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New PS3 Firmware Causing HDD Upgrade Problems?
Channard writes "While there have been occasional reports of previous PS3 firmware upgrades causing system crashes and so forth, Sony's new firmware upgrade for the system, 3.41, is apparently stopping PS3 owners from upgrading their hard disks. This problem has been encountered by many users on Sony's forums and occurs when you try to put a new hard disk into a PS3 that already has the firmware upgrade installed. The general course of action for upgrading a PS3's drive is that you download the latest PS3 firmware onto a memory stick and, after swapping the hard drive in the PS3, plug the stick in, allowing the PS3 to properly prepare the disk for use. But as of upgrade 3.41, the PS3 fails to recognize the firmware on the stick, complaining that it can't proceed until you insert the correct firmware. Repeating the process and re-downloading the firmware does not fix the problem, as I can confirm, having encountered the problem myself. Users can put the old hard disk back in, provided they've not reformatted it for some other purpose, so all is not lost. Sony have apparently told gaming website CVG that 'The information available to our Consumer Services Department does not suggest that this is a problem PlayStation owners are likely to experience when upgrading the HDD with 3.41 update.' This seems to fly in the face of the currently available information — although whether or not this statement was issued by Kevin Butler is unclear. Either way, PS3 owners encountering this problem will likely have to wait a few days for a fix and use their old HDDs for now."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 18:21:23 2010
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Sometimes It's OK To Steal My Games
spidweb writes "One Indie developer has written a nuanced article on a how software piracy affects him, approaching the issue from the opposite direction. He lists the ways in which the widespread piracy of PC games helps him. From the article: 'You don't get everything you want in this world. You can get piles of cool stuff for free. Or you can be an honorable, ethical being. You don't get both. Most of the time. Because, when I'm being honest with myself, which happens sometimes, I have to admit that piracy is not an absolute evil. That I do get things out of it, even when I'm the one being ripped off.' The article also tries to find a middle ground between the Piracy-Is-Always-Bad and Piracy-Is-Just-Fine sides of the argument that might enable single-player PC games to continue to exist."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 18:21:23 2010
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Thermoelectrics Could Let You Feel the Heat In Games
myshadows writes "Tech Review has an interesting article on how Tokyo Metropolitan University researchers have been able to give a sensory addition to gaming peripherals — namely, temperature. 'As the range of interactions with digital environments expands, it's logical to ask what's next: Smell-o-vision has been on the horizon for something like 50 years, but there's a dark horse stalking this race: thermoelectrics. Based on the Peltier effect, these solid-state devices are easy to incorporate into objects of reasonable size, i.e. video game controllers. In this configuration, just announced at the 2010 SIGGRAPH conference, a pair of thermoelectric surfaces on either side of a controller rapidly heat up or cool down in order to simulate appropriate conditions in a virtual environment.'"
Slashdot: Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 18:21:23 2010
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Valve Apologizes For 12,000 Erroneous Anti-Cheating Bans
Earlier this week, there were reports that large numbers of Modern Warfare 2 players on Steam were getting erroneously banned by Valve's Anti-Cheat software. While such claims are usually best taken with a grain of salt, the quantity and suddenness caused speculation that Valve's software wasn't operating correctly. A few days later, Valve president Gabe Newell sent out an email acknowledging that roughly 12,000 players had been inappropriately banned over the preceding two weeks. "The problem was that Steam would fail a signature check between the disk version of a DLL and a latent memory version. This was caused by a combination of conditions occurring while Steam was updating the disk image of a game." Valve reversed the bans and gave free copies of Left 4 Dead 2 to everyone who was affected.
Slashdot: Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 18:21:23 2010
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UK Courts Rule Nintendo DS R4 Cards Illegal
CheShACat writes "A UK high court ruled today that R4 cards for the Nintendo DS are illegal, finding two vendors guilty of selling 'game copiers.' The ruling by Justice Floyd is quoted as saying, 'The economic effect on Nintendo of the trade in these devices is substantial as each accused device can store and play copies of many Nintendo DS games [...] The mere fact that the device can be used for a non-infringing purpose is not a defence.' No word in the article as to what law in particular they were found to have broken, nor of the penalty the vendors are facing, but this looks like bad news for all kinds of hardware mod, on any platform, that would enable homebrew users to bypass vendor locks."
Nintendo won a related lawsuit in the Netherlands recently, in addition to the one in Australia earlier this year.
Slashdot: Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 18:21:23 2010
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DefCon Ninja Badges Let Hackers Do Battle
eecue writes "The folks at DefCon, the world's largest hacker convention [previously on Slashdot], have been making awesome badges for years. Last year along with the convention badge, a group of hackers known as the Ninjas created an electronic badge for their exclusive party. This year the Ninjas have taken the whole electronic badge thing to the next level with an interactive, wireless, encrypted ninja battle video game badge. I convinced the Ninjas to give Wired.com an exclusive sneak peek, and let me tell you, this thing is awesome."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 18:21:23 2010
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Our Video Game Heritage Is Rotting Away
eldavojohn writes "There's been a movement to preserve virtual worlds but MIT's Tech Review paints a dire picture of our video game memories rotting away in the attic of history. From the article: 'Entire libraries face extinction the moment the last remaining working console of its kind — a Neo Geo, Atari 2600 or something more obscure, like the Fairchild Channel F — bites the dust.' Published in The International Journal of Digital Curation, a new paper highlights this problem and explains how emulators fall short to truly preserve our video game heritage. The paper also breaks down popular SNES emulators to illustrate the growing problem with emulators and their varying quality. Do you remember any video consoles like the Magnavox Odyssey that are forever lost to the ages?"
Slashdot: Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 18:21:23 2010
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Too Much Multiplayer In Today's Games?
hornedrat writes "Gamepro discusses the idea that modern games put too much emphasis on multiplayer, and that players aren't as concerned about it as developers think. 'The current environment encourages developers to unnecessarily toss multiplayer into their games without caring about it — or even considering whether anyone will bother playing it. It’s like they're checking an invisible quota box that demands multiplayer's inclusion.' Personally I agree that too much emphasis is placed on competitive multiplayer. I play online, but only with my brother in games that allow co-operative modes, like Rainbow Six: Vegas and ARMA 2. 'My point isn't that developers shouldn't try and conquer Halo or Call of Duty. We'd never have any progress in this industry if developers didn't compete. Game companies, however, should think carefully about what they want their games to be, and more important, gamers should consider what they want. If a developer wants to eclipse Halo, then by all means, pour that effort into a multiplayer mode that's different.' I would be interested to know how many gamers really care about the multiplayer components of the games they buy."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 18:21:23 2010
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Electronic Arts, THQ Look To Microtransactions
An anonymous reader writes with this excerpt from Forbes:
"Electronic Arts, one of the world's largest games publishers, on Monday partnered with microtransactions platform Live Gamer to bolster its online game efforts. ... THQ also announced a partnership with Live Gamer last week to facilitate microtransactions of its online PC and mobile games in North America. ... Worldwide sales of virtual items are expected to reach $7 billion by 2015, according to online games research firm DFC Intelligence. Fast-growing social games companies like Zynga, the maker of FarmVille, are leading the charge. The company is estimated to be pulling in around $600 million in revenue annually, largely from the sale of virtual goods. Americans are also growing comfortable with the microtransactions model. Game companies point to the music industry, where consumers buy 99-cent digital tracks instead of full albums on CDs."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 18:21:23 2010
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Study of MMOG Proves Human Interaction Theory
An anonymous reader writes "A new study analyzing interactions among 300,000+ players in an online game universe, called Pardus, has for the first time provided large-scale evidence to prove an 80-year-old psychological theory called Structural Balance Theory. The research, published in PNAS, shows that individuals tend to avoid stress-causing relationships when they develop a society, resulting in more stable social networks."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 18:21:23 2010
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Frustration and Unhappiness In the Games Industry
Gamasutra's Leigh Alexander recently wrote an editorial about the atmosphere of irritation and dissatisfaction that pervades all aspects of the video game industry. Developers are often overworked and unfulfilled, gamers have no qualms about voicing their disapproval (sometimes quite warranted, sometimes not), and the media, in trying to please both groups, often fails to satisfy either. Why is there so much strife in an industry ostensibly focused on having fun? From the article:
"More and more developer sources I talked to suggested that fatigue, hostility, being at odds with one's employer and questioning one's career course is frighteningly common in the game industry. That being the case, it seems natural that elements like emotional detachment, anxiety and a lack of fulfillment make their way, even subtly, into the products the industry creates and into the ecosystem around the industry and its audience. 'Because of the secrecy and competition, a lot of development teams end up having a siege mentality — batten down the hatches and refuse to come up for air until the game's done,' says [an] anonymous developer. 'Game development has a way of taking over your life, because there's always more that can be done to improve perceived quality. I've seen a lot of divorces in my time in the game industry. I feel like it's much greater than average, but I have no statistical evidence.'"
Slashdot: Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 18:21:23 2010
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The Chipophone — an 8-Bit Chiptune Organ
adunk writes "Linus Åkesson has built an 8-bit synthesizer inside an old electric organ case. 'All the original tone-generating parts have been disconnected, and the keys, pedals, knobs and switches rerouted to a microcontroller which transforms them into MIDI signals. Those are then parsed by a second microcontroller, which acts as a synthesizer.' The Chipophone is perfect for playing classics such as the Super Mario Bros in-game music or Rob Hubbard's Spellbound. A description of the build process, with photos, is available."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 18:21:23 2010
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BioWare's Star Wars MMO To Have Space Combat
An anonymous reader writes "Big news for Star Wars fans looking forward to BioWare's upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG — space combat has been confirmed for the game. Players will be able to fly around the galaxy in their own personal starships, avoiding asteroid belts, landing in dangerous territory and battling other vessels. The initial news makes it sound like a cross between Mass Effect's galaxy map and a traditional space fighting game, where players will have to find 'hotspots' on the galaxy map in order to enter a particular zone."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 18:21:23 2010
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PC Gamers Too Good For Consoles Gamers?
thsoundman sends in a blog post from Rahul Sood, CTO of HP's gaming business, who claims there was once a project in development at Microsoft to let Xbox users compete against PC users playing the same game. According to Sood, the project was killed because the console players kept getting destroyed by their PC counterparts. He wrote, "Those of us who have been in the gaming business for over a decade know the real deal. You simply don't get the same level of detail or control as you do with a PC over a console. It's a real shame that Microsoft killed this — because had they kept it alive it might have actually increased the desire of game developers and gamers alike to continue developing and playing rich experiences on the PC, which would trickle down to the console as it has in the past."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 18:21:23 2010
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Digital Distribution Numbers Speak To Health of PC Game Industry
An anonymous reader writes with this quote from PC Authority:
"Over the years many voices have declared PC gaming dead. We have seen developers abandon the platform for consoles, citing piracy as the cause. Game stores have slowly relegated PC games from prime shelf position to one tucked away in the back corner — even Microsoft dumped AAA PC game developers from the company. It seems, though, that the demise of the PC as a games platform has been exaggerated, because until very recently sales data ignored digital distribution, with the latest data released by US company NPD revealing that 48% of PC unit sales in the US in 2009 were digital. That translates to 21.3 million games downloaded in the US. Interestingly, although 48% of games were sold online, it only worked out as 36% of the revenue. This highlights the fact that it isn't just convenience that has PC gamers shopping online; it is also that games are generally cheaper than in stores."
Slashdot: Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 18:21:23 2010
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NewsBone.com
Suggest a feed to syndicate here, or check out what I'm doing over at freshtao.
~Created Sat Jul 31 18:21:23 2010
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Medal of Honor awarded Battlefield 3 multiplayer beta
EA offering Limited Edition purchasers of EALA's next effort guaranteed access to upcoming DICE-developed shooter.
Gamespot Recent Updates [Xbox 360]
~Created Sat Jul 31 15:00:58 2010
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Tiesto joins DJ Hero 2 roster
Grammy-nominated musician, producer to be playable character, bringing two exclusive mixes to Activision's turntable rhythm game this fall.
Gamespot Recent Updates [Xbox 360]
~Created Sat Jul 31 15:00:58 2010
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Sega Sammy brushes off slow Iron Man 2, Alpha Protocol sales
Publisher's revenues see 51 percent spike as it posts first-quarter profits on strength of pachinko business; Armored Avenger's latest tops 1.1 million sold.
Gamespot Recent Updates [Xbox 360]
~Created Sat Jul 31 15:00:58 2010
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Cabela's Dangerous Hunts 11 Screens
5 new shots posted.
Gamespot Recent Updates [Xbox 360]
~Created Sat Jul 31 15:00:58 2010
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Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days Screens
10 new shots posted.
Gamespot Recent Updates [Xbox 360]
~Created Sat Jul 31 15:00:58 2010
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Start/Select - Nintendo 3DS, Starcraft II, James Bond 007: Blood Stone
We meet Bizarre Creations for a first look of James Bond 007: Blood Stone, get an extended hands-on with the Nintendo 3DS, and check out this week's big gaming news. Plus, we meet Blizzard to talk about Starcraft II and give away copies of the game!
Gamespot Recent Updates [Xbox 360]
~Created Sat Jul 31 15:00:58 2010
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Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days Single-Player Hands-On
We lock, load, and hit the streets with Kane and Lynch as we get ourselves into some hot water with a crime boss.
Gamespot Recent Updates [Xbox 360]
~Created Sat Jul 31 15:00:58 2010
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Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days Official Trailer 1
Don't make Lynch angry. You won't like it when he's angry.
Gamespot Recent Updates [Xbox 360]
~Created Sat Jul 31 15:00:58 2010
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James Bond 007: Blood Stone Reveal Interview
We meet Bizarre Creations' Neil Thompson at the official unveiling of James Bond 007: Blood Stone.
Gamespot Recent Updates [Xbox 360]
~Created Sat Jul 31 15:00:58 2010
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F1 2010 Exclusive Developer Diary #5
Live the life of a Formula One driver, tweaking your car, competing with your teammate, and going for the podium in this final developer diary.
Gamespot Recent Updates [Xbox 360]
~Created Sat Jul 31 15:00:58 2010
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Vera Blanc: Full Moon Review (PC/Mac/Linux)
Werewolves? Check. Psychic detectives? Check. Complicated government conspiracies? Check. A steamy love triangle? Check. Vera Blanc: Full Moon, the first episode in a new choose-your-own-adventure style series of games, clearly has all of the necessary ingredients to create an intriguing mystery. And while the rather simple gameplay doesn't always match the game's excellent narrative, the story is more than enough to push you along.Vera Blanc: Full Moon Review (PC/Mac/Linux) originally appeared on About.com Internet Games on Thursday, July 29th, 2010 at 18:51:22. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Internet Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 17:36:18 2010
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FrontierVille Review (Facebook)
FrontierVille is the spiritual successor to FarmVille, far and away the most popular game to ever grace Facebook. But while at first glance FrontierVille looks nearly identical to its predecessor, both in terms of how it looks and how it plays, there's quite a bit more content to the game. It's not quite the evolution you might be expecting, but there's certainly a lot more to do that will help keep you engaged for much longer.FrontierVille Review (Facebook) originally appeared on About.com Internet Games on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 19:09:28. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Internet Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 17:36:18 2010
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Free Version of EverQuest 2 Announced
The latest game jumping on the free-to-play bandwagon appears to be EverQuest 2, which is reinventing itself as EverQuest 2 Extended this August. Essentially, they've come up with 4 different membership plans which offer varying levels of access to game features. The free Bronze package allows you to reach the level cap, but limits character slots, your choice of classes, equipment upgrades, spell tiers, and several other things. More details, as well as a chart of the Extended membership plans, are available on the EQ2 Extended FAQ.Free Version of EverQuest 2 Announced originally appeared on About.com Internet Games on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 17:52:59. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Internet Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 17:36:18 2010
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Lunnye Devitsy Review (PC)
With a name like Lunnye Devitsy, it's clear that this is going to be a unique experience. As a platform game where the goal is to guide a diminutive alien home, there's no real conflict, instead the game is content to let you explore at your own pace. And while the game brings with it an incredibly atmospheric presentation, its lack of clear of objectives may be frustrating for some. Here's our review of this unusual platformer.Lunnye Devitsy Review (PC) originally appeared on About.com Internet Games on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 17:31:47. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Internet Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 17:36:18 2010
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StarCraft 2 Midnight Launch
People across North America are lining up to grab a copy of StarCraft 2: Wings of Liberty when it launches at midnight tonight. In other parts of the world many people are already playing, and Blizzard is posting photos of the events on the SC2 Facebook Page. If you're new to StarCraft or the new Battle.net and need some help getting started, there is a great Beginner's Guide on the official site that will answer a lot of questions. The Ghosts of the Past Trailer is also available. Those of you with an aversion to line-ups can purchase the digital version tomorrow, July 27, starting at 10:00 AM PST, and preloading has already begun.StarCraft 2 Midnight Launch originally appeared on About.com Internet Games on Monday, July 26th, 2010 at 21:39:54. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Internet Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 17:36:18 2010
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All Points Bulletin Review (PC)
No levels, no stats, no sticky targetting, no armor, and no hotbar. It's all about you, your wheels, hostile city streets, and steady aim. If it sounds like an action game rather than a typical MMOG, that's because it is. As a straight-up third-person shooter, All Points Bulletin is a rare bird in the realm of persistent world games. Part Grand Theft Auto, the game puts players in the roles of both the robbers and the cops, and lets the high-speed chases sort themselves out.All Points Bulletin Review (PC) originally appeared on About.com Internet Games on Sunday, July 25th, 2010 at 15:58:07. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Internet Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 17:36:18 2010
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SW: The Old Republic to Have Space Combat
Bioware and LucasArts are at this year's Comic-Con, where they have revealed that Star Wars: The Old Republic will feature space combat at launch. According to the official site, "Space combat is an alternative gameplay experience to the primary game of storytelling, questing, and ground-based combat. In space combat, you fly your personal ship to various 'hot spots' on your galaxy map. From there, you will blast your way through asteroid fields, enemy fighters, frigates, destroyers, and a variety of other obstacles that will evoke memories of some of the great 'Star Wars' space battles."SW: The Old Republic to Have Space Combat originally appeared on About.com Internet Games on Saturday, July 24th, 2010 at 17:22:08. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Internet Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 17:36:18 2010
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Turba Review (PC)
Match-three games are about the most ubiquitous type of puzzle game out there, so it's tough for a developer to do something new and creative with the genre. But the team at Binary Takeover has managed to do just that with Turba. Though its not quite as musically focused as you might think, it's still an excellent puzzler that will keep you addicted for quite some time.Turba Review (PC) originally appeared on About.com Internet Games on Friday, July 23rd, 2010 at 16:45:40. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Internet Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 17:36:18 2010
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DC Universe Online Beta Sign-ups
SOE sends word that registration for the upcoming DC Universe Online beta test has begun. They don't mention when the beta will begin, but they are accepting applications for both PC and PS3. They've also posted information about some of the game's pre-order programs. SOE plan to launch DC Universe Online this November.DC Universe Online Beta Sign-ups originally appeared on About.com Internet Games on Tuesday, July 20th, 2010 at 19:17:20. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Internet Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 17:36:18 2010
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Top Free Art Games
One of the great things about games is the sheer variety. There are games you play for fun, games you play for challenge, and games you play socially with friends. But there are also games that try to do more. This new wave of artistic games attempts to use the medium as a way of expressing something unique and thought provoking. Here are some great titles to get you started in the world of artsy games.Top Free Art Games originally appeared on About.com Internet Games on Saturday, July 17th, 2010 at 18:25:38. Permalink | Comment | Email this
About Internet Games
~Created Sat Jul 31 17:36:18 2010
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