Gaming merger: Infogrames to finally buy Atari
May 2, 2008
Infogrames Entertainment and Atari today announced that they finally reached an agreement to merge the two interactive entertainment companies. Infogrames is already the majority shareholder gaming pioneer Atari. The merger agreement now brings Atari fully under the control of Infogrames. Read more
Cebit: AMD Delivers DirectX10 Motherboard GPU for Robust 3D Gaming and Ultimate Blu-ray Experience
March 4, 2008
AMD today announced the availability of the industry’s most advanced motherboard GPU, the AMD 780 Series, delivering a rich computing experience for casual gamers and multimedia enthusiasts as the core of quiet and energy-efficient PC designs. When paired with an AMD Phenom(TM) 9000 series quad-core processor or Athlon(TM) 64 X2 dual-core processor, the AMD 780 Series delivers significant enhancements in gaming and high-definition experiences for mainstream PC customers. The AMD 780 Series motherboard GPU is scheduled to be widely available from more than 40 AMD partners at launch. Global OEMs are expected to offer AMD 780 Series-based PCs starting in Q2 2008.
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Game Developers Conference: GDC 2008 breaks attendance record, press may need invite next year
February 29, 2008
According to Blogsmith media, CMP Media says its 2008 conference broke a record and hosted 18,000 game industry professionals (previous attendance was somewhere around 16,000). Attendance might also take a tiny dip next year as Kotaku reports GDC may become invite-only for those seeking press credentials. Jamil Moledina, executive director of the Game Developers Conference, tells the site that CMP hasn’t nailed down details on how it’s going to work, but they are looking at an “invite model for press access.” Moledina is worried about maintaining the show’s atmosphere and wants to make sure GDC maintains its core goals.
GDC will be back at the Moscone Center in San Francisco again next year from March 23-27.
http://www.blogsmith.com/
Read: 2008 GDC breaks attendance record
Read: GDC, DICE, E3 could all be press invite only
GDC 2008: EA Announces Closed Beta for TheSimsCarnival.com, New Online Community and Gaming Experience From The Sims
February 22, 2008
Today, Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) announced an invitation to participate in a special closed beta at The Sims Carnival(TM), a new online community and gaming experience from The Sims(TM) studio. An innovative online destination, TheSimsCarnival.com empowers members to play, create and share casual games within an online community. This announcement comes out of today’s Game Developers Conference (GDC) in a speech presented by the Head of The Sims Studio, Rod Humble. Read more
GDC 2008: Nintendo Launches Its Next Engaging Experiences
February 21, 2008
The Game Developers Conference in San Francisco attracts the top creative minds in the video game
industry. With that audience on hand, Nintendo announces news that
reinforces its commitment to provide entertaining and enriching experiences
for veteran and new gamers alike. WiiWare(TM), Nintendo’s new downloadable
game service, launches May 12 and expands development opportunities for
developers the same way Wii(TM) expanded the world of video game players.
Wii Fit(TM), the upcoming title for Wii, launches May 19 and introduces the
Wii Balance Board(TM) peripheral. And Super Smash Bros.(R) Brawl draws in
fans of all kinds. Read more
GDC 2008: Logitech Launches Official Wheel of Gran Turismo(TM) for PLAYSTATION(R)3
February 21, 2008
Today at the Game Developer’s Conference (GDC), Logitech (SWX:LOGN) (NASDAQ:LOGI), the world’s leading developer of force feedback gaming wheels, announced the Logitech® Driving Force™ GT racing wheel, the official wheel of Gran Turismo™. Featuring powerful force feedback and an innovative 24-position realtime adjustment dial for on-the-fly control of brake bias, traction and damper settings, the Logitech Driving Force GT gives gamers the most accurate and authentic PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) racing experience. Read more
GDC: World Bunco Association Chooses Ultizen Games To Create World of Bunco
February 20, 2008
Shanghai, China - February 19, 2008 - The World Bunco Association, owners of the Bunco® trademark, announced today they have chosen Ultizen Games Ltd., a game development and outsourcing company, to create “World of Bunco”, a social gaming network scheduled to debut this summer.
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GDC: Pinnacle Video Transfer Helps Gamers Capture Game Sessions - No Computer Required
February 19, 2008
Pinnacle Systems, Inc., the consumer division of Avid Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVID), highlighted today the convenience of using Pinnacle™ Video Transfer to record game sessions. The innovative device records directly from a game console with multiple audio/video outputs to any USB 2.0 storage device—without using a computer. With the touch of a button, game play, demos, and tutorials can be recorded directly to an Apple® iPod® Video, iPod nano (3rd generation), iPod classic, Sony® PSP™, Sony PSP slim, flash drive or hard drive. With PC-less recording directly to these leading personal media players (PMPs), Pinnacle Video Transfer provides a compelling solution to game enthusiasts who want to capture their game sessions and share techniques or tips with other gamers or even the world.
According to consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, the video-game sector will remain one of the above-average growth segments of the global entertainment industries through 2011, with global games spending set to exceed music spending in 2008.
For gaming aficionados, being able to transfer videos to an iPod, PSP or USB device without having to copy the files to a computer and convert them is an added bonus, saving time and hard drive space. Since the sessions are captured in a digital format, players can also edit their best game plays on their computer with easy-to-use video editing software like Pinnacle VideoSpin™, which is available as a free download from www.videospin.com. More than a video editing solution, the VideoSpin application also makes it amazingly easy to upload videos directly to popular Web sites like YouTube™ or Yahoo! Video™.
Offering anytime, anywhere entertainment convenience, Pinnacle Video Transfer hardware provides gamers with added value. When used to record from a TV, DVD player, PVR, camcorder or set-top box, users can enjoy their favorite TV shows and personal videos on their iPod Video or PSP. With PC-less recording, the compact device will also appeal to people who want a simple way to offload footage from their camera to a portable USB device when away from home. For consumers with personal videos on VHS, Hi8 or VHS-C tapes, Pinnacle Video Transfer can be used to make digital copies on a USB 2.0 hard drive for safe keeping.
Videos are captured in the H.264 format, the high-compression multimedia technology supported by iPods and PSPs. This eliminates the need for time-consuming conversion. Also known as the Advanced Video Codec (AVC) specification or MPEG 4-Part 10, Pinnacle’s H.264 encoding delivers high-quality videos with two to three times the compression efficiency of solutions such as the MPEG-2 standard, which is used in DVD video. Depending on their preference for video quality or the actual size of the video files, users can select the quality level for each recording (Good, Better or Best) with the press of a single button. When Best recording is selected, videos can be captured at up to 720×480/576 (NTSC/PAL) resolution.
Measuring only 4.843″ x 2.638″ x 0.906″, the device supports multiple inputs including S-Video, Composite video and stereo audio analog. Pinnacle Video Transfer can also be used to recharge an iPod battery during video transfer.
Pricing and Availability
Pinnacle Video Transfer is available through the Pinnacle Systems estore and Best Buy, with a US MSRP of $129.99. In addition to the Pinnacle Video Transfer device, the complete package includes three RCA audio/video cables, an 110v-230v power supply and a Quick Start Guide.
About Pinnacle Systems, Inc.
Pinnacle Systems, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avid Technology, Inc., is an industry leader in providing a complete set of home video editing and TV viewing tools for the consumer market. The company’s product lines including Pinnacle PCTV™, Dazzle®, Pinnacle ShowCenter®, and its flagship Pinnacle Studio™ line, cover the needs and requirements of any level of video storytellers or consumers who simply want to enjoy TV from their computer. Pinnacle Systems has received nine prestigious Emmy® Awards for its technical innovations and carries the commitment to help consumers enhance, preserve and share their memories with ease. For more information, visit www.pinnaclesys.com.
About Avid Technology, Inc.
Avid is a worldwide leader in tools for film, video, audio, 3D animation, gaming and broadcast professionals – as well as for home audio and video enthusiasts. Avid professional and consumer brands include Avid, Digidesign, M-Audio, Pinnacle Systems, Sibelius, Softimage and Sundance Digital. The vast majority of primetime television shows, feature films, commercials and chart-topping music hits are made using one or more Avid products. Whether used by seasoned professionals or beginning students, Avid’s products and services enable customers to work more efficiently, productively and creatively. Avid received an Oscar® statuette representing the 1998 Scientific and Technical Award for the concept, design, and engineering of the Avid® Film Composer® system for motion picture editing. For more information about the company’s Oscar, Grammy® and Emmy® award-winning products and services, visit http://www.avid.com.
- Via TechShowWIRE.com / PressRoom 2.0 [ http://www.PressRoom2.com/ ] [Inbox mmwqp]
GDC: Glu and Fox Mobile Entertainment Partner to Bring Games to Mobile devices
February 19, 2008
Glu Mobile Inc. (Nasdaq:GLUU), a leading global publisher of mobile games, today announced that it has signed a multi-year agreement with Fox Mobile Entertainment to develop and publish mobile games and content based on the ICE AGE(R) brand. Glu will begin by developing and publishing the mobile-exclusive game ICE AGE: Mammoth Mayhem, scheduled for launch in the summer of 2008.
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GDC: Image Metrics Facial Animation to Showcase Power of Emergent Game Technologies’ Gamebryo at GDC 2008
February 19, 2008
Image Metrics today announced that its proprietary performance capture solution was used by Emergent Game Technologies to produce a new demo of Emergent’s Gamebryo(TM) game engine that will be showcased at the Game Developer’s Conference (GDC) in San Francisco on February 18 - 21. The demo will be showcased in the Emergent Technologies booth #5716, North Hall.
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