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Competitors pricing not caving to iPhone emergence
Considering that Verizon went way out of its way to get noticed on iDay, it follows logic to think that it, along with a handful of other rivals, would at least consider slashing prices temporarily in order to redirect attention from the oft-hyped iPhone. Interestingly, none of that actually proved true, as Verizon went so far as to raise the prices of a number of handsets, while neither T-Mobile nor Sprint introduced any huge discounts in order to garner attention. Reportedly, AT&T was the carrier that implemented the most price cuts, as the Pearl, KRZR, and N75 all saw lower prices surrounding the iPhone launch. Of course, it could be that competing carriers simply succumbed to the fact that those eying an iPhone weren't likely to be tempted by anything else, and for all intensive purposes, they'd be absolutely correct.
Building a better DamageMeter
WyldKard sent us this great piece he wrote over at mendax.org about building a better damage meter. DamageMeters is a pretty standard addon by this point, and considering that even Blizzard has started to include damage and healing figures in some battlegrounds now, players have generally agreed that tracking your healing or damage output is a fairly good way to determine your skill as a player.Except that it really isn't. Wyld lays out a few reasons why, the most obvious being that one player outputting tons of damage doesn't mean your group actually succeeds. As a resto Shaman, I often get the short end of the stick on damage meters-- I do both healing and damage, so I never end up at the top of either list. Also, Earth Shield still isn't listed correctly even in the latest version of DamageMeters-- all of that healing, which I'm clearly responsible for, gets listed as the warrior's.That's more of a bug fix, though (DM just has to get its numbers straight), and Wyld has bigger ideas in mind for damage meters.
CNET unveils its top-rated HDTVs
Yeah, we've already let you guys voice your opinion on the best HDTV out there, but now its time for CNET to dish out an updated version of the "top-rated HDTVs regardless of type, technology, brand, or size." Taking a respectable fourth is the Samsung LN-T4665F, which was praised for its excellent shadow detail and beautiful styling, while the Pioneer PDP-5070HD managed to squeeze into third thanks to its accurate color decoding and impressive array of inputs. The first loser (or runner-up, depending on perspective) was the Mitsubishi WD-65831, which was dubbed "as good as it gets" in the 65-inch range for those not savvy with high-end plasma pricetags. Unsprisingly, Pioneer's stunning PRO-FHD1 took top honors due to its excellent detail with 1080-resolution material, deep blacks, and all around excellent picture quality. Of course, this very set also took home the gold in an earlier showdown, so if you've been teetering on how to blow wisely spend $8,000 or so, the choice seems pretty clear at this stage.
Recent survey suggests plasmas preferred over LCDs
As the continuing debate between LCD vs. plasma steams ahead, here we have yet another research study that purportedly suggests that nearly four out of five consumers would prefer PDPs over LCDs. The study -- which was conducted by global market research firm Synovate, posed the question to respondents in China, Japan, England, France, and Germany (no North America?) -- and found that an average of 80-percent of individuals preferred the images produced by plasmas when viewing a side-by-side comparison. What's interesting about the supposed results, however, is that recent sales have depicted quite the opposing story, and multiple plasma manufacturers have had to realign their strategies or shut down aspects of the business completely in order to remain afloat. Conversely, LCD sales have been impressive as of late, as consumers have responded positively to the tanking prices and widespread availability. Of course, this whole plasma vs. LCD war could rage on until SED TVs actually go mainstream and never find finality, but until PDPs can once again become price competitive with similar alternatives, we don't see its sales struggles ending anytime soon.
The sights and sounds of RoboCup 2007
While you've already gotten a taste of the prep work involved at RoboCup 2007, we know a more multimedia-packed perspective of the gala is more likely to quench your appetite for roboto-a-roboto action. From mechanical canines bending it like Beckham to Wiimote-controlled AIBOs, Atlanta is the place to be if you're looking for all things robotic. Best of all, the gurus inside have translated their circuitry and programming skills over to the camera, and a well-stocked Flickr pool and YouTube library are already beginning to form. So go on, give the links below a gander, and be sure to check back as the week unfolds to catch even more of the madness at this year's RoboCup.Read - Northern Bites BlogRead - RoboCup 2007 Flickr poolRead - RoboCup 2007 YouTube library
RoboCup 2007: let the games begin
While we weren't able to get a first-hand glimpse of the mayhem that is RoboCup this time around, a camera-wielding Georgia Tech graduate student was able to do the honors for us all, and snagged quite a bit of impressive footage from the expo. Many of the shots were snapped during yesterday's practice rounds as competitors prepped their gear for battle (which began yesterday), and we must say that the oh-so-athletic Junior Soccer League robots are worth the price of admission alone. Still, even if witnessing robotic contention in person isn't enough to drag you to Atlanta, be sure to click through to get a glimpse of homegrown robotic innovation at its finest.
RoboGames 2007 to commence in San Francisco
Just as in years past, the "planet's largest robot competition" is about to get underway in San Francisco. This time around, over 800 robots from 30 countries will be competing in 61 various RoboGames events, the most notable of which include combat, fire-fighting, android acrobatics, android kung-fu, and iron-man exoskeleton weight lifting. Best of all, the mayhem is actually open for the public to enjoy, so drown your kids' whining and head on over to watch metal-framed machines put your skills to shame. Check out a few more peeks of the action after the jump.[Via Physorg]
Joystiq interviews Gamecock about EIEIO and E3 funeral
Yesterday we spoke with independent game publisher Gamecock's Mike Wilson about their alterna-plans for E3. See, a few months back the ESA dropped the hammer on the smaller publishers and Gamecock decided to do their own thing close to Min-E3 Although Wilson says Gamecock didn't have the time to fulfill their vision of making Kentia Hall reborn, they will be living it up with EIEIO (Expo for Interactive Entertainment: Independent and Original) in the Hotel California (such a lovely place) and holding a funeral for E3 on the beach where everyone (not just journalists) will be invited.OK, so let's do the basics, EIEIO. For those who haven't been following this little saga, what is it and then give us a brief who, what, where, when, why, and sometimes how, of the event?EIEIO was the funny little name we gave to the event we were planning for E3, basicially as soon as the time and city were announced for E3 late last year. Early this year we locked up a space to do an alternative event, similar what we used to do for E3, just for ourselves and our developers. And then when the ESA announced they were actually only inviting about thirty companies, and almost all of them were public companies, we were inspired to do something a little bit bigger to give a home to these uninvited companies. But, unfortunately, this year we were unable to secure enough space. And with the ambiguous way E3 is going to be this year, it seems like it's going to be a bunch of rented out boardrooms and conference rooms at various hotels. I'm not sure our efforts are best used to try and set up an alternative event until we actually see what [E3] is going to be like. So basicially, we're going to be using the time to showcase our games to the press. We're going to be at the Hotel California [for the three days of E3], which is a great hotel on the beach in Santa Monica, sort of in the middle of all these bigger hotels all the other guys are at. We're going to bring out all our developers, we'll announce eight projects by then and we're just going to use the time to set up and talk about our games.
World Cyber Games tournament in New York
The World Cyber Games held their US Open video game tournament last week in New York. The two-day event had 68 competitors waging (hyperbole alert) fierce and epic battle for $20,000 in cash and prizes. Players competed in nine different games (titles and winners after the break).We overheard that one of the most entertaining parts of the event was the coach for team MoB competing in Gears of War. Their "coach," Godfath3r, was apparently intense and entertaining to watch; when they played, the whole place would gather around and watch the show as Godfath3r paced back and forth behind his players, shouting at his team to help out -- and at the other team to trash talk. Some highlights include: "You CANNOT Handle THIS!" - 'We are the Number One team in this place." "He is hurt finish him, kill him, kill him, kill him!!!!" "Get SOME!!," said at the end of the match and followed by, "Go shake their hands!" Anybody got the video? Screaming video gamers are always amusing. Especially when they're being serious.[Via Press Release]%Gallery-3687%
Lost Garden's new prototype challenge: CuteGod
Similar to his previous Spacecute prototype challenge, Danc of Lost Garden has issued another call to programmers looking to flex their muscles. Using the provided tile set, designers are tasked to create a small-scale casual god game. Think Populus, but ... cute. Programmers send in their prototypes for discussion and critique, all in the spirit of making a better indie game. If you've got the urge to get some game making done, most of the design document is at Lost Garden, you simply have to fill in the blanks.
GameSpot's MotorStorm tournament finale today at 7:00 PM EST
Gamespot's MotorStorm tournament is wrapping up today, with the top 10 racers competing in one last competition of their off-road racing skills. The event is starting at 7:00 PM EST, with the top player pulling in $1,000 worth of prizes and a whole lotta geek cred. Personally, I'll be watching and taking notes. I need some help clearing those last tickets in MotorStorm - the AI is just plain evil!
Does the industry need to give WoW competition?
Right now WoW stands as the big boy on the online gaming scene. It will take quite a bit to close the gap between it and the other -- some could argue the inferior -- titles. Mark Ward at BBC News wrote an article on the subject of competition to World of Warcraft last week, and it raises some interesting issues. Mark interviewed Funcom game director Gaute Godoger, the man responsible for the upcoming Age of Conan MMO. Gaute believes that competition is needed for WoW because it has such a stranglehold on the market right now. Normally, I would have to agree with him, since competition breeds innovation. But in the case of Blizzard, they are competing with themselves for innovation, which is why WoW constantly comes up with new and fresh concepts and content that other games strive to copy. From where I sit, the company appears to be driven by the internal desire to put forth the best game possible, and so I see little in the market today that would have the potential to actually compete with their ethic.
NASA's moon-dirt digging competition ends sans a winner
This won't mark the first occasion (nor the last) in which a NASA challenge ends without a winner, but just as noted before the competition began, it looks like the quarter-million dollars in prize money will indeed be rolled over to next year. NASA's Regolith Excavation Challenge beckoned teams to conjure up autonomous digger bots that could move a given amount of mock moon dirt into a cell within a half hour, and unfortunately for crews hailing from Pismo Beach, Berkley, Rolla, and Rancho Palos Verdes, everyone left with their heads a-hangin'. The excavator built by Technology Ranch was able to notch first place by relocating just over 143-pounds in 30 minutes, but fell quite short on picking up any award monies. So for those of you who weren't exactly ready to go mano-a-mano with these guys and gals this time around, next year you've all got $750,000 on the line. [Warning: Read link requires subscription]
Wal-Mart's HDTV pricing puts competition in a world of hurt
Let's face it, consumers eying an HDTV are looking at the pricetag just as often, if not more often, than the picture quality, contrast ratio, or number of HDMI inputs. Companies like Vizio who have entered this cutthroat market and excelled have done so on price, and no one knows price better than Wal-Mart. The mega-corp has been adamant about undercutting big box retailers, and while you aren't likely to walk into a Wally World electronics section and find the clean, uncluttered, and well-stocked shelves that a next door neighbor may have, you're likely to stomach the environment for a few minutes in order to save a few Benjamins. An MSNBC writeup took a look at how Wal-Mart's industry-leading price scheme is potentially hurting the other guys, and it even goes so far as to suggest that the recent store closings and layoffs at Circuit City, Tweeter, CompUSA, and Rex Stores were all triggered by the giant slashing prices to acquire razor-thin margins. Of course, it's no secret that HDTV prices in general have been sinking like a stone over the past half year or so, and while the boutiques are banking on customers finally coughing up the extra dough for "knowledge staff" and better all-around service, we're betting that price still remains king in the land of HDTV.[Via BloggingStocks]
Indie developers argue their way into selling a game
Game Producer's recent Convince Me To Buy Your Video Game competition tossed the ball in the indie developers' court and made them argue their way into selling a copy of their game. Wild promises were made, editors had their posteriors smooched, and a few devs went so far as to brag about the game's actual features! With the post-contest fog starting to clear, three arguments emerged as the most convincing sales pitches: The Witch's Yarn by MouseChief made a sale by boasting quality illustrations, a real-instrument soundtrack, and interactive sitcom gameplay. The Code Zone convinced Game Producer to pick up Duck Tiles by offering several discounts along with ... a pony. Kudos to Cliff Harris for selling a copy of his game, Kudos, by boldly asking "Can I enter twice?" A contest like this isn't the best way to uncover hidden gems of the indie world, as offering ponies says very little about the quality of a game. On the other hand, it is a good way for indie developers to stretch their PR muscles.
GP2X Crap Games Competition results
Although the GP2X Crap Games Competition ended two months ago, games of this calibre deserve to live forever. The goal of the competition was to prove programming skillz and overall manliness by creating the worst game evar for the GP2X. Entries have such clever names as Paint Dry Xtreme, Walking Simulator Extreme, and possibly the greatest crap game of all time, Run, Hitler, Run!. If you've got a GP2X and want to experience the lowest of the low, check out the full games list.The winners of the competition walked away with fantastic prizes that make Bob Barker and his new refrigerators look like 10p and half a Toffee Crisp by comparison: 1st prize: 20p and a Toffee Crisp. 2nd prize: The bitter taste of defeat. 3rd prize: The even more bitter taste of defeat by the 2nd prize winner.
Lenovo's Olympics-inspired laptops revealed
Yeah, you may have thought those Santa Rosa, er, Centrino Pro-based ThinkPads were hot stuff, but they ain't got nuthin' on the future eBay value of the svelte new Olympic-inspired iteration. Shortly after Lenovo unveiled its 2008 Beijing Olympic torch design, the firm has already thrown down snapshots of its Olympic laptop, which certainly looks dashing in its own right. The stunning red and black case design is accented with a motif similar to that found on the torch, and the spiral designs actually seep beyond the external casing right onto the palm rests and around the LCD's bezel. Unfortunately, not much is know about the internal hardware that these presumably finely trained machines will sport, but early details suggests a 12.1-inch XGA display and Intel's L2400 Core 2 Duo processor will be in the mix. Additionally, mum's the word on pricing and availability, but you can rest assured that this bad boy will be one hot commodity whenever it lands in limited quantities. Click on through for a few more glamor shots.[Via Engadget Chinese]
Team Velozzi creating sexy Automotive X-Prize participant
While we've seen a couple of entrants into the Automotive X-Prize competition so far, Team Velozzi has announced a showstopper of a vehicle that will reportedly be created for the contest. Aiming to craft a vehicle that gets around 200 miles-per-gallon and receives locomotion from potent Li-ion batteries, the R&D group's potential participant currently resembles vehicles from some of the more exotic of automakers. Curiously, the company's website insinuates that it wants the vehicle to be "mainstream," but with specs consisting of a full carbon-fiber body / chassis, Brembo brakes and racing suspension, a multi-format hybrid energy system, "high-end interior," a Weismann F1 transmission, and twin AC electric engines, we can't exactly imagine this supercar fitting into the average joe's (or jane's) budget. Still, there's no denying the sexy regardless of cost, so be sure to hit the links below to get a more in-depth view of Velozzi's forthcoming automobile.[Via AutoblogGreen]
WSVG 3v3 Tournament information posted!
Carrying on with the PVP tournament theme, The World Series of Video Games site has posted the ruleset for the 3 vs 3 tournaments planned for later this year. This includes the structure for the rounds, and the setup for the gaming. According to the guidelines: Each team will have 5 minutes to pick a pre-made character and equip with gear and talents. There will be multiple selections to choose from for each race and class. Each team must select 3 different character classes. Teams may not use multiple of the same class. But to answer a few questions raised about these competitions earlier - this particular competition will indeed let you use your personal mouse, keyboard, and headset as well as add-ons, so long as they are submitted and approved before the first competition takes place in China. Nice to see that some customization within reasonable levels is allowed.Surprisingly enough, there are still several spots open for people to sign up as of yet. So if you've got the team (or even if not, as they are accepting "Free Agent" registrations if you check the actual sign ups) the dream, and the vacation days/cash saved up to attend one of the WSVG events, head over to the WSVG site and get signed up!
PyWeek game challenge results announced, winners include a seahorse
The results of the latest PyWeek game design challenge have been released! Several dozen games were submitted to the latest competition, all with the theme of "the only way is up". Winners were announced in both individual and team entries and games are available to download from the PyWeek website.Winning entry Which way is up?, a puzzle/platformer game by Hectigo, uses levers to rotate the game world as you pick your way through blocks and enemies. The top team game, Barbie Seahorse Adventures, doesn't seem to involve plastic female body parts at all. Instead, it's a great looking 2D platformer where you play a seahorse trying to reach the moon.Also worth checking out is Trip on the Funny Boat, an arcade-style game where you pilot a ship with a cannon over treacherous waters.
