Nintendo tops E3 Game Critics Awards

Posted on July 6, 2010 by Chris Morris

There are a lot of “Best of show” awards given out at E3, but none carry the weight of the Game Critics Awards. Respected journalists from major publications team together for these honors, voting on the best games and hardware collectively.

This year’s winners have been announced – and it’s Nintendo’s 3DS handheld gaming system that walked away with the “Best of Show” award. id Software’s “Rage” and Valve’s “Portal 2” both earned multiple awards in sub-categories. (In order for a game to be eligible for an award, publishers are required to give judges hands-on time with the E3 demo. This is to ensure that games are actually playable and not just canned video presentations.)

Blizzard may have a solution to forum flame wars

Posted on July 6, 2010 by Chris Morris

The Internet is a fascinating thing. Under the cloak of anonymity, people often toss off societal niceties and gleefully rip into each other with abandon. No subject is taboo and the most innocent comment (i.e. “Boy, I’m really enjoying this game…”) can make you the subject of some brutal retorts.

Leave it to Blizzard Entertainment, arguably the biggest game developer in the industry, to try to tame the wild, wild west that is the online forum. The company has announced a new policy to its forums, informing users that starting July 27, all posts will be made using a person’s real-life first and last names.

Review: DXG-A85V 1080p camcorder

Posted on July 4, 2010 by Chris Morris

DXG has established a good niche for itself in the budget camcorder segment – but how does it stand up when it tries to take on the big boys of the video industry?

The company is taking aim at Canon, Sony and Panasonic with the DXG-A85V, an ultra-affordable 1080p HD camcorder that’s loaded with features, including 12X zoom, touch-to-focus, Eye-Fi Wireless ready and a 10MP still camera. And while it may find notable success with non-discriminating consumers and entry-level shooters, discerning lensmen and pro-ams can pass this one by.

Disney makes a big play in the mobile space

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Chris Morris

Disney hasn’t been a big force to date in the mobile gaming space – but that’s about to change.

The company has acquired music rhythm game maker Tapulous, makers of “Tap Tap Revolution” for an undisclosed sum. It’s a deal that’s not dissimilar to the acquisition of Wideload Games last September in that it give the company an individual who’s a leader in his segment of the industry.

May game sales numbers won’t cheer up anyone

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Chris Morris

The good news is video game software sales were up 4 percent in May. The bad news is people were expecting them to be about twice as high. The OTHER bad news is that video game hardware sales were down 20 percent in May – dragging the industry as a whole down 5 percent compared to the 2009 figures.

While any improvement is a good one, it’s becoming clear that the video game industry is not going to be able to easily shake off its ongoing slump. May was a month loaded with potential blockbusters, including “Red Dead Redemption,” “Alan Wake” and “Super Mario Galaxy 2”.

Amazon unveils newer, cheaper Kindle DX

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Chris Morris

The price war in the eReader space is getting more aggressive.

Amazon has launched a revamped Kindle DX – the high end version of its eReader – with a marked 50 percent improvement in its display contracts and a significantly lower price – $379. That’s a $110 drop.

Two gadgets join the deathwatch list

Posted on June 30, 2010 by Chris Morris

The middle of the 2010 is not a good time for struggling gadgets. Both Microsoft and Plastic Logic have put in doubt the future of two highly touted devices – one that’s already on the market and one that hasn’t seen the light of day.

Both the Microsoft Kin phone and the Que ProReader device are on shaky ground. The Kin was launched just six weeks ago by the Redmond-based company and hoped to blend social networking with cell phones. The Que ProReader was (or is) an intriguing eReader introduced at CES this year that was specifically tailored to the business audience.

Hulu adds premium service, expands distribution channels

Posted on June 29, 2010 by Chris Morris

For years, Hulu has been the great white whale for content streaming devices. Virtually everyone has tried to lure the service beyond its PC roots, with no success.

That changes today, with the introduction of Hulu Plus, a new premium subscription service from the site. For $9.99 per month, subscribers will be able to access a full season’s worth of their favorite TV shows, rather than a select handful. As part of the rollout, Hulu has also announced it will begin streaming Hulu Plus on a variety of Internet-enabled TVs, Blu-Ray devices and the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 over the coming months.

iPhone 4 sets sales record

Posted on June 29, 2010 by Chris Morris

The iPhone 4, which went on sale Thursday, has set a new bar for Apple products. The company sold 1.7 million units of the device in its first 72 hours of availability – a number it could have vastly exceeded if it had been able to keep up with supply.

The sales numbers come from pre-orders and sales at Apple stores nationwide. But the company gets a second bite at the apple today, when the iPhone 4 goes on sale at AT&T stores. Demand is so strong that people lined up outside of the cell phone carrier’s retail locations this morning, so they could finally get their hands on the phone. Some lines reportedly were over 100 people long.

Are you ready for your close-up?

Posted on June 25, 2010 by Chris Morris

The original YooStar was a product that screamed to be called a game – only its creators adamantly resisted the label, saying it was an interactive social experience. Now under new management, the company is embracing its play roots and coming to consoles in the near future.

The concept is a simple one: Movie karaoke. Users are able to take famous film scenes and swap themselves in for one or both of the actors on screen. (The well-known “it’s dark and we’re wearing sunglasses” scene from “The Blues Brothers” is a popular choice.) With the dawn of Microsoft’s Kinect controller, though, it’s easier than ever to jump in – and YooStar may finally live up to its potential. (The game will also be published for the PlayStation 3.)

Chris Morris: Journalist

Category Archives: Variety – Technotainment