This is Your Console PlayGround

This is Your Console PlayGround http://www.consoleplayground.info Get your Xbox, Playstation & Wii info here. Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:30:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Brand swings on to Xbox Live Indie Games http://www.consoleplayground.info/248607/brand-swings-on-to-xbox-live-indie-games/ http://www.consoleplayground.info/248607/brand-swings-on-to-xbox-live-indie-games/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:30:00 +0000 Mike Schramm http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/brand-swings-on-to-xbox-live-indie-games/
Brand caught our eye all the way back in August of last year, and we've just gotten word that the game is available now on Xbox Live Indie Games, yours for the low price of just 240 Microsoft points ($3). You can see a release trailer above, and all of those swords you see in there are custom-made, because the game allows you to create your own.

We're also told that you can play as your own Xbox Live avatar, and that there's about five hours of nonlinear exploration gameplay across three big areas. Looks good -- if you give it a download, let us know what you think.

Brand swings on to Xbox Live Indie Games originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> http://www.consoleplayground.info/248607/brand-swings-on-to-xbox-live-indie-games/feed/ 0 ‘Outernauts’ trademarked by Insomniac, could be part of EA Partners deal http://www.consoleplayground.info/248608/outernauts-trademarked-by-insomniac-could-be-part-of-ea-partners-deal/ http://www.consoleplayground.info/248608/outernauts-trademarked-by-insomniac-could-be-part-of-ea-partners-deal/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:30:00 +0000 Mike Schramm http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/outernauts-trademarked-by-insomniac-could-be-part-of-ea-partn/

The wily gentlemen at NeoGAF have spotted a copyright registration by Insomniac Games for something called Outernauts, supposedly a new game the developer is working on. If you thought the company was already working on "O-something," you're also right: Overstrike was announced at last year's E3. But Outernauts is new, and Insomniac has also registered "outernauts-game.com," and "outernauts-game.net," so the game, as they say, is afoot.

There's more, too: A Google search for the recently unburied title revealed a wiki page that was apparently meant for EA Partners marketing planning, and revealed both Overstrike and Outernauts, along with "Respawn" (probably the new project from the studio of the same name), The Secret World (which EA is publishing with Funcom) and "Populous," which might be a new version of that old strategy series. And as if all of that isn't enough, the wiki page was created by one "pmarineau," which matches up to Phil Marineau, who happens to be EA's director of marketing.

Whew! Did we mention that the NeoGAF folks were wily? We've contacted Insomniac for comment on this one, but it's unlikely they'll confirm at this point. We'll probably just have to wait for the official Outernauts announcement to know what it's all about.

'Outernauts' trademarked by Insomniac, could be part of EA Partners deal originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> http://www.consoleplayground.info/248608/outernauts-trademarked-by-insomniac-could-be-part-of-ea-partners-deal/feed/ 0 M. Bison, Xiaoyu, Akuma, Jin and Ogre confirmed for SFxT http://www.consoleplayground.info/248609/m-bison-xiaoyu-akuma-jin-and-ogre-confirmed-for-sfxt/ http://www.consoleplayground.info/248609/m-bison-xiaoyu-akuma-jin-and-ogre-confirmed-for-sfxt/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:30:00 +0000 Jordan Mallory http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/m-bison-xiaoyu-akuma-jin-and-ogre-confirmed-for-sfxt/

Street Fighter X Tekken's character roster has had more leaks than a Civil War-era submarine; this time, the unannounced character details come courtesy of a move list card deck included in a Taiwanese collector's edition of the game, which happens to include cards for five unannounced characters: M. Bison, Xiaoyu, Akuma, Jin and Ogre.

M. Bison and Xiaoyu were leaked once already, but this is the first we've heard of Akume, Jin or Ogre's inclusion in the game. This collector's edition also includes a 46 track soundtrack and a Yoshinori Ono bobble-head figurine (!!), so we're desperately hoping that the US will get a similar package.

M. Bison, Xiaoyu, Akuma, Jin and Ogre confirmed for SFxT originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> http://www.consoleplayground.info/248609/m-bison-xiaoyu-akuma-jin-and-ogre-confirmed-for-sfxt/feed/ 0 Space (and other) Quests half off on GOG this weekend http://www.consoleplayground.info/248610/space-and-other-quests-half-off-on-gog-this-weekend/ http://www.consoleplayground.info/248610/space-and-other-quests-half-off-on-gog-this-weekend/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 19:30:00 +0000 JC Fletcher http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/space-and-other-quests-half-off-on-gog-this-weekend/

If you grew up on the LucasArts side of the adventure game turf wars, you missed out on some really wonderful Sierra stuff -- specifically, the Space Quest series; a consistently funny, wonderfully designed set of sci-fi adventure games.

GOG just happens to have them on sale this weekend for 50% off, so you can get the entire series for ten bucks. Other Sierra adventure game packs are marked down too, including King's Quest and Police Quest. Those are fine, but they lack a certain something. There are no pet facehuggers, for example.

Space (and other) Quests half off on GOG this weekend originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> http://www.consoleplayground.info/248610/space-and-other-quests-half-off-on-gog-this-weekend/feed/ 0 Arkham Asylum action figures coming to Japan http://www.consoleplayground.info/248611/arkham-asylum-action-figures-coming-to-japan/ http://www.consoleplayground.info/248611/arkham-asylum-action-figures-coming-to-japan/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:00:00 +0000 Jordan Mallory http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/arkham-asylum-action-figures-coming-to-japan/

Not to be confused with the upcoming line of DC figures based on the Caped Crusader's escapades through Gotham and its related institutions, these new figures from Square Enix recreate Batman: Arkham Asylum's Harley Quinn, who happens to come with her own little Scarface, as well as a new armored Batman variant.

Each toy comes with interchangeable hands and accessories and will be available in Japan this May for ¥5,800, or about $76.

Gallery: Batman: Arkham Aslyum (Square Enix Figures 2)

Arkham Asylum action figures coming to Japan originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> http://www.consoleplayground.info/248611/arkham-asylum-action-figures-coming-to-japan/feed/ 0 THQ partners with Innovative Leisure for digital and mobile http://www.consoleplayground.info/248612/thq-partners-with-innovative-leisure-for-digital-and-mobile/ http://www.consoleplayground.info/248612/thq-partners-with-innovative-leisure-for-digital-and-mobile/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:30:00 +0000 Jordan Mallory http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/thq-partners-with-innovative-leisure-for-digital-and-mobile/

You gotta hand it to THQ, despite posting a $56 million loss last quarter, the publisher is still willing to take a risk on bringing a fresh-faced developer into the fold. Of course, when you take into account that said developer is staffed by a who's who list of classic game designers, the proposition sounds less risky.

Innovative Leisure, the brand-new developer in question, touts Seamus Blackley, Ed Logg, Ed Rotberg, Rich Adam and others among its ranks. If those names sound slightly familiar, it's for a good reason: Blackley co-wrote the original Xbox proposal and helped shepherd the product into existence. Meanwhile, Logg was responsible for Asteroids, Centipede and Gauntlet, while Rotberg and Adam were responsible for Battlezone and Missile Command, respectively.

The studio will focus on creating titles for mobile, downloadable and social platforms; THQ is applying Innovative Leisure's extensive collective experience in design-driven experiences to produce accessible titles that work well in small doses. Here's hoping for a Saints Row-themed Missile Command clone for iOS and Android.

THQ partners with Innovative Leisure for digital and mobile originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> http://www.consoleplayground.info/248612/thq-partners-with-innovative-leisure-for-digital-and-mobile/feed/ 0 Report: XBLA prices rising (slowly), Summer of Arcade review scores dropping http://www.consoleplayground.info/248613/report-xbla-prices-rising-slowly-summer-of-arcade-review-scores-dropping/ http://www.consoleplayground.info/248613/report-xbla-prices-rising-slowly-summer-of-arcade-review-scores-dropping/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:01:00 +0000 Mike Schramm http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/report-xbla-prices-rising-slowly-summer-of-arcade-review-sco/

XBLA Fans has done an exhaustive analysis of Xbox Live Arcade sales, Metacritic scores, and trends over the past few years in a four-part writeup. The most interesting finding in the article, in our estimation, is how the perception of rising prices squares with reality. Yes, there are more 1200 point ($15) games being released on the service as compared to previous years, but there are more 800 point ($10) games coming out as well, and there are more of those than $15 games. The average is rising overall, but it hasn't yet reached the 1200 point mark, even if that price is being assigned to some of the more high profile (and high quality) games on the service.

The quality of the Summer of Arcade, on the other hand, is dropping overall, according to the average price and Metacritic score. In 2008, the first year the promotion existed, the games had an average Metacritic score of 84.8, with an average price of 960 points. This past year, however, the Metacritic score dropped to 78.8 (which still isn't too bad), but the average price was at 1120. This is purely mathematical, remember: The games are probably more complex these days, which allows Microsoft to set a higher price, and reviews on any site are subjective.

Finally, XBLA Fans found 73% of titles on XBLA have gone on sale within their first year, though many of the games on XBLA were only on sale for a day or so. That means that patient XBLA buyers can save a lot of money, if they pay attention and move quickly. There are a few other interesting conclusions in the analysis as a whole, and lots of insight on how Microsoft's Arcade has developed over the past few years.

Report: XBLA prices rising (slowly), Summer of Arcade review scores dropping originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> http://www.consoleplayground.info/248613/report-xbla-prices-rising-slowly-summer-of-arcade-review-scores-dropping/feed/ 0 Bioware fixing Mass Effect: Deception novel mistakes in future editions http://www.consoleplayground.info/248614/bioware-fixing-mass-effect-deception-novel-mistakes-in-future-editions/ http://www.consoleplayground.info/248614/bioware-fixing-mass-effect-deception-novel-mistakes-in-future-editions/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000 David Hinkle http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/bioware-fixing-mass-effect-deception-novel-mistakes-in-future-e/

That first-run copy of Mass Effect: Deception you picked up may just be turning into an odd collector's item. Bioware has issued a statement on the slew of errors fans have found in the novel, stating that all will be fixed in future editions of Deception.

"The teams at Del Rey and BioWare would like to extend our sincerest apologies to the Mass Effect fans for any errors and oversights made in the recent novel Mass Effect: Deception," the apology post on Bioware's forums reads. "We are currently working on a number of changes that will appear in future editions of the novel."

Currently, there's no word on when the revised edition will be available.

Bioware fixing Mass Effect: Deception novel mistakes in future editions originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> http://www.consoleplayground.info/248614/bioware-fixing-mass-effect-deception-novel-mistakes-in-future-editions/feed/ 0 PSA: 100,000 more Diablo 3 beta invites sent out http://www.consoleplayground.info/248601/psa-100000-more-diablo-3-beta-invites-sent-out/ http://www.consoleplayground.info/248601/psa-100000-more-diablo-3-beta-invites-sent-out/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:00:00 +0000 David Hinkle http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/psa-100-000-more-diablo-3-beta-invites-sent-out/

Blizzard has announced that 100,000 more Diablo 3 beta invites have been sent out in North America, so if you opted in to beta access with your Battle.net account, you should log in and see if you've gotten a notification. Blizzard warns that phishing activity may increase with this new wave of invites, so take care.

If you weren't one of the lucky one hundred thousand, don't fret: Blizzard promises to send out more invites eventually. You can go back to rolling classes now!

PSA: 100,000 more Diablo 3 beta invites sent out originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> http://www.consoleplayground.info/248601/psa-100000-more-diablo-3-beta-invites-sent-out/feed/ 0 Rock Band Weekly: Bush http://www.consoleplayground.info/248603/rock-band-weekly-bush/ http://www.consoleplayground.info/248603/rock-band-weekly-bush/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:00:00 +0000 Alexander Sliwinski http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/rock-band-weekly-bush/

Breathe in, breathe out, and everything's zen, because next week's Rock Band DLC is a three-pack from alt rockers Bush. All the tracks are off the band's hit 1994 debut album "Sixteen Stone."

Continue reading Rock Band Weekly: Bush

Rock Band Weekly: Bush originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> http://www.consoleplayground.info/248603/rock-band-weekly-bush/feed/ 0 Square Enix thanks games for 2011′s rise in revenue, profit http://www.consoleplayground.info/248605/square-enix-thanks-games-for-2011s-rise-in-revenue-profit/ http://www.consoleplayground.info/248605/square-enix-thanks-games-for-2011s-rise-in-revenue-profit/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 07:00:00 +0000 Jessica Conditt http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/square-enix-thanks-games-for-2011s-rise-in-revenue-profit/

Deus Ex is leading the revenue revolution for Square Enix, whose digital entertainment -- games -- department in April-December 2011 grew 6.2 percent from the previous fiscal year, totaling $704.7 million in net sales. Games now comprise 56 percent of Square Enix's total revenue, where in the same period of 2010 they made up just 52 percent.

The company's operating profit rose 11.5 percent to $169.4 million and its net income ended at $65 million, up 175.2 percent from the previous period. Square Enix cited Deus Ex: Human Revolution and its online and social titles as the main factors behind its financial progress.

Square Enix thanks games for 2011's rise in revenue, profit originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> http://www.consoleplayground.info/248605/square-enix-thanks-games-for-2011s-rise-in-revenue-profit/feed/ 0 Konami net income up 77 percent year-over-year http://www.consoleplayground.info/248572/konami-net-income-up-77-percent-year-over-year/ http://www.consoleplayground.info/248572/konami-net-income-up-77-percent-year-over-year/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000 Jordan Mallory http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/04/konami-net-income-up-77-percent-year-over-year/

We're still a couple of months away from the end of fiscal 2012, but the first 9 months of the confusingly offset financial season have treated Konami extremely well: The company reports a 77.3 percent year-over-year increase in net income over fiscal 2011, earning profits of ¥17.05 billion ($224 million) for the period.

Most of that, however, was pushed by Konami's social networking devision, which operates mobile/casual games in Japanese markets and posted revenues of $348 million, up from $127 million over the same period last year. The company's "consumer games" segment fell year-over-year, from $698 million in fiscal 2011 to $465 million in fiscal 2012. Konami has also adjusted its predictions for the end fiscal 2012, anticipating overall revenue at $3.38 billion and net income at $298 million.

Konami net income up 77 percent year-over-year originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> http://www.consoleplayground.info/248572/konami-net-income-up-77-percent-year-over-year/feed/ 0 TF2 in 2012: ‘Meet the Pyro’ is coming, more secrets http://www.consoleplayground.info/248573/tf2-in-2012-meet-the-pyro-is-coming-more-secrets/ http://www.consoleplayground.info/248573/tf2-in-2012-meet-the-pyro-is-coming-more-secrets/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:00:00 +0000 Jessica Conditt http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/tf2-in-2012-meet-the-pyro-is-coming-more-secrets/

Valve has finally put together its schedule of events for 2012, announcing the big things happening in Team Fortress 2 in the coming months. Most notably, Valve says its final character video, Meet the Pyro, will air in 2012 and it will feature "lots of blood pretty much all the way through."

The TF2 team is also working on a secret project that isn't a hat or a map, Valve reports. This leaves speculation open to new characters, a feature-length film, a live-action feature-length film, or a live-action feature-length film starring Brendan Gleeson, Jude Law and Emma Stone. These are the only options.

The Steam Workshop has a shiny new blog, and Valve says it plans to unveil another secret at the second annual Saxxy Awards. We're pretty sure this secret will be the announcement of the TF2 movie's sequel, starring Katherine Heigl as Brendan Gleeson and Brendan Fraser as everyone else.

TF2 in 2012: 'Meet the Pyro' is coming, more secrets originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> http://www.consoleplayground.info/248573/tf2-in-2012-meet-the-pyro-is-coming-more-secrets/feed/ 0 Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies iOS update adds ray gun, monkey bombs http://www.consoleplayground.info/248575/call-of-duty-black-ops-zombies-ios-update-adds-ray-gun-monkey-bombs/ http://www.consoleplayground.info/248575/call-of-duty-black-ops-zombies-ios-update-adds-ray-gun-monkey-bombs/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:00:00 +0000 David Hinkle http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/call-of-duty-black-ops-zombies-ios-update-adds-ray-gun-monkey/

How many times have you been in the middle of an intense Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies round when you've had to suddenly stop? Well, Activision has a solution in the latest update: save and load games mid-session.

It's just one of the additions in this free update, which also adds the ray gun, six different tiers of in-game point packs that players can purchase through the app, and monkey bombs -- relax, they're not real monkeys strapped with dynamite or anything. They're actually cute little toys that explode, which may actually be worse now that we think about it. We like toys!

Gallery: Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies (2/2/12)

Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies iOS update adds ray gun, monkey bombs originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> http://www.consoleplayground.info/248575/call-of-duty-black-ops-zombies-ios-update-adds-ray-gun-monkey-bombs/feed/ 0 WRUP: Super Puppy Bowl http://www.consoleplayground.info/248577/wrup-super-puppy-bowl/ http://www.consoleplayground.info/248577/wrup-super-puppy-bowl/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:30:00 +0000 Alexander Sliwinski http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/wrup-super-puppy-bowl/

This weekend is Super Bowl XLVI, where the New York Giants and New England Patriots tee off for the most runs in a set. It is also the weekend for the greatest counter-programing tradition since the year one network televised Gypsy. Yes, we refer to Puppy Bowl VIII. Cute overload!

What's everyone playing?

[WilleeCole via Shutterstock]

Continue reading WRUP: Super Puppy Bowl

WRUP: Super Puppy Bowl originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> http://www.consoleplayground.info/248577/wrup-super-puppy-bowl/feed/ 0 Sony Right to Not Panic Over Vita Just Yet http://www.consoleplayground.info/248597/sony-right-to-not-panic-over-vita-just-yet/ http://www.consoleplayground.info/248597/sony-right-to-not-panic-over-vita-just-yet/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:18:00 +0000 Chris Pereira http://www.consoleplayground.info/?guid=1f11608bb06480dee40f170eff5b3650 PlayStation Vita

PlayStation Vita

Not unlike the situation Nintendo was faced with in the months after the launch of the 3DS, there has been talk of doom and gloom regarding the Vita. Sales of the new handheld have not been particularly mind-blowing in Japan since launch, and Sony has not attempted to portray its launch as anything it is not. More importantly, it has not yet begun to panic -- and nor should it.

After 325,000 units were sold in its opening week, Vita sales in Japan have declined week-over-week more often than not. 3DS, PlayStation 3, and even the PlayStation Portable have routinely outsold it, although this finally changed last week when the Vita sold almost 3,000 units more than the PSP. Still, that's nothing to write home about, which is perhaps why Sony CFO Masaru Kato didn't go as far as it seemed he was going to when describing Vita's sales. ]]> http://www.consoleplayground.info/248597/sony-right-to-not-panic-over-vita-just-yet/feed/ 0 Play Rhythm Heaven Fever early in LA Feb. 10 http://www.consoleplayground.info/248580/play-rhythm-heaven-fever-early-in-la-feb-10-2/ http://www.consoleplayground.info/248580/play-rhythm-heaven-fever-early-in-la-feb-10-2/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:00:00 +0000 JC Fletcher http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/play-rhythm-heaven-fever-early-in-la-feb-10/ If you're near Los Angeles on February 10, and you're eager to celebrate the upcoming release of Rhythm Heaven Fever, you can party with other like-minded people at the iam8bit gallery.

Nintendo, Giant Robot, and iam8bit are teaming up for a launch event, at which attendees will be able to play the game (with headphones, hopefully!) and pick up custom swag. Go find out who else in the world dares to play a rhythm game about interviewing wrestlers and playing airplane badminton!

Continue reading Play Rhythm Heaven Fever early in LA Feb. 10

Play Rhythm Heaven Fever early in LA Feb. 10 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> http://www.consoleplayground.info/248580/play-rhythm-heaven-fever-early-in-la-feb-10-2/feed/ 0 Play Rhythm Heaven Fever early in LA Feb. 10 http://www.consoleplayground.info/248579/play-rhythm-heaven-fever-early-in-la-feb-10/ http://www.consoleplayground.info/248579/play-rhythm-heaven-fever-early-in-la-feb-10/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:00:00 +0000 JC Fletcher http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/play-rhythm-heaven-fever-early-in-la-feb-10/

If you're near Los Angeles on February 10, and you're eager to celebrate the upcoming release of Rhythm Heaven Fever, you can party with other like-minded people at the iam8bit gallery.

Nintendo, Giant Robot, and iam8bit are teaming up for a launch event, at which attendees will be able to play the game (with headphones, hopefully!) and pick up custom swag. Go find out who else in the world dares to play a rhythm game about interviewing wrestlers and playing airplane badminton!

Continue reading Play Rhythm Heaven Fever early in LA Feb. 10

Play Rhythm Heaven Fever early in LA Feb. 10 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> http://www.consoleplayground.info/248579/play-rhythm-heaven-fever-early-in-la-feb-10/feed/ 0 EA in Vancouver sees ‘small number’ of layoffs http://www.consoleplayground.info/248581/ea-in-vancouver-sees-small-number-of-layoffs/ http://www.consoleplayground.info/248581/ea-in-vancouver-sees-small-number-of-layoffs/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:30:00 +0000 Alexander Sliwinski http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/ea-in-vancouver-sees-small-number-of-layoffs/

EA's studio in Vancouver, home to EA Canada and Black Box, was hit with layoffs while the studio goes through a "transformation." Apparently it's a lot of transforming, since variants of "transform" show up a lot in the following statement about the transformational studio.

"EA in Vancouver is transforming its studio to align with EA's transformation to high-growth digital formats, including online, social gaming and free-to-play," an EA spokesperson told IndustryGamers. "The Need for Speed World team in Burnaby is leading the digital transformation with 11 million registered players. As the BC studio makes this transformation, a small number of employees are being impacted while most others are being retrained, redeployed and rolling-on to new projects."

EA recently reported a net loss of $205 million in the third quarter, but is seeing significant positive transformation in increased digital product sales.

EA in Vancouver sees 'small number' of layoffs originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> http://www.consoleplayground.info/248581/ea-in-vancouver-sees-small-number-of-layoffs/feed/ 0 Sony patented Wii U-esque controller, has pics to prove it http://www.consoleplayground.info/248584/sony-patented-wii-u-esque-controller-has-pics-to-prove-it-2/ http://www.consoleplayground.info/248584/sony-patented-wii-u-esque-controller-has-pics-to-prove-it-2/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:00:00 +0000 Jessica Conditt http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/03/sony-patented-wii-u-esque-controller-pics-to-prove-it/

Sony may have been caught in the same handheld wavelengths as Nintendo in 2010. A patent uncovered by Games Beat shows Sony considering a handheld, touchscreen device that would function similarly to Nintendo's Wii U. Titled the "Position-dependent gaming, 3-D controller, and handheld as a remote," the device would track its own location as "input to a video game" and render "an avatar on a mobile device such that it appears to overlay a competing user in the real world."

Sony's Vita can share saves and transfer data with the PS3, and even has the capability to be used as a controller for compatible PS3 games, meaning this patent could simply be a tale of what might have been. Inspect some more images of Sony's device below.

Continue reading Sony patented Wii U-esque controller, has pics to prove it

Sony patented Wii U-esque controller, has pics to prove it originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]> http://www.consoleplayground.info/248584/sony-patented-wii-u-esque-controller-has-pics-to-prove-it-2/feed/ 0