| | | | Wednesday, October 8, 2008 |
| New Xbox Experience to Invite Everyone on November 19
Xbox also delivers great value, great games with new holiday offer that appeal to all.
Get ready. The evolution is coming. Microsoft today announced at the Tokyo Game Show 2008 that the New Xbox Experience, a transformation in home entertainment, will launch on Wednesday, Nov. 19. On that day, millions of Xbox 360 owners worldwide will experience a completely new Xbox 360 that is fun, social and simple to use — and puts more entertainment at their fingertips than any other device connected to the TV.
| | Wednesday, September 3, 2008 |
| At $199, Xbox 360 Invites Everyone to Play
Microsoft announces new, low prices for Xbox 360.
Imagine if friends and families had the ability to instantly watch movies from Netflix, live out their musical fantasies through “Rock Band 2” (Harmonix/MTV Games) and “Lips” (iNiS/Microsoft), star in their own Hollywood classics with “You’re in the Movies,” or have the power to never miss the latest episode of “Heroes” — all from one device, starting at $199. That device is Xbox 360, and Microsoft today announced it will offer the gaming and entertainment console, which offers the leading Xbox LIVE service, at a new low price in the United States. Beginning Sept. 5, Xbox 360 Arcade will retail for the estimated retail price of $199.99, the Xbox 360 console for $299.99 and Xbox 360 Elite for $399.99.
| | InvenSense IDG-600 Motion Sensing in Nintendo Wii MotionPlus
World's Leading Multi-axis MEMS Rate Gyroscope Enhances Performance of Latest "Wii MotionPlus" Accessory
InvenSense, a leading provider of MEMS-based motion sensing solutions for image stabilization, dead reckoning navigation, 3D remote control, and gaming devices, today announced that its IDG-600 multi-axis MEMS rate gyroscope has started shipping in mass production quantities to Nintendo for its Wii MotionPlus accessory. Gesture based interfaces are quickly becoming the standard for many feature-rich consumer electronic products. Utilizing InvenSense’s unique motion sensing capabilities, customers of the new generation of Wii MotionPlus controllers will enjoy an immersive gaming experience with motion control never before possible in a video game. The Wii MotionPlus accessory attaches to the end of the Wii Remote and, combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player's arm position and orientation. In the new Wii Sports Resort product from Nintendo, for example, the ability to throw a disc through the air and control the angle of flight is now possible.
| | Microsoft and Netflix Unveil Xbox Partnership
Exclusive agreement creates game-changing home entertainment experience; more than 10,000 movies and TV episodes will be available to watch instantly at no additional cost to paying subscribers.
An exciting new home theater experience is coming to living rooms this holiday season. At the E3 Media and Business Summit, Microsoft and Netflix, the world’s largest online movie rental service, today unveiled an exclusive partnership to offer consumers the ability to instantly stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix to the television via the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. Xbox 360 will be the only game system that lets users instantly watch movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix. This movie watching innovation will be available to Xbox LIVE Gold members who are also Netflix subscribers and will let those users enjoy streaming movies from Netflix on Xbox LIVE at no additional cost.
| | Intel and Dreamworks Animation Alliance to Revolutionize 3D Filmmaking
Intel and DreamWorks Animation SKG today announced they have formed a strategic alliance aimed at revolutionizing 3-D filmmaking technology, beginning with Monsters vs. Aliens, which is slated for a domestic release date of March 27, 2009. As previously announced, DreamWorks Animation has committed to producing all of its feature films in stereoscopic 3-D beginning next year.
| | Radeon HD 4850 Cinema 2.0 Experience Breaks Barrier Separating Cinema and Games
AMD teraFLOPS chip powering Cinema 2.0 demo is more powerful than every generation of game console ever brought to market combined; achieves industry milestone that was presumed to be years away
At a press conference June 16, 2008, in San Francisco, AMD demonstrated a milestone achievement in ultra-realistic and interactive visual computing through the processing power of its forthcoming teraFLOPS (trillion floating point operations per second) graphics chip, codenamed “RV770”.
| | Graphics Evolves Beyond Gaming With New NVIDIA Geforce Gtx 200 GPUs
Revolutionary Processor Does Double Duty as the Most Advanced GPU Ever Built and a Second-Generation CUDA General Purpose Parallel Processor
Imagine instead of taking over five hours to convert a video for your iPod, it only takes 35 minutes. Imagine using your PC to simulate protein folding to help find a cure for debilitating diseases. Imagine that your PC can dramatically accelerate everyday tasks, and deliver an exciting visual experience in the process. Today that imagination becomes a reality now that the leader in visual computing technologies, NVIDIA, has introduced its new family of GeForce GTX 200 graphics processors (GPUs)—which includes the GeForce GTX 280 and GeForce GTX 260 GPUs—taking graphics beyond gaming and gaming beyond anything that’s ever been possible before on a consumer computing platform.
| | AMD GAME! Enables Console-like Simplicity for Mainstream PC
For the 263 million mainstream PC gamers worldwide, AMD GAME! stands for exhilarating HD gaming experiences with full PC functionality
From the company powering the visual experience of the two most popular gaming consoles in the world today, AMD announces AMD GAME!. This program is designed to help consumers select perfectly suited PCs for high-definition gaming. AMD GAME! platforms combine the powerful balance of multi-core processors, exceptional HD digital media, and next-generation graphics processing power. Industry leaders including Acer, Alienware, Logitech and Microsoft are joining AMD to ensure consumers can easily identify PCs that deliver HD gaming and entertainment experiences out of the box.
| Nintendo Wii Fit Makes Fitness Fun
The path to fitness begins with a single step.
Nintendo’s new Wii Fit, launching today, combines fun and fitness in ways that will have people getting up off their couches, moving around, having fun and maybe even breaking a sweat. Wii Fit gets everyone pumped up about making enjoyable physical activities a part of their daily routines. Wii Fit even tracks users’ progress, which lets people see how they have improved while challenging them to better their scores and stay motivated to keep going.
| | Xbox 360 First Gaming System to Reach 10 Million in U.S. Console Sales
Xbox LIVE tops 12 million members globally as Xbox 360 console sales hit more than 19 million worldwide.
Microsoft today announced that the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system has sold over 10 million units in the U.S., making it the first current-generation gaming console to break the 10 million mark in the U.S. The U.S. install base contributes to global sales of over 19 million.
| | Grand Theft Auto IV Breaks Entertainment Launch Records
Retail Sales of Grand Theft Auto IV Top $500 Million in First Week
Take-Two Interactive Software said today that Grand Theft Auto IV has surpassed all-time entertainment records for day one and week one sales by dollar value. Released on Tuesday, April 29th, Grand Theft Auto IV, the critically acclaimed video game, has sold through to consumers approximately 6 million units globally with an estimated retail value of more than $500 million in the first week. Grand Theft Auto IV sold approximately 3.6 million units on its opening day with a retail value of approximately $310 million globally.
| | Actiontec Delivers Powerline Networking for Online Gamers
Based on HomePlug AV standard, Actiontec MegaPlug AV Powerline Gaming Kit turns any electrical outlet into an instant gaming network connection – with speeds up to 200 Mbps!
Actiontec Electronics today released the MegaPlug AV Powerline Gaming Kit, a next-generation powerline networking solution designed to maximize the online gaming experience with fast speeds and the simplicity of cable-free configuration. Based on the latest HomePlug AV standard, MegaPlug enables gamers to connect their PC, Xbox, Playstation, Wii, or other gaming console to the Internet through their home's electrical wiring – and enjoy fast speeds up to 200 Mbps without cumbersome Ethernet cables.
| | Wednesday, April 30, 2008 |
| Qmotions Skateboard Controller Coming to Xbox 360
Company to Launch Next-Gen Wireless Controllers on Xbox 360
Actiga, a leading pioneer in active video gaming products and services, today announced that Qmotions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Actiga, has signed a North American licensing agreement with Microsoft, allowing Qmotions to incorporate Microsoft's Xbox 360 wireless technology in its game controllers. Under the agreement, Qmotions will produce a full-range of products that will be officially endorsed by Microsoft.
| | Cray and Intel to Develop Future Supercomputing Technologies
Cray and Intel Corporation announced today they signed a multi-year agreement to advance high-performance computing (HPC) on Intel microprocessors while delivering broad new Intel and Cray technologies in future Cray server systems. The collaboration of these two industry leaders will result in HPC systems that will help solve some of the world's most complex scientific, engineering and humanitarian challenges.
| | Wednesday, April 23, 2008 |
| Xbox 360 Brings Games and Entertainment to Children's Hospitals
Microsoft partners with Companions in Courage to give young patients an outlet for games and chat via private Xbox LIVE network.
Microsoft today announced a new partnership with the Companions in Courage Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting children and families who are overcoming life-threatening obstacles. As part of its commitment to providing fun, interactive entertainment for children, Microsoft is supplying hundreds of Xbox 360 game kiosks to playrooms in children’s hospitals across the United States, intended to provide a respite for young patients and be a catalyst for fun. In addition to select games, movies and television content, the Xbox 360 kiosks will provide access to a private network that allows hospitalized children across the country to play games and chat in a safety-enhanced environment over Xbox LIVE, the world’s largest social network connected to television.
| | Format War May Be Over, but Blu-ray Still Faces Challenges
Aided by the major motion picture studios, Sony’s Blu-ray format has emerged as the undisputed technology for high-definition DVD video, but according to new market data released by ABI Research, Blu-ray cannot rest on its laurels. A bright future for high-definition DVD is not a foregone conclusion.
| | ESRB and PTA Campaign to Educate Parents About Game Ratings, Controls and Online Safety
Booklets Distributed to PTAs and Available Online; Free Educational Webcast Scheduled for April 23
Furthering their shared commitment to informing parents, Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and Parent Teacher Association (PTA) have launched a nationwide education campaign through which a new booklet, “A Parents Guide to Video Games, Parental Controls and Online Safety,” is being distributed to all 26,000 PTAs. The campaign enables and encourages PTAs to educate their community’s parents about the ESRB rating system and parental control technology available on the various game systems, as well as the concerns that exist when games are played over an Internet connection and what parents can do to mitigate those concerns. The booklets, which offer a step-by-step guide to setting up parental controls as well as an article about online safety from Andrew S. Bub of GamerDad.com, are available for free download in English and Spanish through both the PTA and ESRB websites.
| | Wii Fit to Keep Americans Moving at $89.99
In anticipation of the U.S. launch of Wii Fit, the new interactive fitness game for the popular Wii system, Nintendo of America has announced pricing details for this groundbreaking release. Available at Nintendo World store starting on May 19, Wii Fit and the innovative Wii Balance Board accessory will be bundled and sold together at a suggested retail price of $89.99.
| | New Class of Memory Combines Flash Performance with HDD Capacity
spintronics, racetrack memory, Stuart Parkin, MRAM, computer memory, hard disk
Computer memory that combines the high performance and reliability of flash with the low cost and high capacity of the hard disk drive could be closer than you think, thanks to a team of IBM scientists.
| MEMS Accelerometers: Unique Devices with Multiple Personalities
MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems) accelerometers have hit the limelight in the past year, although most consumers are probably quite unaware that they make the Nintendo Wii’s motion-sensing remote control and the Apple iPhone’s self-orienting display possible. But according to ABI Research senior analyst Douglas McEuen, these popular products are only the high-profile advance wave of what will be a rising tide of new and innovative uses for the tiny motion sensors.
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