consumer-electronics-show
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Bill Gates: live at his final CES keynote
We're less than a half hour away from Bill Gates' 12th and reportedly final keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show (at least as Chairman of Microsoft). Hoping for some Xbox announcements? So are we. Our friends at Engadget are liveblogging the presentation and we'll keep you up to date on any pertinent (i.e. game-related) announcements. Stay tuned.
Cisco Systems: 1 year in Second Life
Come celebrate with Cisco Systems on January 8th, 1 PM at Cisco Systems Sim 1 as they celebrate their 1 year Second Life anniversary with a party where the cake is certainly not a lie, even if it is virtual.A live Q&A session will be on hand to discuss Cisco's Visual Networking Strategy, as well as their presence in the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show. I'm pleased that Cisco is still around, and in fact, shows no signs of leaving, unlike some companies I could mention. They seem to be in it for the right reasons, primary of which is the interaction with residents. Good way to build brand awareness, guys!You can get more information about the SL event here.[Thanks, Smiddy!]
SOE plans community meet-up in Vegas during CES
Sony Online Entertainment's Community Relations team have put out an open invite for anyone that would like to meet up with them at Las Vegas during the Consumer Electronics Show. The team have planned to be at Quark's Bar and Restaurant, in the Hilton, on the 8th of January. If you're going to be there for CES, or for whatever else it is people do at Vegas, then consider stopping by and meeting up with the folks from SOE.The details are as follows: What: Community Get Together Where: Quark's Bar and Restaurant in the Hilton Hotel, 3000 Paradise Rd. Las Vegas, Nevada 89109 When: 7:00 p.m. PST, January 8th
Peter Dille talks about the PS3, generally
After Peter Dille gave his presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show, Game Informer managed to squeeze an interview out of him. We'll make a list of what was covered, because those are always awesome. We know how the Doerrman stands with lists -- he's always open to them (get it? Like a door... come on, I had to think of that one for all of twenty seconds!). The big announcement at CES for Mr. Dille was the official "1 million PS3's sold" -- not shipped, sold. You see, retailers have to buy the units, so to Sony, the units are sold. This is of course referring only to the US... Japan's numbers will be announced soon. Some spin on the 10 million 360 numbers was mentioned, but since it's so blatantly competitive, we're not going to transcribe the spin. You can read it if you want to, but if you're not a Sony fanboy, you're likely to get agitated. Sony is actively working on PlayStation Network updates (likely to be finished up before the European launch). These include: download speeds, background downloads (or multitasking) and other patches (maybe to start fixing those PS2 game jaggies... if that can be fixed). As far as the bluetooth controller connection drops, Sony shrugs it off as an issue with all the different crap "proliferation of devices" you have on your desktop. Personally, I've nothing else (wireless, bluetooth or otherwise) around my PS3 and get perfect connections every time. There will be a firmware upgrade making the downloadable titles currently playable only on the PSP able to be played on the PS3 -- that's very good. Tekken is coming to the PS-Store for the US soon. We're told to "stay tuned" to the store. About exclusive games, Dille says that soon third-party developers will want to "start at the highest system and work your way down" -- the reason many are multi-platform right now, he attests, is the 360 has been out for a year and most developers are familiar with the platform as a good starting point. Which is true. But, will this change? Or will all games begin development on the 360 and be "ported down" (he was implying this) to the PS3? Whew! He certainly had a lot to say. Unless you really have an agenda against Sony, this guy really made it seem like he's excited about the PS3 and pretty much sold the excitement to you, too. Good stuff.
UK gaming events this summer
This summer is shaping up to be great one, at least in terms of the number of UK gaming trade shows and conferences coming up soon. The great gaming fiasco of 2004 resulted in both of the major gaming trade shows in the UK (Game Stars Live and ECTS) being canceled when they decided to take place at exactly the same time, so it's great to finally see that the industry has picked itself up.Click continue to see a round-up of some future gaming events within the United Kingdom. Joystiq's UK contingent (consisting of Jennie and I) hopes to be able to attend as many of these events as possible so if you're also planning on attending make sure to leave us a comment. If we've missed a show or conference, let us know and I'll add your tip to the table.
Macworld vs. CES, the 2007 grudge match
The dates for next year's Macworld are out: January 8 to 12. And the dates for the 2007 CES? January 8 to 11. Well I guess there won't be all those media and company heavy hitters in the VIP section of the keynote, will there? According to C|Net, CES had a contractual obligation which forced the move. The last time this happened, in 2002, Macworld attendance dropped over 5%. Now, what were the big announcements in 2002 at Steve's keynote? Let's see, a beta of Palm desktop of OS X. There were 27 stores open (beating the goal by a whopping 2). Lots of OS X ports, essentially. And a little app called iPhoto was launched, and at the time it was free. Oh, the sunflower-inspired iMac was introduced, along with a new iBook (14"). And Apple's stock was trading at less than $25.So what do you think? Given the choice, I can only assume most TUAW readers would pick Macworld. But what about the rest of them? Will Engadget split the duties, or will TUAW have to pick up the slack? All I know is that I plan to be back in San Francisco, hopefully gazing upon another beta of Palm desktop (cheap shot, I know).
