2012
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Crytek road map has next generation starting in 2012, next engine will be ready
A running theme through Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli's presentation at GDC Europe today was the number 2012. Sure, he mentioned 2013 also, but the next Year of the Tiger showed up nearly a dozen-plus times in the executive's presentation about "the future of gaming graphics." Yerli tells Joystiq that the reason for the number is that it's the company's internal "road map" of when the next generation will begin. "We will have our next engine ready by that, independently whether there will be hardware or not. We are assuming based on the cycle -- the Moore's Law -- and everything," Yerli told us. "If you predict the computational power and trend. You kinda know how much CPU and GPU will be there and trend. If you take those things into account you can sort of predict where things are going." Yerli explained that the more console-centric CryEngine 3 will have more updates in the meantime, but its next "major architectural version" of the CryEngine should be ready by 2012. He wasn't sure if they'll call it the CryEngine 4 (our money says: they will). [Image: Dennis Stachel]
LG slips 30-inch OLED panel production into 2012
With LG's 15-inch OLED TV coming to stores in December it can't be long until LG's mid-sized TV's start showing up for retail right? After all, Samsung and Sony are on record with claims of producing mid-sized OLEDs as early as this year and no later than mid-2010. Not so fast, literally. Although LG had previously targeted 2011 for the mass production of its 32-inch OLED TV, CEO Kwon Young Soo now says that LG plans on producing 30-inch OLED panels for TVs in 2012. Of course, all those earlier OLED projections were made before the global economic meltdown so delays have to be expected, however upsetting it may be.[Via OLED-Display]
Futuresource still predicting big things for Blu-ray
Always good for an optimistic Blu-ray outlook, analyst Futuresource this week continued to peg 2012 as the year Blu-ray breaks into the mainstream, while reducing its prediction of discs sold this year in the format from 95 to 75 million. The expectation is that within the next couple of years hardware could drop to as cheap as $50 for an "entry-level" Blu-ray player, with dedicated set-top box owners snapping up high definition discs at a much quicker rate than the currently PS3-dominated (6% to 3%) audience. Check Video Business for the full recap, but just in case you hadn't heard, rumors of Blu-ray's impending demise are greatly exaggerated.
Seiko Epson envisions large inkjet-printed OLED TVs, unicorns for all in 2012
As much as we'd like to put stock in Satoru Miyashita's forecast, we're still hesitant to believe that we're just two Consumer Electronic Shows away from seeing big-screen OLED TVs for sale. After Sony's polarizing XEL-1 hit the scene around two years ago, we've seen an anemic amount of action in the commercial OLED TV space. Sure, we've heard promise after promise, but we've still got no solid evidence that a large-screen set is anywhere near a Sam's Club shelf. In a recent interview with the general manager of Seiko Epson's Core Technology Development Center, OLED-Info managed to get this out of the exec: "We see 2012 as being the year that 37"+ OLED TVs will be launched by various makers, and 2015 as the year that sales will really take off for this market." He's referring to the year in which OEMs will begin to use its new inkjet-printing approach to making OLED TVs, which will hopefully allow for easier development of larger panels. 'Til then, we suppose we'll just have to be content with using the Zune HD as our primary television.
Analyst: This console cycle may never end
click for alternate headline image It's not too uncommon to say that the current crop of consoles won't be replaced for quite some time. Some believe that the current generation will last until around 2012, at which time it will be replaced by the next round of hardware (or the Apocalypse, if you swing that way). Others say that this generation of consoles will be the last, as publishers will soon jump to a unified platform rather than create disparate versions of games for a handful of platforms.Signal Hill analyst Todd Greenwald falls into the second category, only with a little twist. Speaking to GI.biz, Greenwald said he doesn''t expect a new console until at least 2011 but added, "if new services like OnLive take off, or if Xbox Live and PlayStation Network become more and more robust, there may not be a need for another console cycle." An interesting idea, though we're inclined to think that such upgrades to the PlayStation Network or Xbox Live would require similarly upgraded hardware to support them.That is ... unless both Microsoft and Sony have been developing server-side solutions akin to OnLive. Frankly, as long as they keep "teh Haloz" and "Snaaaaake" flowing, we're happy to just sit and watch.
Doomsday alert: internet to become an "unreliable toy" in 2012
Okay, so first things first -- we all know the world's on track to end in 2012, so it's not like this really matters. But if, just if it manages to survive (à la Y2K), you can pretty much bank on a mass reversal of culture as we all push aside our netbooks and return to the playground. According to some "research" slated to be fully published "later this year," PCs and laptops are apt to "operate at a much reduced speed, rendering the internet an unreliable toy" from 2012 onward. The reason? Massive growth in internet demand, which is undoubtedly on pace to crush existing infrastructure that can't ever be improved upon by anyone, regardless of their market capitalization or determination to expand. It's noted that the internet itself will somehow survive, but that users will begin to see "brownouts," which are described as "a combination of temporary freezing and computers being reduced to a slow speed." Thank heavens for FinallyFast, right? Psst... the solution to all of this is just past the break.[Thanks, Colin]
Marvel Universe MMO will release in 2012
If you've been concerned about the potential supersaturation of superhero titles in the MMO space, it looks like you've got just a wee bit less to worry about. According to a recent interview with MTV's comic site, Splashpage, Simon Phillips, Marvel's president of worldwide consumer products, said that the Marvel Universe MMO won't release until 2012. The idea is to time the release of the MMO to better align with the one-two punch of the Captain America movie in 2011 and the Avengers movie in 2012. So, we're looking at approximately three more years before we can put our hands on the finished Marvel MMO, and geek out by swinging along with Spidey.Stepping back, it's also an interesting move strictly from a tactical standpoint. City of Heroes will be 8 years old, Champions Online will be 3 years old, and even DC Universe Online will be at least a year or so old, depending on the final release date. Computer hardware will most likely have moved ahead by then. So is it crazy to push it out so far into the future? Or crazy like a fox? Only time will tell in this superheroic battle of titles.
Ubisoft preparing for next console cycle, 'probably' coming by 2012
While prudent citizens consider the impending ramifications of global warming, an economic downturn and waning natural resources, Joystiq's eye remains fixed on the most important facet of the future: the video games. Well, that and the hope that medical science will grant us that second eye implant so people can stop calling us "cyclops" behind our backs. Yes, backs. The editorial "we" has left us hideously deformed.Thankfully, Ubisoft's vision of the future isn't mired in pathetic body image issues. After discussing his company's third quarter financial results in a conference call yesterday, Ubi CEO Yves Guillemot expressed a belief that the next generation of consoles would "probably" arrive by 2011 or 2012 (and Crytek seems to agree). According to GI.biz, Guillemot noted, "We have to be ready for that, we are already hiring people and buying some technology and looking at some brands as well."Guillemot reportedly expressed interest in mergers and acquisitions as well, saying, "We want to take advantage of a company that could bring more technology to us, or new brands." Okay, we think we've got this checklist for the future: More technology; new brands. And eye implants.
LCD shipments expected to skyrocket in Latin America
With DirecTV launching HD service in Latin America, we'd say it's about time its residents realized that flat-panels are the wave of the future present. According to a fresh iSuppli report, the Latin American television market is expected to make a hasty and noticeable transition between now and 2012. Reportedly, LCD TV shipments to the region are set to rise and account for over 83% of the market in under four years; meanwhile, shipments of bulky CRT sets will decline to make up around 8% of the total market. The numbers are pretty baffling when you consider that CRTs held 77.4% of the market just last year, and it's actually rather scary to think where all of those soon-to-be-unwanted sets will end up.
Sky says 2012 London Olympics could be in 3D
Europe still isn't the place to be for limitless HD content, but London in particular could be a 3D extravaganza come 2012. The host city for the next Summer Olympics may be coming to your living room like never before, as Brian Lenz, head of product design and innovation at Sky, proclaimed that "there is a very good chance you'll see the London Olympics in 3D." The satcaster has already confessed to filming events in 3D, and given that the wide distribution of the 2008 Beijing Olympics in HD was all the rage, we suppose the third-dimension is the next logical step forward. Mirroring our own hopes and dreams, Lenz stated that what it really wanted was "glasses free technology." Here's hoping we inch closer to that at CES 2009.[Thanks, Ben]
Report asserts that pay-TV should watch out for digital downloads
Seriously, who's not on watch for digital downloads these days? DVDs? Check. Blu-ray Discs? Check. Pay-TV operators? Check. According to new data gathered by Research and Markets, "console-affiliated media portals such as Microsoft's Xbox LIVE and Sony's PlayStation Network will soon become formidable competitors to incumbent pay-TV services." As the report notes, the digital downloads available via these services will eventually become "compelling alternatives to traditional TV programming by providing a more immersive, interactive video experience." Of course, this "research" comes at a time when everyone and their mother are jumping on this bandwagon, but it's still reasonable to assert that most anything providing access to content via the internet has a serious chance to replace traditional pay-TV services. Whether or not that actually happens en masse, however, remains to be seen.
BDA gives European update: Blu-ray lookin' good across the pond
Despite the general lameness of the economy at large, Blu-ray seems to be faring at least decently well overseas. We already heard that Blu-ray Disc sales were up 396% in the UK year-to-date, and we're getting even more positive vibes from a BDA European Promotions Group seminar held in Amsterdam this month. According to Frank Simonis, chairman of the aforesaid group, [Blu-ray] is "experiencing strong and solid growth in every national territory [in Europe]," even with the economic situation taken into consideration. Also in attendance was FutureSource Consulting's Jim Bottoms, who boldly predicted that "in Europe, by 2012, about one-quarter of homes will have a standalone Blu-ray Disc player." 'Course, that's just wild speculation at this point, but at least we've a target to look back on and see just how accurate this fellow was / wasn't. [Warning: PDF read link]
ABI Research sez set-top-box shipments to peak in 2012
Ah, the infamous 2012. The latest batch of research forecasting out to that fateful year comes from ABI, who is proudly proclaiming that global set-top-box shipments will peak in just over three years. The data includes STBs that pass along satellite, cable, or DTT signals, and the impending decrease is primarily pegged to the transition to all-digital broadcasting. To be frank, we can't say we entirely agree or even understand the logic there, but we can get along with the assertion that STB functionality is apt to become more tightly integrated in HDTVs / HTPCs in the future. Personally, we still feel that there's a lot of life left globally in the dedicated set-top-box, but we all know it's just a matter of time before we're all getting HDD implants in our skulls to log missed episodes of The Office.
Global HDTV shipments exceed SDTVs for first time
The times, they are a-changin'. Back in February, we found that LCD TV shipments had surpassed CRTs for the first time in history. Now, an iSuppli report on HDTV growth has shown that HDTVs overtook standard-definition televisions "as the leading TV shipped globally" in 2008. Sure, the current economic environment may put a damper on HDTV sales for the moment, but the previously mentioned research sees no sign of growth slowing in the long-term. In fact, it forecasts that HDTV unit shipments will surge to 241.2 million by 2012, up from 97.1 million units in 2007; in comparison, it reckons that just 23.1 million SDTVs will ship out in 2012. Oh, and if you're eager for even more smile-worthy news, the report also suggests that HD set-top-boxes will represent 50% of the overall STB market in under four years. Time will tell.[Via InformationWeek, image courtesy of ThePoolSide]
2012 London Olympics to push broadcast 1080p?
Good decision London, you will never top the Beijing Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, so why not try pushing them on resolution. That's the potential idea coming out of a recent roundtable discussion at Rapid News TV. Reps from Tektronix and Pace cited interest from their customers in 1080p-ready equipment and the potential for an IBC 1080p feed in 2012 as reasons to believe, while the Tandberg rep -- from the company that previously predicted the onslaught of 1080p VOD via satellite -- was more concerned about finding enough bandwidth. Hit the read link for the full discussion, while we ponder a world where NBC could actually get 1080i right before going to 1080p, or least show the 100m final live, somewhere.
QuantumPhonic QR wildly claims to nix echo and reverberation in arenas
Although QuantumPhonic's QR technology is emerging a touch late to make a difference at the Beijing Olympics, it certainly has its sights set on zapping excess noise at the 2012 Summer Games in London. In a rather excited and somewhat unprofessional release, the aforementioned company has announced a technology that can seemingly kill the echo and reverberation that almost always sour the audio experience in large arenas and stadiums. Of course, it also claims that the tech "defies all feasible common sense and design," so believe at your own risk. If you're terribly interested in learning more, there's an immensely entertaining video waiting just after the break.
Cox first across the line with 2010, 2012 Olympics deals
Not content to flood customer eyeballs with some 750-hours in HD from the Beijing Olympics starting in a week, Cox Communications has signed a distribution deal with NBC for the upcoming 2010 Winter and 2012 Summer Olympic Games as well. The move makes Cox the first MSO (multiple system operator) to cough up the dough for NBC's "enhanced" packages for the 2010 and 2012 Olympic Games. These are whole-enchilada digital and TV packages that include VOD, broadband and linear programming. No word on what kind of value proposition the salesfolk at NBC pitched to seal the deal, but it's good to know that us end-users aren't the only ones that have to buy programming in bundles, isn't it?
Digital media revolution to give home servers a shot in the arm?
Just moments after ABI Research published a report suggesting that all-in-one PCs and internet TV would invigorate the HTPC market comes something similar from Forrester Research. Its latest analysis suggests that the growing trend of maintaining files rather than physical discs could give home media servers a significant boost. Essentially, HTPCs and home storage / networking devices could become entirely relevant as digital downloads become more common and physical media fades out. Granted, we're a firm believer that said scenario is still years away from happening, but we don't doubt that this prophecy will be realized in due time. As it stands, only around 400,000 US households posses a home server, suggesting that the market is just barely in its infancy. Forrester says that figure will grow to 4.5 million by 2012 -- we've got 3.5 years to find out.
87% of PlayStation 3 owners watching Blu-ray movies? Survey says yes
Buried under predictions that 2012 will bring dominance for Blu-ray over DVD and breaking news that the PS3 just may have had a hand in winning the format war the Entertainment Merchant's Association 2008 Annual Report on the Home Entertainment Industry holds survey results showing 87% of PS3 owners reported they watch Blu-ray movies on their console. That's a stark contrast to last year's NPD survey indicating 60% of owners didn't even know it played them. We don't know what's behind the jump, be it better marketing/consumer education, or something wrong with how one the surveys were conducted. You can mull that one over during the fast money round while also peeping results that say 22% of HDTV owners think they're watching HD programming, but in fact are not -- not like we haven't heard that before.[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Blu-ray Disc sales estimated to exceed DVDs in 2012
Oh, joy. Yet another report suggesting something about the year 2012 -- as if we're just going to let 'em spew anything and not check back for accuracy in 3.5 years? Anywho, not long after hearing a laughable article suggesting that Blu-ray decks would outsell DVD players by August (yes, of 2008), along comes another that makes a little more sense. The Entertainment Merchants Association's (EMA) 2008 annual report on home entertainment has found that "nearly 9 million high-definition discs were sold in 2007," and just 12,177 DVDs were released last year, down from a peak of 13,950 in 2005. More interesting, however, was the notion that "in 2012, sales of Blu-ray Discs will exceed those of standard DVDs and will generate sales of $9.5 billion," while spending on home video in general is expected to increase to $25.6 billion. Remember those days when you just couldn't find a VHS tape to save your life? You've got just under four years before that same feeling hits in relation to DVD (their assertion, not ours).
