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Nokia N95 with American 3G gets FCC'd!
We're speechless. In fact, we think we might cry -- but rest assured, they're tears of joy. Rumors of a Nokia N95 packing American HSDPA have been spreading like wildfire as of late, and we're ecstatic to see that they were totally true. Though this sucker gets down with the 850 and 1900MHz bands, it doesn't get in on the 1700MHz action, suggesting that if the T-Mobile rumor is still true, this ain't it. Though arguably not quite as attractive as the decidedly non-US 8GB N95 in black that we saw this morning, this phone's innards are pretty much the most beautiful thing we've seen all day. Nokia, we turn the floor over to you to answer questions about pricing and availability.[Via Wirelessinfo.com]
Is HDTV finally ready for the mainstream?
It seems that this question gets posed by one mainstream media outlet or another every year or so, and what better time to ask again than following estimates that 50 million American homes will be HDTV-equipped by the end of next year? It's no secret that carriers are pushing HD more frequently in their advertising, and now that select basic cable channels are finally making the move to HD, we wonder if the currently satisfied viewers will get curious and follow along? Numerous analysts have suggested that consumers won't make the jump en masse to demand HD programming until a noticeable amount of non-network content becomes available in HD, and while CNN, Food Network, TBS, and A&E (for instance) are all going (or have gone) HD, there's still hundreds of channels out there that have yet to purchase the first piece of HD recording equipment. Is HDTV ready for mainstream? Our gut says not quite, but we're a lot closer today than we've been.[Image courtesy of PSBSpeakers]
50 million American homes to house HDTVs by 2008
Honestly, don't look so surprised. Just under two years ago, some 15-percent of American homes had at least one HDTV somewhere on the premises, and not long after, estimators were suggesting that a whopping 82-percent of domiciles would be HDTV-equipped by the end of this decade. Earlier this year, a more recent report found that over one-quarter of those residing in the US of A owned an HD-capable set -- though we'll never live down the embarrassment from the hordes of owners who've yet to figure out how to operate them. Nevertheless, an updated study has found that "more than 30 million US households now have at least one HDTV," and judging by recent sales figures, has estimated that 52 million homes will house an HDTV by the end of 2008. Now, how's about a few more HD channels for the growing sect, eh?
Are Europeans better at gaming?
When a forum troll puts up a thread on the forums I usually ignore them. But this intrigued me enough to read on and pass on the thread to you. Essentially the troll started out by asking where Death and Taxes is lately in the world firsts list. Honestly it's been a while since we've seen them. However, one could make the argument that Nihilum's list of world firsts are essentially all in one run of the Black Temple, and if they happen to get there first then naturally every boss they down will again be a, err, first. However, Nihilum has definitely been making the headlines, as has Curse, leaving the American guild Death and Taxes no where to be seen. Perhaps they are spending their time pushing through the PvP ranks, who knows. Where the thread began as a discussion on the top raiding guilds, it then turned into an interesting argument: are Europeans better at gaming? Of course, the original poster went so far as to say that since Europeans are better at WoW they must therefore be better at everything. In a small way I can see how WoW might be considered a microcosm of the outside world, but I don't really see how we can use the game as a benchmark for world superiority of one group of people over another. But I am intrigued by the original thought. Are somehow European guilds better equipped culturally to excel at gaming? Is there something in the culture of the Europeans that makes them more able to excel at the end game than Americans?
Wii Sports wins Game of the Year award in Time Magazine
Once again, Wii Sports is the media darling of the mainstream press. Time is as big as they come. But Game of the Year? Many of us may disagree. As hardened, totally awesome gamers, we've come to expect grand adventures, interesting characters, nail-biting action sequences, and wonderfully infuriating logic puzzles. (And if you were wondering, dear readers, our own game of the year award goes to Twilight Princess, naturally.) But totally awesome gamers do not run Time, and thus, we don't think they really care about such nonsense.Still, stepping off our pedestal for a moment, Wii Sports has brought more new and lapsed gamers to the screen than any game since Super Mario Bros. Having fun with friends and family; is this not the point of gaming in general? It's an interesting question, and one akin to comparing Old School with American Beauty. One may have been an inspiring, cinematic masterpiece, but which did you have more fun watching? Which do you guys think deserves the award?[via Joystiq]
Nokia N93 ships stateside
Our enthusiasm for Nokia's biggie-sized N93 smartphone has died down a bit on news of 1) the N95 that somehow manages to outdo it spec-for-spec, and 2) the N75, which gives us long-overdue UMTS 850 / 1900 on a S60 device. Nonetheless, Nokia USA is looking to see if it can't push a couple of the 3.2-megapixel video cameras (that just happen to have a phone built in) out the door alongside the E70. At $700 unlocked, S60 3rd Edition dominance isn't cheap, but the N93 fits the bill when you absolutely, positively must have the biggest flip phone in the room -- just be prepared to come up a bit short on reception, seeing how it lacks GSM 850.[Thanks, Scott]
Call of Duty 3 announced; leak confirmed [update 1]
Call of Duty 3's just been confirmed, and it looks like we were right on the money with our early leak of the WWII-related game.Back in early March, we printed the following information (and a whole lot more) on the focus of an upcoming sequel: "'CoD 3' ... is being produced by Big Red One dev Treyarch. ... The next Call of Duty World War II-based title will return gamers to the battlefields of Normandy as the Allies take on Nazi Germany to drive them out of France once and for all. This time around, American and British forces are joined by Canadian troops, Polish tanks, and French freedom fighters in a reenactment of the bloody Normandy Breakout campaign spearheaded during the summer of 1944. In the push to Paris, you'll get to choose how you approach each mission, free of menu screens and jarring non-interactive cut-scenes."Here's what IGN quoted from Activision for the announcement yesterday: "Through the eyes of four Allied soldiers, Call of Duty 3 brings players closer to the fury of combat as they fight through the Normandy Breakout, the harrowing offensive that liberated Paris and changed the fate of the world. Developed by Treyarch, Call of Duty 3 is the follow up to the #1 next-generation game and is scheduled for a 2006 release." Fingering the developer and the setting? Not too shabby -- while Joystiq pats itself on the back.Check out the IGN trailer below for a first-person look somewhat reminiscent of the FPS sequence in the Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer from TGS. At the end of the "official E3 teaser" trailer, a number of platforms are listed, with the major manufacturers (including a small "Nintendo Revolution" in text) and publisher/developer combo listed. We suspect that versions for the PC and possibly the current-gen consoles will be covered with ports as well. Now all we have to do is wait for the word on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. (Infinity Ward, we're looking at you!) More info obviously hitting at E3.[Thanks, icemorebutts, jason, & Hiro Protagonist][Update 1: Had to fix a verb. Thanks, Hiro Protagonist, John Q, & Jiiiiihad!]See also: Official E3 teaser trailer for Call of Duty 3 Next Call of Duty leaked: Modern Warfare tackles terrorists Rumor: Call of Duty joining the Revolution Kojima interacts in real-time with MGS4 trailer at TGS
DS Lite on June 11th [Update 1]
It appears that Nintendo is continuing with their trend of dropping their payload of destructive news pre-E3, with the latest being the long-awaited information on the DS Lite release in America. Taking place on June 11th, the price for the DS Lite is the very reasonable sum of "as low as" $129.99, implying that bundles will be available, however American gamers will only be able to acquire the handheld in Polar White initially, with other color varieties to follow in the coming months after release. The DS Lite, whose smaller size and weight than that of the original DS, along with improved screen brightness that rivals the computer monitor you're using to read this post, was a huge hit in Japan, selling like cakes of the hottest variety. [Thanks Jamil and thrillho] [Update: Cleared up confusion of wording about the pricing.]
PS3 European pricing not what it seems
With the recent slip-up by a Sony Europe VP regarding the PS3's European pricing, Americans have been exposed to one of the most annoying aspects of being a European gamer (when we're not waiting ages for games to arrive): unfair console and video game prices. Naturally a lot of American readers will be angry when they convert Mr. Fornay's €499 and €599 price range to dollars; $613 to $736 is a lot of dough when compared to the console's main competitor.Fortunately for U.S. gamers (and unluckily for Europeans), no console manufacturer ever bases the price of its consoles on the currency exchange rates. The chances are that the US dollar figure of the PS3 will be equal to or lower than the euro numbers, not in line with the currency exchange rate. Don't believe us? Check out the Xbox 360's European pricing. For some reason the Xbox 360 price in U.S. dollars is identical to the price in euros -- working out to a €60 or €80 premium depending on which console you purchase. Based on the example of the Xbox 360 it follows that if the European pricing outlined by Mr. Fornay is real, then the American pricing for the PS3 will be between $499 and $599 and not the crazy numbers that you get after converting the currency. Crappy for European gamers, we know, but at least the American PS3 Fanboys will stop crying!
Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children reports from Hollywood
For the Final Fantasy fans lucky enough to be near Hollywood yesterday night -- and in line for free tickets during the middle of a regular workday -- there was much rejoicing to be had as Advent Children celebrated its U.S. theatrical premiere in style.Siliconera has a write-up on the event with quotes from most of the American voice actors in attendance, who, along with the audience at hand, watched the film in English for the very first time. Lip synching may have been off due to the low-resolution print the actors had to work with, but even Rachel Leigh Cook -- pictured here with her character Tifa Lockheart -- declared herself a new fan of Final Fantasy after the show.Helpful Joystiq Contributor epobirs also had something to report from the screening yesterday, where he gives us an Ain't-It-Cool style rundown of the event. If you want the rest of his reflections on the requirements of the Academy in Oscar nominations, as well as what it takes to "assert your hetero nature ... after watching a movie packed with metrosexual men," simply continue reading below for more. Siliconera's report can be found by clicking on the image of Ms. Cook above or the Read link below. Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children will be out on DVD/UMD April 25th.[Thanks, epobirs; image of Tifa courtesy of Eyes on Final Fantasy]
