Joystiq

Our one of a kind Spore figurine

Christopher Grant — 2006-07-26T12:55:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, PC

Some Joystiq readers will no doubt be jealous when we remind them of how Joystiq special correspondent Randall Bennett got to play Spore behind closed doors at E3. And again when he got to see Robin Williams crack jokes while making his own creature at that Wired party.

Well, our jealousy was rekindled when, after some months, Randall's friendly neighborhood UPS guy rang his bell to deliver a Spore figurine identical to the character he had designed at E3. They should definitely have a service so consumers can order their own custom figurine. More pics after the break.

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An in-depth review of E3 media booths

Conrad Quilty-Harper — 2006-06-06T18:55:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Business

Kyle over at Video Game Media Watch turns the spotlight back on the media's presence at E3 with an in-depth review of the big media booths that were dotted around the show floor. Here's the quick and dirty from Kyle's write-up:

1UP/Ziff Davis' booth wasn't very crowded, although the free copies of EGM were popular.
BradyGames, the strategy guide publisher, stuck a couple of Guitar Hero 2 booths in their stall and let the crowds grow exponentially.
GameSpot's booth was very inaccessible. So either they were working hard, or they were playing a massive LAN game.
UGO couldn't hide their Geometry Wars addiction. Oh, and they stole chairs from neighboring booths.
G4 let people browse the web for free: free internet FTW!

Kyle goes into a lot more detail, so make sure to check out his full article.

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UK gaming events this summer

Conrad Quilty-Harper — 2006-06-06T10:05:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Online, Business

This summer is shaping up to be great one, at least in terms of the number of UK gaming trade shows and conferences coming up soon. The great gaming fiasco of 2004 resulted in both of the major gaming trade shows in the UK (Game Stars Live and ECTS) being canceled when they decided to take place at exactly the same time, so it's great to finally see that the industry has picked itself up.

Click continue to see a round-up of some future gaming events within the United Kingdom. Joystiq's UK contingent (consisting of Jennie and I) hopes to be able to attend as many of these events as possible so if you're also planning on attending make sure to leave us a comment. If we've missed a show or conference, let us know and I'll add your tip to the table.

Event	Where/When?	How much?	The buzz
Women in Games UK	University of Teeside, 10th - 11th July	Before 14th July: £50 for students and £100 for non-students. After 14th July: £75 for students and £150 for non-students.	Sex in games keynote, panel on hiring/retaining next-gen positions and ARGs.
Develop Conference	Brighton, 11th - 13th July	Expo: free. Conference before 10th June: £435+VAT: After: £570+VAT.	Big name speakers including Peter Molyneux and Marty from Bungie. Wide ranging lecture topics from the Uncanny Valley to DirectX 10.
GamesEdu Conference	Brighton, 14th July	Up to 10th June: £95+VAT. After 10th June: £110+VAT	Academia and game design, teaching programming and generally furthering the talent pool in the UK.
Edinburgh Interactive Entertainment Festival	Edinburgh, 21st - 22nd August	Before July 1st: £155+VAT. After July 1st: £195+VAT Student pass: £75	Game screenings of unreleased games, award ceremony for innovative titles and conferences on topics ranging from game ratings to Lara vs. Joanna Dark.
Games Market Europe	London, 6th - 7th September	Free (last year) to members of the press/trade. Otherwise TBA.	Judging by last year's show: a few playable titles and a good chance to network.
GDC London	London, 3rd - 4th October	TBA: expect usual GDC pricing.	No details released so far. More information coming in June.

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Wii takes "Best of Show" from E3 awards

Christopher Grant — 2006-06-01T13:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Nintendo GameCube, PC, Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Sony PSP, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox, Microsoft Xbox 360, E3

An elite band of ninja game critics were chosen for their uncanny (and often deadly) speculative accuracy to determine the winners of the Game Critic Award's Best of E3 2006. Their choice for top honors, "Best of Show"? Nintendo's newest console: the Wii. Other big winners included Spore, nabbing three awards, and Gears of War with two.

While the desire to see a victor emerge from the rubble-strewn LA Convention Center is great, the distinction hasn't always been accurate. Take for example, 2001's E3 champion: the Gamecube. 2002's best of show: Doom III. We could keep going, but you get the point.

Regardless, Gamespot's Greg Kasavin wrote of the Wii, "It's a good thing Nintendo got the name change of its next console out of the way before E3. With the shock of that announcement mostly over, the company proceeded to become the talk of the show ... by inviting audiences to get their hands on an impressive lineup of fun and interesting software for the Wii...not to mention that wild controller." Insert insightful sprint versus marathon metaphor here and reflect.

Check out some fun stats on the all the winners.

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Joystiq poll: Will the PS3 price affect your console combo?

Christopher Grant — 2006-05-28T17:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Polls, E3, Business

Remember back in January when we asked you about your preferred console combo plan? We were operating under two assumptions then: that Nintendo's strategy involved being the second console of choice; and that the PS3 and Xbox 360 would be evenly priced. While we may have our worries about Sony's price, we almost forgot the impact this might have on Nintendo's diminutive Wii.

While there's the Wii60 console combo, will PlayStation 3 owners pony up the extra cash for a Wii? With a finite amount of entertainment dollars going to next-gen consoles, it could be argued that every extra dollar spent on a PS3 is one less being spent on another console like the Wii. So, what's it gonna be ...

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Totally awesome E3 games that everyone missed

Conrad Quilty-Harper — 2006-05-19T07:05:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, E3

Lore Sjöberg of Wired took a look at the games from ~~his imagination~~ this year's E3 that no-one wanted to play. In his own words, all these games contained the best mini game of all "not standing in line." So did he find any gems ~~in his mind~~ at E3? Here's a selection of what he ~~imagined~~ saw:

Sandbox -- playing off the popularity of open-ended GTA style games comes Sandbox, a game that's 100% true to its genre. Sandbox exposes children to the delights of a real life sandbox, sans the real life sand. The developers told Sjöberg that they'd like to include a shovel and bucket in the final game, "but that may not be a realistic goal."
Mission: Marketplace -- this game progresses the demand for downloadable content and episodic games to its climax. Mission: Marketplace's innovation is that it requires players to purchase all the content separately -- alternatively you can just plunk down $200 and watch the credits roll. We can't wait for this one.

That's not all: he also discovered Pac-Man Boulevard, a game that demonstrates the continued advantages of sequels over original franchises and Casual Game: The Game, a game so casual that engaging your brain (or even possessing one) reduces your overall enjoyment. We're like, totally hyped about these completely revolutionary games, so get your arse over to Wired and read all about 'em.

[Image credit: art.com]

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Overheard: polite clapping for Nintendo is quite enough, fanboys

Vladimir Cole — 2006-05-18T22:15:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, E3, Business

Fellow Joystiq blogger Chris Grant forwarded the following quote to me and asked, "Why does this sound like something you'd say?"

Washington Post blogger Mike Musgrove overheard one member of a cluster of bloggers behind him caution his fellow bloggers just prior to the beginning of the Nintendo's E3 press conference: "Remember, no fanboyism -- if something happens, polite clapping is enough."

Hilarious!

... but only for a moment. Editorialising follows after the post break.

The quote is funny because it typifies so much of what's wrong with "reporting" at E3. First, we've got to give credit to the anonymous blogger who at least recognized the need to remain calm and somewhat even-keeled: good job. You recognized that you were there to provide coverage and to keep a level head about you, even as the company on the stage did their best to inundate you with trickery designed to sweep you off your feet. For that, you deserve recognition.

It's unfortunate, however, that many members of the E3 "press" failed to quell their enthusiasm. I now recall in embarrassment the hoots and yells that routinely break out at E3 press conferences, particularly the Nintendo conference. Such ad-hoc outbursts of passion are appropriate at a pep rally, or at an Evangelical telethon, but they're completely out of place in a room that's supposedly full of members of the press (wouldn't be much of a press conference without press there, would it?).

Why do press allow themselves to get carried way past the point of no-return, past the junction of logic and reason, to the point that they've lost all rational ability to see the hype for what it is?

Whoever you "press" are, this is a message for you: if you're a so-called "member of the press" and you screamed ecstatically -- if you lost yourself -- at any of the big three press conferences at E3, you should be ashamed. Your inability to keep your head in the face of a PR blitz means that you're doing Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo's work for them. When you bleat out a cheer at the beck of some spot-lit shepherd, you've just done the marketer's work for him. When you clap extra-enthusiastically, you've turned teamkiller on your fellow members of the press corps. When you stomp your feet (yes, I saw foot stomping) you turn aid these companies in their efforts to overwhelm our senses; you turn the aural guns on your teammates in the audience.

Here's to hoping you greenhorns get your acts together for the next big media event. A little less fanboy, a little more Cronkite, if you can muster it.

[Via Video Game Media Watch]

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CliffyB's guided tour through Gears of War

Christopher Grant — 2006-05-18T01:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, Action, E3

You already know what we thought of CliffyB's space marine action shooter, Gears of War (in case you don't, it's awesome!). Now listen to what CliffyB has to say about it. Gears of War Realm (that's right, a GoW specific fansite is already up and running) has posted a video of CliffyB's part in an E3 panel with a troika of console-specific gaming luminaries including Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid 4 on PS3), Xavier Poixwho (Red Steel on Wii), and Cliff Bleszinski (Gears of War on Xbox 360, duh).

Cliffy talks a bit about his design of the game -- "it's almost like a platform game but instead of jumping up, you're jumping forward and around the world" -- before walking us through the first level with running director's commentary. I always love the juxtaposition of thoughtful CliffyB (see Smartbomb) and pimp-suit CliffyB. Thoughtful CliffyB is on display here.

[Thanks, Luke]

(Update: I've embedded a higher-quality video after the break. Thanks for the link, James!)

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360 to Wii: Anything you can do, I can do better

Ross Miller — 2006-05-17T21:55:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360

We saw what Sony's PlayStation 3 EyeToy can do in terms of motion technology (as well as its upgraded PS3 remote), and we know Nintendo's primary console feature is its motion-sensored remote, but what about the Xbox 360? Aaron Stanton of About.com visited the GestureTek booth in Kentia Hall at last week's E3 to learn about a new development kit to use with the Xbox 360 camera. Not only can it map your face to a character model, but with GestureTek's technology the Xbox 360 camera can accurately track a player's movement, including specific finger usage.

To further impress, GestureTek demonstrated for Stanton how the technology can emulate each Nintendo Wii game on the show floor. The technology is impressive, of course, but as Stanton points out not likely to surpass the Wii. Simply put, the GestureTek demo is just that -- a demo. And on top of that, technology for a peripheral, which can be easily ignored by developers. It'll be interesting to see if Microsoft and Sony use their respective cameras to match Nintendo's features, but if Sony's press conference is any indication (Sony just glazed over its EyeToy demo), we doubt it.

[Thanks, Eric Stoben]

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PC impressions: Re-Mission

Ross Miller — 2006-05-17T15:45:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, PC, First Person Shooters, E3

Surprisingly fun. Re-Mission is a third-person shooter from Hope Labs where you play Roxxi, a cancer-killing nanobot, as she moves through the human body hunting down and destroying cancer cells. In the one level we played, we were informed that we must kill all the lymph node cells. However, the catch is that we must spare all the white blood cells, so one must be careful to aim precisely. The control scheme hearkens back to Descent, which works well -- the mouse aims, the keyboard moves through 3D space. There are multiple weapons, the voice acting and tongue-in-cheek dialogue works, and the visuals are pretty. We found ourselves enjoying this game, despite its academic value.

While playing the title at the Games for Health booth, we also learned of the research done around this game. Among cancer patients who played Re-Mission (as opposed to those who just played other games):

Their cancer knowledge increased.
Their reported quality of life increased.
Their self-efficacy (how well they come to terms with their situation) increased.
Their antibiotic usage increased.
Their consumption of oral chemotherapy stayed consistent, whereas the control group declined in taking their medication.

The facts are impressive and praise-worthy, but what sets this game apart is its general entertainment value and mass appeal. Take away its connection to cancer research, and you still have a fun title. You can view a trailer and order the game through the game's website.

See Also:
Games for Health: the industry's unsung heroes

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The Engadget & Joystiq Interview: Microsoft's Shane Kim [update 1]

Christopher Grant — 2006-05-16T19:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox, Microsoft Xbox 360, Interviews, E3

If you haven't already watched the video, now you can read the transcription of our interview with Shane Kim, General Manager of Microsoft Game Studios. On Wednesday (in the middle of E3), Vlad Cole and I got some time to sit down and ask him about some of the biggest questions facing Microsoft's early entrant into the next-gen console wars, like whether there are any more developer acquisitions lined up, which Xbox Live Arcade titles will show up on Vista with Live Anywhere, what are the plans for ad-supported gaming, and just how many paid subscribers does Xbox Live has.

We're corroborating with several sources: is Peter Moore's [Grand Theft Auto 4] tattoo real?

You know, I wasn't there when it was put on there, it's a very personal thing so I can neither confirm nor deny.

Okay... so it's real. Prior to E3, people were really looking forward to actual demonstrations of the Wii controller. That was the big buzz coming into the show and, after they unveiled it, I think people were more or less satisfied with it. So how do you think you fared versus that intense excitement towards that controller?

I think we fared extremely well. One of the big things we talked about yesterday was all the momentum we're going to have this next generation. We're going to have 10 million units in consumers' hands before the competitor even ships unit one. We're well on our way to 6 million connected members on Xbox Live and we're going to have 160 games in the market by the end of the year. We've got great momentum. We had Bill Gates attend E3 for the first time ever to announce the vision of Live anywhere. Again, demonstrating leadership in the online space isn't just about what we've achieved to date, but also about how we're going to take that forward across multiple platforms and devices. And finally, first and foremost, it's about the games and the content. Yesterday we started with Gears of War and ended with Halo 3, and we sprinkled in a little bit of Fable 2, Forza 2, Alan Wake, and, oh by the way, the Grand Theft Auto 4 announcement as well. So I think from the content standpoint we're definitely doing great there. So, better online, better content, and better pricing than some of the competition; we feel good about where we're at.
Do you think it's important to win E3? I think most people say you have, at least in terms of the keynotes.

I think it's always great to be recognized for what you're doing, whether it's at E3 or any other point. Sometimes I worry there's too much importance placed on that but since people are saying we won this year, I'll say it's a great thing we won E3.

On Grand Theft Auto 4, how did you keep Sony quiet on that? Obviously it's not exclusive to the Xbox 360, why weren't they announcing it as well?

I think you've got to ask Rockstar and the Sony guys there. Obviously that was going to be a major announcement because in many respects, Grand Theft Auto 3 was the thing that propelled PlayStation 2 to so much success, and now it's going to be available on Xbox 360 from day one. What you're seeing now is the third-party playing field is really becoming more level, more even. And all the exclusive content -- the content that is really going to differentiate the platforms -- has to come from the first parties. That's where Microsoft Game Studios is really trying to step up and those titles that we showed yesterday hopefully demonstrate to everybody that we're in a greater position.

It's clear that part of this "stepping up" is acquisition. You just acquired Lionhead. Is that acquisition streak going to continue?

I actually don't think it's part of stepping up to be honest. At least not the way we think about it. We don't have an acquisition strategy that says, "Hey, you must acquire companies and that's how you get bigger and stronger as a first party." Acquisition isn't always the right thing. Owning the independent developer isn't always what they want. Every relationship with every development partner -- whether its an internal studio or an independent developer -- is very different. In this particular case Peter [Molyneaux], I think, wanted to not have to worry about the financial security and challenges of being an independent developer and welcomed becoming part of Microsoft Game Studios, and that was fantastic.

At the same time, just given the nature of the console transition, there's a lot of uncertainty: stocks are taking a hit and, as a result, analysts are worried about what's going on. They didn't expect the prior-gen sales to take a dip as quickly as they did and things are relatively cheap from an acquisition standpoint. Are you finding there are other attractive developers out there?

The most important thing for us is to establish relationships -- publishing and developing relationships -- with the very best talent possible. And if an acquisition grows out of that and it makes sense for both parties, that's fantastic. But it really isn't, "Oh gosh the market's right." It's not real estate. "Now's the time to flip the studio because the prices have risen." That's really not the way we look at it.

Do you believe that the first of "The Big Three" to 10 million units will win the race?

I think it's a very key milestone. We've said that historically if you look at the performance of prior-console generations that's been a very important milestone. I think it proves to a lot of people -- customers, third parties, the press, the retailers -- that we are in a leadership position, we have tremendous momentum. What I'm not going to say is that we've got it sewn up because of that. We're going to continue to execute once we get to 10 million, once we get to 15, 20, et cetera. We've got a great strategy, we know what we've got to do, we've just got to be in full execution mode.

About the integration between the PC and Xbox 360: is the entire Xbox 360 Live Marketplace going to be available on the Vista platform?

I think what you saw yesterday with Live Anywhere is that is our vision is to bring all of the great experiences you have today -- and, of course, things we haven't even thought of yet -- and Xbox Live and Xbox Live Marketplace, Xbox Live Arcade, et cetera, to all of that cross-platform experience. It's the difference between just providing connected gameplay and really delivering a complete unified connected service that has community, identity, economy, all that built in seamlessly, and it just works. So yeah, the vision is to eventually bring all of those innovations and those features cross platform.

Will you apply the same portfolio-management strategy that's made XBLA successful to the Vista platform?

That's right.

So to put a really fine point on it: Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved on Windows Vista is
going to happen, it's just a question of schedule?

Picking that particular title, we're not announcing specific titles. Each title is gonna be up to the publisher, just as it is today when you're deciding which platforms to publish on. What we want to do is provide the platform, make it very easy to deliver their content on multiple platforms and devices connected into this service, It ultimately comes down to each publisher but, as a publisher, I don't know why I wouldn't want to take advantage of that.

So you're hinting at a cost that's associated with porting those titles from the Xbox 360 to the Windows Vista platform ...

But because of the work that we're going to do from a development standpoint we're gonna make that cost much lower than our competitors can, and much lower than the cost of doing it on your own in a disconnected way.

So we'll see titles like Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved, which has like a 40% conversion rate. Most likely it will make sense to pay that cost to bring it over to Windows Vista, but some of your lower converting titles, we don't know what they are specifically, but you've got some that are under 10%. Those may not make it?

Sure, those may not make it. And I think again, you're going to cull the crop and figure out which titles really do make sense on the other platforms. And it's not going to make sense on every platform. Some content does make more sense on a specific platform.

Interoperability between Windows Vista and 360 games: will that be handled on a per title basis for handicapping, are you going to use your TrueSkill system [to handle that]?

The Shadowrun guys are working very hard to make sure that it's an even fight. So controller players -- whether they're on Windows or Xbox 360 -- have very fair competition with the mouse and keyboard players. They'll tell you -- and I don't know if they're exaggerating -- they'll tell you that many people prefer playing Shadowrun with the controller versus the mouse and keyboard. They understand that, historically, that's been a real problem and that people haven't wanted to play versus the mouse and keyboard players because they think [those players] have an advantage. So those guys are working very hard to make sure that, from a control standpoint, there is no advantage on a platform basis.

Will Halo 2 have any interoperability when it's released for Vista... ?

No, we're just bringing over the Halo 2 experience over to Vista. It will support the online services though, that we're bringing over to Windows Vista.

In terms of digital distribution initiatives, Xbox Live has proven that there is a hunger for a certain amount of digitally distributed content. By the end of this generation of the console cycle, what percent of revenue do you think will be earned from digital distribution? Fifty percent, twenty five percent?

I haven't even thought about it that way. I mean it's a great question, don't get me wrong, it's a great question, and it's going to actually be a very significant number. In terms of percentage though, you're talking about $50-$60 titles at retail being sold. I don't think that digital distribution as a percent of revenue will become 10, 20, 30 percent. It's hard to know what to think of that in terms of percentage. In absolute terms I do believe it's going to become a very significant number. Just like I think advertising and sponsorship is going to grow to be a significant part, which is a good thing from a publisher's standpoint and a developer's standpoint. We have to figure out ways to grow the business model of console gaming.

Alright, you opened up it up to questions on advertising, but before we do, do you believe by the end of this console cycle, we'll see full retail titles distributed digitally to consoles?

I think you may see that in some markets. It's certainly a function of storage; it's a function of bandwidth and the ability to get it down; there's regulatory aspects to it; there's consumer aspects to it; we have to take into account our retailer ecosystem -- it's very important, we have great partners in the retail space. So there's a lot of very tricky issues. Do I think that digital distribution is coming? I absolutely do. It's not just Xbox Live Arcade by the way, but digital distribution is coming. In markets where there is significant piracy issues, and counterfeiting, digital distribution is really important for us in order to prove that there is a viable business model there.

The problem with those markets is they tend to lack the bandwidth that makes digital distribution viable. I think Brazil is one of the new countries you're going to go into, the penetration isn't there in terms of broadband.

But some of the markets in Asia where we do also have piracy problems, there is great broadband penetration, and very high-speed broadband penetration. It's going to vary market by market. It's going to depend on what the specific market situation is. By the end of this generation do I think it's going to be possible? Yeah, I think it's going to be possible.

Onto the advertising: will there be a version of Xbox Live Gold that's ad-supported so that people who are reticent about spending money on an online subscription for their console might be able to experience that same gameplay that someone who's paying for Gold currently experiences?

As opposed to paying for a Gold membership? Boy, nothing that we're announcing today, that's for sure. Just being able to integrate more of the in-game advertising, sponsorships, enabling more subscription types of business models, that's really what we're focusing on. As opposed to whether we could possibly remove the Gold membership level.

But the Gold membership level is a barrier right now to adoption. You've got 60% of the consoles connected, and that includes Gold and Silver. Who knows what the Gold membership level is. Are you able to say?

It's great! What I'll refer back to is last year, at this time, we talked about having well over 2 million subscribers. A big chunk of the greater than 3 million we've got currently connected are Gold subscribers. People are still seeing a great deal of value in the Gold level membership.

What's a "big chunk?" Over half?

We were already over 2 million subscribers last year and we've had great conversion.

I'm sorry, if you have 60% connected out of all of the Xbox 360 ...

Just to make the numbers easy, so there's no confusion: we have over 3 million connected members today, Gold and Silver.

Approximately what proportion of those are Gold?

I'm not going to tell you exactly, but I'll just refer back. Last year at this time we talked about having 2 million paid subscribers to Xbox Live and we've had a great conversion from Xbox to Xbox 360, so draw from that what you will.

So it would indicate over half.

It would indicate over half.

When do you plan on implementing your recent Massive purchase to deliver ads to the Xbox 360?

We're gonna start working on that right away. That's a major purchase for the company and obviously we're going to add that technology to our adCenter platform. Our general online advertising platform, but it's certainly a big part of what we think the future's going to be in the interactive entertainment space. It's all about figuring out what kinds of new business models, revenue streams can be used to supplement just the straight retail sale of games. A key thing about this -- before anyone gets too freaked out about it -- is that it has to be done in such a way that it's not offensive, intrusive, doesn't take away from the gaming experience.

That being said, are there any plans to reduce the price of $60 third-party titles if they have ad-content inside?

I think that's always up to the publisher.

What about Microsoft Game Studios?

I think, again, we're going to look at all these different business models as they emerge. Whether it's using promotional partners to sponsor downloadable content -- which is also starting to happen as an example so we don't have to charge customers -- that's something that we're starting to look at more and more. Looking at how advertising might be able to supplement from a pricing standpoint, that's got to be part of the equation but I don't know if that's going to happen. Even though you said I invited the advertising question, you were going to ask it anyways (laughs).
Of course you are sensitive to gamers freaking out about this; we've written about it a lot on Joystiq and there's a lot of sensitivity to it. "I don't want to have to wait extra time for my game to load." "I don't want to have to download ads all the time." "I don't want it clogging my connection." So what are some examples, outside of what Massive has already put on their website, of allowable or okay or friendly advertising inserted into Xbox Live?

I really don't have specific examples for you today, to be honest. I just know the underlying philosophy, the principle going in, is that we can't piss off the gamer. We are very sensitive to that. By the same token, I believe it can be done in a fashion -- and we'll provide more concrete examples as we start to develop them -- that won't be offensive to gamers. People do have to realize that the content we're delivering is very high quality, world-class, ambitious, and all of that stuff, and it's expensive to produce. So from a publishing standpoint, and a development standpoint, we do have to figure out ways to improve that overall business model. But first and foremost we can't undermine the underlying entertainment experience.

That's in keeping with what you've said about your portfolio strategy, you're not just letting anything onto the console. It's a very controlled environment. At the same time the Windows platform is not quite so controlled; it's more of a Wild West environment. How are you going to mediate between those extremes?

Truthfully, on the Xbox 360 side, you guys really need to talk to George Beckham about how he thinks about which third-party titles to allow on and off. I have nothing to do with that -- I want to make that very clear -- the first-party guys don't get to say anything about third-party titles. With respect to Windows though, the market is going to regulate that, right? In terms of what succeeds and what doesn't. Today, with the cost of development, publishers and developers really can't afford to take chances on mediocre titles. So I think there's a little bit of self-regulation that's going to happen.

Whether or not we start to introduce more of a model on the Windows side where we say, "Look, there's these approved Windows titles" -- which is essentially what we do on the 360 -- I can' t say for sure today. But that would be a major change in the way Windows gaming has historically worked. As you know we don't charge a royalty to publishers to publish their games on the Windows platform. So there's a bunch of fundamental economic changes that would have to go along with that. Certainly nothing that we're talking about right now.

Thanks for your time.
[update 1: added information about the date of the interview]

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Readers pick best webcomic (E3 edition)

Ross Miller — 2006-05-16T15:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Polls, E3

Quite overwhelmingly, Tim Buckley's stab at Sony was voted as the top webcomic of the week -- we can't help but be reminded of Penny Arcade's comic from last year's E3 regarding Will Wright's new game. The other winners were Extra Life and Dueling Analogs in second and third, respectively.

Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!

Here's how everyone scored:

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Spore confirmed for Wii, sorta [update 1]

James Ransom-Wiley — 2006-05-16T14:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Nintendo DS, PC, Nintendo Wii, Simulations, Strategy, E3

Speaking with GameSpy during E3, Will Wright confirmed that Spore will be available "on all platforms," including cell phones - and presumably Wii. While Wright did not specifically name-drop "Wii," we must assume that "all platforms" includes Wii. In addition, Wright, by his own admission, is a bit of a Nintendo fanboy: "I'm rooting for Nintendo," he told GameSpy. Despite this statement, Wright was critical of the Wiimote, observing "the way the Wii controller works depends a lot on how close you are to your TV."

Interestingly enough, Wright currently favors the DS as his platform of choice. Any chance Spore will end up on Nintendo's handheld? [Update: Spore has been confirmed for the DS. Thanks, Sense.]

Spore is tentatively set to debut on the PC early next year (April/March 2007).

[Thanks, Vik]

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MMO players convene after E3

Jennie Lees — 2006-05-16T12:59:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Online, RPGs, E3, MMO

Those of us heavily invested in massively multiplayer games are part of a community, just as FPS clans have a brotherhood borne out of hours of playing together. Events like BlizzCon provide an opportunity for MMO guilds and players to meet up -- for the unknown to meet the infamous.

E3 may have been over, but that didn't stop NCsoft arranging a player get-together last Saturday. Over 400 players signed up, some travelling from as far as Arizona for this one evening. While NCsoft had rented out a LAN centre for the event, players spent just as much time talking as they did playing, with a sizeable contingent of developers and community managers on hand to help the event along. NCsoft celebrities including Richard Garriott and Matt "Positron" Miller attended the event, showing a pleasing commitment to the player base.
However, other gaming celebrities made a surprise stop at the party; members of the PMS Clan and Frag Dolls turned up unexpectedly, escorted by several pro gamers including Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel. The crowds gathering around these stars somewhat eclipsed those around NCsoft employees, turning a low-key player get-together into a gaming paparazzi feeding frenzy.

What do you do when your event is upstaged by unscheduled guests? Pretend they were meant to be there all along, of course. At least, we heard no NCsoft employees announce the truth behind the extra guests. The impact on the event as a whole was minor, though; by the time Fatal1ty et al turned up, the player gathering was in full swing, with the PC stations playing City of Heroes, Guild Wars and other NCsoft hits. All the players we spoke to were having a great time, and perhaps that's the way gaming parties should be; provide the games, provide the players, and let the rest unfold.

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Sony to support homebrew with Linux on PS3

James Ransom-Wiley — 2006-05-16T12:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Hacks, Sony PlayStation 3, E3

It's hard to imagine that Sony, a company that continues to actively block unlicensed applications on the PSP, will welcome the homebrew community with open arms when it ushers in the PlayStation 3. But, according SCE network system development manager Izumi Kawanishi, the console will ship with a built-in Linux OS, complete with compilers and other tools. It would seem that Sony is indeed inviting homebrew enthusiasts to develop basic applications and game content. Just don't expect Sony to provide technical support or access to SDK libraries, as these privileges are reserved for licensed developers.

While Linux support on the PS3 has been known for some time, this latest revelation implies an added value to the console, which in turn could justify the exorbitant price tag for some. The question is, will mainstream consumers ignore this key feature?

[Thanks, Fan]

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Joystiq Video: Karaoke Revolution Country

Christopher Grant — 2006-05-16T03:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Sony PlayStation 2, E3, Video, Rhythm

As luck would have it, the edited version of Randall and I's Karaoke Revolution performance live in LA just got uploaded during a nice slow night of blogging. Now, instead of getting washed away in a torrent of E3-related posts, it'll sit on the front page, gathering exposure and accumulating your precious mockery ... alright Joystiqers, have at it!

If the embedded video isn't working, check out our local version (.mov).

[Thanks, Alexia and Randall!]

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Spielberg of gaming and Spielberg of movies play Wii

Christopher Grant — 2006-05-15T22:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Nintendo Wii, Sports, E3

The AP managed to snap some shots of Shigeru Miyamoto -- often called the Spielberg of video games -- and Steven Spielberg -- the, uh, Spielberg of movies -- playing a quick round of tennis in LA last week, as celebrities are wont to do. Couple things though: they played using Nintendo's new Wii console, and they did it in amidst the frenzy of E3.

Really wish we got in there for this although, judging by the relatively empty space behind them, it appears Nintendo had these VIPs isolated from the unwashed masses. That reminds me, things to do before I die: play a Nintendo game with Shigeru Miyamoto.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Peter Moore gets grilled ... by Space Ghost

Christopher Grant — 2006-05-15T20:26:00+00:00

Filed under: Microsoft Xbox 360, E3, Video

We weren't the only ones to get an interview with Peter Moore at E3. Space Ghost was asking "the hard questions" at the GameTap booth during E3 (hint: Turner owns GameTap and Cartoon Network). Hear Peter's responses to SG's ideas for a dermatology game for teens, listen to him talk some serious trash on Sony, and then watch him drop it like it's hot (seriously). If you didn't think Peter Moore was a good sport before ...

Click the "Continue" link to check out the embedded video, or head over to YouTube. Warning: the video is NSFW; you've been warned.

[Via Gamerscore]

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Metal Gear Solid movie confirmed definitively

Christopher Grant — 2006-05-15T19:27:00+00:00

Filed under: Culture, Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Sony PSP

Metal Gear Solid creator, Hideo Kojima, has already ruled out Uwe Boll ("it's impossible") as a directorial candidate of a possible cinematic adaptation of the celebrated series, without confirming that such a project was even under way ... until now, that is. Gamespot reports that the Kojima Productions spoof of the E3 Show Daily, dubbed "Show Maybe," teases, "In a late-breaking surprise announcement, director Hideo Kojima revealed that his most famous creation -- Metal Gear Solid -- is getting the live-action treatment."

On the back page Kojima writes, "I have received many offers to adapt Metal Gear Solid. It has taken a long time, but we have finally settled on an arrangement ... False facts aside, a movie project is underway. I have finalized a Class-A contract with a party in Hollywood." Now that the cat's out of the bag, expect periodic updates leading up to the 2007 release of Metal Gear Solid 4. Who's directing? Whose starring? For once, fans can't complain about lengthy cut scenes!

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Who's got a Joystiq T-shirt?

Christopher Grant — 2006-05-15T18:56:00+00:00

Filed under: Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox 360, E3

Our limited-edition Joystiq T-shirts are rolling out to our biggest (and speediest) fans right now. Then there's our not as limited-edition Joystiq E3 shirts that we were giving out at the show. Did you grab enough business cards from Joystiqers on the show floor, like the Joystiq luchador did? Did you make it to the AOL booth during our short, one-hour handout? Or were you gracious enough to grant Joystiq an interview, like Peter, Perrin, Shane, and Miyamoto-san?

If you're sporting a Joystiq tee, let us know what you think. Didn't get one? We'll be giving away the orange shirts on the site so keep your eyes peeled. And if you see somebody sporting one on the street, stop 'em and say hi. They're either Joystiq readers or one of us.

Big thanks to Philip and Yann for the incredible designs. Seriously, we're humbled.

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Pick your (reevaluated) console combo:
	PS3 and Wii
	Xbox 360 and Wii
	PS3 and Xbox 360
	Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii
	Wii
	PS3
	Xbox 360