I wonder if any of the 3D-hardware manufacturers would be up to creating a steampunk version of 3D glasses. I just might be interested enough to take the plunge into stereoscopic gaming then.
News Blips:
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Studio Director Mick Hocking reveals that over 50 3D PlayStation 3 games are in development. "We’re applying 3D to more than 20 internal games at Sony," Hocking said to Develop. "It’s a very positive thing to see the great level of interest in 3D from our development studios." Hocking also noted the rising level of interest in developing 3D games from third-party studios. "Overall we have more than 50 titles currently being converted into 3D, and this number is growing fast," he said. "Some of them are massive names. That’s a really, really good sign that the industry is behind our unique message that 3D is a key element in the future of home consoles." I'm sure the exclusive group of gamers who had enough cash to plunk down for a costly 3DTV are feeling pretty smug right about now.
Elder Scrolls 5 is rumored to be in the works at Bethesda Studios, according to a source speaking with Eurogamer Denmark. "This source not only confirmed that the game is in current production, but also spoke briefly about the content — with fantasy-sounding phrases like Dragon Lord, something with The Blades — and that voice acting for the characters in the game is currently happening in the weeks to follow," the website's report reads. "The same source confirmed, with official game documents in hand, that this will be the chronological sequel to what happened in Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion." Based on this information, Eurogamer Denmark concluded it can "confirm without hesitation" that the game is indeed being made. If true, let's hope something is being done to replace the aging (and glitchy) Gamebryo engine.
The Xbox 360 turns five years old this week. Although it underwent significant hardware iterations and firmware updates (such as a fix for the notorious "red ring of death"), Microsoft's console remains largely unchanged and perseveres to maintain its lead in worldwide sales over the PlayStation 3, with 44.6 million units sold as of September. In a blog post, Xbox Live Director of Policy and Enforcement Stephen Toulouse called the establishment of Xbox Live and its status as the de facto console multiplayer service "a pretty watershed moment." Happy birthday, Xbox 360. Here's to many more years of being the bane of PlayStation 3 loyalists.
A survey conducted by investment research group Cowan and Company claims that console and motion-control peripheral sales would benefit from price cuts. The survey polled 2,301 respondents and marked the response of non-console owners to motion gaming as "tepid." "We believe that the hardware manufacturers have left unit sales on the table by not reducing price points from $199 to $179 and $299 to $249 for the applicable consoles, and that doing so would have driven a more significant boost to hardware sales for the release of new motion-sensing peripherals," the survey states. "We view continued stubbornly high hardware price points as one of the key factors dragging down software sales." I'm sure another contributing factor is that a bunch of non-gamers wouldn't be caught dead waving a wand topped with a colorful ping pong ball at their TVs. [GamesIndustry.biz]
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