these system sellers are par with -- or better -- than Microsoft's version. That's not the case, as Sony seems to have a "hey, we can do it -- why can't you?" attitude. "We have already proven that sports titles can run on the PlayStation 3 at true HD with 1080p output with NBA 07," says Dave Karraker, Sony CEA's senior director of corporate communications. "If you have questions about specific third-party games, you should speak to those publishers."

OK, we will. After seeing Sony's response, Todd Sitrin, EA's vice president of marketing sports branding, replied:

"We want to make sure that we give the best experience we can on each platform. In designing a game, there are all sorts of tradeoffs that include frame rate, visuals, features, AI, etc. Football is an extremely challenging sport to replicate because of the number of people on the field, their interaction, and the scope of the environments. As you can see, every company making a football game this year made a decision that the best experience for the Xbox 360 included 60fps whereas the best experience for the PS3 was 30fps. We certainly believe that both the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions are our football products are outstanding experiences and recommend that each gamer look at the entire experience, not just one aspect. We think they'll be very happy no matter which version of the game they play."

Ace Combat® 6: Fires of Liberation will hit store shelves nationwide on October 23, 2007. Exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation brings the popular Ace Combat series to the next generation with a massive multiplayer online experience, photorealistic high-def graphics, an all new story, and brand new gameplay that includes features like the Allied Support System and Dynamic Operations System, that radically change the way missions can be completed.

Battlefield developer Digital Illusions is gearing up to unveil _a brand new first-person shooter_ called Mirror's Edge, CVG can reveal

We're told the _title will appear on consoles only, PS3 and Xbox 360 to be precise_, and that the developer has big plans to shake up the genre with it.

The only image we've seen from the game shows a young Asian female dressed like some _kind of futuristic punk_. And she's crouching holding a pistol down between her legs.

Weird, circuit-board-looking tattoos run down the outside of her right arm from the shoulder, and black bobbed hair frames a face that's covered in white foundation. Surrounding her right eye is crazy black make-up shaped in a star.

It reminds us of the movie Nikita in a way, and gives the impression of a futuristic setting.

In the past Digital Illusions has mentioned (and here) development of at least two unnamed games for PS3 and Xbox 360 - presumably one of these is Battlefield: Bad Company, and it now appears another is Mirror's Edge.

Here are some Excerpts from the latest edition of Car and Drive issue magazine in which they give more details about the next GT5 game.

Excerpts :
- They talk about the whole GT series and the some technical differences between them and the latest iteration - GT5.
- They talk about the Polyphony’s studio and how the developers spend their time there. Some have cots with sleeping bags under their desk to take power naps.
- They mentioned that the soonest GT5 would be released would be Spring 2008 but that it could be pushed back because Sony is giving them as much time as they need - Kaunori Yamauchi wants it done right.
- Yamauchi said for GT1, one car was one day’s work for one man, GT3 was one man’s work for 30 days, and GT5 one car is one man’s work for 180 days!
- Yamauchi mentioned to program 700 cars would take at least 5 years so GT5 will obviously have less. Players will be able to download more cars in the future. Mentioned some game upgrades will be supplied and sold online in the future.
- One of the future upgrades may be crash damage. Some reasons given as to why it doesn’t have it yet are that it needs to be done realistically, the physics engine would need to be updated and that some car companies don’t want their cars portrayed with crash damage - even if it’s just virtual.
- Realistic crash damage alone is basically double the work. The way Yamauchi wants it done would mean each body panel of each car would have to be modeled separately - intact and crumpled - with the resulting changes in light and shadow.
- “Yamauchi never intended GT to appeal to a mass audience. He believed only a real otaku, or hobby fanatic, would take the time to explore it’s many nooks and crannies. Indeed, the first version was altered for the US market to make it more accessible.” The game was tweaked by Taku Imasaki for American buyers by speeding up the game by 25%, changed the gravity so cars flew longer, and added the instant-play option. Imasaki’s changes didn’t win him many friends at Polyphony.

Paris, July 3th 2007. Sony Computer entertainment worldwide studios and the developers at Quantic Dream have the pleasure to announce their collaboration for a title on PlayStation 3, more information will be put available soon. Quantic Dream is already known for making cinematic and interactive games that have a lot of 'emotion' in them. This new project will make heavy use of the processing power of the Cell and technology found in the PS3 to achieve emotional sensations never reached before in previous attempts.

The french development studio Quantic Dream was founded in 1997 by David Cage. Already Quantic Dream has made a reputation for themselves in the videogames industry, in particular for interactive narration and emotional content. The most important realisations form this studio are: Fahrenheit (called Indogo Prophecy in the USA and Canada), a game that has won a price in 2005 and mixes game and cinema, completely renewing the adventure genre.

Michael Denny, Vice president at Sony computer entertainment worldwide studio Europe affirmed: "We're really enthousiastic by the prospect to work with Quantic Dream for the first time and thus having the opportunity to further improve the interactivity in our games and to bring gamers new sensations they have never experienced before. We hope we can share more information about this new title as soon as possible this year."

KOEI, recognized worldwide as the premier brand of strategy and action games, today announced that Fatal Inertia is scheduled to ship to North American retailers on September 11, 2007 for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

"KOEI has been at the forefront of creating the most engaging action games, so with Fatal Inertia we're now lending our action game talents to the racing genre to deliver an experience that is as fun as it is fast," said Senior Vice President of KOEI Corporation Amos Ip. "Armed with an eclectic variety of weapons and racing challenges, plus elegant and intuitive driver controls, Fatal Inertia is quite simply bringing high-speed fun and excitement back to the combat racing genre."

"By designing Fatal Inertia 's gameplay around a physics engine it not only allowed us to create a truly different driving model, but it also helped us create a set of dynamic weapons with multiple tactical applications," said Lead Game Designer Michael Bond. "We've based many of the game's weapons on straightforward physical principles, and by doing so we're giving players the freedom to come up with their own creative ways of using them- ways that even we are still discovering."

Bye, scene.

I've decided to cease OE development, and leave PSP scene.
The reasons are various.
One of them is the time it consumes, which i'm losing from other things.
The other is related to my security. I didn't like Sony menaces to PS3 hackers.
I think it is better to leave now rather than end paying the consequences.

An official ISO loader has been found in the latest Sony PSP firmware updates (both 3.50 and 3.51). The file, np9660.prx, has been presumed to run downloaded PSP games (the encrypted ISO image) off of a memory stick.

The presence of the ISO loader may not be significant on its own, but the speculation is that it may be the first steps for a games-on-demand service where full PSP titles (not just PlayStation One emulations) will be made available for download and play, sans UMD. It's an interesting possibility but at this point just rumors and speculation.

Previously found only in arcades and on consoles, Tecmo's flagship fighting franchise Dead or Alive series is headed for PCs next year. Shanda Interactive Entertainment today announced that it will debut Dead or Alive Online in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao next year.

While the Dead or Alive series is a signature franchise of Tecmo's Team Ninja, development for the PC edition is being entrusted to another of the publisher's internal operations, the online-specialist Lievo Studio. Tecmo has said the all-new title will feature the characteristics of an online PC game, but did not go into further detail.

Shanda said it expects Dead or Alive Online to go live before the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which kick off August 8, 2008. Western gamers will also eventually get their chances to put the PC edition through its paces, as the game is set to be published worldwide at an unspecified later date.

Today Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced that it will launch Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft.

Powered by the award-winning Source engine created by Valve for its Half-Life 2 video game, the game will allow Xbox 360 gamers worldwide to experience the brutal combat, highly detailed interactive environments and dark atmosphere that won the hearts of thousands of PC players, while building and expanding the experience in several areas. Players will have to use the environment as a weapon to outsmart the most fiendish monsters.

Dark Messiah of Might and Magic: Elements is being developed by Ubisoft's Annecy studio, supported by Valve and Arkane Studios. Ubisoft Annecy has been critically acclaimed for the innovative multiplayer modes in Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell games.

dr:
zdubb

Для сингла -- стыдно. Но это как раз мульти.

all

Ревью Ninja Gaiden Sigma (PS3) на Gamespot. 9/10, "выбор редакции". Хм...

Sony has announced a collaboration with developer Quantic Dream for a new and exclusive PlayStation 3 title.
"We always believed that 'next-generation' meant more meaningful content based on players' emotional involvement," said David Cage, CEO of Quantic Dream.

"To us, the PS3 is the only platform that can truly deliver on this promise, and SCE is a group that is both inspiring and pleasant to work with."

Cage founded Quantic Dream in 1997 and released the critically acclaimed and award-winning Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy in the US) in 2005.

"We're really excited to be working with Quantic Dream for the first time and to have this opportunity to once again push the gaming experience to realise a new level of interactivity and, in particular, to engage players at an emotional level never experienced before," commented Michael Denny, VP of SCE Worldwide Studios.

A brief note in publisher THQ's fiscal report (PDF file) indicates that a previously announced sequel to Saint's Row will not be marching until fiscal year 2009. In calendar terms, that means excess excess pimp-slapping won't be coming until at least April 1, 2008.

This months edition of PSM France reportedly reveals lots of new information on the upcoming rumble enabled Official PS3 SIXAXIS controller. One of the interesting revelations is that the controller may contain 'touch sense' which will mean the vibrations do not emanate solely from the handles but various places of the Lever and developers should be able to create a multitude of effects.

Technical details

- the gyroscopic functions can cohabit with the vibrations. The explanation? The speed to which a player can move the lever is quite lower at the speed of the vibrations.
- the engine of vibration could be inclu in the lever without having to modify the form of it. There is enough place for the new engine, and this one, concus by Immersion, are lighter for an obstruction equivalent.
- One indeed has to expect a reduction in the autonomy of Sixaxis. Nevertheless, the new engine of vibration does not consume more than the old models (Dualshock) in spite of the fact that it is more powerful.
- the new engine is less expensive to build, and a possible rise in price of the pad should be only very light.
- With an update of the firmware, we will be able to have the vibrations for plays PS2

Details on the "touchsense"

New technology, named “Touchsense” is a mini-revolution. Indeed, from now on, the vibrations will not emanate solely any more from the handles of the pad (as on Dualshock) but will be perceptible in various places of the lever. It as should be specified as they will be more powerful, more intense and over short periods if the programmers wish it. Thus, the developers will be able to create a multitude of still new effects. If Sony chooses this technology, it will thus not act of a simple return of the vibrations, but well of a very new technology
- This technology will be able to reproduce the fast jolt and forces caused by a shot,
- Immersion promises that one will be able to feel the asperities of the road in the plays of race (like Dirt), but also small shocks related on the shiftings of speed and even to accelerations or decelerations.

Electronic Arts' studio Digital Illusions has revealed to GamesIndustry.biz details of how its new property hopes to revolutionise the way players experience games in the first-person perspective.

New title Mirror's Edge is part of the studio's concerted effort to expand its output beyond its leading Battlefield franchise.

"At this time, we are not revealing anything more than the fact that we are changing the way that players are able to move in first person," said a representative for DICE.

"No more restrictions, no more being blocked by simple barriers such as walls and fences. We want to enable the player to move like a real person, with the ability to run, jump, vault and slide in a way that has never been seen before in a first-person game."

The game went under the working title of Project Faith before being renamed, and is believed to be in development for next-generation consoles.
"This is a game currently in development at DICE. EA has not formally announced the game but we are excited by the innovation being demonstrated by the team and are looking forward to seeing a real evolution in the first-person genre," said Electronic Arts.

"[It] gives an indication of the kind of high quality development that is being nurtured by EA not only in Sweden but across the globe," added the publisher.

Microsoft, viewing that the global launch of Halo 3 on September 25 will stimulate large additional demand for Xbox 360, plans to promote sales of the console in the third quarter and therefore will place more OEM orders with Lite-On IT for Xbox 360 DVD-ROM drives, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

In response, Lite-On IT declined to comment on the report due to non-disclosure agreements with clients.

Lite-On IT has already started shipments of Xbox 360 DVD-ROM drives and the shipment volume began to increase significantly in June, the sources quoted Taiwan-based component makers, as saying. These makers supply Lite-On IT with parts used in the DVD-ROM drives, the sources indicated.

Lite-On IT is the third OEM maker of Xbox 360 DVD-ROM drives following Toshiba-Samsung Storage Technology and Hitachi-LG Data Storage, the sources noted. Microsoft selected Lite-On IT to minimize risks and probably because Lite-On IT and Philips have set up the joint venture Philips & Lite-On Digital Solutions and Philips has maintained long-term cooperation with Microsoft, the sources pointed out.

According to Microsoft Taiwan's press release on June 15, a 23-day online beta of Halo 3 cumulatively attracted 820,000 players with total online play time of more than 12 million hours.