NEW YORK – Video game makers are about to try to convince you that fancy 3-D screens, gesture-recognition cameras and ultra-sensitive motion controllers topped with brightly glowing spheres are what you need to have a good time.
They'll do this as they try to emerge from a slump in the recession, which shocked a business long believed to be protected from, if not totally immune to, the workings of the broader economy.
Much of the industry's success this year is riding on whether Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony and game publishers are able to sway consumers toward new, maybe even pricey ways to experience games — even as free or inexpensive options on Facebook, smart phones and the iPad compete for their attention.
Beginning next week at E3, as the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles is called, game companies will show off several new mechanisms for playing games. Among them will be Move, which is Sony's new motion controller for the PlayStation 3 and launches this fall, when it is expected to cost less than $100. A black remote with a color-changing ball on top, it builds on the success of the Nintendo Wii's popular motion-control wand, but it promises more precision. A camera called PlayStation Eye recognizes the glowing orb and uses it to track the remote's position in a 3-D space, further immersing players in the game.
Even so, Fidel Martinez may need a bit of convincing. The 19-year-old PlayStation 3 owner says he likes his button-filled video game controllers just fine, thank you. Walking out of New York's Nintendo World store recently after buying a wallet, Martinez said he doesn't think he'll buy Move.
"It's too weird," said Martinez. "The times I've played (motion-controlled) games has been strange. I'd rather use the old kind."
Sony is betting he'll change his mind. Richard Marks, senior researcher at the company and the brains behind Move, thinks the controller will appeal to gamers like Martinez, even if they snubbed the Wii's gesturing wand as kids' stuff.
"One of our design goals was to make sure it stood out as a completely different experience that has never been seen before," Marks said.
Serious gamers like Martinez are not the only ones on Sony's radar. The company has been pouring millions of dollars into marketing the PlayStation 3 with the tag line "It only does everything." The goal is to rope in consumers more likely to watch movies and play party games than shoot on-screen enemies for hours on end.
"In many regards we are treating the launch of Move like the launch of a new platform," said Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing for Sony Computer Entertainment. "We believe (it) will help us expand the audience of PS3 users."
Microsoft, too, wants to expand its gaming audience — a concept Nintendo mastered with the 2006 launch of the Wii, which got moms, grandmas and grandpas playing alongside kids as young as 4 or 5.
Natal, Microsoft's upcoming game technology, uses a camera and gesture recognition to turn players' bodies into controllers. After the camera recognizes you — your body shape and movements down to the smallest toss of your hair, you'll be able to swing your hands to swipe at on-screen dodge balls or pretend you're Godzilla and smash virtual buildings with swing of your arm. You could even scan in your real-life skateboard to ride a version of it in a game.
"This is really what we like to think of as the rebirth of our brand," said Dennis Durkin, chief operating officer of Microsoft's video game business. "We're trying to set the stage for the next 10 years."
To do that, Microsoft needs to keep appealing to its core gamer fans, mostly men in their 20s, 30s and 40s who count "Halo," "Call of Duty" and "Gears of War" among their favorite entertainment franchises. But, like Sony with the PlayStation 3, it's also selling the Xbox 360 to families as an all-in-one entertainment device. It already streams Netflix and connects to Facebook.
E3, which has events from Sunday through Thursday, is where many store chains will decide what games and gaming systems, and how many of them, to stock for the holiday shopping season. That period is crucial for the industry, which analysts say gets about 40 percent of its revenue in the final three months of the year.
Analyst firm DFC Intelligence estimates that the worldwide video game retail industry will reap revenue of $59.5 billion this year, down slightly from $60.4 billion in 2009 and well below the more than $68 billion in 2008.
Because the industry has yet to fully rebound from the recession, Jesse Divnich, an analyst with Electronic Entertainment Design and Research, called E3 an "inflection point," with game companies under pressure to impress.
While hardcore gamers have flocked to shooters and sequels with loyal predictability, newer, more "casual" players can be fickle. Largely responsible for the runaway success of the Wii, the players who dabble in video games as a hobby but not as a lifestyle can't be expected to spend $60 every time a new game comes out, even in a better economy. That's why it's important for game companies to sell a wide range of entertainment options.
"Something that is new, something that is true innovation, something that unlocks new experiences," said Microsoft's Durkin, is something families "are willing to pay for."
He may be right. Walking out of the Nintendo World store with her husband with some gifts for her daughter, stay-at-home mom Terri Marrone said she hadn't heard of the new motion controllers from Sony or Microsoft. The family has a Wii, and three Nintendo DS systems, one for each of their kids. As for another motion control system, one that doesn't even need a remote?
"We would definitely be interested," said Marrone, who lives in New Brunswick, N.J. "It sounds cool."
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What video games are you looking forward to? E-mail Barbara Ortutay at bortutay(at)ap.org.
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SAN FRANCISCO, June 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Linden Lab®, creator of 3D virtual world Second Life®, announced today a strategic restructuring to increase focus on the company's consumer business including investments intended to enhance ease of use and participation in its virtual goods marketplace through browser-based and mobile applications.
As part of the restructuring, Linden Lab will also improve its geographic and cost efficiencies. The company's product and engineering divisions will be combined. The software development teams will be consolidated in North America and customer support will be reconfigured to provide more scalable services. As a result, Linden Lab anticipates staff reductions of approximately 30 percent.
"We've emerged from a two-year investment period during which, among other things, we've spent a considerable amount of time improving reliability and the overall user experience. Today's announcement about our reorganization will help us make Second Life® even simpler, more enjoyable, relevant and engaging for consumers starting with their first experience. It will also enable us to invest in bringing 3D to the web and will strengthen our profitability," said Mark Kingdon, chief executive officer of Linden Lab.
According to Kingdon, the restructuring also better aligns Linden Lab with its two longer-term goals. First, the company aims to create a browser-based virtual world experience, eliminating the need to download software. Secondly, Linden Lab will look to extend the Second Life experience into popular social networks. "Ultimately, we want to make Second Life more accessible and relevant to a wider population," he said.
About Second Life and Linden Lab
Developed and launched by Linden Lab in 2003, Second Life is the world's leading 3D virtual world environment. It enables its Residents to create content, interact with others, launch businesses, collaborate, educate, and more. Since its inception, Second Life Residents have logged more than one billion user hours and generated more than $1 billion in user-to-user transactions. With a broad user base that includes everyone from consumers and educators to medical researchers and large enterprises, Second Life has become one of the largest repositories of user-generated content and the largest user-generated virtual goods economy in the world.
Privately held Linden Lab, founded in 1999 by Chairman of the Board Philip Rosedale and headquartered in San Francisco, develops revolutionary technologies that change the way people communicate, interact, transact, learn and create. For more information, visit www.secondlife.com.
by Chris Morris, CNBC.com
If the video game world were following its normal cycle, console makers would be revealing details of their next generation systems in less than two weeks. This cycle is anything but normal, though – and so at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), game makers will instead chart a new path.
Rather than introducing new systems, Microsoft and Sony will both introduce motion sensor controllers that are intended to both attract a new audience to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 – and extend the lifespan of those systems by at least another three years. Nintendo, which is still seeing great success with the Wii, will focus instead on once again innovating the portable world.
Independent video-game publishers, meanwhile, hope to energize their top franchises to boost sales, after a disappointing 2009.
Here's a look at what to expect from some of the industry's big players:
Microsoft:
The motion sensor, currently code-named "Project Natal," will have its debut three days before E3's official kickoff, with an opulent coming-out party that will feature a performance by Cirque du Soleil. The retail name of the system, its full functionality (both gaming- and non-gaming) and several titles that will utilize it will be unveiled. The retail price might remain under wraps a bit longer, though, as 'Natal' isn't expected to go on sale until late this year.
Xbox 360
Microsoft will also likely further broaden the Xbox 360's non-gaming functionality, introducing a new general entertainment partner as it has the past two years (when Netflix and Last.fm were integrated into the system). Hulu.com has been rumored as a contender, but there are several hurdles that would need to be cleared (though this would be a good opportunity for the television- and film-streaming service to introduce a pay model for).
Gamewise, "Halo: Reach" will be in the spotlight – as it's expected to be Microsoft's biggest title this holiday season. And "Gears of War III" – next year's tentpole – will have plenty of exposure as well.
Sony:
Beyond the Move controller, Sony may finally follow through on plans to introduce a paid premium service for its PlayStation Network online portal. This would be on top of the existing free service, with added benefits, though exactly what those will be is still unclear.
Wall Street is also watching to see if rumors of a new portable gaming device prove to be true. Whispers indicate Sony will unveil the PSP 2 at the show – a true sequel to their handheld system, as opposed to last year's PSP Go, which offered changes to the existing hardware and was generally considered a sales disappointment. With the growing strength of Apple in the handheld gaming space, Sony will need to radically shake up its PSP product line if it hopes to remain competitive.
Finally, expect Sony to give 3D a little lip service, announcing a U.S. launch date for a system update that will let the PS3 play games in stereoscopic 3D, along with backward compatibility for several existing titles and some downloadable new ones specifically designed for 3D. It will turn heads, but without a 3D-capable television, which have only gone on sale in the last few months, it won't impact many players.
Nintendo:
Nintendo typically has the biggest surprises of the show, but many of those have already leaked out. The biggest is the forthcoming release of the 3DS, a handheld gaming system that shows games in stereoscopic 3D without the need for special glasses. It's a virtual certainty the company will have the system playable at the show – and many expect Nintendo to announce a launch date of this holiday.
The company will also give more details on the Vitality Sensor it briefly announced last year. Like "Wii Fit," this peripheral seems an odd fit for a gaming machine at first glance, given its purpose is to relax players, rather than excite and engage them. But Nintendo has proven itself quite adept at making seemingly incompatible peripherals big sellers.
Another "Zelda" title will be unveiled at the show as well – and fans might hear a bit more about the next installment in the “Pikmin” franchise as well.
Activision Blizzard:
With 2010 shaping up to be a strong year for the industry’s largest third-party publisher, expect to see plenty of details about the next "Call of Duty" game – due this fall. Titles from the Blizzard side of the house – including "Starcraft 2" and the upcoming "World of Warcraft" expansion – won't be on display, though, as the company will unveil those at a separate event later this year.
EA:
The reboot of the "Medal of Honor" franchise will be one of EA's chief focuses this year. It is, at present, the company’s most important game of 2010. While no one expects it to hit the sales numbers of Activision's "Modern Warfare 2" last year, investors are hoping for a very solid hit. Look, too, for more details on "Star Wars: The Old Republic," the massively multiplayer online game that won't be out until at least mid-2011, if only to keep stoking fan interest.
THQ:
THQ and Dreamworks will announce a partnership at the show this year, which is likely more than a simply licensing deal. THQ may well join the number of publishers creating 3D games, given Dreamworks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg’s enthusiasm for the technology. The company will also give a progress report on several games key to its ongoing turnaround, including “Homefront,” a first person shooter in which Americans must retake their country after a North Korean occupation. The game may be a dark horse this year in the action genre, which could impact sales of both "Call of Duty" and "Medal of Honor".
By Laura Ferreiro, Special to the Los Angeles Times
June 9, 2010
Craig Lyons and other indie artists are leading the charge in the virtual online world. It's a way to earn a living, promote their music, expand their fan base and support causes they believe in.
"If I could get some bubbles, I'd be forever indebted," singer Craig Lyons tells the packed house at his Monday night gig. The crowd promptly complies, filling the room with bubbles while Lyons plays his tune "Under Water."
Two nights earlier, the audience made it snow as he strummed the chords to his song "Winter." Strangely enough, the Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter has come to expect this type of supernatural behavior at his shows, which take place several times a week in Second Life, the virtual online world that allows users to interact with one another as avatars.
Despite declining media coverage after a few years of overexposure, Second Life lives on, and within its virtual borders a music scene has been thriving, with independent artists such as Lyons leading the charge. These artists are earning livings, promoting their music and supporting causes they believe in by performing in this virtual space, which has approximately 1 million users each month.
In addition to collecting fees from Second Life venues (there are more than 3,500 known to exist), musicians are often paid handsomely by fans who tip using the Second Life currency, Linden dollars, which is exchangeable for U.S. dollars via a number of websites. Users can buy and sell the currency at a fluctuating exchange rate that usually hovers around 265 Linden dollars to one U.S. dollar.
Lyons typically earns $100 to $200 per show, and he often plays as many as three gigs in one day for audiences logging into Second Life from different time zones. The 3-D virtual world was launched in 2003 by Linden Lab, a company founded by technology guru Philip Rosedale, who was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2007. In Linden Lab's alternate universe, people can interact with one another, teleport themselves to exotic virtual locales, buy houses, cars and clothing and amuse themselves with countless forms of virtual entertainment.
Lyons, who has released four albums of introspective pop-rock songs that have appeared on "So You Think You Can Dance," "The Real World" and other shows, believes Second Life provides an ideal platform for artists to broaden their fan bases by reaching people around the globe they wouldn't be able to connect with under normal touring circumstances.
"It feels really nice to reach people who wouldn't be able to see these shows otherwise — be it single parents, physically handicapped people who can't get out of the house, or people who can't afford a $15 cover charge and drinks at the bar," he says. The Ohio native's easy charm and charisma heighten his appeal in this interactive environment, as do his matinee-idol good looks, which incite swooning from several fans.
Second Life concertgoers attend gigs as avatars at virtual venues that often resemble "real-life" nightclubs or outdoor amphitheaters. The performances often include live streaming videos from the artists' own studios, while the performers' avatars play on the virtual stage below. During the show, fans mingle and use a local chat feature to applaud, comment on the tunes and even flirt with one another.
It doesn't faze Lyons that the fans filling the rooms are avatars. "Some people are selective about their fan bases. I think that's crazy," he says. "They don't connect the dots and see that they are real people having a real experience." A three-dimensional "widget" on the side of the stage connects fans to Lyons' music on iTunes, as well as his MySpace and Facebook pages — all of which have seen an increase in traffic since he started performing regularly in Second Life.
Helen Harbison, who regularly attends Lyons' virtual gigs, believes the interactive experience that the virtual platform provides can actually surpass that of traditional live gigs. "Gigs in Second Life are a special experience," says Harbison, who lives in Dublin, Ireland. "The interaction between musician and audience makes it special, something that you just don't get at a show in a packed-out venue or bar in real life."
Since Second Life's launch, a handful of major acts, including Duran Duran, Suzanne Vega and Ben Folds, have performed or held events in the virtual platform, but none has made a broad impact. "Over the years, Second Life didn't match the hype," says Nelson Gayton, executive director of the Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment and Sports at UCLA. "The technology wasn't quite caught up with what people envisioned it to be."
But now, he says, "There's no reason to believe that this isn't a viable platform to experience or promote music. Why not perform in a virtual space instead of going through the challenges of performing in a live space? It's another platform to promote your talent and whatever it is you want to express so people can experience what you have to say."
Missouri indie rockers the Follow, who also perform regularly in Second Life, recognize the convenience these virtual gigs offer fans, and see it as the next logical step in the evolution of social networking. "It's so easy in Second Life — you can teleport your friends immediately, and you don't have to get dolled up," says bassist Amy Rickertsen.
Drummer Mat Matlack adds: "Once people experience Second Life, it will drive people there. The music scene will give them something to do and create an environment for social mixing. It's Facebook on steroids."
Lyons, a self-professed environmentalist, points out another beneficial aspect of this type of virtual gigging. "I legitimately think that it's the most sustainable method of performing for an artist these days, both environmentally — because you can reach the entire globe without burning gas — and financially." Lyons streams most of his Second Life gigs from his Santa Monica home studio using a basic Web cam and a microphone.
He also created an entire music video in Second Life for his ambitious, strings-laden cover of the Beatles' "Across the Universe." The 6-minute video features the avatars of friends, fans and musicians who volunteered their time and talents to create the video.
"Right now, [performing in Second Life] is kind of like the Wild West, but I don't think that will be the case soon," says Lyons. "I think it will be widely accepted and possibly even necessary for any kind of artist in the near future."
calendar@latimes.com
Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times
by Ben Silverman
June 4 5:30 P.M.
Music gaming might be on the ropes, but Activision is ready for another round. On Friday, the company officially pulled back the curtain on the upcoming Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.
Due this fall for the Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii, the latest game in the popular music franchise is chock full of new features, not the least of which is a brand new 'Quest Mode' narrated by KISS frontman (and reality show family man), Gene Simmons. The story-driven mode will see players "embark on a larger-than-life, epic rock journey" that will transform the game's eight iconic characters into "rock warriors that must join together to use their unique, game-changing powers to help the Demi-God of Rock take down "The Beast" and save rock n' roll."
Activision might mean that literally. The music game genre, once considered the brightest star in the video game universe, has fallen on hard times. While it enjoyed plenty of publicity and glowing reviews, last year's The Beatles: Rock Band failed to meet sales expectations. A flood of Guitar Hero games and spinoffs didn't help right the ship, instead diluting overall sales as consumers were bludgeoned by too many options.
Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock is looking to kickstart the genre by offering over 90 master tracks on disc -- the largest ever in a music game -- as well as a brand new guitar controller.
Revealed on Gizmodo, the new axe will get a major facelift. While it will be fully compatible with older Guitar Hero games, the instrument's core technology has been moved to the guitar's neck and fretboard, opening up a new customizable body design. Using removable wings, players will be able to swap in different guitar shapes -- a Les Paul shape, say, or a heavy-metal flying V -- without affecting the gameplay.
Warriors of Rock isn't the only new Guitar Hero game making headlines: during Monday's Apple conference, the company announced that Guitar Hero has finally hit the App Store.
Jun 3rd 2010 By Nick Nadel
"The Sims 3: Ambitions" expansion pack adds new careers, like firefighter, private investigator and ghost hunter, to your virtual world. For the first time, you'll be able to control the in-game decisions your Sims make on-the-job. So, when EPA inspector Walter Peck comes calling, you can decide whether to insult him or comply with city ordinances and shut down your ghost-containment unit.
Also in stores:
-- In the spy RPG "Alpha Protocol," you'll create the ultimate superspy, then guide him through a constantly changing story line filled with twists and turns. It's like the final season of "24," only with less ear-biting.
-- "Tetris Party Deluxe" for the Nintendo DS adds six new game modes to the popular franchise. You can call it a party all you want, but "Tetris" addicts know that the crippling, existential terror brought on by a seemingly endless series of falling blocks is nothing to celebrate.
-- The football game "Backbreaker" utilizes the Euphoria software engine, which creates 3-D animations on-the-fly to bring your crushing sacks and tackles to vivid life.
Tags: alpha protocol - AlphaProtocol - backbreaker - Nintendo DS - NintendoDs - tetris - tetris party deluxe - TetrisPartyDeluxe - the sims - the sims 3 ambitions - TheSims - TheSims3Ambitions
by Ben Silverman
Hermione, we're not in Hogwarts anymore.
EA has pulled back the curtain on the upcoming games based on the two-part Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film, and just like the once-innocent cast, they're all grown up.
Due out alongside the first of the two feature films this fall, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 turns the talented spellcaster into an action hero, letting players wield the full power of Potter in what's essentially a third-person shooter.
"We believe we are creating a Harry Potter game that the HD console gaming generation will appreciate and enjoy," said Jonathan Bunney, VP, Head of Production at game developer EA Bright Light. "We have built new technology specifically to allow us to prove that magic is a truly potent force and, in this game, players will need to use all their skills if they want to survive."
While past Potter games have been more adventurous affairs set in the magical grounds of Hogwarts, the Deathly Hallows will eschew the school completely, instead tasking players with tracking down and eliminating Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes. Potter's signature spells have been transformed into powerful weapons, giving the family-friendly franchise a distinctly mature spin, as the unlikely heroes try to save the world by taking down the Dark Lord and his minions Modern Warfare style.
Long for the more playful days of Potter's youth? You're in luck: the kid-friendly Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 is due out at the end of June.