Gaming

Is Xbox 360 OS mystery over?

Microsoft has been very vocal regarding the hardware specifications of its next-generation Xbox 360, and it's even been promoting other software, namely games, for the game console. But the software giant hasn't been so outspoken on the operating system behind the box (this was also true of its previous-generation console, the Xbox.)

This led to some speculation that perhaps Microsoft had taken the Penguin out for a walk, or that it was picking Apples for its new console.

As dramatic as those scenarios could have been, it was not to be. WindowsForDevices.com says the new consoles are … Read more

Power outage hits E3

File this one under extraordinarily lousy timing! According to a GameSpot report this morning, parts of E3 were operating with limited power just a couple of hours before the official opening of the giant game convention, which is expected to draw thousands.

Our man on the scene at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Richard Shim, confirmed the outage, which he said started Wednesday morning and hit part of an area leading to the West Hall, as well as some executive meeting rooms, including the press room. He said the lights went back on at about 1:25 p.m. PST. … Read more

Samsung cranks out PlayStation 3 memory

Samsung Electronics has produced samples of 512 megabits XDR DRAM on the 90-nanometer process. XDR DRAM is high-speed memory based on designs from Rambus. XDR memory transmits data at up to 9.6 gigabytes per second, about 12 times faster than today's standard computer memory.

Sony will stock the PlayStation 3 with XDR (formerly called Yellowstone) from Samsung, Sony has said. The current PlayStation 2 runs on RDRAM, another type of Rambus memory.

Game to players: 'You're fired!'

Ever wonder what it would be like to face Donald Trump (and his hair) in the boardroom? Now you can turn your fate over to the billionaire real estate baron without having to deal with all that pesky quasi-fame that comes with being a reality TV star.

Los Angeles game developer Legacy Interactive announced on Monday that it plans to turn " The Apprentice" into a video game timed to coincide with the next season of the NBC show, according to a blurb in The Hollywood Reporter. The game, slated for release in 2006, will allow players to assume … Read more

New, tiny Game Boy from Nintendo

Nintendo executives took a short break Tuesday morning from introducing their next-generation game console to unveil a new portable device they're calling the Game Boy Micro. A little smaller than an iPod Mini, it will take aim at gamers increasingly used to pocket-sized cell phones. No details yet on specs or release date.

The company's bigger console, aimed at competing with the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3, will be called the Revolution. Executives said it would use 12 cm optical discs, would play DVDs, have built-in Wi-Fi and would have 512 MB of flash memory. Like the … Read more

Sony PlayStation 3 details revealed

Here's a quick look at the new Sony PlayStation 3, as revealed today in a glitzy ceremony on the company's Culver City studio lots.

So far, the company's announced wireless Bluetooth-based controllers and a detachable 2.5-inch hard drive. The core will be the new Cell processor, developed by IBM and Toshiba, and apparently running at 3.2GHz rather than the 4GHz previously reported. The product will have slots for memory stick and compact flash media, a gigbit Ethernet connection, and built-in Wi-Fi. There will be support for DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD+RW and CDs.

UPDATE: OK, … Read more

'Taxi Driver' speeds onto consoles

Who could forget Robert DeNiro's tortured, violent Travis Bickle in the American classic " Taxi Driver"? (You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talkin' to?)

The gritty urban portrait of alienation is about to make it to a next-generation console near you. According to a Reuters/Hollywood Reporter story published on Wednesday, Majesco Entertainment has acquired a licensing agreement with Sony Pictures Consumer Products to publish the 1976 film as a video game. The release--which will make its debut at the upcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo 2005… Read more

Xbox 360 details leaked

Looks like Xbox fans might not have to sweat it out 'til Thursday to glimpse the console's successor.

While Microsoft will give the public its first glimpse of the next Xbox during a 30-minute global MTV broadcast this week, the show was already taped in Los Angeles. According to a Monday report from GameSpot, some of those in attendance interpreted "sworn to secrecy" to mean "snap digital pics and post them on the Web."

Besides capturing the much-anticipated Xbox 360 itself, according to GameSpot, the stealth shots show three peripherals, including the console's controller. … Read more

Sony scrambles without NFL

Video game industry watchers expected a few determined competitors would carry on with professional football games even after Electronic Arts signed an exclusive deal with the NFL. And now we have an idea how much they'll have to contort themselves to get around a complete absence of real-life teams, players and stadiums.

Sony's 989 Sports game studio recently announced plans for "Road to Sunday," a football game that can be viewed either as innovative or desperate in its moshing together of conventions from "Madden NFL," "Grand Theft Auto," "Fight Club" … Read more

Next Xbox hiding on Web?

Rumors, clues, misinformation and plain ol' bunk continue to pile up regarding the next version of the Xbox, but some of the most intriguing rumors may be coming through a backdoor from Redmond.

Gamers have been busy the past few weeks decrypting clues from Our Colony, a kind of ant-theme alternate reality game that appears to be a stealth marketing ploy for the next Xbox.

The site's home page includes a counter whose end date happens to coincide with the MTV unveiling of the next Xbox. Opening page images include something that looks an awful lot like the power … Read more