(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)
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Today while I was talking with a couple of developers from Bioware, I asked about digital distribution on the PC. They told me that they recently secured a deal with Steam for Mass Effect 2. A quick search in the Steam Store reveals that Mass Effect 2 will be available on Steam in time for the January 26 release date. The only thing missing is a price and whether or not a preload will be available for the next installment of the sci-fi saga.
Archive for January, 2010
(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5)
After Microsoft announced Game Room at their keynote address at CES, it was only a matter of time before we would get our hands on it. Contrary to some beliefs, Game Room is nothing like Playstation Home, nope not at all. In fact, you never take control of your Avatar and navigate the room. Instead, the camera just goes over each arcade machine as you browse the different classics. Its actually very nice to use because every arcade machine is organized by platform and every platform has its own little alcove in the Game Room. I played Centipede and am glad to report that the port to the Xbox platform was very good. The game appeared to be upscaled so lines and text appeared to be sharp on the HDTV connected to the Xbox 360. Each game in the Game Room can be played for free before you choose to buy it. Each game can then be played like classic arcade machines by costing 50 Microsoft Points per game. If you want to buy a game for the Xbox 360, each will cost approximately 240 Microsoft Points. Since Game Room is also available on Windows, each game can be bought for 400 Microsoft Points, granting access for Xbox 360 Game Room and Game Room on Windows. Game Room is expected to launch on the Xbox Live this Spring 2010.
One of the more interesting gadgets I saw today was the Sonic Walk from Creanovative. The Sonic Walk is a light weight harness that you wear over your shoulders that has two speakers. I tried one of their water resistant models on the show floor and was pleasantly surprised by the quality and volume of the sound that filled my immediate area. The speakers are located just in front of the shoulders on each side and are connected to a source through wires embedded in the vest. The Sonic Walk comes in a variety of models that include different pouches and some even have support for a water bladder. Currently, the Sonic Walk is available for order online. I could see obnoxious Segway gliders easily adopting this into their gadget inventory.
For those of you who are looking for new innovative computer interfaces, the Peregrine is for you. The Peregrine is a glove that you wear on your left and that has tiny stainless steel wires on each finger and on the palm of the hand which complete a circuit when the contracts are touched in different patterns. The Peregrine can also read multiple touches at the same time so it can register multiple contacts for holding down two keys. The glove has over 30 user recordable actions which can be completely customized for the user. The Peregrine connects to a computer via a USB cable which is magnetically attached to the actual glove for quick attachment. One employee boasted that an experienced user of the Peregrine could type at up to 80 WPM. The Glove is supposedly designed to military standards so it should hold up after lots of use. While I did not get to wear the glove or see it in actual use, it seemed like an impressive gaming interface that anyone who loves to use macros will enjoy. The Peregrine glove is available in three sizes for pre-order for 129.99; the Peregrine will retail for 149.99 when it becomes available later this year. When Peregrine gets their systems up and running, I might go back to try it on.
Shuttle got to the hall a little late so I don’t have the best seat. Stay tuned.
To no ones surprise, Halo has been a great success for Microsoft and Bungie. In case you didn’t already know this, Microsoft’s President of Entertainment and Devices Robert J. Bach listed some statistics that show how well Halo has done as a franchise.
Continue reading ‘CES 2010: Halo has done incredibly well. Duh…’
During Microsoft’s keynote address, Entertainment and Devices President Robert Bach revealed Game Room, a service that will allow people to enjoy classic arcade games on their Xbox360 in their native form: the arcade. Bach introduced Game Room by filling the convention hall with 8-bit sounds from old classics including Centipede, Tempest and Asteroids. In Game Room, Xbox Live avatars will play in a virtual private arcade filled with classic arcade machines. Avatars appeared to react to the arcade machines in different ways depending on your scores; a video showed a Avatar kicking the bottom of the an arcade machine. Game Room will allow Live players experience classic arcade games with new leader boards and other forms of competitive play. There was no direct word on pricing. Game Room should be available sometime in 2010 for Xbox Live and Games for Windows Live. More images after the jump.
Today after a brief power outage, Steve Ballmer delivered the first keynote address to everyone at CES. Ballmer focused mainly on the success of the release of Windows 7 despite the hard economic times. Ballmer showed new Slate computers running full versions of Windows 7. New 2010 features of Powerpoint were also revealed. But in Rotpod style, we take great interest in the gaming news. The President of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices division Robert Bach confirmed that Project Natal for the Xbox 360 will indeed be available for 2010’s holiday season. Bach was very enthusiastic about 2010 for Microsoft because project Natal will revolutionize the user experience. Bach explained it’s not about losing the controller, its about creating user interfaces that people find natural. While Project Natal was not demonstrated on-stage, a video mashup showed developers and product testers praising Natal as the next big thing in the industry. Microsoft is wisely setting dates for their motion controller because this may contribute to stronger sales leading up to the holiday season.
