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Game Developers Conference 2007

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by RC Cola, Mar 5, 2007.

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http://www.gdconf.com/

The conference starts today and ends Friday. Normally, the conference is kind of boring for us gamers since, as the name implies, this conference is for developers. However, in recent years, companies have decided to make announcements due to the increasing amount of attention at GDC. With E3 now downsized, some are speculating that GDC might contain more announcements than usual.

The big highlights appear to be the two keynotes for the week. Phil Harrison, President of SCE Worldwide Studios, will have a keynote titled "Game 3.0: Developing and Creating for the 3rd Age of Video Games" on Wednesday at 10:30-11:30 AM (local time at San Francisco). Shigeru Miyamoto, who I hope we all know, will have a keynote titled "A Creative Vision" the very next day at the same time. Both keynotes are getting a pretty good amount of attention. If you've read this thread, you can understand why (and that didn't even have the Killzone PS3 rumors ).

Along with those, there will be plenty of other interesting presentations, and this could include new footage of Uncharted (PS3), Heavenly Sword (PS3), Lair (PS3), Crysis (PC), UT3 (PC, 360, PS3), Fable 2 (360), Forza 2 (360), Mass Effect (360), and much, much more (including presentations from the developers of games that have recently been released, such as Final Fantasy XII and Gears of War).

Some stuff has already started to trickle out:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2007/mar07/03-04512MBMemoryUnitPR.mspx

At the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2007, Microsoft Corp. today announced plans to launch a 512MB Memory Unit for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system and an increase in the official size limit of Xbox LIVE® Arcade games from 50 MB to 150 MB.

The 512MB Memory Unit, available worldwide beginning April 3, 2007, will retail for an estimated retail price of $49.99 (U.S.) in North America.* The 512MB Memory Unit will be pre-loaded with the hit Xbox LIVE Arcade game “Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved” from developer Bizarre Creations Ltd. for a limited time. The original 64MB Memory Unit will simultaneously drop in price from $39.99 to $29.99 (ERP).*

Eight times larger than the 64MB Memory Unit, the 512MB Memory Unit will provide Xbox 360 owners with vastly expanded storage capabilities for gaming on the go, allowing gamers to easily store and transport their gamer profile and save game data, Xbox LIVE Arcade games and Xbox LIVE Marketplace content. The 512MB Memory Unit also gives Xbox 360 owners the ability to download exclusive content from any of the 45,000 Xbox 360 kiosks accessible at retail outlets worldwide.

Beginning today, the Xbox LIVE Arcade game size limit has increased from 50 MB to 150 MB, giving developers greater flexibility in game design and expanding the opportunity to add advanced game features while still keeping games compact.

“The new size limit offers developers increased flexibility and continued opportunities for innovative game development, while also ensuring that the millions of gamers on Xbox LIVE can continue to easily access, download and play all Xbox LIVE Arcade games on Xbox 360,” said Chris Early, product unit manager for Xbox LIVE Arcade and Microsoft Casual Games at Microsoft. “If you take a look at current games like ‘Roboblitz’ and ‘Small Arms,’ it’s clear that our developers deliver amazing game experiences within a compact size limit. Our focus is on continuing to provide developers with an environment that allows for the creation of cost-efficient games and that nurtures an artistic and creative approach to game development.”

“As we prepare to launch our first Xbox LIVE Arcade game, ‘Boom Boom Rocket,’ we’re able to see how dynamic and creative this platform is,” said Chip Lange, vice president of Online Commerce for Electronic Arts Inc. (EA). “Having ‘Wing Commander Arena’ on Xbox LIVE Arcade allows us to take full advantage of the online play and bring to life a 16-player online arcade experience that delivers unparalleled arcade action.”

This week at GDC, Microsoft will showcase forthcoming Xbox LIVE Arcade games from a cross-section of genres to the game development community:
•

“Boom Boom Rocket” (EA and Bizarre Creations). This eagerly anticipated title from EA and Bizarre Creations is a hypnotic rhythm music game that will launch on Xbox LIVE Arcade this spring, priced at 800 Microsoft Points.
•

“3D Ultra™ Minigolf Adventures” (Sierra Online and Wanako Games). The first outdoor sports game on Xbox LIVE Arcade, “3D Ultra Minigolf Adventures” lets players putt their way through 36 fun-filled holes on wild courses that include settings such as the Classic Carnival and the fantastical Outer Space.
•

“Eets: Chowdown” (Klei Entertainment Inc.). A completely revamped version of the popular PC title, “Eets: Chowdown” offers a fun puzzle game experience unlike anything else available on Xbox LIVE Arcade, and features new items and 120 new levels.
•

“Jetpac Refuelled” (Rare Ltd.). This is a new take on Rare/Ultimate’s 1983 classic space blaster with enhanced graphics and Xbox LIVE features; players must clear a path through hordes of aliens to refuel their ship and amass a fortune over the course of more than 100 high-definition levels.
•

“Pinball FX” (ZEN Studios Ltd.). “Pinball FX” offers an unparalleled pinball experience that will be fun for novices and experts alike, with realistic ball physics and stunning 3-D tables. “Pinball FX” also features real-time, head-to-head competition over Xbox LIVE and Xbox LIVE Vision camera support.
Click to expand...

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=159275

Q Entertainment - that of Lumines Live! And Every Extend Extra fame - is to reveal a new Xbox Live Arcade game at this week's GDC in San Francisco.

The company previously released the much-anticipated Lumines Live! onto the service, which was greeted with a reception of controversy due to its pricey 'package' structure.

The exact identity of the new title is shrouded in mystery at the moment, though persistent rumour is expectedly bellowing claims that cult-classic music-shooter Rez is up for an Arcade re-jiggering - which would admittedly make us whet our pants.

But for all we know it could be a totally original piece of work, despite how good Every Extend Extra Arcade would look on our HD telly in the office.

Look out later this week when we'll reveal the identity of Q's new download title, along with our first inevitably gushing impressions.
Click to expand...

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-05-2007/0004539214&EDATE=

Sony Computer
Entertainment America (SCEA) today announced details of its presence at the
2007 Game Developers Conference (GDC), with Phil Harrison, president of
Worldwide Studios, Sony Computer Entertainment, delivering the opening
keynote speech. GDC is the world's largest conference dedicated to the
support and promotion of game development, running March 5-9, at the
Moscone Center in San Francisco, Calif.
Phil Harrison's keynote presentation, "Game 3.0: Developing and
Creating for the 3rd Age of Videogames," will kick off the conference on
March 7th, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. PST. The speech will focus on the
key components of Game 3.0 -- community, user-generated content,
collaboration and commerce -- all highlighted through live demonstrations
of previously un-announced services and games for PLAYSTATION(R)3
(PS3(TM)).
"This is a very exciting time to be part of the game development
community. Advancements in technology combined with new consumer trends
mean the industry has a great opportunity to create engaging new
entertainment experiences for the world," said Phil Harrison, president of
Worldwide Studios, Sony Computer Entertainment. "I believe we're at the
threshold of a new era in creative game development that's destined to
drive our industry growth through the next decade or more."
Following the keynote presentation, the SCEA booth will be a central
focus at GDC as the company introduces new development tools and
technologies designed specifically for PS3 and the PLAYSTATION(R)Network,
as well as PSP(R) (PlayStation(R)Portable) handheld entertainment system.
The SCEA booth -- Booth #410, West Hall -- will offer visitors a sneak-peek
at:
-- Tuner for PS3 -- Developed by SN Systems, a subsidiary of Sony Computer
Entertainment Inc., the Tuner is a profiling tool that enables
developers to quickly highlight bottlenecks and conflicts in source
code, helping them improve code performance. The Tuner is a software
application, so there is no special hardware required, which enables
developers to create high performance games with less guesswork.
-- Unreal(R) Engine 3 -- Epic's next-generation game engine technology
targets a diverse set of genres from fighting games to shooters to
Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games
-- High-Level Graphics Package -- PSSG (a PS3 optimized cross-platform
graphics engine and tool-chain) production-ready extensible scene-graph
framework that is written to take advantage of PS3 strengths
-- Pioneering profiling and analysis tools and physics technologies
-- Developing with Linux on PS3
-- Demonstration of downloadable titles from the PLAYSTATION Network, such
as flOw, Blast Factor(TM) and Calling all Cars(TM)
Additionally, SCE developers, engineers, and other specialists will be
hosting a variety of educational panels in an effort to support and
encourage the creative innovation of developers and publishers:
Monday, March 5:

-- 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.: E. Daniel Arey, Director, Naughty Dog, Sony
Computer Entertainment America, "Interactive Storytelling Bootcamp,"
Room 3011, West Hall
-- 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.: Vlad Stamate, Graphics Software Engineer, Sony
Computer Entertainment America, "Core Techniques and Algorithims in
Shader Programming," Room 3011, West Hall
-- 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.: Dan Bardino, Audio Manager, Sony Computer
Entertainment Europe; Sergio Pimentel, Music Licensing and A&R Manager,
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe; Jason Page, Audio Manager, Sony
Computer Entertainment Europe, "Audio Boot Camp," Room 3006, West Hall
-- 11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: John Hight, Director of Production, Sony
Computer Entertainment America, "Console/PC Distribution Gatekeepers,"
(part of Independent Games Summit), Room 3018, West Hall
-- 2:30-3:30 p.m.: Jenova Chen, flOw creator, ThatGameCompany, "Innovation
in Indie Games," (part of Independent Games Summit), Room 3018, West
Hall

Tuesday, March 6:

-- 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.: Christer Ericson, Director of Tools and
Technology, Sony Computer Entertainment America, "Physics for Games
Programmers," Room 3011, West Hall
-- 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.: Bill Dalton, Technical Director, Austin Studio,
Sony Online Entertainment, "Large-Scale Engineering for Online and
Offline Games," Room 3009, West Hall
-- 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.: John Needham, CFO and SVP of Finance, Sony Online
Entertainment, "Downloadable Casual Games on the Console," (part of
Casual Games Summit 201), Room 3020, West Hall
-- 5:00-6:00 p.m.: David Jaffe, Creative Director, Sony Santa Monica
Studios, "Building the Future of Indie Games," (part of Independent
Games Summit), Room 3018, West Hall

Wednesday, March 7:

-- 2:30-3:30 p.m.: Gabe Ahn (Field Developer Support Engineer SCEA),
"COLLADA(TM) in console game production" Room 3004, West Hall
-- 4:00-5:00 p.m.: Bruce D'Amora, Senior Technical Staff Member, IBM,
"Control your Performance Monsters: Cell Programming Tips and
Techniques," Room 3004, West Hall

Thursday, March 8:

-- 9:00-10:00 a.m.: Jason Page, Sony Computer Entertainment, Michael
Kelly, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, "PS3 Audio: More Than Extra
Channels," Room 3006, West Hall
-- 2:30-3:30 p.m.: Dave Murrant, Sound Design Manager, Sony Computer
Entertainment America, "PS3: Audio Development From the Trenches," Room
3008, West Hall
-- 2:30-3:30 p.m.: Mark Cerny, Cerny Games, Jon Olick, Lead Programmer,
Naughty Dog, David Simpson, Lead Programmer, Naughty Dog, "RSX Best
Practices," Room 3001, West Hall
-- 4:00-5:00 p.m.: Chris Carty, Principal Programmer, Sony Computer
Entertainment Worldwide Studios, Nicolas Serres, Principal Programmer,
Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios, "Real-World SPU Usage,"
Room 3010, West Hall
-- 4:00-5:00 p.m.: Tsutomu Kouno, Japan Studio, Sony Computer
Entertainment Worldwide Studios, "A LocoRoco Postmortem: Making
Happiness into Gameplay," Room 135, North Hall

Friday, March 9:

-- 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.: Mark Teare, Character Artist, Factor 5, "Cross
Application Asset Creation for Lair(TM): From Characters to Clouds,"
Room 135 North Hall
-- 12:00-1:00 p.m.: Scott Kirkland, Technical Director, Evolution Studios,
"Applied Physics: MotorStorm(TM)," Room 3001, West Hall
Please visit the official GDC web site (http://www.gdconf.com) for
registration and additional information. Speaker and panel details are
subject to change.
Click to expand...

#1 RC Cola, Mar 5, 2007

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Phil hasn't given his speech fo' realz yet, but someone got a hold of a copy of it, or listened in on a rehearsal (do you think they have rehearsals or just wing it?) or something and have compiled a list of key... notes about the speech. Here's what's important:

* March 8th is the big firmware update. It includes:
o More refined PS Store frontend
o PlayStation Network "integrity enhanced"
o Wallpapers from pictures
o Ability to change background colors
o Sony Connect Store for music and movies added to the PS Store. Hundreds of trailers/full films/songs
o Videos and mp3's available for download.
o Playstation Card option in PS Store enabled.
o Playstation Lifestyle- Similar to my space/youtube. User generated content and experiences are the key.
o + more.
* Removal of Emotion Engine chips will come stateside and to Japan in April. Upscales certain PS-One and PS2 games to 720p/1080i.
* Game announcements: Warhawk in June/July, Heavenly Sword delayed, Killzone 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4 in late 2007.
* New PS-Store stuff being added on the 8th include:
o Tekken 6 trailer
o Lair demo & (new?) trailer
o Rainbow Six Vegas demo
o EA: Skate trailer
o Battlefield Bad Company trailer
o Warhawk demo
o Virtua Fighter 5 demo
o Virtua Tennis 3 demo & trailer
o GRAW 2: trailer
o Mortal Kombat 2 game
o Killzone 2 trailer... demo to come in May
Click to expand...

http://www.ps3fanboy.com/

#2 Ziggy, Mar 5, 2007
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Looks like the PS3 will finally get old games upscaled. I assume it means DVDs too...

#3 Ziggy, Mar 5, 2007
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I think that list was being circulated when the Home rumors got started last week. One of the mods at NeoGAF said he knew of at least one thing that was wrong on that list, so I'm not putting much stock into to it (certainly doubt it is a copy of Harrison's speech). They all seem plausible though, so I wouldn't doubt it if those things make it into his keynote to some degree.

Harrison said in an interview recently that they are working on upscaling DVDs, so that's basically confirmed. Funnily enough, he acted like he was giving new exclusive info, but I recall info about Sony working on upscaling DVDs on the PS3 back when it launched in November (think I even posted the info here).

I don't think they have explicitly said if they would upscale old games, but if they're using software emulation to play PS1 and PS2 games, it certainly wouldn't be difficult to implement that feature (natively rendering in HD might even be a possibility too).

On another note:

I read something about Sony showing off the Home stuff only behind closed-doors.

If that's true, prepare to be disappointed...although even if they do show it publicly, prepare to be disappointed anyway.

#4 RC Cola, Mar 5, 2007
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ps3 sez hi

#5 chow_yun_fat, Mar 6, 2007
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New ~3 minute video of Heavenly Sword:
http://www.playsyde.com/news_4070_en.html

OK, anything else this week is just gravy.

edit: Images

#6 RC Cola, Mar 6, 2007
Last edited: Mar 6, 2007
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TMNT confirmed for XBLA, available later this month for $5, 2-4 player co-op:
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/770/770555p1.html

Ubisoft today gave credence to the recent rumor that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles would arrive on Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade by officially telling IGN it's all true. The classic, 1989 side-scrolling arcade game is coming, unfettered, to XBLA this month.

In development with Digital Eclipse (of Foundation 9 Entertainment), and originally published by Konami in the arcade, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will arrive on XBLA via Ubisoft featuring the original seven levels, all of which are playable in two- to four-player co-op modes on Xbox Live.

Starring Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo in all their 2D sprite-based glory, this coin-op port will support voice-chat capabilities, offer 200 points worth of Achievements and, best of all, will only costs 400 Microsoft Points (US$5).

"The release of the TMNT classic arcade game on Xbox LIVE Arcade is Ubisoft's homage to a world-renowned franchise that for almost 20 years has captured the hearts of gamers," said James Regan, director of new business development at Ubisoft. "Ubisoft is breathing new life into the video game franchise with the launch of our downloadable console games while remaining true to the unique core values that make the Turtles so timeless."

Voted the number one most wanted Xbox Live Arcade game by IGN's readers in 2006 (see Xbox Live Arcade: Most Wanted), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is finally coming home. But if you just can't get enough turtles and the coin-op version is leaving you starving, Ubisoft also has a brand new Prince of Persia-ified version that's due to hit Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PSP, Windows PC, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Nintendo GameCube and Wii to coincide with the upcoming CGI movie. Turtle power, baby!
Click to expand...

#7 RC Cola, Mar 6, 2007

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MS announces 6M XBL users:
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=13010

In a GDC-timed announcement, Microsoft has officially announced that more than 6 million gamers worldwide are using Xbox Live for the Xbox 360, a milestone reached 4 months ahead of the company's June 2007 goal, also revealing a multitude of new Xbox 360-related statistics.

According to the company, more than 10 million Xbox 360s have hit store shelves since launch in November 2005, with the console now available in 37 countries. The overall software attach rate for Xbox 360 is 4.6 titles per console in the United States, with an accessory attach rate of 2.9 units per console.

After confirming that more than 6 million people are 'members' of Xbox Live, presumably including those who have connected to the network either as Xbox Live Silver or Xbox Live Gold participants, Microsoft followed up with some specific stats relating to the online service.

Gamers have spent over 2.3 billion hours on the network playing games online, equal to 95 million days of gaming or over 260,000 years. In the company's top title, Halo 2, which is being played on both the Xbox and Xbox 360, gamers have spent over 710 million hours playing online with over a half a billion games played.

In addition, Microsoft is seeing an average of over 2,000,000 text and voice messages sent every day between members on the service, and the average Xbox Live Gold subscriber has 22 friends on their Xbox Live friends list. To date, Xbox 360 owners have unlocked nearly 300 million Achievements. All of those unlocked Achievements have created a total combined Gamerscore of nearly 7.5 billion.

Moving on to the Xbox Live Marketplace, more than 70 percent of Xbox Live members are downloading content from Marketplace, driving more than 135 million downloads since the launch of Xbox 360. More than 5 Billion points (around $40 million at U.S. point prices) have been activated on Marketplace to date. Nearly 50% of Xbox Live members in the U.S. log into Xbox Live Marketplace every time they turn on their console.

Finally, the Xbox Live Arcade service has now surpassed 25 million downloads, and Microsoft released a list of the top XBLA titles by amount of full downloads, as follows:

1. Street Fighter II' Hyper Fighting
2. Bankshot Billiards 2
3. Marble Blast Ultra
4. UNO
5. DOOM
Click to expand...

Every Extend for XBLA confirmed:
http://www.gaming-age.com/cgi-bin/previews/preview.pl?sys=xbox360&game=e4

A trippy and trancey experience right at home? “Every Extend Extra Extreme” (“E4”) will take players on a journey that is visionary, exuberating and anything but relaxing and will even let players play to their own favorite music! The latest creation from Q Entertainment, best known for its blockbuster franchise Lumines, E4 is a unique, action-packed puzzle shooter where the goal is to self-destruct, create large chain reactions of explosions by defeating your enemies, which will ultimately extend the life of the game. The game is scheduled to arrive later this year on the Xbox LIVE Arcade – the premier destination for digitally distributed, high definition original and classic games.

E4 delivers a highly addictive experience that is driven by its mixture of outrageous, mind-bending visuals, high-quality sound and gameplay. The glorious presentation in high definition with the support of 5.1 surround sound will provide a clubbing experience right in the living room.

“E4” key features and modes:

* E4, The Game – The core of this game, where your objective is to self-destruct and aim for large chain reactions. Your stock (life) is unlimited, so use perfect timing to detonate and score as high as you can. Picking up the right items at the right time will lead you to a whole new experience of the game.
* S4, Wiz ur Muzik – A mode where you can implement your favorite music from a CD and enjoy a customized E4 experience.
* H4, Versus Live - Full online multiplayer play over Xbox Live where you can battle your friends head-to-head.
* Full suite of online leaderboards
* Achievements and Gamerscore
Click to expand...

#8 RC Cola, Mar 6, 2007
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Info on the 2 Mistwalker RPGs for the 360 and their US release dates:
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3157756

In a pre-GDC meeting with 1UP, Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi revealed that Lost Odyssey, the second RPG from Sakaguchi's Mistwalker Studios, would ship this Christmas simultaneously in Japan and the United States. This simultaneous release comes as no big surprise, as Lost Odyssey seems to be more targeted toward a Western audience. Some of the proof of this can be found in Lost Odyssey's lip-syncing; the game is being lip-synced with English actors and the Japanese will be dubbed. Additionally, Sakaguchi said that the U.S. release of Blue Dragon was currently slated for an August release.

Sakaguchi also mentioned that Mistwalker's Nintendo DS RPG Ash will be due out this holiday season.
Click to expand...

#9 RC Cola, Mar 6, 2007
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New Mass Effect Screens:

Bioware is so awesome.

Some GDC predictions from the 1UP Show people:
Stream http://media.1up.com/flat/News/Videos/3157780_broad.html
WMV http://zdmedia.vo.llnwd.net/o1/1UP/1upshow_pregdc07_640x360.zip
QT Small http://zdmedia.vo.llnwd.net/o1/1UP/1upshow_pregdc07_320x180.zip
QT Large http://zdmedia.vo.llnwd.net/o1/1UP/1upshow_pregdc07_quick.zip
PSP http://zdmedia.vo.llnwd.net/o1/1UP/1upshow_pregdc07_psp.zip

Again, Phil Harrison will have a keynote tomorrow at 10:30-11:30AM (local time at SF IIRC). I think I'll be going to and from classes at that time, so maybe one of you guys can keep up with that. 1UP, Eurogamer, and a few other sites will be liveblogging the event, not to mention some people at NeoGAF, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find the updates (especially for those of you that post at NeoGAF).

#10 RC Cola, Mar 6, 2007
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http://www.marketwatch.com/news/sto...x?guid={8A4F8917-3627-4F40-90C7-D1AC5E68B4AE}

Sony Corp. lifted the wraps Wednesday on an online, social-based network designed to spur interest in its high-end PlayStation3 console, which has suffered from product shortages and a high price tag.

At the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on Wednesday, Phil Harrison delivered a keynote address in which he laid out new components of the PlayStation3 network designed to bring in a social gaming aspect similar to multi-player games such as "Second Life" that have become highly popular on the Internet.

Harrison, who is president of worldwide studios for Sony's Computer Entertainment division, described a new evolution in gaming that he called "Game 3.0," which will involve not just content developed by game makers, but also user-generated content.

"This all adds up to an emergent development where we don't define the experience as game developers, but rather we enable users to define the experience," Harrison said.

The main component of the company's new push is a service called Home. Accessed through the PlayStation3 console, Home allows users to build identities known in the online world as avatars. Users can move through the 3D online Home world to interact with other users. As in "Second Life," users can also purchase items such as apartments, clothing and decorations.
One feature of home will tie into other PS3 games. Players will be able to collect trophies and other objects from their various console games and add them to the Home world.

For Sony, the move comes as the electronics giant is looking to reestablish momentum for the PlayStation3. The console launched in November featuring cutting-edge graphics processors and a Blu-ray DVD player, but its $600 price tag and production setbacks limited sales over the holiday season. See previous story on video game sales.

In an interview, Harrison said the company sees the PS3 as a long-term bet on the future of the digital home, as the device not only plays games but allows users to download and share music and video files.

"I think people who are buying the PS3 are very happy with the value their system represents," Harrison said. "Someone who's buying the PS3 knows they are going to have a long-term relationship with the device."

In a demonstration to media outlets on Tuesday night, Harrison also unveiled a new title, "LittleBigPlanet," which allows users to create their own games using materials found in the virtual world.

Also, Sony unveiled the "PlayStation Edge," a set of tools the company will make available to game developers for free to spur more titles that can make fuller use of the PS3's capabilities, Harrison said.
Click to expand...

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/07/arts/design/07game.html?ref=technology

Moving to enhance its PlayStation 3 game console, Sony today plans to announce new online capabilities for it, meant to draw gamers into Sony’s cyberspace community and allow them to share entertainment content they have created, à la YouTube.

The centerpiece, a new service called PlayStation Home, is to become available to consumers in the fall, said senior game industry executives, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the plans. PlayStation Home is meant to build on and surpass somewhat similar offerings from Sony’s competitors Microsoft and Nintendo by allowing users to create persisting online identities that record players’ achievements in different games. As players progress through a game, they will unlock various virtual prizes that they can then show off to friends and rivals, the executives said.

Phil Harrison, president of Sony’s worldwide game studios, is expected to announce the new service today in San Francisco at the Game Developers Conference, the top convention for game designers and programmers. Shigeru Miyamoto, a top Nintendo executive and perhaps the world’s most famous game developer, is also scheduled to speak tomorrow but is not expected to make any major announcements. For its part, Microsoft earlier this week announced a contest that will award $10,000 to the best new game for its online Xbox Live service.

At the moment, though, the attention of gamers and the game industry is squarely on Sony as it tries to generate new momentum and buzz around the PlayStation 3 after a lackluster response when it was introduced in November.

In addition to squawking about the PlayStation 3’s price — $599 for the top version — critics and players have two major substantive complaints. Sony clearly hopes that developments this week will go a long way toward defusing each of them.

First, users have said that there have not been many great games designed exclusively for the PlayStation 3. Most of the big-name games for it have also been released for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 (less expensive than the PlayStation 3) and, with the notable exception of the alternate-history shooter Resistance: Fall of Man, the few exclusive titles for PlayStation 3 have largely failed to impress.

Mr. Harrison said the new MotorStorm, the high-octane off-road racing game that Sony has been championing for months, may answer those complaints. The glossy demonstration version of this game has already garnered raves online, and the full retail version hit store shelves yesterday.

“I really think MotorStorm could be the killer app for the PlayStation 3,” Mr. Harrison said in a telephone interview on Monday. “MotorStorm is the first title we’ve shipped that really hits the high notes of what the PlayStation 3 is capable of. That means really advanced physics and artificial intelligence, the graphical quality and the online gameplay free of charge.”

These days just having great games does not necessarily make a great game system (though it is obviously the most important factor). The second, and broader, complaint leveled at the PlayStation 3 is that while it is clearly a powerful machine, its basic operating software and the PlayStation Network online service have been clunky at best, especially compared with Microsoft’s slick, easy-to-use Xbox Live service.

This criticism perhaps reflects Sony’s most intractable problem over the last decade: its difficulty building strong businesses online, whether in digital music, in which it essentially ceded the category to Apple, or in console gaming, in which Microsoft has come on strong.

It is a deficiency that Sony seems well aware of and that today’s announcements are meant to address. Kotaku (kotaku.com), a popular gaming blog, reported preliminary details about PlayStation Home last week. Mr. Harrison would not discuss specifics of today’s planned announcements but he laid out a clear road map of how Sony intends to improve and augment its online service.

“Last year was a year of hardware,” he said. “It was all about the hardware launch, specifications, hardware technology. This is the year of software, about developing new services and, crucially, the migration from pure packaged goods, which has been the traditional delivery mechanism in our industry over the last 25 years, to something that blends the network and online services into the game experience.”

By way of example, Mr. Harrison mentioned the PlayStation 3 version of the karaoke game SingStar, expected to be released in May, first in Europe. “By taking SingStar to the network, we can allow users to choose which songs they want to sing and download them from the service,” he said. “The even more interesting thing from my point of view is that the users’ performances can then be shared with one another over the network, and users can score and rank each other.”

Sony’s overall plan, Mr. Harrision said, is to allow users to create their own content within games so that the entertainment experience begins to feel more organic, rather than planned.

“The packaged media approach on its own offers a closed experience,” he said. “You can only enjoy the game experience that the game developer put on that disc. But with the increase in adoption for the Internet and also the increased bandwidth, the Internet has democratized the audience to become content creators, as well as content consumers, and create what I call emergent entertainment. We’ve seen that with things like MySpace and YouTube and Flickr. Now we want to take those kinds of collaborative experiences and make them more central to the gameplay experience.”
Click to expand...

Sony showed off some of this stuff and more to the press last night. Some reactions (that don't break embargos) from GameDaily:
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More here:
http://www.gamedailyxl.com/2007/03/07/gdc-gdc-07-impressions/

Killzone was shown apparently, but it didn't look anything like the CGI trailer (shocker!). Seems like they won't show it publicly until E3.

#11 RC Cola, Mar 7, 2007
Last edited: Mar 7, 2007
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<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" id="gtembed" width="480" height="409"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /> <param name="movie" value="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=17559"/> <param name="quality" value="high" /> <embed src="http://www.gametrailers.com/remote_wrap.php?mid=17559" swLiveConnect="true" name="gtembed" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" quality="high" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="409"></embed> </object>

Wow.

edit:Here's LittleBigPlanet, or whatever it is called:
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Looks...interesting I guess.

Edit: Got to go class...be back later I guess.

#12 RC Cola, Mar 7, 2007
Last edited: Mar 7, 2007
chow_yun_fat Member

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I have a fairly vivid imagination and home met/exceeded them. When home was first leaked on NG, I imagined something simliar to Animal Crossing. What I didn't expect was a sims type of experience. Now that Sony has raised the bar, what will Nintendo or Microsoft do?

#13 chow_yun_fat, Mar 7, 2007

oomp Member

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RC Cola said:

Wow.
Click to expand...

That's awesome. And to think that I've been blown away by the photo album utility that's on my PS3 now.

Isn't there an online update tomorrow or soon that adds a few more things (like wallpaper)?

#14 oomp, Mar 7, 2007
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Wow is right...I tend to agree about the L-T relationship as I really love my PS3 and know there is so much potential for the future, even with all the awesome stuff now...

I just picked up Need for Speed Carbon and MI III and Superman Returns on Blu-Ray...Hell, I've been buying the discs with the rebates that came in the box...well, except for departed...

#15 rrj_gamz, Mar 7, 2007
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oomp said:

Isn't there an online update tomorrow or soon that adds a few more things (like wallpaper)?
Click to expand...

Don't know about tomorrow, but there will be a major firmware update sometime this month (basically for the PS3 launch in Europe).

rrj_gamz said:

I just picked up Need for Speed Carbon and MI III and Superman Returns on Blu-Ray...Hell, I've been buying the discs with the rebates that came in the box...well, except for departed...
Click to expand...

Amazon has a 50% special on some BR discs right now:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1000062781
Not sure if you have seen that yet, but that is a pretty nice deal (especially since Amazon usually has the lowest prices on HD movies anyway).

I just got back from class. I'm still looking through some stuff, but here are some links to check out:
http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=73821 (keynote details)
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3157797 (1UP on Home)
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/770/770998p1.html (IGN on Home)

I might edit some stuff into this post, especially pics. Some of the Home stuff is still blowing me away.

edit:
Images of some of the different aspects of Home...

Home Game Space:

Home Hall of Fame:

Home Sports Lobby:

Home Theater:

Virtual PSP:

Some info via the IGN link on the various aspects of Home:
Virtual PSP

"Your Virtual PSP gives you access to all the navigation, features and options of Home."

Our first taste of Home was a brief look at the 3D world that represents it. Bright and colorful, the environments look similar to a bare bones Grand Theft Auto title, only the surroundings were serene and centered on a garden and water motif. But before we could study the architecture any further, Phil keyed up the "Virtual PSP" component and we were on our way.

Used as a quick navigational tool, the Virtual PSP allows users to hop between bookmarked spaces in their Home universe. Over the course of the entire 30-minute presentation, the PSP was only ever used to transition to new areas, so how much functionality this digital portable actually offers is still a mystery.
Click to expand...

Central Lounge:

Once an avatar has been chosen, it can then move about the world freely and its first stop will likely be "The Central Lounge." Here, patrons will be able to see other people moving about and conversing with one another, and Sony has truly thought of everything when it comes to communicating (Quick Write options, USB keyboard support, and Bluetooth voice chat seem to integrate seamlessly). Clients can also use emotes to convey moods or just be ridiculous with motions like disco dancing, shoulder shrugs, pointing, waving, and plenty more.

One of the more interesting aspects of Home is actually made for businesses as opposed to users. That is, every wall can be used for dynamic content -- or more specifically -- advertising. Posters, HD-quality imbedded video, and eventually even websites can be slapped on the walls like a coat of paint. "Free through advertising' is obviously the model being used here (it's pretty non-invasive too).
Click to expand...

Games Space

"The Games Space is where you can meet and relax with your friends with free casual games such as bowling, pool and retro arcade games."

If hanging out and talking to strangers or reading ads isn't your thing, the main lobby comes stocked with a couple of neat little mini-games. "HomePool" and "HomeBowling" were the examples shown off in the demo, but Phil also revealed a mini-arcade where you could play new downloadable titles that would be updated frequently. What's particularly cool about this setup is that you never leave the world when playing since you're free to look around your surroundings and zoom in and out of the arcade screen at any time.
Click to expand...

Apartment Space

If there's one area where people will spend most of their time, it's definitely going to be "Home Space." Here, users can design their own apartment and modify their living quarters into a quaint little hideaway or a lavish two-story pimp pad. Plus, just like the outside areas are customizable for a paying businesses, your own home can likewise be customized by you.

Pictures, movies, and even websites can be imported from your hard drive or removable memory stick and put onto virtual television sets or picture frames in a matter of seconds. Wallpapers can be customized as well (some selections are even game-themed), and any furniture you buy is entirely physics-based (so there aren't any arbitrary slot restrictions in how many items you can have). Phil showed this off by dropping his virtual Bravia down the stairs a couple of times and made a joke about it being just as sturdy in the game as it is in real life. As an added bit of fun, Harrison even proved that his digital Bravia television set was outputting proximity-based audio, and when he walked too far away from it the sound reacted accordingly.

Sony is hopeful that friends and (more importantly) clans will use these apartments to get together and talk about strategies or setup gaming sessions. Users will be able hang out and listen to MP3s or audio CDs via virtual stereos if they choose, or can launch a group multiplayer game without having to leave their space. Eventually, players will even be able to add personal pool tables and arcade units of their own should they not want to venture out into the Lobbies. It's definitely a cool feature (we just wonder how effective it will be in pulling people in and keeping them there).
Click to expand...

Hall of Fame

As Phil left his apartment, he moved on to my favorite space of the entire presentation -- The Hall of Fame. Sony's answer to the Xbox 360's achievement system, the HOF gives users the ability to view trophies they've earned from playing games in a real 3D way (some trophies even have audio or video aspects to them). What's more, is that patrons can even modify trophy cabinets and pick which trophies they want to show to friends.

Star Wars Episode III fans should also be happy to learn that you can view trophies for games that you haven't even earned yet in another room. Why would they be happy? Because those unearned trophies look like they're sitting in the floating soapboxes from the senate scenes of the last Lucas flick (it's a vast high-tech warehouse). Also of note: among the games scattered throughout the Hall of Fame, titles that have already been released, like Resistance and MotorStorm, had accessible trophies as well. Whether or not that means that you'll get these accomplishments retroactively or through a patch that comes later is unknown.
Click to expand...

Sports Lobby

Harrison's next stop was one that we didn't get to see much of, as it was more of a philosophy than it was a currently-existing room. Known as the "Sports Lobby" in this demo, it was an area was where fans of a particular type could congregate for specific games, franchises, characters, or even publishers. The example we saw, while not officially EA, looked a lot like an Electronic Arts room -- with a dedicated sports theme and plenty of mini-games (including a three-point basketball challenge). Obviously, the types of things that companies could do here are limitless, and Harrison plans to have non-gaming content have their own rooms one day as well.
Click to expand...

Home Theater

Our last stop was a convincing recreation of a local cinema known appropriately as "The Home Theatre." It's pretty straightforward, though pretty flexible too. Here you can watch DVD or Blu-ray movies you already own, view movies off your hard drive or memory stick, or simply stream content from the PlayStation Store and view it in a room with others while you do so. In the demo, Phil showed a bit of the Casino Royale trailer, a smidgen of Resident Evil Extinction, and then just walked the halls to show off some more navigational stuff.
Click to expand...

#16 RC Cola, Mar 7, 2007
Last edited: Mar 7, 2007
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Gamespot has a video of Sony's keynote today:
http://www.gamespot.com/pages/features/onthespot/index.php
The link might be kind of hard to find. Where it says "The 3/1/2007 Show," look down a bit for the "click here" link to the video (which you should be able to download).

I'm checking it out right now for a little bit more info on the Home stuff (plus the LittleBigPlanet stuff).

#17 RC Cola, Mar 7, 2007
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First of all, I'm very happy to see something really getting me excited about the PS3. The Potential is there, but there isn't much utilizing what it can really do yet. This should spice things up a bit.

Btw, the "Little Big Planet" video posted isn't the best quality, and seems to buffer a lot. Try This, about 90ish megs

That game looks amazing to me...TRUE Co-op? Custom Build levels? I mean you can build levels with your friends in the game with you at the same time As shown here !!

I don't have any new gen console atm, but I'm awaiting for this release without a doubt.

This is all from NeoGAF.

#18 TapeFreak, Mar 7, 2007

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TapeFreak said:

Btw, the "Little Big Planet" video posted isn't the best quality, and seems to buffer a lot. Try This, about 90ish megs

That game looks amazing to me...TRUE Co-op? Custom Build levels? I mean you can build levels with your friends in the game with you at the same time As shown here !!
Click to expand...

Yeah, sorry about that. I actually downloaded the ~90 MB file myself, and then posted the embedded version here w/o looking at it. I do recommend checking out those two videos. The sharing video is really good at showing some of the things that game is aiming to offer.

Just finished watching the GDC video via Gamespot. I really recommend everyone interested in Home and/or LBP to check it out. They show a lot more of what you can do in Home. It seems really easy to customize your apartment (including putting pictures/music/movies from your HDD on frames, TVs, radios, etc), send invites, and navigate the virtual world. I didn't know there were trophies you could get from Home itself, such as becoming a "celebrity" (whatever that means), bowling a perfect game, being on a 100 friends lists, etc. Pretty cool that you get more stuff when you buy new PS3 games too.

The last segment is all about LBP, and it is even more awesome than the videos shown already. They demonstrate how easy it is to create some levels, adding some nice humor as well. The visuals were already very impressive, but even more so after seeing how customizable everything is. One cool thing is that you can even modify levels as you are playing them, which they demonstrated. I thought this was a pretty interesting title before, but after seeing some of the other aspects of the game, this could become really popular.

edit: Didn't know GameVideos had these:
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#19 RC Cola, Mar 7, 2007
Last edited: Mar 7, 2007
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Great! I want to check the GDC video out, but is there one with a higher resolution or quality? Sometimes those little embedded video players can be really annoying! I'll be checking out those few threads on GAF later unless you answer me first

#20 TapeFreak, Mar 7, 2007

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