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The Joystiq Weekend: December 1 to 3, 2007
Remember this? You were supposed to be waiting up for this right now. At least you get to keep some extra money for the already-massive lineup of AAA titles this season. And there's always this, too. (Caution: link NSFW) Check out the (many) highlights for this (rather exhausting) weekend:Gerstmann-GateLatest developments in "Gerstmann-gate"Rumorang: Gerstmann-gate editionZiff Davis staff holds impromptu GameSpot rallyGerstmann-gate: Sunday morning updateExclusive: Gertsmann speaks about K&L review, futureBlackout Monday: virtual boycott targets GameSpot, CNET sitesGerstmann-gate: Blackout Monday updateCNET podcast hosts comment on Gerstmann controversyGameSpot posts official Gerstmann firing noticeActi-BlizzardActivision and Blizzard parent merge in $18 billion deal Blizzard wants you to know that merger won't affect their games GameSetWatch analyzes Activision/Vivendi mergerThe Activision Blizzard conference callActivision stock way up after merger newsJoystiq Podcast Roundtable - Blizzavision ... Actiblizzard?JoystiqueryJapanese hardware sales, Nov. 19 - Nov. 25: Informative puppeteer editionReminder: Last chance to win a $5K gaming PC from Falcon NorthwestToday's danciest video: Merry Xmas 2K7Weekly Webcomic Wrapup: charitable editionNewsGuitar Hero II gets DLC: Indie Label Pack IIRock Band team offers free EA game for guitar repair delays GameTap losing over 7% of games; EA, Interplay and other publishers gone Dec. 11DS gets downloadable content with official DSVision flash card peripheralNew games this week: Universe at War: Earth Assault editionVirtual Console gets Eternal Champions, Zanac, The Dynastic HeroKuju opens new Nik Nak studio aimed at kidsResident Evil: Outbreak and Monster Hunter online services cease for PS2Microsoft reveals XBLA games coming in December and JanuaryEidos trademarks 'Tomb Raider Underworld'Metallica in talks to debut new single as Rock Band DLCBig surprise: Guitar Hero 4, Call of Duty 5, and Tony Hawk 11 confirmedSega: No plans to release NiGHTS PS2 outside of JapanThis Tuesday: Arcade HitsTomb Raider engine to power Deus Ex 3Xbox 360 video playback FAQSmash Bros blog teaches us how to make friendsTurok clips show off multiplayerTingle's Rosy Rupeeland: meanest Nintendo game ever?Play as Ken and Chun Li in Korean MMO fighting gameAndy Serkis spearheading East England game industry networkTretton admits to 'missteps' in PS3's first yearRumors & SpeculationTake-Two CEO sees industry consolidation as 'inevitable'Culture & CommunitySleater-Kinney guitarist talks Rock BandGuitar Hero brings business to six-string tutorsSomething Awful pokes fun at Mass EffectMega64's VGA 2007 TV spot makes us laugh, feel guiltyAskMen's Top 10 Hottest Women in TechDIY: Weighted Companion Cube paperweightHenry Jenkins sounds off on Spencer Halpin's 'Moral Kombat'Roll your own ugly Wii Zapper using LEGOsThe 21 days of Wii from Circuit City
GameSpot posts official Gerstmann firing notice
It took nearly four long, controversy-filled days, but GameSpot has finally posted notice on their web site that editorial director Jeff Gerstmann has been fired. Or, as the notice itself puts it, "after over a decade in a variety of editorial roles, Jeff Gerstmann's tenure as editorial director has ended." Besides praising Gerstmann's work and offering him best wishes, the notice echoes the company's earlier statement by saying that "details of Gerstmann's departure cannot be disclosed publicly" because of "legal constraints and the company policy of GameSpot parent CNET Networks." The posting also firmly denies (yet again) that advertiser pressure had any role in the firing. "Neither CNET Networks nor GameSpot has ever allowed its advertising business to affect its editorial content," said Greg Brannan, CNET Networks Entertainment's vice president of programming. "The accusations in the media that it has done so are unsubstantiated and untrue. Jeff's departure stemmed from internal reasons unrelated to any buyer of advertising on GameSpot." Strong words, but ones that might come too late for many gamers who have already made up their minds about the controversy.Oddly enough, Gerstmann does still appear on the site's About Us page, nearly a week after his termination last Wednesday. The notice about the firing currently appears on the front page of the site as the top news story.Even with the posted statement, many questions remain surrounding the firing. Why was Gerstmann's Kane & Lynch video review removed from the site? Did Eidos (or any other company) bring pressure to bear on Gamespot, even if it was ignored? (Eidos continues to ignore repeated requests for comment from Joystiq). How does Gamespot plan on addressing the sizable outrage in the gaming community over the issue, justified or not? We'll keep looking for answers to these and other questions surrounding the controversy and will of course let you know what we find.
CNET podcast hosts comment on Gerstmann controversy
While today's episode of CNET's Buzz Out Loud podcast was delayed for a "mandatory meeting," (hmmm, we wonder what that might have been about ...) the wait was worth it, as hosts Molly Wood, John (Update: Typo fixed) Tom Merritt and Jason Howell were able to comment on Gamespot's firing of executive editor Jeff Gerstmann from a somewhat insider perspective. Their overall impression? As Merritt put it, "Wow does this whole situation suck."While Merritt did say up front that "there are things that we're not allowed to talk about because they're internal matters," the team said they weren't sitting on any super-secret information about the reasons behind Gerstmann's firing. "[Human resources is] not going to come and tell us why a dude got fired," Wood said. That said, the hosts could offer their commentary on the matter, and their thoughts on that score were somewhat of a mixed bag.
Gerstmann talks, protests start and it continues ...
And so saga that encompasses the events, rumors and nastiness surrounding the firing of Gamespot editorial director Gerstmann continues. Over the weekend lots of Gerstmann-gate (that's everyone's new "it" name for this) news has been flooding in including rumors, forum lockdowns and zero official responses from CNET or Gamespot. And then today, Joystiq got in touch with Gerstmann who expressed some thoughts about the whole fiasco and where he's headed, but didn't disclose any concrete answers to this giant headache. Finally, Gerstmann supporters are calling for a Gamespot Blackout Monday and ask that nobody visit or support CNET owned websites ... it's all too much! Ahhh! We advise jumping on over to Joystiq to get all the details and linkage you need. Anyone have an aspirin we can bum?
Blackout Monday: virtual boycott targets GameSpot, CNET sites
GameSpot user 'Subrosian' has called for a boycott of all CNET-operated sites today in response to the controversy surrounding the firing of GameSpot executive editor Jeff Gerstmann, GamePolitics.com reports. Dubbed "Black Monday," the virtual boycott is to last 24 hours and instructs participants to avoid viewing, Googling, or clicking external links to the sites, particularly GameSpot. "Rather than live in a world where the media is controlled entirely by those with the most money, I want to live in a world where gamers who are living for their hobby ... can say what they truly feel about a game. So let's do the right thing and show solidarity with Jeff Gerstmann -- if he can't go to work on Monday at GameSpot then neither will we," declares Subrosian's manifesto.Posted at 9:31pm ET last night, the call to action likely went unnoticed by many potential protesters before the blackout's midnight start time. Further discouraging any chance of effectiveness is the lack of a prominent external page for the boycott (try Googling "black monday gamespot" or other relevant search terms) -- um, the original post is a GameSpot.com link! If anything, Blackout Monday may serve as a seed for birthing a better-organized boycott before the Gerstmann story becomes "old news." Hardcore game forum posters-turned-activists need to appeal to the mainstream technology consumer to really stick it to the CNET network. But for anyone to get behind the issue, organizers must first wait for the swirl of rumors to settle and the truth to be made public. What's less legitimate than a rumor? The boycott of a rumor. (Reminder: the details of Gerstmann's firing are still unconfirmed.)[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
CNET: Gerstmann not fired over advertiser pressure
Our compatriots at Joystiq have uncovered some more information regarding the firing of Jeff Gerstmann, GameSpot's (now former) Editorial Director. The news that he was fired broke this morning, with certain sources citing that he was fired do to pressure from Eidos in the wake of Gerstmann's harsh text and video review of Kane & Lynch. Eidos publishes the game in question, and had purchased pervasive ads on GameSpot including a page skin that was removed soon after Gerstmann's firing.Joystiq has now secured new comments from CNET, which owns GameSpot. The comments come in the wake of a fairly ambiguous statement made by CNET earlier today. According to Joystiq, a CNET spokesperson by the name of Sarah Cain noted, "we do not terminate employees based on external pressure from advertisers." When asked whether or not such pressure had been exerted, Cain provided no comment. Joystiq also inquired about the video review, which has since been removed from GameSpot. Cain said that a note of "clarification" had been added to the text review -- which also applied to the video review -- and that it was CNET's decision to pull the video review.Make sense to you? Yeah, well we don't get it either. Check out Joystiq for more details.
GameSpot denies Eidos pressured firing of Gerstmann
We just got off the phone with Sarah Cain, a CNET spokesperson who wanted to amend CNET's previous statement to Joystiq on the recent firing of executive editor Jeff Gerstmann. While reiterating that CNET does not discuss personal employee matters with the press, Cain said directly that "we do not terminate employees based on external pressure from advertisers." When asked specifically about whether any such pressure was even attempted on Eidos' part, Cain had no comment. We're still waiting for a response to multiple e-mail requests for comment by Eidos PR.While we had Cain on the line, we also asked her about the odd disappearance of Gerstmann's video review of the game from the GameSpot site. She responded by pointing out a note at the bottom of the still-running text review for the game, which states that "this review has been updated to include differences between the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions and a clarification on the game's multiplayer mode."When pressed for clarification, Cain said that this note applied to the video review as well. "At the bottom of the post of the [text] review we made a note that we have updated the review, and we made those decisions based on our own editorial standards," she said. "It was our decision to take down the [video] review." Given this justification, we can't help but wonder why GameSpot couldn't just edit the video review, as they did the text version. Why remove the entire thing if the problem was really just a "clarification?" When asked just that question, Cain reiterated her initial statement.
Ginny Talamasca Day: Cui bono, Second Life?
There's a lot to chew on in this recent post by CNet's Daniel Terdiman. As one of the leading figures in Second Life's huge fashion industry, Ginny Talamasca was a beloved resident. After her recent death, a message was sent to Linden Lab to declare April 17th as 'Ginny Talamasca Day'. LL's response appears to be that it merely controls the architecture and underlying tech of SL, but keeps its hands clear of any of its content, which in this case apparently includes social structures.However, LL did take the time to acknowledge the death of Jesse Malthus, and it could be (and probably will be) argued that Ginny's influence was at least as strong as his. There's a shade of difference in the form of acknowledgment, however -- Jesse's honorarium is the "Best Community Influence" award, not a special day once a year. This will all be fodder for discussion in the upcoming days and weeks, but while Terdiman's post centers on asking whether or not it's LL's responsibility to issue an official proclamation concerning a public event like this, I think it's more reducible than that. The question to ask should be 'who benefits'?[Via news.com]
Virtual worlds teaching kids consumerism
Here's a CNet article about a USC panel discussion concerning how virtual worlds are affecting children, sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation, who are investing in research in virtual worlds. Telling points from the discussion:Spaces like Club Penguin and Webkinz encourage consumerism as part of being a good citizen. Well, this is true, but let's lift our heads from the monitor and realize that American culture itself embraces that model, and virtual worlds are merely the latest iteration of that concept. If we're not careful, these things will become yet another scapegoat for undesirable behavior, just like videogames have been and continue to be.Educators continue to extol the virtues of virtual worlds as beneficial for learning. One of the strengths of online distance learning is its ability to provide the chatroom experience, which is inherently social, with the ability to immediately gratify the desire to search for background information. Being in your class in Second Life and Googling facts at the same time brings to your education a valuable 'live' experience that is difficult to match with standard real life classrooms. Add to that the playful nature of speaking through a customizable avatar, and this is a worthy new color in any educator's palette.Real world ugliness is promulgated throughout virtual worlds, including bullying, racism, and homophobia. The problem is that, no matter how you view virtual worlds, either as utopias or dystopias, human behavior is a learned thing, and that frequently begins at home. Respect for your fellow humans must be taught. If it isn't taught, it isn't learned. Of course online spaces are filled with abusive behavior; life itself is filled with it. Like consumerism, this is a problem that virtual worlds are only bringing into sharper relief, not engendering themselves.[Via CNet]
Due diligence on the Asus/Apple tablet rumor
We should probably have some due diligence on the latest rumors streaming around the Apple blogosphere, so here you go: CNET is claiming that Asus is helping Apple build a sweet new Tablet PC. This is just the latest in a long line of rumors about an ultraportable, and we've heard this so much by now that even if it isn't true, there are probably engineers at Apple right now working on how to make it a reality anyway.I tend to agree with Macenstein: what do we need an Apple Tablet for, anyway? The whole ultraportable idea seems to be based on the fact that people want to see it made, not necessarily that anyone is walking around with an iPhone and a MacBook and still asking for yet another computer to carry around. Don't get me wrong-- if anyone can find a hidden niche for beautiful, usable products, Apple can, but I just don't see where an iTablet would fit in the hierarchy.Now, the last time I speculated on Apple releases (I said we wouldn't see new MacBooks for a while), Apple decided to release MacBook updates just hours later, so for everyone out there hoping to see a new Apple Tablet, try this on: my guess is that Apple won't release an iTablet in January. Now, when I'm dead wrong (as usual), I'll just be able to claim that I predicted the opposite of what I thought so we'd get the product we wanted.
New product will let you MMO on the go
Multiplayer online virtual worlds consume a lot of your time. It's important to put them down now and then and get out of the house to live a real life, but that's about to get more difficult; we can expect massively multiplayer online worlds to become available on our cell phones any day now. There have been a couple small scale examples already, but a company called GEMINI Mobile Technologies thinks it's produced a breakthrough product.The product is called "the eXplo platform." It's a framework for 3D online environments running on mobile phones. Its features include customizable personal spaces (essentially player housing), messaging, photo sharing, shopping, and games. A few days ago the CNET News Blog took a look at S! Town, a product based on the platform. Initially released in Japan, it's headed to North America and Europe and will feature Facebook and YouTube integration for American consumers.Look for S! Town in North America and Europe in 2008.
Leopard review rodeo
We've talked so much about Leopard already here at TUAW that I'd find it hard to believe you readers haven't decided yet whether you're ready to pick it up (or not), but just in case, here's a few concise reviews from around the 'net to let you know whether this is something you want or not. PC Mag gives the OS a whopping 4.5 out of 5: "Leopard performs all such tasks even better than previous versions did-and Leopard is the only OS on the planet that works effortlessly and intuitively in today's world of networked computers and peripherals. Leopard is far from perfect, but it's better than any alternative, and it's getting harder and harder to find good reasons to use anything else." Laptop Magazine isn't quite as harsh on the glitches, but also give it 4.5/5: "Part useful, part flash, all beautifully easy: Apple's Mac OS X 10 Leopard bounded into stores Friday, thrilling the Mac faithful with a solid and extremely useful upgrade." CNET gives Leopard an 8.0 out of 10, saying that while Leopard is nice, it might not be necessary: "Should you pay for Leopard? If you're happy with the way Tiger works, then maybe not. If you need Bootcamp, however, then you must have Leopard. And if you're considering the purchase of a new computer, Leopard makes Macs more enticing than Tiger did." And Macworld says that while you might not use everything, the stuff you will use is worth it: "Given the impressive value of Time Machine and improvements to existing programs such as iCal, iChat, Mail, and the Finder, most active Mac users will find more than enough reasons to consider that upgrade cost money well spent. Despite a few interface missteps, particularly when it comes the menu bar and the Dock, Leopard is an upgrade that roars." Now, once again, odds are that either you've using Leopard right now, or you're already waiting on a specific reason to upgrade for it. But across the board, reviews on the new OS are generally good. And even though lots of users are dealing with bugs and unfixed errors right now, the best days of Leopard are still yet to come.Thanks to everyone who sent these in!
How much power does your HDTV use?
CNET took 54 HDTVs and analyzed their power requirements to answer this question. The results are interesting, but not very surprising and include an estimated yearly expense for each. The yearly number is based on leaving your TV on for eight hours a day and sixteen hours in stand-by. While most technologies used similar amounts of power, there were some exceptions like the 65-inch Sharp LCD which uses almost 600 watts of power in their tests. This is more than any of the Plasmas which were around 500 watts for a similar size. In the end the size made the biggest difference and microdisplays overall used the least amount of power. As interesting as we find this, in the grand scheme of things it isn't a lot of money, even the most expensive TV only costs $19 a month to run.[Via TVSnob.com]
GameFAQs creator calls it quits
Jeff "CJayC" Veasey, who founded the FAQ writing community GameFAQs back in 1995, recently posted a thread on the site announcing he will be leaving the company ... "eventually". Veasey created and operated the site on his own for nearly ten years before selling to CNET. Now, with a hotel-room-mirror revelation about getting older, he has decided to slowly fade away until he can leave altogether.Jeff cites nothing more than wanting to move on as his reasons for leaving, as he feels it's time to pursue other interests and let his baby run free. We imagine distancing himself from the hordes of 10-year-old gamers is a nice side-benefit, as well.
CNET editor details dream phone
It doesn't take a usability expert to recognize flaws in the phones we use day in and day out, yet inexplicably, for most of us the perfect phone doesn't yet exist. The explanations range from a stall in battery technology to capitalism (manufacturers need to perpetually give us reasons to upgrade, after all) to simple laws of physics, but any way you slice it, there are improvements to be made. CNET UK's Andrew Lim has described his perfect cellphone in great detail, and surprisingly, it's not that far out -- in fact, we'd venture to say that it's completely manufacturable with 2007 technology (though the autofocus 5 megapixel cam with 3x optical zoom in a 10 millimeter body might be a stretch). One idea in particular really caught our eye: an always-on e-ink display up top (a la MOTOFONE) for the important stuff, keeping the large, bright OLED primary display off in an effort to save battery life. Click through for the whole story, it's an interesting read -- and a somewhat depressing look into just how far we are from mobile nirvana.[Thanks, Thomas G.]
CNET offers HDTV suggestions for your PS3
The first purchase of an HDTV can be stressful, especially factoring in the plethora of options, specifications, screen sizes, manufacturers and types of HDTV technology. Knowing which HDTV is best suited for gaming and the Blu-ray experience can be daunting so we're absolutely delighted to see assistance and suggestions on HDTV selection. CNET's latest recommendations came out about a week ago but it's a great read. They appear to favor LCD technology, with two recommended sets from Samsung and one from Sharp. Sony's own XBR line provides the LCoS/SXRD alternative, while Panasonic brings up two fine looking plasma sets. While these reviews are quite in-depth, it would be highly recommended to view the set yourself before making any snap judgments. In case you seek additional help, we've linked additional reading for your research.IGN.com HDTV Q&APS3 Forums HDTV SuggestionsAVS Forum PS3, HDMI and HDTV compatibilityAs always, we're curious to learn more about our community and welcome feedback. Which HDTV are you using (or do you plan to use) for all your PS3 pleasures?
CNet takes Reggie's name and other words
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime contributed a column to CNet's News.com, in which he discusses the "technological divide" growing between those who can afford and understand expensive, complicated equipment and those who cannot. He suggests that there is in fact a way to cross this divide, and serve consumers on both sides. Avid followers of Nintendo should know what he suggests: a low-cost device that innovates and creates new markets. He then proceeds to describe the Wii as simple and accessible enough to appeal to people who aren't willing to commit to complicated new developments-- the way cereal bars appeal to people who enjoy eating food but have no time to cook a full breakfast. We respect that there seems to be an actual strategy behind the Wii, and we recommend reading this column to see it laid out in very logical terms.
Why is the PSP not putting up a video fight?
Ugh, it's so irritating when analysts actually have a point. Take this Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey for example. He started seeing everybody downoading video to watch on their iPod (about 50 million TV shows have been sold through iTunes) and started wondering "Hey, doesn't Sony want a piece of this pie?" That was when Sony stopped making out with UMD (always just one "P" from "dump") long enough to insist that he was "cool," but "thanks anyway." Oh, and Betamax was left quietly weeping in her room, sniffling along with "Total Eclipse of the Heart."We've heard rumors of a PSP video download service before and nothing has come of them, but it seems like the pressure on Sony is continuing to grow. One anonymous studio exec is even quoted as saying that Hollywood is pulling for the PSP, in its own heartless way. "We keep hoping they pull themselves together," she says. "... With the PSP video, we're hoping they create a forward-thinking strategy and stick to it." So, Hollywood wants it, James McQuivey (who managed to be right without time travel, Billy) wants it, but do you want it? Perhaps a better question is, can Sony reposition PSP at this point in its life cycle? Or will the iPod's real fight have to come from PSP2?[via PSP Fanboy]
Hollywood wants PSP to compete with iPod
In a recent CNET article, Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey explains Sony's lost opportunity to capture the media download market. Due to their fixation on UMD, Sony has let Apple hold a near-monopoly on digital downloads. "The thing is, Sony could have been all this. The Sony PSP is one of the best portable entertainment media devices that anyone has come up with in years. It has a relatively big screen, plays video beautifully, has good storage and audio. It could have been the first big mobile carrier for TV shows and movies."Even now, Sony continues to stand by UMD, instead of offering a true video download service for the handheld. Sony seems content with their position: their attempts in Japan have been lackluster at best, and PSP's video playback remains crippled due to incomprehensible video restrictions. "You got a company here that's pushing its own approach on every level, and as a result nobody is using its memory stick or video format," McQuivey said. "So you don't have the same robust market that you could have had if you said, 'We're going to open this up. You can put your Windows Media files on here. You can put your QuickTime files on here.'"All hope is not lost, however. A Hollywood executive spoke anonymously to CNET, noting that many Hollywood executives are "pulling for the PSP to emerge as a competitor to the iPod." Many executives are afraid that Apple will maintain a monopoly over movies as it has had over music. Competition is good for the consumer, and the companies making the content. A PSP video download service makes so much sense, but it won't happen until Sony stops making lame excuses. "But Sony has been so dysfunctional and clueless when it comes to the Internet," said the executive. "We keep hoping they pull themselves together ... with the PSP video, we're hoping they create a forward-thinking strategy and stick to it."
CNET editor says DS for girls, PSP for adults
David Carnoy, executive editor of CNET, has written an interesting piece about the appeal of Nintendo DS to females. Girls seem to love Nintendo's handheld, and they help make a large portion of Nintendo's current audience. For example, one CNET editor's girlfriend "liked the concept of the touch screen ... She thought it was more interactive than what you had with the PSP."Certainly, women can enjoy PSP (see picture), but it's clear that PSP is largely targeted towards males. But is that really a problem? As Carnoy points out, focusing on this demographic has created a large library of games that can entertain an audience that simply won't be satisfied by the DS's numerous casual games: "Fact is, the number of really good titles for the DS is actually pretty thin, especially if you happen to be over 21 and don't worship at the altar of Mario or Pokemon. If you're looking to play more 'adult' games with any sort of backbone, the PSP is a far better choice with a much stronger game library."Like almost every other analyst out there, Carnoy believes that PSP can better attract a wider audience with a redesigned handheld. The problem appears to be Sony's reluctance: "I wouldn't be surprised if I saw the DS Extra Lite before I saw the next iteration of the PSP."[Thanks, Joel!]
