EA job listing mentions next-gen project for Boom Blox team
by Griffin McElroy 
{ Oct 25th 2009 at 1:30PM } 
This job listing, which was initially discovered by internet detective extraordinaire supererogatory, is supported by two other EA job listings he (or she) previously uncovered -- both of which reference Project Natal or the unnamed PlayStation Motion Controller. Unless the studio is changing directions to work on a motion-controlled Mirror's Edge (which would be unimaginably dangerous on Natal), the odds of an upcoming high-def Boom Blox announcement seem pretty good.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mr Khan @ Oct 25th 2009 1:37PM
I do love how the developers all talk like it's still 2005/2006
Joe @ Oct 25th 2009 2:16PM
lol So very true
Vcize @ Oct 25th 2009 2:16PM
Funnier how, when he didn't really think about it, he just assumed the Wii was from last-gen :P
tmacairjordan87 @ Oct 25th 2009 1:38PM
I only hope it's not a minigame....game, but it most likely will be thanks to natal and sony's waggle wand.
Next year's going to suck so bad once these come out :(
Markez (attempting to call me less of a man because i knew so much about pans) @ Oct 25th 2009 2:10PM
I'm still not a fan at all of Natal, but this could be cool on Sony's motion controller setup. I guess you could argue it's a mini-game game but it's still one of the best out there.
Although with Natal you could totally JUDO CHOP down a block tower. Which perhaps is part of the reason why I think it's stupid :P
Darth Bradwart, Dark Lord of the Sith @ Oct 25th 2009 2:27PM
Based on the E3 tech demo, I could see the PMC being used for this quite well, actually.
Grimcicle @ Oct 25th 2009 1:39PM
No PS4 or Xbox 720 yet, please.
Zing @ Oct 25th 2009 1:46PM
I'm with this guy, my finances have just recovered from this gen, also please dont hike up the price of games again
Darth Bradwart, Dark Lord of the Sith @ Oct 25th 2009 2:18PM
C'mon, Zing, you don't like paying the 'Next-Gen tax'?
BigD145 @ Oct 25th 2009 2:35PM
I've only got two arms and two legs. I can't keep trading them in.
Grimcicle @ Oct 25th 2009 5:27PM
Given how expensive consoles this generation have been, I think it would be extremely unreasonable for Sony or Microsoft to expect consumers to purchase new hardware anything before 2012.
Zing @ Oct 25th 2009 1:42PM
Even devs call it next-gen?
Repeat after me, current-gen..
Darth Bradwart, Dark Lord of the Sith @ Oct 25th 2009 2:18PM
Repeat after me: Obsolete.
Markez (attempting to call me less of a man because i knew so much about pans) @ Oct 25th 2009 1:45PM
Awesome, Boom Blox is one of the best uses of motion control out there. Would love to see them continue to expand upon and improve the series.
Prof. Von Manifest of the Clan McCloud (PSN: Manifest37) @ Oct 25th 2009 1:49PM
Funny how any console being compared to the Wii is next-gen.
Boom Blox was okay but I don't know how well they expect sequels to do.
It can only go so far.
Katana Master @ Oct 25th 2009 5:29PM
My guess is because it lacks HD capabilities.
Darth Bradwart, Dark Lord of the Sith @ Oct 25th 2009 2:14PM
Please, stop calling it 'next-gen'. The last generation is no longer a major force in the market, so this is the 'current gen'.
Who is the most likely to start the next-gen? Microsoft did launch the 360 first, but Ninty is rather underpowered, and Sony, in theory, is the most prepared to launch a PS4.
brad @ Oct 25th 2009 2:34PM
Perhaps they're referring to the next generation of motion controls (Natal and PS3 wants) as "next-gen"...?
CaramelZappa @ Oct 25th 2009 2:21PM
I honestly think microsoft might launch first again. Nintendo has been so busy printing money that I doubt they'll release new hardware until they absolutely have to, and Sony dedicated themselves to a "ten year" lifespan for the PS3. I could see the PS3 picking up steam and surpassing the 360 in sales, and then microsoft responding by releasing a new console that blows the ps3 out of the water, possibly forcing sony to push out a new console sooner than they hoped.
Darth Bradwart, Dark Lord of the Sith @ Oct 25th 2009 2:25PM
From reports I've seen, Sony's plans for the PS4 involve a second-gen Cell processor (cuts development costs, which were astronomical for the PS3), paired with Intel's Larrabee GPGPU. I would expect it to be easier for Sony to release the PS4 when it needs to. Microsoft, on the other hand, will have to spend a whole lot more, especially in the QA department, but also in getting a qualified ASIC vendor to design the GPU this time, not to mention the nearly-mandatory implementation of Blu-Ray.
Mr Khan @ Oct 25th 2009 3:06PM
My bet is that it will be a tie between Microsoft & Nintendo (in that they'll launch at least in the same quarter of the same year: Q4 2011), while Sony will hold out a little longer in order to try and optimize profits off the PS3, and hold into 2012 (either Q2 or Q4)
Nintendo i just don't see dragging the gen out longer than 5 years. Yeah, they're making a lot of money, so they'll probably do to Wii what they did to GBA, and run it in tandem with their 6th console for a year or so, but what we're looking at now is essentially the last *big* wave of Wii software from Nintendo itself. All of their teams are working on new projects for Wii or DS right now, so it will be rather convenient for most of them to begin working on the next generation after they're done with what they're doing now (i.e. after EAD Tokyo is done with Galaxy 2, they can start work on Mario HD or whatever). I don't see a third wave of games from Nintendo themselves
Microsoft is equally going to want to move into the next generation more quickly. Natal will be the thing to really link 360 with their next device, and the next Xbox won't be that far ahead in terms of pure technical muscle (move on to maybe 2 GB of main memory and 2x the current CPU speed). Enough of a boost to make a difference for the core gamer to get on board, but they're going to build directly off the 360's success in that it will be totally backwards compatible (and maybe even partially forwards compatible, as it was rumored. As in late 360 games will be playable on the NextBox with better graphics, like settings on a PC game)
I don't really have a read on the direction Sony wants to go in, except in technical terms, they'll probably have the Cell do for the PS4 what it was originally intended to do for the PS3: serve as both CPU and GPU, so the PS4 will also be very architecturally similar, and like Microsoft, it will be easy for them to smoothly transition from one console to the next without really having to abandon the old one, but still having something fresh, especially from an interface perspective. Sony i bet will also have the option to do it all Digital Distribution
Sly @ Oct 25th 2009 4:16PM
i think sony will put out the PS4 first. putting out the PS3 a good bit after the 360 put them at a decent disadvantage, and i doubt that they want to repeat that. that, and the PS3 is technically the most advanced, so it would need less major changes. it would likely have an updated cell chip, and a better GPU because the setup in the PS3 is a bit worse in terms of multiplatform game graphics. i also see sony expanding PSN offerings to better compete with MS.
mostly obvious predictions, but i felt that they had to be said.
Durden @ Oct 25th 2009 5:11PM
Maybe it's for the new Sega console? :) :) :)
Vcize @ Oct 25th 2009 2:19PM
"our last two titles were Wii-based, but our next titles will be for the next generation."
The story here is not whether or not he refers to the 360/PS3 as "next-gen" vs. "current gen", but rather that he doesn't even consider the Wii part of the same generation as the other two.
It was released a year AFTER the 360, and he called the 360 "next-gen" compared to it.
lol.
CaramelZappa @ Oct 25th 2009 2:22PM
Well there's nothing next gen about two gamecubes duct-taped together.
Darth Bradwart, Dark Lord of the Sith @ Oct 25th 2009 2:26PM
I don't know about that. Duct-tape is pretty next gen, if you ask me.
No Kill Tayler @ Oct 25th 2009 3:46PM
The thought of two gamecubes together actually blew my mind.
I'm surprised it didn't blow your mind.
KeenCommander @ Oct 25th 2009 2:52PM
It's actually not all that laughable that they could be working on a game for the next gen of consoles if it was intended to be a launch title and was something that would require a two year development cycle. Why something like that would be coming from the Boom Blox devs, I have no idea, but it's not impossible.
MRLN (The Comment God) @ Oct 25th 2009 2:58PM
Tumbling blocks in HD...
OR 3-D?!?
Union @ Oct 25th 2009 4:22PM
Maybe they mean Wii HD,
FonFahbre @ Oct 25th 2009 4:35PM
It could be the next gen Nintendo console since I've been hearing rumors of them making one already.
I am not ready for the next generation of Sony and Microsoft consoles, its too soon, give it until 2014 at least before releasing anything next-gen.
Bones3D @ Oct 25th 2009 9:10PM
A title like Boom Blox exposes an interesting limitation to Project Natal that probably hasn't been looked into much... precision control. How exactly does one accurately "aim" at a specific point on the screen without a solid reference point like the Wii Remote under Natal?
Sure, you could do something like display a reticle with movement relative to the user's hand, but without a physical object in hand to help dictate movement and provide physical feedback, any attempts to throw a non-existent object is going to be extremely awkward. Depending on how the hand is tracked, each "throw" could be interpreted with widely varying results.
It almost reminds me of the old days with the NES zapper, where you could really screw with a game's accuracy by altering the brightness and contrast on your tv.
WhatIsThatThing @ Oct 25th 2009 9:11PM
I would imagine this being for the "Wii 2" or whatever Nintendo decides to call it. I doubt EA would use such "last-gen" marketing terms in this "current gen"
Don't jump to conclusions so quickly, there Joystiq!
scratch @ Oct 26th 2009 2:31PM
nice. i may have to get a playstation motion controller/"sphere" just to get a copy of HD boom blox. presumably cheaper than buying a wii, and less clutter.