US spooks see Sadville as potential terrorist paradiseBy Dan Goodin in San Francisco
February 7, 2008 22:26 GMT

US intelligence officials are growing increasingly wary of Second Life and other virtual worlds, which they say could soon become havens for terrorists, money-launderers and criminals engaged in corporate espionage.

The virtual "communities" offer many of the same amenities of the real world, including banks, multiple currencies, shopping malls and private buildings that can only be accessed with a password. At the same time, the companies operating these virtual wastelands typically don't log conversations between users or keep records of which avatars gather in particular locations.

"Unfortunately, what started out as a benign environment where people would congregate to share information or explore fantasy worlds is now offering the opportunity for religious/political extremists to recruit, rehearse, transfer money, and ultimately engage in information warfare or worse with impunity," according to a paper recently prepared by the government's new Intelligence Advanced Research Project Activity.

It was reported here by The Washington Post. The CIA has already set up several virtual islands where training sessions and unclassified meetings are held. But the IARPA paper calls for more involvement, including tests by cyber warfare experts to gauge how virtual worlds could be used to against terrorists or enemies.

The Register
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Disney wants your child online: MMOs for tweens (and below)
By Ben Kuchera
February 06, 2008 - 11:48PM CT

Early-morning meetings at CES are nice. Your feet aren't quite falling off your legs, you're not yet suffering the intestinal distress from eating the crappy (but free) food in the press room, and it's easy to find your notes since your bag isn't yet cluttered with free flash drives.

At one of these early sessions, I got the chance to talk with the creative director of Pirates of the Caribbean Online, Joe Shochet, and the vice president of Disney Online's VR Studio, Mike Goslin, in Disney's suite in Las Vegas. "You know what an MMO is, right?" I'm asked. Yes, I know what an MMO is.

I've also seen friends fall victim to MMO addiction, and I know that the MMO scene is a wild and woolly place filled with gold farmers, scam artists, and sexual deviants. Okay, it's not that bad, but it's how the media spins the idea of online games. And there's a kernel of truth to some of this reporting; I'm not sure I would want my child playing one of these online time sinks.

But Disney thinks virtual worlds are a good match for the kid demographic, and it has thrown significant resources behind the creation of online, kid-friendly places. The challenge is making a persistent online world that's both safe and compelling.

Ars Technica
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Engineer unlocks Wii's hidden potential
by Stephen Shankland
January 28, 2008 3:00 AM PST

I support the hardware hacking philosophy on principle, but most of the movement's labors have left me uninspired. That all changed when I started seeing the uses that Carnegie Mellon researcher Johnny Chung Lee has found for the Nintendo Wii's infrared remote control.

In a collection of videos, notable for their lucid explanations, the Ph.D. graduate student from CMU's Human-Computer Interaction Institute shows exactly how versatile the "Wiimote" system can be. Among the uses he convincingly demonstrates: a virtual-reality head-tracker; a virtual whiteboard on a wall, tabletop, and laptop screen; and a Minority Report-style arm-waving and finger-pointing multitouch user interface.

The Ninendo game device includes a bar-shaped device, ordinarily placed atop a TV screen, with two LEDs. It emits infrared light that the Wiimote can detect within a 45-degree field of view. Lee uses a computer to process data from those components and dramatically expand their utility. By attaching the sensor bar to his head and the Wiimote to a TV, he was able to construct a system that knows where his head is located.

That information is then fed into an algorithm that changes the perspective of an image on a monitor. The result is a very convincing 3D feel that looks like it would be a great fit for video games. The whiteboard application relies on use of a pen with an infrared LED in its tip. After a quick calibration--the subject of Lee's thesis--a computer can track where Lee is "drawing" on a wall, tabletop, and laptop screen.

CNET News
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Developer says Grand Theft Auto IV "virtually complete"
By Mark Raby
January 24, 2008 07:15

New York (NY) - Rockstar Games, the company behind the Grand Theft Auto series, the latest installment in the violent street life simulation franchise is just a few months away from being released. In an interview with Computer & Video Games, Rockstar confirmed that GTA IV is just "three/four months away from release" and that right now it is "virtually complete."

Additionally, the game developer noted that a lot has changed since the title's last preview.
"The game is in a very, very different place now. It's improved in virtually every single way imaginable," it said. An official release date announcement is expected by the middle of February. It is rumored that the game will launch on April 25, the last day of the fiscal quarter for Rockstar's parent company Take Two.

TG Daily

Nvidia’s Hybrid SLI May Not Be Suitable for Business Users, Serious Gamers
By Anton Shilov
January 23 2008, 06:39 PM

Despite of hype, Nvidia Corp.’s Hybrid SLI technology that can reduce power consumption of high-end multi-GPU systems as well as improve 3D graphics performance on entry-level computers with integrated graphics core (IGP) has several serious drawbacks that are likely to prevent the current implementation from going into systems of serious gamers or professionals.

Nvidia’s new Hybrid SLI technology has two modes that target different applications and usage models. The HybridPower mode switches off discrete graphics core or cores and uses only integrated graphics engine when high performance is not needed, thus, cutting power. The GeForce Boost mode make integrated graphics processor (IGP) assist discrete graphics processing unit (GPU) and boost performance when it is required. In both cases computer monitor has to be plugged to video output of mainboard’s IGP.

Apparently, the first implementation of Hybrid SLI technology not only does not support multi-monitor output capability, but also does not support dual-link DVI output, which means that such a system cannot support 30” high-end displays with resolution of 2560x1600.

Multi-monitor support is crucial for business and professional customers, who utilize two or sometimes even more displays to simultaneously access necessary information with their eyes without necessity to switch windows. In fact, multi-GPU SLI technology itself, designed strictly to boost graphics performance for gaming also does not feature multi-monitor capability, but since not many gamers require it, this was hardly a substantial disadvantage.

X-bit labs
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EVE Gets All Steamed Up
January 23, 2008 - 10:10 AM

MMO, EVE is bringing its army of virtual players to to Valve's Steam anti-piracy system. The game will be the first MMO to be delivered over the network, a fact which makes publisher Iceland outfit CCO "immensely excited and honored," apparently.

To "celebrate" the launch gamers already signed to Steam's will be able to faff about in the virtual EVE universe for 21-days for free. By which time they'll be hooked, the cunning chaps at Valve have worked out.

The Inquirer

White Playstation 3 coming to the US
By Author
DateTime

Foster City (CA) - The first new colored version of the PS3 is headed to North America, according to a filing with the FCC. The "ceramic white" Playstation 3 came out in Japan last November, but recently uncovered documents from the Federal Communications Commission show that it is slated for a stateside launch as well.

Sony had requested a short-term confidentiality of the files "to avoid premature release of sensitive information prior to marketing or release of the product to the public." So far the only official versions of the PS3 have been "piano black", the same color of the first PSP. The white PS3 in Japan has a 40 GB hard drive and retails for the same price as the black 40 GB unit there. A price and release date have not yet been set for the US version of the system.

TG Daily

NPD Fallout: Did UT3 Find a Home on PS3?
By Patrick Klepek
January 18, 2008

Gears of War sold in the millions, but that didn't translate to similarly spectacular sales of Epic Games' next title, Unreal Tournament III. Of course, there could be a few of reasons for that -- for example, the sheer amount of multiplayer shooters this holiday season could simply be too much of a good thing and PC owners may not actually care about Gears of War.

Either way, it resulted in Epic and Midway seeing only 86,633 units of UT3 on PC moving by the end of November. There are fewer complications on the PlayStation 3, where UT3 landed just a few weeks before Christmas. Midway had advised the media and shareholders the title could slip into early 2008, but Epic cranked away, putting the game on shelves by December 11. While technically before Christmas, by that date, most consumers have either purchased or printed out shopping lists for what they need to pick up in time for the holidays -- would UT3 have time to make an impact?

It certainly made a bigger impact than its PC counterpart, anyway. The NPD Group tells us UT3 sold 113,000 copies on PS3 in December. That's just under what Uncharted: Drake's Fortune managed in November (117,000) and above Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction's numbers in October (74,500).

1UP contacted Epic Games VP Mark Rein for comment, but we've yet to hear back. We're curious, though, whether the more encouraging sales on PS3 will shift Epic's focus away from the struggling PC SKU. Responding to user questions in a blog for Guardian Unlimited, Rein brushed away concerns about the PC version's sales.

LIST SOURCE
1UP

Xbox 360 hits 300k mark down under
By Randolph Ramsay, GameSpot AU
January 21, 2008 5:07 am PT

More than 300,000 Xbox 360s now sold in Australia; Halo 3 top-selling title for 2007. Microsoft has unveiled the latest update on how its next-generation console is faring in Australia. According to Microsoft, 306,000 Xbox 360s have now been sold in Australia, with more than two million games also sold since the console's launch in March, 2006.

Unfortunately, Microsoft did not provide a specific console sales figure just for the calendar year of 2007. However, going from previously published figures from industry tracker GfK Australia for the second and third quarters of 2007, as well as a GameSpot AU interview with top Australian Xbox exec David McLean back at the end of March last year, it seems that as many as 160,000 Xbox 360s were sold in Australia in 2007 (and up to 80,000 in the final quarter of the year alone). By comparison, Sony's PlayStation 3 has sold 155,000 units down under since its release in March, 2007. Nintendo is yet to officially release its latest console sales figures for Australia.

Microsoft can also lay claim to having the highest-selling console game for all of 2007 in Australia, thanks to Halo 3. The latest adventures of the Master Chief sold 120,000 copies locally, which means roughly one in three 360 owners own a copy of Halo 3. The other top-sellers in the 360 library for 2007 were Call of Duty 4, Assassin's Creed, Gears of War and Forza Motorsport 2.

Gamespot

Video game industry seeks political clout
January 14, 2008, 9:55 PM PST

Capitalizing on its improved respectability, the video game industry intends to establish a political action committee to donate money to game-friendly politicians and candidates.

Michael D. Gallagher, chief executive of the Entertainment Software Association, the industry's lobbying arm in Washington, said last week that the group's board approved the PAC's creation last fall and that the committee would be up and running by the end of March. The association represents major game publishers including the Walt Disney , Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony.

"We will be writing checks to campaigns by the end of this quarter," Gallagher said. "This is an important step in the political maturation process of the industry that we are ready to take now. This is about identifying and supporting champions for the game industry on Capitol Hill so that they support us."

Gallagher said the PAC would probably donate $50,000 to $100,000 this year to national candidates, an amount he described as commensurate with similar committees associated with the film and music industries. Such political action committees are generally financed personally by industry executives rather than by corporations and under federal law are limited to giving $5,000 to each candidate per election.

CNET News / The New York Times
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Second Life banks banned, run on banks begins
By Jacqui Cheng
January 11, 2008 - 12:12PM CT

For those of you who don't play Second Life, it may come as a surprise that the virtual world is still turning. But it is, and there's still drama going down over—you guessed it—money handling within the "game."

Second Life operator Linden Lab is hoping to head off some of that drama by instituting a ban on virtual banks that aren't government-sanctioned in real life. The company said in a blog post this week that after reviewing resident complaints, in-world banking activities, and the law, the move is in the best interests of its users.

A number of virtual banks have popped up within Second Life, and they work the same way that real banks do—they promise appealing interest rates to Second Life residents willing to hand over their Linden dollars, among other things. Since Linden dollars can be translated into real-world dollars, the individuals running the "banks" presumably deposited the cash into their own (real) banks in order to grow that interest.

But residents started getting burned by banks not being able to live up to their promises. One bank, Ginko Financial, ended up folding in August, taking all of its customers' money with it. Since then, a number of other banks have defaulted on their promises, too.

Ars Technica
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TGS 2008 dated
By Emma Boyes, GameSpot UK
January 10, 2008 6:50 am ET

The Tokyo Game Show shifts its dates from late September to October 9-13. It's been nothing but change for the annual game shows this year--the Game Developer's Conference in San Francisco has come forward a month to February, and the E3 Media and Business Summit has moved back from Santa Monica to downtown Los Angeles.

This year's Tokyo Game Show will also be shifting. Last year's show ran from September 20-24, whereas this year the show will be fashionably later from October 9-13, as organisers CESA have revealed.

Like last year, TGS 2008 will be four days long, with the first two days being restricted-access "business" days, and October 11 and 12 being open to the public. Previously, the show had been three days long, with just the first being a business day. The event will once again take place at Makuhari Messe.

Last year's TGS saw a record 193,040 visitors attending, and companies including Sony, Microsoft, Konami, and Sega had a significant presence. There were also a record number of booths: 1,735. This year's event is expected to be just as big.

Gamespot

Resistance 2 revealed
By Tor Thorsen, GameSpot
January 11, 2008 3:31 pm PT

Game Informer confirms top-rated PS3 launch game will become franchise for Sony's rising console. As is the case with most batches of platform-launch games, critics weren't especially kind to the titles that debuted alongside the PlayStation 3.

As is the case with most batches of platform-launch games, critics weren't especially kind to the titles that debuted alongside the PlayStation 3. According to Metacritic, the most consistently well-reviewed launch title for the platform was Resistance: Fall of Man. Developed by Ratchet & Clank creators Insomniac Games, the title blended science fiction and Harry Turtledove-esque alternate history, portraying an alien invasion of England in the 1950s--after World War II didn't happen.

According to industry-research group NPD Funworld, Resistance was a solid seller, moving nearly 791,000 copies domestically as of November 2007. Little wonder, then, that as rumored the acclaimed game is getting sequel treatment. The February edition of Game Informer reveals that yes, Insomniac is hard at work on a sequel, tentatively titled Resistance 2.

According to the magazine, Resistance 2 will support two campaigns, multiplayer battles of up to 60 people, and eight-person online co-op play. Unconfirmed reports say the game will support three character classes--including a heavy weapons, special operations, and the all-important medic. It will also incorporate vehicles, including the alien-built Stalker, which will have cloaking abilities.

Gamespot

Nintendo, Sony face new patent suit
By Brendan Sinclair, GameSpot
January 10, 2008 5:00 pm PT

Wii and PS3 manufacturers taken to court by Pennsylvania man over wireless controller technology. Ever since Immersion Corporation won its lawsuit against Sony over the rumble technology in PlayStation and PlayStation 2 DualShock controllers (and eventually forced nearly $100 million in damages and interest from the electronics giant), patent litigation has been a subject of keen interest in the gaming industry.

One of numerous figures from the patent.The latest dispute comes from the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, where Copper Innovations Group late last month filed suit against Nintendo and Sony for a patent it holds on a "Hand Held Computer Input Apparatus and Method."

The patent--which was filed in January of 1996--covers a method for connecting devices to a system and sorting their inputs by means of hardware identification numbers tied to each transmission. According to the suit, Nintendo and Sony are violating the Copper Innovations Group's patent by making and selling their systems and controllers. The Wii Remote, Wii Nunchuk, Sixaxis controller, and Blu-ray Remote Control are all named in the suit as infringing products.

Copper Innovations Group is seeking damages plus interest, legal fees, and an injunction permanently prohibiting Sony, Nintendo, or their agents from infringing upon the patent. An attorney for Copper declined to comment on the case (or the omission of Microsoft as a defendant) for GameSpot, while Sony and Nintendo representatives did not return requests for comment.

Gamespot

Microsoft's response to the Xbox's strange wireless signal
By John Cox
January 11 2008

After 37 days, Microsoft issued 43-word statement on the report of a strange, strong radio apparently generated by its Xbox 360 game console, and noticed by Morrisville State College, Morrisville, N.Y.

Essentially, the statement says the problem could be anything, and that Microsoft should not be blamed because the Xbox meets federal requirements, and that it has not received reports about it.

The entire statement, averaging about one word per day, is: “Any number of scenarios could account for wireless LAN disruptions in a college dorm environment where several electronic devices operate in close proximity. Xbox 360 complies with all applicable FCC regulations and we have not received reports that would indicate such a problem.”

But the original Network World story posted online Dec. 13 did not describe a WLAN disruption or even a problem, though there is some limited and anecdotal evidence that the unusual and still unknown signal in the 2.4-GHz band may make it difficult for nearby Bluetooth devices to connect with each other.

NetworkWorld
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NetworkWorld