Amazon unveils new Kindle

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Chris Morris

Although some parties thought the eReader would fall by the wayside when the iPad hit shelves, Amazon is making an emphatic statement to the contrary. The online retailer has unveiled a new, upgraded Kindle device as well as a new lower-priced model.

The new Kindle, like the old one, boasts a 6-inch screen, but uses a newer type of e-Ink – the same that’s used in the high-end Kindle DX device. It’s also 21 percent smaller, has twice as much storage (4 GB) and Amazon says it has an improved battery life as well.

Starcraft II hits. Productivity halts.

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Chris Morris

July 27 is “Starcraft II” day. And while that might not mean a lot to some people, for others it’s reason for celebration.

Twelve years after the original “Starcraft” hit PCs and became a cultural phenomenon, Blizzard Entertainment is trying to bottle lightning for a second time. And no one is betting against them.

Retailer GameStop tries life as a publisher

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Chris Morris

GameStop has taken a few knocks for being behind the times when it comes to digital distribution, but now the brick and mortar retailer is showing at least some awareness of the online world. It just might not be exactly what investors were hoping for.

The company has launched the Facebook game “Gangsta Zombies” through its Jolt Online Gaming arm. It’s the second social media game the company has released.

BBC’s Doctor Who game hits the states

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Chris Morris

The BBC has seen a lot of buzz surrounding this season’s “Doctor Who,” with the recasting of the titular role as well as the show’s omnipresent companion. Now it’s hoping that excitement will carry over into the gaming world.

The broadcaster has released the first two chapters of an episodic game based on the series (and featuring voice work by Matt Smith and Karen Gillan) to the U.S. and other territories. (U.K. gamers got their hands on it last month.)

Kinect price: $150

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Chris Morris

Looks like the rumors were pretty much spot-on when it came to Kinect pricing. Microsoft has announced that its new gesture-recognition peripheral will retail for $150 when it hits stores this November. That price will include a bundled version of the “Kinect Adventures” game.

Microsoft’s main focus with Kinect is to attract new users to the Xbox 360, so it will also offer a larger bundle, which includes an Xbox 360 (with 4GB of storage), a Kinect and “Kinect Adventures” for $299.

Netflix heads north

Posted on July 19, 2010 by Chris Morris

Netflix is taking the first steps to expanding globally. The online film rental service has announced plans to offer its streaming service to Canada beginning this fall.

The company will not offer rentals-via-mail to Canadians, as it does in the U.S. Instead, it is dubbing this expansion its “first streaming-only service.” Netflix, in recent years, has been focusing much more extensively on its online streaming services, striking U.S. partnerships with television and Blu-ray player manufacturers as well as video game consoles, Tivos and other devices.

Apple to offer iPhone 4 users free cases

Posted on July 16, 2010 by Chris Morris

Stung by ongoing media criticism and consumer complaints over the iPhone 4’s antenna, Apple has announced it will offer a free case to the more than 3 million people who have bought the device since its launch three weeks ago – and anyone who buys one for the next two-and-a-half months.

Users who have already purchased a bumper or case for the device will receive refunds – and the free case offer will extend to anyone who buys an iPhone 4 through Sept. 30. It also is offering a full refund for people who return their iPhone within 30 days of purchase, waving the restocking fee.

Hardware’s up, but game sales plunge in June

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Chris Morris

June was another crummy month for video game sales – just like pretty much every other month this year. But, on the upside, a clearance sale on existing Xbox 360 hardware bumped hardware sales into positive territory.

Total sales for the industry came in at $1.1 billion, 6 percent behind last year’s pace, according to The NPD Group. Software sales, which are the number most people pay the closest attention to, were down 15 percent though, while hardware sales increased 5 percent.

Microsoft’s great experiment ends

Posted on July 15, 2010 by Chris Morris

When Microsoft announced plans to bring the TV game show “1 vs. 100” to the gaming space two years ago, a lot of people rolled their eyes and groaned a little bit. Not me. I thought it was one of the company’s most interesting announcements of that particular E3.

The game was the centerpiece of an experiment called Xbox Live Primetime – a scheduled series of interactive games that represented the video game industry’s first serious foray into the turf dominated by TV. It was a hit, even setting a Guinness World Record for the most simultaneous contestants in a game show – 114,000. Now it’s dead.

Chris Morris: Journalist

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